Chapter Summaries

Zhuge Guanqi advised Hu Xiaotian on using burning reeds and lodestone-laced chains to hinder Great Yong’s fleet, while urging him to give Yu Tianxing important duties. Li Yongfu arrived in Eastern Liang Commandery to assess Hu Xiaotian’s preparations and left their conversation facing Hu’s resolve to defend the city despite the Imperial Court’s abandonment.

• Zhuge Guanqi told Hu Xiaotian to burn the northern-bank reeds to hide the pontoon bridges and use lodestones on chains to trap Great Yong’s armor-breaking ships.
• Zhuge Guanqi asked Hu Xiaotian to keep his advice secret and entrust Yu Tianxing with important duties, and Hu Xiaotian invited him to inspect new anti-ship weapons.
• Li Yongfu arrived in Eastern Liang Commandery at Zhao Wusheng’s request and saw refugees crossing the pontoon bridges as he gathered information about the city’s defenses.
• Hu Xiaotian welcomed Li Yongfu and explained that the city lacked soldiers and commanders, then asked whether Li believed he should abandon it or resist.
• Li Yongfu declared that he would live while the city stood and die when it fell, and Hu Xiaotian said he would defend Eastern Liang Commandery and fight with honor despite the Imperial Court’s abandonment.

Hu Xiaotian prepared Eastern Liang Commandery to face Tang Boxi’s Great Yong fleet while Qiqi failed to persuade Long Xuan'en to send reinforcements. As Tang Boxi’s fleet sailed downstream, Hu Xiaotian and Yu Tianxing finalized their defenses for the approaching battle.

• Li Yongfu agreed to guard the southern bank, ambush retreating Yong troops, and help refugees seek shelter in the city.
• Qiqi urged Long Xuan'en to send reinforcements to Eastern Liang Commandery, but he refused and revealed that he expected Hu Xiaotian either to die defending the city or be punished for retreating.
• Zhou Ruiyuan warned Qiqi that Hu Xiaotian could not avoid the battle, while she feared for his safety and blamed Zhao Dengyun for withholding help.
• Tang Boxi led fifty warships and thirty thousand troops downstream, dismissing Hu Xiaotian’s pontoon bridges as an inadequate obstacle.
• Hu Xiaotian and Yu Tianxing reviewed the defenses, including ten catapults along the Yong River, as Xiong Tianba reported that everything was ready.

Yu Tianxing and Hu Xiaotian prepared Xiasha Port’s defenses as Tang Boxi’s fleet entered the Yong River, where smoke, fire, siege weapons, and ambushes disrupted the Great Yong advance. Tang Boxi’s ships were trapped under attack from both banks, and the battle remained unresolved as panic spread through his fleet.

• Yu Tianxing assigned Liang Yinghao, Hu Zhongyang, Tang Tiehan, Tang Qingxuan, Xiong Tianba, and Hu Xiaotian positions to defend Xiasha Port and the Yong River.
• Tang Boxi arrived four hours late at Eastern Liang Commandery and ordered his fleet to speed toward Xiasha Port.
• Liang Yinghao set fire to the Reed Marsh, while Zhu Ba’s boats and rafts pursued Tang Boxi’s fleet through the spreading smoke.
• Tang Boxi’s Armor-Breaking Ships smashed two pontoon bridges, but magnets and chains attached to them as Yu Tianxing signaled the attack.
• Great Kang’s catapults, siege crossbows, burning rafts, and riverbank traps struck Tang Boxi’s fleet as it tried to land.
• Xiong Tianba’s soldiers ambushed Yong troops at Duck’s Mouth, while Zhao Wusheng and Li Yongfu’s force blocked ships attempting to flee to the southern bank.

The Kang Army’s ambush devastated Tang Boxi’s fleet as Xiong Tianba killed the Yong commanders at Duck’s Mouth. Tang Boxi forced a path toward Xiasha Port, where Hu Xiaotian prepared to ignite the oil spread across the river.

