Recaps

Guo Ying and Guo Ziqiao weighed the Guo Family’s choices as the Taiping Army began conquering Bashu, then halted their advance and adopted a defensive stance. Meanwhile, Chongshan Town’s forces crossed the Ru River and the North Sea Naval Force landed at Jinhai Guard, completing a four-sided approach toward Shuntian Prefecture and the Capital.

• Guo Ziqiao argued that the Guo Family should eventually seek refuge with the Yang Family, citing Yang Zhengshan’s strength and his extensive network of former Martial Arts Pavilion disciples.
• Guo Ziheng reported that the Taiping Army had captured Yuzhou Prefecture and slain the Black Tiger King, and Guo Ying ordered the Guo Family’s army to halt and hold its positions in Cangyuan and Nanyun.
• Yang Mingzhao led the Taiping Army in attacking its former allies to unify Bashu before the Sun Family of Anxi Town could take Wusi Town.
• In the fifth month of Jianxing’s sixth year, Chongshan Town’s three armies crossed the Ru River and advanced toward Shuntian Prefecture from the north, east, and west.
• The North Sea Naval Force landed at Jinhai Guard, allowing Chongshan Town to surround Shuntian Prefecture and the Capital from four directions.

Yang Zhengshan took command of Chongshan Town’s armies and redirected their campaign toward Great Liang’s base in Hanzhong Prefecture, forcing Emperor Tianwu to abandon the capital and retreat. The Great Liang Army looted Capital City as it withdrew.

• Yang Zhengshan entered Yang Chengye’s camp and rejected the plan to wait for Great Liang to run short of provisions.
• Yang Zhengshan ordered Zhou Lan to sweep through Longyuan, Yang Qinteng to advance on Hanzhong, Yu Tonghai to guard against Chen Hengchang, and the central and eastern armies to seize Baoding Prefecture.
• Chongshan Town’s forces captured Baoding Prefecture after its defenders held out for three days, leaving the Great Liang Army in Capital City unsure of their next move.
• Zhang Luan advised Emperor Tianwu to abandon Capital City and return to Hanzhong Prefecture, warning that trying to hold both would risk losing both.
• Emperor Tianwu ordered the Great Liang Army to retreat to Hanzhong Prefecture, and the departing troops looted Capital City.

Yang Zhengshan ordered Chongshan Town’s army to launch a decisive night raid on the Great Liang Army before the siege began. The attack caught Emperor Tianwu’s forces as they prepared for battle, and the chapter ended with reports of enemy troops approaching from several directions.

• Yang Zhengshan tested Yang Chengye’s judgment, then ordered the whole army to leave Baoding Prefecture City and attack the Great Liang camp that night.
• Emperor Tianwu’s council debated how quickly to besiege the city, and he decided to begin the siege the next morning despite Zhang Luan’s warning to be cautious.
• After the third watch, Chongshan cavalry and armored troops rode out through Baoding’s gates and divided around the city.
• Scouts spotted the advancing Chongshan forces, and Great Liang soldiers sounded the alarm and strengthened the camp’s defenses.
• Emperor Tianwu hurried from his tent as reports announced enemy forces charging from the south, west, and north.

The Chongshan Army launched a surprise night assault on Emperor Tianwu’s camp, with cavalry and heavy infantry tearing through Great Liang’s forces. As the camp descended into chaos, Yang Chengye led a force toward Emperor Tianwu’s command tent.

• Emperor Tianwu ordered the Great Liang Army to arm itself after reports that the Chongshan Army had mobilized, but Chongshan troops had already entered the camp.
• Lu Miaoheng led cavalry through the camp’s western sector, breaking through Great Liang reinforcements and plunging back into the battle.
• Zhou Shang'an attacked the southern sector, where heavy armored cavalry led by Lv Zhichao crushed fleeing Great Liang soldiers.
• Luo Feiyu’s Reinforcement Battalion rode around the camp while the Town Garrison Camp forces attacked the central army camp.
• Liang Xiu and Song Jie led heavy infantry through the Great Liang elites as Yang Chengye and his companions charged toward Emperor Tianwu’s command tent.

Yang Chengye led the Chongshan Army’s assault on Emperor Tianwu’s camp, where Yang Zhengshan arrived and confronted the Innate Martial Artists surrounding the emperor. Yang Zhengshan began fighting Wang He as he sought to bring Zhang Luan and the others over to his side.

