Chapter Summaries

Bai Xiaowen secured Xudu after Cao Chong ordered the granary burned, then took Cao Cao’s four sons into custody while protecting the Chancellor’s Residence and forbidding looting. With the city’s resistance subdued, he headed for the palace to meet the emperor.

• Bai Xiaowen questioned the servants accused of burning Xudu’s granary, and Cao Chong confessed that he had ordered the fire to trap the Youzhou Army without supplies.
• Cao Chong explained his plan to force Bai Xiaowen to abandon Xudu, while Bai Xiaowen praised his intelligence and warned him against showing it too openly.
• Bai Xiaowen learned that General White Sanniang (Cecilia) had taken the palace and ordered Cao Pi and his three brothers brought along, while assigning guards to protect the Chancellor’s Residence and its occupants.
• Bai Xiaowen led his troops through Xudu to suppress remaining resistance, sparing surrendered defenders and forbidding his soldiers to loot the city.
• After restoring order and reiterating his rules of discipline, Bai Xiaowen continued toward the palace to meet the emperor.

Bai Xiaowen secured Emperor Xian’s Anti-Rebel Edict against Cao Cao and sent copies to regional rulers, then urged the emperor to move the court to Ye City. The chapter ended with Emperor Xian’s relocation still awaiting a decision.

• Emperor Xian and Empress Fu remained under Winged Cavalry guard as Bai Xiaowen’s forces seized Xudu.
• Bai Xiaowen met Emperor Xian, claimed Yuan Shao had raised an army to answer the emperor’s Belt Edict, and assured him Cao Cao was near defeat.
• Bai Xiaowen persuaded Emperor Xian to issue an Anti-Rebel Edict calling on the realm’s lords to attack Cao Cao.
• Bai Xiaowen made copies of the edict, sent messengers to regional rulers, and dispatched the original toward Guandu with Li Shuyi.
• Bai Xiaowen urged Emperor Xian to leave Xudu and transfer the capital to Ye City.

Bai Xiaowen failed to persuade Emperor Xian of Han to move the capital to Ye City and planned to seek help from Empress Fu’s family. At Cao Cao’s camp, word arrived that Yuan Xi’s forces had taken Xudu, leaving Cao Cao stunned.

• Emperor Xian of Han rejected Bai Xiaowen’s request to move the capital to Ye City, fearing Yuan Shao might threaten his safety.
• Bai Xiaowen refused to force the emperor and officials north, then told Qiao Rui, Cecilia, and Han Xu he would visit Empress Fu’s family.
• Xu You urged Cao Cao to raid Yuan Shao’s supplies at Wuchao, and Cao Cao decided to take the risk despite his advisers’ caution.
• Cao Cao received reports that Xiahou Yuan had been killed and Xudu had fallen, with the court officials and his family trapped in the city.
• Cao Cao learned that Yuan Xi had led the eight-hundred-cavalry vanguard that captured Xudu.

Cao Xiong arrived at Guandu, where Cao Cao reprimanded him for leaving Xudu undefended before assigning him to burn Yuan Shao’s supplies at Wuchao. Yuan Shao learned that Yuan Xi had captured Xudu and rescued the emperor, leaving the command tent stunned as Li Shuyi presented the imperial edict.

• Cao Cao learned that Yuan Xi had captured Xudu, then angrily threatened to execute Cao Xiong for leaving its defense.
• Guo Jia persuaded Cao Cao to remain at Guandu and attack Yuan Shao’s supply depot at Wuchao rather than withdraw to Xudu.
• Cao Xiong volunteered to lead the Wuchao mission, and Cao Cao gave him three thousand elite troops and orders to burn the grain.
• Yuan Shao learned that Yuan Xi’s army had crossed into Sili Province and resolved to strip Yuan Xi of his authority after defeating Cao Cao.
• Li Shuyi arrived with an imperial edict and a letter from Yuan Xi, announcing that Yuan Xi had captured Xudu and rescued the emperor.

After Yuan Xi captured Xudu, Emperor Xian of Han appointed him General Who Conquers the North and Governor of Yuzhou, and named Yuan Shao Grand Marshal. Yuan Shao dismissed Yuan Xi’s warning to proceed cautiously and chose to attack Cao Cao, while Yuan Shang began to see his brother as a threat to the succession.

