Recaps

Jia Huan entered Villain Town to find the people on his list and demonstrated the terrifying power of his martial arts by slaughtering the town’s villains. After the faded beauty identified the remaining targets, he followed her deeper into town with his saber in hand.

• Jia Huan entered a tavern in Villain Town, rejected its extortionate bill, and killed nine patrons and the proprietor with his Embroidered Spring Saber.
• Jia Huan killed an elderly monk and a Daoist nun who came to avenge the tavern, then faced more than a hundred villains outside.
• Jia Huan used Three Hundred Sixty Blades Ringing in Unison to seize seventeen villains’ sabers and kill the attackers in successive waves, while remaining seated inside the tavern.
• Jia Huan showed the faded beauty his Silk Scroll, and she gathered twenty-three heads and confirmed that the other listed people were still in town.
• Jia Huan followed the faded beauty deeper into Villain Town, killing as he went.

Jia Huan collected the rewards from Villain Town, claimed its spoils for the Kirin Office, and completed a bounty at the Red Dust Inn. He met the Red Dust Couple, revealed his identity as Pacification Commissioner Jia, and asked about Xuanyuan Zhigu’s massacre three years earlier.

• Jia Huan gained twelve thousand Sin Value, advanced his saber technique, and learned the pseudo-supreme martial art “Purple Qi Comes from the East.”
• Jia Huan sent everyone except Water Skimmer to collect the spoils in Villain Town, then took Water Skimmer to the Red Dust Inn with the criminals’ heads.
• The Red Dust Inn’s steward confirmed the bounty and gave Jia Huan a map to the Red Dust Couple’s retreat.
• Jia Huan asked the Red Dust Couple why they had not dealt with the villains and demanded details about Xuanyuan Zhigu’s killing spree.
• The old woman deduced that Jia Huan was Pacification Commissioner Jia, and Jia Huan removed his disguise and insisted the couple honor their promise.
• The Red Dust Elder began recounting what he knew about the events behind Xuanyuan Zhigu’s massacre as Water Skimmer took notes.

Jia Huan investigated the Duan clan massacre and found the sole surviving direct-line daughter, Duan Qingwu, who agreed to cooperate if he executed the Viceroy of the Southern Borderlands. He began pursuing a case against Viceroy Li, whose abuses might also lead toward the larger conspiracy involving Xuanyuan Zhigu and Jiang Wuyuan.

• The Red Dust Elder told Jia Huan that Xuanyuan Zhigu and Pei Changqing had slaughtered Duan clan members while seeking the Duan Twin Baby Girls and the clan's martial art, and he gave Jia Huan Duan Qingwu's address.
• Jia Huan found Duan Qingwu and asked for her help investigating Xuanyuan Zhigu, but she refused to trust him and demanded that he execute the Viceroy of the Southern Borderlands first.
• Duan Qingwu accused the Viceroy of taking payment from the Duan clan, promising them safe passage, then betraying them by revealing their whereabouts to Xuanyuan Zhigu.
• Jia Huan promised to execute the Viceroy if he was guilty, and Duan Qingwu agreed to answer his questions and cooperate if he did so.
• Water Skimmer told Jia Huan that Viceroy Li had persecuted powerful families, monopolized the Southern Borderlands' golden-thread phoebe trade, and sold it throughout the realm.

Jia Huan ordered an investigation into Governor-General Li Rangzhi and his network, then confronted the King of Hell at a logging ground. He destroyed the King of Hell’s dantian with one finger strike and left him crippled.

• Jia Huan resolved to gather evidence against Li Rangzhi and arrest him despite the emperor’s displeasure.
• Water Skimmer identified the God of Wealth, the King of Hell, and the Confucian Immortal as three of Li Rangzhi’s agents and described the Southern School’s persecution of scholars.
• Jia Huan assigned his subordinates to watch the governor-general’s residence and Nanlu Academy, while Water Skimmer sought help from Misty Rain Tower to locate victims.
• Three days later, Jia Huan went alone to the King of Hell’s residence as his men prepared to surround the logging ground.
• The King of Hell demanded that Jia Huan kneel, but Jia Huan revealed himself and struck him with purple finger force, destroying his dantian and severing his meridians.

Jia Huan crushed resistance at the Golden Phoebe Logging Camp, forcing merchants to confess, then arrested Old Man Nanlu and ordered a sweep of Nanlu Academy. He left to confront the Governor's Residence, while the academy's instructors were interrogated for evidence.

