Chapter Summaries

Liu Xie’s offer to name the greatest donor Great Han’s Foremost Benefactor stirred the aristocratic clans into secretly competing to outbid one another. Yang Biao, Fu Wan, and Cui Yan each prepared a large last-minute donation, while the Zhen Clan already led in aid for the displaced people.

• Liu Xie announced that donations had raised five thousand shi of grain, three thousand four hundred strings of cash, and other supplies, then dismissed court after the ministers pledged their salaries.
• Fu Wan and Yang Biao pretended to have little to give as they sounded each other out, while the Zhen Clan elder described the Zhen Clan’s commitment to settling thirty thousand displaced people.
• Yang Biao told Yang Xiu that the Yang Clan was secretly gathering twenty thousand shi of grain so it could donate everything on the final day and claim the title.
• Fu Wan told Fu De that one hundred thousand strings of cash were on the way from Qing Province, intending to outdo the Zhen Clan and strengthen the Fu Family’s standing.
• Cui Lin reported that the Cui Clan had assembled twenty thousand shi of grain, five thousand sheep, and housing for displaced people, and Cui Yan planned to surprise the Zhen Clan with a final-day donation.

Liu Xie heard how Shi Delu had donated everything he owned to spare displaced people the horrors of famine, and promised a place in the Feathered Forest Guard for Shi Delu’s grandson, Shi Bao. As the fifteen-day donation drive reached its final day, Butcher Fan visited the Imperial Notice board, where the crowd recognized him as the first day’s top donor.

• Liu Xie learned that Shi Delu had given all his family possessions to help famine refugees because he could not bear to see people resort to eating human flesh again.
• Liu Xie promised that Shi Delu’s ten-year-old grandson, Shi Bao, could join the Feathered Forest Guard in two years, then recognized him as a future historical figure from Nanpi in Bohai.
• Liu Xie reflected on the need to increase productivity and noted that he had entrusted the Zhen Clan’s craftsmen with making the Curved-Beam Plow and the Textile Loom.
• As the donation drive’s final day arrived, Butcher Fan went to the Imperial Notice board and was greeted by commoners who remembered his first-day donation and audience with the Son of Heaven.

Butcher Fan donated another ten strings of cash, praising the emperor and criticizing the Great Aristocratic Clans for not helping the displaced. Yang Biao then donated twenty thousand shi of grain for the Hongnong Yang Clan, but Fu Wan arrived and outbid him with a donation of one hundred thousand strings of cash on behalf of the Fu clan.

• Butcher Fan donated his last ten strings of cash and urged others to help the displaced people.
• Commoners criticized the Great Aristocratic Clans for failing to donate, and Butcher Fan praised the emperor.
• Yang Biao announced that the Hongnong Yang Clan would donate twenty thousand shi of grain, stunning the crowd.
• Yang Biao waited by the Imperial Notice, hoping to secure the title of Great Han's Foremost Benefactor before donations closed.
• Fu Wan confronted Yang Biao for competing for the title and announced a donation of one hundred thousand strings of cash on behalf of the Fu clan.

At the imperial notice site, Yang Biao, Fu Wan, Cui Yan, and the great aristocratic clans competed to become Great Han's Foremost Benefactor by raising their donations. The Zhen Clan Elder asserted that his clan could outbid the others, leaving the rivals silent.

• Fu Wan presented one hundred thousand strings of coins in gold, and Yang Biao confronted him over claiming to be poor.
• Cui Yan arrived and learned that Yang Biao and Fu Wan had secretly prepared donations, then more carriages brought representatives of the great clans.
• The Zhen Clan Elder, Cui Yan, the Dong Clan head, Shen Rong, and Ju Zong announced and raised their clans' offers as they competed for the benefactor title.
• Fu Wan added twenty thousand strings of coins, and Yang Biao countered with grain, firewood, and cloth donations that outdid the other offers.
• The Zhen Clan Elder offered another twenty thousand shi of grain, five thousand jin of salt, and aid for ten thousand more displaced people, then challenged the rivals to keep matching him.

