Chapter Summaries

After Zhu Ying breached Jincheng, Feng Sheng received the news while Lan Yu’s army remained stalled at Kaiyuan. The victory relieved Feng Sheng’s fear of court punishment, while Lan Yu was left shocked by Zhu Ying’s achievement.

• Zhu Ying ordered Wei Quan to distribute most of the gold and silver from Jincheng’s commander’s storehouse among his soldiers.
• Zhao Yong and Wang Bi complained about Zhu Ying’s defiance, and Wang Bi vowed to find a chance to teach him a lesson.
• Lan Yu’s repeated attacks on Kaiyuan failed, and Feng Sheng received an imperial message expressing dissatisfaction with the army’s lack of progress.
• Lan Yu vowed to capture Kaiyuan within ten days, while Feng Sheng learned that Jincheng was defended by Man Jier.
• A messenger delivered Fu Youde’s report that Jincheng had fallen, and Feng Sheng praised Zhu Ying as Lan Yu reacted with shock and doubt.

After Zhu Ying’s cavalry captured Jincheng and he killed the Yuan commander Man Jier, Feng Sheng ordered the victory and Zhu Ying’s merit reported to Yingtian. Lan Yu resented Zhu Ying’s growing prominence and was ordered to press the attack on Kaiyuan City.

• Fu Youde’s battle report announced that Zhu Ying had breached Jincheng with cavalry and slain Man Jier after a day and night of fighting.
• Lan Yu questioned how cavalry could take the city, then urged Feng Sheng to delay reporting the victory until casualties and results had been counted.
• Feng Sheng rejected Lan Yu’s excuse and ordered an urgent report to Yingtian requesting rewards for Zhu Ying.
• Feng Sheng ordered Lan Yu to attack Kaiyuan City now that Jincheng had fallen, while Lan Yu silently resented Zhu Ying’s achievement.
• Daning Border Army generals celebrated that Zhu Ying had secured the military merit despite the Huai West generals’ concerns.

After Zhu Ying captured Jincheng and earned the foremost merit in defeating Naha Chu, Fu Youde praised him and arranged for the army’s accomplishments and casualties to be recorded. The chapter ended with Zhu Ying calmly taking the last seat at a military council despite Huai West officers’ exclusion, confident his achievement would bring a promotion.

• In the command tent, Bu Wan, Chen Heng, and Liu Zhen celebrated Zhu Ying’s victory and warned that Huai West generals would likely target him.
• Fu Youde arrived in Jincheng, praised Zhu Ying for breaching the city, and said he had reported Zhu Ying’s merits to Great General Feng.
• Zhu Ying presented the heads of Man Jier and Saritawen, then sarcastically thanked Zhao Yong and another general for recommending him.
• Fu Youde ordered the Metropolitan Pacification Commissioner to tally military merits, distribute rewards, and count casualties before calling a military council.
• At the council, Huai West commanders left Zhu Ying with the last seat, but he remained calm and considered the promotion his victory would earn.

After Jincheng fell, Zhu Ying reported that his troops had suffered only two thousand casualties, drawing disbelief from Zhao Yong, Wang Bi, and the other Huai West generals. The council planned a pursuit of the fleeing Yuan Army, and Zhu Ying later visited his wounded soldiers, where Military Doctor Yan warned that few of the seriously injured might survive.

• Zhao Yong said he could not assess the Yuan Army's losses in Jincheng, so Zhu Ying reported that more than forty thousand had been killed or captured and fewer than thirty thousand had escaped.
• Zhu Ying said his troops had suffered one thousand dead and one thousand wounded, while Zhao Yong, Wang Bi, and the Huai West generals accused him of understating his losses.
• Zhu Ying invited Fu Youde to have the Metropolitan Pacification Commissioners verify his casualty tally, and Fu Youde accepted.
• Fu Youde and the generals planned to pursue the fleeing Yuan Army east toward Gai Prefecture, while Zhu Ying let the others compete for the pursuit and returned to camp.
• Zhu Ying visited the wounded soldiers, and Military Doctor Yan told him that nearly a thousand were wounded and only thirty percent might survive.

After a brutal battle, Zhu Ying gave Military Doctor Yan twelve bottles of his family's blood-staunching powder to help save the wounded soldiers. He reviewed the gains from the battle and resolved to keep conquering and build a future for himself.

