Recaps

Baoyue outlined the risks of hiding among the Barbarian Tribes or rallying them against the Prince of Badong, while Wang Yang rejected all three strategies. He wrote down three requests for Baoyue, and the third made her recoil in shock and refuse to help.

• Baoyue explained that remaining among the Barbarian Tribes could offer Wang Yang temporary safety but carried serious risks and hardships.
• Baoyue described a plan to unite six tribes against the Prince of Badong, warning that their forces might become uncontrollable and plunge Jingzhou into chaos.
• Wang Yang said he would not use Baoyue's worst strategy, and Baoyue deduced that he intended to pursue a different plan.
• Wang Yang began writing three requests for Baoyue, and she recognized a crucial part of his design while reading them.
• Baoyue staggered back and declared that she absolutely could not help Wang Yang with his third request.

Wang Yang insisted on returning to Jingzhou City despite Baoyue’s fears that the Prince of Badong would kill him. He persuaded her that returning would save his life and that he owed Jingzhou’s people for their help, then asked her to help him negotiate with the tribal chiefs.

• Baoyue tried to stop Wang Yang from writing and ordered Xin Yi and Lian San to tie him up, while Chen Qing Shan and the Holy Guards moved to protect him.
• Wang Yang admitted he was returning to Jingzhou City, and Baoyue warned that the Prince of Badong had set a trap for him.
• Wang Yang told Baoyue that he had a plan and could save his life by returning, but she urged him to come to Jiankang instead.
• Baoyue accused Wang Yang of risking his life for Xie Xinghan, and Wang Yang explained that he also felt indebted to the many people in Jingzhou who had helped him.
• Wang Yang persuaded Baoyue to help him, then proposed they discuss the tribes’ prospects and profits with their chiefs.

While under house arrest in the Prince of Badong’s residence, Xie Xinghan endured sleepless nights and Steward Jia’s petty humiliations. Jia brought her a maid’s uniform instead of clothes from the Xie Residence, and Xie Xinghan accepted it while quietly continuing to assess his motives.

• Xie Xinghan remained confined to her room, frightened by the guards outside and unable to sleep soundly.
• Steward Jia arrived with clothes and took an earring from Xiao Ning before handing over the tray.
• Xiao Ning discovered that Jia had brought a maid’s uniform and angrily challenged him for humiliating Xie Xinghan.
• Jia mocked Xiao Ning and left after she shut the door, while Xie Xinghan comforted her and said the uniform would do.
• Xie Xinghan reflected that Jia might be acting out of personal resentment or following someone else’s instructions, and chose to keep watching him.

Madam Le visited her imprisoned husband, Le Zhan, and explained the Prince of Badong’s victories before advising him to avoid taking sides until Jingzhou’s leading gentry chose their course. Le Zhan accepted her strategy, while Le Pang remained bored in detention with Yu Yuling.

• Madam Le brought Le Zhan food and wine, and he panicked when he learned she had met the Prince of Badong.
• Madam Le told Le Zhan that Wang Yi had been defeated, Zhang Jue had been killed, and the Prince of Badong had taken control of Jingzhou.
• Madam Le advised Le Zhan to defer declaring allegiance until Yu Yi chose, and to avoid persuading others to surrender, supplying troops, or offering strategies.
• Le Zhan praised Madam Le’s advice and asked her to send food to their son, but she concealed that she had failed to do so.
• Le Pang asked Yu Yuling whether he had lost weight, and Yu Yuling teased him that he seemed to have gained some.

Wang Yang organized the Three Barbarian Tribes and left Chen Qing Shan with them while he and Baoyue departed. At their farewell, Baoyue danced for Wang Yang and urged him to stay alive until they met again as he rode toward Jingzhou.

• Wang Yang persuaded the tribal leaders that the Prince of Badong faced opposition across the realm and established new religious rites and leadership roles for the tribes.
• Baoyue convinced Chen Qing Shan to remain with the tribes, and Chen Qing Shan accepted the Saint General role despite wanting to accompany Wang Yang.
• Wang Yang left the tribes with Baoyue and reassured Xin Yi and her companions that he would travel with them another time.
• Baoyue offered Wang Yang help through her covert agent Cheng Er, and Wang Yang revealed that he had guessed Cheng Er's identity from the names of her guards.
• Baoyue asked her subordinates to turn away and danced for Wang Yang in the autumn grove.
• Baoyue urged Wang Yang to stay alive until they met again, and Wang Yang rode toward Jingzhou, confident no one there could kill him yet.