• Water Skimmer slapped the God of Wealth, and Jia Huan arrived dragging the battered King of Hell.
• Jia Huan demanded voluntary confessions, and dozens of loggers and merchants came forward with evidence against the governor's allies.
• Jia Huan interrupted Old Man Nanlu's lecture and accused him of monopolizing learning, persecuting scholars, and selling offices.
• Jia Huan ordered Old Man Nanlu arrested and demanded an apology from the Kong Family patriarch within ten days, threatening to go to Qufu himself.
• Jia Huan ordered Embroidered Uniform Guards to sweep Nanlu Academy, arrest its instructors, and interrogate them as he headed for the Governor's Residence.

Jia Huan arrested Governor-General Li Rangzhi despite the emperor’s portraits sealing his escape sedan chair, then prepared to take Duan Qingwu to the Capital. He left Li’s scattered accomplices for the Central Court to judge and expected Duan Qingwu to honor her promise.

• Wise Star urged Li Rangzhi to take his own life, then swallowed poison and died as the Embroidered Uniform Guard surrounded the Governor-General’s office.
• Jia Huan rejected the Death-Exemption Gold Plaque and pursued Li Rangzhi, who had escaped through a secret passage and hidden inside a gold-topped sedan chair covered with the emperor’s portraits.
• Jia Huan smashed the sedan chair without damaging the portraits, distributed them to the crowd, and arrested Li Rangzhi for trial by the Central Court.
• The people celebrated Jia Huan’s arrest of Li Rangzhi, while Jia Huan reviewed the captured officials’ confessions that night.
• Scholar told Jia Huan that Li Rangzhi had ruined the Duan family, explaining Duan Qingwu’s hatred of him, and Jia Huan ordered her to accompany him to the Capital and fulfill her promise.

The Retired Emperor visited the Rongguo Mansion to honor Jia Huan, leaving Jia Baoyu humiliated when he praised him only as Jia Huan’s elder brother. Meanwhile, Emperor Jingde raged over Li Rangzhi’s arrest but acknowledged he had no clear grounds to punish Jia Huan.

• After learning Jia Huan had arrested Li Rangzhi, the Retired Emperor set out to visit the Rongguo Mansion.
• Madam Wang urged Jia Baoyu to impress the Retired Emperor, and Baoyu prepared himself to seize the chance to rise.
• The Retired Emperor greeted Jia Baoyu, called him Jia Huan’s elder brother, and advised him to learn from Jia Huan.
• The Retired Emperor invited Jia Mu, Jia Zheng, and Lady Zhao to dine with him at the Rongguo Mansion.
• Emperor Jingde reacted furiously to Li Rangzhi’s arrest, while Empress Yin urged him to punish Jia Huan and he asked what charge he could use.

Emperor Jingde decided not to protect Jia Huan from Jiang Wuyuan, while Jia Huan returned to the capital with Li Rangzhi and other prisoners. After Li Rangzhi confessed to helping destroy the Duan family but could not explain Xuanyuan Zhigu’s motive, Jia Huan executed him and arranged for Duan Qingwu to see his corpse.

• Empress Yin urged Emperor Jingde to eliminate Jia Huan, but he said he would back Jiang Wuyuan and let the Commanding Commissioner deal with him.
• Five days later, Jia Huan entered the Divine Capital with five hundred Embroidered Uniform Guards and handed the Three Judicial Offices evidence against Li Rangzhi.
• The emperor issued a handwritten order to execute the prisoners, and Jia Huan told Twin Whips to disguise Duan Qingwu and bring her to see Li Rangzhi’s corpse.
• Jia Huan ordered Li Rangzhi tortured until he confessed to taking a bribe to arrange the Duan family’s escape and then cooperating with Xuanyuan Zhigu’s massacre.
• Li Rangzhi said he did not know why Xuanyuan Zhigu wanted the Duan family killed, so Jia Huan beheaded him.

After executing the remaining fiends in the Imperial Prison, Jia Huan gained powerful martial arts and was promoted to joint First Pacification Commissioner with authority over the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s finances and lower-ranking appointments. He left determined to surpass the Guard’s current leader, Jiang Wuyuan, rather than settle for being second.

