Ning Chen had guessed exactly right. Kang Luo had agreed to join forces with the De Emperor.

And Ning Chen had gotten something else right too... Kang Luo had sent fifty thousand troops to reinforce Liangzhou.

What's more, Kang Luo wasn't leading them himself.

He had only a hundred and fifty thousand men, and he still had to hold Yangzhou and Chongzhou. He couldn't send them all.

Their commander was a man named Ruan Yingxun, another of Nanyue's famous generals.

The fifty thousand marched in a great column to Hundredfold Ridge.

Ruan Yingxun ordered the army to make camp.

Wu Congzhou was with them. Bringing off the alliance with Nanyue was a huge achievement for him!

Of course, his name would be cursed for all time now, no question about it.

But you lost some and you won some. With the alliance made, the De Emperor would trust him more than ever once he got back.

Wu Congzhou went to find Ruan Yingxun. "General Ruan, why have we stopped?"

Ruan Yingxun shot him a sidelong look and sneered to himself. These scholar types are great at running their mouths, but they don't know the first thing about war.

He pointed at the mountains stretching unbroken into the distance. "The ridges here fold over one another. Ground like this is perfect for an ambush.

If the enemy has set one here, we'll pay dearly for it."

"The enemy? What enemy?" Wu Congzhou asked—and then it hit him. "General Ruan, you mean Ning Chen?"

Ruan Yingxun nodded.

Wu Congzhou smiled. "You worry too much, General Ruan. If Ning Chen moves his troops, he'll head straight for Liangzhou. Why would he come here?"

Ruan Yingxun gave a cold laugh. "Do you know anything about war? Ning Chen is full of tricks. There's no guarantee he hasn't laid an ambush here.

This general has a feeling Ning Chen's troops may well be hiding right behind these hills."

Wu Congzhou paled.

Ruan Yingxun saw it and sneered. "Looks like Ning Chen has scared you people out of your wits."

Wu Congzhou gave an awkward laugh.