Chapter Summaries

Yang Zhengshan’s Garrison Battalion destroyed the Zha’erzi Tribe, while the frightened Tumege tribesmen fled and the army began securing its spoils. Wang Bin and Liang Chu received Yang Zhengshan’s victory report, and a Regional Commander's Mansion team arrived to verify his military merit.

• Yang Zhengshan treated his wounded soldiers and ordered Han Cheng to move the camp near Zha’erzi Tribe while scouts watched for Tumege.
• Zhayan ordered Tumege to abandon its settlement and flee overnight, and Yang Zhengshan sent scouts to track the tribe without interrupting the collection of spoils.
• Wang Bin read Yang Zhengshan’s report of routing nearly a thousand Hu Cavalry and taking more than eight hundred heads, then sent it to Chongshan Pass for merit verification.
• Liang Chu received Yang Zhengshan’s victory report and dispatched Yuan Wanli with clerks and soldiers to verify the military merit.
• Four days later, Yuan Wanli arrived at the Garrison Battalion camp and respectfully presented himself to Yang Zhengshan.

Yang Zhengshan welcomed Yuan Wanli and his clerks, then showed them the Zha'erzi Tribe’s enormous pile of heads so they could verify the Garrison Battalion’s military merits. After cataloging the spoils and distributing much of the gold and silver, Yang Zhengshan prepared to report the battle and left Yuan Wanli to reckon with the challenge of making the massive tally credible.

• Yang Zhengshan fed Yuan Wanli and his two clerks, then let them rest before beginning the military-merit verification.
• Yang Zhengshan showed Yuan Wanli the Zha'erzi Tribe settlement, its mass grave, and the mountain of heads of able-bodied men.
• Zhou Ren reported the captured horses, livestock, supplies, grain, gold, silver, and valuables, and Yang Zhengshan ordered how to distribute and store them.
• Yang Zhengshan gave most of the gold and silver to his soldiers, set aside a portion, and planned to send a battle report to the Assistant General's Shogunate.
• Yang Zhengshan forced Yuan Wanli to accept two gold ingots as compensation, and Yuan Wanli worried about convincing his superiors that the nearly four thousand reported heads were genuine.

Wang Sheng arrived at Anyuan City's Garrison Battalion camp to take charge of the spoils while Yang Zhengshan led a thousand mounted soldiers north and raided Hu settlements. After seven raids left roughly thirty thousand dead and the area cleared of Hu settlements, Ke'ercha Banner Lord Duobatuo ordered his scattered divisions to gather near the banner lands.

• Wang Sheng arrived with soldiers and laborers to transport the spoils of war, and Yang Zhengshan left him in charge before resuming the campaign.
• Yang Zhengshan led the mounted Garrison Battalion north and chose to attack the Baruke Tribe at midnight.
• Yang Zhengshan's soldiers destroyed the Baruke settlement in a night raid, then gathered supplies and prepared to move on.
• Over seven days, Yang Zhengshan's forces raided seven settlements and killed roughly thirty thousand Hu people, spreading panic across the region.
• Duobatuo questioned Zhayan about the attackers' strength, then ordered the Ke'ercha Tribe's divisions to gather near the banner lands.

After leading the Garrison Battalion through seven raids, Yang Zhengshan withdrew toward the Songyuan River and discovered that a powerful fighter from the Ke'ercha Tribe had approached him. The chapter ended with the two evenly matched as their companions drew near.

• Yang Zhengshan halted the raids at the Heshe Tribe settlement and ordered Wang Sheng and Yuan Wanli to collect the spoils before returning south.
• Yang Zhengshan and the Garrison Battalion camped more than a hundred and fifty li from their base while scouts from the Ke'ercha Tribe watched from nearby.
• Yang Zhengshan went on night watch and noticed an approaching attacker after Red Cloud sensed him.
• Yang Zhengshan and Red Cloud fought off the Hu man, who dodged their first attack and exchanged dozens of saber and spear strikes with Yang Zhengshan.
• Yang Zhengshan and the Hu man separated when Garrison Battalion soldiers and Ke'ercha Tribe scouts approached from opposite directions.

Yang Zhengshan encountered Duobatuo, Ke'ercha's banner master, but neither man had the confidence to defeat the other, so Yang led his troops away through the night. After returning to camp, he learned that Chongshan Town's campaign was advancing toward Fushan City and that officials doubted his reports of nearly twenty thousand enemy heads.