• Jia Huan executed Old Man Nanlu and the remaining fiends, earning over seventeen thousand sin value and rewards that advanced his martial arts.
• Jia Huan gained Seven Hundred and Twenty Blades Ringing in Unison and Purple Cauldron, then reviewed his strengthened offense and defenses.
• The Grand Secretariat promoted Jia Huan to joint First Pacification Commissioner and granted him oversight of Guard funding and a veto over certain promotions, demotions, and dismissals.
• Pacification Commissioner Qin complained that he could have worn ten kirin patterns, then left after losing half his authority.
• Jia Huan dismissed Qin’s grievance and resolved to challenge Commanding Commissioner Jiang Wuyuan and claim the top position.

Jia Huan secured his appointment as joint first-ranking Pacification Commissioner and learned from Duan Qingwu that the Zhishi Golden Family had destroyed her family after seeking to take their twin infants. Suspecting Jiang Wuyuan and the White Lotus Cult Leader were twin brothers conspiring with the Zhishi, Jia Huan prepared to travel to Northern Mang for proof, while Rongguo Mansion celebrated his promotion and Jia Baoyu prayed for Jiang Wuyuan to bring him down.

• Jiang Wuyuan stamped Jia Huan’s appointment document, then announced a Winter Solstice gathering on Mang Mountain and insisted Jia Huan’s master attend.
• Jia Huan met Duan Qingwu, who described the Zhishi Family’s influence, its Silver Masked visitor, and the massacre that destroyed her family after it refused to surrender its newborn twins.
• Duan Qingwu recounted a cultivation art requiring twin practitioners and infant twin hearts, leading Jia Huan to suspect Jiang Wuyuan and the White Lotus Cult Leader were brothers working together.
• Jia Huan told Duan Qingwu to prepare to accompany him to Northern Mang so they could find evidence of Jiang Wuyuan’s dealings with the Zhishi.
• Rongguo Mansion celebrated Jia Huan’s promotion, while Jia Baoyu bitterly envied him and prayed that Jiang Wuyuan would destroy him.

Jia Huan uncovered a link between Commanding Commissioner Jiang Wuyuan and the White Lotus Cult Leader, then set a trap by directing an inquiry through the Experiences Office. After confirming a possible lead in Northern Mang, he prepared loyal forces and martial allies for a covert move toward the capital.

• Jia Huan told Scholar and Twin Whips that Jiang Wuyuan and the White Lotus Cult Leader were likely twin brothers who had sold Central Plains martial arts secrets to Northern Mang, and he ordered an investigation designed to draw Jiang’s attention toward an old case.
• Jia Zheng urged Jia Huan to submit to Jiang Wuyuan and wait for his eventual death, but Jia Huan rejected his advice.
• Jia Huan shared intimate moments with Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai, then drew Wang Xifeng and An Xuan'er into the night as well.
• Scholar reported that the Former Prince of Beijing, Shui Rong’s birth father, had fled to Northern Mang twelve years earlier, and confirmed that he had consulted the Experiences Office’s case files.
• Jia Huan ordered Scholar to gather fifteen hundred loyal men and leave the capital in batches, while asking An Xuan'er to summon three top-ranked martial experts from Misty Rain Tower.
• Duan Qingwu disguised herself in a Flying Fish Uniform and rode with two hundred Embroidered Uniform Guard out of the Divine Capital late at night.

Jia Huan and Duan Qingwu reached Shangdu City and reunited with Duan Rong, who revealed where the Zhishi Martial Branch cultivated and helped Jia Huan locate an Abyss Key. Jia Huan left for Tai'an Tower to find its owner, the Blood Butcher, while Duan Qingwu followed.

• Duan Qingwu and Jia Huan searched Shangdu City until she found Duan Rong working in a blacksmith's shop.
• Duan Rong gave Jia Huan a map showing the Zhishi Martial Branch's secret cultivation site, the Abyss, and warned that it required a key to enter.
• Duan Rong gathered intelligence and learned that the Blood Butcher of the Tiele Family possessed an Abyss Key and frequented Tai'an Tower.
• Jia Huan took the Blood Butcher's portrait and left for Tai'an Tower, with Duan Qingwu riding after him.

Jia Huan killed Blood Butcher in Tai'an Tower and took the tiger-bone key before escaping toward the Zhishi Abyss. Goshu Lan identified him, and Northern Mang’s emperor used the incident to justify a planned invasion of the Central Plains while ordering a citywide hunt for Jia Huan.

