Chapter Summaries

The Emperor exposed Pierre as a planted traitor and crushed Saidi’s uprising before it could reach the imperial villa. After two months of purges and turmoil, the Hundred Shanyue Tribes surrendered, and the Emperor approved a railway across the Griffin Peninsula.

• The Emperor told Pierre that the troop movements and planned uprising had been part of his trap, and Pierre confessed as his orderly disarmed him.
• Derek’s troops formed defensive lines at the imperial villa just before Saidi’s rebels began their assault with old cannons.
• Saidi urged the rebels forward when they accused him of betrayal, but the better-equipped imperial soldiers massacred them, and a bullet killed Saidi.
• Guard Divisions across the peninsula hunted down potential opponents, while the failed assassination and uprising left remaining Griffin survivors terrified.
• After two months of turmoil, the Hundred Shanyue Tribes surrendered, and the Emperor approved a railway that would connect the Griffin Peninsula and use the tribes as labor.

After returning to Pulan City, Derek approved funding for the Empire’s first power plant and reviewed a newly finalized fighter aircraft. He ordered fifty aircraft for an independent Royal Air Squadron, leaving the Empire to develop its aviation capabilities without granting the Ministry of Army control.

• Derek approved additional funding for a power plant after reviewing the feasibility report and questioning the relevant personnel.
• Engineers demonstrated a monoplane fighter capable of 155 km/h, with machine guns and a propeller synchronization mechanism.
• Virut proposed rapidly building up the Empire’s fighter fleet, but Derek approved only fifty aircraft for pilot training, tactical testing, and research.
• Derek refused to place the Royal Air Squadron under the Ministry of Army, citing the need to balance power.
• Derek and Virut established the Royal Air Squadron as an independent organization with financial autonomy under the royal family.

Count Little Jefferies decided to leave his governorship with a diplomatic mission to the Lionheart Kingdom, and Derek approved his request. As Little Jefferies set sail for the West, the kingdom’s leaders prepared anxiously for his arrival and tried to discern the Great Xia Empire’s intentions.

• Count Little Jefferies decided to represent the Great Xia Empire on a diplomatic mission to the Lionheart Kingdom before returning to the Imperial Capital.
• Derek approved the mission and sent an Imperial fleet to Silver Port to serve as the diplomatic fleet.
• Sanger welcomed the news, while Councilman White ordered his men to reserve beautiful young women and Duke Harrington began making preparations.
• Duke Harrington learned that the market’s beautiful women had already been reserved, so he turned his attention to other countries.
• Count Little Jefferies boarded an Imperial-class Battleship and set sail for the West, intending to make the journey on the Emperor’s behalf.

Count Little Jefferies arrived in the Lionheart Kingdom Colony with a powerful fleet and brought Sanger, Duke Harrington, and the diplomatic mission aboard to return to the homeland. The fleet set sail after a week of entertaining, leaving Councilman White behind to manage the kingdom.

• Count Little Jefferies arrived with sixteen warships, and Sanger eagerly greeted him at the harbor.
• Count Little Jefferies promised to back Sanger and threatened the Lionheart Kingdom when Duke Harrington asked him to wait for the Queen's reply.
• Councilman White persuaded Count Little Jefferies to stay for a week while the kingdom tried to delay the mission.
• Duke Harrington and Sanger boarded the fleet with Count Little Jefferies, while Councilman White stayed behind.
• The fleet departed for the homeland, and Duke Harrington found the voyage surprisingly comfortable.

After weeks of friendly travel with Count Little Jefferies, Duke Harrington witnessed the Great Xia fleet force Lionheart Kingdom ports to surrender and was shaken by his country’s weakness. As the fleet reached Lionheart territory, the kingdoms negotiated a formal welcome for the Great Xia envoys, with Harrington caught between both sides as their intermediary.

• Duke Harrington befriended Count Little Jefferies during their voyage, setting aside their countries’ conflict as they spent their time discussing romance and pleasure.
• The Great Xia fleet bombarded its first Lionheart supply port, and Duke Harrington tried to negotiate before learning that the port had already surrendered.
• Duke Harrington watched the fleet requisition supplies and saw defenders die while many officials and soldiers chose surrender, leaving him to confront his country’s weakness.
• Count Little Jefferies slowed the fleet as it neared Lionheart territory, and the Lionheart Royal Family began negotiations while concealing the fleet’s earlier attacks.
• The Lionheart Kingdom agreed to receive the Great Xia envoys at its largest seaport, with the Crown Prince and other royals serving as ambassadors and Count Little Jefferies allowed to bring a regiment of guards ashore.

