Recaps

Fa Zheng warned Liu Bei that Liu Zhang planned to kill him, allowing Liu Bei and Guan Yu to flee Chengdu. Pursued by Liu Zhang’s forces, Liu Bei escaped across a stream when his horse Dilu leaped to the opposite bank, while Guan Yu stayed behind to face the pursuers.

• Fa Zheng revealed Liu Zhang’s plot to Liu Bei and urged him to leave Chengdu, then said he planned to resign and serve the Son of Heaven in Ye City.
• Liu Bei and Guan Yu escaped through the West Gate, but Huang Quan told Liu Zhang they had fled, and Liu Zhang sent Zhang Ren and Wu Lan after them.
• When a force of several thousand caught up, Guan Yu stayed behind with five hundred soldiers while Liu Bei rode south alone.
• Wu Lan’s cavalry pursued Liu Bei, who became trapped in a stream when Dilu carried him into the water.
• Dilu leaped across the stream with Liu Bei, and Liu Bei escaped after warning Wu Lan that he would report Liu Zhang’s betrayal to the Son of Heaven.

Liu Xie directed the court’s preparations for rebuilding Luoyang and future campaigns while Zhen Mi learned that her clan had profited from land seized under the reclamation policy. The chapter left Zhen Mi accusing Zhen Yi of understating the clan’s wealth as she pointed out its enormous profits.

• Liu Xie ordered Empress Fu to choose among portraits of potential consorts and directed Zhuge Liang to oversee Luoyang’s reconstruction with donations from the great clans.
• Liu Xie told Sima Yi to monitor the campaign against the Wuhuan, prepare for a future campaign against Jing Province, and watch Cao Cao’s alliance with Liu Cong.
• Zhen Yi brought treasures to Zhen Mi and explained that the Zhen Clan had seized tens of thousands of mu under the land reclamation policy.
• Zhen Mi rebuked Zhen Yi for competing with commoners for land and reminded him that Liu Xie had warned her about the great clans’ seizures.
• Zhen Mi rejected Zhen Yi’s claim that the clan had acted mainly to support the state, citing its extensive trade and profits from salt, iron, and military spoils.

Zhen Mi rejected Zhen Yi’s plan to send more Zhen Clan women into the palace, while Empress Fu weighed how many candidates to admit to the imperial harem. In You Province, Huang Zhong’s army defeated the Wuhuan in Right Beiping Commandery, and Gongsun Fan urged them to press on and retake all three commanderies.

• Zhen Yi warned Zhen Mi that the imperial heir could determine the empress’s position and proposed sending Zhen Clan women into the palace, but Zhen Mi angrily refused.
• Empress Fu received portraits and registers of women from Great Aristocratic Clans and, after considering whether to admit them all, decided to follow Liu Xie’s instruction to choose carefully.
• Huang Zhong’s army marched rapidly into Right Beiping Commandery and defeated the Wuhuan by striking before they could prepare.
• Gongsun Xu praised Huang Zhong, who credited Guo Jia’s advice to attack immediately.
• Gongsun Fan called on Huang Zhong and Guo Jia to use the victory to drive the Wuhuan out of Right Beiping, West Liaoning, and Liaodong.

After recovering Right Beiping Commandery, Guo Jia and Huang Zhong chose a difficult detour to surprise the Wuhuan at Liucheng. Chanyu Tadun learned of the Han Army’s victory and ordered the Wuhuan to abandon central West Liaoning and retreat north.

• Gongsun Xu identified Tadun’s main camp at Liucheng and warned that the rainy season made a direct advance through West Liaoning dangerous.
• Gongsun Fan described an abandoned route over Mount Xuwu and through Lulong Pass that would take the army more than seven hundred li to reach Liucheng.
• Huang Zhong agreed to lead the exhausting detour, and Guo Jia ordered the army to rest overnight and set out the next day.
• Supuyan woke from his wounds, recounted how the Han Army had crushed his forces, and warned Nanlou not to underestimate its old general.
• Tadun ordered the Wuhuan to abandon central West Liaoning Commandery and retreat north toward Liucheng.

Chanyu Tadun withdrew his forces toward Liucheng while Huang Zhong secretly led ten thousand Han troops around the Wuhuan defenses and reached White Wolf Mountain. Tadun gathered the troops remaining in Liucheng and rode out to confront Huang Zhong’s army, leaving the battle about to begin.