The Prince of Badong punished Xue Shao for abandoning the bridal procession by extracting a huge payment and then publicly reassuring him of his value. An urgent report about Yingzhou arrived, and the Prince’s reaction left the cause of the news unclear.

• Xue Shao begged forgiveness for abandoning the princess consort when Yingzhou’s defenses and patrols made him fear their plans had been exposed.
• The Prince of Badong announced that a maid would stand in as his princess consort for one night, then charged Xue Shao five hundred thousand coins as her reward.
• The Prince of Badong offered Xue Shao a maid for free and told him that he valued Xue Shao more than the missing princess consort, prompting Xue Shao to swear his gratitude.
• Kong Changyu questioned why Yingzhou seemed alerted despite Jingying Road being sealed, and the Prince of Badong suggested his fighting in Yongning Commandery might have drawn attention.
• The Prince of Badong overturned a tray holding his ceremonial robe and cursed the Langya Wang before an urgent messenger delivered news that made him seize the man’s wrist and demand that he repeat it.

The Prince of Badong’s advisers debated whether to execute Wang Yang after he surrendered, with Li Jingxuan and most of the council demanding his death and Kong Changyu urging restraint. The Prince revealed that he had intended to lure Wang Yang in, confirmed that Wang Yang must die, but ordered that he would meet him before the execution.

• Li Jingxuan, Guo Wenyuan, Chen Qiming, Tao Rui, and Xue Shao argued that Wang Yang should be killed, citing his alleged Eastern Palace ties, his past deception, and the need to uphold the Prince’s authority.
• Kong Changyu argued that killing Wang Yang would discourage future surrenders, anger the gentry, and undermine the Prince’s broader ambitions.
• Li Jingxuan and Kong Changyu exchanged accusations as the Prince of Badong silently toyed with a copper coin, then burst into laughter and said Wang Yang had failed to see through his plan to lure him in and kill him.
• The Prince of Badong declared that Wang Yang must die because he had betrayed him, and most advisers agreed that Wang Yang should be executed without an audience.
• When the advisers urged a swift execution, the Prince of Badong drove his saber into the floor and insisted that he would meet Wang Yang before killing him.

Wang Yang returned to the Prince of Badong’s residence and was confronted with evidence that he had written testimony against the prince. After the prince condemned him to die by his own hand, Wang Yang secured permission to speak freely and demanded wine and dishes so he could address the assembled court sitting down.

• Wang Yang entered the hall and greeted the Prince of Badong with familiar, irreverent warmth, but the prince answered with threats.
• Kong Changyu showed Wang Yang the testimony written in his hand, and the Prince of Badong accused him of serving the Eastern Palace and framing him.
• Wang Yang admitted cooperating with the Eastern Palace for influence, while insisting that the Langya Wang did not serve anyone as a dog.
• The Prince of Badong declared that he had lured Wang Yang back to kill him, promised to spare Liu Zhao, Xie, and the others connected to him, and ordered him to kill himself with the saber in the hall.
• Wang Yang asked to speak freely before dying, received the prince’s permission, and called for wine and dishes so he could speak sitting down.

Wang Yang dined before the Prince of Badong and used praise, provocation, and a confession of betrayal to confront him over the plot to kill him. The chapter ended with Wang Yang accusing the prince of truly trying to take his life, while the prince and his advisers were left facing his account.

• Wang Yang praised Kong Changyu’s literary work, recalled their earlier meeting, and shared a toast with him.
• Wang Yang invited Tao Rui to drink, but Tao Rui declined because he had taken medicine.
• Wang Yang refused to toast the Prince of Badong and insisted that the prince should toast him instead.
• Wang Yang called the Prince of Badong “Old Xiao” and argued that he had helped the crown prince only to protect himself from the prince’s plan to kill him.
• After the Prince of Badong exposed a flaw in Wang Yang’s timeline, Wang Yang admitted he had doubted the accusation and claimed his testimony had deliberately avoided verifiable charges.
• Wang Yang concluded that he had never intended to act against the Prince of Badong, but had learned that the prince really would try to kill him.