• Xiong Tianba defied Liang Yinghao’s orders, charged the Yong landing force, and killed Lü Dacheng and Tang Fang in single blows.
• Liang Yinghao reinforced Xiong Tianba while Fu Tong’s men seized two warships, routing the Yong soldiers who had landed at Duck’s Mouth.
• Tang Boxi ordered his fleet to smash through the floating bridges, losing two warships as the surviving ships advanced toward Xiasha Port.
• Hu Xiaotian’s forces sank five more Yong ships with catapults and siege crossbows, leaving Tang Boxi with sixteen warships and fewer than ten thousand troops.
• Hu Xiaotian spread tung oil across the river, then nocked a fire arrow and prepared to ignite the oil slick as Tang Boxi’s fleet approached.

Hu Xiaotian and his allies routed Tang Boxi’s Great Yong fleet at Xiasha Port, while Tang Tiehan used news of the defeat and Tang Qingxuan’s flute to quell the crowd at the South Gate. Tang Boxi fled downstream and attempted suicide, but Liu Yuncai stopped him just as Xiong Tianba arrived to intercept him.

• Tang Tiehan threatened the crowd at the South Gate, and Tang Qingxuan played the Jade Flute to calm the people after Tang Tiehan announced that Great Yong had been defeated and Tang Boxi killed.
• Zhuge Guanqi discussed his doubts about himself and Hu Xiaotian’s struggle with Hong Lingxue.
• Zhu Ba reinforced Xiasha Port, and Hu Xiaotian flew to Tang Boxi’s command ship and cut through the defenders in pursuit of him.
• Li Yongfu arrived with ten warships and seven thousand Great Kang sailors, turning the battle against Great Yong and prompting many enemy soldiers to surrender.
• Tang Boxi fled downstream with Liu Yuncai and a shrinking guard, then tried to kill himself, but Liu Yuncai stopped him.
• Xiong Tianba arrived with a hundred cavalrymen to intercept Tang Boxi after Yu Tianxing predicted the route of his escape.

Hu Xiaotian’s forces defeated the Great Yong Navy at Xiasha Port and captured Tang Boxi. With a larger invasion likely, Hu set out for Wuxing Commandery to seek Zhao Dengyun’s support, carrying a cryptic message from Zhu Guanqi.

• Xiong Tianba and Hu Xiaotian’s men captured Tang Boxi after Beggar Gang disciples lured him into the river and dragged him ashore.
• Hu Xiaotian ordered Tang Boxi taken under guard and announced his capture, causing the remaining Great Yong soldiers to surrender.
• Li Yongfu joined Hu Xiaotian at Xiasha Port, where more than ten thousand Great Yong soldiers had been captured, and resolved to return to Wuxing Commandery despite the trouble he might face from Zhao Dengyun.
• Hu Xiaotian decided to accompany Li Yongfu to Wuxing Commandery and asked Yu Tianxing to keep Eastern Liang Commandery calm while he was away.
• Hu Xiaotian boarded Li Yongfu’s warship with Xiong Tianba and Visa; Visa delivered Zhu Guanqi’s letter, which urged him to make his decision when the moment demanded it.

Hu Xiaotian entered Wuxing Commandery to confront Zhao Dengyun and secure support for his plan, despite the danger of being accused of provoking war. Zhao Dengyun threatened to execute Li Yongfu, and Hu Xiaotian challenged him over his refusal to defend Great Kang's territory, leaving the two men in open conflict.

• Hu Xiaotian told Visa what to do as he prepared to act on his plan to seize Wuxing Commandery.
• Zhao Wusheng warned Hu Xiaotian not to enter the city, but Hu Xiaotian insisted on meeting Governor Zhao Dengyun.
• Hu Xiaotian entered the Governor's Residence with Visa and Li Yongfu, whom Zhao Wusheng had arrested for defying Zhao Dengyun's orders.
• Zhao Dengyun condemned Li Yongfu for deploying troops without authorization and ordered his execution, while Zhao Wusheng and the other officers pleaded for mercy.
• Hu Xiaotian mocked Zhao Dengyun's authority and accused him of abandoning Great Kang's people and siding with Great Yong.

