Chapter Summaries

Yang Zhengshan revealed the Spirit Spring Space to Yu Qingyi, and the couple spent half a year traveling before returning to the Capital. Yang Mingcheng then told Yang Zhengshan that Lu Wenyuan had been sent to a local post, leaving Yang Zhengshan concerned about the reason.

• Yang Zhengshan gave Xue Qiao'er and Granny Xue six Flame Red Lotus seeds and saw them off from Yushan Town.
• Yang Zhengshan brought Yu Qingyi into the Spirit Spring Space, showed her its spirit plants and spring, and explained how he had kept it secret.
• Yang Zhengshan and Yu Qingyi spent a day exploring the Spirit Spring Space, then traveled through mountains for half a year before returning to the Capital.
• Yang Mingzhao complained that his parents had been away for months, and Yu Qingyi gave him a spearhead as a gift.
• Yang Mingcheng reported that Lu Wenyuan had been sent to a local post and had left Yang Zhengshan a letter before departing the Capital.

Yang Zhengshan learned that Lu Wenyuan had arranged his own appointment as prefect of Qinghua, then read reports from family and associates, including Wang Bin’s account of growing trouble in Beiyuan Town. After Wang Bin discovered that Wuliang Hu cavalry carried newly forged military sabers, he suspected Duan Qifeng’s faction was secretly supplying the Hu and sent his son to the capital with a memorial and letter for the Marquis of Jing'an.

• Yang Zhengshan read Lu Wenyuan’s letter and learned that Lu had arranged to leave the court for a post in Qinghua Prefecture to avoid factional struggles.
• Yang Mingcheng told Yang Zhengshan that Yang Wanqing was pregnant and relayed news of a power shift in the Lisheng Dynasty; Yang Zhengshan urged Yang Mingzhi to watch for effects on maritime trade.
• Yang Zhengshan read reports about developments in Yuzhou and Chongshan Town, then learned from Wang Bin’s letter that Duan Qifeng had marginalized him in Beiyuan Town.
• Wang Sheng showed Wang Bin newly forged standard-issue sabers taken from Wuliang Hu cavalry, leading Wang Bin to suspect that someone in Beiyuan Town had sold military equipment to the Hu.
• Wang Bin wrote a memorial and letter for the Marquis of Jing'an and sent Wang Sheng with personal attendants to deliver them to the capital.

Duan Qifeng and the Shenyang Sect maneuvered to provoke a war between Beiyuan Town and the Wuliang Hu Tribe so they could gather martial artists as blood food. Ji Feiyu recruited Cui Liang into his sect and tasked him with collecting battlefield survivors, while Fei Mingyue sent her own subordinate to do the same.

• Duan Qifeng learned that Wang Bin and his son had seen the long sabers and ordered his men to slaughter Tieyuan Guard before suspicions spread.
• Duan Qifeng's wife urged him to start a great war with the Wuliang Hu Tribe to conceal his dealings and capture martial artists as blood food.
• Ji Feiyu revealed to Cui Liang that he planned to make the Wuliang Hu Tribe fight Beiyuan Town, then gave him the Spirit-Continuing Blood-Refining Technique and made him a Red Monarch Apostle.
• Cui Liang accepted Ji Feiyu's plan after being tempted by the chance to become an Innate Martial Artist.
• Fei Mingyue ordered a subordinate to find blood food on the battlefield and promised him a reward if he found a Half-Step Innate Realm martial artist.

Wutuo celebrated the Wuliang Hu Tribe’s strength and planned to march south against Da Rong, while assuring his vassal kings that Chongshan Town would be unable to interfere. In the Capital, Yang Zhengshan discovered that Sun Anyang had mismanaged the Martial Arts Pavilion’s resources and summoned him to answer for it.

• Wutuo toasted his six vassal kings after learning Duan Qifeng was mobilizing troops in Beiyuan Town, and announced plans to march south after spring.
• Tangwuxi warned Wutuo that Chongshan Town might attack the Ula Clan, but Wutuo claimed he had already arranged to keep Chongshan Town occupied.
• Yang Zhengshan inspected the Martial Arts Pavilion and found poor-quality weapons, depleted livestock, and other signs of mismanagement.
• Yang Zhengshan learned that Bao Lang had been transferred and that Sun Anyang, a grandson of the Marquis Suning Mansion, was responsible for the pavilion’s affairs.
• Yang Zhengshan ordered Hong Yanfeng, Wan Shu, and Jiang He to audit the accounts, then confronted Sun Anyang as he arrived to pay his respects.