• Jia Huan sent Duan Qingwu back to the inn, entered Tai'an Tower, killed Blood Butcher, and took a tiger-bone key.
• Jia Huan escaped Tai'an Tower, while Goshu Lan recognized him and hurried to report the sighting to the Sanctioning Official.
• The Sanctioning Official told Northern Mang’s emperor that Jia Huan had been seen in the city and proposed using the killing as a cause for war.
• The emperor ordered a citywide hunt for Jia Huan and agreed to summon the Golden Families’ leaders and prepare an invasion of the Central Plains.

After Northern Mang declared war over Jia Huan’s actions, the court ordered him to oversee Northern Liang’s defense and hold the frontier until reinforcements arrived. Jiang Wuyuan and Xuanyuan Zhigu saw the appointment as a chance to ruin Jia, while officials doubted the frontier could withstand the invasion.

• The Beiliang Governor-General received Northern Mang’s denunciation and declaration of war and sent an urgent report to the capital.
• Emperor Jingde and the Retired Emperor learned that 160,000 Northern Mang heavy cavalry threatened Northern Liang and ordered its commanders to hold for twenty days.
• Grand Secretary Yan proposed that Jia Huan return from Northern Mang to oversee the defense, arguing that his reputation would strengthen the frontier troops’ morale.
• Emperor Jingde issued an edict and two gold-token orders commanding Jia Huan to oversee Northern Liang’s troops and prevent any loss of territory.
• Jiang Wuyuan and Xuanyuan Zhigu discussed using Jia Huan’s appointment and any battlefield mistakes to destroy his reputation and punish the Jia Family.
• Officials across the Imperial City privately predicted that Northern Liang could not withstand Northern Mang’s invasion and blamed Jia Huan for provoking the war.

Jia Huan entered the Zhishi Golden Family’s secluded abyss and fought its disciples and elders after they demanded he kneel to their ancestor. Revealing his peak Profound Insight Realm cultivation, he overwhelmed the elders’ combined defenses and continued advancing across the lake.

• Jia Huan used the Tiger Bone to open the hidden entrance to the Zhishi Family’s abyss and descended into its secret cultivation grounds.
• Two Zhishi prodigies demanded that Jia Huan kneel to their ancestor, and he struck them into the black lake.
• Fifteen elders confronted Jia Huan, and he injured Zhishi Seven with a golden Buddha’s Palm.
• Jia Huan revealed his peak Profound Insight Realm cultivation, frightening the elders into joining their strength to form a water-curtain barrier.
• Jia Huan repelled the elders’ combined attack with his Purple Cauldron and advanced across the lake, striking with the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms and Buddha’s Palm.

Jia Huan defeated the Zhishi elders in the Extreme Cold Abyss and forced the surviving one-eyed man to reveal evidence of Jiang Wuyuan’s collusion with the Zhishi Clan. After collecting the letters and a lead on a former Embroidered Uniform Guard subordinate, Jia Huan left for the Northern Liang Border, determined to confront Jiang Wuyuan.

• Jia Huan defeated the Zhishi elders and threatened to keep killing the Zhishi Family unless the one-eyed old man answered his questions.
• Jia Huan gained the Eight Hundred Blades Crying in Unison reward and recovered his inner qi.
• The one-eyed old man showed Jia Huan secret letters proving Jiang Wuyuan had traded for martial arts and requested twin infants, and revealed an address linked to Jiang’s former subordinate.
• The one-eyed old man said the silver-masked man was Jiang Wuyuan’s twin younger brother, then killed himself.
• Jia Huan burned the manuals, kept the Great Method of Absorbing Power for his trusted men, destroyed the abyss’s stairs, and rode toward the Northern Liang Border.

Jia Huan reached Northern Liang as its border faced an invasion by 160,000 Northern Mang cavalry and took command under a court order that threatened to punish him for failure. After visiting the passes and rallying the troops, he ordered an offensive despite his commanders’ objections and began preparing a special battle formation.

• Scholar told Jia Huan that Northern Mang had invaded Northern Liang and the court had ordered him to take command, leaving him caught between a costly defense and charges of failure.
• Jia Huan accepted the Tiger-Shaped Military Token from Zhang Xuanji and rallied the soldiers at the border pass, promising to defend their land and drive out the barbarians.
• Jia Huan visited the passes and fought alongside the troops for four days, while ministers in the capital praised the army for holding the frontier.
• Jia Huan ordered Zhang Xuanji and Qi Shanguo to take the offensive, but Zhang condemned the order and Qi left worried.
• Jia Huan told his followers that the passes would fall within four days if they stayed on defense, then ordered Scholar to prepare 800 Kirin Office Embroidered Uniform Guards to drill a battle formation.

