Chapter Summaries

Liu Xie visited the family of a fallen soldier and learned that the widow had donated most of her benefits to help refugees. A month later, he sent an army west against Ma Chao, who received Cao Mengde's offer of an alliance.

• Liu Xie visited the home of Zhaodi and her grandmother, honored the fallen soldier’s spirit tablet, and revealed that he was the emperor.
• The old woman told Liu Xie that no one had withheld her son’s benefits and that she had donated most of the money to refugees.
• Liu Xie promised to end the wars and improve the people’s lives before returning to Ye City.
• Zhang Liao led an eighty-thousand-man army west with Sima Yi, Lü Bu, Taishi Ci, and Zhao Yun, and Liu Xie sent the troops off with a ceremony and an order to crush the rebels.
• Ma Chao prepared the Western Liang Army to face the Imperial Court’s expedition after suppressing his men’s anger over Ma Teng’s injuries.
• A scholar delivered Cao Mengde’s offer of an alliance to Ma Chao, who questioned whether Cao Mengde truly wished to join forces with him.

Ma Chao rejected Cao Cao’s alliance publicly but privately demanded territory, the title of King of Liang, and military support before agreeing. He sent Cao Cao’s offer to Lü Bu as leverage, hoping the Son of Heaven in Ye City would bid higher, while Pang De grew suspicious about Ma Teng’s prolonged confinement.

• Ma Chao denounced Cao Cao’s emissary in front of his officers and ordered him out, then heard from Pang De that Lü Bu was advancing with eighty thousand troops toward Si Province.
• Ma Chao ordered Pang De to hold Tong Pass and claimed Ma Teng’s injuries had not improved, prompting Pang De to suspect something was amiss.
• Ma Chao met Cao Cao’s emissary privately and said he would consider an alliance if Cao Cao secured him the title of King of Liang and sent troops to help contain Lü Bu.
• Ma Chao sent a letter to Lü Bu revealing Cao Cao’s attempt to recruit him, intending to use the offer to secure a royal title from the Son of Heaven in Ye City.

Lü Bu’s army reached Jinyang, where Zhang He received command of the newly formed Mo Dao Army. Lü Bu celebrated his pregnant daughter’s prospects of becoming empress, but Chen Gong warned him not to rush to conclusions.

• Zhang He and Chen Gong welcomed Lü Bu’s army to Jinyang and discussed the Imperial Court’s growing military strength.
• Lü Bu boasted that the campaign against Ma Chao would be easy, while Chen Gong warned against underestimating the Western Liang Army and Sima Yi vowed victory.
• Zhang Liao presented the Mo Dao Army and its golden military tally to Zhang He, conveying the Son of Heaven’s order that Zhang He command the force.
• Zhang He accepted the appointment with gratitude, then invited the generals into Jinyang for a welcoming banquet.
• Lü Bu told Chen Gong that his daughter was pregnant with the Son of Heaven’s heir and predicted she would become empress if she bore a prince.
• Chen Gong quietly advised Lü Bu not to be too hasty, leaving Lü Bu confused about his daughter’s prospects.

As the Han Army prepared to attack Ma Chao’s forces, Sima Yi proposed using Ma Teng and agents hidden in Chang'an to undermine the Western Liang Army and secure victory. The army’s immediate challenge remained breaking through Tong Pass.

• Chen Gong warned Lü Bu not to seek the empress's position for his daughter, and advised him to earn merit and advance by retreating.
• Lü Bu dismissed Chen Gong’s long explanation, angering him, then hurried after him to apologize.
• In Jinyang, Zhang Liao outlined the army’s route to Chang'an and the need to take Tong Pass quickly despite winter’s logistical strain.
• Zhao Yun supported a direct assault on Tong Pass, but Sima Yi opposed it and argued that the Han Army should expose Ma Chao’s claim that the Son of Heaven was being held hostage.
• Sima Yi revealed that agents of the Embroidered-Clothes Envoys had entered Chang'an with Ma Teng and proposed helping Ma Teng regain command of the Western Liang Army.
• Chen Gong praised Sima Yi’s plan, believing it could assure victory in the campaign.

