'%3e%3cclipPath%20id='prefix__a'%3e%3cpath%20d='M0%200h1080v1080H0z'/%3e%3c/clipPath%3e%3cg%20clip-path='url(%23prefix__a)'%3e%3cpath%20d='M1033.05%20324.45c-.19-137.9-107.59-250.92-233.6-291.7-156.48-50.64-362.86-43.3-512.28%2027.2-181.1%2085.46-237.99%20272.66-240.11%20459.36-1.74%20153.5%2013.58%20557.79%20241.62%20560.67%20169.44%202.15%20194.67-216.18%20273.07-321.33%2055.78-74.81%20127.6-95.94%20216.01-117.82%20151.95-37.61%20255.51-157.53%20255.29-316.38z'%20fill-rule='nonzero'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/svg%3e)
Biodata
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Great Yu (大禹) |
| Type | Imperial dynasty |
| Capital | Kyoto 192 |
| Territory | Twenty-eight provinces at its height as described in the narrative 192 |
| Notable Rulers | Emperor Tianyuan; Emperor Ningnan, Tianyuan's eight-year-old third son and the dynasty's forty-fifth emperor 193 199 |
| Status | Collapsed into competing successor states after the loss of the Imperial Seal; its former lands were later unified by the New Dynasty 214 259 |
| First Appearance | Chapter 154 |
National Fortune and Defenses
- Great Yu endured for more than six hundred years, supported by County Town's Azure Qi and national fortune. Its border cities gave it a longstanding strategic advantage over surrounding Barbarian peoples. 190 192
- The Azure Qi protecting prefectural cities could be more than ten zhang high. Under a Confucian cultivator's control, a single spell backed by it could destroy tens of thousands of troops. 190
- The Imperial Seal was the tangible manifestation of Great Yu's national fortune and linked the Azure Qi of cities throughout the realm to Kyoto's National Luck Azure Sea. 212
- Kyoto housed the National Fortune Grand Formation, though its ability to act was obstructed during the Five Directions Cult crisis. 192 193
- Confucian cultivators relied heavily on County Town's Azure Qi; without it, they lost most of their combat strength. 187
Background
Great Yu was a vast Central Plains dynasty whose political legitimacy, military security, and supernatural defenses were intertwined with national fortune. Its capital, Kyoto, was a prosperous city of several million inhabitants, guarded by immense Azure Qi and walls forged from ten-thousand-year sunken iron. 192
Its six-century rule fostered deep confidence in the dynasty's superiority. Even when Great Yu lost field battles, enemy forces—including northern nomads—had historically been unable to capture a single prefectural city. 190 192
Decline and Collapse
The Five Directions Cult launched a rebellion across Great Yu's nineteen prefectures, capturing four prefectures and tens of millions of commoners before its army eventually besieged Kyoto. 154 193
During the resulting political crisis, Emperor Tianyuan, the Prime Minister, and the Grand Commandant died in rapid succession. Tianyuan's third son subsequently ascended as Emperor Ningnan, but the Liu, Wang, and Zhao families established the Three Dukes system and stripped the young emperor of real authority. 197 199
The alliance formed under the slogan Remove the King's Evil Advisors devastated the dynasty further. The Three Dukes ultimately realized they had been manipulated into creating nationwide chaos and committed suicide, after which six new dukes took control of the court. 212
The disappearance of the Imperial Seal removed the foundation connecting Great Yu's national fortune and city defenses. As the County Town's Azure Qi faced inevitable decline, the Six Dukes and other regional powers proclaimed themselves emperors and founded independent states. 212 214
Story Role / Major Arcs
- Five Directions Cult Rebellion — The rebellion exposes Great Yu's weakening control over its provinces and draws its supernatural institutions toward the Central Plains. 154
- Kyoto Crisis — The Five Directions Cult besieges the capital while Emperor Tianyuan, the Prime Minister, and the Grand Commandant struggle over the National Fortune Grand Formation and the dynasty's defense. 193
- Three Dukes and Six Dukes — Following Tianyuan's death, aristocratic clans seize control of the court under the guise of assisting Emperor Ningnan. 197 199 212
- Loss of the Imperial Seal — The seal's disappearance undermines Great Yu's legitimacy and its ability to sustain Azure Qi across the realm, accelerating national fragmentation. 212 214
- Era of Successor States — Major families, governors, and local powers establish their own states, while Great Yu's remaining authority becomes irrelevant. 214 215
- Unification by the New Dynasty — Zhang Ming's New Dynasty defeats the Six-Nation Allied Army, Western Rong, and Eastern Di, unifies the former Great Yu lands, and makes Kyoto its capital. 259
Relationships
- Confucianism — Great Yu's governing order and urban defenses relied on Confucian cultivators wielding County Town's Azure Qi and national fortune. 189 190
- Daoist Sect — A rival supernatural tradition; Daoist Sect forces were reported to fan regional unrest during the Three Dukes period. 187 199
- Heavenly Mystery Lineage — Its Plunder Faction was identified as a force associated with Great Yu's decline and the broader cycle of dynastic collapse and reunification. 227
- Five Directions Cult — Rebellious movement that seized multiple prefectures and besieged Kyoto. 154 193
- New Dynasty — Zhang Ming's state rose amid Great Yu's collapse, later conquering and unifying its former territories. 215 259