Wei State Duke Mansion

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Wei State Duke Mansion
Alias(es)	Wei State Duke Mansion Faction; Duke of Wei’s Mansion Faction
Affiliation	Dagan Dynasty; nominally a loyal ministerial house, though it becomes increasingly independent of the imperial family 5 240
Occupation/Role	Martial-merit noble house and military power commanding several elite armies 175 432
Headquarters	Imperial City, Dagan Dynasty 402
Leader	Mo Yunxuan, Duke of Wei 1 3
Status	Active; expanding its military and territorial influence 522 541
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Inherited Imperial City Imperial Guard	2	Mo Yunxuan inherits 200,000 Imperial City Imperial Guards. Eight hundred are Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, including one Spirit Transmutation Peak Stage expert, two Spirit Transmutation Late Stage experts, and more than a dozen God Transformation Realm experts.
Elite Vanguard reinforcement	53	The 200 Elite Vanguard soldiers rise from two Body Integration Realm, thirty Void Refinement Realm, and 168 Spirit Transmutation Realm cultivators to four Body Integration Realm, fifty-six Early Void Refinement Realm, and 140 late Spirit Transmutation Realm cultivators. Li Tieniu reaches Late Body Integration Realm.
Imperial City Imperial Guard conversion	53	The mansion begins retraining all 200,000 Imperial City Imperial Guards as White Horse Volunteers, with a projected result of 200,000 Nascent Soul Realm soldiers after two years.
Legion and command expansion	266	Four hundred system soldiers reach Early Void Refinement Realm. Li Tieniu reaches Mahayana Mid Stage; Xu Yongjie reaches Mahayana Early Stage; the four Imperial City Imperial Guard commanders and Duan Wenhu reach Body Integration Peak Stage.
Pacifying Distant Legion growth	372	Half of the million-strong Pacifying Distant Legion—500,000 soldiers—have reached the Nascent Soul Realm.
Major-faction military scale	432	Intelligence attributes ten million reorganized Northern Suppression Army troops, a five-million-strong Southern Conquest Legion, and a one-million-strong Pacifying Distant Legion to the mansion.

Background / History

The mansion’s earlier generation suffered a devastating loss during the sealing of a demon. The Old Duke led the mansion’s high-level combatants in the operation; they succeeded only narrowly and exhausted the accumulated expert force of the house, reducing it from a top-tier power to a first-rate noble house with a prestigious name but weakened substance. This decline made it a target for rival powers. 370

Its military tradition centers on the Blood Battle Scripture. The art is easy to begin but difficult to master, requiring prolonged cultivation or dangerous life-and-death combat to progress quickly. Its practitioners develop spiritual power carrying pronounced killing intent, and the Wei State Duke Mansion Faction is stated to be the only faction still cultivating it. 2

After an earlier Duke of Wei was confronted following his first assassination, he abandoned the use of family death warriors and greatly expanded the mansion’s personal guards. The former emperor and Empress tacitly accepted this arrangement. 2

The mansion and the Marquis of Zhenyuan Residence were historically stationed together in the Northern Frontier, where they shared resources and population while checking one another under imperial-family arrangements. A later Marquis of Zhenyuan cooperated with the imperial family against the mansion; afterward, the Wei State Duke Mansion ceased to be loyal to both ruler and nation, retaining only loyalty to the nation. It then drew elite troops from the Northern Suppression Army to establish a capital guard army, which the imperial family reluctantly recognized as the Imperial City Imperial Guard. 158

Following the Old Duke’s sudden death, Mo Yunxuan became the sole remaining member of the main line. Wang Yuan arranged the Imperial Guard’s loyalty-oath ceremony immediately, allowing Mo Yunxuan to inherit its allegiance without undergoing the customary heir assessment. 3

Organization

Imperial City Imperial Guard

The Imperial City Imperial Guard numbers 200,000 and is the mansion’s principal force in the Imperial City. It is treated as the mansion’s first line of defense and, in practice, protects the Wei State Duke Mansion as much as it protects the city. 1 53 541

