Chapter Summaries

Zhou Xu and the defenders of Yellow Sand City fought off a coordinated assault on the walls and gate. After the enemy's Battering Ram threatened to break through, Zhou Xu destroyed its cart and ordered the defenders to attack the troops gathered below.

• White Butcher and his veteran soldiers fought fiercely to keep the enemy from gaining the top of the wall.
• Zhou Xu used a Flying Stone Attack to drive the enemy siege soldiers back and ease pressure on the defenders.
• Long Zhantian ordered his troops to use the Battering Ram against Yellow Sand City's gate.
• Shilke stopped the defenders from opening the gate and sent a soldier to report the danger to Zhou Xu.
• Zhou Xu inspected the gate from the wall, destroyed the Battering Ram's cart with two Flying Stone Attacks, and ordered wooden rollers and boulders dropped on the enemy troops below.

After Great Zhou repelled Long Zhantian’s assault on Yellow Sand City, Zhou Xu reviewed the battle with his generals and then consulted White Butcher about the enemy’s next move. They expected the enemy to launch further attacks before gathering a larger force, leaving Zhou Xu one or two months to evacuate civilians and await reinforcements.

• Long Zhantian ordered his troops to withdraw after their assault failed to break through Yellow Sand City.
• Zhou Xu reviewed the defense with Shi Lei and the other generals, who credited his Flying Stone Attack with turning back the enemy’s Siege Tower and Battering Ram.
• Zhou Xu summoned White Butcher after the internal discussion and asked him to assess the enemy’s likely next move.
• White Butcher predicted repeated attacks followed by a retreat to gather more troops, warning that an assault of over five thousand soldiers could threaten the city.
• Zhou Xu estimated that recruiting and training those troops would buy one or two months to evacuate Yellow Sand City’s civilians and receive reinforcements.

After repelling repeated assaults on Yellow Sand City, Zhou Xu’s forces rested while Long Zhantian withdrew to Black Stone City and requested reinforcements. Enraged by the retreat, Yan Sheng summoned Xie Liancheng and decided to lead the next expedition himself, keeping military authority in his own hands.

• Zhuo Ge’s Centaur cavalry harassed the enemy camp nightly as Zhou Xu’s defenders repelled three days of assaults on Yellow Sand City with fewer than a hundred casualties.
• Long Zhantian withdrew his army to Black Stone City and sent Yan Sheng a letter requesting reinforcements.
• Zhou Xu used the pause in fighting to rest his soldiers and send eight hundred immigrants and severely wounded troops through the energy passage.
• Yan Sheng berated Long Zhantian’s failure, and Xie Liancheng volunteered to lead an expedition to retake Yellow Sand City.
• Yan Sheng overruled the Six Ministers’ objections and ordered preparations to personally lead the expedition.

Yan Sheng led an expeditionary army to Black Stone City and ordered it to prepare to seize Yellow Sand City. There, Zhou Xu strengthened the city’s defenders and rewarded White Butcher’s soldiers with upgraded equipment after they proved ready to train with the Great Zhou main force.

• Yan Sheng spent months assembling an army of 2,400 troops and led them from the capital toward Black Stone City.
• Yan Sheng joined Long Zhantian’s front-line troops at Black Stone City and ordered the army to rest for three days before attacking Yellow Sand City.
• Zhou Xu anticipated a major enemy assault and recognized that Yellow Sand City’s garrison needed strengthening.
• White Butcher observed the Great Zhou Soldiers’ superior training and equipment while his own soldiers continued training separately.
• Zhou Xu summoned White Butcher, confirmed that his troops could now train with the main force, and ordered them to collect new armor and weapons.
• White Butcher knelt and thanked Zhou Xu for the equipment upgrade.

White Butcher’s soldiers received Great Zhou weapons and scale armor, which marked their acceptance as Great Zhou Soldiers but also meant heavier training. The chapter ended with two soldiers stubbornly wearing their new armor overnight and meeting the next morning sore and exhausted.

• White Butcher announced the equipment upgrade, and his soldiers cheered at the recognition it represented.
• Shi Lei explained the scale armor and warned the soldiers that training in it would be like weighted training.
• Shi Lei demonstrated that a crystal-iron battle saber could break an ordinary iron saber while remaining intact.
• White Butcher’s soldiers received their new equipment and collected their old weapons and armor.
• Two soldiers challenged each other to keep wearing the heavy scale armor, then faced each other the next morning aching and sleep-deprived.