Hu Xiaotian exposed Zhao Dengyun’s alleged collusion with Tang Boxi, and Zhao Wusheng killed his uncle to seize control of the crisis. With Zhao Dengyun and Tang Boxi dead, the generals and soldiers faced Hu Xiaotian’s challenge to take command of Wuxing Commandery.

• Hu Xiaotian brought Tang Boxi before the generals, and Tang Boxi accused Zhao Dengyun of conspiring to surrender Wuxing Commandery to Great Yong.
• Visa used her Soul-Seizing Art on Zhao Dengyun, who admitted his plans before breaking free and attacking her.
• Hu Xiaotian pushed Tang Boxi into Zhao Dengyun’s sword, killing Tang Boxi, and Zhao Dengyun ordered his guards to arrest Hu Xiaotian.
• Zhao Wusheng stabbed Zhao Dengyun from behind and declared that he had killed a traitor; several generals then killed two men who challenged him.
• Xiong Tianba blocked the soldiers outside the Martial Training Hall while Li Yongfu denounced Zhao Dengyun, and Zhao Wusheng handed his sword to Hu Xiaotian in submission.

Hu Xiaotian used the Five-Colored Coiling Dragon Gold Plaque and a fabricated imperial decree to secure the generals’ support after Zhao Dengyun’s death, then began consolidating Wuxing Commandery with Zhao Wusheng. He planned to unite it with Eastern Liang Commandery, prepare for a possible war with Great Yong, and test Long Xuan'en’s response by sending Zhao Dengyun’s remaining followers to the Capital City.

• Hu Xiaotian claimed the plaque and a Secret Edict authorized him to eliminate Zhao Dengyun, and the generals accepted his account and pledged loyalty to the emperor.
• Zhao Wusheng ordered the troops to remain calm, detained three of Zhao Dengyun’s trusted generals, and transferred command of their forces to Li Yongfu.
• Zhao Wusheng pledged to serve Hu Xiaotian, who promised to send half of Eastern Liang Commandery’s provisions to Wuxing Commandery and urged them to rely on each other.
• Zhao Wusheng revealed that Zhao Dengyun had killed his parents, and Hu Xiaotian proposed that they join hands to carve out a realm along the Yong River.
• Hu Xiaotian told Zhao Wusheng to let some of Zhao Dengyun’s followers go to the Capital City so Long Xuan'en’s reaction would reveal whether he would accept Hu Xiaotian’s takeover.

Hu Xiaotian left Wuxing Commandery after arranging aid for its troops and met Ji Feihua aboard his ship. As they drank together, they discussed Hu Xiaotian’s mother, the Xu Family, and Ji Feihua’s connection to the Chu family, leaving Hu Xiaotian with more questions about Old Madam Xu’s schemes.

• Hu Xiaotian ordered thirty warships and supplies sent to Xiasha Port to support Wuxing Commandery, then sailed back toward Eastern Liang Commandery with Tang Boxi’s body.
• Hu Xiaotian spoke with Visa on deck before discovering Ji Feihua sitting above the sail and leaping up to join him.
• Ji Feihua praised Hu Xiaotian’s growth, asked him to call him Big Brother, and shared wine with him.
• Hu Xiaotian and Ji Feihua discussed Hu Xiaotian’s father, his mother’s death, and Ji Feihua’s knowledge of the family’s ties to the Fragrant Kingdom.
• Ji Feihua revealed that Old Madam Xu had helped him escape the Chu family’s destruction but had ultimately used him as a tool.

Ji Feihua gave Hu Xiaotian a ledger of court secrets and former allies before leaving to investigate the past and pursue revenge. Hu Xiaotian reached Xiasha Port the next morning, unable to find Ji Feihua among the soldiers.