The Lionheart Kingdom staged an elaborate welcome for Count Little Jefferies and the Great Xia delegation at Free Port, where the arriving fleet’s overwhelming size exposed the power gap between the nations. After Prince Charlie received the count with careful courtesy, Count Little Jefferies recognized that the port’s spotless appearance had been arranged for the visit and considered what it revealed about the Lionheart Kingdom.

• The Lionheart Kingdom cleaned and renovated Free Port, dressed its dockworkers in fresh clothes, and drove beggars and Tool Mutes away before the Great Xia delegation arrived.
• Prince Charlie and the assembled nobles watched sixteen Imperial-class Battleships approach, and Charlie briefly wondered whether the Lionheart Kingdom could close the gap with Great Xia.
• Count Little Jefferies’s imperial soldiers joined the Lionheart Kingdom’s Lobster Soldiers in securing the harbor, while the contrast between their forces drew the kingdom’s observers’ attention.
• Prince Charlie welcomed Count Little Jefferies and introduced him to the Lionheart Kingdom’s royals, legislators, and officials.
• Count Little Jefferies toured Free Port with Prince Charlie and realized the clean streets and well-dressed workers had been arranged to impress the delegation.

At a banquet welcoming Count Little Jefferies, he used Knight Rand to demonstrate the Great Xia Empire’s martial strength. The group went to the Lion Garden, where Knight Rand entered the enclosure alone to find a lion.

• Duke Harrington stood apart from the welcome ceremony after the Lionheart Kingdom’s overseas losses left him as the one to blame.
• Prince Charlie hosted Count Little Jefferies and asked about banquets in Great Xia, while the Count described the Emperor’s strength and martial tastes.
• Princess Mary Dajia feigned surprise at the idea of fighting a fierce beast, prompting Count Little Jefferies to call for Knight Rand.
• Count Little Jefferies persuaded Knight Rand to demonstrate his prowess in exchange for cigars and wine, and Prince Charlie agreed to take them to the Lion Garden.
• Knight Rand split open the wire fence and entered the lion enclosure alone with his sword as the guards raised their guns.

Knight Rand killed three lions before Prince Charlie's delegation, leaving the Lionheart nobles shaken and impressed. As the delegation reached the industrializing capital, Count Little Jefferies recognized that the Lionheart Kingdom was being lured into investing in steam factories that would soon become obsolete.

• Knight Rand entered the hunting grounds alone despite Prince Charlie's warning, and Count Little Jefferies refused to send him support.
• Knight Rand slew the lionesses pursuing him and tossed their heads before the crowd, frightening Princess Mary Dajia and astonishing Prince Charlie.
• Count Little Jefferies reminded Rand of his promised reward, then spent the night with Princess Mary Dajia before the delegation continued its journey.
• The Lionheart royal family escorted the delegation through prosperous areas and steam-industrializing cities while hiding poverty and hardship along the route.
• Prince Charlie praised Fog City's factories, but Count Little Jefferies recognized that Great Xia's industrial strategy had trapped western nations into investing in machinery that would soon be outdated.

Count Little Jefferies and the Great Xia delegation received an elaborate welcome in Fog City before meeting the Queen of Lionheart Kingdom. Their refusal to kneel and a young official’s insult to Lionheart Kingdom as a barbarian land turned the audience into a diplomatic confrontation.

• Count Little Jefferies and Prince Charlie exchanged views on the technological gap between Fog City and Pulan City as Princess Mary Dajia praised Fog City’s steam-powered atmosphere.
• The Great Xia delegation settled into the palace, and Princess Mary Dajia and her younger sister secretly visited Count Little Jefferies before slipping away the next morning.
• Queen of Lionheart Kingdom summoned the delegation for a grand reception, where nobles admired Knight Rand, known as the Lion Knight.
• A Lionheart Kingdom minister demanded that Count Little Jefferies kneel before the Queen, but a young Great Xia official declared Lionheart Kingdom a barbarian land and defended the Count’s refusal.
• The insult enraged Lionheart Kingdom’s ministers, and one called for war and threatened the Great Xia delegation.