• Left Xiao Guard — 50,000 soldiers; originally commanded by Zhang Tong and responsible for the West and North City Gates. 5
• Right Xiao Guard — One of the four major Imperial City Imperial Guard formations; later placed under Body Integration Realm Elite Vanguard command. 53
• Left Wei Guard — 50,000 soldiers assigned to city patrols; originally commanded by Fang Liang. 5
• Right Wei Guard — 50,000 soldiers assigned to city patrols; originally commanded by Meng Qianxue. 5
• Command restructuring — Mo Yunxuan replaced the commanders of the four guards with Elite Vanguard soldiers, assigning each commander nine Void Refinement Realm personal guards. 53

Major Legions

• Northern Suppression Army — Reorganized into a force of ten million troops; Xu Yongjie commands it from the Northern Frontier. 266 432
• Southern Conquest Legion — A five-million-strong formation described as no weaker than any elite legion. 432
• Pacifying Distant Legion — Li Tieniu’s million-strong legion; 500,000 troops have reached the Nascent Soul Realm. 266 372
• Imperial Guard — A 50,000-man force under Duan Wenhu, with all soldiers at the Nascent Soul Realm after enhancement. 266
• Duke of Wei’s Imperial Guard — The mansion’s retained household guard, later commanded by Xu Changqing; even its weakest members reach the Nascent Soul Realm. 266

Internal Administration

Mo Yunxuan governs by placing trusted system soldiers in key positions and using superior force to consolidate the mansion’s internal factions. The mansion’s personnel may differ over minor matters, but share loyalty to the Duke of Wei in major affairs. 441

Military Assets and Methods

Blood Battle Scripture

The mansion’s signature cultivation method produces spiritual power with intense killing intent. 2

• It advances slowly through ordinary training. 2
• Life-and-death combat can accelerate progress, but carries severe risk. 2
• It remains uncommon outside the mansion because most factions prefer less dangerous cultivation methods. 2

Elite Vanguard and System Soldiers

Mo Yunxuan uses Fierce Beast corpses and system-based enhancement to rapidly improve selected troops. 53 266

• Elite Vanguard soldiers were elevated into Body Integration and Void Refinement Realm command positions. 53
• Four hundred system soldiers reached Early Void Refinement Realm through resources gathered from the Wild Mountains. 266
• A hunting party led by Chi Shaochuan searches the Wild Mountains for Fierce Beast remains and other sources of Blood Essence. 266
• The mansion’s system soldiers are valued for absolute loyalty as well as rapid enhancement potential. 510

Resource Seizure and Redistribution

The mansion uses confiscated resources to expand its armies and maintain elite formations. 475 476

• Xu Yongjie negotiated for 500,000 sets of top-standard resources for the Northern Suppression Army’s expansion. 476
• The City Guard Army was ordered to expand sharply and form an elite corps, with the stated aim of tripling its strength within half a year. 522
• The mansion’s forces quietly relocated refugees from the Eastern Territory; the numbers were initially small enough to avoid serious attention from local noble families. 539

Political Position

At the start of Mo Yunxuan’s tenure, the mansion was formally loyal to the Dagan Dynasty rather than personally obedient to the Empress. It maintained a neutral stance in court and rarely gave Ji Ruxue open support on specific policies. 5

The mansion’s growing strength and its repeated violent interventions transformed that reputation. Zhu Haoyu concluded that it generally ignored factions that did not provoke it, but its enemies suffered swift retaliation. 162 By the time of Chen Zhibai’s arrival in the story, it was widely understood that the mansion had ceased to be a neutral royalist faction. 240

Many outsiders instead interpret the mansion as Ji Ruxue’s instrument: a “white glove and black glove” used to remove political opponents while preserving imperial deniability. This belief partly arises because observers cannot explain the sudden appearance of its Body Integration Realm experts and other high-level forces. 362

The relationship with the imperial family nevertheless becomes strained. Zhu Haoyu identifies a widening distance between the mansion and Ji Ruxue, while imperial-clan commanders Ji Yangyan and Ji Kai conclude that their Black Tortoise and White Tiger Legions cannot confront it directly. 170 432

Major Arcs

Consolidation of the Imperial City Guard

Mo Yunxuan assumes command of the former Duke’s Imperial Guard shortly after inheriting the title. He recognizes the force’s loyalty, replaces vulnerable or unreliable commanders, and begins converting the 200,000 Imperial City Imperial Guards into White Horse Volunteers. 2 5 53

