Chapter Summaries

Bai Xiaowen’s forces captured Guan Yu after taking Jiameng Pass, and Bai Xiaowen tried to speak with him over wine rather than demand his surrender. Guan Yu remained loyal to Liu Bei, while Bai Xiaowen challenged his loyalty to one family over the people of the realm.

• Han Meng disguised his three thousand soldiers as Liu Bei’s Army and led them toward Fushui Pass with a controlled colonel as their guide.
• Ma Chao, Zhang He, and Cecilia helped defeat and capture the severely wounded Guan Yu, who was brought to Bai Xiaowen at Jiameng Pass.
• Bai Xiaowen ordered Guan Yu’s bonds removed, dismissed the other generals, and shared wine and food with him.
• Guan Yu suspected Bai Xiaowen meant to use him as a hostage against Liu Bei and declared that he would rather die than surrender.
• Bai Xiaowen praised Cao Cao’s final command to submit to him, then argued that Guan Yu served the Liu Clan rather than the people of the realm.

Bai Xiaowen negotiated a month-long wager with Guan Yu, who agreed to remain in Bazhong while Bai Xiaowen tried to capture Liu Bei and take Western Sichuan. The chapter ended with Han Meng reporting that Fushui Pass had fallen to Bai Xiaowen's forces.

• Bai Xiaowen argued that he could unite the realm without restoring the emperor's authority, while Guan Yu insisted that Liu Bei would oppose any attempt to end the Han.
• Bai Xiaowen offered to free Guan Yu if he failed to capture Liu Bei and take Western Sichuan within a month, and Guan Yu agreed to stay in Bazhong without aiding Liu Bei.
• Bai Xiaowen sent Guan Yu to Bazhong without heavy restraints, trusting his honor to keep him from fleeing.
• Han Meng reported that a trusted captain from Liu Bei's Army had opened Fushui Pass, allowing Han Meng's troops to seize it and secure the surrender of its defenders.

Liu Bei learned that Yuan Xi had cut off his route to Jingzhou and trapped his army near Luo Castle, while Zhuge Liang’s reinforcements were already advancing through Ba Commandery. Bai Xiaowen avoided storming Luo Castle and instead set an ambush for Zhuge Liang’s approaching army at Gourd Ravine.

• Liu Bei received news that Yuan Xi had captured Jiameng Pass and Fushui Pass, Guan Ping and Huo Jun were dead, and Guan Yu’s fate was unknown.
• Xu Shu warned Liu Bei that his army was trapped between Liu Zhang and Yuan Xi, and Wei Yan proposed secretly capturing Mianzhu with Zhang Song’s help.
• Liu Bei read Zhuge Liang’s letter saying that he had anticipated Yuan Xi’s move, mobilized troops, and would reach Yizhou within three days.
• Bai Xiaowen learned that Zhuge Liang and Zhang Fei had captured Ba Commandery and were advancing toward Luo Castle after Yan Yan secured the surrender of the passes.
• Bai Xiaowen rejected an assault on Luo Castle, left a small force to feign a siege, and led his main army to ambush Zhuge Liang’s troops at Gourd Ravine.
• Bai Xiaowen reasoned that Zhang Fei might disregard Zhuge Liang’s warnings and force the march, making the ambush more likely to succeed.

Bai Xiaowen realized Zhuge Liang and Zhang Fei were likely moving to attack Fushui Pass and Jiameng Pass, then ordered the destruction of the passes and chose to defeat Liu Bei first. Meanwhile, Liu Zhang accepted Fa Zheng’s proposal to let Liu Bei’s army weaken without supplies, and Zhuge Liang, Huang Yueying, and Zhang Fei arrived at the ruined passes.

• Bai Xiaowen concluded that Zhuge Liang was not coming to rescue Luo Castle and might instead target Fushui Pass and Jiameng Pass.
• Bai Xiaowen used the Map of Mountains and Rivers to locate Zhang Fei at Zhi County, then sent a Raven Messenger with orders to destroy Jiameng Pass.
• Bai Xiaowen refused to intercept Zhuge Liang and Zhang Fei, declaring that he would defeat Liu Bei first.
• Fa Zheng explained to Liu Zhang that the Yuan Army had burned crops and displaced villagers to deprive Liu Bei’s army of supplies, and urged Liu Zhang to hold position and wait.
• Liu Zhang agreed to Fa Zheng’s plan despite condemning the suffering inflicted on the people.
• Zhuge Liang, Huang Yueying, and Zhang Fei arrived at the ruins of Fushui Pass and Jiameng Pass, where Zhuge Liang warned Zhang Fei that the destruction was not a good thing.