• Yang Zhengshan identified Duobatuo as Ke'ercha's banner master, and the two men faced off before Duobatuo withdrew without fighting.
• Yang Zhengshan woke his soldiers and laborers, and they traveled through the night without being pursued by Hu cavalry.
• Yang Zhengshan's force crossed the Songyuan River, returned to camp, and washed away the grime and blood from their campaign.
• Wang Sheng told Yang Zhengshan that Chongshan Town's forces had scored victories and that the Marquis had reached Fushan City, where the decisive battle was expected.
• Wang Sheng and Yuan Wanli told Yang Zhengshan that officials doubted his reports of eight tribes destroyed and nearly twenty thousand heads taken, and Yang agreed to wait for a new verification.

Yang Zhengshan’s repeated reports of victories led Lu Chongde to order a Secret Martial Guard investigation, but Luo Chenhu confirmed the reported military merits after inspecting the captured heads and the Garrison Battalion. Meanwhile, Wang Bin received word that Yang Zhengshan had destroyed eight tribes, leaving the Reinforcement Battalion’s officers stunned by the scale of his success.

• Lu Chongde withheld Jia City’s battle reports from the Capital until Secret Martial Guard Centurion Yan could verify Yang Zhengshan’s military merits.
• Yang Zhengshan woke and learned that officials from Chongshan Pass had arrived to inspect the reported military merits.
• Luo Chenhu inspected the thousands of heads at the Zha'erzi Tribe’s ruined settlement and confirmed that Yang Zhengshan’s military merits were genuine.
• Yang Zhengshan shared a meal and spoke with Luo Chenhu about Chongshan Pass.
• Song Dashan delivered Yang Zhengshan’s letter to Wang Bin, who learned that Yang Zhengshan had destroyed eight tribes and astonished the Reinforcement Battalion’s officers.

Wang Bin agreed to lead the Reinforcement Battalion against the Ke'ercha Clan after Yang Zhengshan’s report revealed the clan’s settlement. Emperor Chengping learned of Yang Zhengshan’s victories and military books, while Yang Zhengshan and Wang Bin joined forces at the upper reaches of the Songyuan River to prepare for battle.

• Song Dashan told Wang Bin that Yang Zhengshan had found the Ke'ercha Clan’s settlement, and Wang Bin ordered the Reinforcement Battalion to prepare to march.
• Luo Chenhu reported Yang Zhengshan’s battle record through the Secret Martial Guard, and Lü Hua submitted it to Emperor Chengping.
• Emperor Chengping read the report of Yang Zhengshan’s victories and asked Eunuch Chen to find his Thirty-Six Stratagems and Military Training Records.
• On the twenty-ninth year of Chengping, the twelfth day of the fifth month, Wang Bin led six thousand Reinforcement Battalion troops to the upper reaches of the Songyuan River, where Yang Zhengshan joined him with the Garrison Battalion.
• Wang Bin welcomed Yang Zhengshan and his troops, and Luo Feiyu greeted his brother-in-law before the officers shared a meal and began getting acquainted.

Yang Zhengshan proposed using a Fire Ox Formation to attack the Ke'ercha Tribe and explained how the army would conceal the cattle while drawing the tribe’s attention west. Wang Bin approved the plan, and as the army advanced, Duobatuo learned of the approaching cavalry and prepared for the threat.

• Yang Zhengshan estimated that the Ke'ercha Tribe could muster up to twenty thousand cavalry, though no more than ten thousand were likely to form a trained army.
• Yang Zhengshan proposed sending cattle with burning, oil-soaked reeds tied to their tails into the Ke'ercha Tribe’s unfortified banner lands at night, followed by troops.
• Wang Bin approved Yang Zhengshan’s plan, and the army set out with Wang Bin and Yang Zhengshan leading the cavalry while Zhao Chengzhi and Zhang Yuanwu led the infantry to collect two thousand cattle.
• Duobatuo received a report that more than five thousand enemy cavalry were approaching from the southeast and ordered his scouts to investigate further.
• Yang Zhengshan and Wang Bin camped thirty li west of the Ke'ercha Tribe’s banner lands, displaying their cavalry as if they were preparing for a major battle.