Yan Sheng’s army arrived to besiege Yellow Sand City, and Zhou Xu faced Long Zhantian’s challenge to a duel. After assessing Long Zhantian’s strength, Zhou Xu sent Li Tie out to fight him.

• Six days after the soldiers began adapting to scale armor, Yan Sheng led five thousand troops toward Yellow Sand City.
• Long Zhantian rode out alone and challenged the defenders to send a general to fight him.
• Zhou Xu used his Eye of Insight to inspect Long Zhantian and found that he had three-star Valor, Stamina, and Command, along with the Blade General talent.
• Li Tie volunteered to fight, and Zhou Xu judged that his strength and battle axe could give him an advantage against Long Zhantian.
• Li Tie rode out through the city gates and shouted a challenge at Long Zhantian.

Li Tie defeated Long Zhantian in a mounted duel and killed him with a thrown battle axe before Xie Liancheng could reach the fight. Xie Liancheng faced Yan Sheng’s anger and considered Li Tie’s ruthlessness, while weighing the risks of acting against the First Emperor.

• Long Zhantian charged Li Tie, but Li Tie shattered his Iron Ring Great Saber with a single blow and drove him into a desperate retreat.
• Zhou Xu ordered the soldiers on the wall to beat drums and cheer for Li Tie, while Xie Liancheng laughed at Long Zhantian’s defeat.
• Yan Sheng urged Xie Liancheng to save Long Zhantian, and Xie Liancheng rode forward as Li Tie disarmed and unhorsed him.
• Li Tie hurled his Crystal Iron Battle Axe at Long Zhantian and cleaved him down before Xie Liancheng could rescue him.
• Yan Sheng demanded Long Zhantian’s death, and Xie Liancheng reflected on his precarious position and decided not to provoke the First Emperor further.

Zhou Xu sent Zhuo Ge out to reinforce Li Tie, who had killed Long Zhantian, but Zhuo Ge was soon outmatched by Xie Liancheng. Zhou Xu rode out to intervene, and the two leaders recognized each other with mutual respect.

• Li Tie killed Long Zhantian with a thrown axe, lifting Great Zhou’s morale and crushing the enemy soldiers’ spirits.
• Zhuo Ge charged Xie Liancheng, but Xie brought down his mount, outlasted War Charge, and gained the advantage with his Three-Pointed, Two-Edged Halberd.
• Zhou Xu used Eye of Insight to assess Xie Liancheng, then rushed toward the city gate despite Shilke’s warnings.
• Zhou Xu rode out and called Xie Liancheng the famed Grand Marshal, prompting Xie to pause and let Zhuo Ge retreat.
• Xie Liancheng and Zhou Xu each confirmed the other’s grand title and exchanged respectful greetings.

As children, Zhou Hongxu and Xie Da Niu imagined becoming an emperor and the Grand Marshal of All the Armies under Heaven; years later, Zhou Xu and Xie Liancheng recognized each other as fellow transmigrators while fighting outside Yellow Sand City. They kept their battle going as they confirmed Yan Sheng had summoned them, leaving both armies stunned by their skill.

• Young Zhou Hongxu told Da Niu he wanted to become the Grand Marshal of All the Armies under Heaven, so Da Niu claimed the title for himself.
• Hongxu agreed to become an emperor and gave Da Niu the imposing name Xie Liancheng.
• Outside Yellow Sand City, Yan Sheng watched Zhou Xu confront Xie Liancheng and wondered whether the two were conspiring.
• As their weapons clashed, Zhou Xu and Xie Liancheng recognized that they had both transmigrated and concluded that Yan Sheng had summoned them.
• Zhou Xu and Xie Liancheng continued fighting while Zhuo Ge, Li Tie, and Yan Sheng watched in disbelief at their skill.

Zhou Xu and Xie Liancheng staged a convincing duel, then agreed that Xie would spy for Zhou and seek refuge with him once he could rescue his family. Yan Sheng rallied his five thousand troops and launched an assault on Yellow Sand City, where Giant Skeleton Beasts suddenly erupted from the ground.

• Zhou Xu and Xie Liancheng ended their rehearsed duel and agreed that Xie would act as Zhou's mole while looking for a chance to free his wife and children.
• Xie Liancheng returned to Yan Sheng and claimed that neither he nor the enemy officer could win after a hundred rounds.
• Yan Sheng used his True Word techniques and promised rewards to restore his soldiers' morale, then ordered them to attack Yellow Sand City.
• The siege force advanced under arrow fire as its Siege Tower and Cloud Ladder approached the city walls.
• Giant Skeleton Beasts burst through the ground outside Yellow Sand City, horrifying the attacking soldiers.