Zhuge Liang planned to ambush Yuan reinforcements at the ruined Fushui Pass after Yuan Xi destroyed the two mountain passes, while Bai Xiaowen predicted the plan and used a Raven Messenger to warn Han Yang. The armies prepared to contain each other as Bai Xiaowen focused on defeating Liu Bei at Luo Castle.

• Zhuge Liang explained that Yuan Xi had destroyed Fushui Pass and Jiameng Pass, leaving the Jingzhou army without its natural defenses.
• Huang Yueying urged Zhuge Liang not to lose heart, and Zhuge Liang chose to ambush the approaching Yuan reinforcements before going to Luo Castle.
• Zhuge Liang hid his army among the ridges at Fushui Pass and used the Prayer and Exorcism Art to conceal their movements from Bai Xiaowen’s Map of Mountains and Rivers.
• Bai Xiaowen’s generals reported that they had burned farmland and driven away residents near the Fu River to isolate Liu Bei inside Luo Castle.
• Ge Xuan sensed that someone had obscured Yizhou’s heavenly secrets, and Bai Xiaowen identified Zhuge Liang as the cause.
• Bai Xiaowen predicted Zhuge Liang’s ambush at Jiameng Pass and sent a Raven Messenger to warn Han Yang’s reinforcements to guard against it.

Liu Bei abandoned Luo Castle to pursue Yuan Xi after Xu Shu concluded that the enemy camp was a decoy, while Zhuge Liang realized Liu Bei might have fallen into another trap. Zhuge Liang decided to abandon Western Sichuan and prepare to rescue Liu Bei, using Huang Yueying’s plan to delay the Yuan Army from Hanzhong.

• Liu Bei learned Yuan Xi had burned the wild grain and displaced local people, then vowed to defeat him and rescue the people.
• Xu Shu judged that Yuan Xi had likely left his camp to attack Zhuge Liang, and advised Liu Bei to abandon Luo Castle and pursue him.
• Liu Bei led thirty thousand troops north to support Zhuge Liang.
• Han Xu received a message from the Raven Messenger, replied, and stationed his troops in Zhi County to await Bai Xiaowen’s instructions.
• Zhuge Liang realized Liu Bei had abandoned Luo Castle and feared he had fallen into an ambush, so he decided to abandon Western Sichuan and rescue him.
• Huang Yueying proposed using false banners, Mechanical Beasts, the Eight Trigrams Formation Diagram, and fog to delay the Yuan Army from Hanzhong.

Bai Xiaowen lured Liu Bei's Army toward Lianyun Plank Road and prepared an ambush, while Xu Shu recognized the danger and ordered a detour. The Yuan Army struck before Liu Bei's forces could turn back, leaving Liu Bei's center under attack as Bai Xiaowen coordinated the assault.

• Bai Xiaowen explained his deception to Li Shuyi and Cecilia, used the Map of Mountains and Rivers to track Liu Bei's Army, and ordered Han Xu to lead troops toward Jiameng Pass.
• Xu Shu warned Liu Bei that Lianyun Plank Road was an ideal ambush site and persuaded him to take a three-hundred-mile detour through Deyang County.
• As Liu Bei's vanguard began moving to the rear, Ma Chao and Zhang He launched attacks from both sides of the plank road while archers and crossbowmen rained arrows down from the cliffs.
• Ma Chao, Zhang He, Gao Lan, Han Meng, and other Yuan commanders charged Liu Bei's center, while Cecilia's archers pinned down Huang Zhong and Wei Yan's vanguard.
• Liu Bei rallied his soldiers with Military Pacification, but Cao Hong joined the fighting as Bai Xiaowen used powerful skills and items to coordinate the Yuan Army's assault.

Bai Xiaowen’s forces routed Liu Bei’s army, but Zhao Yun rescued Liu Bei and helped him escape. Bai Xiaowen chose not to pursue immediately, while Huang Zhong and Wei Yan’s vanguard was trapped on the Lianyun Plank Road.

