Chapter Summaries

After taking Sishui Pass at catastrophic cost, Nangong Shi weighed honoring the dead against preparing for the advancing Shang Army. He decided to keep the ruined pass and pursue its survivors and evacuated civilians as a way to draw Lu Xiong into dividing his forces.

• The fire at Sishui Pass burned for three days and killed tens of thousands, leaving Nangong Shi grieving the losses and Dou Rong’s sacrifice.
• Lei Zhenzi urged Nangong Shi to conserve his strength because the ruined pass lacked supplies and could not be defended against the approaching Shang Army.
• Nangong Shi reasoned that abandoning Sishui Pass would waste a vital future stronghold, but staying without a plan would invite destruction.
• Nangong Shi ordered a detached force to pursue the surviving garrison and evacuated civilians, intending to surround them and tempt Lu Xiong to divide his army.
• Nangong Shi said he would defend the pass if Lu Xiong refused to split his forces, arguing that abandoning the survivors and civilians would cost Great Shang the people’s support.

Lu Xiong brought the Western Expedition Army to Sishui Pass and prepared to attack Nangong Shi’s fortified position despite exhaustion and the cost in casualties. He left the survivors pursued by Lei Zhenzi without rescue and wondered why King Zhou had sent no reply, as the army mustered for a difficult assault.

• Lu Xiong divided his army into three columns, then led his own forces west to Sishui Pass while Shi Bufan and Gao Jieneng took separate routes.
• Scouts reported that Lei Zhenzi’s troops were pursuing Han Sheng, Han Bian, surviving soldiers, and civilians, but Lu Xiong refused to detach troops for a rescue.
• Lu Xiong judged that Nangong Shi still had forty to fifty thousand battle-ready soldiers in the fortified pass, while his own troops were tired from marching.
• Lu Xiong listened as his soldiers spoke eagerly of earning military merit, land, rewards, and a better life through battle.
• Lu Xiong questioned why King Zhou had not replied to his report, then accepted that there was no shortcut to retaking Sishui Pass and prepared for a prolonged assault.

Lu Xiong’s army repeatedly failed to capture Sishui Pass while Lei Zhenzi trapped the pass’s surviving defenders on a mountain. Though Zi Shou twice ordered Lu Xiong to retreat and send troops to rescue them, Lu Xiong judged the decrees mistaken and continued the assault.

• Lu Xiong recognized that his disciplined troops were now usable soldiers and marched most of them toward Sishui Pass.
• A messenger reported that Lei Zhenzi had trapped the remnants from Sishui Pass on a mountain after inflicting over a thousand casualties, but Lu Xiong chose to attack the pass instead of rescuing them.
• Lu Xiong’s army fought Nangong Shi’s defenders for two days but made little progress against Sishui Pass.
• After Ji Fa and Jiang Ziya’s army began marching east, Zi Shou ordered Lu Xiong to retreat to Chuanyun Pass and detach troops to rescue the surrounded remnants.
• Lu Xiong ignored the first imperial decree and continued attacking Sishui Pass.
• A second, more detailed decree arrived, but Lu Xiong defied it again and continued the assault.

Zi Shou grew angry when Lu Xiong ignored his order to rescue the stranded Sishui Pass troops, then led an army from Tong Pass despite Yu Hualong’s warnings. The army found Lei Zhenzi waiting with an ambush, and Zi Shou ordered the drums beaten as Ao Lie prepared to fight.

• Zi Shou learned that Lu Xiong was still attacking Sishui Pass instead of diverting his army to rescue the surrounded troops.
• Zi Shou summoned Yu Hualong, who argued that the remnant troops were expendable and that weakening Tong Pass would risk its defenses.
• Despite agreeing that the rescue was not worthwhile, Zi Shou ordered Yu Hualong and Yin Pobai to prepare the army and announced that they would march the next day.
• Zi Shou led troops out of Tong Pass and found Lei Zhenzi’s army waiting near the surrounded Sishui Pass troops.
• Ao Lie offered to hold Lei Zhenzi off while the army attacked, and Zi Shou ordered the soldiers to beat the drums and fight.

