Chapter Summaries

Lü Bu led the Bing Province Iron Cavalry into Cao Ren’s Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation and tore through its defenses, forcing Cao Ren to commit seven generals against him. Sima Yi sent Gao Shun to attack the formation’s command platform, while Lü Bu, exhausted and surrounded, tried to escape.

• Lü Bu broke through the shield ranks with his cavalry and drove deep into the formation, shocking Cao Ren with the speed of his advance.
• Cao Ren sent Yu Jin, Xiahou Dun, and Xiahou Yuan to stop Lü Bu, but Lü Bu nearly killed Xiahou Dun and overwhelmed their combined strength.
• Cao Ren ordered Cao Hong, Xu Huang, Cao Chun, and Xiahou Shang to join the fight, surrounding Lü Bu with seven generals and a mass of Cao troops.
• Sima Yi identified the command platform as the formation’s core and ordered Gao Shun to attack it with the remaining thousand Bing Province Iron Cavalry.
• Lü Bu fought the seven generals until exhaustion set in, then forced them back and charged toward an escape route as Xiahou Dun pursued him.

Lü Bu escaped Cao Ren’s Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation after seven generals failed to stop him, then withdrew to Wuchao while Sima Yi searched for a way to break it. In Ye City, Liu Xie learned that Great Aristocratic Clans had exploited his land reclamation policy and asked Yuan Xi to punish them.

• Lü Bu feinted at Xiahou Dun, broke through the formation, and escaped after Cao Ren pulled troops back to defend Longyan Terrace.
• Gao Shun rejoined Lü Bu, and the exhausted Bing Province Wolf Cavalry withdrew as Cao Ren ordered his army to regroup.
• Lü Bu demanded another attack, but Sima Yi warned that the formation could not be broken by force and asked for time to study it.
• Liu Xie confronted officials over powerful clans seizing the best reclaimed land while displaced people received barren plots.
• Yuan Xi offered to purge the clans that had competed with common people for land.

Liu Xie rejected using force against aristocratic clans that exploited land reclamation rules and ordered Jia Xu, Guo Jia, and Zhuge Liang to devise a policy solution. Noble Lady Fu visited her imprisoned sister Empress Fu for her birthday, and Empress Fu learned that Liu Xie had defeated Yuan Shao and unified the north.

• Guo Jia and Jia Xu advised Liu Xie against using force to stop aristocratic clans from accumulating land, and Liu Xie ordered them and Zhuge Liang to find a workable policy within a month.
• Liu Xie continued reviewing government memorials and allowed Noble Lady Fu to visit Empress Fu for her birthday.
• Noble Lady Fu brought homemade pastries to Pepper Chamber Hall, where Empress Fu wept with happiness at seeing her sister after months of isolation.
• Empress Fu asked Noble Lady Fu about Emperor Xian of Han, and Noble Lady Fu said he had fled to Jing Province while Liu Xie marched south.
• Noble Lady Fu told Empress Fu that Liu Xie had defeated Yuan Shao and unified the north, shocking her.

Empress Fu reconsidered Liu Xie’s rule after Noble Lady Fu described his victories and benevolent policies, but Liu Xie warned her not to dwell on Emperor Xian and promised to kill him. Meanwhile, the Cao Army’s strange formation stopped Lü Bu at Guandu, and Liu Xie sought a minister to help break it.

• Noble Lady Fu told Empress Fu about Liu Xie’s victories over Yuan Shao, relief efforts, and governance, while Empress Fu concealed that she was confined in Pepper Chamber Hall.
• Noble Lady Fu lamented that Liu Xie showed her no favor, and Empress Fu comforted her before she left.
• Liu Xie confronted Empress Fu about asking after the Pretender Emperor, then told her he would soon have the man killed and noted that it was her birthday.
• Gao Lan reported that Cao Cao had evacuated Yan Province and that a formation guarded by seven generals had stopped Lü Bu’s army before Guandu.
• Liu Xie summoned his officials to Tai’an Hall and asked who could help Duke Wen break the formation, and Zhao Yun volunteered to join Lü Bu.