Lü Bu received Ma Chao’s defiant demand for the title King of Liang and prepared to march against him at Tong Pass. In Ye City, Zhen Mi learned that her mother had died, broke down in grief, and fell ill, while Liu Xie stayed by her bedside.

• Ma Chao’s messenger delivered a letter demanding that Liu Xie name him King of Liang or face his alliance with Cao Cao and the Pretender Emperor; Lü Bu killed the messenger in a rage.
• Sima Yi urged Lü Bu and the generals to march against Ma Chao, and they agreed to set out for Tong Pass in three days.
• As Zhen Mi and Lü Lingqi prepared for New Year, Liu Xie told Zhen Mi that her mother had died and her elder brother had returned to Wuji for the funeral.
• Zhen Mi wandered through the snowy palace in grief, and Liu Xie followed her, sheltered her with an umbrella, and held her as she sobbed.
• Zhen Mi fell ill that night, and Liu Xie set aside state affairs to visit her and keep watch beside her bed.

Liu Xie tended to the ailing Zhen Mi before leaving to address military intelligence about Cao Cao’s proposed alliance with Ma Chao and the winter relief effort. After Fa Zheng presented a plan for governing the resettled Wuhuan, Liu Xie praised two of its strategies but began to explain his objection to the second.

• Liu Xie kept watch over Zhen Mi through the night, then left Qingli Palace after receiving word that military intelligence had arrived from Bing Province.
• Zhen Mi woke and learned from Guo Nüwang that Liu Xie had personally cared for her all night, bringing her comfort despite her grief over her mother.
• Jia Xu reported that Cao Cao had contacted Ma Chao to propose an alliance, and Liu Xie ordered Huang Zhong to garrison Yan Province and monitor Cao Cao.
• Zhuge Liang told Liu Xie that winter relief and the resettlement of Wuhuan civilians were being handled, and Liu Xie authorized him to allocate supplies without submitting a memorial.
• Fa Zheng presented his proposals for governing the Wuhuan, and Liu Xie said the first and third strategies were sound but that the second had a major problem.

Liu Xie rejected Fa Zheng’s plan to distribute land to Wuhuan civilians, agreed to let Zhen Mi return home to visit her mother, and the Han Army confronted the defenses at Tong Pass. In Chang’an, a mysterious intruder revealed an iron token to Pang De.

• Liu Xie told Fa Zheng that the court must keep the Wuhuan afraid of Han power and ordered him to revise his memorial.
• Zhen Mi asked to return home to pay respects to her mother, and Liu Xie agreed to send the Tiger Warriors Army to escort her.
• Zhang Liao, Sima Yi, and Chen Gong surveyed Tong Pass and discussed the difficulty of attacking its thirty thousand Western Liang defenders.
• Sima Yi urged Zhang Liao to wait and watch developments as heavy snow fell.
• An unidentified intruder surprised Pang De in his study and showed him an iron token, making Pang De’s pupils contract.

An Embroidered-Clothes Envoy convinced Pang De that Ma Chao had deceived the Western Liang Army and recruited him to help the Imperial Court take Tong Pass. In Jing Province, Cao Cao rejected Ma Chao’s demands but, urged by Xun Yu and Xun You, considered sending troops to prevent Ma Chao’s defeat.

• An Embroidered-Clothes Envoy showed Pang De Ma Teng’s letter revealing that Ma Chao had fabricated the Son of Heaven’s captivity and imprisoned Ma Teng.
• Pang De recognized the letter as genuine and agreed to cooperate with the Embroidered-Clothes Envoys by seeking command of Tong Pass and letting the Imperial Court’s army through.
• The Embroidered-Clothes Envoy vanished after telling Pang De that the Imperial Court’s army would attack the pass, giving him a reason to take command.
• Cao Cao heard Xun You recount Ma Chao’s demands for a royal title and military assistance, then angrily rejected the proposed alliance.
• Xun Yu and Xun You urged Cao Cao to send troops to aid Ma Chao and tie down some of the Imperial Court’s forces, warning that Jing Province could be targeted if Ma Chao fell.