Ao Lie recognized that Dharma Power weakened amid armies clashing, while Zi Shou ordered a costly assault to rescue the survivors from Sishui Pass. He dismissed Yu Da’s arguments and insisted that the Shang Army continue attacking.

• Ao Lie reasoned that battle formations disrupted Immortals’ and Gods’ Dharma Power, making human effort more influential in the war between Shang and Zhou.
• Lei Zhenzi led the prepared Zhou Army against the Shang reinforcements, and the Shang troops suffered heavy losses in the first clash.
• Zi Shou heard the soldiers’ cries and ordered the Shang Army not to retreat until it had driven the enemy back.
• Yu Da urged Zi Shou to surround Lei Zhenzi’s smaller force instead of charging, but Zi Shou ordered the assault to continue because he wanted to rescue the besieged survivors.
• Zi Shou silenced Yu Da, threatened him with a charge of undermining morale, and struck his forehead with a walnut shell as he ordered him to get out.

Yu Da helped the Shang Army defeat the Zhou Army, but the victory left him sickened by its heavy losses and King Zhou’s orders. He found 732 starving survivors from Sishui Pass and began to question whether anyone should be abandoned.

• Yu Da fought alongside the Shang Army as it broke the Zhou Army’s line, while Li Lie and Lei Zhenzi remained locked in combat.
• After the Zhou Army routed, Yu Da questioned the cost of victory and followed King Zhou’s order to search the hill for Sishui Pass survivors instead of pursuing the fleeing enemy.
• Han Sheng and Han Bian shared their meager food and water with Xiao Liu, intending to send him down the hill so at least one survivor could escape.
• Yu Da’s troops reached the survivors, and he learned that only 732 soldiers from the Sishui Pass garrison remained.
• Yu Da wondered whether no one should be abandoned, though he still believed rescuing the survivors had cost more than it gained.

Lu Xiong ignored Zi Shou’s repeated orders to avoid frontal assaults and captured Sishui Pass, only to be trapped inside by Nangong Shi’s hidden troops and Lei Zhenzi’s returning force. Lu Xiong escaped with his personal guards, but his army suffered a crushing defeat.

• Zi Shou repeatedly ordered Lu Xiong to withdraw or wait for reinforcements instead of assaulting Sishui Pass, but Lu Xiong continued attacking.
• Lu Xiong personally led the final assault, broke through the gate, and captured Sishui Pass as Nangong Shi fled and the Shang Army slaughtered Zhou soldiers.
• Lu Xiong discovered that only a little over eight thousand enemy bodies remained and realized Zhou soldiers were hiding in the empty houses.
• Lei Zhenzi returned with about a thousand hidden troops, seized the gate, and trapped the Shang Army inside the pass while Nangong Shi’s soldiers attacked.
• Lu Xiong’s forces collapsed in the ambush, but his guards protected him and he organized a breakout from Sishui Pass.

After Lu Xiong’s army suffered a crushing defeat at Sishui Pass, he accepted responsibility and sent Lu Renjie to report the loss to Zi Shou. Zi Shou remained outwardly calm when he heard the news, while his soldiers continued learning the Ten-Thousand Dance.

• Lu Xiong rallied the retreating Western Expedition Army, tallied more than thirty thousand casualties, and realized Lei Zhenzi’s attack from behind had caused the defeat.
• Lu Xiong told Lu Renjie that the army must withdraw and shift to defense, then ordered him to report the defeat to His Majesty.
• Zi Shou camped in the field after rescuing survivors and summoned dancers and musicians from Tong Pass.
• Lu Renjie arrived at Zi Shou’s camp and found the soldiers practicing the Ten-Thousand Dance rather than battle formations.
• Lu Renjie delivered news of Lu Xiong’s crushing defeat, and Zi Shou remained outwardly calm.