• Bai Xiaowen’s armies scattered Liu Bei’s troops, and Zhang He captured Xu Shu while Han Meng seized Jian Yong.
• Liu Pi held off Gao Lan so Liu Bei could flee, but Zhao Yun killed Gao Lan with a single thrust and escorted Liu Bei through the battlefield.
• Bai Xiaowen ordered his forces not to chase Liu Bei, planning instead to block his route after finishing the battle.
• Ma Chao ignored Bai Xiaowen’s orders and pursued Liu Bei, while Liu Bei escaped with Zhao Yun.
• Bai Xiaowen’s forces trapped Huang Zhong, Wei Yan, and the remnants of their vanguard between troops advancing from both ends of the Lianyun Plank Road.

Bai Xiaowen captured Huang Zhong and Wei Yan, imprisoned Huang Zhong, and persuaded Wei Yan to surrender with a promise of rank. He then led his army across the Lianyun Plank Road to intercept Liu Bei, whose route and position he had identified.

• Bai Xiaowen offered Huang Zhong and Wei Yan surrender; Huang Zhong refused and was imprisoned, while Wei Yan hesitated.
• Bai Xiaowen promised Wei Yan a marquisate and threatened execution, so Wei Yan knelt and surrendered.
• Wei Yan described his background and revealed that Huang Zhong had a son, Huang Xu, and an archer daughter.
• Bai Xiaowen ordered Wei Yan to rest and prepare to fight Liu Bei, and defended his decision to employ Wei Yan despite doubts from Cao Hong.
• Bai Xiaowen led his troops across the Lianyun Plank Road to ambush Liu Bei on the route toward Jiameng Pass and Fushui Pass.

Liu Bei escaped with Zhao Yun, avoided a possible ambush, and reunited with Zhang Fei, who relayed Zhuge Liang’s plan to abandon Western Sichuan and return to Jingzhou. As Liu Bei prepared to withdraw, Yuan forces surrounded his army from multiple directions.

• Liu Bei fled south with seven thousand soldiers while Zhao Yun held off Ma Chao, then Zhao Yun caught up after repelling the pursuit.
• Zhao Yun warned Liu Bei that Yuan Xi might anticipate a crossing at Deyang Ferry, so Liu Bei marched east and crossed the Han River at Jiangyang instead.
• Liu Bei reunited with Zhang Fei, who said Zhuge Liang was at Fushui Pass preparing an Eight Trigrams Formation and had ordered them to return to Jingzhou by way of Ba Commandery.
• Liu Bei reluctantly agreed to follow Zhuge Liang’s plan to abandon Western Sichuan.
• Han Meng, Zhang He, and Yuan Xi attacked Liu Bei from three directions as another force charged from the southeast.

Bai Xiaowen’s ambush caught Liu Bei and Zhang Fei at Jiangyang, but he discovered that Zhuge Liang had delayed Han Xu’s reinforcements with a Daoist formation. As the battle continued, Li Yan arrived with Liu Zhang’s army to reinforce Bai Xiaowen.

• Zhang Fei roared at Bai Xiaowen’s army and charged his banner, but archers stopped him from breaking through.
• Bai Xiaowen’s Four-Sided Ambush and his generals’ stratagems disrupted Liu Bei’s and Zhang Fei’s troops, giving his army the advantage.
• Bai Xiaowen used the Map of Mountains and Rivers to find that Han Xu was still near Fushui Pass and inferred that Zhuge Liang had blocked his advance with a Daoist formation.
• Bai Xiaowen told Ge Xuan that Zhang Song had persuaded Liu Zhang to send an army across the Fu River as another backup plan.
• Li Yan arrived with Liu Zhang’s army and declared that he had come to help encircle Liu Bei.

Li Yan and the Sichuan Army joined Bai Xiaowen’s forces, breaking Liu Bei’s already faltering lines. As Liu Bei tried to retreat, Bai Xiaowen’s army surrounded his center, and Zhao Yun was pinned down and severely wounded.

• Bai Xiaowen explained Li Yan’s importance to Li Shuyi, then welcomed Li Yan and Zhang Song as the Sichuan Army joined the battle.
• Li Yan agreed to follow Bai Xiaowen’s orders, and the reinforced Yuan Army began crushing Liu Bei’s lines.
• Zhao Yun urged Liu Bei to retreat, while Zhang Fei stayed behind to cover their escape through Ba Commandery toward Jingzhou.
• Bai Xiaowen used the Kui Drum to restore his soldiers’ morale and rallied them to capture Liu Bei.
• Bai Xiaowen used the Four-Realm Divine Sword Seal to immobilize Zhao Yun, and Li Shuyi, Cecilia, the Bone Archers, and Yuan generals attacked him until he fell from his horse, severely wounded.