Cao Cao reluctantly sent Cao Ren to distract Zhang Liao’s forces while Zhen Mi returned home to mourn her mother. At the Zhen Residence, a physician confirmed that Zhen Mi was pregnant, and her family began making preparations to protect the Son of Heaven’s child.

• Cao Cao ordered Cao Ren to lead thirty thousand troops against Bing Province without engaging Zhang Liao directly.
• Zhen Mi arrived at the Zhen Residence and went to her mother’s grave despite the snow and her exhaustion.
• Zhen Mi began retching at the cemetery, prompting Zhen Yi to summon a physician.
• The physician examined Zhen Mi and announced that she was pregnant.
• Zhen Yi ordered physicians, supplies, and servants to attend Zhen Mi and urged her to rest.

The Zhen Clan debated how to use Zhen Mi’s pregnancy to secure her the empress’s position, while Ma Chao faced mounting military pressure at Chang’an. The chapter ended with Tong Pass under repeated Han Army attacks and Ma Chao troubled by the threat to his supply lines.

• Zhen Mi’s pregnancy excited the Zhen Clan elders, who argued over whether she should remain in Wuji County until the child was born.
• The Second Branch’s elder proposed petitioning the Son of Heaven to make Zhen Mi empress and delaying the clan’s relief supplies to pressure him.
• Zhen Yi said he would return to Ye City the next day, tacitly accepting the proposal.
• Ma Chao learned that Liu Bei had attacked Yong Province and cut off his grain supply route.
• Ma Chao received reports that the Han Army was repeatedly attacking Tong Pass, where the defenders struggled against the winter conditions.

Ma Chao sent Pang De to reinforce Tong Pass while Ma Teng discovered a secret message that gave him hope of escape. In Ye City, a well-dressed scholar bought charcoal from an impoverished old veteran and asked whether he had received disaster relief, leaving the exchange unfinished.

• Ma Chao berated the Tong Pass commander and agreed to send Pang De to reinforce the pass instead of dispatching him to Yong Province.
• Pang De vowed to keep Lü Bu's forces out of Tong Pass, accepted Ma Chao's sword, and left with an unreadable expression.
• Ma Teng found a token and note in his room, burned the message, and rejoiced that his escape was near.
• In snowy Ye City, a young scholar and a plump, fair-skinned scholar bought an old charcoal seller's cartload after bargaining over the price.
• The old charcoal seller described his family's hardships, and the plump scholar asked whether he had collected disaster relief from the Zhen Clan Trading Houses.

Jia Xu and Guo Jia uncovered a relief-supply shortage and learned that Zhen Mi was pregnant, while Sima Yi continued his costly assault on Tong Pass. The chapter ended when scouts reported that Pang De’s forces had reached the pass.

• The old charcoal seller told Jia Xu and Guo Jia that the Zhen Clan’s trading houses had no relief supplies, and Jia Xu arranged for guards to pay him generously for his charcoal.
• Jia Xu and Guo Jia decided to report the shortage to the emperor, but an urgent dispatch revealed that Zhen Mi was carrying a dragon heir.
• At Tong Pass, Zhang Liao urged Sima Yi to ease the attacks after ten days of heavy fighting, but Sima Yi insisted they hold on for five more days to force Ma Chao to send Pang De.
• Sima Yi refused to open Zhuge Liang’s brocade pouch, then received word that Pang De’s forces had arrived at Tong Pass.
• Li Kan and the other defending generals welcomed Pang De after he led three thousand troops into the pass.

Pang De won Li Kan’s trust, took control of Tong Pass’s defenses, and opened the gates for the Han Army to seize the pass while its garrison slept. With Tong Pass secured, Zhang Liao asked Pang De for intelligence on Ma Chao’s forces and Chang’an’s defenses before they advanced.