After Lu Xiong suffered a crushing defeat at Sishui Pass, Zi Shou blamed himself in front of his generals to shield the old general and preserve the army’s morale. He ordered the royal forces to advance west and join the survivors, then collapsed after secretly staging a dramatic faint.

• Lu Renjie reported that Lei Zhenzi and Nangong Shi had trapped Lu Xiong’s army at Sishui Pass, though Lu Xiong escaped with the surviving column.
• Zi Shou claimed his repeated imperial decrees had goaded Lu Xiong into attacking and took responsibility for the defeat.
• Zi Shou imagined turning the events into an opera that portrayed him as a foolish ruler and Lu Xiong as a heroic general.
• Zi Shou ordered the army to break camp, advance west, join the Western Expedition Army, and later withdraw to defend Chuanyun Pass.
• Zi Shou vowed to lead a campaign against Xiqi, earning the generals’ renewed loyalty, then spat out grape-scented dark wine and pretended to faint.

After Lu Xiong’s defeat at Sishui Pass, Zi Shou pretended to collapse, then woke and resumed feasting while his army prepared to march. He rejected Ao Lie’s offer to lead the reinforcements in his place and declared that he already had a plan, though he intended to avoid a major battle and retreat toward Chuanyun Pass.

• Physicians examined Zi Shou and concluded that he was asleep, while Ao Lie ordered the generals to organize the troops for a march west.
• Zi Shou woke after half a day and continued enjoying music, dancing, wine, and meat broth as the generals entered his tent.
• Lu Renjie rebuked Zi Shou for feasting while soldiers suffered, but Zi Shou defended his privileges and asked about the army’s preparations.
• Ao Lie reported that the troops were ready and urged Zi Shou to return to Tong Pass while he led the reinforcements to Lu Xiong.
• Zi Shou refused to let Ao Lie take command and demanded the military map, declaring that he already had a plan.

Zi Shou asked his generals how long it would take to reach Sishui Pass, then ordered them to follow a route he drew and publish it in the newspaper. After dismissing them, Ao Lie and the others discussed the danger of a Zhou ambush as they prepared their deployment.

• Yin Pobai estimated that the army needed five days to reach Sishui Pass, while Ao Lie suggested that would not be enough to reach Tong Pass.
• Zi Shou drew a marching route on the map, extended the journey estimate to seven days, and ordered the route published for everyone to see.
• When the generals tried to object, Zi Shou declared that an honorable army had no need to hide its movements and sent them out to discuss the plan themselves.
• Ao Lie interpreted Zi Shou's actions as a way to establish the authority of the Chaoge generals and asked Yu Da to continue explaining the enemy situation.
• Yu Da warned that Nangong Shi could no longer track the troops inside Sishui Pass and that Ji Fa and Jiang Ziya might send forces to ambush the army.

Ao Lie, Yin Pobai, and Yu Da devised a plan to publicize the Shang Army’s route and lure the Zhou Army into an ambush while reinforcing General Lu. The army departed under Zi Shou’s command after he delayed the march and ordered the soldiers to perform the Ten-Thousand Dance.

• Ao Lie explained that the Shang Army would publish its route and slow its march to encourage the Zhou Army to attempt an interception that could be turned into an ambush.
• Yin Pobai said the Western Expedition needed a morale-boosting victory, while Yu Da warned that the generals still needed to determine the Zhou Army’s likely strength and ambush site.
• Ao Lie, Yin Pobai, and Yu Da agreed to discuss countermeasures after publishing the army’s deployment and marching route in the newspaper.
• Zi Shou woke when Yin Pobai announced the army’s departure time and ordered the march delayed by an hour, with the soldiers performing the Ten-Thousand Dance.
• After the soldiers packed the tents and assembled, Zi Shou gave the signal and the army set out.