• Yang Chengye charged through the enemy lines on a Spirit Spring Space-raised warhorse and challenged Emperor Tianwu to fight.
• Song Chenxing urged Zhang Luan and the other Innate Martial Artists to protect Emperor Tianwu, but Zhang Luan revealed that they were surrounded by at least twenty old acquaintances.
• Emperor Tianwu charged Yang Chengye but was knocked flying, and Zhang Luan intervened to block Yang Chengye’s pursuit.
• Yang Zhengshan appeared in a bolt of thunder, stopped Zhang Luan’s saber strike, and greeted Zhang Luan, Jian Chengfeng, Li Zhen, Yang Jiushi, and Wang He.
• Wang He demanded that they fight, so Yang Zhengshan attacked him and smashed him out of the air.

Yang Zhengshan defeated Wang He and killed him after rejecting his attempt to yield, then killed Emperor Tianwu in revenge for Chen Zhaoxuan. With Da Rong defeated, Yang Zhengshan offered Zhang Luan, Jian Chengfeng, and the others a place under the coming dynasty, leaving them to accept that they had little choice but to join the Yang Family.

• An Yuxing, Zhou Tianci, and Liang Shengze arrived to support Yang Zhengshan, while Yu Qingyi used Dao Intent to create a huge vine cage around the battlefield.
• Yang Zhengshan fought Wang He for dozens of rounds, defeated him, and killed him despite Wang He’s attempt to surrender.
• Song Chenxing pleaded for Emperor Tianwu, but Yang Zhengshan revealed his grudge over the death of his disciple, Chen Zhaoxuan.
• Emperor Tianwu accepted his fate, and Yang Zhengshan killed him with his Thunderbolt Spear, promising him a dignified death and burial.
• Yang Zhengshan told Zhang Luan and the others that Da Rong had fallen and offered their descendants a century of status and wealth in the new dynasty.
• Zhang Luan questioned the limited reward, and Yang Zhengshan explained that his many allies left few noble titles available, making the group’s choice to join the Yang Family effectively inevitable.

After the Great Liang Army was destroyed, Yang Chengye consolidated the Yang Family’s rule and began building the new dynasty’s government. As foreign powers stirred and military appointments remained unsettled, Yang Zhengshan advised him on reorganizing the army and overseeing martial artists.

• The Chongshan Army defeated the Great Liang Army, and Yang Chengye’s forces took the Capital as officials across Longnan and Longxi surrendered.
• Yang Chengye established the Grand Secretariat, appointed officials from the Taiping Army, and left surrendered officials without posts while he sorted out the court.
• The Qu Family and Guo Family pledged allegiance to the new dynasty, while Chen Hengchang, the Sun Family, and forces in the northwest retained their own territories.
• Yang Chengye received a report that the Great Yue Dynasty had assembled one hundred thousand troops near Da Rong’s border.
• Yang Zhengshan advised Yang Chengye to strengthen the Military Commissions, abolish the garrison system, and reorganize provincial forces.
• Yang Zhengshan named commanders for the Military Commissions and proposed elevating the Martial Temple into a Ministry of Martial Affairs to oversee martial artists and jianghu forces.

Yang Zhengshan advised Yang Chengye to proclaim himself emperor and drafted reforms for the new Great An Dynasty. As Yang Chengye began implementing them, they agreed to stabilize the realm and focus on recovery rather than further expansion.

• Yang Zhengshan told Yang Chengye to enforce official term limits, purge corrupt officials, and proclaim himself emperor; they chose Great An as the dynasty's name.
• Yang Zhengshan drafted reforms establishing a Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Martial Affairs, replacing military households with recruitment, improving service careers, and introducing land-based taxation and official silver notes.
• Yang Zhengshan gave Yang Chengye his reform booklet and answered his questions about how the proposed institutions would work.
• Yang Chengye reported that the Wuliang King had allied with the Chici Tribe and Alaman Tribe to threaten Longbei Town, while Chen Hengchang sought to expand into Yungui.
• Yang Zhengshan and Yang Chengye agreed to halt further advances, defend their borders, and prioritize rebuilding the people's livelihoods and government.
• Yang Chengye began implementing the reforms with help from Lu Wenyuan and Lin Zhan.

Yang Chengye founded Great An and completed his enthronement, while Chen Buyu arrived in the Capital after the ceremony and learned that Yang Mingzhao was the emperor’s uncle. Ma Yan brought Chen Buyu to the Jing'an Marquis Mansion, where the imperial family was staying.

