Chapter Summaries

Wa Country spies infiltrated the Imperial Guard Camp to steal gunpowder, but Jiang Yan’s guards caught them and recovered the stolen material. After learning their objective, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered further interrogation and summoned Zhu Biao and Zhu Ying, leaving the court poised to respond to the espionage.

• Five Wa Country spies disguised as laborers hid stolen gunpowder beneath a supply cart and tried to leave the Imperial Guard Camp.
• A Hundred Household Commander noticed their nervous behavior, ordered the cart searched, and caught the spies after they tried to fight their way out.
• The guards found gunpowder beneath the cart, subdued the spies, and handed them over to the Imperial Guard.
• The spies confessed under interrogation, and Jiang Yan reported their three-year infiltration and theft to Zhu Yuanzhang.
• Zhu Yuanzhang furiously ordered further questioning and summoned Crown Prince Zhu Biao and Imperial Grandson Zhu Ying.

After Wa Country spies tried to steal the Ming Dynasty’s gunpowder, Zhu Ying persuaded Zhu Yuanzhang to destroy both courts on Wa Island and decided to lead the naval expedition himself. He arrived at the coastal naval camp with the Wang Wei Pterosaur Army as the commanders prepared to receive him.

• Jiang Yan reported that five spies from Wa Island’s Northern Court had been caught trying to steal the gunpowder formula, and Zhu Ying ordered the Imperial Guard to search Ying Tian Prefecture and reward those who captured them.
• Jiang Yan described Wa Island’s Northern and Southern Courts, and Zhu Ying proposed using the new Ming Dynasty navy to attack and destroy both.
• Zhu Ying insisted on commanding the expedition personally, and Zhu Yuanzhang approved while Zhu Biao urged him to remain in the rear.
• Zhu Ying discussed provisions and the strategic value of taking Wa Island with Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao, who promised to support the campaign.
• Several days later, Feng Sheng and the naval commanders gathered at the coastal camp to await Zhu Ying’s arrival.
• Zhu Ying descended into the camp on his Wind God Pterosaur with three thousand Wang Wei Pterosaur Army troops.

Zhu Ying inspected the Ming Navy’s troops and powerful steam-powered fleet before ordering a campaign against the Wa Islands. He set the fleet’s departure for five days later, leaving Feng Sheng and the other commanders to prepare for war.

• Zhu Ying arrived at the naval camp, inspected the one hundred thousand soldiers, and rallied them for the campaign against the Wa Islands.
• Feng Sheng guided Zhu Ying through the shipbuilding yard and showed him ten large, fifty medium-sized, and around one hundred small steam-powered Treasure Ships, along with their cannons and assault boats.
• Zhu Ying praised Feng Sheng’s work and emphasized that the fleet’s strength depended on the Ming Dynasty’s funding and resources.
• Zhu Ying told the commanders to conquer the Wa Islands and destroy both the Northern Court and the Southern Court in response to Wa espionage and past attacks on merchant ships.
• Zhu Ying ordered Feng Sheng to prepare the navy to set out in five days, and Feng Sheng accepted the command.

Zhu Ying led more than a hundred steam-powered Ming warships toward Wa Island as Wa Country Southern Dynasty attacked Ryukyu. After negotiations failed, Kikuchi Takemasa ordered the invasion, and Ryukyu's outnumbered forces fought to defend their homeland.

• Zhu Ying ordered the Ming fleet to set sail for Wa Island, declaring that he would show the world its strength.
• Satto and the other Ryukyu kings prepared to resist the fifty thousand troops led by Kikuchi Takemasa and decided to negotiate.
• Satto warned Kikuchi Takemasa that Ryukyu was a tributary of the Ming Dynasty, but Kikuchi dismissed the threat and demanded Ryukyu's submission.
• Satto refused to submit, and Kikuchi ordered his troops to attack Ryukyu, promising them permission to burn, kill, and plunder.
• Wa Country Southern Dynasty soldiers broke through Ryukyu's first coastal defense and clashed with Ryukyu's troops on the shore.
• Satto sent his soldiers into battle to protect the people, while the outnumbered Ryukyu defenders continued fighting despite heavy casualties.

As the Wa Country Southern Dynasty nearly overwhelmed Ryukyu, a huge fleet appeared, and Kikuchi Takemasa suspected it belonged to the Ming Dynasty. The Wa army ceased its attack while Satto and his people welcomed the fleet as salvation, and Zhu Ying ordered the Ming navy to advance at full speed and blast the Wa forces.