• Zhu Ying learned from Military Doctor Yan that bleeding, wound infections, and traumatic convulsions caused many wounded soldiers to die.
• Zhu Ying gave Military Doctor Yan twelve bottles of blood-staunching powder and explained how it could help stop bleeding and treat infected wounds.
• Liu Lei reported that thirty-five personal guards had died and fifty had been wounded, and Zhu Ying ordered him to select replacements from the army.
• Zhu Ying bathed in his tent and checked his Attribute Panel, which showed that his attributes and lifespan had risen substantially after the battle.
• Zhu Ying reflected that he had killed nearly three thousand enemies and resolved to keep conquering across the world.

Zhu Ying opened four treasure chests, obtained the Premium Hemostatic Powder Formula and other rewards, and resolved to build a hidden force to protect his family. Meanwhile, Yan Bing began testing Zhu Ying’s hemostatic powder on wounded soldiers.

• Zhu Ying opened four treasure chests and received ten bottles of Premium Hemostatic Powder, its formula, a skill point, and a Great Returning Pill.
• Zhu Ying decided to save the skill point and wait for Yan Bing to test the powder before arranging for the army physicians to recommend it.
• Zhu Ying reflected on his wealth, worried about Uncle Lin and Shen Yu'er, and vowed to destroy the Shen Family if they harmed Uncle Lin.
• Zhu Ying resolved to use his wealth to raise loyal deathsworn men who could protect his family and handle secret matters.
• Yan Bing used Zhu Ying’s new hemostatic powder on wounded soldiers whose bleeding would not stop.

Lin Fu and Shen Yu'er arrived in Huizhou seeking Zhu Ying, fearing he had died in the war. They learned that Zhu Ying was celebrated as General Zhu, leaving them stunned by his sudden fame.

• Lin Fu and Shen Yu'er presented their travel permits at Huizhou's gate and explained that they had come from Beiping to find Lin Fu's young master.
• The banner officer warned them that civilians could not travel farther east during the war and said Daning's army had already suffered many losses.
• Lin Fu admitted that he did not know Zhu Ying's unit and asked the soldiers to tell him if his young master had died.
• When Lin Fu named Zhu Ying, the banner officer and nearby soldiers recognized him as General Zhu and praised his reputation on the northern frontier.
• Lin Fu and Shen Yu'er were bewildered when the soldiers insisted that Zhu Ying was a famous general.

Lin Fu and Shen Yu'er reached Jincheng, where soldiers suspected they were related to General Zhu Ying, though they believed there had been a mistake. After the Ming forces captured the city, Fu Youde challenged his generals' call to exterminate Yuan people and seize their property.

• Xiao Han brought Lin Fu and Shen Yu'er to a posthouse and promised to report their arrival to his superiors.
• Lin Fu and Shen Yu'er doubted that Zhu Ying had become a general but hoped to use General Zhu to locate him.
• Xiao Han urged his soldiers to seize the chance to meet Zhu Ying and possibly join his command.
• A group of more than a dozen people watched the city gate, then withdrew to wait until the next day to enter Jincheng.
• Ming logistics troops cleared the battlefield while soldiers patrolled Jincheng and residents stayed inside their homes.
• Fu Youde asked his generals how to manage the newly captured city, then rebuked those who called for killing all Yuan people and confiscating their property.

After capturing Jincheng, Zhu Ying proposed a policy for handling Yuan residents and impressed Fu Youde with his low casualties and battlefield leadership. He donated his family’s hemostatic powder formula to the Ming court, earning the generals’ respect, and the chapter ended with Fu Youde presenting him with a Blood-Sweating Horse.

• Zhu Ying proposed punishing Yuan residents accused of atrocities while assimilating those who had done good, and Fu Youde approved his plan.
• Fu Youde learned Zhu Ying’s battalion had suffered only 2,158 casualties and ordered him to move toward Kaiyuan to cut off Yuan forces’ supplies and retreat.
• Yan Bing reported that Zhu Ying’s hemostatic powder had stopped bleeding and greatly improved wounded soldiers’ survival rates.
• Zhu Ying gave Fu Youde the formula to send urgently to Yingtian, and Fu Youde and the other generals bowed to him in gratitude.
• Fu Youde promised to seek a reward for Zhu Ying and presented him with a large black Blood-Sweating Horse.

