Chapter Summaries

Pang Xiong’s allied forces destroyed Gu Bile’s Xiongnu army at Tianshan Gorge, while Jiang Hao gathered the Western Region kingdoms and prepared to face the Right Virtuous King. The two armies met on an open plain, and Jiang Hao ordered the attack as battle began.

• Pang Xiong, Ke Ji, and Asga pursued the frozen and battered Xiongnu into a gorge, where Yuli and Yutian troops ambushed them and blocked their route ahead.
• Gu Bile led a desperate charge against Pang Xiong’s formation, but allied troops attacked from both sides, killed him, and captured the surviving Xiongnu.
• Pang Xiong reported the victory to Jiang Hao, including more than seven thousand Xiongnu killed, two thousand three hundred captured, and Gu Bile slain.
• Jiang Hao sent personal letters to the rulers of Qiuci, Yanqi, Yuli, and Shan Kingdom to request troops, and sent an envoy to Cheshi to persuade its king to block the Xiongnu’s retreat.
• Jiang Hao’s forces and the Right Virtuous King’s army met on an open plain; the Right Virtuous King ordered his troops to camp, and Jiang Hao ordered an attack at dusk.

Jiang Hao’s forces defeated Right Virtuous King Gule’s army through a series of ambushes and a decisive cavalry attack, forcing Gule to flee north with only a small remnant. Jiang Hao sent Pang Xiong in pursuit as a blizzard began to fall, leaving Gule’s escape and survival uncertain.

• Jiang Hao’s grief-driven Yanqi and Shan Kingdom soldiers defeated the Xiongnu’s two-thousand-man vanguard, and the Right Virtuous King ordered a full attack.
• Jiang Hao used cart barricades, arrows, horse-tripping ropes, and flanking cavalry to disrupt the Xiongnu advance while reinforcements struck from behind.
• Pang Xiong led eight thousand western cavalry against the Xiongnu main force, and Jiang Hao charged Gule with five thousand soldiers.
• Jiang Hao wounded Gule with an arrow, and Gule sounded the retreat before fleeing north as the Xiongnu army collapsed.
• Jiang Hao ordered Pang Xiong to pursue Gule and directed the other divisions to gather prisoners and support the campaign.
• Heavy snow began falling as Gule fled with about three thousand survivors, regretting the loss of his army, supplies, and livestock.

After the Right Virtuous King was defeated and killed, Jiang Hao’s army captured Kucha and restored Dina to the throne. The chapter ended with Dina naming Jiang Hao Regent King and announcing their wedding one month later.

• The Right Virtuous King fled through the snow to Cheshi, but Kurman refused to open the gates and Cheshi cavalry and Pang Xiong’s army surrounded him.
• The Right Virtuous King rejected Pang Xiong’s offer to surrender, charged with his remaining soldiers, and died under a volley of arrows.
• Jiang Hao’s forces demanded Kucha’s surrender, and Kucha’s generals opened the gates while the King of Kucha killed himself.
• Jiang Hao and Dina entered Kucha, where the people welcomed Dina’s return, and Jiang Hao established her as Queen of Kucha.
• After a victory banquet, Jiang Hao joined Dina in the bathhouse, and the next day Dina granted him the title of Regent King of Kucha and Shache.
• Dina announced that she and Jiang Hao would hold their wedding one month later.

Jiang Hao became king of Kucha and Shache, but the system still did not recognize his status as completing its mission. He returned the throne to Dina, and their mutual willingness to yield strengthened his reputation as the wedding approached.

• Jiang Hao found that the system had not reacted to his appointment as Regent King and wondered whether he needed to become king.
• Dina agreed to abdicate, and notices announced Jiang Hao as ruler of Kucha and Shache without causing unrest.
• After five days as king brought no system response, Jiang Hao suspected the mission required a rank recognized by the Great Han Dynasty.
• Jiang Hao decided to return the throne to Dina, who resisted until he carried her toward the hot spring bath.
• Dina regained the throne, and people praised the couple for yielding power to each other, raising Jiang Hao's reputation across the Western Regions.