• Satto and the other two kings vowed to fight to the death as Kikuchi Takemasa joined the battle and the Wa army gained the advantage.
• Satto spotted enormous warships approaching, and Kikuchi Takemasa rejected the idea that they belonged to the Wa Country Northern Dynasty.
• Kikuchi Takemasa suspected the fleet was the Ming Dynasty navy, ordered the Wa army to stop fighting, and forced a subordinate to go negotiate.
• Satto concluded that the Ming fleet had made the Wa withdraw, and Ryukyu's soldiers cheered for the Ming Dynasty.
• Zhu Ying stood aboard a Treasure Ship, heard from Feng Sheng that Ryukyu was safe for now, and ordered the fleet to advance at full speed and blast the Wa forces.

Zhu Ying ordered the Ming navy to destroy the Wa negotiation ship and bombard the Wa Country Southern Dynasty army on Ryukyu. After the Wa forces collapsed and Kikuchi Takemasa was killed, Ming soldiers landed to hunt down the remaining Japanese troops while the [Lifespan Fruit Tree] absorbed their blood essence.

• Feng Sheng reported that Wa representatives were approaching, but Zhu Ying ordered the Ming fleet to fire its Red-Clad Cannons and destroy their ship.
• Zhu Ying directed the fleet to bombard the Wa Country Southern Dynasty army, and the cannon fire killed soldiers and caused widespread panic.
• Kikuchi Takemasa ordered his troops to charge into Ryukyu, but Zhu Ying commanded the navy to keep firing; the retreating soldiers and Kikuchi Takemasa were killed.
• Satto praised the Ming navy's strength, and Zhu Ying then ordered the warships to advance and the soldiers to land for close combat.
• Ming soldiers hunted down the remaining Japanese troops as the [Lifespan Fruit Tree] absorbed their blood essence and Zhu Ying felt increasing exhilaration.

Zhu Ying’s Ming Dynasty navy annihilated the Wa Country Southern Dynasty forces invading Ryukyu, then Zhu Ying promised Ryukyu protection and ordered the three kings to build a naval port. He sailed with the fleet toward Wa Country to destroy both its Northern and Southern Dynasties, while Satto began searching for a port site.

• The Ming Dynasty navy defeated and killed the Wa Country Southern Dynasty soldiers on Ryukyu’s shore after a devastating cannon barrage.
• Zhu Ying arrived with Liu Lei and three thousand Wang Wei Pterosaur Army soldiers, and Ryukyu’s three kings bowed and thanked him for saving their realm.
• Zhu Ying promised Ming Dynasty protection in exchange for Ryukyu’s continued submission and tribute, then declared that he would destroy both Wa Country dynasties.
• Zhu Ying declined Ryukyu’s offer to join the invasion and ordered the kings to dispose of the bodies and build a military port for the Ming Dynasty navy.
• Zhu Ying ordered Feng Sheng to sail the treasure ships toward Wa Country, while Satto dispatched people to find a suitable port location.

Emperor Go-Kameyama learned that Kikuchi Takemasa’s fifty-thousand-man army had been annihilated and that Ming forces had arrived to attack the Wa Country Southern Dynasty. Zhu Ying ordered the Ming fleet to bombard Wa Island’s coast and advance inland, leaving Go-Kameyama and his ministers fearing the kingdom’s destruction.

• A military official reported that Kikuchi Takemasa and the fifty thousand troops sent against Ryukyu had been wiped out, and fishermen had seen Ming dragon banners among the warships.
• A guard warned Emperor Go-Kameyama that a fleet bearing bright yellow flags was approaching the Wa Country Southern Dynasty’s western port, and Go-Kameyama panicked as officials debated fleeing.
• Aboard the Ming fleet, Zhu Ying ordered Feng Sheng to form more than a hundred Treasure Ships and aim their cannons at the shore.
• Zhu Ying commanded the fleet to fire, and more than a thousand Red-Clad Cannons devastated the coastline, destroyed docked ships, and killed the coastal defenders.
• A guard reported the ruined coast to Go-Kameyama, whose ministers urged him to relocate the capital while he despaired over where they could flee.
• Zhu Ying ordered the fleet to advance and resume its bombardment, directing the Ming warships to continue firing inland.