Zhu Ying tamed Fu Youde’s wild Blood-Sweating Horse and named it Black Edge, while Zhu Di learned of Zhu Ying’s expanding military achievements and grew wary of his potential. In Yingtian, Zhu Yuanzhang received news that Zhu Ying had broken through Jincheng, leaving the court astonished and eager to learn how a cavalry unit had captured the city.

• Fu Youde gifted Zhu Ying a wild black Blood-Sweating Horse, and Zhu Ying subdued it through sheer strength.
• Zhu Ying named the horse Black Edge, and Fu Youde praised his skill and wished the pair renown.
• In Beiping, Zhu Di learned that Zhu Ying had destroyed Tatar forces, brought back warhorses, and formed a cavalry Thousand-Household Battalion; Yao Guangxiao speculated that Daning might become a Regional Military Commission.
• Zhu Di studied Zhu Ying’s birth date with Yao Guangxiao, who judged him ordinary by his eight characters but suggested his fate might have changed.
• In Yingtian, Zhu Biao ordered generous compensation and support for soldiers killed or disabled in the Liaodong campaign, while Zhu Yuanzhang threatened severe punishment for anyone who embezzled the funds.
• Zhu Yuanzhang read Feng Sheng’s urgent dispatch and announced that Zhu Ying had captured Jincheng, leaving Zhu Biao and the court puzzled about how his cavalry had breached the city.

After Zhu Ying captured Jincheng and killed two Northern Yuan generals, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao approved lavish rewards and discussed how he might serve in the future. They planned to place Seventeenth Prince in Daning once Liaodong was secured and agreed to summon Zhu Ying to Yingtian.

• Yun Qi read Feng Sheng’s report that Zhu Ying led a night cavalry assault, broke through Jincheng’s gates, and killed Saritawen and Man Jier.
• Zhu Biao proposed promoting Zhu Ying to Commander of the Prefecture, granting him the hereditary title of County Son, and awarding him a thousand gold; Zhu Yuanzhang approved the rewards.
• Zhu Biao ordered Zhu Ying’s subordinate who first charged into Jincheng to be promoted, and authorized Zhu Ying and the Daning Border Army Commander to arrange the army’s reorganization.
• Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Feng Sheng to advance carefully after Jincheng’s capture, while Zhu Biao reported that Tie Xuan had been selected to govern Liaodong as prefect.
• Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao discussed placing Seventeenth Prince in Daning to guard Liaodong and considered Zhu Ying as a possible future military commander.
• Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao agreed to summon Zhu Ying to Yingtian so they could meet him.

Zhu Ying led his cavalry to Kaiyuan City and broke through its eastern gate, turning the battle against the Yuan defenders. As Harazhang ordered a retreat and Lan Yu noticed the western defenses weakening, the Ming forces prepared to close in from both sides.

• Lan Yu led the Ming assault on Kaiyuan City's western gate while Zhu Ying arrived from the east with nearly eight thousand cavalry.
• Zhu Ying cleaved open the eastern gate with his saber and led his cavalry into the city, killing Yuan soldiers until his total enemy kills exceeded three thousand and he earned a Tier 1 treasure chest.
• Zhu Ying ordered Zhang Wu to secure the eastern pass, then pushed deeper into Kaiyuan to support the attack from within.
• Zhuang Wei reported Zhu Ying's breach to Feng Sheng, who praised Zhu Ying and anticipated that the western defenses would soon falter.
• Harazhang learned the eastern gate had fallen and ordered most of his army to retreat, leaving laborers and three thousand soldiers to delay the Ming forces.
• Lan Yu noticed that Yuan resistance at the western gate had weakened as laborers were forced onto the walls and retreat orders echoed through the city.

Lan Yu and Zhu Ying’s forces fought their way through Kaiyuan as the Northern Yuan army tried to retreat. Zhu Ying killed Harazhang with a powerful arrow and continued leading his cavalry into battle, while Lan Yu mistakenly thought his own troops had earned the kill.

• Lan Yu broke through Kaiyuan’s western gate and led Ming troops into the city, where they encountered laborers forced to fight for the Yuan army.
• Zhu Ying led his cavalry toward the commandery residence, cutting through Yuan soldiers as they tried to retreat east.
• Harazhang ordered his army to scatter and escape, but Zhu Ying charged through the Yuan formations toward the commander’s banner.
• Zhu Ying shattered the shield formation protecting Harazhang and recognized him as the Northern Yuan commander.
• Lan Yu pursued Harazhang from another street, while Zhu Ying fired an arrow that pierced several guards and killed Harazhang.
• Zhu Ying received a reward for killing Harazhang and resumed his charge, as Lan Yu celebrated without knowing who had fired the arrow.

