A week later, Ning Chen brought his army to the southern frontier.

At the Southern Frontier Army's camp he noticed a good many wounded men.

So Kang Luo really had brought troops against the southern frontier.

Tong Yuanzhou and Yuan Long came to pay their respects.

"This officer greets my lord prince!"

Ning Chen looked at how worn out Tong Yuanzhou was. "So Kang Luo has been here."

Tong Yuanzhou nodded. "Thank heaven General Yuan came up with his men, or it doesn't bear thinking of!"

It was only when Tong Yuanzhou had finished that Ning Chen understood how close a thing it had been.

Kang Luo had come with a hundred and fifty thousand men and attacked five times running.

The first three were feints, and they wore the men down to nothing.

The fourth time the whole Nanyue army came on at once.

The gate was broken open, and the wall itself was very nearly taken.

Tong Yuanzhou was giving way when Yuan Long arrived with his men.

Thank heaven for the five thousand of the Ning'an Army. Muskets and cannon put enough fear into the Nanyue army to drive it back, barely.

Kang Luo pulled his troops off, then threw everything at the gate again that same night, with the breach still unrepaired.

Luckily Yuan Long had the cannon moved up to block the gate, and that was just enough to hold the enemy's spirit down.

They fought the whole night through, and barely drove the Nanyue army off.

In five attacks the Great Xuan lost men and officers alike, more than ten thousand of them.

Ning Chen's face went still and heavy. "Where is the Nanyue army now?"

Yuan Long said, "They seem to have known my lord prince was nearly here, so they pulled back yesterday and withdrew into Nanyue!"

Tong Yuanzhou added, "By the scouts' report, Kang Luo took his army back to Jianxuan Pass and didn't stay there. He went straight on to the southwest."

"The southwest?"

Ning Chen's eyes glinted. He thought for a moment, and then he was smiling. "That's Kang…