Zhou Xu unleashed Giant Skeleton Beasts against Yan Sheng’s siege force, destroying its Siege Towers and blocking access to Yellow Sand City. As Yan Sheng and Xie Liancheng struggled to respond, Qiansui charged out of the city and attacked the besiegers.

• Zhou Xu raised the buried Giant Skeleton Beasts and sent Big Bone and Second Bone to attack the Siege Towers.
• Big Bone and Second Bone smashed a Siege Tower while the Shield Dragons’ approach drove soldiers away from the city gate.
• Yan Sheng asked Xie Liancheng how to stop the Giant Skeleton Beasts, and Xie Liancheng said they needed a trebuchet or ballista.
• Qiansui charged out of Yellow Sand City, crushed soldiers in the siege force, and unleashed a roar that sent visible sound waves across the battlefield.

Zhou Xu used Qiansui and the Giant Skeleton Beasts to break Yan Sheng’s siege, but Yan Sheng struck Qiansui down with a lightning attack. The chapter ended as Qiansui rose again and roared, leaving the battlefield stunned.

• Qiansui rampaged through Yan Sheng’s troops, spreading panic after Zhou Xu’s Giant Skeleton Beasts had destroyed the siege towers.
• Yan Sheng sounded the First Emperor’s battle horn and led his Imperial Guards toward Qiansui to rally his soldiers.
• Zhou Xu used Eye of Insight to watch Yan Sheng approach Qiansui, but could not see Yan Sheng’s attributes from the city wall.
• Yan Sheng unleashed a bolt of lightning that struck Qiansui and knocked the beast to the ground.
• Yan Sheng’s soldiers began to cheer, but Qiansui moved, rose again, and roared across the battlefield.

Yan Sheng’s lightning attack failed to kill Qiansui, and Zhou Xu and Yellow Sand City’s defenders turned the battle against the besieging army. Yan Sheng escaped by teleporting, while Xie Liancheng ordered a retreat and Zhou Xu was left exhausted after controlling the Giant Skeleton Beasts.

• Qiansui recovered enough to roar, and Yan Sheng rallied his soldiers by claiming the beast was gravely wounded and promising rewards for its death.
• Zhou Xu saw that Qiansui was alive and sent Big Bone, Second Bone, and the Shield Dragon skeletons to support him as Shi Lei ordered Yellow Sand City’s gates opened.
• The Elf Knights, Centaur cavalry, and White Butcher’s five hundred soldiers charged the enemy, whose morale collapsed and whose troops began to desert.
• Xie Liancheng suggested that Yan Sheng strike Qiansui with another bolt of divine thunder, but Yan Sheng ordered a retreat and teleported away with a beast-hide scroll.
• Xie Liancheng ordered his forces to withdraw toward Black Stone City, abandoning some troops to delay Yellow Sand City’s pursuit.
• After the enemy’s main force retreated, Zhou Xu dispelled his true words and struggled to remain standing from exhaustion.

Zhou Xu cared for Qiansui after the lightning attack and learned that the creature had suffered a severe wound despite appearing unharmed once cleaned. Great Zhou’s troops returned victorious, and Zhou Xu ordered rewards while keeping the city defenses manned.

• Zhou Xu welcomed the charred Qiansui back and ordered hot water, rags, and a brush to clean him.
• As Qiansui was scrubbed, Zhou Xu discovered a badly burned patch on his right shoulder and considered the lightning attack’s range and power.
• Great Zhou’s pursuing troops returned after routing the enemy, whose broken morale left them unable to resist.
• Shi Lei’s report confirmed 1,179 enemy dead and 385 prisoners, with Great Zhou’s casualties nearly negligible.
• Zhou Xu ordered meat and wine for the army, shifts on the walls, and a tally of battle merits and rewards.

Zhou Xu rested after defeating the five-thousand-strong siege force, then gathered his generals to review the battle and discuss whether to attack Black Stone City or keep defending Yellow Sand City. As the council leaned toward defense, Zhou Xu noticed White Butcher hesitating and called on him to share his thoughts.

• Zhou Xu ordered a council for three hours later and rested to recover his strength.
• Zhou Xu convened the generals, approved Shi Lei’s proposed rewards, and had Shi Lei lead a review of the battle.
• Zhou Xu asked the generals whether to attack Black Stone City or continue defending Yellow Sand City.
• Shi Lei argued that their forces were too few to attack Black Stone City, and the other generals agreed that defense was safer.
• White Butcher considered whether the Giant Skeleton Beasts could make an attack possible, but held back after suspecting they had a limitation during sieges.
• Zhou Xu noticed White Butcher’s hesitation and asked him to give his opinion.

