Recaps

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.

Sima Yi planned to weaken Jinyang's defenders on New Year's Eve by making them watch the Han Army celebrate instead of launching an assault. The chapter ended with Lü Bu and his commanders preparing to carry out Sima Yi's morale-breaking strategy.

• Ma Chao refused to let Pang De travel to Ye City, fearing he would expose Ma Chao's schemes, and decided to keep reorganizing the Western Liang Army.
• Gao Gan wondered how the Han Army drilled in the bitter cold, ordered his scouts to investigate their clothing, and strengthened Jinyang's defenses for New Year's Eve.
• Lü Bu asked Sima Yi when the Han Army would attack Jinyang, and Sima Yi said they would make their move that night with only a few dozen men.
• Chen Gong explained that Sima Yi intended to use the defenders' New Year's Eve isolation like the Chu songs at Gaixia to damage their morale.
• Sima Yi revealed that the Han Army would not attack but would feast and celebrate noisily where Jinyang's defenders could see them.

On New Year's Eve, the Han Army used food and an appeal to shared loyalty to weaken the defenders of the city. Gao Gan discovered that his soldiers had accepted the gifts and confronted them, leaving their response unresolved.

• Lü Bu left the Drill Platform disappointed, while Chen Gong reassured Sima Yi and they finalized the Heart-Attacking Stratagem.
• Gao Shun brought food and wine to the cold, hungry defenders and urged them to surrender, then departed with his men.
• A short soldier tried the food, briefly choked, and then persuaded the defenders to haul the baskets onto the walls and share the meal.
• Gao Gan dismissed the Han Army's New Year celebration as a ruse and predicted an attack at dawn, but Zhao Rui told him the defenders had accepted the food.
• Gao Gan rushed to the walls, found the soldiers eating, and demanded to know who had accepted and brought back the enemy's food.

Sima Yi’s food-delivery stratagem weakened Jinyang’s defenders, and he prepared Lü Bu to storm the city at dawn on the second day of the Lunar New Year. As the defenders’ morale continued to crumble, a soldier on night watch spotted something outside the city.

• Gao Gan beheaded the fifteen-year-old soldier who admitted accepting food from the Han Army, then ordered the defenders to throw all the food over the wall.
• After hearing the scouts’ report, Sima Yi said his plan had succeeded and set the assault on Jinyang for dawn on the second day of the Lunar New Year.
• Sima Yi explained that the Han Army held advantages in timing and morale, and Lü Bu boasted that he would take Jinyang quickly.
• Gao Gan spent New Year’s Eve waiting for an attack that never came, then ended the heightened watch and allowed some soldiers to visit their families.
• The defenders discussed surrender and mourned Little Mozi’s death, while the old soldier remained quiet; a soldier on the wall then spotted something outside the city.

Lü Bu’s Han Army captured Jinyang City after a surprise assault, forcing Gao Gan to flee north with five thousand cavalry. When the fugitives headed for Lü Bu’s homeland of Wuyuan Commandery, Lü Bu and Zhang Liao both insisted on leading the pursuit and recovering it.

• Jinyang’s night-watch soldiers saw the Han Army approaching but withheld their warning horns until the attackers were near the walls.
• Lü Bu’s forces assaulted Jinyang with arrows, stone shot, siege equipment, and the Vanguard Camp and Dare-to-Die Battalion leading the climb.
• Guo Yuan reported that the East Gate had fallen and Generals Sui and Zhao had been killed, so Gao Gan abandoned the infantry and escaped through the North Gate with five thousand cavalry.
• Sima Yi identified Wuyuan Commandery as Gao Gan’s likely route to seek refuge with the Wuhuan and ordered Huang Zhong to pursue and recover the commandery.
• Lü Bu and Zhang Liao each insisted on leading the pursuit because Wuyuan Commandery was their homeland, leaving Sima Yi and Chen Gong baffled.

Lü Bu pursued Gao Gan’s fleeing forces before diverting to recover his hometown of Wuyuan Commandery. He entered Jiuyuan County with his cavalry and faced the familiar streets as a celebrated commander, feeling nervous about returning home.

• Lü Bu overruled Zhang Liao and led the Bing Province Wolf Cavalry in pursuit of Gao Gan, while Zhang Liao stayed behind to direct the assault on Jinyang.
• Gao Gan rejected Guo Yuan’s suggestion to defend Yanmen and led their dwindling force north to seek the Wuhuan beyond the passes.
• After snow erased the trail, Lü Bu redirected his cavalry toward Wuyuan Commandery and arrived at Jiuyuan County.
• Lü Bu identified himself to the prefect, who opened the gates and arranged grain and fodder for the army.
• Lü Bu ordered his cavalry to enter Jiuyuan without disturbing the residents, then rode through the familiar streets feeling apprehensive about returning home.