Bai Xiaowen defeated Liu Bei’s army, captured Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun, and secured the surrender of Yan Yan and the Jingzhou troops. He sent Wei Yan to seize Xiangyang with a small force and then marched toward Chengdu to bring Liu Zhang into submission.

• Li Shuyi captured the wounded Zhao Yun, while Liu Bei was trapped and captured after Cecilia killed his horse, and Zhang Fei and the remaining Jingzhou officers were taken prisoner.
• Bai Xiaowen accepted the surrender of thousands of Jingzhou soldiers and persuaded Yan Yan to submit by promising to protect his family and granting him a title.
• Bai Xiaowen sent Wei Yan with three thousand troops through Ba Commandery to raid Xiangyang, with Yan Yan ordered to open the passes for him.
• Bai Xiaowen rewarded the army and granted titles to Li Yan and Zhang Song, who then accepted the court’s recognition.
• Bai Xiaowen sent envoys to persuade Zhuge Liang to surrender, escort Han Xu’s reinforcements, and bring Guan Yu to him, then led his army toward Chengdu.

Bai Xiaowen secured Liu Zhang’s surrender and pacified Western Sichuan, then prepared to resume the campaign against Liu Bei’s remaining forces. The Longxi-and-Shu Quest was complete, and Bai Xiaowen turned his attention to Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun.

• Liu Zhang’s advisers debated whether he should resist Bai Xiaowen or submit, and Zhang Song’s letter confirmed that he and Li Yan had already joined the court.
• Liu Zhang surrendered Yizhou to Bai Xiaowen, who granted him the title of Marquis of Western Sichuan and an estate.
• Bai Xiaowen entered Chengdu, rewarded and reassigned officials, and secured their pledges within three days.
• The envoy reported that Zhuge Liang and his wife had escaped after delaying Han Xu’s army at Fushui Pass, while Pang De recovered and marched toward Yizhou with twenty-five thousand elite troops.
• Bai Xiaowen completed the Longxi-and-Shu Quest after taking Eastern River and Western Sichuan in thirty-two days, and planned to deal with Liu Bei and his remaining generals.

Bai Xiaowen reunited Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei in court and confronted them with evidence about Ma Teng’s death. Xu Shu and Jian Yong admitted their roles, and Ma Chao moved to attack Xu Shu.

• Bai Xiaowen brought Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei together, and the brothers vowed not to abandon one another even in death.
• Bai Xiaowen summoned Ma Chao and asked Ge Xuan to explain how Ma Teng had been cursed and died.
• Bai Xiaowen accused Liu Bei of having both the motive and the means to arrange Ma Teng’s death, citing Jian Yong and Xu Shu’s actions.
• Yan Pu and Zhang Lu’s other subordinates identified Xu Shu as the man who had served Zhang Lu under the name Dan Fu.
• Xu Shu confessed to cursing Ma Teng and said he had planned it with Jian Yong without Liu Bei’s knowledge; Jian Yong also admitted his involvement.
• Ma Chao drew his sword and charged at Xu Shu, demanding his father’s life back.

Bai Xiaowen exposed Pang Tong as the man who had cursed Ma Teng to death, and Ma Chao left to seek vengeance on Pang Tong’s grave. Bai Xiaowen offered Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei a chance to surrender or retire, but they refused, and he arranged a farewell banquet for them.

• Bai Xiaowen stopped Ma Chao from striking Xu Shu, and Jian Yong revealed that Pang Tong had cursed Ma Teng and sent Xu Shu to support Liu Bei’s plans.
• Bai Xiaowen explained how Pang Tong’s strategy had been meant to help Liu Bei seize territory, while Zhang He noted that Bai Xiaowen’s swift victories had thwarted it.
• Ma Chao learned that Pang Tong had been killed by Zhang Ren and vowed to desecrate his grave; Liu Bei offered himself in Pang Tong’s place, but Bai Xiaowen told Ma Chao to seek vengeance on Pang Tong instead.
• Ma Chao requested three days’ leave, and Bai Xiaowen let him go after discovering that killing Liu Bei would damage public support and officials’ loyalty in former Liu Bei territories.
• Bai Xiaowen offered Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei pardon if they surrendered or promised to retire, but Liu Bei refused to abandon his goal of restoring the House of Han.
• Guan Yu and Zhang Fei declared they would share Liu Bei’s fate, and Bai Xiaowen announced that he would hold a grand farewell banquet for the Peach Garden Brothers.