Wang Yang defended his actions to the Prince of Badong and used irreverent humor to turn their tense exchange into laughter. As the prince’s advisers argued over Wang Yang’s worth and urged his death, Wang Yang insulted them all, leaving the prince laughing and his fate unresolved.

• Wang Yang recounted how he and the Prince of Badong had wronged each other, then called the prince “Old Xiao,” prompting the prince to laugh.
• Li Jingxuan objected to Wang Yang’s insolence, but the Prince of Badong waved him aside and asked Wang Yang what he thought of the adviser.
• Li Jingxuan and several advisers disparaged Wang Yang’s talents, while Kong Changyu defended his scholarship and potential as a statesman.
• Li Jingxuan questioned Kong Changyu’s loyalty and argued that Wang Yang’s death would cost the prince nothing, while the Prince of Badong asked Wang Yang why he remained calm.
• Wang Yang called Li Jingxuan and the other advisers “clay chickens and tile dogs,” and the Prince of Badong laughed as the room erupted.

Wang Yang challenged the Prince of Badong’s advisers to defeat him all at once, wagering for their rewards and the fulfillment of one request. He began answering Li Jingxuan’s question about defending Jingzhou, leaving the assembly stunned by his strategic reasoning.

• The Prince of Badong offered two hundred thousand coins and a Gold-Woven Cloud Beast Robe to any adviser who could break Wang Yang’s pride.
• Wang Yang asked what he would receive if he defeated every adviser, and the Prince of Badong agreed to the rewards and one request of Wang Yang’s choosing.
• The Prince of Badong selected Li Jingxuan to challenge Wang Yang first, and Li Jingxuan asked how to defend Jingzhou with fifty thousand soldiers.
• Wang Yang argued that a defender should secure Jingzhou’s vital strategic positions rather than try to garrison every stretch of its frontier.
• Wang Yang began explaining his defensive plan as the advisers listened in solemn silence.

Wang Yang explained why Jianping should be held by a small force rather than a large army, then answered Li Jingxuan’s challenge about defending Yicheng and Xinling. After the Prince of Badong forced him to drink a full cup of wine, Wang Yang prepared to discuss the second western strategic point as Li Jingxuan renewed his resolve to test him.

• Wang Yang described Jianping’s strategic importance and proposed defending it with four thousand soldiers.
• Chen Qiming argued that Jianping needed a much larger garrison, but Wang Yang explained its limits and defended his plan to use it as an upstream screen.
• Li Jingxuan asked what Wang Yang would do if the enemy attacked Yicheng instead of Wu City, and Wang Yang answered that he would take Xinling to keep Zigui’s rear route open.
• The Prince of Badong offered Wang Yang a toast, then insisted that his cup be filled with Yicheng Spring wine.
• Wang Yang declared that he would use his brief reprieve to test his fate, and Li Jingxuan vowed to challenge his military judgment.

Wang Yang explained why Yiling was Jingzhou’s critical gateway, then agreed to a tabletop battle with Li Jingxuan. Li Jingxuan’s downstream attack began by capturing Zigui and Wucheng, and the chapter ended as he committed troops to assault Guixiang and Yichang.

• Wang Yang argued that Yiling was an extraordinary strategic point whose loss could expose Jingzhou and destabilize the southern regions.
• Li Jingxuan proposed a tabletop attack-and-defense battle, and the Prince of Badong enthusiastically arranged a map, gazetteer, and materials for it.
• Wang Yang and Li Jingxuan negotiated their forces and rules, excluded Jianping from the battle, and submitted written plans to Kong Changyu.
• Kong Changyu began the battle with Li Jingxuan attacking downstream with sixty thousand troops.
• Li Jingxuan captured Zigui and Wucheng, then ordered three thousand men to attack Guixiang and five thousand to take Yichang.

Li Jingxuan took several strategic positions in the gorge and planned a coordinated assault on Saddle Mountain and Heavenly Pillar Mountain, impressing the Prince of Badong’s advisers. Wang Yang’s written battle plan then revealed that the mountain garrisons would retreat and counterattack River-Cutting Mountain, leaving Li Jingxuan’s forces facing an unexpected setback.