Yang Zhengshan exposed Sun Anyang's embezzlement at the Martial Arts Pavilion, beat him, and demanded that the Sun family repay an inflated two hundred thousand taels. He then rode to the Ministry of Personnel to challenge those responsible for appointing Sun Anyang, while the Sun household erupted into punishment and recriminations.

• Yang Zhengshan ordered his attendants to beat Sun Anyang and made the Martial Arts Pavilion's officials alter the account books to claim a loss of two hundred thousand taels.
• Yang Zhengshan took the unconscious Sun Anyang to the Marquis Suning Mansion and demanded that the Sun family repay the money within three days.
• Sun Dechang accepted Yang Zhengshan's demand as Yang threatened to collect directly from Marquis Sun, and Yang rode off toward the Ministry of Personnel.
• Sun Dechang learned that Sun Desheng had known about Sun Anyang's embezzlement and ordered family punishment as the household descended into chaos.

Yang Zhengshan confronted the Ministry of Personnel over Sun Anyang’s appointment and Bao Lang’s transfer, then decided to challenge the court’s broader treatment of officials connected to Liaodong. Zhao Gongqing warned Zhou Yunsong that Yang would impeach the Ministry at morning court, and Zhou asked whether Zhao had been involved.

• Yang Zhengshan accused the Ministry of Personnel of placing Sun Anyang in the Martial Arts Pavilion and demanded to know why Bao Lang had been transferred.
• Zhao Gongqing said Li Quan had handled the appointment, but Yang learned Bao Lang had been sent back to the Grand Court of Justice without promotion and vowed to see Zhou Yunsong at morning court.
• Yang returned to the Marquis Mansion and wrote a memorial, resolving to speak for Bao Lang and the Liaodong officials whose careers had been stalled.
• Zhao Gongqing went to Zhou Yunsong’s residence and warned him that Yang Zhengshan would impeach the Ministry of Personnel at morning court.
• Zhou Yunsong asked Zhao Gongqing whether he had taken part in the matter, and Zhao denied involvement.

Yang Zhengshan impeached Zhou Yunsong in morning court, accusing him of corruption and factionalism in the Ministry of Personnel. Emperor Yanping imposed a minor punishment on Zhou and ordered an investigation, while Yang Zhengshan left the larger political struggle to unfold.

• Zhou Yunsong advised Zhao Gongqing to admit fault if Yang Zhengshan raised the Ministry of Personnel matter at court.
• Yang Zhengshan arrived at morning court and submitted a memorial impeaching Zhou Yunsong for failing to control his subordinates and for corruption and factionalism.
• Zhou Yunsong admitted only that he had failed to govern certain subordinates, and Emperor Yanping relieved him of his Grand Preceptor of the Crown Prince title and fined him half a year's salary.
• Emperor Yanping ordered the Censorate to investigate officials of the Ministry of Personnel, and Yang Zhengshan returned to the ranks.
• After court, Emperor Yanping praised Yang Zhengshan's forceful move in private with Chen Zhongshu.

Yang Zhengshan’s impeachment of Zhou Yunsong stirred up the Capital’s political factions, while Yang Zhengshan advanced plans to move the Yang Family’s people to Star Moon Island and build a naval force. The next morning, Emperor Yanping reviewed the memorials and found that most targeted Zhou Yunsong, while a few accused Yang Zhengshan of various crimes.

• Yang Zhengshan and Liang Chu discussed the political fallout as officials split over whether to attack Zhou Yunsong or retaliate against Yang Zhengshan.
• Yang Zhengshan returned to the Jing'an Marquis Mansion, where Luo Jinsong reported that Star Moon Island had over three thousand settlers and that the Zhu Family had recognized Yang Family rule over the surrounding islands.
• Yang Zhengshan gave Luo Jinsong a register of tenant farmers, bondservants, and guards’ families to move to Star Moon Island, and approved beginning preparations for a small naval force.
• Emperor Yanping reviewed the memorials, learning that only four accused Yang Zhengshan while the rest impeached Zhou Yunsong.
• Emperor Yanping dismissed several accusations against Yang Zhengshan as slander or plausible criticism as he continued reading the memorials.

Emperor Yanping ended the escalating court struggle by allowing Grand Secretaries Song Yunge and Zhou Yunsong to resign, while Yang Zhengshan chose to stay out of the factions’ battles. After Wang Sheng finally reached the capital, Yang Zhengshan learned that the Anshun Earl’s family might be a match for Yang Chengxian.