Liu Xie sent Zhuge Liang with Zhao Yun to Guandu to help the Western Route Army break Cao Ren’s formation, and Zhuge Liang pledged his life if he failed. Yang Xiu recognized the formation as the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation and urged the Yang family to return its reclaimed land to the court, while Zhuge Liang left for Guandu confident; Sun Quan’s army was also advancing against Xu Province.

• Zhuge Liang volunteered to accompany Zhao Yun to Guandu, and Cui Yan and Yang Biao also offered help before Zhuge Liang pledged his head under military law if he failed to break the formation.
• Liu Xie ordered Zhuge Liang to go, intending for him to earn military merit and knowing Cao Ren’s formation was the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation.
• Yang Xiu told Yang Biao that Cao Ren’s formation was formidable, that Liu Xie had deliberately given Zhuge Liang a chance to prove himself, and that the Yang family should hand its reclaimed land to the court; Yang Biao agreed.
• Guo Jia and Jia Xu warned Zhuge Liang that his pledge was dangerous, but Zhuge Liang assured them he would succeed and departed for Guandu.
• Sun Quan launched a major spring offensive against Xu Province, overwhelming its small defending force with Jiangdong’s thirty thousand troops.

Sun Quan’s forces struggled against Zhang Liao in Xu Province, while Zhou Yu welcomed his returning friend Lu Su. At Guandu, Lü Bu grew impatient with the stalemate and threatened a full assault, but Sima Yi urged him to wait while he studied Cao Ren’s formation.

• Sun Quan had his arm wound treated and admitted to Zhou Yu that he had been reckless by fighting on the front lines.
• Zhou Yu warned Sun Quan that Zhang Liao and the imperial army were formidable, then reported that Cao Cao’s army had halted Lü Bu at Guandu.
• Lu Su arrived at the Prefect’s Residence after completing his mourning period, and Zhou Yu joyfully introduced him to Sun Quan.
• At Wuchao, Lü Bu lamented his inability to defeat Cao Ren’s seven generals and demanded that Sima Yi find a way to break their formation.
• Sima Yi admitted that he had not solved the formation, and Lü Bu declared that he would lead the entire army in an attack the next day.
• Sima Yi warned Lü Bu that an assault could bring certain defeat and asked for three more days to find a way through the formation.

Lü Bu welcomed Zhao Yun and Zhuge Liang as reinforcements, but dismissed Zhuge Liang’s ability to break Cao Ren’s formation. Zhuge Liang recognized it as the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation, though he said whether it could be broken remained uncertain.

• Lü Bu ordered an all-out attack on Cao Ren’s formation despite Sima Yi’s warning, then learned the Imperial Court had sent Zhao Yun and Zhuge Liang.
• Lü Bu was delighted by Zhao Yun’s arrival and believed they could overcome the Cao Army’s generals together.
• Lü Bu dismissed Zhuge Liang’s offer to break the formation and took Zhao Yun away to drink.
• Zhuge Liang reassured Sima Yi that the Son of Heaven had sent him to speed the offensive, and Sima Yi shared his studies of the formation.
• Zhuge Liang identified the formation as the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation but said it was uncertain whether he could break it.

Zhuge Liang told Sima Yi he was about ninety percent confident he could break Cao Ren’s Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation, while Cao Ren learned that Zhao Yun had arrived with a thousand men and strengthened his formation. The next day, Lü Bu’s army faced the Cao Army, and Zhao Yun waited for Zhuge Liang’s advice before attacking.

• Zhuge Liang explained the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation to Sima Yi and estimated his chances of breaking it at ninety percent.
• Cao Ren celebrated repelling Lü Bu, but Xiahou Dun insisted he wanted revenge and to kill Lü Bu.
• A scout reported that Zhao Yun had arrived at Wuchao with about a thousand men, and Xu Huang recounted Zhao Yun’s formidable deeds.
• Cao Ren ordered Cao Zhen to join the formation, then ended the banquet and told his generals to prepare for another attack.
• Lü Bu marched out with thirty thousand men the next day and prepared to charge the Cao Army’s formation with Zhao Yun.
• Zhao Yun asked Zhuge Liang how to break the formation, while Lü Bu urged an immediate attack and Sima Yi asked him to wait.