Jia Huan ordered Northern Liang to abandon its defensive strategy and led a successful attack from Gourd Mouth, while the other passes suffered repeated defeats. As the defenses neared collapse, Jia Baoyu and Wang Ziteng celebrated the reports, convinced Jia Huan had doomed the campaign.

• Jia Huan overruled Zhang Xuanji and ordered Qi Shanguo to command the other passes while he led an advance from Gourd Mouth.
• Jia Huan charged at the head of Northern Liang's veterans, who won a major victory and forced the Tatar troops to withdraw.
• Jia Huan ordered another advance despite reports that Nine-Coil Pass, Barbarian-Repelling Pass, and Whitehead Pass had suffered defeats.
• Reports over the next two days said the other passes were close to falling, and Northern Liang's soldiers lost their will to fight.
• Wang Ziteng told Jia Baoyu that Jia Huan had marched out to attack and predicted certain defeat.
• An official reported that Northern Liang had lost three battles and suffered devastating casualties, and Wang Ziteng and Jia Baoyu rejoiced.

After Jia Huan lost three battles in Northern Liang, the court, the Retired Emperor, and the Jia Family condemned him as a disgrace. His supporters in the mansion worried about his fate, while Jia Baoyu welcomed the public outrage; the chapter left Jia Huan’s return uncertain.

• Emperor Jingde blamed the ministers for recommending Jia Huan, ordered Zhang Xuanji and Qi Shanguo to take command, and summoned reinforcements from Datong and Xuanfu.
• The Retired Emperor denounced Jia Huan’s defeats and warned that his name would be disgraced if the frontier forces could not expel the barbarians.
• Jiang Wuyuan and Pacification Commissioner Xuanyuan mocked Jia Huan for attacking again after each defeat.
• Jia Mu and Jia Zheng grieved over the dishonor Jia Huan had brought upon the Jia Family, while Jia She angrily went to honor the ancestors.
• A servant told Jia Baoyu that Imperial College students had surrounded the mansion and demanded the Jia Family remove its military-honors plaque; Jia Baoyu went out to face the crowd.
• Lin Daiyu and the other young women worried about Jia Huan, while Concubine Zhao defended him and hoped he would return soon.

Jia Huan deliberately provoked the Tatars into concentrating their forces against Gourd Mouth Pass while secretly preparing a larger plan. The chapter ended with his troops readying themselves for an attack by more than sixty thousand enemies.

• Jia Huan ordered Gourd Mouth Pass to sortie while the other passes held their positions, despite Qi Shanguo’s objections.
• The Tatar generals found black blades along the route Jia Huan had pursued them and suspected he was planning another raid on their rear camp.
• The Tatar commander decided to concentrate overwhelming forces against Gourd Mouth rather than risk leaving the rear camp exposed.
• Water Skimmer reported that more than sixty thousand Tatars, including eight thousand Iron Pagoda Cavalry, were marching toward Gourd Mouth.
• Jia Huan issued secret orders to Scholar Twin Whips, Qi Shanguo, the Embroidered Uniform Guards, and the veterans as he prepared for the coming battle.

Jiang Wuyuan and Jia Huan’s enemies used accusations of bribery, deceiving the sovereign, insulting the emperor and empress, and mistreating his family to build a case against him while he was blamed for three consecutive military defeats. Jia Zhen’s accusations entered the Censorate as a formal political matter, and the chapter ended as an official rushed over with a notice.

• Jiang Wuyuan told the Grand Secretariat that Jia Huan had bribed his way into the Embroidered Uniform Guard, then presented the Retired Emperor with a confession accusing Jia Huan of framing Dai Quan’s family and deceiving the sovereign.
• Jia Yucun impeached Jia Huan before Emperor Jingde, claiming he had insulted the emperor and called the empress a vile woman.
• Wang Ziteng brought Jia Zhen and Jia Baoyu to the Censorate, where a Kong clansman accused Jia Huan of threatening Duke Yansheng’s lineage and demanding an apology.
• Jia Zhen submitted written accusations that Jia Huan had cursed his ancestors, bullied his elders, humiliated his lawful mother, and beaten relatives, making the matter a formal political affair.
• Jia Zheng and Jia Mu arrived too late to stop the accusations; Jia Zhen defended his decision by blaming Jia Huan for bringing disgrace on the family through his military failures.
• As Wang Ziteng prepared to answer Jia Mu, an official hurried over with a notice and a horrified expression.

