Chapter Summaries

At a military feast in Hanhai City, Wang Chen detected century-old rosemary grass in the roast mutton and stopped an attempt to drug the delegation. He had the suspected culprits detained, but the plot’s connection to the prefectural government or the fifty-thousand-strong Hanhai Army remained unknown.

• Sun Zhengheng praised the Tanyang sheep as Wang Chen and he were served roast mutton by the fat merchant.
• Wang Chen detected something wrong with the meat, spat it out, and accused the merchant of trying to drug the Son of Heaven's Guard.
• Sun Zhengheng beat the merchant and demanded to know who had ordered the poisoning.
• Wang Chen ordered the Imperial Physicians to examine the spices, and they identified century-old rosemary grass.
• Wang Chen sensed that the merchant had been framed, believed his denial, and ordered the merchant and the others locked in a side hall.
• Sun Zhengheng asked Wang Chen what to do as they considered whether the plot involved Hanhai Prefecture's government or its army.

Wang Chen fortified Mingyu Palace after the Hanhai Army surrounded it, then confronted its commander, Shangguan Wuji, over the siege and the poisoned meat. Shangguan Wuji claimed to be acting under imperial decree and entered the palace with an armed escort to explain himself to Princess Qingyun.

• Wang Chen and Sun Zhengheng secured Mingyu Palace and interrogated its cooks and servants, but learned nothing about the suspected poisoning.
• An Imperial Forest Guard reported that soldiers had surrounded the palace, and Sun Zhengheng offered to sacrifice his forces so Wang Chen could escape with Princess Qingyun if necessary.
• Wang Chen went to the palace wall and called for Hanhai Army commander Shangguan Wuji, who appeared with his troops and war chariot.
• Wang Chen asked why Shangguan had surrounded the palace and accused him of ordering the poisoning, but Shangguan denied it and said he was following an imperial decree.
• Shangguan agreed to explain himself to Princess Qingyun, and Wang Chen ordered the palace gates opened as Shangguan and more than a hundred mounted warriors entered.

Wang Chen learned that a coup in Great Ye had deposed Emperor Shaowu and that Princess Qingyun was being forced to marry the Barbarian King. Shangguan Wuji revealed Prince Jing’s plan to ally with Great Qi against Great Yan, then asked Wang Chen what he intended to do.

• Shangguan Wuji told Princess Qingyun that he had surrounded Mingyu Imperial Palace under the Empress Dowager’s decree, and she fainted when he revealed that Prince Jing had been reinstated as emperor.
• Wang Chen questioned Shangguan Wuji, who explained that Princess Qingyun was to marry the Barbarian King instead of proceeding to Great Yan.
• Shangguan Wuji suggested that the poisoning scare had been devised by the prefectural governor, and Wang Chen asked whether the Empress Dowager and Prince Jing feared provoking Great Yan.
• Shangguan Wuji said Prince Jing planned to ally with Great Qi, cede it three northern prefectures, and attack Great Yan with it.
• Shangguan Wuji asked Wang Chen what he planned to do now that the coup and marriage scheme had been revealed.

Wang Chen refused Shangguan Wuji’s demand that Princess Qingyun marry the Barbarian King, and Shangguan warned that she would be sent south once Prince Jing took the throne. After promising to protect her, Wang Chen asked Princess Qingyun whether she had considered becoming Great Liang’s first Empress.

• Shangguan Wuji explained why he supported Prince Jing’s plans to cede the three northern prefectures and marry Princess Qingyun to the Barbarian King.
• Wang Chen declared that he would not let anyone force Princess Qingyun to marry, and Shangguan Wuji threatened that she would be sent south after Prince Jing became emperor.
• Shangguan Wuji left after suppressing his murderous intent, and Wang Chen told Sun Zhengheng to wait three days before deciding how to respond.
• Wang Chen told Princess Qingyun about the situation, comforted her, and promised he would not let her marry the Barbarian King.
• Wang Chen asked Princess Qingyun whether she had considered becoming Great Liang’s first Empress.