After marrying Queen Dina, Jiang Hao led a forty-six-thousand-man coalition from the Western Regions through Yumen Pass and across the Hexi Corridor, then paused at Lanzhou to assess Great Han’s rival factions. As he prepared to confront Kui Xiao, he learned that Liu Xiu had routed Wang Mang’s army at Kunyang and wondered how he would fare against him.

• Jiang Hao married Queen Dina, then summoned troops from the Western Regions and set out for Zhongyuan with a coalition army.
• When Yumen Pass’s commander refused to open the gates, Jiang Hao’s forces stormed the fortress, captured it, and left a garrison behind.
• Zhang Songfeng fled Dunhuang, and the city’s commander surrendered to Jiang Hao, who secured Dunhuang and advanced through Jiayuguan, Jiuquan, Zhangye, Wuwei City, and Jincheng.
• At Lanzhou, Jiang Hao reviewed reports on Great Han’s competing factions and decided to defeat Kui Xiao before going to Chang’an to meet Wang Mang.
• Jiang Hao received news that Liu Xiu had led the Green Forest Army to victory over Wang Mang’s forces at Kunyang and wondered what would happen if he faced Liu Xiu.

Jiang Hao defeated Kui Xiao and Wang Mang’s forces, captured Chang’an, and found the Imperial Seal of Legitimacy. The chapter ended with Jiang Hao preparing to host the captured Wang Mang in Weiyang Palace.

• Jiang Hao bypassed Dingxi City, captured Tianshui, and defeated Kui Xiao, who refused to surrender and was imprisoned.
• Jiang Hao retained around twenty thousand of Kui Xiao’s soldiers, then marched on Chang’an with sixty thousand troops.
• Jiang Hao defeated Wang Mang’s army at Chencang and captured Chang’an after breaking through its gates.
• Pang Xiong reported that the treasury had been found and presented Jiang Hao with the genuine Imperial Seal of Legitimacy, which Jiang Hao stored in his space.
• Jiang Hao summoned Wang Mang to Weiyang Palace and ordered wine and food prepared, then challenged Wang Mang over how he had seized the Han throne.

Jiang Hao questioned Wang Mang about the strange knowledge in his mind, then secretly kept him alive after announcing his execution and waited for the right moment to claim his mission’s titles. When Liu Xiu proclaimed himself emperor in Hebei, Jiang Hao recognized him as the chosen son of Heaven and continued to hold back.

• Jiang Hao asked Wang Mang whether he was a time traveler, and Wang Mang explained that he had awakened with scattered knowledge in his mind.
• Jiang Hao had Wang Mang issue edicts naming him Marquis of the West, Grand General, and King of Chang'an, but the system did not respond.
• Jiang Hao announced that Wang Mang had been executed and the Xin Dynasty abolished, while secretly imprisoning Wang Mang in Weiyang Palace.
• Jiang Hao told Wang Mang that he sensed he could not yet become emperor and was waiting for the chosen son of Heaven.
• Jiang Hao received word that Liu Xiu had proclaimed the Han dynasty in Hebei and learned that Liu Xiu had rapidly gathered a vast army.

Jiang Hao met Liu Xiu at Tongguan, swore brotherhood with him, and secured the title of King of the West in exchange for yielding Chang'an and the Imperial Seal of Legitimacy. After completing his mission, Jiang Hao prepared to return to the Western Regions to fight the Xiongnu, while Wang Mang chose to accompany him under the name Bai Teng.

• Liu Xiu accepted Jiang Hao’s invitation to meet by the Great River, and the two discussed their rivalry and plans for unifying the realm.
• Jiang Hao and Liu Xiu swore brotherhood, and Jiang Hao gave Liu Xiu the Imperial Seal of Legitimacy.
• Liu Xiu appointed Jiang Hao King of the West, granting him authority over the Western Regions, and the appointment completed Jiang Hao’s mission.
• Jiang Hao yielded Chang'an and the four commanderies to Liu Xiu, then announced that he would return west to assist Wusun against the Xiongnu.
• Wang Mang agreed to leave with Jiang Hao and adopted the name Bai Teng.
• Jiang Hao collected the gold from Chang'an’s treasury, expanding his storage space to four cubic meters.

