Chapter Summaries

Good watched his passenger ship carry farmers, slaves, and cargo along the newly thriving Silver Seaway, until Commander Lawrence commandeered it for a journey to Silver City. Lawrence toured the flourishing colony and met Governor Jefferies, who hinted that he wanted his opinion on a matter.

• Good accompanied his passenger ship on its final voyage before the New Year and watched passengers and bound slaves board.
• Soldiers surrounded Good's ship and informed him that Commander Lawrence would take it to Silver City under their protection.
• Lawrence traveled along the inland river route, inspected its growing towns, and encouraged Good to invest further in the colony.
• Lawrence arrived in Silver City and praised its development, noting the lower prices and bustling New Year atmosphere.
• Governor Jefferies warmly welcomed Lawrence at the Governor's Mansion and said he wanted Lawrence's opinion on a matter.

Lawrence agreed to Little Governor Jefferies's request to spare merchant ships, after the Governor promised funding for a new destroyer. Brack explained that Jefferies sought a higher position, and Lawrence decided to use naval inspections to help the Governor expand trade in the colony.

• Little Governor Jefferies asked Lawrence to spare merchant ships engaged in normal commerce and offered to fund a new destroyer; Lawrence agreed while remaining watchful.
• Lawrence visited Brack, who sent Abraham to fetch wine and explained that Abraham had improved the productivity of the slaves.
• Lawrence asked whether Jefferies's family had caravans on the southern coast, and Brack said he knew of no such business ties.
• Brack described Jefferies's ambitions and predicted that he would attract northern coastal caravans to the colony.
• Lawrence decided to grant Jefferies a greater favor by having the Colonial Fleet inspect merchant ships and encourage them to trade in the colony.

In Duchy Year Nine, Derek oversaw the Northern Duchy’s industrial modernization and reviewed its expanding military. He declared that the navy would lead the campaign to unify the Southern Continent.

• At the Colonial Governor's Mansion, Jefferies helped colonial officials, merchants, and foreign interests reach a preliminary understanding.
• Derek reviewed domestic surveillance, foreign intelligence, and military reports before taking Qin and his younger brother for a drive in a new automobile.
• After the New Year holiday, Derek visited schools and factories, where engineers reported that electric-powered machines were more stable and efficient than Steam Engines.
• Derek inspected the fleet base as Adrian gathered senior officers and prepared to commission standardized seven-thousand-ton destroyers.
• Derek told the navy that Duchy Year Nine would bring the initial unification of the Southern Continent and tasked its officers with leading the final stage.

Derek declared that the Northern Duchy would unify the Southern Continent and become an empire, prompting the navy and citizens to swear their support as preparations for war accelerated. He left the chapter overseeing military mobilization and the expansion of the duchy's armed forces.

• Derek announced his ambition to unify the continent and establish the Northern Empire, and Adrian and the Ministry of Navy officers pledged their allegiance.
• Newspapers spread news of the coming unification war, stirring celebrations and calls for victory across the duchy.
• Derek boarded the Yangbo Destroyer, addressed its crew, and promised the navy a central role in the empire's future and overseas expansion.
• Derek spoke with frontline soldiers about their needs while the Military Shipyard refitted the fleet and reservists were called up.
• The duchy began a second major military expansion, enlarging its regular, Guards, and second-line divisions.

After becoming Minister of Army, Virut launched the final offensive against the Locke Kingdom and authorized Viscount Chavez to take revenge on the Southern Nobles. Prince Radick and many nobles fled to the New Continent, while Count Began’s escape was stopped by a naval blockade.

• Virut accepted his appointment as Minister of Army and mobilized new divisions for the final offensive against the Locke Kingdom.
• Virut told Viscount Chavez to eliminate some of the Southern Nobles and authorized him to act freely.
• Prince Radick fled by ship to the New Continent with nearly a thousand loyal troops, and at least one-third of the noble families followed with family members and resources.
• Count Began learned Radick had fled, decided to escape by sea, and ordered his fleet to depart.
• Viscount Charles arranged for Duchy warships to blockade the southern coast, and cannon fire drove Count Began’s fleet back.