• Yuan Shao read Emperor Xian of Han’s edict, which named him Grand Marshal and appointed Yuan Xi General Who Conquers the North and Governor of Yuzhou.
• Yuan Shao read Yuan Xi’s letter and celebrated the capture of Xudu with his advisers, while Yuan Shang grew alarmed that Yuan Xi might challenge him for the succession.
• Feng Ji suggested that Yuan Xi had acted on Xu You’s proposal to raid Xudu, and Ju Shou argued that the two had independently reached the same plan.
• Li Shuyi delivered Yuan Xi’s warning that Yuan Shao should defend cautiously and not provoke Cao Cao into desperate action.
• Yuan Shao rejected the warning, argued that Cao Cao’s weakened forces should be attacked, and received praise from Feng Ji and the other advisers.

Bai Xiaowen visited Fu Wan in Xudu and pressured him to persuade Emperor Xian and loyal Han officials to move the capital to Ye City. He warned that Cao Cao would punish the emperor’s closest allies if Xudu fell back into his hands, and left Fu Wan shaken by revealing his role in the Belt Edict plot.

• Ju Shou warned Yuan Shao that Wuchao might be raided, but Yuan Shao dismissed his concern.
• Bai Xiaowen arrived at Fu Wan’s residence and asked him to urge Emperor Xian to move the capital to Ye City.
• Bai Xiaowen showed Fu Wan the Anti-Rebel Edict and explained that Cao Cao might seize Xudu and retaliate against the emperor’s supporters.
• Fu Wan feared that Cao Cao would punish his family, and Bai Xiaowen argued that moving the capital would protect them.
• Bai Xiaowen recited Fu Wan’s words from the Belt Edict plot, convincing Fu Wan that he knew the secret and could expose him.

Bai Xiaowen persuaded Fu Wan to support moving Emperor Xian of Han’s court from Xudu to Ye City and offered Xun Yu a chance to serve him. At the court assembly, the emperor approved the relocation, leaving Yuan Xi poised to escort the court to Ye City.

• Bai Xiaowen promised Fu Wan’s clan honor for three generations if Fu Wan helped persuade Emperor Xian of Han to move the capital to Ye City, and Fu Wan agreed.
• Bai Xiaowen urged Xun Yu to serve him, but Xun Yu refused to betray Cao Cao; Bai Xiaowen proposed a private agreement concerning Cao Cao’s four sons.
• Fu Wan praised Yuan Xi’s victory before Emperor Xian of Han, who summoned Yuan Xi into court and rewarded him with gold, the title General Who Conquers the North, and a marquis title.
• Bai Xiaowen memorialized that the imperial court should move to Ye City, and Geng Ji, Wei Huang, Fu Wan, and other ministers supported the proposal.
• Emperor Xian of Han agreed to move the capital and imperial court to Ye City.

Bai Xiaowen used Emperor Xian of Han’s authority to force the court to move north, imprisoning and punishing ministers who refused. After occupying Xudu for twelve hours, Bai Xiaowen completed the Raid on Xudu Hero Side Quest and received a reward of ownership over a treasure from the Chancellor’s Residence.

• Bai Xiaowen prompted Emperor Xian of Han to condemn officials who refused to accompany him to Ye City as Cao Cao’s accomplices.
• Emperor Xian of Han ordered Yuan Xi to execute Cao Clan remnants, while Bai Xiaowen’s threat persuaded most officials to agree to move north.
• Bai Xiaowen imprisoned the dozen or so elderly ministers who still insisted on retiring and confiscated their property and clans.
• Bai Xiaowen ordered officials’ households to travel with only close family and provisions, then confiscated Cao Cao’s possessions in Xudu.
• Bai Xiaowen completed the Hero Side Quest after twelve hours of occupation and received ownership of one treasure, with additional rewards for every six hours Xudu remained occupied.

Bai Xiaowen chose Meng De's New Book as the team's treasure, gaining seven uses of different stratagems to aid the campaign north to Jizhou. Xun Yu arrived with Lou Gui, Dong Zhao, and Sima Yi, and Bai Xiaowen released Cao Cao's four sons in exchange for Xun Yu and the scholars joining him.