After the Ming Dynasty destroyed the Wa Country Southern Dynasty, the Wa Country Northern Dynasty feared it would be next and sent an envoy to submit to Zhu Ying. The envoy pleaded for mercy in Zhu Ying’s camp, where Zhu Ying heard the Northern Dynasty’s offer but had not yet given his answer.

• Over two months, Zhu Ying’s forces massacred the Wa Country Southern Dynasty, destroyed its imperial palace, and killed Emperor Go-Kameyama and the ruling family.
• Emperor Kōshō and the Northern Dynasty court debated whether to fight or appease the Ming Dynasty, then learned the invasion was also retaliation for Kōshō’s order to steal gunpowder and manufacturing techniques.
• Emperor Kōshō sent an envoy to the Southern Dynasty to offer the Northern Dynasty’s submission and tribute in hopes of avoiding slaughter.
• Feng Sheng brought the Northern Dynasty envoy before Zhu Ying, and the envoy knelt, apologized for misidentifying Zhu Ying, and offered eternal submission and tribute in exchange for mercy.

Zhu Ying rejected Wa Country Northern Dynasty’s offer to become a tributary and launched a full invasion after its envoy admitted Emperor Kōshō had ordered spies to steal Ming gunpowder. The Ming forces conquered the Northern Dynasty and captured its ruler, whom Zhu Ying ordered executed along with his officials.

• Zhu Ying demanded Wa Country Northern Dynasty’s unconditional surrender, Emperor Kōshō’s submission, the disbanding of its troops, and Ming occupation; when the envoy refused, Zhu Ying ordered the invasion.
• Emperor Kōshō rejected Zhu Ying’s terms and ordered Wa Country Northern Dynasty to fight the Ming Dynasty.
• Feng Sheng led the Ming fleet north, and Zhu Ying’s Red-Clad Cannons sank the Northern Dynasty’s fleet and bombarded its coastline.
• Ming forces attacked by sea and land, conquered Wa Country Northern Dynasty, and captured Emperor Kōshō and his officials in the palace.
• Zhu Ying ordered Liu Lei to execute Emperor Kōshō and the captured officials.

Zhu Ying declared Wa Island’s people slaves of the Ming Dynasty, appointed Ryukyu’s three kings to govern the island, and ordered Feng Sheng to keep it under military control. After returning to Ying Tian Prefecture, he reported Wa Island’s conquest to Zhu Yuanzhang, who then ordered the entire captured Sima clan exterminated after hearing that Eastern Jin had fallen.

• After the Ming Army destroyed Wa Island’s Northern and Southern Dynasties, Zhu Ying ordered the Wa people enslaved and made prisoners clear the corpses and ruins.
• Zhu Ying summoned Ryukyu’s three kings and appointed Satto governor-general of Wa Island, with the other two kings as deputies, while warning them to prevent rebellion.
• Zhu Ying ordered Feng Sheng to remain on Wa Island with Ming troops and gave him authority to kill Wa people who disobeyed.
• Zhu Ying returned to Ying Tian Prefecture and told Zhu Yuanzhang that the Ming Army had conquered Wa Island and that Ryukyu’s kings would govern it under Ming supervision.
• Lan Yu reported that the Ming Army had conquered Eastern Jin and captured the Sima clan, and Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the entire clan exterminated.

The Ming Army executed Sima Rui and more than a hundred members of the Sima clan in Jiankang, winning the approval of the civilians. Later, Zhu Ying inspected the Lifespan Fruit Tree and heard about the Imperial Guards’ progress capturing dinosaurs and exploring the Prehistoric World.

• Lan Yu, Xu Huizu, and Chang Mao oversaw the execution of the Sima clan as Sima Rui and his relatives begged for their lives.
• Lan Yu denounced the Sima clan’s role in the suffering of the Central Plains, then ordered the executioners to behead them.
• Zhu Ying found that the Lifespan Fruit Tree had grown more than twice as large and that its fruit could now extend a person’s life by fifty years.
• Guo Zhen reported that the Imperial Guards had captured forty thousand Velociraptors, twenty thousand Pterosaurs, and more than a thousand Tyrannosaurus Rexes, while suffering casualties during the dangerous captures.
• Guo Zhen told Zhu Ying that the Guards had built two hundred guarded strongholds across the Prehistoric World and transported treasures and rare medicinal herbs to Ying Tian Prefecture.
• Zhu Ying ordered the Guards to keep capturing dinosaurs, especially Tyrannosaurus Rexes, and to continue searching for treasures and spiritual herbs.