An Embroidered Uniform Guard notice accused Jia Huan of stealing credit for the Northern Mang camp raid, turning the Capital and the Guard against him. Jiang Wuyuan forced Commissioner Ouyang to resign, while Ouyang returned home to await the consequences of his failed gamble.

• Wang Ziteng and the Jia family read a notice claiming Jia Huan had learned of a Northern Mang mutiny, abducted the Imperial Prince, and fabricated his heroic charge into the camp.
• Jia Zhen, Jia Baoyu, and Wang Ziteng condemned Jia Huan, while Jia Mu and Jia Zheng struggled to accept the accusation.
• The notice spread through the Capital, and Embroidered Uniform Guards largely accepted a Hundred-Household Commander's defense of Jiang Wuyuan and lost faith in Jia Huan.
• Jiang Wuyuan confronted Commissioner Ouyang over helping Xia Shouzhong and ordered him to resign and wait at home for Xia's return.
• Commissioner Ouyang submitted his resignation, left the Southern Office, and returned to the Ouyang Residence without regretting his loyalty to Jia Huan.

At Gourd Mouth Pass, Jia Huan and eight hundred Embroidered Uniform Guards faced a massive Northern Mang cavalry assault. By channeling their strength through their swords, they killed thousands of attackers, and the battle continued as the Northern Mang army charged again.

• The eight hundred Embroidered Uniform Guards took their positions at Gourd Mouth Pass as Northern Mang’s Iron Pagoda Cavalry and tens of thousands of troops approached.
• Jia Huan asked whether they believed man could conquer heaven, and the guards answered that they did before drawing their blades and channeling their internal power into him.
• The guards’ eight hundred Embroidered Spring Sabers flew into the air, killed ten Finger Black Tortoise Martial Artists, and cut down nearly nine hundred riders in a single attack.
• The Northern Mang commander ordered nearly thirty thousand troops to charge, but the swords freed themselves from the fallen soldiers and formed up in the air again.
• Jia Huan urged the guards to give everything, and their sweeping blades slaughtered the charging troops as the commander watched in terror.

At Gourd Mouth Pass, Jia Huan used the eight hundred Embroidered Spring Sabers to devastate the Northern Mang army, then faced its final cavalry charge alone and routed it with another overwhelming strike. Exhausted and gravely injured, he sent secret letters by goshawk as reinforcements arrived and attacked the fleeing barbarians.

• The eight hundred Embroidered Uniform Guards unleashed a synchronized saber strike that slaughtered the Iron Pagoda Cavalry, then collapsed from exhaustion.
• The Northern Mang commander forced his troops to reform and attack after learning the guards had fallen, while Jia Huan descended from the pass to face their charge.
• Jia Huan invoked Burial Annihilation, killing the heavy cavalry at the front and sending the Northern Mang army into a rout.
• Jia Huan returned to the battlements, vomited blood, and dispatched secret letters to other passes by goshawk before praising his fallen comrades as heroes.
• Nearly five hundred veteran cavalrymen reached Gourd Mouth, witnessed the battlefield, and charged into the wounded and fleeing barbarians.

Jia Huan’s plan turned Northern Liang’s desperate defense into a decisive victory, as his reported triumph at Gourd Mouth threw Northern Mang’s forces into chaos. Northern Liang’s army drove the barbarians from its territory and celebrated a vast victory beside a grassland lake, leaving Jia Huan revered by the frontier soldiers.

• Scholar delivered Jia Huan’s order for Northern Liang’s troops to advance, and Qi Shanguo reluctantly sent the army out despite widespread anger.
• Qi Shanguo’s forces routed the disorganized barbarians, then learned that Jia Huan and eight hundred Embroidered Uniform Guards had defeated Northern Mang’s main force at Gourd Mouth.
• Qi Shanguo praised Jia Huan’s victory, rallied his soldiers with promises of rewards, and ordered them to pursue the panicked enemy.
• Northern Liang’s army fought eighteen battles over two days, killing more than seventy-three thousand barbarians and capturing warhorses, livestock, supplies, and weapons.
• The victorious army reached a vast lake and celebrated Jia Huan, whose reputation among Northern Liang’s soldiers had become secure.