• Chanyu Tadun overruled Nanlou and ordered the Wuhuan forces to withdraw toward Liucheng and prepare their defenses.
• Huang Zhong’s ten thousand troops crossed the White Wolf Mountain Range, and he ordered them to rest before marching on Liucheng.
• Chanyu Tadun heard that the Han Army had not advanced and grew uneasy, but Nanlou believed the Wuhuan defenses were secure.
• A guard reported that more than ten thousand Han troops had reached White Wolf Mountain, prompting Chanyu Tadun to gather Liucheng’s troops and march out.
• Chanyu Tadun encountered Huang Zhong’s iron cavalry and rallied his Wuhuan warriors to fight for their tribes and families.

Huang Zhong’s cavalry shattered the Wuhuan army at Liucheng, and Huang Zhong killed Chanyu Tadun, securing victory. Back in Tuyin City, Guo Jia learned that the expedition had succeeded and that Wuhuan leaders and royal clansmen had been captured.

• Huang Zhong, Gongsun Xu, and Gongsun Fan led the Han cavalry into the Wuhuan army and broke its formation.
• Chanyu Tadun rallied his warriors and charged the Han troops, briefly restoring their morale.
• Huang Zhong shot Chanyu Tadun through the eye, killing him and sending the Han army’s morale soaring.
• Guo Jia worried that Huang Zhong’s troops might be lost behind enemy lines and prepared to request reinforcements.
• Cui Lin told Guo Jia that Huang Zhong had routed the Wuhuan army, captured its leaders and royal clansmen, and killed Chanyu Tadun.

After the Han Army crushed the Wuhuan and captured Liucheng, Huang Zhong sought another campaign to earn military merit, while Guo Jia insisted they first recover Liaodong. Cui Lin proposed becoming an envoy to Goguryeo and dying there to give the Han a pretext for war, hoping to win lasting fame.

• Guo Jia and Cui Lin joined Huang Zhong in Liucheng and congratulated him for killing Chanyu Tadun and defeating the Wuhuan.
• Huang Zhong asked Guo Jia how to handle the more than one hundred thousand Wuhuan prisoners, and Guo Jia said they should consult the Son of Heaven.
• Guo Jia proposed recovering Liaodong and returning to court, but Huang Zhong urged the army to continue fighting the Xiongnu and Xianbei for more military merit.
• Gongsun Fan suggested conquering Goguryeo, but Guo Jia rejected attacking it without cause.
• Cui Lin volunteered to go to Goguryeo as an envoy, hoping his death would provide a justification for war and earn him a place in history.

Cui Lin set out to provoke Goguryeo into killing him so Great Han could use his death as grounds to conquer it. In Ye City, Liu Xie comforted Zhen Mi over her inability to conceive and welcomed Fa Zheng, who brought Liu Bei’s warning that Liu Zhang intended to rebel.

• Cui Lin told Guo Jia, Huang Zhong, Gongsun Fan, and Gongsun Xu that he would go to Goguryeo with the Tiger Guards and that they should invade once they heard of his death.
• Liu Xie found Zhen Mi preparing an infant’s garment, and she wept over her failure to conceive an heir after more than three years in the palace.
• Liu Xie reassured Zhen Mi that he loved her and claimed she might conceive after he moved the capital back to Luoyang; they retired together for the night.
• Gao Lan announced that Fa Zheng had come to court on Liu Bei’s recommendation, and Liu Xie warmly welcomed him.
• Fa Zheng explained that he had warned Liu Bei of Liu Zhang’s ambush and gave Liu Xie a letter accusing Liu Zhang of treacherous intentions and rebellion.

Liu Xie celebrated Huang Zhong’s swift victory over the Wuhuan and asked his ministers how to deal with more than a hundred thousand prisoners. Fa Zheng saw the strength of Liu Xie’s forces firsthand, while the court’s debate over the prisoners began with Lü Bu calling for their execution.

• Liu Xie condemned Liu Zhang for plotting against Liu Bei and welcomed Fa Zheng into his service with lavish praise.
• Sima Yi reported that Huang Zhong had defeated the Wuhuan at White Wolf Mountain, killed Tadun, and recovered the three occupied commanderies; Cui Lin had also gone to Goguryeo as an envoy.
• Fa Zheng asked about Huang Zhong’s campaign and learned that he had led ten thousand troops, after previously fighting at Hefei alongside Zhang Liao.
• Liu Xie announced Huang Zhong’s victory to the court, where the officials praised the general and Lü Bu and Zhang Liao traded jabs about their past battles.
• Liu Xie asked how the court should handle the more than one hundred thousand Wuhuan prisoners, and Lü Bu immediately urged that they all be killed.