As Virut's army and the duchy fleet tightened their blockade, the Southern Nobles Alliance fractured over whether to surrender or flee. Count Began and Count Lovett planned a nighttime escape, leaving Viscount Chavez to watch the nobles' divisions deepen.

• The duchy fleet's detached ships blocked the southern harbors and crushed the Southern Nobles' breakout attempts with artillery.
• Virut advanced his infantry divisions in rotation, confident in the army's advantage and savoring his final battle command.
• Viscount Chavez arrived at a harbor and joined Count Began and other nobles as they debated surrender and escape.
• Viscount Rogers argued that the nobles should surrender to preserve their lives, but Count Lovett condemned him and Count Began redirected the meeting toward retreat.
• Count Lovett proposed gathering ships and fleeing together that night, while Viscount Chavez warned that they would abandon most of their wealth and personnel.
• Count Began approved the plan, and Count Lovett silenced Viscount Rogers when he tried to object.

Viscount Chavez joined Count Began and the escape faction as the nobles fled the harbor, then turned his guns on Began’s ships to prove his loyalty to the Northern Duchy. After the bombardment, Chavez went ashore and declared that he should now be called Count Chavez.

• Viscount Chavez helped Count Began calm the armed nobles, and the escape faction agreed to flee that night.
• The nobles seized ships and rushed out of the harbor, where the Northern Duchy fleet began intercepting them.
• Viscount Chavez waited for Count Began’s fleet to move, then ordered his ships to bombard it.
• Count Began’s flagship was destroyed, but he escaped aboard another vessel.
• Viscount Chavez went ashore to guard the harbor for the duchy and changed into a Northern Duchy coat.
• Viscount Chavez told his astonished family to call him Count Chavez.

After Chavez received a ducal title from Derek, he accepted the Southern Nobles’ surrender and helped restore order at the harbor. Virut discussed Derek’s lenient plans for the south with Chavez, while hinting that a surprise awaited regarding the escaped Count Began.

• Derek’s ennoblement made Chavez a count of the Northern Duchy, and his family celebrated his new rank.
• Chavez revealed his title to Rogers and the other Southern Nobles, who quickly sought his favor.
• Chavez and the Southern Nobles took control of the remaining troops, arrested troublemakers, and stabilized the harbor before Virut arrived.
• Virut assured Chavez that Derek would honor his promises, then hinted that there would be a surprise concerning Count Began’s escape.
• Virut told Chavez that surrendered nobles could retain reduced titles, while meritorious nobles might receive new land, and Chavez accepted Derek’s lenient terms.

Count Chavez told the surrendered Southern Nobles that their titles had been preserved, though their fiefs were not. On the New Continent, Count Began reclaimed authority through Kallen’s loyalty, while Rick’s absence hinted that he might choose the Northern Duchy instead.

• Count Chavez led Rogers and the other surrendered Southern Nobles back to his residence and told them their titles had been preserved, though Rogers would not regain his fief.
• Rogers thanked Count Chavez and promised that the Southern Nobles would follow his leadership.
• Count Began arrived on the New Continent and asked for Kallen, his representative and the colony’s leader.
• Count Began asked Kallen to return to his service, and Kallen handed over his guards and agreed to bring his son into the count’s household.
• Count Began summoned the colony’s officials to learn about the situation, but his former deputy Rick did not appear.

Rick secretly supported the Northern Duchy and waited on the coast for its forces to arrive, while Count Began mistook his absence for an accident. General Robert landed with the First Division and prepared to capture Began, leaving Rick eager to serve as the duchy's vanguard.

• Count Began asked Kallen about Rick and dismissed him as a minor figure, while Kallen sent someone to find him.
• Rick waited by the coast with trusted subordinates after pledging allegiance to the Northern Duchy and receiving orders to help capture Count Began.
• The First Division landed in five waves with more than ten thousand soldiers and light artillery, and its commander, General Robert, met Rick.
• General Robert gave Rick a personal letter from the duke promising a reward, and Rick offered his troops as the vanguard.
• General Robert refused Rick's offer and led the troops toward Began himself, assigning Rick to advise him.