Count Little Jefferies defended his status as a Great Xia envoy, then welcomed Lionheart Kingdom’s scholars and nobles to visit Great Xia under the guise of open exchange. After three months at the Lionheart court, he returned home with more than two hundred visitors.

• Count Little Jefferies rebuked the Lionheart ministers who accused him and Prince Charlie calmed the dispute by offering him a seat of honor.
• Count Little Jefferies described Great Xia’s population, military, leadership, and universities to the curious Lionheart court.
• The Lionheart Queen proposed sending scholars to Great Xia, and Count Little Jefferies invited Prince Charlie to visit as well.
• The Lionheart Queen and nobles agreed to fund groups of scholars traveling to Great Xia, though the Queen later postponed the decision for private study.
• Count Little Jefferies observed Lionheart Kingdom’s court and parliament for three months, recorded what he saw, and returned to Great Xia with more than two hundred scholars, nobles, and envoys.

Jos and Jemaine arrived in Great Xia with the Lionheart Kingdom’s scholars, expecting to study at Hadley University and enjoy its vaunted freedom. After seeing the empire’s harsh tax enforcement and marveling at its technology, they reached Pulan City and discovered its prices could put their plans out of reach.

• Jos and Jemaine celebrated reaching the White Sand Archipelago and anticipated arriving in Great Xia.
• At White Sands Port, a Tax Officer explained that the displayed corpses belonged to tax evaders, and Jos and Jemaine vowed not to evade taxes.
• After reaching Digen Port and entering Great Xia, Jos and Jemaine witnessed advanced machinery and automobiles, while Jemaine insisted that Tool Mutes did not count as people.
• Count Little Jefferies escorted the visiting scholars to Pulan City and handed them over to the foreign affairs department.
• Jos and Jemaine found that villas near Hadley University were unaffordable, so a real estate agent urged them to rent an apartment instead.

Jos and the other Lionheart Kingdom scholars settled into life in Pulan City and joined Hadley University students on a patriotic education visit. After touring a military museum and swearing allegiance to the Empire, Jos felt increasingly drawn to Great Xia, and the group headed to an air base.

• Jos adapted to preparatory school and found a well-paying part-time job in Pulan City.
• His teacher arranged for Jos and other scholars to visit the Royal Air Force with Hadley University students.
• Jos and Jemaine changed into military uniforms and joined the group, where the teacher encouraged them to consider joining Great Xia.
• Jos and the other visitors toured a military museum and swore allegiance to the Empire alongside Hadley University students.
• The teacher led the group toward an air base on the outskirts of the city.

Jos toured the Royal Air Force base, saw the Iron Birds fly, and resolved to study hard to become a Great Xia citizen. Meanwhile, Count Little Jefferies was summoned by Derek, appointed Minister of Justice, and tasked with investigating a case brought directly before the Emperor and uncovering those responsible for abusing the people.

• Jos arrived at the Royal Air Force base, watched an Iron Bird take off, and toured the planes with the other trainees.
• Jos was inspired by Great Xia's knowledge and technology and decided to study hard to become a Great Xia citizen.
• Count Little Jefferies returned to the Imperial Capital after resigning as Colonial Governor and waited at home for his next appointment.
• After the Imperial Guard summoned him, Count Little Jefferies met Derek, who appointed him Minister of Justice and handed him documents about a case brought before the Emperor.
• Count Little Jefferies promised Derek he would investigate the case and hold everyone responsible to account.

Count Little Jefferies became Minister of Justice and examined a land-seizure case that officials had covered up by burning the victims and framing survivors. He resolved to arrest everyone involved, while Peter revealed that the Eighth Investigation Department had already detained the local agents.

• Derek appointed Count Little Jefferies to handle the case and assigned Peter to assist him.
• Count Little Jefferies received the formal appointment as Minister of Justice of Great Xia.
• After reviewing the files, Count Little Jefferies learned that commoners had been killed and framed after resisting land annexation, while officials suppressed their appeals.
• Count Little Jefferies ordered his household closed to visitors and chose to arrest every official connected to the cover-up.
• Count Little Jefferies asked Peter for troops and Eighth Investigation Department support, and Peter said his agents had already detained the local investigators.

Count Little Jefferies and Peter traveled to Shacheng City to investigate a land-grabbing case and arrest the officials involved. The 70th Division carried out the arrests, and everyone with a possible connection was brought to the Governor's Mansion.