• Yang Chengye issued his ascension edict, founded Great An, and enfeoffed members of the imperial family and former allies with noble titles.
• Yang Chengye performed the enthronement rites and proclaimed himself emperor before officials and the people.
• Chen Buyu and Ma Yan arrived in the Capital too late to attend the ceremony, and Chen Buyu complained that Yang Zhao had received no title.
• Ma Yan revealed that Yang Mingzhao was the emperor’s uncle and explained his own ties to the Yang Family.
• Ma Yan led Chen Buyu toward the Jing'an Marquis Mansion, where the Empress and Crown Prince were staying, and identified himself to the guards as a Yang Family senior manager.

Ma Yan and Chen Buyu visited Yang Zhengshan at the Marquis Mansion after Chen Buyu’s rise to nobility in the new Great An dynasty. Yang Zhengshan welcomed Chen Buyu as Wu Zheng’s disciple and granted him access to Shenmu Island’s cultivation salary, while Ma Yan reported that Yang Mingzhao planned to return there after handing over the Taiping Army.

• Ma Yan presented his plaque at the Marquis Mansion, and Dafu brought him and Chen Buyu to meet Yang Zhengshan.
• Yang Zhengshan assessed Chen Buyu’s cultivation, gave him pills as a first-meeting gift, and allowed him to collect a cultivation salary on Shenmu Island.
• Ma Yan told Yang Zhengshan that Yang Mingzhao was transferring the Taiping Army to Guo Ying and planned to return to Shenmu Island.
• Chen Buyu asked Ma Yan about the cultivation salary and learned that it included resources such as wine and Dongling Spring Tea, as well as the possibility of settling on Shenmu Island.
• Ma Yan planned to report to the Ministry of War and seek an audience with Yang Mingcheng, while Chen Buyu also needed to arrange his awarded residence through the Ministry of Rites.

Chen Buyu settled into the new dynasty’s capital and received his post, while Chen Hengchang turned to violence to secure resources for his resistance. Lü Hua decided to contact the Yang Family and sent Wei Cen toward the Capital.

• Ma Yan helped Chen Buyu report to the Ministry of War, register in the Imperial City, and move into his mansion after Yu Qingyi welcomed him and arranged assistance.
• Yang Chengye summoned Chen Buyu on his fifth day in the Capital, where he offered him a few words of encouragement.
• Chen Hengchang learned that Jiangnan merchants and powerful clans were selling grain and other goods to the Yang Family Trading Firm, and he ordered Lin Fu'an to use the Shenyang Sect’s methods against those who obstructed him.
• Lü Hua returned to his residence and told Wei Cen that they needed to contact the Yang Family as soon as possible.
• Wei Cen agreed to travel to the Capital, and Lü Hua warned him to avoid being discovered.

The Shenyang Sect massacred Jiangnan’s wealthy families, officials, and martial artists, leaving the region devastated and strengthening Chen Hengchang. Yang Chengye considered exploiting the chaos to invade, but Lu Wenyuan persuaded him to focus on stabilizing Great An and rebuilding its administration first.

• Shenyang Sect believers led by a brutal general killed Liu Tinghu and slaughtered the Liu Family, then looted and burned their residence.
• Over seven or eight days, the Shenyang Sect exterminated numerous noble houses, official families, sects, merchants, and martial artists across Jiangnan, gaining wealth and blood-powered strength for Chen Hengchang.
• Dagui reported the devastation in Jiangnan to Yang Chengye, who recognized that its destruction might offer a chance to take the region.
• Yang Chengye convened his ministers and military governors to discuss a possible southern campaign.
• Lu Wenyuan advised Yang Chengye against attacking because Great An faced threats on several fronts and lacked officials, supplies, and preparations.
• Yang Chengye abandoned the campaign and chose to repair Great An’s internal administration before seeking to unify the realm.

Yang Zhengshan met with Chen Zhongshu, offered to spare the Da Rong imperial clan and invited him to seek a breakthrough beyond the Innate Realm. As Chen Zhongshu considered the offer, Yang Zhengshan learned that Lü Hua had arrived from Jiangnan as Chen Hengchang’s close subject.