Yuan Xi offered all the Yuan Clan’s assets to win the title of Great Han’s Foremost Benefactor, while Liu Xie revealed that the donation drive had been orchestrated to raise funds and improve Yuan Xi’s reputation. The chapter ended with Liu Xie reading a secret report about Tian Feng’s contacts with Ma Chao and the Wuhuan, leaving Ma Chao’s motives uncertain.

• Yuan Xi announced that he would donate all the Yuan Clan’s assets, winning the crowd’s praise and the title of Great Han’s Foremost Benefactor.
• Liu Xie told Yuan Xi and the Zhen Clan elder that the Zhen Clan had helped drive up donations and that he would secretly return its contribution.
• Liu Xie urged Yuan Xi to use his new reputation to help the displaced people arriving in Ye City.
• Zhang He reported that Gao Gan had withdrawn to Bing Province, Liu Zhang had broken with Liu Bei, and Tian Feng had contacted the Wuhuan and Ma Chao.
• Liu Xie asked Zhang He for the secret report and began reading it, puzzled by Ma Chao’s apparent collusion with Tian Feng.

Liu Xie heard that Ma Chao was sheltering Tian Feng and summoned Zhang Yan and Gongsun Xu, who reported on recovering You Province and relocating the Black Mountain Army. At court, Liu Xie praised the officials’ donations and proposed work relief for the hundreds of thousands of displaced people.

• Liu Xie read a report that Ma Chao had let Tian Feng remain in his camp without reporting it, then summoned Zhang Yan and Gongsun Xu.
• Gongsun Xu reported that he had recovered Yuan Shao’s occupied commanderies in You Province and asked when Yuan Shao would be executed; Liu Xie said he would kill him after spring began and send his head throughout the realm.
• Zhang Yan reported that the Black Mountain Army’s several hundred thousand people had reached Wei Commandery and offered to surrender command of its thirty thousand troops.
• Liu Xie promised to settle the people, rewarded Zhang Yan with the title Marquis of Zhen Ding Township, gold, and cloth, and accepted his surrender of military authority.
• At court, Liu Xie praised the officials for their donations and proposed distributing food to the displaced people in exchange for labor.

Liu Xie ordered winter preparations for an immediate campaign to seize Bing Province after learning that Tian Feng might be plotting with Ma Chao and the Wuhuan. He placed Ma Teng under house arrest and insisted that the army’s needs take priority over winter relief for the displaced, leaving the ministers to prepare for war.

• Liu Xie announced plans to build shelters and a textile workshop, then revealed that he intended to attack Bing Province during winter.
• Liu Xie disclosed intelligence that Tian Feng had met Ma Chao and contacted the Wuhuan, and said Bing Province had to be taken before they threatened Ji Province.
• Ma Teng protested his family’s loyalty, but Liu Xie ordered Zhang He to escort him home and keep him under guard.
• Liu Xie rejected the ministers’ doubts about the campaign and declared that Bing Province had to be captured before spring.
• Sima Yi warned that prioritizing army clothing could leave displaced people to freeze, but Liu Xie rebuked him and chose to prioritize the army.

Liu Xie outfitted his forces for winter with wool clothing, confirmed a campaign against Bing Province, and placed the Black Mountain Army under Lü Bu’s command. Lü Bu welcomed the trust but soon worried about how to equip the thirty thousand new troops.

• Liu Xie revealed wool sweaters and other garments, and the ministers tested them as Zhang Liao praised their usefulness for winter warfare.
• Liu Xie ordered the Zhen Clan elder to establish a Textile Workshop and produce winter clothing for the soldiers before the campaign against Bing Province.
• Liu Xie assigned the thirty thousand Black Mountain Army troops to Lü Bu, who accepted the command.
• Liu Xie announced a stone stele honoring the ten leading donors, prompting Yang Biao, Fu Wan, and Cui Yan to conceal their disappointment.
• Lü Bu returned to camp and told Chen Gong that he was worried about finding equipment for the Black Mountain Army.

Lü Bu struggled to equip the thirty thousand Black Mountain troops and tried to pass the problem to Zhang Liao, who agreed to train them but refused responsibility for their equipment. The next day, officials and commoners gathered at Ye City's Zhengnan Gate for the Good Deeds Stele ceremony, where Yuan Xi was praised for donating the Yuan Clan's assets.