• Chen Qiming warned that Wang Yang might have hidden troops in the gorge, but Guo Wenyuan explained that Li Jingxuan had already secured the key positions behind him.
• Li Jingxuan halted his main army and ordered troops to occupy Saddle Mountain and Heavenly Pillar Mountain, prompting the Prince of Badong and his advisers to study the terrain and discuss his strategy.
• Li Jingxuan launched coordinated advances to seize Toad Ledge, Stone Nose Mountain, and River-Cutting Mountain, then ordered forces from multiple positions to encircle and attack both mountains.
• Kong Changyu read Wang Yang’s plan, which predicted that the mountain garrisons would abandon their camps and counterattack River-Cutting Mountain while Li Jingxuan’s troops were occupied.
• Kong Changyu declared that River-Cutting Mountain’s garrison had been crushed and the position retaken, revealing Wang Yang’s counterstrategy.

Wang Yang and Li Jingxuan tested their military strategies in a tabletop war game before the Prince of Badong and his advisers. Li Jingxuan reversed Wang Yang’s attack with a concealed ambush, then ordered his forces to pursue and strike Gorge Mouth.

• Wang Yang impressed the Prince of Badong and the advisers by using chopsticks and cups to demonstrate a military stratagem, and the prince praised his talent while Wang Yang carefully maintained their unequal relationship.
• The Prince of Badong urged Li Jingxuan to consult his advisers, who proposed advancing toward Saddle Mountain and Stone Nose; Li Jingxuan recognized Wang Yang’s ambush south of Stone Nose.
• Li Jingxuan moved his main camp forward and positioned forces to draw Wang Yang into an attack, while Wang Yang inferred that Li Jingxuan had hidden troops west of Stone Nose and east of River-Cutting Mountain.
• Wang Yang ordered a four-route assault, but Li Jingxuan revealed a concealed force on the South Road of Xialao and counterattacked, crushing the River-Cutting Mountain force and taking Xialao.
• Li Jingxuan revealed his written Military Stratagems, which detailed the hidden ambush, and ordered his forces to pursue along both banks and sail downstream against Gorge Mouth.

Li Jingxuan resisted the Prince of Badong’s demand to attack both Bu cities, won permission to command independently, and traded rapid battlefield moves with Wang Yang. He ultimately ordered his forces back to their original garrisons, leaving Wang Yang serious and the next move uncertain.

• Li Jingxuan rejected calls to pursue Wang Yang’s retreating forces, choosing to advance cautiously and secure camps on both banks.
• Guo Wenyuan urged Li Jingxuan to attack Bu Chan City and Bu Zhi City together, but Li Jingxuan argued that the plan risked overextending his forces.
• The Prince of Badong ordered an attack on both cities, but Li Jingxuan invoked his independent command and refused to obey; the Prince praised his bearing as a great commander and let him decide.
• Wang Yang ordered troops from Lu Kang City to probe Li Jingxuan’s south-bank camp, and the commanders exchanged rapid orders as the attack was repelled and Wang Yang’s forces withdrew.
• After Wang Yang changed course toward Lone Mountain, Li Jingxuan ordered the south-bank army to return to its fortifications and all three north-bank forces to their original garrisons, prompting astonishment and a serious look from Wang Yang.

Li Jingxuan and Wang Yang fought a strategic simulation, repeatedly countering each other’s attacks and hidden deployments. Li Jingxuan captured Lone Mountain, but Wang Yang revealed that Li’s south-bank army had no rear camp and moved to trap his forces as the battle remained unresolved.

• Li Jingxuan held his positions as Wang Yang captured East Pit and Old Market, then advanced against Li’s camps.
• Li Jingxuan launched a sudden counteroffensive, capturing Xiongfu, Bu Chan City, and Tiger Fang, while Wang Yang reclaimed Tiger Fang and took Li’s south-bank forward camp.
• Li Jingxuan’s south-bank army counterattacked, drove Wang Yang’s troops back, and captured Lone Mountain with troops secretly landed there.
• Wang Yang revealed that his White Deer Crag garrison had been prepared to reinforce Lone Mountain, and Kong Changyu declared the fighting there unresolved.
• Wang Yang deduced that Li Jingxuan had no south-bank rear camp and ordered Lu Kang’s forces to burn the encampment and cut off the Lone Mountain troops.
• Li Jingxuan ordered his Lone Mountain force east along the mountain and his south-bank force to cover their retreat.

