Chapter Summaries

After the Zhou Family was destroyed by a Grandmaster, Lingwu’s leaders regrouped at a bookstore to discuss the threat and their response. The Aristocratic Family Alliance urged the gathered forces to set aside grudges and unite, while many waited to see what would happen.

• Beitang He vowed to destroy the Pudu Cult after the Zhou Family’s destruction disrupted the Prince’s Mansion’s plans for a Prefectural Army.
• Meng Zhao received a Secret Voice Transmission while considering how to claim the Zhou Family’s remaining properties.
• More than forty leaders representing Lingwu’s major forces gathered at a bookstore after the Prince’s Mansion banquet.
• The Ding, Xun, and Zhuo family leaders organized the gathering and Old Master Xun called for the forces to unite against the crisis.
• The Liu Family Patriarch and more than a dozen others pledged to follow one of the three upper-family leaders, while the remaining attendees stayed silent.

Lingwu City’s leaders debated how to establish the Prefectural Army without letting the Yanping Commandery Prince’s Mansion seize control of it. The Ding Family Patriarch nominated Dragon City as a candidate for military leadership, but the Zhuo Family Patriarch questioned his qualifications.

• Old Master Xun asked Master Pukong and Fu Yangzi for a strategy, but Master Pukong declined to advise them.
• Fu Yangzi said the Prefectural Army was necessary and that no one present could counter the Pudu Cult Master without a grandmaster or a trained army.
• The Zhuo Family Patriarch urged the gathered families to cooperate and proposed securing a deputy commander post and half the Prefectural Army’s authority.
• Ning Busi said the Jianghu leaders had no suitable military talent to put forward.
• The Ding Family Patriarch nominated Dragon City, citing his studies of military texts and strategy under General Huwei.
• The Zhuo Family Patriarch dismissed Dragon City’s limited experience and challenged his ability to contend with the Imperial Clan for military authority.

The Zhuo Family Head rejected Long Cheng as a candidate to lead the Prefectural Army and proposed Meng Zhao instead, giving him a chance to compete for military authority. Meng Zhao recognized the Zhuo Family’s support as an opportunity, but others challenged his qualifications on the same grounds used against Long Cheng.

• The Zhuo Family Head argued that Long Cheng lacked the military experience and reputation to command the Prefectural Army, and that the soldiers would not trust him.
• The Ding Family Head demanded that the Zhuo Family Head name someone more qualified than Long Cheng.
• The Zhuo Family Head recommended Meng Zhao, citing his founding-noble lineage and the military experience of his elders.
• Meng Zhao realized the Zhuo Family Head had offered him a direct path into the struggle for military authority, though the Zhuo Family intended to use him against the Beitang Imperial Clan.
• A subordinate of the Ding Family Head objected that Meng Zhao, like Long Cheng, had no experience commanding troops, and others agreed.

Meng Zhao explained why Lingwu City's clans could not control the Prefectural Army if the Imperial Court formally organized it, and warned that General Huwei lacked the rank and connections to change the Court's decision. The gathering turned to Meng Zhao for another way forward.

• The Zhuo Family Patriarch asked the Meng Family Patriarch to verify Meng Zhao's military knowledge, and Meng Zhao accepted the chance to contend for command.
• Meng Zhao explained that if the Prefectural Army was officially registered, the Imperial Court—not Lingwu City's clans—would appoint its commanders.
• The gathered clans realized they could not resist an imperial appointment and that their influence over Lingwu City would diminish.
• The Ding Family Patriarch suggested using Dragon City to seek General Huwei's mediation, but Meng Zhao said Huwei lacked the rank and connections to sway the Imperial Court.
• Zhai Hao asked Meng Zhao whether he had any other way to help.

Meng Zhao persuaded Lingwu City’s influential families that his powerful Meng Family connections and Imperial Court military appointment made him the best candidate to lead the Prefectural Army against outside pressure. The families rallied behind him, leaving the Ding, Xun, and Zhuo families unable to challenge his growing position.

• Zhai Hao argued that the Meng Family was powerful enough to help them weather the crisis, and the others looked to Meng Zhao for support.
• Meng Zhao described his uncle’s military command, his aunt’s ties to the Kong Family, and his pending appointment as a Subordinate Sixth Rank Xuanjie Colonel.
• The Zhuo Family Head reconsidered cooperation with Meng Zhao and privately contemplated a marriage alliance with him.
• Several family heads praised Meng Zhao’s credentials over Dragon City’s and urged him to mediate with the Imperial Court and command the Prefectural Army.
• The gathering’s members successively endorsed Meng Zhao, while dissenters stayed silent and the Ding, Xun, and Zhuo families lost their ability to oppose him.