Conflict with Prince An

When Prince An’s forces attack the Southern Plantation under the Duke of Wei’s jurisdiction, Chen Yuanshan’s troops repel them and capture prisoners who identify Prince An as their employer. Mo Yunxuan uses the attack as grounds for a campaign against Prince An’s Residence. 136

Struggle against the Zhu Faction and Marquis of Zhenyuan Residence

Mo Yunxuan rejects Zhu Haoyu’s proposed reconciliation and announces his intent to clash with the Zhu Faction. He also moves against the Marquis of Zhenyuan Residence, the mansion’s longstanding Northern Frontier rival. 175 178

The mansion’s attack on the Zhu Faction inflicts significant losses, including 40,000 Imperial Guard casualties. 193

Southern Frontier Intervention

The Left and Right Xiao Guards intervene against the Southern Song Border Army, driving it back and giving the Dagan New Army time to recover. Their appearance causes Southern Song to reduce its border incursions. 264

The mansion later deploys the Southern Conquest Legion and Pacifying Distant Legion in the Southern Frontier, eliminating the remaining Southern Song Border Army forces. 271

Eastern Territory Expansion

Mansion commanders view the Eastern Territory as sufficiently connected to their forces to become a direct sphere of influence. 339 The Northern Suppression Army and City Guard Army expand there, prompting local noble families to organize against them and seek aid from Han, Zhao, and Qi. 522 529 535

After the conflict, Chen Yuanshan persuades Li Tieniu not to continue unchecked expansion and proposes using the Zhou Kingdom as a warning to deter further resistance. 537

Prospective Dynastic Transition

As the mansion’s military power grows, diehard royalists begin accepting the possibility of Mo Yunxuan replacing the imperial family. Mo Yunxuan rejects proposed conditions that would require him to fund an army not under the mansion’s control and insists that a new dynasty would require a new name. 539

Relationships

• Mo Yunxuan — Current Duke of Wei and effective head of the mansion; inherited its guards, resources, and political position after the Old Duke’s death. 1 3
• Wang Yuan — Mansion butler and Mo Yunxuan’s uncle; possesses Spirit Transmutation Peak Stage cultivation and 98 loyalty, while overseeing 200,000 Imperial City Imperial Guards early in Mo Yunxuan’s succession. 1
• Li Tieniu — Elite Vanguard leader and commander of the Pacifying Distant Legion; one of the mansion’s foremost military figures. 53 266
• Xu Yongjie — Northern Suppression Army commander; aggressively seeks resources and expansion for the mansion’s northern forces. 266 475
• Duan Wenhu — Imperial Guard commander; manages a 50,000-man Nascent Soul Realm force. 266
• Chen Yuanshan — One of the four Imperial City Imperial Guard commanders; advises restraint after the Eastern Territory conflict. 266 537
• Ji Ruxue — Empress of Dagan; alternates between relying on the mansion’s force, fearing its growth, and cooperating with Mo Yunxuan on military matters. 362 431
• Imperial Family — Formerly tolerated the mansion’s military arrangements, but later regards its strength as too great to challenge openly. 158 432
• Marquis of Zhenyuan Residence — Longstanding rival rooted in competing Northern Frontier interests; substantially weaker than the mansion after Mo Yunxuan’s rise. 158 180
• Zhu Faction — Court faction targeted by the mansion after political conflict with Mo Yunxuan. 175 193
• Eastern Territory Noble Families — Oppose the mansion’s Northern Suppression Army expansion and attempt to hire Han, Zhao, and Qi forces against it. 522 535

Trivia

• The mansion’s intelligence security is severe: Ji Hanlin’s scouts failed to obtain useful information, and several were silently hanged inside its gates as a warning. 355
• Its forces are frequently accused of acting without evidence; internal commanders characterize confiscation and clan extermination of suspected threats as typical of Mo Yunxuan’s approach. 340
• Despite its extensive forces, Mo Yunxuan considers the mansion short of deployable troops because the Imperial City Imperial Guard must remain in the capital while the Pacifying Distant and Southern Conquest Legions support several fronts. 541