Li Jingxuan revealed three hidden forces meant to encircle Wang Yang’s armies, but Wang Yang defeated the northern forces and prepared to crush the southern force with troops from Yidao. The contest ended with Li Jingxuan realizing that Wang Yang had anticipated his strategy and left him no chance to recover.

• Li Jingxuan declared Wang Yang defeated and explained how he had secretly sent three forces along ancient routes to encircle both banks.
• Kong Changyu revealed Li Jingxuan’s armies at Jianxi Creek Mouth, Ju River Crossing, and south of Nüguan Mountain, astonishing everyone in the hall.
• Wang Yang identified the ancient routes and explained how discernment let him infer knowledge beyond what books stated, alarming Li Jingxuan with ideas that reminded him of someone else.
• Wang Yang flicked away the chopsticks marking the armies at Jianxi Creek Mouth and Ju River Crossing, then ordered the Yidao army to strike the southern force from behind.
• Wang Yang admitted he had expected Li Jingxuan to fight farther toward Yidao, and Li Jingxuan turned crimson with shock and humiliation.

Wang Yang crushed Li Jingxuan’s counterattacks with a chain of naval and land stratagems, leaving Li Jingxuan with only 3,500 troops and revealing that Wang had predicted his retreat to Saddle Mountain. After Li Jingxuan asked who taught him the art of war, Wang Yang answered in verse, leaving the hall stunned.

• Wang Yang encircled Li Jingxuan’s forces and cut off their retreats, forcing Li Jingxuan to withdraw after Kong Changyu confirmed the orders in the military stratagems.
• Li Jingxuan used part of his navy as bait for a surprise attack on Tiger Fang Mountain, but Wang Yang’s hidden fleet intercepted and destroyed his remaining naval strength.
• Wang Yang revealed that he had divided Yiling’s fleet and stationed one force in the Linjiang River, shocking Li Jingxuan with the extent of his earlier planning.
• Wang Yang’s forces sealed the River Gorge and pursued Li Jingxuan’s retreating army, leaving him with just 3,500 troops at Saddle Mountain.
• Kong Changyu read Wang Yang’s prediction that Li Jingxuan would return to Saddle Mountain and his warning about abandoning Jianping, causing Li Jingxuan to collapse from shock.
• Li Jingxuan asked who taught Wang Yang the art of war, and Wang Yang answered with a poem that stunned the hall.

Wang Yang survived the Prince of Badong’s challenge and stunned the assembled advisers by demonstrating detailed knowledge of military provisions, farming, and logistics. He left the hall with its experts unable to answer his questions about sustaining an army on the march.

• The Prince of Badong joked with Wang Yang and promised him the reward, but Tao Rui interrupted to challenge him with a question about feeding fifty thousand soldiers.
• Wang Yang calculated the army’s yearly grain needs and questioned Tao Rui about military farming, leaving Tao Rui unable to answer.
• Guo Wenyuan supplied figures for military farming, then questioned Wang Yang about farming settlements and seed loans; Wang Yang answered in detail.
• Xue Shao asked about grain transport by boat, cart, and manpower, and Wang Yang explained carrying capacities and supply durations.
• Wang Yang asked Xue Shao how to send twenty thousand laborers home in groups so ten thousand soldiers could preserve their provisions, and Xue Shao sat speechless.

Wang Yang answered questions on taxation and rebuffed Chen Qiming’s attempt to trap him with obscure paperwork. The Prince of Badong honored Wang Yang with a robe, declared him his favored adviser, and ordered his residence reopened, leaving Wang Yang confident his life was safe for now.

• Wang Yang explained the historical changes in land rent and household levies, impressing the guests and leaving Chen Qiming increasingly anxious.
• Chen Qiming abruptly asked Wang Yang for the first three characters of a specialized official-document formula, but Wang Yang mocked the question as petty clerical work and humiliated him.
• The Prince of Badong draped a Black-and-Gold Brocade Robe over Wang Yang and declared, “My joy lies not in gaining Jingzhou, but in gaining Zhi Yan!”
• The Prince of Badong granted Wang Yang unrestricted access to the Prince's Residence and ordered two hundred thousand coins sent to his residence.
• Wang Yang revealed that his residence had been locked up, and the Prince of Badong angrily ordered the locks removed and those responsible bound.