• Bai Xiaowen chose Meng De's New Book over the other treasures, and the Spirit Realm Rules revealed its seven stratagems, including Speed Is Paramount in War.
• Bai Xiaowen welcomed Xun Yu, who arrived with Lou Gui, Dong Zhao, and Sima Yi and asked him to honor their agreement.
• Bai Xiaowen had Cao Pi, Cao Zhi, Cao Zhang, and Cao Chong brought forward and explained that he had spared them for Xun Yu's sake.
• Xun Yu told the four Cao sons he was leaving for Ye City and would no longer serve Lord Cao.
• Cecilia explained that Xun Yu had traded his freedom and that of three scholars for the four sons' lives.

Bai Xiaowen explained how the Divine Court planned to poison Cao Cao’s four sons and use Cao Xiong to defeat Yuan Shao, then described why he expected Yuan Shao to die at Guandu. He left the army escorting the emperor and officials north toward Ye City, aiming to secure his rise as leader of the Yuan Clan’s forces.

• Bai Xiaowen warned Cao Pi, Cao Zhang, and their brothers that they had been poisoned, and told them Cao Cao knew who was responsible.
• Bai Xiaowen led the imperial carriage and officials north while Qiao Rui questioned his reasons for bringing them to Ye City.
• Bai Xiaowen explained that Cao Xiong would preserve the Cao Clan’s strength and pursue Yuan Shao at Guandu, where Yuan Shao would die.
• Bai Xiaowen revealed that Li Shuyi was his backup plan to ensure Yuan Shao’s death, though he hoped she would not need to act.
• Qiao Rui concluded that their main task was to escort the emperor and officials safely to Ye City.

Cao Xiong destroyed Yuan Shao’s supplies at Wuchao and helped Cao Cao defeat Yuan forces attempting to relieve it. Guo Tu tried to turn Yuan Shao against Zhang He and Gao Lan, but Li Shuyi intercepted his forged message, and the generals were spared after Ju Shou intervened.

• Cao Xiong burned Wuchao’s granaries, killed Chunyu Qiong, Sui Yuanjin, and Zhao Rui, and then ambushed and killed Jiang Qi.
• Yuan Shao sent Zhang He and Gao Lan to raid Cao Cao’s camp, but Cao Cao’s defenders repelled them and they escaped with heavy losses.
• Guo Tu accused Zhang He and Gao Lan of intending to defect and sent a messenger with a forged letter to provoke them into fleeing.
• Li Shuyi killed Guo Tu’s messenger and his attendants, recovered the secret letter, and left on White Eagle Yi-Yi.
• Ju Shou intervened when Yuan Shao moved to punish Zhang He and Gao Lan, then credited Bai Xiaowen’s capture of Xudu with giving the Yuan Army hope.

Cao Cao routed Yuan Shao’s army after Wuchao fell, while Yuan Shao fled north with Yuan Shang and Feng Ji. Li Shuyi hid among the fleeing troops until Richard Cwell and Abota Greatley attacked, leaving Yuan Shao and Yuan Shang in danger.

• Cao Cao executed nine men who spread rumors about Xudu and ordered his officers to conceal its fall.
• Xun You proposed a false plan to attack Suanzao and Liyang, and Cao Cao used it to lure Yuan Shao into dividing his forces before attacking his camp.
• Yuan Shao fled north with Yuan Shang, Feng Ji, and eight hundred soldiers as Cao Cao’s army slaughtered and scattered his troops.
• Cao Cao sent Zhang Liao and Xu Chu across the river to support Cao Xiong, who had pursued Yuan Shao, but ordered the main army to return to Xudu.
• Li Shuyi disguised herself among Yuan Shao’s fleeing soldiers and recognized Richard Cwell and Abota Greatley as Awakened enemies.
• Abota struck Yuan Shao’s troops with Deathbone Illusion, and Li Shuyi pretended to flee as Yuan Shang fell from his horse and Yuan Shao was surrounded.

Cao Xiong killed Yuan Shao and plotted to use Yuan Shang’s escape to undermine Yuan Xi’s ally. Meanwhile, Bai Xiaowen routed Yan Hao’s defenders at Xinzheng and hurried north without capturing the city.