Wang Chen helped Princess Qingyun choose to claim the throne and bind her fate to his, then secured the Imperial Forest Guards’ allegiance. He set Hanhai City as their first target and declared that he would either bring Shangguan Wuji to their side or kill him.

• Princess Qingyun rejected exile and chose to raise her banner against Prince Jing, swearing to make Wang Chen a king if she became Emperor.
• Her oath cost Wang Chen 500 fortune but linked their fates, and he pledged to support her.
• Wang Chen gathered the Imperial Forest Guards and told them Prince Jing planned to surrender territory to Great Qi and give Princess Qingyun to the Barbarian King.
• Sun Zhengheng and the Imperial Forest Guards swore allegiance to Princess Qingyun, earning Wang Chen 50 fortune.
• Wang Chen announced that they would take Hanhai City and said he would either recruit Shangguan Wuji or kill him.

Wang Chen flew to the White Wolf Stronghold and brought its entire stockpile of weapons, equipment, and provisions back to Mingyu Palace, strengthening the Imperial Forest Guards and deepening their faith in him. He urged Sun Zhengheng to wait two days before attacking Shangguan Wuji, saying Great Yan would be more anxious than they were.

• Wang Chen told Sun Zhengheng to guard Mingyu Palace while he went to retrieve the supplies from the White Wolf Bandits' den.
• Wang Chen flew from Hanhai Prefecture to Lianyun Mountain, found the White Wolf Stronghold, and stored its supplies in his expanded storage space.
• Wang Chen returned to Mingyu Palace before dawn and revealed the supplies to Sun Zhengheng and the Imperial Forest Guards.
• Sun Zhengheng arranged for the provisions and military equipment to be sorted, while the Imperial Forest Guards' confidence in Wang Chen soared.
• Sun Zhengheng suggested attacking Shangguan Wuji first, but Wang Chen said they should wait two days because Great Yan would be more anxious.

After learning that Emperor Shaowu had died, Princess Qingyun mourned in Wang Chen’s arms before Sun Zhengheng reported that Great Yan had attacked Hanhai Pass. As Great Yan’s vast army and three Martial Venerables threatened the pass, Shangguan Wuji ordered his troops to withdraw from Mingyu Imperial Palace and summoned Wang Chen to discuss the crisis.

• Wang Chen sensed Emperor Shaowu’s death, and Princess Qingyun wept over the loss of her brother.
• Sun Zhengheng told Wang Chen that beacon fires had been lit at Hanhai Pass, and Wang Chen went to the palace wall to assess the attack.
• Wang Chen explained that Great Yan would target Hanhai Pass to prevent Great Liang and Great Qi from joining forces against it.
• Shangguan Wuji saw Great Yan’s enormous army and sensed three Martial Venerables among its ranks.
• Shangguan Wuji ordered the Hanhai Army to withdraw from Mingyu Imperial Palace and invite Wang Chen to a discussion.

Wang Chen demanded that Shangguan Wuji swear allegiance to Princess Qingyun in exchange for the Imperial Forest Guards’ support, then revealed he was a Seventh Tier Martial Saint. Shangguan Wuji agreed, and Wang Chen sent for the princess as Great Yan’s army gathered outside Hanhai Pass.

• Shangguan Wuji asked Wang Chen to deploy the three thousand Imperial Forest Guards against Great Yan’s invasion.
• Wang Chen made their help conditional on Shangguan Wuji publicly swearing allegiance to Princess Qingyun.
• Shangguan Wuji tried to seize Wang Chen, but discovered that Wang Chen had reached the Seventh Tier Martial Saint realm.
• Wang Chen offered to help defend Hanhai Pass if Shangguan Wuji pledged allegiance to Princess Qingyun.
• Shangguan Wuji agreed, and Wang Chen ordered a soldier to invite Princess Qingyun from Mingyu Palace.