Jiang Hao withdrew from Chang'an with a vast supply caravan and returned to the Western Regions, where the King of Loulan welcomed him. He proposed a Western Regions alliance based in Kucha, while rejecting Wang Mang’s suggestion of a parliamentary system with voting rights.

• Jiang Hao exchanged the remaining treasury copper coins for supplies and left Chang'an with his soldiers and a huge caravan, while Liu Xiu accepted the loss and focused on governing the four commanderies.
• Jiang Hao’s army crossed Yumen Pass and reached Lop Nur, where he discussed the Wusun Kingdom and the Western Regions with Wang Mang.
• The King of Loulan arrived with wine and roasted lamb, praised Jiang Hao, and asked to serve him.
• Jiang Hao proposed that the Western Regions’ states form an alliance with a headquarters in Kucha, a standing coalition army, and dues funded by a ten-percent commercial tax.
• Jiang Hao explained that states could offer opinions but would receive no voting rights, rejecting Wang Mang’s parliamentary-system proposal.

After returning to Kucha, Jiang Hao helped Queen Dina cultivate spiritual power, inspected the meteorite-iron weapons forged for him, and negotiated military support from Wusun. He established the Western Regions Alliance with seven other nations and prepared to lead its forces against the Xiongnu in Wusun.

• Jiang Hao reunited with Dina in Kucha, and she developed spiritual power and asked to accompany him on future journeys.
• Dina presented Jiang Hao with weapons forged from meteorite iron, including a Three-Stone Great Bow and special arrowheads.
• The Wusun Chancellor asked Jiang Hao to rescue Wusun, and Jiang Hao delayed until the Chancellor agreed to join the alliance and provide twenty thousand cavalrymen, horses, and equipment.
• Jiang Hao ordered his generals to prepare for a campaign against the Xiongnu and invited rulers and envoys from neighboring nations to Kucha.
• Jiang Hao and the representatives of Kucha, Yanqi, Yuli, Shan Kingdom, Loulan, Cheshi, Wusun, and Gaochang signed the Western Regions Alliance Treaty and elected him Grand Leader for life.
• Jiang Hao told the alliance nations to prepare troops, horses, and provisions for an army of fifty thousand to march on Wusun.

Jiang Hao led the Western King's army to seize Suiye City and destroy the Xiongnu’s supply base, then marched out as the city burned. King Guli learned the route had been cut and ordered Tina to retake Suiye City and restore the supply line.

• Jiang Hao organized the Western Regions’ forces and chose to attack Suiye City to sever the Xiongnu supply route rather than reinforce the Wusun head-on.
• Jiang Hao’s army launched a night assault, captured Suiye City, and freed more than a thousand Wusun residents, who chose to flee to Kucha.
• Jiang Hao ordered his troops to carry off what supplies they could, destroy the city’s remaining resources, and execute the Xiongnu prisoners.
• Jiang Hao’s army left Suiye City in flames, and Jiang Hao wondered whether Li Bai would still be born there in the future.
• King Guli learned that Suiye City had been destroyed and ordered Tina to lead ten thousand troops to retake it and reopen the supply route.

Jiang Hao used intelligence from the Golden Eagles to ambush Xiongnu reinforcements and supply forces, then captured and burned Gongyue City. He left with the Western King's Army to march on Julan City and attack the Xiongnu from behind.

• Tina's ten-thousand-man army found Suiye City ruined and its nearby lake poisoned, then camped beside the Ulungur River, where Jiang Hao's cavalry surprised and wiped them out.
• Jiang Hao's forces ambushed a five-thousand-man Xiongnu supply convoy near Suiye City and seized its grain, cattle, and sheep.
• Jiang Hao told Queen Dina he would capture Gongyue City before marching on Julan City to attack the Xiongnu from front and rear.
• Jiang Hao led more than ten thousand troops against Gongyue City, overcame its defenders, and captured the city at a cost of more than three thousand soldiers.
• The Western King's Army freed Wusun slaves, seized supplies, burned Gongyue City, and set out for Julan City.