Lü Bu returned to Jiuyuan County and Lü Family Village with a grand military procession, relishing his hometown’s admiration. After the villagers learned the rank he held, they celebrated his success and the village head invited him to offer incense to his ancestors and parents.

• Lü Bu had the governor of Wuyuan Commandery lead Red Hare through Jiuyuan County as his soldiers and townspeople gathered to welcome him.
• Lü Bu directed the procession to Lü Family Village, where villagers came out to marvel at his armor, horse, and troops.
• Lü Bu greeted Third Granduncle, but the village head mistook the governor of Wuyuan Commandery for him before villagers corrected him.
• Lü Bu told the villagers he was Grand Commandant and a duke, and the governor of Wuyuan Commandery explained the importance of those titles.
• The villagers praised Lü Bu and proposed honoring him in the Lü Family genealogy, while the village head invited him to offer incense to his ancestors and parents.

Lü Bu reunited with his childhood friend Li Hu in Lü Village before taking three thousand Han troops to Jiuyuan. The Xiongnu court learned that Lü Bu had arrived and feared he might attack them while pursuing Gao Gan’s fleeing forces.

• Lü Bu recognized his old friend Li Hu, but Li Hu addressed him with formal deference, leaving Lü Bu saddened by the distance between them.
• Xiongnu tribal chiefs complained to Huchuquan that Ma Chao’s Western Liang Army was raiding their lands, and Huchuquan said they should avoid fighting it.
• Qubei reported that Gao Gan’s thousand troops had fled into the grasslands toward the Wuhuan after the Han Army captured Jinyang.
• A scout announced that three thousand Han troops had reached Jiuyuan and that Lü Bu commanded them, terrifying the Xiongnu chiefs.
• Huchuquan reasoned that Lü Bu was probably pursuing Gao Gan, but Qubei warned that Lü Bu might also suspect the Xiongnu of aiding him.

Huchuquan ordered Qubei to kill Gao Gan and send his head to Lü Bu to prove the Xiongnu’s loyalty, while Gao Gan’s fleeing army raided the Xiuqu Tribe for supplies. After massacring the tribe, Gao Gan’s men faced a much larger Xiongnu Royal Court army on the snowfield.

• Qubei persuaded Huchuquan to have him intercept Gao Gan and send the plundered people and property from Guanzhong to Ye City.
• The Xiuqu Tribe’s chief mocked Lü Bu’s reputation as Han cavalry approached, and Gao Gan killed the chief with a spear before his troops massacred the tribe.
• Gao Gan ordered his troops to take food and horses, then told Guo Yuan they had to hurry toward Wuhuan territory to escape Lü Bu.
• The captives learned that Gao Gan’s army had been fleeing Lü Bu, and a Royal Court army charged across the snowfield as they regrouped.

Lü Bu celebrated his return to Jiuyuan County by feasting with his villagers and reveling in their admiration. After agreeing to rename Lü Family Village as Fengxian Village, he learned that a force of five thousand Xiongnu was approaching.

• Lü Bu hosted lavish banquets for the people of Lü Family Village and promised to seek tax relief for Jiuyuan County.
• The Wuyuan Commandery governor and local officials praised Lü Bu’s achievements and revealed that his daughter had become a Noble Lady.
• The governor proposed renaming Lü Family Village as Fengxian Village and erecting a commemorative stele, and Lü Bu accepted after the villagers urged him to agree.
• Cheng Lian reported to Lü Bu that a Xiongnu army of around five thousand had been spotted thirty li away.

Lü Bu led three thousand armored cavalry to meet a five-thousand-strong Xiongnu force threatening Jiuyuan County, only to learn that the Xiongnu Left Wise King Qubei had come to present Gao Gan’s head. Lü Bu accepted the explanation for now but warned Qubei to return the people and goods taken in raids or face his retaliation.

• After hearing the Xiongnu were approaching Jiuyuan County, Lü Bu rejected the Wuyuan Commandery Governor’s advice to retreat and assembled his troops.
• Lü Bu led three thousand armored cavalry toward the five-thousand-strong Xiongnu army, which the governor recognized as the Royal Court army of the Left Wise King.
• Qubei ordered his troops to halt, dismounted, and announced that he had come on the Chanyu’s orders to present Gao Gan’s head.
• Lü Bu stopped his charge, confronted Qubei, and saw Gao Gan’s and Guo Yuan’s heads among those the Xiongnu soldiers laid down.
• Qubei said the Xiongnu had executed Yuan Shao’s remaining rebels and promised to return plundered goods and Han captives and send the Chanyu’s offspring as hostages.
• Lü Bu warned Qubei that he would come collect what was owed if the Xiongnu failed to keep their promises.

Lü Bu returned to Jinyang after retaking Wuyuan Commandery and killing Gao Gan, while Sima Yi and the others prepared defenses against Ma Chao. In Ye City, Liu Xie received alarming news from Yi Province and angrily slammed down the secret memorial.