Zhuge Liang devised a way to break the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation by sending Zhao Yun and one thousand Tiger Warriors through its weaker gates to kill the flag officers. Zhao Yun entered the formation and fought fiercely, while Cao Ren sent Cao Zhen, Yu Jin, and Xu Huang to stop him.

• Zhuge Liang explained that Lü Bu’s previous charges had struck the Death Gate and proposed attacking through the Birth Gate, then escaping through the Scenery Gate.
• Zhuge Liang told Lü Bu to stay outside and deter the enemy generals while Zhao Yun led one thousand Tiger Warriors into the formation.
• Cao Ren recognized Zhao Yun’s approach to the Birth Gate and began directing the formation to meet the attack.
• Zhao Yun and his disciplined Tiger Warriors broke through the Birth Gate and advanced into the Cao Army’s ranks.
• Cao Ren ordered Cao Zhen, Yu Jin, and Xu Huang to surround Zhao Yun, and the three engaged him in battle.

Zhao Yun broke Cao Ren’s Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation by killing its chief standard officer, allowing Zhuge Liang and Lü Bu to launch a full assault. As Lü Bu reached Zhao Yun’s aid, his arrows killed Xiahou Dun while he saved Xiahou Yuan, leaving the Cao Army in retreat and Xiahou Yuan grieving.

• Xu Huang, Cao Zhen, and Yu Jin failed to stop Zhao Yun, so Cao Ren sent Xiahou Yuan and two others to intercept him with more troops.
• Zhao Yun charged the Scenery Gate, leaped over its shield line, and killed the chief standard officer, breaking the formation and raising the Han Army’s morale.
• Zhuge Liang ordered the Han troops to attack, and Lü Bu led the army forward as Cao Ren ordered a retreat and had generals surround Zhao Yun.
• Cao Chun, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, and Xu Huang attacked Zhao Yun, but Lü Bu arrived and shot arrows that wounded Xu Huang and struck Xiahou Dun as he shielded Xiahou Yuan.
• Xiahou Dun died in Xiahou Yuan’s arms, and Xiahou Yuan wept over his body.

The Han Army broke Cao Ren’s Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation and routed the Cao Army, while Xiahou Dun and Cao Chun died covering their comrades’ retreat. After reaching the Guandu River, Zhuge Liang began examining the enemy’s defenses and noted that no other Cao Army troops had appeared.

• Cao Chun held off Zhao Yun so Xiahou Yuan could escape with Xiahou Dun’s body, but Lü Bu joined Zhao Yun and Cao Chun was killed.
• Zhao Yun collapsed from exhaustion after the fight, and Lü Bu praised him before pursuing the retreating Cao Army.
• Cao Ren’s forces retreated to Guandu with about seven thousand soldiers remaining, and Cao Ren resolved to hold the river crossing for at least twenty days.
• Lü Bu celebrated the Han Army’s victory and praised Zhuge Liang and Zhao Yun, while Sima Yi sat apart in silence.
• Zhuge Liang raised the question of how to take Guandu and pointed out that no other Cao Army troops had appeared during the pursuit.

Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi realized Cao Cao had abandoned Yu Province to move his forces into Jiangdong, prompting them to plan a report to the Son of Heaven. Meanwhile, Cao Cao reached Wu Commandery and learned from Cao Ren’s letter that Xiahou Dun and Cao Chun had died and his army had been defeated at Guandu.

• Sima Yi suggested Cao Cao might have moved his forces away from Guandu, and Lü Bu proposed that he could be abandoning Yu Province.
• Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi concluded Cao Cao intended to seize Jiangdong while Sun Quan fought the Imperial Court, leaving Sun Quan exposed and concentrating Cao Cao’s people and supplies in Jiangdong.
• Gao Shun suggested waiting for Cao Cao to withdraw, but Zhuge Liang warned that Cao Cao was forcing civilians to flee with him.
• Sima Yi urged caution and proposed sending news to Ye City for the Son of Heaven’s instructions, and Lü Bu agreed.
• Zhuge Liang watched the stars outside his tent while Sima Yi declared he would find a way to defeat the enemy first.
• Cao Cao reached Wu Commandery and read Cao Ren’s letter reporting the defeat at Guandu and the deaths of Xiahou Dun and Cao Chun.