Duobatuo hesitated to attack Wang Bin and Yang Zhengshan, while they used the standoff to mislead the Ke'ercha Clan and prepare a night assault. As the southeast wind rose, the Reinforcement Battalion drove an ox herd toward the banner lands, and Zhang Chengzhi prepared to set the oxen’s tails alight.

• Duobatuo rejected a night raid and delayed choosing a strategy, wary of losses and the Ke'ercha Clan’s political standing.
• Wang Bin and Yang Zhengshan let the Ke'ercha Clan fortify its eastern defenses while their scouts kept up pressure, drawing attention away from the west.
• On May twentieth, Wang Bin and Yang Zhengshan agreed to act that night, and Yang Zhengshan pointed out that the southeast wind suited a Fire Ox Formation.
• Zhang Chengzhi and Zhang Yuanwu led an ox herd toward the Ke'ercha Clan’s banner lands while the Reinforcement Battalion and Garrison Battalion prepared to attack from the south and north.
• Yang Zhengshan gave the Garrison Battalion Spirit Spring Water, then rode out when the signal sounded as Wang Bin led the Reinforcement Battalion from the camp.
• Zhang Yuanwu reported that the oxen’s tails had been tied with dry grass and soaked in kerosene, and Zhang Chengzhi ordered them lit.

Zhang Chengzhi's fire-ox attack threw the Ke'ercha Clan's banner land into chaos as Yang Zhengshan and his troops advanced, but Duobatuo gathered the Hu Cavalry to counterattack Wang Bin's force. Yang Zhengshan reached the battlefield just as Duobatuo disarmed the badly wounded Wang Bin, leaving his fate uncertain.

• Zhang Chengzhi's soldiers set the oxen's tails alight, sending the herd charging into the Ke'ercha Clan's banner land and scattering its tribespeople.
• Duobatuo led able-bodied men south to confront Wang Bin, while Yang Zhengshan and the Garrison Battalion swept into the camp from the north.
• Yang Zhengshan realized Duobatuo had concentrated his forces against Wang Bin and rode south, leaving Han Cheng, Yang Mingzhen, and Song Dashan to continue the advance.
• Duobatuo attacked Wang Bin, killed a guard who shielded him, and wounded him in a saber duel as the Reinforcement Battalion struggled against the Hu Cavalry.
• Yang Zhengshan called out across the battlefield, and Wang Bin and his guards shouted to guide him toward them.
• Duobatuo struck Wang Bin's saber from his hand just as Yang Zhengshan approached, leaving Wang Bin's survival uncertain.

Yang Zhengshan arrived in time to save Wang Bin and fought Duobatuo while reinforcements joined the battle. He killed Duobatuo with a concealed short sword and spear thrust, turning the Ke'ercha Clan’s defeat into a rout; the battle ended at dawn with the Garrison Battalion suffering more than three hundred casualties.

• Yang Zhengshan rode in to stop Duobatuo from killing Wang Bin, then engaged Duobatuo in a prolonged duel.
• Han Cheng, Song Dashan, and Yang Mingzhen led the Garrison Battalion to reinforce the battlefield, while Zhang Chengzhi and Zhang Yuanwu brought in Reinforcement Battalion infantry.
• Yang Zhengshan deceived Duobatuo with a weakened spear strike, stabbed him with a concealed short sword, and finished him with a spear thrust.
• Yang Zhengshan displayed Duobatuo’s head, causing the Ke'ercha Clan’s forces to lose morale and flee as the fighting subsided.
• At dawn, Han Cheng reported that the Garrison Battalion had suffered more than three hundred casualties, while Wang Bin was wounded but expected to recover.

Yang Zhengshan and Wang Bin defeated the Ke'ercha Clan at great cost, then oversaw the recovery of its spoils. Lu Chongde submitted the victory report to the imperial court and recommended Yang Zhengshan, while the surviving troops rested and reorganized before their next campaign.

• After the battle, Yang Zhengshan assigned Zhang Chengzhi to manage the site and had his uninjured soldiers guard the area while Wang Bin recovered and wrote a victory report.
• Yang Zhengshan and Zhang Chengzhi led the cleanup, and Yang proposed dividing the gold and silver among the government and the soldiers, which Wang Bin accepted.
• Lu Chongde read Wang Bin's report, praised Yang Zhengshan's Fire Ox Formation, and sent the report to the imperial court along with a memorial recommending Yang.
• Wang Sheng organized thousands of civilian laborers to haul the Ke'ercha Clan's remaining spoils back to Jia City, completing the transport by early June.
• After resting and reorganizing, the surviving forces numbered about four thousand soldiers, including Wang Bin's two thousand infantry and one thousand cavalry.

