Yan Kingdom

Biodata

Geography and Notable Locations

Government and Military

Court and Administration

• Emperor Yan — Rules for decades and possesses Grandmaster Realm cultivation, but cannot withstand a Nirvana Realm attacker 386 401.
• Left chancellor — Recommends seeking military assistance from Great Xuan and Great Chu when Yan’s own forces fail 347.
• Right chancellor — Proposes exchanging territory for foreign troops 347.
• Ministry of Rites — Handles the reception of Su Fei and Du Tianwu through fourth-rank official Zheng Donglin 375.
• Commandery governors — Administer local territories and provide provisions, funds, lodging, and support to the visiting Great Xuan Army 350 356.
• Keeper of the state seal — Prepares and seals the imperial edict transferring three commanderies to Great Xuan 390.

Military Strength

History

Decline and the Fusang Marriage Alliance

Great Yan was once a long-established major power with extensive territory. The rise and expansion of Great Xuan and Great Chu cost it substantial lands, reducing it to a medium-sized kingdom. Although its national strength exceeded Fusang’s, Takeda Tokumasa’s advancement to the Celestial Person Realm gave Fusang a decisive advantage over Yan’s Martial Saint Realm experts 281.

Seeking protection, Yan sent Princess Ji Yuyan to marry Takeda before the three-year deadline he had imposed on neighboring kingdoms. During the visit, Sanada Hiroichi abducted her as part of his revenge against Takeda and his attempt to disrupt the Celestial Person Grand Ceremony. Su Fei rescued her and returned her to the Yan delegation 281 293 297.

Su Fei’s killing of Fusang’s Celestial Person ancestor destroyed the intended alliance. The Yan envoy privately considered offering Ji Yuyan to Su Fei instead, recognizing him as the stronger prospective protector 300.

Ji Yuyan’s Separation from Yan

Ji Yuyan chose to accompany Su Fei to Great Xuan rather than return home. She instructed the Yan envoy to tell the King of Yan that she would have nothing more to do with the kingdom, rejecting her treatment as a diplomatic pawn. Emperor Xuan subsequently granted her the title Princess Yanran and a residence 303 305.

The King of Yan sent dozens of dowry chests before her marriage to Su Fei. Ji Yuyan accepted them as a final keepsake but reaffirmed her separation from Yan. Later, Emperor Yan sent further gifts to cultivate goodwill with Su Fei and repair his relationship with her; Su Fei accepted these on her behalf 308 346.

White Lotus Sect Rebellion

The rebellion began in small border county towns. The White Lotus Sect attracted people suffering from oppressive taxes, disasters, and other hardships, expanding from a few thousand followers to tens of thousands within a few dozen days. Its forces captured cities while skilled assassins repeatedly killed the commanders of Yan’s suppression armies 346.

Even Martial Saint Realm protection failed to stop the attacks. With its highest-level fighters unable to resist, Yan’s army ceased advancing against the rebels. Within a month, the sect seized a third of the kingdom’s territory and reached its heartland 347.

Emperor Yan offered three commanderies each to Great Xuan and Great Chu in exchange for suppressing the rebellion. Great Chu demanded five commanderies and three million taels of silver instead, prompting Yan to concentrate its hopes on Great Xuan 347.

Great Xuan’s Intervention

Emperor Xuan dispatched 100,000 soldiers under Du Tianwu, supported by 300 Imperial Guards. Su Fei joined the expedition to counter the sect’s suspected Celestial Person Realm expert. The army entered Yan after twenty days of marching, encountering abandoned fields and burned villages before reaching Upper Valley Commandery 348 349 350.

Governor Ji Xunjiang welcomed the force and supplied its camps, but was subsequently assassinated. His replacement, Wang Huai’an, secluded himself in the governor’s residence and delegated the commandery’s defense to Su Fei and Du Tianwu 350 356.

The White Lotus Sect assembled 300,000 attackers: nearly 100,000 core followers and roughly 200,000 displaced recruits. Its Celestial Person Realm Ninth Level expert, Dugu Fengming, confronted Su Fei above Upper Valley’s eastern gate. Su Fei defeated him, and Du Tianwu spent the following month eliminating the remaining rebel forces and hidden strongholds 357 359 373 378.

At the campaign’s end, Du Tianwu reported thousands of sect members captured and more than 40,000 surrendered civilians confined. The Great Xuan Army remained in Upper Valley while Su Fei and Du Tianwu traveled to Yan Capital with a small cavalry escort to collect the promised territory 374 375.

Cession of Three Commanderies

Emperor Yan attempted to avoid transferring the commanderies outright by offering Su Fei the title Prince Regent of Great Yan and the lands as a hereditary fief. This arrangement would have retained the territories nominally within Yan while securing Su Fei’s allegiance. Su Fei rejected it and insisted on fulfillment of the agreement with Great Xuan 378 379 380.

Emperor Yan then ordered the three commanderies transferred to Great Xuan’s jurisdiction, with Yan officials withdrawn and replaced by Xuan appointees. Though not Yan’s wealthiest lands, they were important border strongholds 380.

During his stay, Su Fei broke through to the Nirvana Realm at the Tranquil Heart Garden. Emperor Yan personally led his court to congratulate him, prioritizing the kingdom’s safety over objections about imperial dignity. Su Fei reassured him that he intended only to collect the agreed territory, not make further difficulties for Yan 387 388.

The sealed cession edict was delivered during a palace banquet. Su Fei later presented it to Emperor Xuan after returning with the army 389 390 393.

Regicide, Succession Crisis, and Invasion

The White Lotus Sect sent Nirvana Realm protectors Feng Riyue and Feng Xingkong to hunt Su Fei after Dugu Fengming’s death. In Yan’s palace, Feng Riyue killed Emperor Yan despite the emperor’s offer of hospitality. The brothers occupied the palace and compelled its guards to serve them 396 401.

The murder shattered central authority. Provincial generals seized power or closed their cities, banditry spread, and several princes fought for the throne. Su Fei lamented that he had failed to fulfill his promise to protect Emperor Yan and his kingdom; Ji Yuyan remained concerned for her homeland despite her earlier break with it 401 402 415.

After Su Fei eliminated the Feng brothers, Great Xuan exploited Yan’s disorder by launching a new invasion with 150,000 troops. Within roughly ten days, its army captured several cities and considerable territory as border soldiers and disillusioned citizens surrendered 415.