Meng Zhao won the Lingwu City factions’ unanimous support to contend for command of the Prefectural Army after demonstrating that he had both a military manual and access to experienced generals. As the factions negotiated the army’s formation through the night, Meng Zhao focused on the wider threats that might soon shatter the Northern Lands’ peace.

• Ding Family Head questioned whether Meng Zhao had the ability to lead an army, but Meng Zhao cited the Vermilion Bird Divine Army and offered to summon a battle-tested general from the Meng Family.
• Old Master Xun concluded that the factions would jointly recommend Meng Zhao to contend for chief commander and urged him to contact the Nan'an main family.
• Representatives of Lingwu City's forces debated the Prefectural Army's organization and interests through the night, while Meng Zhao adopted a flexible, conciliatory stance.
• Meng Zhao connected the Beitang Imperial Clan's moves and the Pudu Cult's threat to the possibility of wider rebellion and conflict across the Northern Lands.

As Prince Yanping's Mansion organized the Prefectural Army amid the ongoing snow disaster, Meng Zhao contributed troops while expanding his political influence, intelligence network, and military knowledge. He learned that the vanished Nine Surnames Li Family had gone to Liang Prefecture.

• A messenger left Meng Family Manor for Ji Prefecture to seek the Meng Family's support for Meng Zhao's bid for military authority.
• Beitang Ang accepted donations, opened granaries, distributed winter clothing, and arranged medical aid as the Prefectural Army's camp and recruitment began.
• The Meng Family sent five hundred martial artists trained in Meng Zhao's Mighty Bull Strength Technique to the army selection, while Meng Zhao kept the Vermilion Bird Divine Guards at his manor.
• Meng Zhao studied military texts and used Sapphire Wine gatherings to win over local forces, including Gang Leader Mi of the Xiaohe Gang.
• Meng Zhao expanded his spy network under Night Cat and learned that the Nine Surnames Li Family had gone to Liang Prefecture.

Meng Zhao learned that the Nine Surnames Li Family had gone to Liang Prefecture and investigated why, uncovering a worsening disaster and signs of unrest. He recognized that famine, weak local authority, and predatory groups were pushing Liang Prefecture toward upheaval.

• Meng Zhao received intelligence from Night Cat that the Nine Surnames Li Family had traveled to Liang Prefecture instead of returning to Xu Prefecture.
• Meng Zhao reviewed recent reports from Liang Prefecture and grew gravely alarmed as he pieced together the situation.
• Night Cat explained that Liang Prefecture faced severe grain shortages, frozen livestock, and widespread disaster victims after twelve years without such calamities.
• Meng Zhao concluded that hardship among the people and rising local turmoil could lead to great upheaval.

Meng Zhao suspected that the Li Family would exploit the Great Snow Disaster to stir up unrest in Liang Prefecture and divert the Imperial Court’s attention. He ordered Night Cat to gather intelligence and investigate Beitang He as he prepared for the danger that could threaten Lingwu City.

• Meng Zhao told Night Cat that he expected major developments in Liang Prefecture and suspected the Li Family intended to cause trouble.
• Night Cat reasoned that the Li Family could use unrest in the Northern Lands to draw Imperial Court resources away from the southern rebellion.
• Meng Zhao ordered Night Cat to compile intelligence from Liang Prefecture every two days, especially from counties near Lingwu City.
• Meng Zhao also ordered a discreet investigation into Beitang He’s movements and anything involving the Prefectural Army.
• Meng Zhao considered how unrest, the Pudu Cult, and attacks from neighboring provinces could endanger Lingwu City, and concluded that he needed military authority to protect it.

Meng Zhao oversaw Lingwu City's preparations for the Yangwu Army as the city established its structure, funding, and command appointments. He learned that the County King's Mansion had selected ten thousand elite soldiers, excluding warriors from the strongest factions, and that the Divine Bow Camp could become a formidable force.

• The Yangwu Grand Barracks began construction, and the City Lord's Mansion formally established a fifty-thousand-man Yangwu Army with cavalry, archers, and infantry camps.
• The city arranged for local factions to share the army's costs and compete for officer positions, while the Imperial Court retained the right to send a commander-in-chief.
• Meng Zhao and his helpers organized Lingwu City's internal affairs, punished corrupt officials, rewarded meritorious people, and advanced external investigations and trade.
• Meng Zhao learned that unrest and attacks on government offices had occurred across Liang Prefecture, but the attackers scattered and were later identified and executed.
• The County King's Mansion completed selection for two elite camps totaling ten thousand men, excluding warriors from the Meng Family and other powerful factions in favor of fighters from smaller groups.
• Meng Zhao considered the Divine Bow Camp's potential power and questioned the purpose of cavalry within Lingwu City.