• Lü Bu balked at asking the Zhen Clan for more equipment, while Chen Gong said his own funds and connections were exhausted.
• When Zhang Liao arrived with Zhang Yan's question about taking over the Black Mountain Army, Lü Bu tried to assign him twenty thousand troops to train.
• Zhang Liao agreed to train the troops but refused to procure their weapons and equipment, and Lü Bu sent him away in frustration.
• After leaving Lü Bu's tent, Chen Gong wondered whether the Zhen Clan's support for the Son of Heaven came from promises they could not refuse, then concluded it was too early to judge.
• Officials and commoners gathered at Ye City's Zhengnan Gate for the Good Deeds Stele ceremony, and the crowd praised Yuan Xi for donating the Yuan Clan's assets.

Liu Xie unveiled the Good Deeds Stele and praised the donors who helped resettle the pardoned Yellow Turbans, presenting plaques to the leading contributors. He also honored the humble blacksmith Shi Delu, who had donated his meager savings, and personally helped him rise before the crowd.

• Liu Xie addressed the crowd, accepted responsibility for the suffering across the realm, and praised those who donated to resettle the Yellow Turbans.
• Liu Xie unveiled the Good Deeds Stele as the eunuch read out the ten leading donors and their contributions, with Yuan Xi ranked first for giving the Yuan Clan's assets.
• Displaced Yellow Turbans in the crowd were moved by Liu Xie's words and the donations, and they thanked him and the benefactors.
• Liu Xie awarded plaques to Fu Wan, Yang Biao, Cui Yan, and Zhen Yi, then gave Yuan Xi the plaque titled "Great Han's Foremost Benefactor."
• Liu Xie revealed that he had prepared an additional plaque for the poor blacksmith Shi Delu, who had donated his savings to help the people.
• Shi Delu knelt with his grandson and protested that his donation was too small to merit the honor, but Liu Xie helped him up.

Liu Xie won the common people's admiration by honoring a poor blacksmith's family and visiting displaced people, then organized labor and supplies for the army's preparations. In Chang'an, Ma Chao considered Tian Feng's plan to murder Han Sui at a banquet and seize command of his troops.

• Liu Xie awarded Shi Delu a plaque and promised his grandson Shi Bao a place in the Feathered Forest Guard, winning the crowd's admiration.
• Guo Jia and Jia Xu praised Liu Xie's rapport with the common people, and Jia Xu compared him to Emperor Gaozu.
• Liu Xie visited displaced people's quarters, distributed food and clothing, and strengthened their trust in the court.
• Liu Xie directed Zhen Yi to expand textile, mining, and weapons production, then hoped Ma Chao would behave as a proper son.
• Tian Feng urged Ma Chao to reconcile with Han Sui, invite him and his son to a banquet, and have them killed so Ma Chao could take over Han Sui's troops.

Ma Chao accepted Tian Feng’s proposal to kill Han Sui and unite the Western Liang Army, while secretly plotting to seize power for himself and sacrifice his hostage relatives if necessary. Han Sui received Ma Chao’s invitation to become his adoptive father, and his generals immediately suspected a trap.

• Tian Feng persuaded Ma Chao to invite Han Sui to a feast so he could be killed and his troops seized.
• Ma Chao assured Pang De that he was only pretending to ally with Tian Feng, but privately resolved to pursue power regardless of the Son of Heaven or his relatives’ fate.
• Ma Chao wrote and sent Han Sui a letter inviting him to reconcile and become his adoptive father.
• Tian Feng worried that Ma Chao would become too powerful after absorbing Han Sui’s forces and began considering how to eliminate him.
• Han Sui read Ma Chao’s invitation, and Cheng Gongying warned that it was certainly a trap.

Han Sui considered whether Ma Chao’s offer to reconcile was a trap and sent Yan Xing to test him. Tian Feng helped Ma Chao persuade Yan Xing to report his sincerity, leaving Ma Chao expecting Han Sui to attend the banquet.