Yang Zhengshan’s Garrison Battalion continued crushing the Ke'ercha Clan’s settlements and fleeing tribesmen while Liang Chu’s wider campaign pinned the East Sea Hu forces near Fushan City. After hearing of Zhou Lan’s victory and plans to march west, Liang Chu considered where to direct his other commanders, and Wang Bin welcomed Yang Zhengshan back from his successful purge.

• Yang Zhengshan led the Garrison Battalion in a series of attacks on Ke'ercha Clan settlements and defeated three thousand fleeing tribesmen on the Snow Plains.
• Liang Chu kept his army fortified south of Fushan City, leaving the larger Hu force unable to attack while other Chongshan Town commanders cleared tribal settlements.
• Liang Chu praised Zhou Lan’s victory over the Qijia Clan, and Lu Zhong credited Yang Zhengshan’s training and the Yang Family Five Tigers with strengthening her force.
• Liang Chu learned Zhou Lan planned to march west and asked someone to find out whether Wang Bin and Yang Zhengshan would join him instead.
• Yang Zhengshan returned to camp after more than a dozen battles, and Wang Bin welcomed him as the camp tallied captured spoils and military merit.

Yang Zhengshan proposed striking the settlements north of Fushan City to cut off its supplies, and Liang Chu approved the risky plan and ordered Zhou Lan to join Wang Bin. As Zhou Lan’s army finished raiding a settlement, Yang Mingzhi received word that the general had summoned him, while Yang Chengxu shared news of Yang Zhengshan’s victories.

• Yang Zhengshan told Wang Bin they should raid the settlements north of Fushan City instead of marching west or joining Liang Chu immediately.
• Yang Zhengshan proposed bringing Zhou Lan’s army into the operation, and Wang Bin sent the plan to Liang Chu for approval.
• Liang Chu and Lu Zhong judged the plan feasible and decided that Zhou Lan should lead her army to rendezvous with Wang Bin.
• Zhou Lan’s troops finished destroying a tribal settlement in the Halahun Mountain region, while Yang Mingzhi directed the soldiers as they collected supplies.
• Zhao Yuan told Yang Mingzhi that Zhou Lan had summoned him with military orders, and Yang Chengxu told him that Yang Zhengshan had defeated several tribes east of Heiyun Mountain.

Zhou Lan’s army rendezvoused with Wang Bin and Yang Zhengshan, and Yang Mingzhi reunited with his father after nearly two years apart. The commanders agreed to take a cavalry force north of Fushan City to strike Hu Tribe settlements, while Yang Zhengshan learned that Yang Chengnian had died in battle.

• Zhou Lan ordered her army to advance east and meet the East Route army, prompting Yang Mingzhi to realize he would see Yang Zhengshan again.
• Five days later, Wang Bin and Yang Zhengshan met Zhou Lan’s formidable army and greeted her at the camp.
• Yang Mingzhi reunited with Yang Zhengshan, who praised his bearing and reassured him that the family was well.
• Yang Mingzhi told Yang Zhengshan that Yang Chengnian had died in battle, and Yang Zhengshan arranged for the clan to care for the young man’s family.
• Yang Zhengshan outlined a plan to advance north of Fushan City with cavalry, and Zhou Lan offered five thousand horsemen for the operation.

Yang Zhengshan reunited with Zhou Lan and the Yang Family Disciples before leading a joint force on a raid against the Gorchin Clan's Banner Land. The raid ended in a devastating victory, and Zhou Lan questioned how Yang Zhengshan had trained so many skilled soldiers as the army prepared to continue its campaign.

• Zhou Lan praised Yang Zhengshan's rise and told him that she would return to the Capital after the battle to marry Earl of Huaijiang, Sui Yi'an, while remaining in the army.
• Yang Zhengshan reunited with Yang Chengxu, Yang Qinwu, and other Yang Family Disciples, then spent dinner asking after their families and careers and offering guidance.
• After resting and reorganizing for three days, Yang Zhengshan and Zhou Lan led seven thousand cavalry toward the Gorchin Clan's Banner Land, their first target in a campaign against the major tribes.
• Yang Zhengshan's forces attacked the Gorchin Clan's Banner Land at midnight and killed their way through the settlement until dawn, then tended to the wounded and gathered their fallen comrades.
• Zhou Lan asked how Yang Zhengshan had trained so many Martial Artists, and Yang Zhengshan said he had done it through drilling.