Meng Zhao learned that Zhu Xie Chiri, a gifted young general from a trusted military family, had been sent to Lingwu City to contend for command of the Yangwu Army. He considered the threat and listened as Xiao Ju suggested settling the matter through martial force if Meng Zhao could defeat him.

• Meng Zhao reasoned that the cavalry stationed at Lingwu City were likely intended as a mobile force to restrain the neighboring prefectures, rather than to defend the city.
• Meng Zhao read that Zhu Xie Chiri had arrived and recognized him as a young, capable commander whom the Imperial Court deeply trusted.
• Meng Zhao recounted Zhu Xie Chiri’s military family background, special physique, and rapid rise through the ranks to his gathered followers.
• Meng Zhao considered whether Zhu Xie Chiri could overcome the city’s power struggles or work alongside Beitang He to control the Yangwu Army.
• Xiao Ju told Meng Zhao that the outcome depended on whether he could defeat Zhu Xie Chiri through martial force.

Xiao Ju convinced Meng Zhao that martial strength would matter more than formal credentials in the contest for command of the Yangwu Army. Meng Zhao resolved that defeating Zhu Xie Chiri could offset his disadvantages and leave Zhu Xie Chiri too ashamed to continue competing.

• Meng Zhao asked Xiao Ju how he could drive Zhu Xie Chiri away when he lacked rank, military experience, and other advantages.
• Xiao Ju argued that the army respected martial strength above all, and that defeating Zhu Xie Chiri would outweigh Meng Zhao's weaker performance in other examinations.
• Meng Zhao recognized that soldiers would not accept a commander who could not prove his strength, because an army's loyalty enabled it to use Battle Formation Power.
• Meng Zhao concluded that his untested reputation, family influence, and powerful connections could compensate for Zhu Xie Chiri's experience.
• Meng Zhao considered Xiao Ju's belief that Zhu Xie Chiri's pride would likely make him withdraw if Meng Zhao defeated him.

Meng Zhao explained why Zhu Xie Chiri would not give up Lingwu City's military authority and announced his plan to contend for the Yangwu General position by bringing trusted fighters into the army. Han Pu agreed to leave his leadership of the Great Banner Gang and join him, recommending Yang Cai as his replacement.

• Meng Zhao judged that Zhu Xie Chiri served the Beitang Imperial Clan and would not abandon his mission over wounded pride.
• Meng Zhao said he had a sixty percent chance of becoming Yangwu General and planned to recruit brave men to win the soldiers' support.
• Meng Zhao asked Han Pu to set aside his current duties and enter the army with him.
• Han Pu accepted Meng Zhao's command and proposed transferring Yang Cai into the Great Banner Gang to stabilize it.

Meng Zhao selected Han Pu, Cao Zhan, and Zhou Hu to enter the army, while Yang Cai was appointed to lead the Great Banner Gang. The other appointments were settled, with Lü Yue remaining behind to oversee the estate.

• Meng Zhao appointed Yang Cai to command the Great Banner Gang and promised to teach him a supreme combat art if he served well.
• Meng Zhao chose Han Pu for the army because of his Star Body, leadership potential, and inheritance from the Changyang Divine Saber.
• Meng Zhao ordered Cao Zhan and Zhou Hu to relinquish their current duties and join him in the army.
• Cao Zhan and Zhou Hu accepted their appointments and grew more loyal to Meng Zhao.
• Lü Yue remained at the estate to oversee its affairs, while Meng Zhao named several more people for military service.

Meng Zhao welcomed reinforcements sent by Meng Jizu to help him take control of the Yangwu Army, including Linghu Rui, Dou Xi, Gao Yue, and more than a dozen junior officers. He accepted their help while remaining wary of their loyalty, and the newcomers privately assessed his strength and uncertain identity.

• Meng Zhao received Meng Chuan and a party of more than twenty people from Ji Prefecture at Meng Family Village.
• Meng Chuan introduced Linghu Rui as a military strategist and commander, and Dou Xi and Gao Yue as a military adviser and chief clerk.
• Meng Zhao welcomed the reinforcements but resolved to use their abilities to gain control of the Yangwu Army while guarding against their ties to Meng Jizu.
• Linghu Rui recognized Meng Zhao's formidable aura and considered advising him to prevent a future rift with Meng Jizu.
• Dou Xi and Gao Yue found Meng Zhao inscrutable and imposing, and wondered whether he was the real Meng Zhao or an impostor.