Wang Chen secured Shangguan Wuji’s allegiance to Princess Qingyun, bringing the fifty-thousand-strong Hanhai Army onto her side. As Great Yan prepared to attack Hanhai Pass and offered Shangguan Wuji generous terms to surrender, Wang Chen revealed his plan to defend the city with cannons.

• Wang Chen announced that Shangguan Wuji had pledged loyalty to Princess Qingyun, and Shangguan Wuji and the Hanhai Army swore their allegiance before the city and Great Yan’s forces.
• Princess Qingyun thanked Shangguan Wuji and promised to reward him when she took the throne, while Wang Chen received a Fortune increase of 500.
• Great Yan’s three Martial Venerables discussed the oath, decided to spend ten days assembling siege equipment, and sent Shangguan Wuji a joint offer urging him to surrender.
• Wang Chen laughed at Great Yan’s surrender terms, and Shangguan Wuji rejected them as empty promises without the Hanhai Army.
• Wang Chen showed Shangguan Wuji a blueprint for a cannon and explained that Hanhai City had the craftsmen, foundry, and iron needed to produce it.

Wang Chen oversaw the successful casting and test firing of an iron cannon, revealing a weapon powerful enough to threaten the Yan Army’s siege preparations. He ordered the Military Manufacturing Camp to produce more cannons for Hanhai Pass and worried about Xi Jun in the imperial capital.

• Wang Chen supervised the craftsmen as they cast an iron cannon after earlier attempts had failed.
• Wang Chen test-fired the cannon at the drill ground, where its cannonball smashed through mannequins and embedded in a granite wall.
• Wang Chen ordered a second shot with grapeshot as Hanhai Army soldiers and Imperial Forest Guards watched.
• Shangguan Wuji witnessed the cannon’s power, praised Wang Chen, and recognized the weapon’s potential despite his own ability to withstand a cannonball.
• Wang Chen ordered the Military Manufacturing Camp to focus on cannon production and deliver at least ten cannons to the pass walls within five days.
• Wang Chen thought of Xi Jun and wondered whether she was safe in the imperial capital.

After learning of Emperor Shaowu’s death and the worsening political situation, Shangguan Wuji and Wang Chen prepared to defend Hanhai Pass without meaningful reinforcements. The Yan Army launched its assault, and Wang Chen’s cannons devastated its vanguard and siege engines.

• Shangguan Wuji reported that Emperor Shaowu had died, Emperor Yuanjing had ordered Hanhai Pass held, and Great Liang could not rely on West Sea Prefecture for substantial reinforcements.
• Shangguan Wuji predicted that the Yan Army would attack the next day, and the Yan Army advanced on Hanhai Pass at dawn.
• Wang Chen ordered the gunners to fire all seventeen cannons at the Yan Army’s approaching formations and catapults.
• The first cannon barrage killed nearly two hundred Yan soldiers and destroyed a catapult, throwing the vanguard into confusion.
• The Yan commander ordered his vanguard to advance faster, but further cannon fire, wall-mounted ballistae, and Hanhai Army catapults battered the attackers and their siege engines.

The Hanhai Army used seventeen cannons to repel the Yan army’s first assault on Hanhai Pass, inflicting heavy damage on its siege equipment and shattering its morale. Yan Xiaoyun and Ji Shanhe recognized the threat posed by the cannons and agreed that Great Yan had to stake everything on a swift attack.

• The Yan army retreated from Hanhai Pass, abandoning its siege engines as cannon fire and arrows battered the battlefield.
• The Hanhai Army celebrated its victory, and Shangguan Wuji began reconsidering whether to help Princess Qingyun ascend the throne.
• Wang Chen told Shangguan Wuji that the cannons were only prototypes and promised that better weapons would follow.
• In the Yan command tent, Yan Xiaoyun asked Ji Shanhe about the cannons, and Ji Shanhe said Great Yan’s spies had never reported them.
• Yan Xiaoyun worried that the Hanhai Army would produce more cannons, and the three Martial Venerables agreed to stake everything on a swift attack.