Yang Zhengshan’s army raided four tribal banner lands, then slowed its advance to prepare for Fushan City’s response. In Fushan City, Mengtemu struggled to unite the rival clans, who finally agreed to send troops in pursuit while fearing for their own lands.

• Yang Zhengshan chose a cautious route toward the northwest and told Zhou Lan and Wang Bin to prioritize watching for Fushan City’s pursuit over further raids.
• News of the banner lands’ destruction reached Fushan City, where the Gorchin, Ombu, Chahar, and Duosuo'er leaders argued over whether to send troops.
• Mengtemu agreed that the Gorchin Clan would send five thousand troops and asked the other clans to contribute forces.
• Gulhachi demanded ten thousand troops for Duosuo'er, while Bao Alang agreed to send five thousand from Ombu.
• The clan leaders dispersed to muster troops and pursue the Da Rong army.

After learning that Hu cavalry had left Fushan City to pursue Zhou Lan and Yang Zhengshan, Liang Chu summoned reinforcements while Yang Zhengshan devised a plan to draw off the pursuers and attack the city. Yang Zhengshan reached Liang Chu’s camp ahead of Zhou Lan, where Liu Nanbo and Zhao Tianhai were being reprimanded.

• Liang Chu learned that twenty to thirty thousand Hu cavalry had ridden north and ordered Liu Nanbo, Zhao Tianhai, and Zhou Yuchun to rendezvous with him within five days.
• Zhou Lan, Wang Bin, and Yang Zhengshan learned that more than twenty thousand Hu cavalry were pursuing them and agreed that Wang Bin would lead the pursuers away while Zhou Lan and Yang Zhengshan headed for Fushan City.
• Wang Bin led his cavalry northwest as a decoy, while Zhou Lan and Yang Zhengshan crossed a river and raced south along the coastline.
• Liang Chu scolded Liu Nanbo and Zhao Tianhai for their poor campaign results after they arrived at his camp.
• Yang Zhengshan arrived at Liang Chu’s camp ahead of Zhou Lan, surprising Liang Chu and drawing the attention of Liu Nanbo and Zhao Tianhai.

Yang Zhengshan proposed a feint against the camps outside Fushan City to draw out the Gorchin defenders, giving Liang Chu a chance to seize the city gates. Liang Chu’s forces attacked the camps, and Mengtemu led troops out to reinforce them despite a growing sense of unease.

• Yang Zhengshan returned to Liang Chu’s camp and explained that Zhou Lan was heading for the coast while Wang Bin drew away the pursuing Hu cavalry.
• Yang Zhengshan proposed attacking the three camps outside Fushan City to lure the Gorchin Clan out, then storming the city gates; Liang Chu agreed to begin the operation the following night.
• Yang Zhengshan met Zhou Lan on the coast, while Zhou Yuchun arrived at Fushan City with six thousand soldiers to join Liang Chu’s army.
• Liang Chu led his troops in a night assault on the camps of Ombu, Chahar, and Duosuoer, beginning a fierce battle.
• Mengtemu heard that the camps were under attack and ordered his troops to leave Fushan City and support them, though he felt increasingly uneasy as the north gate opened.

Yang Zhengshan and Zhou Lan engaged the Hu cavalry outside Fushan City to draw them away from the gate while the Cloud Dragon Guard seized it. Yang Zhengshan defeated and captured Mengtemu, leaving the battle for Fushan City turning in Liang Chu's favor.

• Yang Zhengshan and Zhou Lan led their cavalry toward Fushan City's open north gate and fought the Hu cavalry pouring out.
• Yang Zhengshan confronted Mengtemu, whose horse Red Cloud kicked down, and the two fought while Zhou Lan's troops battled the Hu cavalry.
• The Cloud Dragon Guard arrived from the west, seized the city gate, and poured into Fushan City.
• Yang Zhengshan endured Mengtemu's attacks until the older warrior weakened, then struck him down and held a spear point to his chest.