The Northern Duchy attacked Count Began’s forces from the sea and inland, while General Robert revealed that his side had allies inside the harbor. Factory Director Roan and his fellow craftsmen armed themselves and led a surprise assault on the troops guarding them.

• Captain George’s fleet opened fire on Count Began’s harbor as General Robert led the First Imperial Guard Infantry Division into an attack from inland.
• Count Began learned that Northern Duchy troops were closing in from both directions and discussed gathering up to ten thousand men with Kallen.
• Rick offered his men to break the stalemate, but General Robert said they had allies inside the harbor.
• Factory Director Roan told the Firearms Factory workers they could stay or risk fighting their way out, and several craftsmen took up rifles.
• Roan’s group rushed from the factory and struck the guards from behind while they were eating.

Count Began’s forces collapsed after General Robert exploited a mutiny among the firearms engineers, leaving Began surrounded at his residence. Began prepared to die, but his knights defied his order to surrender and went out with swords to honor their oaths as General Robert faced them.

• Count Began’s army panicked when gunfire broke out near the firearms engineers, and Robert’s troops routed them after the engineers’ mutiny.
• Count Began watched his domain fall and told his knights to surrender after his death rather than make a futile escape.
• A loyal knight offered to lead Began out, but Began asked for a pistol and chose to face death with courage.
• The knight rejected Began’s order, and the other knights drew their swords, determined to fulfill their oaths.
• General Robert surrounded Began’s residence and saw the knights emerge with swords; he hesitated to break their faith before gunfire rang out.

General Robert captured Count Began after the knights died defending him, while Derek chose to publicize the knights’ loyalty and handed Began over to Count Chavez. Began mistook Chavez’s arrival for a chance at leniency, unaware that Chavez now had another reason to kill him.

• The knights died in the assault, and General Robert found Count Began hesitating to shoot himself in the attic.
• Count Began accidentally fired his pistol, and General Robert emptied its magazine into the floor before ordering his soldiers to restrain him.
• General Robert’s troops secured the attic and took the surrender of the remaining soldiers as Count Began demanded noble treatment.
• Derek kept the photograph of the dead knights and ordered Count Began handed over to Count Chavez.
• Count Chavez read the newspaper feature about the knights’ sacrifice and decided Began had to die.
• Count Began welcomed Count Chavez, believing their acquaintance and the Northern Duchy’s involvement meant he might receive goodwill.

Count Chavez poisoned Count Began after offering him a final meal, then ordered him buried in his ancestral graveyard. Derek assigned Simon the conquest of the Griffin Kingdom and made clear that Simon was to leave no future threats behind.

• Count Began begged Count Chavez for help and offered information about hidden treasures, but Chavez gave him a newspaper and recalled their old enmity.
• Count Chavez served Count Began a lavish meal and wine, and Count Began thanked him before dying from poison.
• Count Chavez ordered a coffin for Count Began and had him buried in his ancestral graveyard.
• Derek summoned Simon and assigned him the Griffin Kingdom as a reward for his service.
• Derek told Simon not to bring back prisoners or leave trouble behind, and Simon agreed to eliminate future threats from the Griffin Kingdom.

Simon took command of the Northern Duchy’s war to destroy the Griffin Kingdom and arrived in Sleepless City with the Navy’s support. He prepared to crush those who sought favors for the Griffin Kingdom’s supporters, while Peter quietly welcomed him at the port.

• Derek told Simon to bring more men from the Internal Guard, warning that tangled noble connections could make his subordinates unreliable at the front.
• At the end of the Duchy’s ninth year, the Griffin Kingdom neared collapse as rebels fought the King’s faction and the Northern Duchy seized its ports.
• Virut rejected attempts by nobles and officers to sway the coming war, then left the front and deflected their requests for favors.
• Simon met Adrian, who promised the Navy would not obstruct him; Simon vowed to make those celebrating their influence suffer.
• With the Navy’s support, Simon landed in prosperous Sleepless City, where Peter of the Ninth Investigation Department waved to welcome him.