• Pang De reassured Li Kan about supplies and ordered a feast to raise the garrison’s morale.
• Pang De’s troops took over Tong Pass’s defenses while the garrison drank and celebrated.
• Pang De ordered his deputy to light bonfires and open the gates, allowing the Han Army to enter Tong Pass without resistance.
• By daybreak, the Han Army controlled Tong Pass, and Zhang Liao and Lü Bu praised Sima Yi and Pang De for their roles in capturing it.
• Zhang Liao asked Pang De for details about Ma Chao’s troop deployments and Chang’an’s defenses, and suggested he return to Chang’an to coordinate from within the Western Liang Army.

Pang De agreed to return to Chang'an and secretly aid the campaign against Ma Chao, while Liu Xie confronted the Zhen Clan over a shortage of disaster relief supplies and ordered its accounts investigated. The chapter ended with Guo Jia and Jia Xu standing silently beside a weary Liu Xie.

• Sima Yi proposed that Pang De return to Chang'an to provide covert support, and Pang De accepted despite the danger.
• Chen Gong returned Sima Yi's brocade pouch, and Sima Yi said he believed there would be no need to use it again.
• Zhen Rong admitted that the Zhen Clan lacked disaster relief supplies and promised to sell clan property to gather them; Liu Xie agreed that pregnant Noble Lady Zhen could remain at the clan grounds until she gave birth.
• Zhuge Liang challenged the Zhen Clan's control of the state treasury, and Liu Xie ordered Fa Zheng to gather supplies and carefully inspect the clan's accounts.
• Liu Xie directed Zhuge Liang to arrange relief supplies from unaffected areas and dismissed the officials; Guo Jia and Jia Xu later returned to stand beside him as he rested.

Liu Xie warned the Zhen Clan that he would reclaim fiscal authority after they interfered with disaster relief, while Ma Chao failed to persuade his father, Ma Teng, to join him. Ma Chao then learned that Pang De had routed Lü Bu and Zhang Liao’s forces at Tong Pass and rode to the camp to hear the details.

• Liu Xie told Guo Jia and Jia Xu that auditing the Zhen Clan was their final warning before he reclaimed control of the treasury and court finances.
• Ma Chao visited Ma Teng, who refused to join his son and warned that rebellion would bring the Ma Clan to ruin.
• Ma Chao ended the conversation, left Ma Teng confined, and boasted that he would become King of Liang with Cao Cao’s support.
• A soldier reported that Pang De had ambushed the enemy at Tong Pass, routed Lü Bu and Zhang Liao, and forced them to retreat to Hangu Pass.
• Ma Chao hurried to the Western Liang Army’s camp to question Pang De about the unexpected victory.

Ma Chao celebrated Pang De’s supposed victory over Lü Bu and Zhang Liao, but Pang De was secretly following Sima Yi’s plan to lure Ma Chao into a trap. As the feast ended, Ma Chao drunkenly ordered his horse prepared so he could return to the city.

• Ma Chao saw Lü Bu’s and Zhang Liao’s banners in Pang De’s camp and praised Pang De for defeating them.
• Uneasy about the sudden victory, Ma Chao sent a Personal Guard to question Pang De’s soldiers, then accepted their coordinated account.
• Pang De learned that Ma Chao had questioned his men and ordered his troops to create chaos with fires before dawn, while Zhang Liao and Lü Bu waited in ambush nearby.
• Ma Chao hosted a victory banquet, praised Pang De, and promised him command of the vanguard in a future campaign.
• After drinking through the night, Ma Chao ordered his Personal Guards to prepare his horse so he could return to the city.

Ma Chao’s drunken return to Chang’an disrupted Pang De’s plan to capture him, so Pang De launched his operation early and set fire to the Western Liang Army’s camp as Lü Bu’s army approached from Tong Pass. Faced with the enemy nearing the city while thirty thousand of his soldiers remained outside, Ma Chao ordered Chang’an’s gates closed.