Zhu Ying led his cavalry into Kaiyuan, killed Harazhang, and helped the Ming army capture the city while his attributes surpassed 3,000. After Lan Yu’s subordinate Chang Mao confronted him over the credit, Feng Sheng punished Chang Mao, confirmed Zhu Ying’s merit, and Zhu Ying reunited with Bu Wan, Chen Heng, and Liu Zhen.

• Zhu Ying charged into Kaiyuan, killed Harazhang with an arrow, and helped rout the Yuan Army as his attributes passed 3,000.
• Lan Yu and Chang Mao accused Zhu Ying of stealing their merit, and Chang Mao attacked him before Zhu Ying shoved him to the ground.
• Feng Sheng rebuked Chang Mao, docked his pay for half a year, and praised Zhu Ying for taking Kaiyuan and saving Ming soldiers.
• Zhang Wu identified Zhu Ying as the archer who killed Harazhang, and Feng Sheng ordered his merit recorded alongside Lan Yu’s forces’ capture of the western gate.
• Zhu Ying instructed Wei Quan and Zhang Wu to tend to the troops, then greeted Bu Wan, Chen Heng, and Liu Zhen, who praised his victories.

After Kaiyuan fell, Zhu Ying received promotion to Commander of the Prefecture and a hereditary noble title, deepening Lan Yu and Chang Mao’s hostility toward him. Bu Wan then placed Zhu Ying in temporary control of the Daning Border Army, leaving him responsible for its deployments as the campaign against Naha Chu continued.

• Feng Sheng ordered Lan Yu and Bu Wan to race for Tieling, promising the first to capture it the foremost merit.
• A Crown Prince’s envoy delivered decrees promoting Zhu Ying to Commander of the Prefecture and granting him the hereditary title of County Son, along with two treasure chests.
• Lan Yu, Chang Mao, and Hu Hai plotted to obstruct the Daning Border Army’s supplies, deny Zhu Ying the merit at Tieling, and investigate his background.
• Zhu Ying proposed reorganizing his forces into an infantry-and-archer battalion, and Bu Wan assigned Chen Heng to serve under him.
• Bu Wan named Zhu Ying temporary Daning Commander and gave him authority over military deployments for nearly fifty thousand troops.

Zhu Ying received command authority over the Daning Border Army and heard Bu Wan warn him that Huai West generals would target him for threatening their influence. In his tent, Zhu Ying opened eight treasure chests, gained new weapons, techniques, and mechanical knowledge, and began planning how to strengthen his personal guards.

• Bu Wan explained that the Daning Border Army had been sidelined by Huai West generals and urged Zhu Ying to beware of retaliation for his victories at Jincheng and Kaiyuan.
• Zhu Ying accepted responsibility for commanding the Daning Border Army while Bu Wan arranged its reorganization and promised to replenish Zhu Ying's battalion.
• Zhu Ying opened eight treasure chests and received gold, a Luminous Night Pearl, medical powder, Fire Chariot blueprints, cultivation methods, Zhuge's Art of Mechanisms, ginseng, and a Seven-Star Saber.
• Zhu Ying extracted Postnatal Profound Skill and Zhuge's Art of Mechanisms, then examined his new Seven-Star Saber and improved attribute panel.
• Zhu Ying gave his former fine steel weapons to Liu Lei and considered teaching the Iron Body Technique to his four hundred personal guards.

Naha Chu learned that Zhu Ying had helped the Ming Army capture Jincheng and Kaiyuan, and resolved to counterattack while seeking reinforcements. In Yingtian, Zhu Yuanzhang’s court tested Zhu Ying’s Hemostatic Powder and confirmed it could greatly improve wounded soldiers’ survival, leaving the medicine poised to earn Zhu Ying another imperial reward.