• Emperor Yanping sent the impeachment memorials to Zhou Yunsong after realizing the court struggle was growing beyond his control.
• Yang Zhengshan gave Li Shangxi three Nine Treasures Strength Refining Pills and concluded that Emperor Yanping might move against Zhou Yunsong.
• Song Yunge and Zhou Yunsong both resigned during morning court, and Emperor Yanping accepted their resignations.
• Yang Zhengshan declined Wu Zheng’s suggestion to cultivate allies among court officials and went to inspect the Guard Battalion and Martial Arts Pavilion instead.
• Wang Sheng crossed the frozen Ru River and reached the Jing'an Marquis Mansion on the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.
• Yang Yunyan told Yang Zhengshan that the Anshun Earl’s family had inquired about Yang Chengxian’s marriage, and Yang Zhengshan agreed to investigate the match after the New Year.

Yang Zhengshan investigated Wang Bin’s report that standard-issue weapons had reached the Wuliang Hu Tribe, while Wang Sheng feared for his father’s safety. Wang Bin’s family proved safe, and he resigned from Beiyuan Town and returned to the Capital, where Yang Zhengshan helped him settle into retirement.

• Wang Sheng arrived at the Marquis Mansion and begged Yang Zhengshan to save Wang Bin, bringing his father’s letters and memorials about suspicious weapons in the Wuliang Hu Tribe’s hands.
• Yang Zhengshan withheld Wang Bin’s memorial for lack of proof and sent Ding Qiu to investigate Tieyuan Guard while Wang Sheng stayed at the mansion.
• After the New Year, Ding Qiu reported that Tieyuan Guard was safe and Wang Bin had sent his family to Ludong; Yang Zhengshan gave Wang Sheng his father’s letter.
• Yang Zhengshan sent Wang Sheng to Ludong, urged Wang Bin to resign, and asked Lü Hua to investigate possible collusion in Beiyuan Town through the Secret Martial Guard.
• Wang Bin’s resignation was approved, and Yang Zhengshan secured him an idle post before he arrived in the Capital in late February.
• Yang Zhengshan welcomed Wang Bin and reminisced with him, helping him recover some ease after his difficult years in Beiyuan Town.

Yang Zhengshan arranged marriages for Yang Chengxian and Yang Wanting, then comforted Yang Chengche and Yang Qinwu and promised to help them improve their cultivation. As Zhou Lan returned to Chongshan Pass, she learned that Governor Pang Tang had been assassinated and killed.

• Yang Zhengshan offered to arrange a post in the Imperial Guard for Wang Sheng and considered Wang Sheng's second son, Wang Qianzhong, as a match for Yang Wanting.
• Yang Zhengshan approved Yang Chengxian's engagement to Zhu Mingqiu and arranged Yang Wanting's marriage to Wang Qianzhong after she agreed to the match.
• Yang Zhengshan reunited with Yang Chengche and Yang Qinwu, learned how difficult their years in Tieyuan Guard had been, and invited them to stay at the Marquis Mansion to train.
• Zhou Lan and Wang Yunqiao rode toward Chongshan Pass with the Women's Army.
• A guard told Zhou Lan that Governor Pang Tang had been assassinated and killed.

Zhou Lan and Wang Yunqiao were gravely wounded when Wuliang Hu Tribe assassins ambushed them outside Chongshan Pass, and Yang Minghao arrived with reinforcements to defeat the attackers. Zhou Lan fell unconscious after ordering Yang Minghao to take temporary charge, while Pang Tang was killed in a separate attack, leaving Chongshan Pass without its leaders as the Wuliang Hu Tribe’s next move remained uncertain.

• An assassin attacked Zhou Lan and Wang Yunqiao outside the city, wounding them and killing many of Zhou Lan’s guards.
• Yang Minghao arrived with cavalry, drove back the twin-blade assassin, and helped the soldiers kill or surround the attackers.
• Poison from the assassins’ blades made Zhou Lan and Wang Yunqiao collapse, and Zhou Lan ordered Yang Minghao to manage the Regional Commander's Mansion and request a replacement from the court.
• Yang Minghao arranged medical aid, sent urgent messages, and ordered Chongshan Pass sealed while soldiers searched for clues.
• Three assassins stabbed Pang Tang to death at the Governor's Office before escaping, plunging Chongshan Pass into chaos.
• Yang Minghao told Song Dashan, Yang Chengxu, Yang Chengze, and Yang Mingzhen that the assassins were from the Wuliang Hu Tribe and that Zhou Lan was unconscious, leaving them to consider the threat of an attack.