Jiang Hao joined forces with Weng Huixu’s Wusun army and drove King Guli’s Xiongnu north, then pursued them as hunger and exhaustion took hold. The chapter ended with Jiang Hao studying a map and telling Dina he was considering where to wipe out the fleeing fifty thousand Xiongnu troops.

• King Guli learned that Jiang Hao’s army was approaching Julan City and, facing the Wusun ahead and his supplies running low, decided to withdraw north.
• Jiang Hao coordinated a simultaneous attack with the Wusun, forcing King Guli’s unprepared army to flee and abandon its camp and supplies.
• Jiang Hao met Weng Huixu, recruited thirty thousand Wusun troops to join the pursuit, and chased the Xiongnu through the night.
• The Xiongnu stopped without food, while Jiang Hao’s forces rested on provisions and Jiang Hao offered Weng Huixu’s soldiers compressed biscuits.
• King Guli ordered more than a thousand horses slaughtered for food and resolved to keep fleeing toward the Great Steppe.
• Dina brought Jiang Hao milk tea as he studied a map, and he said he was considering where to destroy King Guli’s army.

Jiang Hao lured King Guli’s Xiongnu army toward Alata Pass, where Pang Xiong’s elite troops had prepared an ambush, then crushed the enemy between the defenses and the pursuing Western Regions allied army. King Guli was killed and more than twenty-three thousand Xiongnu surrendered, while Jiang Hao chose not to invade the grasslands yet.

• Jiang Hao ordered Pang Xiong to lead ten thousand elite soldiers on a forced march to fortify Alata Pass while the allied army pursued King Guli’s Xiongnu forces.
• The Xiongnu looted and destroyed Wusun villages before crossing the Ili River and entering the desert, while Pang Xiong’s troops raced ahead and prepared defenses at the pass.
• King Guli sent repeated cavalry charges against Pang Xiong’s barricades and horse traps as Jiang Hao’s army arrived and attacked the Xiongnu rear.
• Jiang Hao shot King Guli with an arrow, and his troops called for the Xiongnu to surrender.
• More than twenty-three thousand Xiongnu were captured, the rest were killed, and the Western Regions allied army lost twelve thousand soldiers, including most of Pang Xiong’s force.
• Jiang Hao considered advancing into Xiongnu territory but decided the alliance needed time to recover and grow stronger.

After Jiang Hao completed his mission in the Western Regions, he returned to the modern world and claimed a World Key and his Crimson Horse as rewards. He arranged to board the horse at Jade Dragon Manor, where the extensive service options made him worry about the cost.

• The Wusun King welcomed Jiang Hao’s victorious forces, and the Western Regions Alliance later grew to include more than forty nations.
• The Dayuan envoy asked to join the alliance and offered fifty Blood-Sweating Horses, and Jiang Hao accepted the kingdom’s request.
• Jiang Hao and Dina went riding together before Jiang Hao returned to the modern world and claimed a World Key and the Crimson Horse.
• Jiang Hao arranged transport for the Crimson Horse and brought it to Jade Dragon Manor for boarding.
• A club representative presented Jiang Hao with service forms, and he wondered whether the Crimson Horse reward would drain his wallet.

Jiang Hao brought his Crimson Horse to Jade Dragon Horse Farm, where he registered him as Little Red Date and chose a mid-tier care package despite the steep costs. After leaving the horse at the farm for testing, Jiang Hao headed home to cook dinner for Zhou Xinyan.

• Manager Xiao asked Jiang Hao for the Crimson Horse's pedigree certificate, and Jiang Hao explained that the horse had been a gift from a friend.
• Manager Xiao outlined the costs of registering and caring for the horse, and Jiang Hao chose an examination, registration, and mid-tier services.
• Jiang Hao named the Crimson Horse Little Red Date and watched him joyfully run over after being washed.
• Manager Xiao said the test results and registration documents would be ready in about two days, and Jiang Hao left Little Red Date at the farm.
• Zhou Xinyan called Jiang Hao to ask when he would be home, and he told her he was on his way to cook dinner.