• Chen Zhongshu reminded Yang Zhengshan of Emperor Chengping’s trust, and Yang Zhengshan promised to leave the imperial mausoleum and surviving Da Rong royals undisturbed.
• Yang Zhengshan offered Li Chao a First-Class Earl title, gave Li Shangxi the choice to serve him or remain at the mausoleum, and invited Chen Zhongshu to join his search for a way beyond the Innate Realm.
• Yang Zhengshan told the court to let Chen Hengchang’s campaign against Jiangnan’s powerful clans proceed, since it would spare Great An from carrying out the same purge.
• A visitor’s calling card revealed that Lü Hua had come to see Yang Zhengshan; Yang Zhengshan explained that Lü Hua had reached the Innate Realm and was serving Chen Hengchang in Jiangnan.

Yang Zhengshan reunited with Wei Cen, learned that Lü Hua’s hidden Secret Martial Guard forces were ready to serve him, and ordered Lü Hua to come to the capital as a test of loyalty. He then visited Three Mountain Valley with Yu Qingyi to begin transplanting spirit fruit trees, hoping to strengthen Great An’s cultivation resources.

• Wei Cen told Yang Zhengshan how the Secret Martial Guard had been weakened under Emperor Yanping and how he had secretly commanded Lü Hua’s Northern Suppression Division forces in Liaodong.
• Wei Cen said Lü Hua had not sincerely submitted to Chen Hengchang and had sent him to seek Yang Zhengshan’s protection, so Yang Zhengshan ordered Lü Hua to come to the capital immediately.
• Yang Zhengshan offered Wei Cen a chance to cultivate on Shenmu Island and potentially become an Innate Martial Artist, and Wei Cen gratefully accepted.
• Several old acquaintances visited Yang Zhengshan in the capital, while Chen Zhongshu and Li Shangxi chose to follow him and Ji Zhen returned to guard Cuixia Valley.
• Yang Zhengshan and Yu Qingyi visited Three Mountain Valley, where he brought out a Jade Dew Spirit Peach Tree and a Star Origin Fruit Tree to transplant.

Yang Zhengshan and Yu Qingyi used Spirit Spring Water and her ability to transplant two spirit fruit trees in Three Mountain Valley, while Yang Zhengshan explained his staged display of thunder and rain. In Jiangnan, Lü Hua decided to flee to the Capital, eliminated the men watching him, and set a major fire at Chen Hengchang’s residence as he began his escape.

• Yang Zhengshan planted a Star Origin Fruit Tree and a Jade Dew Spirit Peach in Three Mountain Valley, then used Dao Intent and Spirit Spring Water to nourish the valley.
• Yu Qingyi used her ability to help the saplings take root and sprout, and Yang Zhengshan explained to An Yuxing that he had only intensified rain that was already coming.
• Lü Hua decided to leave Jiangnan for the Capital despite Chen Hengchang’s surveillance, believing the journey was Yang Zhengshan’s test of him.
• Lü Hua ordered his people to kill the men watching his residence and prepare a parting gift for Chen Hengchang.
• A fire broke out in the warehouse at Chen Hengchang’s Prince Qing Mansion in Jiangning Prefecture City as heavy rain fell.

Lü Hua set fires across Jiangning to draw Chen Hengchang’s forces into a pursuit while his allies stole a vast store of gold and silver. The chase led away from the city as the boats escaped, and the treasure was hidden beneath the Song River within Jiangning Prefecture.

• Chen Hengchang discovered that fires had engulfed his mansion, the granary, the armory, and the prefecture office, and Ji Feiyu realized Lü Hua was missing.
• Lü Hua watched the fires from the East City Gate, then fled east on horseback with Lin Fu'an and Ji Feiyu in pursuit.
• Lü Hua kept his pursuers chasing him through the night, while more than a hundred boats carrying gold and silver slipped out of Jiangning City.
• Lin Fu'an realized the pursuit might be a trick, and Chen Hengchang learned that all the gold and silver in the North City treasury had been stolen.
• Two days later, Lü Hua's people reached Wanshan Ridge, while Lü Hua left the stolen treasure sunk in the Song River.

Lü Hua brought the Shenyang Sect followers to Great An and learned that they would be monitored for two years before they could join the Secret Martial Guard. After meeting Yang Zhengshan in the Capital, Lü Hua agreed to rebuild the Guard for five years before retiring.

• Lü Hua crossed Wanshan Ridge with his followers and waited near Cuixia Valley, where Yu Tonghai’s army stopped them from proceeding north.
• Yu Tonghai arrived with Yang Zhengshan’s arrangements: the followers would settle in a valley near Cuixia Valley, abandon the Spirit-Continuing Blood-Refining Technique, and undergo two years of observation.
• Yu Tonghai told Lü Hua that Yang Zhengshan wanted him to return to the Capital and rebuild the Secret Martial Guard, while Ding Qiu would temporarily oversee the Imperial Guard Division.
• Lü Hua traveled to the Capital and met Yang Zhengshan, who reflected on how much Lü Hua’s appearance and manner had changed.
• Lü Hua agreed to rebuild the Secret Martial Guard for five years, then retire to Three Mountain Valley and take in a disciple.