Zhu Ying opened his accumulated treasure chests, gained spirit cultivation resources, a martial art, and fuel engine blueprints, then helped Zhu Yuanzhang arrange the court’s move from Ying Tian Prefecture to Beiping. The emperor and officials flew north with the Pterosaur Army, and Zhu Yuanzhang declared Beiping Prefecture the Imperial Capital.

• Zhu Ying claimed rewards for conquering Japan and defeating the Five Northern Barbarians and Sima clan, opening chests that yielded Spirit Gathering Arrays, Spirit Stones, Vermilion Fruit saplings, the Bloodburning Art, and fuel engine blueprints.
• Zhu Ying decided to place the two Spirit Gathering Arrays in Beiping’s imperial palace and spirit herb garden, while saving six Tier 2 treasure chests for later.
• Zhu Yuanzhang and the ministers agreed to relocate the Ming court to Beiping Prefecture, and Zhu Biao proposed traveling by Treasure Ship before Zhu Ying suggested riding Pterosaurs instead.
• Zhu Ying summoned Liu Lei and the Wang Wei Pterosaur Army, and Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Biao, the officials, and Zhu Ying flew from Ying Tian Prefecture to Beiping City.
• Zhu Yuanzhang arrived at Beiping City, declared Beiping Prefecture the Imperial Capital, and entered the city with Zhu Biao, Zhu Ying, and the officials.

Zhu Yuanzhang presided over the first court session in Beiping after the capital’s relocation, where officials reported on military recruitment, finances, railways, and imperial examinations. Zhu Ying announced a sweeping plan to expand the Ming Dynasty southward and across the world, promising Lifespan Fruit rewards to officials who earned merit.

• Zhu Yuanzhang toured Beiping and praised its modern buildings and grand imperial palace.
• Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Biao, and Zhu Ying held court together in Beiping’s Fengtian Hall for the first time after the move.
• Tang Duo reported that one million recruits were training, Yu Xin said the treasury could cover court expenditures, and Qin Da and Liu Jing reported progress on railways and imperial examinations.
• Zhu Yuanzhang praised Zhu Ying’s role in the Ming Dynasty’s growing power and announced that the empire would begin expanding.
• Zhu Ying set out plans to conquer Champa, Siam, and other southern nations before advancing into Nanyang and beyond.
• Zhu Ying promised Lifespan Fruit rewards to officials with outstanding achievements, prompting them to pledge their support.

Zhu Ying convened the Ming court’s generals and ministers to plan the conquest of Annam, Champa, Cambodia, and Siam as the first step in the dynasty’s expansion. The campaign was set to begin with Annam, and Mu Ying was appointed to lead a newly formed Mountain Battalion for later jungle and mountain warfare.

• Zhu Ying presented a world map and identified Annam, Champa, Cambodia, and Siam as the Ming Dynasty’s next targets for expansion.
• Lan Yu urged the court to concentrate forces against Annam first, and Tang Duo reported that the four kingdoms had a combined population of around ten million.
• Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Ying agreed to send the Cavalry Battalion, Infantry Battalion, and Divine Machine Battalion to conquer Annam before advancing against the other kingdoms.
• Zhu Biao proposed winning local support through commerce and development, while Zhu Yuanzhang demanded victory and authorized massacres to intimidate resistance.
• Zhu Ying ordered the Ministry of Revenue and Ministry of War to coordinate supplies and assigned Mu Ying’s troops to support the campaign and train the Infantry Battalion in jungle warfare.
• Zhu Ying reorganized Mu Ying’s Yunnan forces into the Mountain Battalion, named Mu Ying its Great General, and directed him to recruit and train for the later campaigns.

Zhu Ying oversaw the Ming Dynasty’s new railway operations and ordered campaigns across the Japanese Islands and Nanyang, then led the southern expedition that destroyed Annam and began the invasion of Champa Kingdom. The chapter ended with the Infantry and Mountain Battalions capturing Champa Kingdom’s capital.

• Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Biao, and Zhu Ying watched the railway open as trains carried supplies south to Yunnan Prefecture.
• Zhu Ying ordered Feng Sheng to garrison the Japanese Islands and expand against nearby nations, using compliant rulers as puppets under Heart-devouring Pills.
• Zhu Ying arrived in Yunnan Prefecture, and the Ming army invaded Annam, capturing its capital after a brutal two-day battle.
• Zhu Ying ordered Xu Huizu to kill Annam’s captured king, royals, and nobles, then sent Mu Ying and the Mountain Battalion to attack Champa Kingdom alongside the Infantry Battalion.
• The Ming forces defeated Champa Kingdom’s troops and captured its capital almost simultaneously, leaving the city in ruins.

Zhu Ying ordered the conquest of Cambodia and Siam after the Ming army occupied Annam and Champa, while Feng Sheng led the navy’s expansion into Nanyang. The navy seized Java and Sumatra and advanced into Srivijaya, where its campaign left a third of the population dead.

• Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao celebrated Zhu Ying’s reports that Ming forces had occupied Annam and breached Champa’s capital.
• Zhu Ying rejected Champa’s offer to submit, ordered Liu Lei to kill the royal family, and dispatched Mu Ying and Xu Huizu to attack Cambodia and Siam.
• Feng Sheng demanded Java’s total submission; after Java’s king refused, Feng ordered the navy to bombard the coast and land troops.
• Feng Sheng’s forces captured Java, killed its royal family and officials, and then split up to attack other Nanyang states.
• The Ming navy captured Sumatra in under ten days and then overwhelmed Srivijaya, where its forces killed inhabitants as they took cities.

During six months of conquest, the Ming Dynasty expanded abroad while railways, steam-powered workshops, and employment drove rapid domestic growth. Zhu Ying’s government transported captives from conquered lands into the Ming world as slaves for construction and shipbuilding, while the Dinosaur Legion continued growing.

• Mu Ying and Xu Huizu’s forces conquered Annam and Champa and advanced into neighboring regions, while Feng Sheng’s navy defeated four major Nanyang nations and began taking smaller ones.
• The Ming court began new railway projects centered on the imperial capital and expanded workshops, where steam engines boosted production and created jobs for commoners.
• At a Beiping Prefecture military camp, Ming soldiers brought fifty thousand captives through the Spatial Portal and prepared them for forced labor across the empire.
• Zhu Ying approved Feng Sheng’s request for more warships and sent captives to the navy’s shipbuilding workshops, while Mu Ying and Xu Huizu transported more prisoners from conquered countries for construction work.
• Guo Zhen continued establishing strongholds in the [Prehistoric World], and dinosaurs were transported daily to enlarge the Ming Dynasty’s Dinosaur Legion.

At an imperial court, Zhu Yuanzhang heard reports of the Ming Dynasty’s military expansion and domestic achievements, then ordered further development of its new territories. In Siam, Zhu Ying led the final assault on the capital, where Ming artillery broke through the city gate.

• Tang Duo reported that Ming forces had occupied Annam and Champa, while Feng Sheng’s navy had defeated most of Nanyang; Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the armies to continue their campaigns.
• Yu Xin reported that railways were helping supply the fronts, while Chen Jing described officials governing the Late Jin Five Barbarians World; Zhu Biao proposed rebuilding Chang'an City, and Zhu Yuanzhang assigned the work to Qin Da.
• Qin Da reported the expansion of workshops and rising wages, Liu Jing reported the imperial examinations and the arrival of more than one million laborers, and Zhu Yuanzhang ordered officials to continue developing Ming territory.
• Zhu Ying arrived above Siam’s capital with the Wang Wei Pterosaur Army and ordered the assault as the Ming artillery and Velociraptor Legion attacked.
• Ming cannon fire battered Siam’s capital until the city gate fell.

Zhu Ying returned to the Ming capital after conquering the southeast, and the emperor and people welcomed him in triumph. He outlined how Ming would govern and develop its new territories, while Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao approved his plans.

• Lan Yu reported Siam's fall, and Zhu Ying ordered the captured Siamese royal family executed before sending troops to conquer Cambodia.
• Over four months, Ming forces destroyed Cambodia and pacified the remaining small nations, bringing the entire southeast under Ming rule.
• Zhu Ying returned to the capital with the Wang Wei Pterosaur Army, where Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Biao, officials, and civilians welcomed him.
• Zhu Ying told Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao that puppets and governors backed by garrisons would oversee the conquered nations and prevent rebellions.
• Zhu Ying ordered officials to inspect and develop southeastern resources, expand trade in tropical fruits, and put prisoners to work on construction projects.