Bai Xiaowen spared Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei by secretly drugging them and arranging their exile to Eastern Ying, while Zhao Yun agreed to help reunite them with Liu Bei’s family. After returning to the capital, Bai Xiaowen learned that Ma Chao had left to mourn his father, Ma Teng.

• Bai Xiaowen failed to persuade Zhao Yun to abandon Liu Bei, then promised to spare Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei under a different arrangement.
• Bai Xiaowen hosted Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei at a banquet, where they refused to submit and drank wine containing Ge Xuan’s Life-Returning Pills.
• Ge Xuan explained that the pills made the three brothers appear dead for half a month, and Bai Xiaowen told Zhao Yun they would be exiled to Eastern Ying.
• Zhao Yun agreed to take Liu Bei’s family to Eastern Ying after Bai Xiaowen provided a sea chart and ship.
• Bai Xiaowen sent Zhang He east with thirty thousand troops to reinforce Wei Yan and seize Jingzhou, then returned to the capital.
• Ma Dai and Ma Yunlu told Bai Xiaowen that Ma Chao had left for his homeland to mourn Ma Teng after mutilating Pang Tong’s corpse.

Bai Xiaowen received word that Hefei had fallen, and the story revealed that Sun Yi and Fu Xun were Awakened Auguste and Andre, who had entered the Three Kingdoms Plane. With only forty-eight hours left and no main quest in sight, Auguste set out to act on his own and infiltrate Hefei.

• Bai Xiaowen learned from the Raven Messenger that Hefei had fallen, and he praised Jia Xu’s resourcefulness.
• Sun Ce and Zhou Yu found Hefei difficult to besiege because Cao Ren, Zhang Liao, and Xu Huang defended the city and its approaches.
• Auguste and Andre discussed their failed attempt to find the fourth-stage main quest and their disagreement over assassinating Sun Ce.
• Auguste proposed infiltrating Hefei with elite soldiers, but Sun Ce refused to let him risk it.
• Sun Ce received a report that Auguste, disguised as Sun Yi, had taken a hundred personal guards toward Hefei.

Sun Ce captured Hefei but was trapped by the Yuan Army’s Burning City Stratagem and lost half his force escaping the flames. Zhou Yu suspected Wan City had also fallen, while Jia Xu and Qiao Rui waited there for the retreating Yuan forces.

• After learning Sun Yi had gone to Hefei, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu attacked the city while Gan Ning and Taishi Ci held off Zhang Liao and Xu Huang.
• Sun Ce’s army fought through Hefei and captured it after Cao Ren fled, but Zhou Yu noticed the Yuan garrison was far smaller than expected.
• As Sun Ce’s troops searched for Sun Yi, fires erupted at all four gates, forcing them to flee the burning city into a Yuan Army counterattack.
• Sun Ce rallied his disordered army and broke through the Yuan forces, but only about half of his fifty thousand soldiers survived.
• Zhou Yu suspected the missing Yuan troops had seized Wan City, and Jia Xu and Qiao Rui watched Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, and Cao Ren approach it.

Bai Xiaowen assessed Jia Xu’s victory at Hefei and discussed Auguste’s motives before returning to Ye Capital. Ge Xuan left after borrowing the jade slip, promising to visit again once Bai Xiaowen unified the realm.

• Sun Ce withdrew from Wan City with his wounded army, while Jia Xu stopped the Yuan generals from pursuing a battle.
• Bai Xiaowen explained how Jia Xu’s strategy had burned Hefei, launched a three-route counterattack, and captured Wan City, then discussed Auguste and his own reluctance to kill Guan Yu and Zhao Yun.
• Ge Xuan asked to leave Bai Xiaowen’s service after his ties to the Ma family were resolved, and Bai Xiaowen held him a farewell banquet.
• Ge Xuan borrowed Bai Xiaowen’s jade slip and said he would visit again after Bai Xiaowen unified the realm.
• Bai Xiaowen gathered Pang De’s twenty-five thousand elite troops in Hanzhong, crossed Wu Pass, and returned to Ye Capital.