• Count Little Jefferies met the complainants on the train and concluded that the case likely involved collusion among local officials.
• The 70th Division received Count Little Jefferies and prepared to make arrests while Peter summoned the civil affairs official involved.
• Peter interrogated Shacheng City's Eighth Investigation Department agents, who denied involvement and claimed the case was outside their jurisdiction.
• Count Little Jefferies and Peter went to the Governor's Mansion as the 70th Division began arresting people from the list.
• The authorities arrested everyone in Shacheng City who might have been connected to the case and brought them to the Governor's Mansion.

Count Little Jefferies led the Eighth Investigation Department in a purge of officials who had helped cover up merchant Toby’s crimes. After the civil administrator was stripped of office and the security officer was beaten to death, the interrogations ended with the remaining officials and witnesses detained, and Toby summoned.

• Count Little Jefferies questioned Shacheng City’s civil administrator, who admitted that officials had taken one hundred Gold Coins in connection with Toby’s case.
• Count Little Jefferies stripped the civil administrator of his robes and seal, and Peter ordered agents to silence him when he protested.
• Count Little Jefferies ordered the security officer beaten to death and threatened punishment for his clan within three generations.
• The officials and witnesses involved in Toby’s case were detained as the interrogations proceeded.
• Count Little Jefferies ordered merchant Toby brought in.

Count Little Jefferies reported widespread corruption in Shacheng City, and Derek ordered the implicated officials executed and their immediate families barred from office and commerce. Meanwhile, Jos passed his language assessment and entered Great Xia university, while Jemaine stayed behind to catch up.

• Count Little Jefferies reported that 327 people, including a provincial Governor and Imperial Capital officials, had been involved in the Shacheng City case, and said Toby's family had been publicly executed.
• Derek ordered the remaining people involved executed and barred their immediate families from becoming officials or engaging in commerce.
• Jos became determined to remain in Great Xia after being influenced by Great Xia university students, while Jemaine wanted to return home and change his own country.
• Jos passed an early language assessment and received proof of admission, while Jemaine complained that he had not passed despite his strong language skills.
• Jemaine agreed to spend more time with Great Xia university students, and Jos entered the university carrying his luggage.

Jos’s studies at Hadley University reshaped his loyalties, and a brief meeting with Derek made him resolve to bring the Lionheart Kingdom into Great Xia. After visiting the university again for an electrical-reform seminar, Derek decided to build a power grid for the empire.

• Jos struggled to keep up with Hadley University’s studies while absorbing its lessons and ideas.
• Jos met Derek during the Emperor’s visit, and Derek encouraged him to lead the Lionheart Kingdom toward civilization.
• Jos interpreted Derek’s words as a call to bring the Lionheart Kingdom into Great Xia and celebrated being seen as a loyal Melon Person.
• Derek attended a seminar on electrical reform and decided to establish a power grid system.

Derek struggled to find a qualified director for the newly elevated Department of Electricity and decided to appoint a university professor, with a candidate from Tiona’s family as deputy. Professor Smith learned that an unexpected opportunity had arisen but did not yet understand what it was.

• Derek weighed recommendations from imperial factions but worried that few officials could manage the Department of Electricity’s technical work.
• Tiona advised Derek to appoint university professors, and he decided to make a professor director while naming her father’s candidate deputy director.
• Derek reviewed the professors involved in the electricity reforms and selected one after lowering his standards.
• Professor Smith taught at Hadley University, unaware that the director’s appointment concerned him.
• A student interrupted Professor Smith and excitedly hinted that Smith had connections to the new appointment, leaving him confused.

Professor Smith learned that the Emperor had appointed him Director of the Department of Electricity and sought Principal Delong’s advice on his new role. He left the meeting ready to rely on Hadley University’s support and focus on expanding the use of electricity.

• Professor Smith abandoned his lesson and hurried to the administrative building after learning of his appointment.
• Hadley University’s staff celebrated Smith’s promotion, and the principal’s secretary escorted him to Principal Delong.
• Principal Delong advised Smith to lead the work of promoting electricity, follow the Emperor’s instructions, and delegate tasks to his deputies.
• Principal Delong offered university professors and graduates to support Smith in the Department of Electricity.
• Smith resolved to focus on producing results and left the principal’s office prepared for his new position.