• Yan Xing urged Han Sui to invite Ma Chao to his camp and kill him, but Han Sui sent Yan Xing to test Ma Chao instead.
• Ma Chao questioned why Han Sui had sent Yan Xing, and Tian Feng advised him to receive the envoy as usual.
• Yan Xing mocked Ma Chao’s plan to acknowledge Han Sui as his adoptive father, and Tian Feng rebuked him until he apologized.
• Ma Chao explained that he sincerely wanted the Ma and Han families to reconcile and asked Yan Xing to convey the invitation to Han Sui.
• Ma Chao praised Tian Feng’s quick thinking and asked him to serve, but Tian Feng refused because he already had a lord.

Ma Chao lured Han Sui to a reconciliation banquet in Chang'an, then ambushed and killed him and his followers. He returned to the military camp with Han Sui’s head and told Tian Feng that Han Sui was dead, clearing the way to unite the Western Liang Army.

• Yan Xing reported Ma Chao’s offer of reconciliation to Han Sui, who agreed to attend the banquet despite Cheng Gongying’s warnings.
• Ma Chao welcomed Han Sui to Chang'an, led his horse into the city, and hosted a feast where they spoke of uniting the Western Liang Army.
• Ma Chao smashed his cup, summoned armed soldiers, and ordered them to kill Han Sui and his companions.
• Han Sui offered Ma Chao control of his troops, but Ma Chao rejected the offer and beheaded him; Yan Xing and the other followers were also killed.
• Ma Chao took Han Sui’s head to the military camp and told Tian Feng that he had slain him, prompting Tian Feng to welcome the chance to unite the Western Liang Army.

After Han Sui’s death, Tian Feng advised Ma Chao on how to take over the Western Liang Army, but Pang De warned that the plan could draw suspicion from the Son of Heaven. Ma Chao chose to kill Tian Feng and send his head to Ye City to prove his loyalty, leaving Tian Feng dead and Ma Chao free to consolidate the army.

• Tian Feng told Ma Chao to claim Han Sui had been killed by the Xiongnu, avenge him, and use his status as Han Sui’s adopted son to take command of the Western Liang Army.
• Ma Chao tried to recruit Tian Feng, but Tian Feng refused because he already had a lord and departed for Bing Province.
• Pang De warned Ma Chao that the Xiongnu story might not fool the Son of Heaven and proposed blaming Tian Feng for inciting Han Sui to rebel.
• Ma Chao caught up with Tian Feng, surrounded him with horsemen, and demanded that he die so his head could be sent to Ye City as proof of loyalty.
• Tian Feng cursed Ma Chao, then took his own life while facing Ji Province and declaring that he had done all he could for his lord.
• Ma Chao ordered Tian Feng’s head sent to Ye City and a sandalwood head made for his burial with full honors.

Liu Xie dealt with preparations for the campaign against Bing Province and heard Zhen Mi's wish for an heir, which he secretly intended to prevent. A Chang'an dispatch then revealed that Ma Chao had killed Tian Feng and Han Sui, leaving Liu Xie to read Ma Chao's explanation.

• Liu Xie played Go with Zhen Mi, praised her management of the Imperial Harem, and reassured her when she worried about not conceiving a dragon heir.
• Liu Xie avoided Zhen Mi's further questions when Zhang He summoned him to meet Ma Teng, who pleaded that Ma Chao had not rebelled.
• Gao Lan brought an urgent dispatch from Chang'an, where a cavalryman reported that Ma Chao had killed Tian Feng and Han Sui after they plotted an attack on Ji Province.
• The cavalryman presented Tian Feng's and Han Sui's heads, and Ma Teng rejoiced that his son had been cleared of suspicion.
• Liu Xie questioned how Ma Chao had killed Han Sui, and the cavalryman handed him Ma Chao's memorial.

Liu Xie and his advisers doubted Ma Chao’s account of killing Han Sui and Tian Feng, but kept their plan to attack Bing Province and summoned Ma Chao to Ye City to receive a reward. Meanwhile, Yuan Xi confronted his imprisoned father Yuan Shao over the destruction of the Yuan Clan, and their argument turned violent.