Liu Xie approved Zhuge Liang’s plan to execute Wuhuan leaders and integrate their people, then declared Goguryeo Han territory and resolved to conquer it. Yang Xiu and Kong Rong backed his claim with a supposedly ancient record, while Cui Lin’s mission to Goguryeo became the focus of the court’s debate.

• Zhuge Liang proposed executing Wuhuan leaders and absorbing ordinary prisoners into the Great Han, and Liu Xie approved the plan after hearing support from the court.
• Sima Yi criticized Cui Lin for traveling to Goguryeo as an envoy without imperial authorization, while Cui Yan defended his younger brother’s mission.
• Liu Xie recalled that Goguryeo lay near his former home in Northeast China and declared that it belonged to the Great Han, calling for its conquest.
• Yang Xiu claimed an ancient text proved Goguryeo had belonged to Huaxia since the Qin era, then prompted Kong Rong to confirm the claim.
• Kong Rong understood Yang Xiu’s hint and claimed he had read an ancient scroll recording Goguryeo as ancestral Huaxia territory.

Kong Rong and Yang Xiu persuaded Taishi Ci to claim that an ancient record proved Goguryeo was Han territory, giving Liu Xie a pretext to order its conquest. As Huang Zhong prepared to march, Cui Lin’s delegation neared Goguryeo’s capital, where the king arranged a grand reception and displayed his guards.

• Kong Rong asked Taishi Ci to confirm a fabricated family record identifying Goguryeo as Han territory, and Taishi Ci reluctantly agreed.
• Liu Xie ordered Huang Zhong to attack and destroy Goguryeo, while the court officials welcomed the decree.
• Kong Rong reassured Taishi Ci that he had not altered recorded history, and Taishi Ci proposed writing down the invented account and engraving it on stone.
• The King of Goguryeo agreed to receive Cui Lin’s Han delegation with the highest honors after his ministers warned him of Han’s power.
• The King of Goguryeo led his ministers outside the capital and lined the road with five hundred Royal City Guards to impress the arriving delegation.

Cui Lin arrived in Goguryeo with a thousand Tiger Warriors Army soldiers and used their overwhelming military presence to force the King of Goguryeo to submit. After humiliating him outside the city, Cui Lin dragged him from his throne and placed the Golden Credential Staff in the seat of honor.

• The King of Goguryeo mistook Cui Lin’s approaching cavalry for an enemy attack, then welcomed him respectfully after seeing the Tiger Warriors Army’s strength.
• Cui Lin demanded that the King of Goguryeo kneel, and the king obeyed rather than risk provoking the Han soldiers.
• Cui Lin stepped on the king’s back to dismount, while the Tiger Warriors Army drew their swords to deter Goguryeo’s officers from intervening.
• The King of Goguryeo asked whether his troops could defeat the Han escort, but his ministers warned him against attacking and he swallowed his anger.
• At the palace, Cui Lin rebuked the King of Goguryeo for taking the throne, dragged him down, kicked him aside, and placed the Golden Credential Staff on the seat.

Cui Lin humiliated the King of Goguryeo while claiming Great Han wanted diplomatic relations, and the king endured it in hopes of gaining Han’s favor and technology. At the welcoming banquet, Cui Lin rejected the royal dancers as too ordinary, leaving the king to face another demand.

• Cui Lin kicked the King of Goguryeo from his throne, but the minister of internal affairs urged the king to endure the insult, and the king apologized to Cui Lin.
• Cui Lin announced that Great Han wanted diplomatic relations and trade, and the King of Goguryeo welcomed the prospect despite Cui Lin’s insults.
• The minister of internal affairs proposed a welcoming banquet, and the King of Goguryeo arranged for Cui Lin to sit at the place of honor.
• Cui Lin rejected the food and wine, then asked to see Goguryeo’s beautiful women.
• The King of Goguryeo summoned the royal dancers and offered them to Cui Lin, but Cui Lin called them ordinary and accused the king of slighting him.

Cui Lin deliberately provoked the King of Goguryeo by demanding the Empress Dowager join him after forcibly taking the Queen, hoping to be killed. The King ordered Cui Lin imprisoned and secretly planned to ambush and kill the Han troops outside the city as well.

