For the next three days the Ning'an Army hunted hard through the city for the officials who had gone over to Prince Rui and what was left of the Underworld Thieves' Sect.

With the people helping, men kept falling into the net.

In three days the Ning'an Army went over Chongzhou the way you go over a carpet.

Along with the officials who had gone over to Prince Rui and the members of the Underworld Thieves' Sect came an unexpected haul: Nanyue's spies, several hundred of them all told.

Ning Chen knew some fish had gotten through the net, but he had no time for a fine search. That could be left to the new officials the court sent.

After a purge on this scale, the fish through the net wouldn't amount to much. They couldn't raise a ripple.

As for the men who were caught, every one of them was dragged to the market crossing and beheaded!

Hard times call for hard law, or the thing makes no impression.

Toward evening a fast horse came up to the Governor's residence.

The man who swung down from it was in his forties, big-framed, with a hard, set face.

His name was Guan Ruifeng, a general of the fourth rank.

He had been transferred here in haste from Yanzhou.

Chongzhou had had thirty thousand men to begin with. Going against the Underworld Thieves' Sect on imperial orders, they had ridden into an ambush and lost more than four thousand.

A beaten commander does not escape the blame, and Chongzhou's had already been taken under guard to the capital to stand trial.

Guan Ruifeng was Chongzhou's new commanding officer.

Ning Chen had not used the Chongzhou garrison in the attack this time either. He had brought in the Southern Frontier Army instead.

Ning Chen received Guan Ruifeng.

"This officer, Guan Ruifeng, greets my lord prince!"

Guan Ruifeng bowed respectfully, looking at Ning Chen with open worship.

A new generation takes the place of the old.

Very few of the Great Xuan's soldiers still spoke of Old General Chen these days. The name…