• Ma Chao took Zhang Liao’s and Lü Bu’s captured battle banners to Ma Teng and boasted that Lingming had defeated them at Tong Pass.
• After learning Ma Chao had left camp, Pang De concluded his plan might be exposed and ordered his men to act immediately.
• Ma Chao heard that the Southern Suburbs Military Camp was burning and that a large enemy force was advancing toward Chang’an from the east.
• Ma Chao recognized that the approaching army must have come through Tong Pass and ordered the troops outside the city to return while preparing to defend the walls.
• Lü Bu led Zhao Yun, Gao Shun, Zhang He, and the Han Army’s cavalry in a charge toward the burning camp and Chang’an.
• As the enemy neared the walls, Ma Chao reluctantly ordered Chang’an’s gates closed, leaving thirty thousand soldiers outside.

Lü Bu’s forces destroyed Ma Chao’s Southern Suburbs troops after Ma Chao shut Chang’an’s gates, while Pang De revealed his allegiance to the Imperial Court. Zhang Liao’s army began storming Chang’an, and Ma Chao was shocked by the Han Army’s discipline and armor as its vanguard advanced.

• Ma Chao ordered Chang’an’s gates closed, trapping many Southern Suburbs soldiers outside as Lü Bu’s forces attacked and defeated them.
• Ma Chao recognized Lü Bu’s and Zhang Liao’s banners, realized Pang De had betrayed him, and shot an arrow at Pang De during his challenge.
• Pang De urged Ma Chao to surrender, but Ma Chao cursed him and refused.
• Sima Yi praised Pang De, and Zhang Liao ordered the Han Army to attack Chang’an with catapults and assaults on the East and South Gates.
• Ma Chao ordered the defenders to fire arrows at the advancing Han Army, but its shields and armor blocked nearly all of them.

The Han Army captured Chang'an after Ma Chao’s defenses collapsed, forcing him to flee west with the Western Liang Iron Cavalry. Zhang He’s Mo Dao Army blocked his route, and the chapter ended as the two forces collided.

• Pang De warned Zhang Liao that Ma Chao was using staggered arrow volleys, and the Han Army waited before advancing under cover of its own archers.
• Ma Chao ordered his troops to abandon Chang'an and flee through the northern gate, leaving Ma Teng behind as the General’s Residence was set on fire.
• After Gao Shun reported the Han Army had taken the southern wall, Zhang Liao sent Lü Bu and Zhao Yun in pursuit and ordered Zhang He to intercept Ma Chao with the Mo Dao Army.
• Ma Chao fled toward San Pass with the Western Liang Iron Cavalry while Lü Bu and Zhao Yun pursued him from behind.
• Ma Chao ordered the Western Liang Iron Cavalry to crush Zhang He’s Mo Dao Army, and the two forces began their battle.

Zhang He’s Mo Dao Army devastated Ma Chao’s Western Liang Iron Cavalry, while Lü Bu and Zhao Yun pursued the retreating Ma Chao and an Embroidered-Clothes Envoy rescued Ma Teng from the burning General’s Residence. In Ye City, Liu Xie ordered Jia Xu to invite Juzi Meng Yang to help establish a Foundry Bureau, leaving the Mohist leader’s response unknown.

• Zhang He’s Mo Dao Army cut down the Western Liang Iron Cavalry, and Ma Chao ordered his troops to retreat as Lü Bu and Zhao Yun moved to encircle him.
• Lü Bu and Zhao Yun continued pursuing Ma Chao, while Zhang He rested among the battlefield’s dead and declared the Western Liang Iron Cavalry unimpressive.
• An Embroidered-Clothes Envoy rescued Ma Teng from the burning General’s Residence and told him that Ma Chao had fled west and the Royal Army would soon enter Chang’an.
• Liu Xie asked Jia Xu about the Mohist School Juzi, and Jia Xu explained that the reclusive leader had repeatedly avoided the Imperial Court’s messengers.
• Liu Xie told Jia Xu he wanted Mohist disciples to staff a Foundry Bureau researching weapons and useful technologies, then ordered him to invite Juzi Meng Yang to the palace without discourtesy.