Chapter Summaries

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.

After Wang Yang secured Kong Changyu’s help for his friends, the Prince of Badong explained to Li Jingxuan why he would keep Wang Yang from commanding troops or wielding great power. The chapter left Wang Yang unaware of the Prince’s firm limits on his authority.

• Xie Xinghan invited Wang Yang to visit her home, and he agreed before she departed with an escort.
• Kong Changyu blamed Li Jingxuan for the threat to Wang Yang, and Wang Yang joined him in criticizing their common rival.
• Wang Yang gave Kong Changyu twenty gold beads and asked him to protect Le Zhan, Le Xiaopang, Yu Yuling, Liu Zhao, Zong Ce, and the others.
• Kong Changyu agreed to look after the prisoners, while Zong Ce and Liu Zhao enjoyed comfortable conditions in the Commandery Prison.
• The Prince of Badong told Li Jingxuan that Wang Yang’s talent and noble connections made him useful, but also made it too dangerous to grant him military or great political authority.

Li Jingxuan warned the Prince of Badong that Wang Yang’s plan would delay their campaign until the Imperial Court could crush them, and persuaded the prince to set a seven-day deadline for the eastward march. The prince insisted Wang Yang would accompany the army, then frightened Li Jingxuan into fleeing after he tried to imitate Wang Yang’s manner of speaking.

• Li Jingxuan argued that the Prince of Badong needed to seize the initiative and march before the Imperial Court received news and sent its forces.
• The Prince of Badong rejected Li Jingxuan’s suspicions of Wang Yang, citing Wang Yang’s ties to the Langya Wang and his inability to escape the rebellion’s consequences.
• Li Jingxuan wagered that Wang Yang would advise delaying the march, then urged the prince to give the great houses three days and assemble the retainer troops within seven.
• The Prince of Badong agreed to proclaim an army of a hundred and fifty thousand and strike across three thousand li of water in seven days, with Wang Yang accompanying him.
• The Prince of Badong told Li Jingxuan to cooperate with Wang Yang, then roared at him when Li Jingxuan tried to imitate Wang Yang’s speech, making him prostrate himself and flee.
• The Prince of Badong watched Li Jingxuan leave and burst out laughing.

After returning to his Jingzhou residence, Wang Yang investigated misconduct by Zhang Er and Sister-in-law Song, then explained to A-Wu why he would remove her from purchasing duties without reclaiming her savings. He ended the night discovering that A-Wu had not practiced calligraphy as diligently as she claimed and made her practice alongside him.

• Wang Yang returned home, heard Black Han's report, and ordered Zhang Er dismissed for attempting to steal.
• Black Han reported that Sister-in-law Song had concealed lower supplier prices and kept the difference; Wang Yang decided not to reclaim the money but to remove her from purchasing.
• Wang Yang explained to A-Wu that Sister-in-law Song had abused her position and concealed her actions, while teaching her to prevent small misconduct from growing.
• Wang Yang remarked that he would apportion all under heaven as Chen Ping had, which left Black Han awed by his ambitions.
• Wang Yang questioned A-Wu about her calligraphy practice, caught her admitting she had not written on the ground every day, and made her get up and practice with him.

Wang Yang tried to persuade Yu Yi to submit to the Prince of Badong, and Yu Yi agreed to give his answer by nightfall after hearing Wang Yang’s confident account of the campaign. After Tao Rui reported that the meeting had gone smoothly, Yu Yi praised Wang Yang in terms that left Yu Qianlou baffled.

• Wang Yang warned Yu Yi that resisting the Prince of Badong would endanger his household and argued that the times favored submission.
• Yu Yi questioned whether the Prince’s rebellion could succeed, and Wang Yang defended the campaign and described how its forces would overcome the rival commands.
• Yu Yi considered submitting but hesitated over raising retainer troops, so Wang Yang promised that the Prince’s army was already prepared and framed the levy as a chance for the great houses to earn merit.
• Yu Yi asked for until before the Xu Hour to decide, and Wang Yang left to meet Xie Xinghan while Tao Rui returned to report to the Prince of Badong.
• The Prince of Badong confirmed Tao Rui had heard the whole conversation and, pleased, gave himself over to his pleasures.
• Yu Yi praised Wang Yang as an extraordinary man, leaving Yu Qianlou confused about whom his father meant.

Yu Yi explained how Wang Yang’s layered poetic code revealed that he was an inside agent coordinating with the Imperial Court against the Prince of Badong’s rebellion. The chapter left Yu Yi and Yu Qianlou wondering whether Wang Yang had tailored his allusions to Yu Yi’s knowledge so he could decode them.

• Yu Yi told Yu Qianlou that he had agreed with Wang Yang to work from within while the Imperial Court crushed the rebellion.
• Yu Yi explained how Wang Yang combined indirect phrasing with concealed literary allusions to communicate his allegiance and plans.
• Yu Yi decoded Wang Yang’s references to an inside agent, a memorial to the Son of Heaven, and a coordinated campaign against the rebels.
• Yu Yi interpreted Wang Yang’s references to the great clans and the Retainer Troops as evidence that his memorial proposed mobilizing them with imperial approval.
• Yu Qianlou lamented his weak knowledge of poetry, and Yu Yi realized Wang Yang might have chosen allusions suited to his own learning.