Jiang Ziya explained how King Zhou’s published route forced Zhou to choose between risking an ambush and appearing cowardly, then sent Lei Zhenzi with ten thousand troops to attack the Shang Army. Lei Zhenzi found King Zhou following the published route and led his soldiers into the camp under cover of darkness, where he ordered them to loose their attack.

• Jiang Ziya told Ji Fa that King Zhou’s public marching plans were meant to bolster Shang morale, mislead Zhou, and pressure them into action.
• Jiang Ziya dispatched General Qi Gong toward Sishui Pass and ordered Lei Zhenzi to lead ten thousand troops in an ambush.
• Lei Zhenzi tracked King Zhou’s army and confirmed it was following the route printed in the newspaper.
• Lei Zhenzi chose to attack the Shang camp at night rather than ambush the army along its guarded route.
• Lei Zhenzi’s soldiers silently killed the camp guards and entered the camp, and he ordered them to loose.

Lei Zhenzi led a night raid on the Shang camp, hoping to capture King Zhou, but Zi Shou hurled him from the tent while still asleep. The Zhou force was trapped by Ao Lie’s counterambush and fought desperately to break out.

• Lei Zhenzi’s Zhou soldiers fired arrows into the Shang camp, then charged toward the central tent amid the apparent chaos.
• Lei Zhenzi entered the tent and tried to seize Zi Shou, but Zi Shou grabbed the Golden Cudgel and flung Lei Zhenzi outside in his sleep.
• Yin Pobai and Ao Lie arrived as Zhou soldiers prepared to attack Zi Shou, and Lei Zhenzi fled the tent to find the fire extinguished and Shang troops surrounding them.
• Lei Zhenzi ordered his soldiers to break out west while Ao Lie formed the Imperial Guards into a battle formation and directed the encirclement.
• The Zhou soldiers fought fiercely against the larger Shang force, while Ao Lie remained focused on containing them and the Shang Army celebrated the apparent counterambush.

Ao Lie and the Shang Army defeated Lei Zhenzi’s Zhou force after King Zhou’s nighttime festivities left the soldiers unusually alert to a raid. Lei Zhenzi fled, and the exhausted Shang troops rested before joining the Western Expedition Army.

• Lei Zhenzi rallied the surrounded Zhou soldiers by invoking Ji Chang, while Ao Lie stepped forward to fight him amid the armies’ baleful aura.
• Yin Pobai took command as Ao Lie and Lei Zhenzi exchanged powerful blows, and the Shang Army pressed its numerical advantage against the Zhou troops.
• Ao Lie explained that King Zhou’s nightly singing and dancing had made the Shang soldiers sensitive to sounds and firelight, allowing them to stop Lei Zhenzi’s camp raid.
• Yin Pobai ordered the Shang troops forward, and Lei Zhenzi drove Ao Lie back before fleeing as the Zhou force was defeated.
• Ao Lie ordered the Shang soldiers to clean up and rest, and Zi Shou returned to bed after Yin Pobai reported the victory the next day.

Wen Zhong explained that King Zhou’s published march route signaled a chance for the hidden Southern Army and the submitted Baiyue forces to join the Western Expedition. He ordered Zhang Guifang to lead the army north along the Wei River while he followed behind.

• Zhang Guifang, Fang Xiang, and Fang Bi urged Wen Zhong to leave the southern mountains as the troops grew restless and Great Shang suffered defeats elsewhere.
• Wen Zhong showed the generals King Zhou’s published march route and asked Zhang Guifang to interpret its meaning.
• Zhang Guifang reasoned that King Zhou’s small force would bolster the Western Expedition Army while the Southern Army could attack the Zhou forces from behind.
• Wen Zhong confirmed that the Five Kings of Baiyue had surrendered in secret and that the moment had come to use their forces.
• Wen Zhong appointed Zhang Guifang to command the army and march north along the Wei River, with Wen Zhong bringing up the rear.