Jiang Hao told Zhou Xinyan about Crimson Horse and took time to consider which previously completed world to revisit with his new World Key. After deciding not to pursue horse racing and promising to keep Crimson Horse, he brought Zhou Xinyan to see the horse at the riding club.

• Jiang Hao reunited with Zhou Xinyan, told her his friend had given him a live horse, and joked with her about the cost of keeping it.
• Jiang Hao examined the World Key and considered several worlds he could reopen, but he postponed choosing one.
• Jiang Hao researched horse racing and learned that Thoroughbreds were faster than Akhal-Teke Horses, making Crimson Horse unlikely to win races.
• Jiang Hao decided to keep Crimson Horse as his comrade-in-arms despite the difficulty of earning money through racing.
• Jiang Hao and Zhou Xinyan visited the riding club, where Zhou Xinyan admired Crimson Horse and guessed that he was worth tens of thousands of US dollars.

Jiang Hao and Zhou Xinyan visited the ranch, where Little Red Date’s intelligence and racing ability amazed everyone. Zhou Xinyan’s video of him went viral, and the couple left the resort planning to visit him again.

• Manager Xiao Bing and the ranch staff gave Jiang Hao Little Red Date’s registration papers and test results, including his Akhal-Teke bloodline and speed times.
• The trainer suggested gelding Little Red Date and training him for equestrian events, but the horse reacted angrily and Jiang Hao promised to protect him.
• Jiang Hao demonstrated Little Red Date’s intelligence by having him fetch flowers, sort rubbish, and identify banknotes.
• Zhou Xinyan rode Little Red Date while Jiang Hao raced him against other owners, and Little Red Date won his first trophy.
• Zhou Xinyan posted videos of Little Red Date on Douyin, and one received over a hundred thousand likes by the next morning.
• After another day at the resort, Jiang Hao and Zhou Xinyan said goodbye to Little Red Date and left, with Zhou Xinyan eager to return.

Zhou Xinyan’s videos of Little Red Date went viral, attracting director Zhou Hao, who wanted the horse for an equestrian film. After hearing the story and its demanding emotional scene, Jiang Hao agreed to test whether Little Red Date could perform it.

• Zhou Xinyan showed Jiang Hao the videos’ popularity and told him a director had asked about casting Little Red Date in a film.
• Jiang Hao spoke by phone with director Zhou Hao, who explained that he was looking for an intelligent horse for an arthouse film about horse racing.
• Two days later, Jiang Hao and Zhou Xinyan met Zhou Hao at Jade Dragon Manor Equestrian Club, where Little Red Date affectionately greeted them.
• Zhou Hao described a film about a boy and his red horse competing in a thousand-kilometer endurance race, including a scene where the exhausted horse had to collapse, shed tears, and continue running.
• After onlookers doubted a horse could perform the scene, Jiang Hao said he would give it a try.

Jiang Hao staged Crimson Horse’s apparent injury to demonstrate the horse’s acting ability, then negotiated a filming contract for the pair. They agreed to travel to the Hulunbuir Grassland for a two-month production, with Jiang Hao serving as an equestrian consultant.

• Jiang Hao and Crimson Horse pretended to suffer a fall and injury, convincing the onlookers until Crimson Horse got back up and raced around the field.
• Jiang Hao revealed the act to Zhou Xinyan and the others, then comforted Zhou Xinyan before discussing the production with Director Zhou Hao.
• Jiang Hao negotiated insurance, care, and payment terms for Crimson Horse, along with a paid equestrian-consultant role for himself.
• Jiang Hao and Director Zhou signed a contract for Crimson Horse to film in Hulunbuir for two months, with Jade Dragon Horse Farm providing care.
• Jiang Hao joked that Crimson Horse needed to earn his keep, and Crimson Horse happily kicked up his hooves at the promise of a mare.