Wang Chen and Shangguan Wuji prepared for Great Yan’s decisive assault on Hanhai Pass, and Wang Chen used thunder magic to break the enemy Celestial Masters’ wind spell. As Yan Xiaoyun and two other Martial Venerables reached the wall, Shangguan Wuji engaged Yan Xiaoyun while Wang Chen confronted the other two.

• Wang Chen used the Qi Gazing Technique and told Shangguan Wuji that the decisive battle would likely come the next day.
• The Yan army advanced on Hanhai Pass with its siege engines and used Celestial Masters to raise a gale that blew dust into the defenders’ faces.
• Wang Chen summoned clouds and lightning, devastating the Celestial Master formation and ending the gale.
• Three Yan Martial Venerables charged through the arrowstorm and leapt onto the city wall, where Shangguan Wuji confronted Yan Xiaoyun.
• Wang Chen locked Ji Shanhe and the white-haired old man in place, forcing them to face him instead of joining Yan Xiaoyun.
• Ji Shanhe and the white-haired old man attacked Wang Chen together, and he met their combined strike with a single palm.

Wang Chen killed Great Yan’s three leading Martial Venerables during the battle at Hanhai Pass, leaving Yan Xiaoyun’s corpse displayed above the battlements. The Yan army saw their commander’s body as the assault continued.

• Wang Chen overwhelmed Ji Shanhe and the white-haired old man, then killed them both with the Great Hao Demon Punishing Spear and a kick.
• Yan Xiaoyun forced Shangguan Wuji back and tried to leap from the wall, but Wang Chen pierced his defenses and killed him.
• Wang Chen hung Yan Xiaoyun’s corpse from the spear, and Shangguan Wuji announced the commander’s death.
• The Yan soldiers heard Shangguan Wuji’s announcement and saw Yan Xiaoyun’s corpse hanging above the wall.

After Yan Xiaoyun’s death shattered the Yan Army’s morale, Wang Chen let the enemy retreat and used negotiations to secure vast spoils before they left Hanhai Pass. With Princess Qingyun’s banner raised, Wang Chen prepared Hanhai Prefecture for war and set his sights on Great Liang’s realm.

• Wang Chen refused Shangguan Wuji’s proposal to attack the demoralized Yan Army, allowing it to withdraw and establish a camp ten li from Hanhai Pass.
• Princess Qingyun bestowed titles and Hanhai Prefecture on Wang Chen, then Hanhai City declared its independence from Emperor Yuanjing’s Great Liang.
• Wang Chen assigned Shangguan Wuji to negotiate for Yan Xiaoyun’s remains, and the Yan Army surrendered warhorses, provisions, weapons, armor, and siege equipment before departing.
• The Hanhai Army swallowed a five-thousand-man cavalry force sent from West Sea Prefecture, which Wang Chen decided not to attack for the time being.
• Wang Chen ordered the Hanhai Army expanded to one hundred thousand soldiers and had craftsmen produce improved cannons and firearms while teams searched for sulfur.

Wang Chen expanded the Divine Machine Battalion and secured a sulfur supply, then led an expedition that brought West Sea Prefecture under Princess Qingyun’s banner. As Great Liang fractured into rebellion, Princess Qingyun’s forces remained small beside the powerful Emperor Yuanjing and Prince Ming.

• Shangguan Wuji watched musketeers destroy a dummy formation and realized their weapons could overwhelm martial artists, while Wang Chen planned to expand the Divine Machine Battalion.
• A guard reported that the A-Five Prospecting Team had discovered a sulfur mine southwest of Hanhai City, and Wang Chen sent miners protected by three thousand Hanhai Army soldiers to excavate it.
• The next month, Wang Chen led three thousand Hanhai Iron Cavalry and five thousand Divine Machine Battalion soldiers east and captured West Sea prefecture city after a brief cannon bombardment.
• Hanhai Prefecture and West Sea Prefecture joined Princess Qingyun’s anti-Jing forces and declared their support for restoring the legitimate rule of the Great Liang Dynasty.
• Emperor Yuanjing’s concessions to Great Qi and attacks on his relatives provoked rebellions across Great Liang, while Prince Ming gained power and attracted influential supporters.

