That afternoon Ning Chen sent the late emperor's remains and Prince Rui off to the capital together.

He sent a letter to the Xuan Emperor with them.

In it he asked the Xuan Emperor to put the Shipbuilding Office onto warships without delay.

Two years at the most, and he meant to cross the Eastern Sea and level the Zhaohe Kingdom.

Ning Chen took a turn through the city.

The city was white from end to end, and the weeping did not stop.

The Zhaohe army had come into the city raping and robbing, and had killed a great many of the people.

There was hardly a household not mourning a death.

White-haired old men cried out for their sons, small children cried for their fathers, helpless women cried for their husbands.

Ning Chen went back to the Governor's residence and wrote out a notice in his own hand. His soldiers beat gongs and drums and carried it through the whole city.

Early tomorrow morning he would execute the Zhaohe prisoners three miles outside the south gate, and any of the people who cared to could come and watch.

Early the next morning.

The ten thousand-odd Zhaohe prisoners were driven out past the south gate.

Three miles out from the south gate there was a deep gully, a hundred and fifty feet down and more.

After the Zhaohe army took the city, every one of the people they killed had been thrown into that gully.

Off at a distance, the people stood packed three deep and three deep again.

The Zhaohe prisoners were terrified and had no idea what was coming!

Ning Chen sat his horse and looked the Zhaohe prisoners over, cold-eyed.

It was a while before he spoke, and his voice was cold. "Jump."

A shock went through all of them!

Ning Chen said indifferently, "A pack of animals, come into my Great Xuan to rape and rob. The crime is past forgiving. Every one of you is going down there.

If you jump and live through it, this prince will let you go."

The gully went down…