• Lü Bu let the Xiongnu Royal Court troops leave after they delivered Gao Gan and the other rebels’ heads, then returned to Jiuyuan County and departed without attending the banquet.
• Cui Lin told Sima Yi, Chen Gong, and the others that Ma Chao had likely conspired with Tian Feng to kill Han Sui and seize control of the Western Liang Army.
• Sima Yi ordered the passes in Bing Province strengthened to guard against Ma Chao.
• Lü Bu returned to Jinyang with Gao Gan’s head, and Zhang Liao noticed the heads had been cut by Xiongnu blades.
• Lü Bu explained his encounter with the Xiongnu, and the others marveled at his fearsome reputation among them.
• Liu Xie read a secret memorial from Yi Province, angrily slammed it onto his desk, and condemned a Han House clansman.

Liu Xie learned that Liu Biao had allied with Liu Zhang against Liu Bei and welcomed Emperor Xian of Han into Xiangyang, while the court lacked resources to support Liu Bei. He ordered Jia Xu to find Zhuge Liang, then Cao Cao received news that Jinyang had fallen and Gao Gan had fled.

• Liu Xie revealed that Liu Zhang and Liu Biao planned to attack Liu Bei and that Liu Biao had welcomed Emperor Xian of Han into Xiangyang.
• Zhen Yi reported that resettling displaced people had exhausted the court’s surplus, so Liu Xie agreed to send whatever weapons and equipment remained to Liu Bei.
• Liu Xie decided to recruit Zhuge Liang for his administrative talent and ordered Jia Xu to send the Embroidered-Clothes Envoys to find him in Jing Province.
• Cao Cao received a dispatch reporting that Jinyang City had fallen twenty days earlier and Gao Gan had fled north with a few surviving troops.

After Bing Province fell to the Son of Heaven, Cao Cao confronted his imprisoned former friend Xu You, who had secretly served as an imperial agent. Cao Cao asked Xu You to assess his plan to seize Jiangdong, but Xu You warned that its gentry clans could just as easily surrender to the Son of Heaven and urged Cao Cao to give up resisting.

• Cao Cao learned that the Son of Heaven's forces had taken Jinyang and conquered Bing Province, then blamed Gao Gan for the defeat.
• Cao Cao visited Xu You, who was being held under guard, and accused him of betraying their friendship by leaking his plans to the Son of Heaven.
• Xu You defended his actions as an attempt to save Cao Cao and correctly guessed that Bing Province had fallen.
• Cao Cao admitted that he planned to abandon Yan Province and Xu Province, seize Jiangdong with the help of its gentry clans, and build strength against the Son of Heaven.
• Xu You warned that the Jiangdong clans might later surrender to the Son of Heaven and advised Cao Cao to surrender instead of continuing his resistance.

Xu You urged Cao Cao to submit to the Son of Heaven, but Cao Cao refused and grew suspicious of Xun Yu. In Jing Province, Liu Biao discovered that Cai Mao and Kuai Liang had secretly agreed to send troops against Liu Bei, and ordered the plan stopped.

• Xu You told Cao Cao that Fu Wan had approached Xun Yu about a coup and argued that Cao Cao should submit to the Son of Heaven.
• Cao Cao admitted he feared being punished for his past actions, rejected Xu You's offer, and ordered Xu Chu to keep Xu You confined.
• Cao Cao considered whether Xun Yu had secretly submitted to the Son of Heaven and decided to watch him closely.
• Liu Biao berated Cai Mao and the others for agreeing in his name to send troops against Liu Xuande without informing him.
• Liu Biao ordered the movement of troops, grain, and fodder stopped and said he would cancel the alliance with Liu Zhang.
• Kuai Liang accepted Liu Biao's orders, while the advisers waited for Cai Mao and Kuai Liang to decide how to respond.

After realizing that Jing Province’s powerful clans had reduced his authority and threatened Liu Qi’s succession, Liu Biao sought Pang De Gong’s help in finding new allies. Pang De Gong declined his offer to serve, leaving Liu Biao to turn to Sima Hui.

• Cai Mao condemned Liu Biao for refusing to expand into Yi Province, while the other advisers shared his frustration.
• Liu Biao recognized that Jing Province’s great clans controlled his administration and resolved to cultivate new confidants, so he traveled to Mount Lumen to recruit Pang De Gong.
• Pang De Gong and Sima Hui discussed why Pang Tong had chosen to serve Liu Xuande and why Zhuge Liang remained in Nanyang.
• Liu Biao arrived at Pang De Gong’s home and sincerely asked both Pang De Gong and Sima Hui to help govern Jing Province.
• Pang De Gong declined, explaining that he sought peace in his remaining years, and Liu Biao turned to Sima Hui.