Cao Cao mourned Xiahou Dun and Cao Chun, then persuaded Jiangdong’s great clans to support his plan to seize Jiangdong and concentrate the forces of Yan and Yu Provinces there against Lü Bu. As several clans pledged their support, Yu Fan condemned them for abandoning Sun Quan.

• Cao Cao refused to postpone the banquet, saying he would not let grief obstruct his plan to win over Jiangdong’s clans.
• Yu Fan demanded to know why Cao Cao had brought troops to Wu and Kuaiji instead of fighting Lü Bu, and Cao Cao declared that he intended to replace Sun Quan in Jiangdong.
• Cao Cao argued that Sun Quan was too weak to resist Lü Bu and said he would abandon Yan and Yu Provinces, moving their troops, people, and supplies behind the Yangtze River.
• The Zhou and Sheng Clans declared support for Cao Cao, followed by the Zhu, Gu, and Zhang Clans, while the Wei and Lu Clans wavered.
• Yu Fan angrily accused the clans that backed Cao Cao of betraying their word and abandoning righteousness.

Cao Cao forced Jiangdong's clans to support his takeover by killing Yu Fan and threatening the rest, while in Xu Province Lu Su refused office under Sun Quan but revealed that he had come to help Zhou Yu as a friend. The chapter left Cao Cao consolidating Jiangdong and Zhou Yu deeply moved by Lu Su's loyalty.

• Cao Cao had Xu Chu kill Yu Fan, ordered the Yu Clan exterminated, and forced the Jiangdong clan representatives to pledge support for his control of the region.
• Cao Cao promised the clans future profits and tasked Zhou Xin with eliminating Zhang Zhao and purging Sun Quan's remaining followers.
• Sun Quan praised Lu Su for protecting his supply lines and offered him the post of military advisor, but Lu Su declined.
• Zhou Yu asked Lu Su why he had refused office, and Lu Su challenged him over helping Sun Quan oppose the Imperial Court.
• Lu Su explained that he had come to support Zhou Yu as a dear friend, not to serve Sun Quan, and Zhou Yu thanked him with a solemn bow.

Lu Su stayed with Zhou Yu after Zhou Yu refused to abandon Sun Quan, securing a promise that Zhou Yu would flee with him if their cause became hopeless. Sun Quan discovered their agreement, then learned that Cao Cao had seized Jiangdong and cut off the army’s retreat.

• Lu Su urged Zhou Yu to leave Sun Quan and join the Imperial Court, but Zhou Yu refused because he would not abandon Sun Quan or leave Zhang Liao unopposed.
• Lu Su agreed to stay and advise Zhou Yu on the condition that Zhou Yu would leave with him if their situation became hopeless, and Zhou Yu accepted.
• Sun Quan overheard their conversation and resolved to settle accounts with them after finding replacements.
• Sun He reported that Cao Cao had entered Jiangdong with thirty thousand troops, the aristocratic families had defected, and the commanderies had fallen.
• Sun Quan summoned his generals and advisers and announced that Cao Cao had occupied their rear and cut off their retreat.

Sun Quan learned that Cao Cao had seized Jiangdong and debated whether to surrender or fight to reclaim it. He dismissed Zhou Yu and ordered an attack on Danyang and Guangling, while Zhang Liao wondered why Sun Quan had become harder to defeat.

• Sun He reported that Cao Cao’s thirty thousand troops had crossed the Yangtze and occupied Wu and Kuaiji, cutting off Sun Quan’s retreat.
• Sun Quan accused Zhou Yu of failing to detect Cao Cao’s forces in Huainan, and Zhou Yu accepted responsibility for being deceived.
• Lu Su urged Sun Quan to surrender to the Imperial Court or fight swiftly to retake Jiangdong, but Sun Quan rejected surrender.
• Sun Quan removed Zhou Yu as Grand Commander, appointed Cheng Pu in his place, and ordered his forces to suspend fighting Zhang Liao and retake Danyang and Guangling.
• At Tan County, Zhang Liao noticed that Sun Quan had begun seeing through his stratagems and wondered what had changed.

Zhang Liao learned that Cao Cao had invaded Sun Quan’s lands and chose to let them fight rather than attack Sun Quan’s retreating army. In Ye City, Liu Xie agreed that Cao Cao had turned on Sun Quan and decided to offer Sun Quan a pardon if he helped the Imperial Court defeat Cao Cao.

