Arc 1Purging the Northern Army
Lin Cuo used his appointment and the High Eunuchs’ trust to purge corruption in the Northern Army, restore its equipment, and begin forging alliances before the BETA invasion. He reopened contact with resistance groups and secured Takemi Tae’s treatment of Li Xingke, whose recovery strengthened Jiang Lihua’s faction.
- Lin Cuo chose the Great Han Federation, became Jiang Lihua’s fiancé and acting Commandant of the Guards, and learned the BETA would invade the Anxi-Kashgar sector in 180 days.
- Lin Cuo won Jiang Lihua’s approval to give Li Xingke authority over training and emergency military contact, then used inherited troops to expose the Western Garden Army’s shortages and corrupt funding.
- Lin Cuo froze the Lin estate’s military-pay notes, sold family luxuries, and used the proceeds to gain Zhao Hao’s support and appointment as acting Northern Army Zhonghou.
- Lin Cuo ordered audits, detained and suspended officers, and secured Northern Army offices, records, and weapons, while Jiang Lihua barred unauthorized killings and collective punishment.
- Lin Cuo financed Gao Hai factories and a research institute, standardized components, and restored deployable machines while paying overdue wages and bringing former staff back.
- Lin Cuo promised Jiang Lihua an outing and a chance to see a Gao Hai, then sent Cao Yuanming a proposal that reopened Liaodong contact with Area 11’s resistance groups.
- Lin Cuo forced Li Xingke to undergo an examination, and Takemi Tae treated him with an experimental procedure that cured his illness and required a month of rest.