• Ji Feihua told Hu Xiaotian he had failed to recover his martial arts and planned to uncover the truth about the Xu Family and his enemies.
• Ji Feihua gave Hu Xiaotian a ledger containing court leverage and the names of former subordinates, and advised him to make use of Zhao Wusheng.
• Ji Feihua warned Hu Xiaotian about his engagement to Qiqi and revealed that Zhao Wusheng had been his hidden ally in the Yong River Navy.
• Hu Xiaotian draped his cloak over Ji Feihua and told him he would miss him before Ji Feihua left the warship.
• Hu Xiaotian arrived at Xiasha Port at dawn and searched the crowds for Ji Feihua, but could not find him.

After returning from Wuxing Commandery, Hu Xiaotian assessed the battle’s heavy enemy losses, arranged care for his own casualties, and ordered measures to steady Eastern Liang Commandery. He then visited Zhuge Guanqi, whose quiet integrity and strategic talent Hu Xiaotian hoped to win for his cause.

• Hu Xiaotian learned that his forces had captured 11,300 enemy soldiers and lost 456 men, then ordered proper burials, compensation, and settlement options for Refugee Camp laborers.
• Hu Xiaotian told Yu Tianxing that Tang Boxi and Zhao Dengyun were dead, and Yu Tianxing realized Hu Xiaotian had gained control of both commanderies and the Yong River Navy.
• Hu Xiaotian rejected Yu Tianxing’s proposal to execute troublemakers and instead ordered a two-day curfew, arrests for rumor-spreading, and completion of the battlefield cleanup within three days.
• Hu Xiaotian visited Zhuge Guanqi’s home, waited while he slept, and spoke with Hong Lingxue about Zhuge Guanqi’s refusal to pursue official status.
• Zhuge Guanqi woke, welcomed Hu Xiaotian, and agreed to share a simple meal of Yangchun Noodles with him.

Hu Xiaotian asked Zhuge Guanqi to guide him as he planned an independent path between Great Yong and Great Kang. Zhuge Guanqi laid out the dangers of exchanging prisoners for grain and the choices facing Hu Xiaotian, who left to consult Yu Tianxing while Zhuge Guanqi admitted to Hong Lingxue that he was still hesitating.

• Hu Xiaotian thanked Zhuge Guanqi for helping him and revealed that Tang Boxi and Zhao Dengyun were dead, then asked Zhuge Guanqi to become his guide.
• Hu Xiaotian said he intended to hold his own territory, and Zhuge Guanqi warned that Eastern Liang Commandery lacked grain and would soon face a decision over more than ten thousand prisoners.
• Hu Xiaotian proposed trading the prisoners to Great Yong for two million jin of grain, and Zhuge Guanqi predicted Great Yong would accept but would later attack, possibly during the exchange.
• Zhuge Guanqi explained that Hu Xiaotian could retreat to Wuxing Commandery or remain and face Shaoyuan's fifty-thousand-strong force, while warning that Wuxing Commandery's navy could not be moved lightly.
• Zhuge Guanqi advised Hu Xiaotian to ask Yu Tianxing which course to take, and Hu Xiaotian left to consult him.
• Hong Lingxue teased Zhuge Guanqi about holding Hu Xiaotian's hand, and Zhuge Guanqi told her that admiration and love were different.

Yu Tianxing advised Hu Xiaotian to launch a surprise attack on Eastern Luo Granary before Qin Yangming could attack Eastern Liang Commandery from three fronts. Hu Xiaotian began preparing to lure out the granary’s defenders and told Liu Yuncai he intended to send him back, leaving Liu uncertain of his fate.