• Naha Chu heard that Jincheng and Kaiyuan had fallen and ordered Goryeo to send reinforcements while giving the Jianzhou Jurchens five months to recover and dispatch troops.
• Guantong identified Zhu Ying as the general behind the two cities’ fall and the Jurchens’ defeat, and Naha Chu grew wary after learning Zhu Ying was a commoner under seventeen who had risen through merit.
• Naha Chu told his generals that Liaodong had to strike back and that he would request reinforcements from the Northern Yuan Emperor.
• Zhu Di and Yao Guangxiao discussed Zhu Ying’s rise and his Hemostatic Powder, predicting that Zhu Yuanzhang would reward him and deciding to keep a close watch on him.
• Dai Sigong tested the Hemostatic Powder on a wounded rabbit and reported that it stopped the bleeding, helped wounds heal, and could raise wounded soldiers’ survival chances by more than forty percent.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao rewarded Zhu Ying with a hereditary countship and the title Champion for presenting his hemostatic medicine, while planning to use his rising influence to counter the Huai West generals. The chapter ended with Zhu Biao telling the Lu clan that Zhu Yuanzhang was considering a marriage between Zhu Ying and Yunling, a match that alarmed her because it could strengthen Zhu Yunteng’s position.

• Zhu Biao proposed raising Zhu Ying to a hereditary count and naming him Champion in recognition of his military record and the hemostatic medicine he offered to Great Ming.
• Zhu Yuanzhang decreed Zhu Ying a hereditary count with an annual stipend, the title Champion, five thousand jin of gold, and a residence in Daning Prefecture.
• Zhu Biao told Zhu Yuanzhang that Zhu Ying’s prominence could help restrain the Huai West generals, including Lan Yu, and Zhu Yuanzhang suggested matching Zhu Ying with Yun Ling.
• Zhu Biao criticized Zhu Yunteng for neglecting his studies and disobeying his mother, then agreed to consider arranging a marriage between Zhu Ying and Yun Ling when she was older.
• Zhu Biao told the Lu clan that Zhu Yunwen might meet Zhu Ying, and the Lu clan welcomed the chance for her son to befriend the general.
• Zhu Biao informed the Lu clan that Zhu Yuanzhang was considering Zhu Ying as Yunling’s husband, leaving her anxious about the match’s effect on Zhu Yunteng.

Zhu Biao rewarded Zhu Ying for his military achievements and ordered Hemostatic Powder sent to Liaodong, while the Lu clan sought to use Zhu Yun Ying to win Zhu Ying’s support for Zhu Yunwen. In Beiping, Shen Wansan learned that the celebrated young general Zhu Ying might be the same Zhu Ying his family had driven away, leaving the Shen family alarmed and uncertain.

• The Lu clan persuaded Zhu Biao to consider Zhu Yun Ying for marriage to Zhu Ying and then told Zhu Yunwen to cultivate Zhu Ying’s support in the future.
• Zhu Biao authorized unlimited medicinal supplies for Hemostatic Powder production and stamped a decree rewarding Zhu Ying with the title of Champion.
• The Lu clan arranged lessons for Zhu Yun Ying and warned Zhu Yunwen that Zhu Yunteng’s legitimate birth and Huai West connections made him a threat.
• Shen Wansan discussed the missing Shen Yu'er and Lin Fu, while Shen Rong said the family’s men were waiting for a chance to eliminate them.
• The Shen Family steward reported that a teenage general named Zhu Ying had become a celebrated commander and received a hereditary title.
• Shen Wansan and his sons realized the general might be the Zhu Ying who had left their family, but they insisted it could be someone with the same name.

The Shen Family learned that a celebrated general named Zhu Ying might be the man they had harmed and ordered an investigation. Meanwhile, Zhu Ying captured Qingcheng and learned that Uncle Lin and Shen Yu'er had reached Huizhou City, where Xiao Han asked to join his forces.

• Shen Wansan argued that the general Zhu Ying was probably a different person, but ordered the steward to investigate his identity.
• Zhu Ying led his cavalry into Qingcheng, killed Yuan soldiers at the gates, and captured the city with his troops.
• Zhu Ying assigned soldiers to guard Qingcheng, tend to the wounded, record military merit, and prepare for the next advance toward Tieling.
• Xiao Han told Zhu Ying that Uncle Lin and Shen Yu'er had arrived in Huizhou City looking for him, and Zhu Ying was relieved to hear they were safe.
• Xiao Han asked to serve under Zhu Ying, who accepted his request and agreed to have him transferred into his forces.