• Cao Xiong killed Yuan Shao, then learned that a swift woman had escaped and suspected she served Yuan Xi.
• Cao Xiong decided to let Yuan Shang escape so the woman might try to assassinate him and damage Yuan Xi’s standing.
• Bai Xiaowen’s army passed Yangzhai and Changge after overcoming resistance from their commanders.
• Yan Hao refused Bai Xiaowen’s challenge to single combat, lowering his troops’ morale.
• Bai Xiaowen used Intimidation to freeze Xinzheng’s defenders, routed them, and continued north without taking the city.

Emperor Liu Xie and Fu Wan reflected on Yuan Xi’s military skill as the Youzhou Army escorted them north, while Bai Xiaowen planned the route through Sili Province. After finding no Cao Army ahead, Bai Xiaowen suspected Zhong Yao was enforcing orders to block their escape, leaving the group wary of what awaited them.

• Liu Xie asked Fu Wan whether Yuan Xi’s victories showed he could be employed, and Fu Wan urged him to wait until they reached Ye City before judging the Yuan family.
• Bai Xiaowen told Qiao Rui that his Psychic Sensing had improved through Ge Xuan’s Inner Vision Technique and promised to ask Ge Xuan to teach her later.
• Bai Xiaowen planned to march north through Mengjin, cross the frozen Yellow River, and enter Bingzhou while relying on his sensing skills and the army’s speed.
• Bai Xiaowen found no Cao Army forces beyond Xinzheng and concluded that their absence was suspicious despite strict orders to block the Youzhou Army’s escape.
• Bai Xiaowen identified Zhong Yao as the likely authority directing the defense of Sili Province and warned Qiao Rui that they needed to consider how he would deal with them.

Bai Xiaowen questioned his newly recruited strategists about the Sili Province garrison’s movements and heard Dong Zhao propose a detour toward Luoyang. After weighing Dong Zhao’s plan against Xun Yu’s warning, Bai Xiaowen chose to attack the ambush at Mengjin and capture Zhong Yao.

• Bai Xiaowen summoned Xun Yu, Lou Gui, Dong Zhao, and Sima Yi to advise him about the lack of enemy troops after Xinzheng.
• Xun Yu, Lou Gui, and Sima Yi declined to offer advice, while Bai Xiaowen reassured Dong Zhao that his former service under Yuan Shao would not be held against him.
• Dong Zhao reasoned that Zhong Yao had concentrated Sili Province’s forces near Mengjin and advised Bai Xiaowen to turn toward Xingyang and Chenggao instead.
• Xun Yu warned that delaying in Sili Province would harm the wider situation, and Dong Zhao argued that delay could benefit Bai Xiaowen if Cao Cao withdrew to Xudu.
• Bai Xiaowen concluded that Zhong Yao’s ambush posed little threat and declared that he would break through Mengjin and capture Zhong Yao alive.

Bai Xiaowen led the Youzhou Army to the Yellow River crossing and discovered Zhong Yao’s ambush, which shattered the ice and split his forces. He used Cecilia’s Winged Cavalry and his own overwhelming strength to turn the battle, but the chapter ended with Chunyu Dao’s central troops pinning his vanguard against the riverbank.

• Bai Xiaowen marched the Youzhou Army through the night and drove the disorganized Sili Army troops from the crossing north of Mengjin.
• Bai Xiaowen led the army across the ice, where Yan Ming’s archers ambushed them and Zhong Yao’s Thunderfire Formations shattered the river ice, sending soldiers and officials into the water.
• Chunyu Dao used the Si Drum to interrupt Bai Xiaowen’s Intimidation, and the Sili Army resumed firing on the divided Youzhou Army.
• Cecilia led the Winged Cavalry across the river at another crossing, and Bai Xiaowen used Targeted Airdrop to send the Death Knight and Terror Knights into their charge against Chunyu Dao and Yan Ming’s archers.
• Bai Xiaowen unleashed Super Orochi Nagi, killed Yan Ming, and broke the vanguard’s morale as Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan brought their troops across the river.
• Qiao Rui joined the battle with Soul Melody, but Chunyu Dao’s fresh central troops pinned Bai Xiaowen’s vanguard against the riverbank while Bai Xiaowen controlled enemy officers to sow confusion.