• Cui Lin forcibly pulled the Queen to his seat and threatened the King of Goguryeo over diplomatic relations.
• The King of Goguryeo initially told the Queen to serve Cui Lin, but Cui Lin then demanded that the Empress Dowager join them.
• The King of Goguryeo flew into a rage, ordered his guards to seize Cui Lin, and had him sent to prison.
• The King of Goguryeo ordered the Royal City Guards to ambush the Han Army troops outside the city and kill them all.

The King of Goguryeo ordered an ambush for the Han envoy and his escort, but the Tiger Warriors Army saw through the plan and withdrew. After learning that the Han State had destroyed countries for killing its envoys, the King panicked and was advised to release the envoy, apologize, and submit as a vassal state.

• The King of Goguryeo rejected his ministers’ warnings and ordered the Minister of Military Affairs to assemble three thousand Royal City Guards and lure the Tiger Warriors Army into an ambush.
• The Minister of Military Affairs reported that the Han Army had killed the messenger, seized the Credential Staff, and withdrawn after detecting the trap.
• The King of Goguryeo ordered troops to pursue the Han Army, but the Minister of Military Affairs warned that Goguryeo’s forces could neither catch nor defeat them.
• The Minister of Internal Affairs told the King that the Han State had destroyed or nearly destroyed countries that killed its envoys and warned that attacking the Han troops could doom Goguryeo.
• The King of Goguryeo learned that the Han Army had already withdrawn, and the Minister of Internal Affairs advised him to return the envoy, apologize, and submit to the Han State.

The King of Goguryeo chose to submit to Great Han, but Huang Zhong’s army marched toward Goguryeo believing Cui Lin had been killed. The Minister of Internal Affairs intercepted the Han army with Cui Lin alive, leaving Huang Zhong surprised and the confrontation unresolved.

• The King of Goguryeo ordered the Minister of Internal Affairs to take responsibility for submitting to Great Han, and the minister brought Cui Lin out of prison to travel as an emissary.
• An imperial edict ordered Huang Zhong to invade Goguryeo, which it declared ancestral Huaxia territory, and Huang Zhong marched toward the kingdom.
• The Tiger Warriors Army told Huang Zhong that Cui Lin had entered Goguryeo’s royal city and failed to return, prompting Huang Zhong to vow to capture the king and destroy the kingdom.
• The Minister of Internal Affairs approached Huang Zhong’s army and said Goguryeo had come to offer submission and had not killed Cui Lin.
• The Minister of Internal Affairs had the bound Cui Lin brought before Huang Zhong, who recognized him and rejoiced that he was alive.

Cui Lin learned that Huang Zhong and Guo Jia had come to reclaim Goguryeo, whose officials chose to surrender the entire kingdom and join Great Han rather than resist. Back in Ye City, Liu Xie praised Yuan Xi’s collection of supplies and received news that Huang Zhong had taken Goguryeo without losing a soldier, then summoned the court to celebrate the victory.

• After being untied, Cui Lin confronted the Minister of Internal Affairs, and Guo Jia explained that Liu Xie had ordered Goguryeo reclaimed as former Huaxia territory.
• The Minister of Internal Affairs first offered vassal submission, then agreed to incorporate all of Goguryeo into Great Han when Guo Jia made clear that submission was insufficient.
• Guo Jia ordered the Minister of Internal Affairs to lead the Han forces to the royal capital, while Huang Zhong prepared to proceed.
• Liu Xie praised Yuan Xi for collecting money, grain, and supplies from Yan and Yu provinces, advised him to rest and care for his mother, and said he had arranged treatment from Imperial Physician Hua.
• Gao Lan delivered news that Huang Zhong and Guo Jia had reclaimed Goguryeo without casualties and were bringing its king to Ye City.
• Liu Xie ordered the court officials to assemble at Tai'an Hall to celebrate Huang Zhong’s victory and asked Yuan Xi to remain for the occasion.

Huang Zhong returned to Ye City with spoils from the Wuhuan and Goguryeo, and the king of Goguryeo was brought before Liu Xie. Liu Xie agreed to annex Goguryeo as a Han commandery while sparing its people, then paused to consider the fate of its royal house.