• Yu Tianxing urged Hu Xiaotian to keep Eastern Liang Commandery and seize Eastern Luo Granary to disrupt Great Yong’s supplies and offensive.
• Yu Tianxing predicted Qin Yangming would coordinate with Nanyang Water Fortress and attack from three directions, leaving Eastern Luo Granary vulnerable after its troops marched out.
• Yu Tianxing proposed assembling three catapults near Eastern Luo Granary to threaten its walls and lure its defenders into the open.
• Hu Xiaotian summoned Liu Yuncai, had him untied and seated by Xiong Tianba, and announced that he intended to send him back.
• Liu Yuncai accused Hu Xiaotian of causing the conflict, and Hu Xiaotian defended his actions before saying he had decided to spare Liu and the prisoners.

Hu Xiaotian defeated Tang Boxi’s fleet and demanded grain in exchange for releasing his prisoners, while Qiqi confronted Long Xuan'en over his response to Hu’s actions. The chapter ended with Zhou Ruiyuan agreeing that Hu was a threat but disagreeing with Wen Chenghuan’s proposed response.

• Hu Xiaotian offered to release Liu Yuncai and his men in exchange for two million jin of grain, with Liu returning to negotiate the demand.
• After hearing of Hu Xiaotian’s victory, Qiqi refused Long Xuan'en’s summons at first, then arrived at the Diligent Governance Hall several hours later.
• Long Xuan'en challenged Qiqi over Hu Xiaotian’s killing of Zhao Dengyun, and Qiqi defended the decision and warned against driving Hu toward Great Yong.
• Qiqi left the hall, and Long Xuan'en furiously split an incense burner with his sword.
• Wen Chenghuan urged Long Xuan'en to punish Hu Xiaotian as a traitor, while Zhou Ruiyuan said he agreed with Wen’s assessment but not his proposal.

Long Xuan'en weighed Zhou Ruiyuan and Wen Chenghuan’s opposing advice about Hu Xiaotian, then heard from Hong Beimo that Great Yong was preparing to invade and that Xu Lingkong might have helped Hu Xiaotian. The story shifted to Xue Daohong, who faced the fallout from Tang Boxi’s defeat and Hu Xiaotian’s ransom demand for captured soldiers.

• Zhou Ruiyuan urged Long Xuan'en to appease and reward Hu Xiaotian, while Wen Chenghuan argued that Hu Xiaotian should be punished.
• Long Xuan'en dismissed Zhou Ruiyuan and Wen Chenghuan, then asked Hong Beimo for his assessment of the crisis.
• Hong Beimo told Long Xuan'en that Great Yong planned to send troops south in early spring and that two thousand Beggar Gang members had fought alongside Hu Xiaotian’s forces.
• Hong Beimo revealed that Xu Lingkong had been hiding in the Beggar Gang, and Long Xuan'en accepted that he needed to go with the flow.
• Xue Daohong learned that Hu Xiaotian demanded two million jin of grain to release 11,300 captured soldiers, and he denounced the demand.

Xue Daohong ordered Qin Yangming to retake Eastern Liang Commandery after Great Yong’s defeat, while Hu Xiaotian and his allies prepared a risky campaign to seize the Eastern Luo Granary. The chapter left Hu backing Yu Tianxing’s plan as the group weighed the dangers of the coming battle.

• Xue Daohong blamed Tang Boxi for the defeat and ordered Qin Yangming to bring him Hu Xiaotian’s head and retake Eastern Liang Commandery within half a month.
• Liu Yuncai told Hu Xiaotian that Great Yong had agreed to exchange grain for the hostages in three batches, and Hu convened a secret meeting after receiving the first shipment.
• Hu Xiaotian rejected Zhao Wusheng’s proposal to abandon Eastern Liang Commandery and announced a plan to capture the Eastern Luo Granary for its supplies and strategic position.
• Yu Tianxing explained that Qin Yangming would likely attack with forces advancing from three directions, while Hu planned to leave twenty thousand soldiers in Wuxing Commandery and send ten thousand to fight.
• Hu Xiaotian defended Yu Tianxing’s risky plan, arguing that taking the granary would secure provisions and help establish a complete defensive line.