• Liu Xie, Jia Xu, and Guo Jia noticed omissions in Ma Chao’s memorial and agreed that the army must still attack Bing Province.
• Liu Xie ordered Guo Jia to summon Ma Chao to Ye City for a reward and sent Tian Feng’s head to Yuan Shao.
• Liu Xie ordered officials to resettle displaced people arriving in Wei Commandery through work-relief programs.
• Yuan Xi visited Yuan Shao in the dungeon, and Yuan Shao accused him of betraying the Yuan Clan.
• Yuan Xi struck Yuan Shao and blamed him for the deaths of 1,037 clan members before the jailers pulled them apart.

Yuan Xi confronted Yuan Shao with news of Tian Feng’s death and declared he would rebuild the Yuan Clan, while Liu Xie’s court prepared to invade Bing Province. As the army prepared to march, Gao Gan in Jinyang considered whether Ma Chao would join his forces despite his family being held in Ye City.

• Yuan Xi showed Yuan Shao Tian Feng’s severed head and told him that Tian Feng had died after Ma Chao uncovered his attempt to incite rebellion.
• Yuan Xi told Yuan Shao that the court would destroy the remaining Yuan forces in Bing Province and that he would rebuild the Yuan Clan; Yuan Shao later mourned Tian Feng and admitted his mistakes.
• The court settled displaced commoners into work, and their labor produced winter clothing and military supplies for the army.
• Sima Yi and Zhen Yi reported that provisions, weapons, and winter clothing were ready for the campaign against Bing Province.
• Liu Xie appointed Lü Bu commander, Zhang Liao deputy commander, and Sima Yi military advisor, ordering fifty thousand troops to march in three days and raze Jinyang City.
• In Jinyang, Gao Gan discussed Ma Chao’s control of the Western Liang Army with Guo Yuan, who questioned whether Ma Chao would attack Ji Province while his father and brothers remained in Ye City.

Gao Gan learned that Ma Chao had killed Tian Feng and that Lü Bu and Zhang Liao had seized two commanderies and were marching on Jinyang. Lü Bu’s army arrived at the city in winter, and Sima Yi was asked how to attack.

• Zhao Rui reported that Ma Chao had beheaded Tian Feng and Han Sui, prompting Gao Gan to vow revenge.
• Guo Yuan suggested revealing Ma Chao’s alleged betrayal to the Western Liang Army, but Gao Gan said Ma Chao had already won its loyalty.
• Sui Yuanjin reported that Lü Bu and Zhang Liao had taken Leping and Xinxing commanderies and were advancing on Jinyang, so Gao Gan ordered the city’s defenses prepared.
• Gao Gan saw Lü Bu’s army approaching through the snow, while the freezing defenders struggled to prepare for battle.
• Lü Bu and Zhang Liao reached Jinyang on the ninth day, and Lü Bu asked Sima Yi whether they should storm the city.

Ma Chao received an imperial edict summoning him to Ye City, but he refused, claiming he had to keep the Western Liang Army stable. As he weighed whether to attack Ji Province, he insisted that the Son of Heaven was being controlled by Lü Bu and warned Pang De not to travel to Ye City.

• Outside Jinyang, Sima Yi advised Lü Bu and Chen Gong to encamp and prepare siege weapons rather than attack the exhausted army’s fortified target immediately, and Gao Gan worried about defending the city in winter.
• Cui Lin met Ma Chao at the Chang'an camp and delivered the Son of Heaven’s edict summoning him to Ye City for a reward; Ma Chao refused, citing the risk of a mutiny in the Western Liang Army.
• Ma Chao told Cui Lin that he had spread the rumor that the Xiongnu killed Han Sui to conceal that he had killed Han Sui for plotting rebellion, and Cui Lin promised to report the explanation to the Son of Heaven.
• Ma Chao questioned Cui Lin about the winter campaign against Bing Province, then studied the edict and military reports after the banquet and suspected that the Son of Heaven distrusted him and feared his army.
• Ma Chao asked Pang De whether to attack Ji Province, but Pang De advised against it and proposed returning to Ye City to verify whether the Son of Heaven was being held hostage by Lü Bu.
• Ma Chao rejected Pang De’s proposal, asserted that Lü Bu controlled the Son of Heaven, and warned Pang De that he might never return if he went to Ye City.