Zhou Xu explained that holding Yellow Sand City would pressure Yan Sheng by disrupting his harvest and forcing him to choose between conscripting more troops and worsening unrest. The generals embraced the strategy as they discussed how to handle the war.

• White Butcher warned Zhou Xu that the enemy's growing forces made a prolonged defense dangerous, without mentioning the Giant Skeleton Beast.
• Zhou Xu explained that the slow Shield Dragon skeletons would hinder an assault and that another major exertion would be too costly.
• Shi Lei guessed that the approaching winter would delay the enemy, but Zhou Xu explained how the war had damaged its farming and harvest.
• Zhou Xu argued that Yan Sheng would face rising food prices and unrest, whether he conscripted more soldiers or not.
• White Butcher and the other generals praised Zhou Xu's strategy and discussed it while Zhou Xu listened.

After Yan Sheng returned to Black Stone City in defeat, Zhou Xu reviewed the battle reports and inspected the battered Giant Skeleton Beasts in Yellow Sand City. He worried that Big Bone and Second Bone had grown too fragile to justify the resources needed to control them.

• Yan Sheng teleported back to Black Stone City after his five-thousand-strong army failed to retake Yellow Sand City, and he worried that he could not safely dismiss or send home his troops.
• Zhou Xu woke late after the victory feast, read the battle reports over breakfast, and considered whether to bury the Giant Skeleton Beasts outside the city again.
• Zhou Xu went to inspect Big Bone and Second Bone and found their skeletons covered in cracks and fractures from repeated battles.
• Zhou Xu concluded that continued use could turn Big Bone and Second Bone into fragile units that consumed too many resources.

After Xie Liancheng reminded Yan Sheng that the soldiers had lost heart when they saw their king flee, Yan Sheng weighed his options and decided to answer the defeat with a rapid military buildup. He ordered seven thousand men conscripted, despite the strain this would place on an already troubled country.

• Yan Sheng demanded an explanation for the army’s heavy losses, and Xie Liancheng pointed out that Yan Sheng’s flight had caused the soldiers to scatter.
• Yan Sheng restrained his anger toward Xie Liancheng and considered how to respond to the enemy’s invasion.
• Yan Sheng rejected the idea of negotiating a truce, citing Long Zhantian’s death and his reluctance to leave Xie Liancheng in command.
• Yan Sheng decided to gather a larger army, retake Yellow Sand City, and resume domestic development afterward.
• Yan Sheng ordered an attendant to recruit seven thousand men, while Xie Liancheng and the attendant recognized the order would cause serious problems.

Yan Sheng sent Xie Liancheng and a hundred soldiers to watch Yellow Sand City, then took out his anger on a eunuch. Xie Liancheng devised a way to get the deputy general away from the camp so he could meet Hongxu, and left the plan poised to begin.

• Yan Sheng assigned Xie Liancheng a hundred soldiers and ordered him to monitor the area around Yellow Sand City, with one of his confidants as deputy.
• Yan Sheng beat and humiliated the eunuch who had served him in his chambers.
• Xie Liancheng set out with the soldiers and decided he needed to deal with the deputy general before meeting Hongxu.
• On the third day, Xie Liancheng halted the force near centaur mercenaries and summoned the deputy general to his tent.
• Xie Liancheng proposed sending reconnaissance teams in shifts and told the deputy general that they would lead the teams themselves.
• The deputy general nervously agreed to follow Xie Liancheng's orders.

Xie Liancheng deliberately exposed his scouting party and used a nighttime encounter with Zhou Xu’s centaurs to send him a secret message. Zhou Xu recognized the note’s writing as Xie Liancheng’s, but its contents were not revealed.

• Xie Liancheng assigned the deputy commander to scout during the day while he took the night shift.
• The deputy commander’s team was spotted by Yellow Sand City’s patrols, and Zhou Xu ordered Zhuo Ge’s centaurs to locate their camp after dark.
• Xie Liancheng led his troops out at night, fired an arrow carrying a bamboo tube, and retreated with his men.
• Zhuo Ge found the bamboo tube and sent Yoseph to deliver it to Zhou Xu.
• Shilke woke Zhou Xu, who read the note and recognized its writing and dialect as Xie Liancheng’s.