Zi Shou ordered Lu Renjie to build eight hundred li of connected camps near Sishui Pass, hoping to expose their weakness, but Lu Renjie defended the strategy instead. Nangong Shi recognized the camps’ strength and considered how to counter them, yet he could not tell what Zi Shou intended, leaving him uneasy.

• Zi Shou woke near Sishui Pass and ordered Lu Renjie to establish eight hundred li of connected camps in the nearby mountain forest.
• Zi Shou tried to make Lu Renjie recognize that connected camps were vulnerable to fire, but Lu Renjie argued that they could be defended against fire attacks.
• A messenger told Nangong Shi that Zi Shou’s army had arrived, so Nangong Shi and Lei Zhenzi rode out to inspect the Shang Army’s camp.
• Nangong Shi explained that an enemy could disrupt the connected camps by attacking from the front and rear and then using fire, but Sishui Pass lacked enough troops to carry out the plan while Lu Xiong’s army remained nearby.
• Lei Zhenzi wondered whether the camps showed that Zi Shou had abandoned the effort to retake Sishui Pass, and Nangong Shi remained troubled by the king’s apparent intentions.

King Zhou sent Ao Lie to provoke the Zhou Army at Sishui Pass, hoping to let its soldiers’ complacency grow while avoiding a real fight. Ao Lie shouted the king’s arrogant boasts beneath the pass, and the chapter ended with the Zhou soldiers hearing his challenge.

• Lei Zhenzi urged Nangong Shi to raid the Shang camp, but Nangong Shi refused and ordered his troops to hold Sishui Pass.
• Zi Shou rejected plans to build siege engines and told Ao Lie to challenge the Zhou Army, withdraw if they came out, and have Lu Xiong cover his retreat.
• Ao Lie led eight hundred soldiers toward the pass and noticed that few Zhou soldiers were patrolling its walls.
• Ao Lie concluded that the Zhou Army’s recent victories had made its soldiers complacent and decided to exploit their pride.
• Ao Lie shouted Zi Shou’s boasts beneath Sishui Pass, including that the soldiers would return to Chaoge for the Spring Festival.

Nangong Shi recognized that the Shang Army’s nighttime challenge was meant to make the Zhou Army overconfident, so he warned his soldiers and recorded their negligence for later punishment. After the raid, Lu Xiong explained to Ao Lie how the Shang Army’s feasting and music would reinforce that illusion while its defenses remained secure.

• A sentry reported the Shang Army’s challenge, and Nangong Shi mustered troops to the wall.
• Ao Lie led about a hundred men away after drawing the Zhou Army’s attention without suffering casualties.
• Nangong Shi reprimanded the guards for neglecting their duties and recorded their offense, warning them to remain alert.
• Ao Lie met Lu Xiong, who praised the raid as a way to fan Zhou arrogance and wear down its soldiers.
• Lu Xiong explained that the Shang Army’s music and dancing were part of the stratagem, and Ao Lie returned to camp reassured by its defensive arrangements.

Zi Shou led his army to Sishui Pass and invited Ji Fa to meet between their forces, where he spoke with him before staging a collapse. The chapter ended with Zi Shou pretending to cough up blood and accusing Ji Fa of harming him as he ordered his army to withdraw.

• After five days of revelry, Zi Shou summoned his generals and led ten thousand troops toward Sishui Pass to meet Ji Fa.
• Ji Fa learned that the Shang Army had arrived without siege engines, then brought ten thousand soldiers out of the pass to face it.
• Ji Fa refused Lei Zhenzi's suggestion to attack Zi Shou by surprise and walked toward the king's carriage.
• Zi Shou reminisced with Ji Fa and teased him about his dark circles before advising him to eat and sleep well.
• After Lei Zhenzi insulted Zi Shou, Zi Shou collapsed into his carriage, spat grape wine onto the curtain to imitate blood, and accused Ji Fa of harming him.