Meng Zhao assessed Linghu Rui, Gao Yue, and Dou Xi to determine their abilities as military advisers and officers. Dou Xi warned that Meng Zhao should avoid openly challenging Zhu Xie Chiri and proposed that he wait for the other factions to contend before presenting himself as a compromise candidate.

• Meng Zhao questioned Linghu Rui about training troops and military strategy, and judged him a capable, sincere commander who could serve as an assistant or deputy general.
• Meng Zhao tested Gao Yue with a military-supply calculation and found him capable of managing logistics and refining persuasive writing.
• Meng Zhao asked Dou Xi for advice about competing with Zhu Xie Chiri for the position of General Yangwu.
• Dou Xi warned that an open contest could provoke the Beitang Imperial Clan and endanger the Meng Family, since the court's authority still carried weight.
• Dou Xi advised Meng Zhao to let another influential figure confront Zhu Xie Chiri, then emerge as a compromise candidate after the factions had weakened one another.

Dou Xi urged Meng Zhao to reconcile with Beitang He and secretly ally with Yanping Commandery Prince's Mansion over control of the Yangwu Army. Meng Zhao saw how they could work together to counter Zhu Xie Chiri and the Beitang Imperial Clan, and became interested in the plan.

• Dou Xi suggested that Meng Zhao repair his relationship with Beitang He and secretly cooperate to divide the Yangwu Army's military authority.
• Meng Chuan questioned whether the rivals could set aside their hostility and whether Beitang He would agree to share power.
• Dou Xi hinted that the imperial clan, especially Great Emperor Beitang Sheng, would ultimately control the army if Zhu Xie Chiri took command.
• Meng Zhao realized that Beitang He also wanted military power and might join him to keep the imperial clan from controlling the army.
• Meng Zhao considered how he and Beitang He could coordinate from inside and outside Lingwu City to outmaneuver Zhu Xie Chiri, and found Dou Xi's proposal promising.

Meng Zhao considered Dou Xi’s plans to reconcile with Beitang He and build alliances with Lingwu City’s powerful families. He agreed that marriage ties could help establish his influence, and the chapter ended with him dwelling on Tan Cai'er’s valuable connections.

• Meng Zhao asked Dou Xi for details about reconciling with Beitang He, and Dou Xi laid out a plan for a secret alliance between their families.
• Dou Xi urged Meng Zhao to build ties with Lingwu City’s factions, first integrating with them and later strengthening his own position.
• Meng Chuan warned that Meng Zhao could not freely choose his principal wife, so Dou Xi proposed taking women from major clans as concubines and arranging marriages for Meng Zhao’s subordinates.
• Meng Zhao considered seeking a marriage alliance with the Wang Family for Han Pu and with the Sanshang Families of Ding, Xun, and Zhuo for himself.
• Meng Zhao thought Tan Cai'er would make an especially valuable ally, then wondered why Zhu'er had stopped visiting him.

Meng Zhao welcomed the marriage alliance proposal and spoke privately with Meng Chuan, who asked whether Meng Zhao was truly his brother after rumors spread about the Plainclothes Alliance. Meng Zhao cited his public verification in Lingwu City, and Meng Chuan accepted his identity and promised to defend him at home.

• Meng Zhao agreed with Dou Xi's marriage alliance suggestion, while servants took Linghu Rui and the others to rest and eat.
• Meng Chuan told Meng Zhao that Meng Rong had been frightened, and that Meng Hongdao had confined him after he brought her home.
• Meng Zhao directly asked whether Meng Chuan suspected he was an impostor, given the Imperial Court's investigation into the Plainclothes Alliance.
• Meng Chuan said people in the Meng residence doubted Meng Zhao's identity and asked him to confirm that he was really his Fourth Brother.
• Meng Zhao described proving his identity before nearly one hundred and eighty factions at a Yanping Commandery Prince's Mansion banquet.
• Meng Chuan accepted Meng Zhao's explanation and promised to prove his identity to the family when he returned home.

Meng Zhao warned Meng Chuan that joining the Yangwu Army could put him in grave danger, but agreed to place him in his personal guard camp if he took command. Lü Yue delivered Meng Zhao’s gift to Beitang He, who wondered whether the Hesheng Pastry hinted at an alliance.

• Meng Zhao asked how long Meng Chuan planned to stay in Lingwu and warned him that war made the city dangerous.
• Meng Chuan insisted that he had chosen to come and was prepared to face the dangers of military service.
• Meng Zhao agreed that Meng Chuan could stay and promised to transfer him to the personal guard camp if he gained control of the army.
• Lü Yue brought Beitang He a box of Hesheng Pastry and conveyed Meng Zhao’s goodwill.
• Beitang He found no hidden message in the pastries, then wondered whether their name suggested that he and Meng Zhao should join forces.