• Taishi Ci advised Zhang Liao to slow his offensive against Sun Quan, but Zhang Liao worried that Lü Bu was advancing faster than he was.
• Qu Yi delivered word that Cao Cao had crossed the Yangtze River with thirty thousand troops and seized several commanderies in Jiangdong.
• Zhang Liao refused Taishi Ci’s suggestion to attack Sun Quan, deciding instead to let Sun Quan and Cao Cao weaken each other.
• Liu Xie discussed Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi’s theory that Cao Cao had secretly taken his main army to attack Sun Quan’s territory with Jia Xu and Guo Jia.
• Liu Xie proposed issuing Sun Quan an imperial pardon in return for helping the Imperial Court destroy Cao Cao.

Liu Xie learned that Cao Cao had invaded Jiangdong and moved to use Sun Quan against him while promising to pardon Sun Quan if he surrendered. Trapped between Cao Cao and Zhang Liao, Sun Quan considered Zhou Yu’s proposal to attack Yu Province.

• Liu Xie accepted Jia Xu and Guo Jia’s support for his plan to make Sun Quan fight Cao Cao, promising to pardon Sun Quan if he helped destroy Cao Cao.
• Gao Lan delivered a report that Cao Cao had seized Jiangdong’s commanderies and cut off Sun Quan’s retreat, so Liu Xie ordered Guo Jia to send Sun Quan an edict and instructed Zhang Liao to either spare or destroy him depending on whether he surrendered.
• Jia Xu told Liu Xie that Cao Cao had exposed and confined Xu You, preventing the Embroidered-Clothes Envoys from reaching him.
• Sun Quan’s forces failed to draw Cao Cao’s troops out of Danyang, while Cheng Pu warned that storming the fortified commanderies would risk heavy losses with Zhang Liao behind them.
• Zhou Yu explained that Cao Cao and Zhang Liao were both waiting for Sun Quan and the opposing army to weaken each other, then proposed attacking lightly defended Yu Province.
• Sun Quan questioned the value of taking Yu Province because he expected to face the armies of Lü Bu and Zhang Liao afterward.

Sun Quan approved Lü Meng’s plan to disguise elite troops as civilians and seize a Yangtze ferry crossing, despite Zhou Yu and Lu Su warning of its consequences. As the army prepared to return to Xiapi, imperial envoy Cui Lin arrived with an edict, but Zhou Tai and Xu Sheng blocked his path to Sun Quan.

• Lü Meng proposed sending two thousand disguised soldiers across the Yangtze to capture a ferry, and Lu Su and Zhou Yu condemned the plan.
• Sun Quan asked Lü Meng about his chances, then approved the operation and ordered him to seize the crossing.
• Zhou Yu urged Sun Quan to reconsider, but Sun Quan questioned his loyalty, and Zhou Yu fell silent.
• Sun Quan ordered the army to return to Xiapi the next day and prepare for the crossing.
• Sun He reported that an imperial envoy had arrived, and Sun Quan ordered him brought into the tent.
• Cui Lin entered with a Golden Credential Staff and an edict, but Zhou Tai and Xu Sheng stopped him from approaching Sun Quan.

Cui Lin delivered the Imperial Edict offering Sun Quan pardon if he surrendered and helped destroy Cao Cao, but Sun Quan decided to feign surrender while planning to reclaim Jiangdong. Zhang Liao prepared to stop Cao Cao’s relocation of the people, and Cao Cao’s evacuation across the Yangtze continued at Tongling Ferry.

• Cui Lin provoked Sun Quan by delivering the Imperial Edict without showing him respect, then left unharmed.
• Sun Quan read the offer of pardon and decided to pretend to surrender so he could attack Cao Cao and reclaim Jiangdong.
• Lu Su urged Zhou Yu to leave Sun Quan, then explained that the Imperial Court would benefit whichever side prevailed.
• Zhang Liao ordered Huang Zhong and Qu Yi to march to Huainan to stop Cao Cao’s relocation while Taishi Ci guarded Xu Province and watched Sun Quan.
• Cao Cao’s forces continued ferrying people, livestock, and possessions across the Yangtze at Tongling Ferry.