Yang Zhengshan learned that Pang Tang had been killed and Zhou Lan poisoned during the Wuliang Hu Tribe’s preparations for war against Beiyuan Town. As the Imperial Court summoned him to restore order in Chongshan Town, he prepared to march, consumed by fury over his friends’ fate.

• Yang Minghao ordered Chongshan Town’s forces to reinforce Dinghu Guard and Daning Guard and secure the city after Pang Tang was killed and Zhou Lan fell unconscious.
• Wutuo ordered the Wuliang Hu tribes to attack Beiyuan Town, while Duan Qifeng welcomed the coming war and promised Fei Mingyue blood food.
• The Kele, Ongud, and Tatar tribes gathered one hundred thousand fighters and invaded Beiyuan Town, where Duan Qifeng mobilized its forces to resist.
• Emperor Yanping and the Grand Secretariat discussed urgent reports from Chongshan Town and Beiyuan Town, then summoned Yang Zhengshan to take charge in Chongshan Town.
• Yang Zhengshan received Yang Minghao’s letter, smashed his desk in rage, and ordered Wang Lei to prepare the Guard Battalion to march.

Yang Zhengshan learned that the Wuliang Hu Tribe had attacked Beiyuan Town and that Pang Tang had been killed while Zhou Lan and Wang Yunqiao were poisoned. After receiving imperial authority to command Chongshan Town, he hurried there with his family and guards, took charge of the town’s response, and prepared to address its officials and commanders.

• Yang Zhengshan went to the palace, where Emperor Yanping gave him command of Chongshan Town and ordered him to dispatch troops in response to the crisis.
• Yang Zhengshan gathered his sons, guards, and Yu Qingyi, who brought Wang Mingzhe to treat Zhou Lan and Wang Yunqiao, then set out for Chongshan Town.
• After seven days of travel, Yang Zhengshan arrived at Chongshan Pass and was welcomed by Yang Minghao and the officers there.
• Yang Minghao reported that the Wuliang Hu Tribe had sent more than two hundred thousand troops against Beiyuan Town while the nearby Wula and Chici Tribes remained in place.
• Yang Zhengshan reviewed Chongshan Town’s money, grain, and troops, then received Song Ying, Zhang Cong, and Ning Qinghe and announced that the imperial decree gave him authority over the town’s military and civil affairs.

Yang Zhengshan organized Chongshan Town’s preparations for a campaign against the Wuliang Hu Tribe while grieving Pang Tang’s death and checking on his injured family. The chapter ended with Yang Zhengshan inspecting the town’s formidable heavy cavalry and infantry forces.

• Yang Zhengshan ordered the Regional Military Commission to requisition twenty thousand soldiers and the Governor’s Office to send money and grain to Dinghu Guard, while Zhang Cong was tasked with preventing embezzlement.
• Yang Zhengshan visited Pang Tang’s family to offer condolences, then ordered the various Assistant General’s Shogunates to prepare to march.
• Yang Zhengshan checked on Zhou Lan and Wang Yunqiao, reassured himself that they were recovering, and gave Song Jin, Song Shi, and Song Xiu peaches.
• Yang Zhengshan inspected the Central and Rear Battalions and learned that the Central Battalion fielded two thousand Heavy Armored Cavalry.
• Yang Chengxu showed Yang Zhengshan the Front Battalion’s two thousand Heavy Armored Infantry, equipped with iron armor and Golden Melon Hammers.

Yang Zhengshan assessed Chongshan Town’s forces and studied the Wuliang Royal Court’s defenses as he considered how to attack its heartland without getting trapped at Menghe Mountain Pass. Yang Mingzhi arrived eager to join the campaign, but Yang Zhengshan had not yet settled on a plan.

• Yang Zhengshan learned that Chongshan Town’s Zhenbiao Five Battalions had substantial armored infantry and cavalry, then ordered an inquiry into the Wuliang Hu Tribe.
• Wutuo learned that Yang Zhengshan had reached Chongshan Pass and ordered the Wula Tribe to delay Chongshan Town’s advance while the Chici Tribe defended Menghe Mountain Pass.
• Yang Zhengshan studied the Wuliang Royal Court’s geography and concluded that directly assaulting Menghe Mountain Pass would be costly, while supporting Beiyuan Town would offer little benefit.
• Yang Zhengshan considered attacking Yemi City but was troubled by the obstacle of Menghe Mountain Pass.
• Yang Mingzhi arrived from Fuzhou City, kowtowed to Yang Zhengshan, and said he was waiting for orders; Yang Zhengshan rebuked him for leaving his post to seek battlefield service.