Simon arrived in Sleepless Port ahead of the Northern Duchy fleet and reviewed Peter’s intelligence while keeping a low profile. When the fleet and 101st Division entered the harbor, Count Andre faced a chance to strike as the troops disembarked, while Viscount Barin led them ashore under Simon’s banner.

• Simon reunited with Peter, who took him to a secret hotel property and gave him detailed files on Sleepless Port.
• Simon declined to meet Count Andre and told Peter to restore the city after the coming upheaval.
• The Northern Duchy’s modernized navy sailed openly into Sleepless Port, breaking the old tacit understanding with the Griffin Kingdom.
• Count Andre went to the harbor and considered attacking while the fleet and 101st Division were vulnerable during disembarkation.
• Viscount Barin brought the 101st Division ashore under Simon’s banner and ordered his troops to stay alert until they secured the harbor.

Simon summoned Count Andre and Viscount Barin, then ordered them to work together while concealing his real purpose: an all-front assault to annihilate the Griffin Kingdom’s nobles. As the attack began, Virut realized the Duke may have planned the purge long ago and wondered how to escape the sinking ship.

• Simon told Peter that Count Andre would not dare act, then ordered Peter to bring Andre and Viscount Barin to him.
• After realizing they had nearly walked into a trap, Count Andre and Viscount Barin met Simon at the Sleepless Port Grand Hotel.
• Simon ordered Andre and Barin to cooperate on a mission and warned Barin not to fall into his hands.
• Simon told Peter that he had come to kill, and revealed that the army had launched attacks across every controlled port.
• More than forty divisions began a war of annihilation against the Griffin Kingdom’s nobles while Virut returned to Pulan City and considered finding a way out.

Virut reviewed Ministry of Army records, then clashed with Derek over Lawrence’s attempt to give the Colonial Naval Command authority over army affairs. As the Northern Duchy prepared to unite the Southern Continent, its growing power alarmed foreign colonies on the New Continent.

• Virut discovered that traditional nobles made up less than ten percent of the military and suspected the Duke had arranged for him to see the statistics, but he decided to observe before drawing conclusions.
• Virut angrily objected to Lawrence’s proposal and told Derek that the navy should not interfere in the Ministry of Army’s affairs.
• Derek told Virut to respond to the Colonial Naval Command himself, while offering him advice about his new post and saying nothing about the nobles.
• Virut sent Lawrence a harsh rebuke and began reorganizing the Ministry of Army.
• The Northern Duchy unified the sea trade routes under its flag, and news that it was about to unite the Southern Continent unsettled foreign colonies on the New Continent.

Sanger and Benjamin attended an emergency council meeting after learning that the Northern Duchy was close to defeating the Griffin Kingdom. The councilors tried to seize Sanger’s technology and businesses, but they reached a tense compromise and agreed to prepare for the Duchy’s possible advance.

• Sanger arrived at the council meeting with Benjamin, who had become his trusted adviser and a professor.
• Councilman White told the assembled councilors that the Northern Duchy had launched a war of unification and the Griffin Kingdom might soon fall.
• The councilors debated how to protect their colonial holdings and demanded that Sanger provide his advanced technology.
• Sanger resisted the council’s attempt to requisition his businesses, warning that he had men and weapons in the colony.
• Sanger agreed to release part of his technology in exchange for the council’s support for his future election campaigns, while the council arranged outreach to the Northern Duchy’s Colonial Government and other colonies.

Benjamin advised Sanger to sabotage steam machinery, but Sanger was forced by the council to serve as an envoy to the Northern Duchy. Meanwhile, Little Governor Jefferies celebrated the colony’s harvest and prosperity before news of the delegation reached him.

• Benjamin suggested that Sanger tamper with key parts of the steam machinery, and Sanger rewarded him with a woman.
• The councilors unanimously appointed Sanger as an envoy to the Northern Duchy's Colonial Governor's Mansion, despite his refusal.
• Little Governor Jefferies inspected the successful harvest and decided to intensify slave-catching efforts the following year.
• Little Governor Jefferies toured the Great Gold Mine and reviewed the colony's growing immigration and trade.
• As winter approached in parts of the New Continent, Little Governor Jefferies received news of the delegation.