After reuniting with Xi Jun, Wang Chen learned from Qin Qingxuan that millions of refugees were fleeing the ceded northern prefectures. Qin asked him to help settle some of them in West Sea, and he agreed to consult Princess Qingyun and General Shangguan.

• Wang Chen developed West Sea Prefecture and left troops and cannons at Hanhai Pass while moving most of his forces west.
• Qin Qingxuan arrived in West Sea with Xi Jun disguised as a maid, and Wang Chen recognized and embraced her.
• Qin explained that she had rescued Xi Jun from danger in the imperial capital and brought her south to find Wang Chen.
• Qin told Wang Chen that millions of people were fleeing the three northern prefectures after Great Liang ceded them to Great Qi.
• Qin offered Yuhua Sword Manor's full support to help settle refugees in West Sea, and Wang Chen agreed to discuss the plan with Princess Qingyun and General Shangguan.
• Wang Chen took Qin Qingxuan to meet Princess Qingyun.

Wang Chen hunted buffalo to secure supplies for the refugees and rode north to meet the first group arriving from Jichuan Prefecture. The enormous procession reached Wild Mountain Slope, where Qin Qingxuan arrived with Wang Chen’s returning scouts.

• Wang Chen led hunters in killing buffalo, preserving some cows and calves so the herds could breed.
• Wang Chen received Qin Qingxuan’s message by hawk and sent a reply before riding north with his personal guards.
• Wang Chen reached Wild Mountain Slope on the border with Jichuan Prefecture and prepared a camp to receive the refugees.
• A vast procession of refugees appeared at sunset, far exceeding the guards’ expectations.
• The scouts returned from Jichuan Prefecture with Qin Qingxuan.

Wang Chen met with Yu Zhirong of the Fuqing Chamber of Commerce to arrange large-scale purchases of supplies for the refugees settling in West Sea Prefecture. The two agreed that the Chamber would buy goods locally and Wang Chen would collect them, while construction and farming began in West Sea and Hanhai Prefectures.

• A refugee elder reached the grasslands and wept as he saw the refugees' new home taking shape.
• Qin Qingxuan introduced Yu Zhirong to Wang Chen, who praised the Fuqing Chamber of Commerce for aiding the refugees and promised to report its service to Princess Qingyun.
• Wang Chen gave Yu Zhirong three million taels and listed the grain and other supplies he wanted to buy.
• Yu Zhirong explained that war and unrest made long-distance transport too dangerous, so Wang Chen proposed that the Chamber purchase goods locally for him to collect.
• Yu Zhirong signed a cooperation agreement with Wang Chen, and construction and farming began in West Sea and Hanhai Prefectures as refugees arrived.

Wang Chen returned to West Sea Prefecture to meet a Ping Tian Army delegation seeking an alliance with Princess Qingyun. The envoy, Murong Huaide, provoked Wang Chen by defending the Rebel Faction’s leader and his title of Holy Heavenly King.

• Wang Chen oversaw explosive quarrying for the Mountain River Pillars, part of a great formation intended to gather spiritual energy and human fortune.
• After receiving Princess Qingyun’s message, Wang Chen flew to West Sea Prefecture city to discuss the Rebel Faction’s proposed alliance.
• Wang Chen and Princess Qingyun received Murong Huaide, who introduced himself as an envoy of the Ping Tian Army and a member of the Murong family.
• Wang Chen mocked Zhang Anliang’s title of Holy Heavenly King, angering Murong Huaide.