Wang Yang asked the Prince of Badong for guards and a residence, then devised a plan to win the gentry’s allegiance by persuading Yu Yi to submit and committing the families to the Prince’s campaign. The Prince approved the plan but refused to release Yu Yuling yet, ending the meeting with a teasing promise of another favor for Wang Yang.

• Wang Yang requested skilled guards and a larger residence, and the Prince of Badong ordered Kong Changyu to arrange them.
• The Prince of Badong asked Wang Yang to persuade Yu Yi to submit, and Wang Yang promised he could succeed.
• Wang Yang proposed requiring the submitting families to contribute their Retainer Troops and grain, while the advisers discussed how to control and disperse the forces safely.
• Wang Yang agreed to speak with Yu Yi and asked to take Yu Yuling home as a gesture of goodwill, but the Prince of Badong refused to release him before the gentry submitted.
• The Prince of Badong assured Wang Yang that the other captives were well and teased him about a different favor.

Wang Yang outmaneuvered the Prince of Badong’s attempt to use Xie Xinghan as leverage, insisting he would pursue marriage honorably and earn his own standing. When Xiao Ning told Xie Xinghan that Young Master Wang was coming, Xie Xinghan panicked, believing he had also been captured.

• The Prince of Badong teased Wang Yang about thanking him for releasing Xie Xinghan and tried to pressure him into admitting he wanted to marry her.
• Wang Yang turned the conversation around, rejecting the Prince of Badong’s suggestion that he exploit Xie Xinghan and declaring he would earn his own reputation before seeking a bride.
• The Prince of Badong praised Wang Yang’s ambition and promised to deliver his betrothal gifts after they took Jiankang, while Kong Changyu warned him with a cough.
• Xie Xinghan, dressed as a maid, recited teachings about rejecting luxury and performed as though she were a serene immortal sage.
• Xiao Ning rushed in and announced that Young Master Wang was coming, causing Xie Xinghan to lose her composure and collapse onto the bed.
• Xie Xinghan concluded that Wang Yang had been captured too and lamented that they had all been thrown into the same stew.

Wang Yang came to take Xie Xinghan from the Prince's Residence, but found her hiding behind a curtain and refusing to come out. After he and Xiao Ning coaxed her out, Xie Xinghan broke down in tears over her appearance, leaving Wang Yang to comfort her.

• Wang Yang arrived with Kong Changyu and guards to fetch Xie Xinghan, while she tried to make Xiao Ning send him away.
• Wang Yang grew suspicious when Xiao Ning claimed Xie Xinghan was asleep and forced his way into the bedchamber.
• Wang Yang found the room empty until Xie Xinghan peeked out from behind a curtain and told him not to approach.
• At Xie Xinghan's request, Wang Yang pretended to sniff Xiao Ning, then helped persuade Xie Xinghan to leave the curtain.
• Wang Yang saw Xie Xinghan dressed as a maid, and she began sobbing that she was ugly.

Li Jingxuan realized why Wang Yang wanted to summon his Retainer Troops and rushed to seek an audience with the Prince of Badong. Meanwhile, Wang Yang brought Xie Xinghan out of confinement, shielded her from the courtyard’s stares, and ordered Jia Quan to return or repay everything he had extorted.

• Li Jingxuan argued with Chen Qiming about Wang Yang’s abilities, then recognized the reason behind Wang Yang’s plan and ran to find the Prince of Badong.
• Wang Yang draped his brocade robe over Xie Xinghan and led her out of confinement as the soldiers bowed.
• Wang Yang summoned the supposedly unconscious Jia Quan, who panicked and begged for mercy when Wang Yang drew a sword.
• Wang Yang ordered Jia Quan to return Xie Xinghan’s belongings or reimburse their market value, and sent Xiao Ning and two Guards to collect them.
• Wang Yang and Xie Xinghan walked away together, and she agreed to turn the recovered jewelry into cash.