Yang Zhengshan reunited with his family at Chongshan Pass and learned from the recovering Zhou Lan about secret routes across Menghe Mountain, giving him options for campaigning against the Wuliang Hu Tribe. He began preparing the army for war, leaving the exact campaign plan to be carried out after he refined it.

• Yang Zhengshan told Yang Mingzhi to visit his mother and Chengmao, then return to Fuzhou City the next day to await orders.
• Yang Zhengshan gave Three-Yellow Plums to Song Dashan, Yang Mingzhi, and Yang Minghao so they could cultivate toward the Innate Realm.
• Zhou Lan revealed that she had established a covert tribe north of Menghe Mountain and showed Yang Zhengshan a map of routes over and around the mountain.
• Yang Zhengshan considered using the northern routes to strike the Chici Tribe and told Zhou Lan to focus on recovering while he finalized the plan.
• Yang Minghao reported that thirty thousand young warhorses had arrived, and Yang Zhengshan ordered horses distributed so every soldier could ride on long marches.

Yang Zhengshan gathered Chongshan Town’s forces at Dinghu Guard and prepared to punish the Wula Tribe without destroying the Wuliang Royal Court, which he believed Chongshan Town still needed as an enemy. As the army assembled, Xuanting and the Ula Clan elders debated how to face the approaching troops, and Xuanting remained unsure whether to obey Wutuo or protect his people.

• Yang Zhengshan handed Chongshan Pass to Zhou Lan, marched to Dinghu Guard with three battalions, and summoned assistant generals from several routes to rendezvous.
• Yang Zhengshan gave Luo Feiyu a Three-Yellow Plum, asked him to strengthen the Azure Sky Sword Sect, and said he would transfer him to the East Route after the battle.
• Yang Zhengshan told Luo Feiyu he would not destroy the Wuliang Royal Court, but Wutuo had to die for Pang Tang’s death.
• Chongshan Town transported grain and fodder to Dinghu Guard, where its assembled forces grew to more than seventy thousand soldiers.
• Xuanting and the Ula Clan elders discussed how to respond to Chongshan Town, after Tangwuxi refused to let their families pass through Menghe Mountain Pass.
• The Ula Clan elders feared Yang Zhengshan’s reputation and urged Xuanting not to sacrifice their people, but Xuanting dismissed them to consider his choice.

Yang Zhengshan laid out a campaign to avoid attacking the heavily fortified Menghe Mountain Pass, instead striking the Wula Tribe and the Wuliang Royal Court’s heartland to force Wutuo to withdraw from Beiyuan Town. The chapter ended with his generals stunned by the plan to march on Yemi City.

• Tangwuxi learned Chongshan Town was mobilizing and ordered Batu'er to take the Armor Guard to East Que Pass.
• Yang Zhengshan ordered the Zhenbiao Left and Right Battalions to ride north around Sari Lake and raid the Ula Clan’s Banner Land.
• Yang Zhengshan assigned rear forces to guard the grain route and had Tang Feihu and Niu Zhuang lead troops in a show of strength outside Menghe Mountain Pass.
• Yang Zhengshan ordered Yang Mingzhen and Yang Chengze to raid the Wula Tribe, then lead their battalions into Wuliang territory to plunder supplies and destroy tribes.
• Yang Zhengshan announced that he would lead the Zhenbiao Front, Middle, and Rear Battalions on a long march toward Yemi City, leaving the generals shocked by the risky plan.

Yang Zhengshan’s forces advanced toward Menghe Mountain while Yang Mingzhen and Yang Chengze found the Ula Clan’s Banner Land deserted and chose to cross the mountains instead of pursuing them. After a grueling eleven-day crossing, the Left and Right Battalions emerged onto the western grasslands, ready to seek supplies from nearby tribes.

• Yang Mingzhen and Yang Chengze found the Ula Clan’s Banner Land empty and concluded its people had fled toward the northern snow plains.
• Yang Mingzhen and Yang Chengze decided to cross Menghe Mountain and raid nearby tribes for provisions, while Yang Zhengshan authorized them to act independently.
• Yang Zhengshan sent Tang Feihu and Niu Zhuang to secure the mountain pass and build a fortified camp facing East Que Pass.
• Tangwuxi ordered East Que Pass prepared for battle and believed its defenses and the coming winter would stall Chongshan Town’s army.
• Tang Feihu and Yang Mingzhi judged East Que Pass too dangerous to attack and reinforced their camp instead.
• Yang Mingzhen and Yang Chengze led the Left and Right Battalions across Menghe Mountain, suffering heavy losses before reaching the western grasslands and preparing to leave the mountains.