Bai Xiaowen’s forces broke the Sili Army’s resistance at Mengjin and captured its commander, Chunyu Dao, before Cao Cao’s main force could arrive. The Youzhou Army escorted the emperor north toward Bingzhou, while Bai Xiaowen’s Black Soul Stone approached its next level.

• Bai Xiaowen used Heart-Confounding Talismans to turn Sili Army officers and disrupt the enemy’s command structure as the Youzhou Army came ashore.
• Qiao Rui reported that the Falcon Spirit had been shot down, and Bai Xiaowen concluded that Cao Cao’s main force was approaching.
• Bai Xiaowen and Rageclaw boosted the allied troops, while Han Xu used Astral Qi and his water-combat abilities to scatter soldiers and capture Chunyu Dao.
• Bai Xiaowen ordered a full charge after Chunyu Dao was captured, and the Sili Army collapsed as the Youzhou Army escorted the emperor north toward Bingzhou.
• Bai Xiaowen saved his second Super Orochi Nagi and noted that the Black Soul Stone had reached 8,300 growth points and over 4,500 Soul Essence.

After defeating Zhong Yao’s forces at the Yellow River, Bai Xiaowen’s army reached allied Bingzhou and paused to rest. He secretly sent Cecilia, Qiao Rui, and Han Xu with the Winged Cavalry toward Ye City in Jizhou.

• Li Dian and Le Jin crossed the Yellow River but found the Youzhou Army gone and met Zhong Yao among his defeated troops.
• Zhong Yao warned Li Dian and Le Jin not to pursue Yuan Xi’s victorious, fast-moving army.
• Bai Xiaowen discussed the battle’s heavy losses and the Si Drum with Qiao Rui, Cecilia, and Han Xu, then considered military promotions for his teammates.
• The exhausted Youzhou Army entered Bingzhou, where Guo Yuan inspected Bai Xiaowen’s credentials and escorted the army to Huguan Pass to rest.
• Bai Xiaowen secretly sent Cecilia, Qiao Rui, and Han Xu with the Winged Cavalry through the night toward Ye City in Jizhou.

Bai Xiaowen met with Gao Gan in Tunliu and persuaded him to support his claim as Yuan Shao’s most capable heir. Gao Gan agreed, unaware of the danger Bai Xiaowen faced from Yuan Shao’s reaction to the expedition.

• Bai Xiaowen brought the Son of Heaven to Tunliu and arranged for him to stay within the Youzhou Army’s camp while Gao Gan traveled from Xiangyuan to meet them.
• Gao Gan warmly welcomed Bai Xiaowen and proposed that they join forces to attack Sili Province after Yuan Shao’s victories in the south.
• Bai Xiaowen declined Gao Gan’s invitation to stay in Bingzhou, saying he needed to escort the Son of Heaven and officials to Ye City.
• Bai Xiaowen told Gao Gan that Yuan Shao wanted his sons to govern provinces so he could assess their abilities, then asked who deserved to inherit the family legacy.
• After Gao Gan named Bai Xiaowen the most capable and qualified heir, Bai Xiaowen urged him to repeat that opinion to Yuan Shao and promised him a high position.

After Li Shuyi reported Yuan Shao’s death at Guandu, Bai Xiaowen used the news to secure Gao Gan’s support for his succession and began preparing to consolidate Yuan Shao’s domains. The chapter ended with Bai Xiaowen asking his assembled advisers how to save the Four Provinces of Hebei.

• Gao Gan promised to support Bai Xiaowen as Yuan Shao’s heir if asked.
• Li Shuyi arrived from Guandu and reported that Yuan Shao had died in defeat, while Yuan Shang might still be alive.
• Bai Xiaowen pretended to faint, then urged Gao Gan to help stabilize Jizhou and backed his own claim to lead Yuan Shao’s legacy.
• Gao Gan pledged to rally Bingzhou’s forces behind Bai Xiaowen.
• Bai Xiaowen summoned his officials and generals, explained Yuan Shao’s death, and asked them for a strategy to protect the Four Provinces of Hebei.