Hu Xiaotian and Yu Tianxing prepared a risky assault on the Eastern Luo Granary while arranging defenses and concealment across the commanderies. As rumors drove civilians from Eastern Liang Commandery, Hu Xiaotian told Hu Zhongyang that he would defend the city if Great Yong attacked, retreating to Wuxing Commandery only if they could not hold it.

• Liang Yinghao explained that the Eastern Luo Granary’s canal culverts could provide an infiltration route, and Yu Tianxing outlined a plan to distract the garrison with catapults while troops entered through them.
• Hu Xiaotian volunteered to lead a thousand elite swimmers into the granary; Zhu Ba was assigned two thousand men to defend the catapults, while Zhao Wusheng commanded five thousand in reserve near Baila Pass and Xiong Tianba served as his vanguard.
• Hu Xiaotian left Li Yongfu in charge of Wuxing Commandery and instructed him to send a hundred warships toward Xiasha Port after the granary fell, as a show of force rather than a direct engagement.
• Hu Xiaotian spread rumors of another war on Zhuge Guanqi’s advice, and more than ten thousand civilians left Eastern Liang Commandery, helping conceal the raiding force’s movements.
• Hu Xiaotian rode through Eastern Liang Commandery with Hu Zhongyang and said he would defend the city against Great Yong, retreating to Wuxing Commandery only if the city could not be held.

Hu Xiaotian reunited with Zhan Peng and Gao Yuan, learned that Murong Feiyan and Long Xiyue were alive but detained in the Fragrant Kingdom, and resolved to protect his family and friends. Before departing Eastern Liang Commandery for the coming battle, he received Zhuge Guanqi’s warning that the city might hold for only four hours and that his plan hinged on drawing Great Yong troops away from Baila Pass.

• Hu Zhongyang told Hu Xiaotian that his wealth came from reaching out to take it and pulling back to profit.
• Zhan Peng and Gao Yuan returned to Hu Xiaotian and recounted how Xiao Tianmu and Hu Buwei had diverted their fleet to the Fragrant Kingdom and imprisoned them.
• Zhan Peng relayed Hu Buwei’s apology and said Murong Feiyan and Long Xiyue were alive under house arrest in the Fragrant Kingdom.
• Hu Xiaotian told Zhan Peng and Gao Yuan that he would make their enemies fear harming his family and friends.
• Hu Xiaotian visited Zhuge Guanqi before leaving, and Zhuge warned that Eastern Liang Commandery could hold for only four hours against Qin Yangming’s full assault.
• Zhuge Guanqi advised Hu Xiaotian to leak news of the attack on the Eastern Luo Granary so Qin Yangming would divert half his troops, but Hu Xiaotian worried that the five thousand men at Baila Pass could not withstand the attack.

Hu Xiaotian prepared a timed surprise attack on Eastern Luo Granary while Qin Yangming mobilized a huge force to encircle Eastern Liang Commandery. As Qin Yangming approached the city, he grew suspicious that the operation was going too smoothly, while Hu Xiaotian’s raiders waited concealed in the snow.

• Zhuge Guanqi warned Hu Xiaotian to seize Eastern Luo Granary within eight hours and coordinate his attack with Zhao’s troops, or retreat before the Yong Army could encircle him.
• Qin Yangming planned a three-pronged assault on Eastern Liang Commandery and ordered Chang Fanqi to remain at Eastern Luo Granary to defend it.
• Hu Xiaotian and a thousand elite warriors hid near the canal in white clothing, waiting for nightfall and relying on the snowfall to conceal their raid.
• Hu Xiaotian discussed the granary’s supplies and the risks of being trapped there with Zhan Peng and Liang Yinghao as the snowfall continued.
• Qin Yangming’s army set out early and advanced toward Eastern Liang Commandery, while scouts reported that the defenders had not withdrawn and the Nanyang navy was still approaching.
• Qin Yangming ordered another scouting mission after telling Zhai Yuan that the lack of resistance felt suspicious.