Yang Zhengshan learned that Chen Hengchang and Wutuo planned to attack the Great An New Dynasty together next year, and he and Yang Chengye decided to strike the Wuliang Royal Court first. They settled on their limited forces and began preparing a campaign against the Wuliang Hu Tribe.

• Lü Hua told Yang Zhengshan that Chen Hengchang had allied with Wutuo and that they expected to launch a joint attack next year.
• Yang Zhengshan introduced Lü Hua to Yang Chengye and agreed to provide five hundred strong bows, while telling him to train his own archers and keep the Yang Family distinct from the dynasty.
• Yang Chengye chose to attack the Wuliang Royal Court before it could join forces with Chen Hengchang, since it would be easier to fight than Chen Hengchang's regime.
• Yang Chengye estimated that Chongshan Town and Beiyuan Town could provide about eighty thousand troops, while the northern towns lacked enough available forces for a larger campaign.
• Yang Zhengshan asked his second uncle to bring his elite soldiers from Shenmu Island and sent a letter there as the Great An New Dynasty began preparing its campaign against the Wuliang Hu Tribe.

Han Fei received orders to prepare Chongshan Town for a campaign against the Wuliang Royal Court, while Zhou Lan advanced the expedition date because the enemy was massing near Longbei Town. Han Zhenchuan visited Zhou Lan to offer his family’s allegiance and military support, but she left his proposals unanswered.

• Han Fei learned that Chongshan Town had to send troops westward and that Yang Mingzhi would arrive with two thousand elite soldiers.
• Zhou Lan ordered the campaign to begin on the first day of the ninth month after reports showed the Wuliang Royal Court moving troops north of Longbei Town.
• Wang Yunqiao brought Han Zhenchuan to meet Zhou Lan, and he introduced himself as Han Che’s son and her nephew through the Zhou Family’s past ties to his grandfather.
• Han Zhenchuan offered his father’s help in taking Anxi Town and Wusi Town and repelling the Great Yue Dynasty, but Zhou Lan’s steady scrutiny unsettled him.

Zhou Lan rejected Han Zhenchuan’s attempt to bargain for the Han Family’s support and ordered the western border forces to resist the Great Yue Dynasty while she focused on the Wuliang Royal Court. She sent Han Zhenchuan away with a warning that the Han Family’s best chance was to persuade the Sun Family to surrender to Great An.

• Han Zhenchuan offered Zhou Lan the support of six Assistant Regional Commanders in exchange for noble titles, but Zhou Lan dismissed his demands and refused to negotiate.
• Zhou Lan promised four Second-Class Earls to generals in Suzhou Town and Tingzhou Town who had resisted Great Yue, and ordered Sun Yunbo to campaign against Great Yue or face confiscation and execution of his clan.
• Zhou Lan told Han Zhenchuan that the Yang Family had the strength and connections to contend for the realm, then ordered Wang Yunqiao to remove him from the tent.
• Wang Yunqiao advised Han Zhenchuan to persuade the Sun Family to surrender to the new dynasty if he wanted to preserve the Han Family, and revealed that she was Yang Zhengshan’s disciple.
• Wang Yunqiao dispatched scout riders to spread Zhou Lan’s orders, using the promised titles to motivate the western town generals to fight Great Yue.

Yang Jizu delivered Zhou Lan’s order to Sun Yunbo, demanding that Anxi Town join the campaign against the Great Yue Dynasty or face military punishment. Sun Yunbo accepted, sending his forces west and freeing Zhou Lan to focus on the Wuliang Royal Court.

• Yang Jizu arrived at the Regional Commander’s Mansion and told Sun Yunbo to send troops against the Great Yue Dynasty within a month.
• Sun Yunbo questioned the order, but Yang Jizu warned him of the consequences of disobedience and revealed his standing as Yang Minghui’s grandson.
• Yang Jizu told Sun Yunbo that Great An would decide his rewards based on his service, and Sun Yunbo acknowledged he had lost his chance to negotiate.
• Sun Yunbo agreed to send troops against the Great Yue Dynasty and mobilized nearly all the forces he could command.
• Anxi Town’s attack forced the Great Yue Dynasty to retreat, while Zhou Lan was left free to focus on the Wuliang Royal Court.

