Song Gaozhuo had posted twenty thousand troops on and below the north gate.

At the ringing hoofbeats, the soldiers all turned to look.

It was the dead of night, too dark to see clearly.

"That's odd. It isn't time for the watch to change, is it?"

One of the officers was muttering to himself.

Another officer said, "Maybe General Song sent more men? We are up against Ning Chen, after all."

The first officer nodded slightly, then sighed. "Ah... How did the world end up like this?

Think of the Great Xuan as it used to be—a strong army, fine horses, the people living in peace and content with their lot... And now there's war smoke on every side, and the country's torn apart."

The other officer said angrily, "And whose fault is that but..."

He stopped short, holding it back, and sighed. "Forget it! A soldier's first duty is to obey orders. What the higher-ups decide is none of our business... But I really do miss the Great Xuan the way it used to be."

Just then, an angry shout rang out below the wall: "Who are you?"

Some of the soldiers had noticed something was off. The several thousand riders coming up didn't seem to be wearing Liangzhou garrison uniforms.

The two officers went to the edge of the wall and looked down.

But in the blackness, they couldn't make anything out.

Yue Congyun rode up close with her troops. Her voice rang out loud and firm: "Yue Congyun, Deputy General of the Ning Emperor's Ning'an Army! I advise you all to lay down your weapons and surrender.

The Ning Emperor is merciful and can't bear to see us kill one another... But if you dare say no, don't blame this general for showing no mercy."

Every face went pale.

The Ning'an Army?

How was that possible?

How could the Ning'an Army be coming from inside the city?

But when the Ning'an Army's war banners went up and the soldiers leveled their muskets, they believed it.

It really was the Ning'an Army!

But how had the Ning'an Army…