Yang Mingzhi arrived at Chongshan Pass with two thousand elite Shenmu Island soldiers and discussed the campaign against the Wuliang Royal Court with Han Fei. He chose to lead a vanguard toward Daning Guard, hoping to expand Great An’s territory and strike Yemi City, while the larger army prepared to advance against the tribes.

• Yang Mingzhi arrived at Chongshan Pass, where Han Fei welcomed him and arranged lodging and a feast for the Shenmu Island troops.
• Han Fei explained that Zhou Lan had ordered Chongshan Town to attack the Tatar and Chici Tribes to relieve pressure on Longbei Town.
• Yang Mingzhi learned that the Wula Tribe was migrating north and proposed pursuing a broader campaign to seize territory east of the Menghe Mountain Range and occupy Yemi City.
• Han Fei reported that thirty thousand soldiers had gathered at Daning Guard and fifty thousand new troops were still on their way.
• Yang Mingzhi ordered Han Fei to leave with thirty thousand veteran soldiers while the new troops followed, then set out the next day with two thousand Shenmu Island soldiers and three thousand cavalry.

Song Dashan and Beiyuan Town’s generals prepared to attack the Ongud Tribe while Wutuo readied the Wuliang Royal Court for war against the Great An New Dynasty. Wutuo ordered Cui Liang to urge Chen Hengchang to attack early, leaving the conflict poised to expand on multiple fronts.

• Song Dashan reviewed Beiyuan Town’s plan with his generals and decided to strike the Ongud Tribe first.
• Yang Chengze and Yang Mingzhen advised following their existing plan rather than trying to predict Yang Mingzhi’s actions in Chongshan Town.
• Sixty thousand Beiyuan Town soldiers and fifty thousand laborers marched toward the Ongud Tribe.
• Wutuo learned of the movements in Chongshan Town and Beiyuan Town and expressed his enduring hatred of Yang Zhengshan.
• Tangwuxi explained that the Wuliang forces had fortified the approaches to guard against Chongshan Town, while the Chici and Tatar Tribes prepared to support one another.
• Wutuo decided to attack Longbei Town and ordered Cui Liang to ask Chen Hengchang to begin hostilities sooner.

Bai Ning judged Chongshan Town’s forces at the border to be too small to threaten the Tatar Tribe, while preparing to support Wutuo against Longbei Town. Meanwhile, Yang Mingzhi led two thousand Shenmu Island soldiers in a surprise night assault on the Mengke Tatar Banner Land, leaving its inhabitants in chaos as his troops fought toward the palace.

• Bai Ning returned from the Chici Tribe and learned Chongshan Town had gathered only thirty thousand soldiers at the border.
• Bai Ning considered attacking the Chongshan Army but chose to watch its movements and focus on supporting Wutuo.
• Yang Mingzhi led two thousand cavalry deep into Tatar territory and, after a brief rest, continued toward the Mengke Tatar division.
• Yang Mingzhi’s soldiers approached the Banner Land under cover of darkness and surprised its lightly guarded defenders with a bugle call and a sudden assault.
• Shenmu Island’s soldiers stormed over the stone wall, shot at tribesmen who emerged, and advanced toward the palace as panic spread through the Banner Land.

Yang Mingzhi’s two thousand Shenmu Soldiers overwhelmed the Tatar Tribe’s Banner Land in a night raid, with the Strong Archers and Shield-Bearers slaughtering the defenders and scattering the tribespeople. By dawn, Bai Ning and his master were dead, the Banner Land was subdued, and Yang Mingzhi learned his forces had suffered no deaths and only a few wounded.

• The Strong Archers swept through the Banner Land, killing exposed enemies with powerful, accurate shots as Yang Mingzhi watched their attack with pride.
• Bai Ning rallied his remaining elite Hu Cavalry, but the Shenmu Soldiers had already entered the Royal City and drove his forces back toward the palace.
• The Shenmu Soldiers shattered the palace doors, killed Bai Ning’s master and the palace defenders, and shot Bai Ning as he fled.
• The Shenmu Soldiers spread out across the Banner Land, while panicked Tatar tribespeople fled through the open gates and soldiers hunted those still hiding.
• At dawn, Xue Fuyang reported that the Shenmu Soldiers had four severely wounded and thirty-two lightly wounded, with no deaths in battle.