• Huang Zhong arrived in Ye City with the spoils of victory, drawing praise from the crowds, while Cui Lin lamented missing a chance to make his name in history.
• Guo Jia explained to Cui Lin why killing the king of Goguryeo without cause would have been a crime, and the king of Goguryeo expressed relief that he had surrendered instead of resisting.
• The king of Goguryeo was awed by Ye City's grandeur and entered the palace with Huang Zhong and the others for an audience with Liu Xie.
• The king of Goguryeo acknowledged Liu Xie as the supreme ruler and asked him to spare Goguryeo's people by incorporating their land into Great Han.
• Liu Xie declared that Goguryeo would become Great Han's one hundred and thirty-eighth commandery and spared its people, then paused before addressing the royal house.

After Goguryeo surrendered, Liu Xie spared its royal family, rewarded Huang Zhong for his victories, and began planning to expand the Imperial Court’s army before campaigning against Cao Cao and Ma Chao. He ordered Huang Zhong to command a rebuilt Wuhuan cavalry force and tasked Lü Bu and Zhang Liao with recruiting more troops, while Zhen Yi raised concerns about the cost.

• Liu Xie reduced the King of Goguryeo to Marquis, relocated the royal family to the Great Han, and accepted the King's Seal.
• Liu Xie praised Huang Zhong for subduing the Wuhuan and reclaiming Goguryeo, then appointed him Colonel of Archers and enfeoffed him as Marquis of Gang.
• Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang advised Liu Xie to expand the Imperial Court’s forces before taking on Cao Cao or Ma Chao.
• Liu Xie ordered Huang Zhong to incorporate the Wuhuan into the army and command their cavalry, and ordered Lü Bu and Zhang Liao to recruit at least twenty thousand additional troops each.
• Zhen Yi warned Liu Xie that the army’s expansion would require enormous quantities of weapons and equipment, and Liu Xie proposed using the spoils from the Wuhuan and Goguryeo campaigns.

Liu Xie brushed off court officials’ demands to expand the imperial harem, while Zhen Mi welcomed Noble Lady Fu and brought her to visit Lü Lingqi. Their visit ended with Lü Lingqi defeating four Imperial Guards in a sparring match.

• Dong Zhong urged Liu Xie to expand the imperial harem so he could produce an heir, and Liu Xie blamed the lack of selected consorts on Empress Fu before dismissing court.
• Zhen Mi finished sketching Noble Lady Fu and offered to teach her the technique, and the two agreed to treat each other as sisters.
• Noble Lady Fu said she did not know why no new consorts had entered the palace, while Zhen Mi suspected Empress Fu was protecting her own position.
• Zhen Mi led Noble Lady Fu to Ziyun Palace to meet Lü Lingqi, where they found her sparring with four Royal Palace Imperial Guards.
• Lü Lingqi defeated all four guards, then modestly said they had not used their full strength.

Lü Lingqi fainted after martial practice, and Hua Tuo discovered that she was pregnant with Liu Xie's first heir. After waking, she learned the news and anxiously asked whether the child was safe.

• Lü Lingqi collapsed after practicing martial arts with four Imperial Guards, and Zhen Mi and Noble Lady Fu rushed to help her.
• Gao Lan told Liu Xie that Lü Lingqi had fainted, and Liu Xie hurried to Ziyun Palace.
• Hua Tuo examined Lü Lingqi and revealed that overexertion had disturbed her pregnancy, stunning Liu Xie and the others.
• Liu Xie ordered Hua Tuo to safeguard Lü Lingqi and the child, then informed Gao Lan to notify the court officials.
• Lü Lingqi woke, learned she was pregnant, and asked Liu Xie whether the child was all right.

After Lü Lingqi’s pregnancy was confirmed, Liu Xie reassured her and then comforted the jealous Zhen Mi, who worried that Lü Lingqi might bear his eldest legitimate son and prompt the court to demand an heir be named. The chapter ended with Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao visiting Lü Lingqi and reminding her of the precautions she needed to follow.

• Liu Xie told the pregnant Lü Lingqi that her child was safe and ordered her to stop practicing martial arts and rest.
• Zhen Mi saw Liu Xie embracing Lü Lingqi and left Ziyun Palace in distress.
• Liu Xie found Zhen Mi in the Imperial Garden’s Waterside Pavilion and explained that he did not blame her for not conceiving.
• Zhen Mi admitted she wanted to bear Liu Xie a child and worried that Lü Lingqi’s son might become the eldest legitimate son and lead ministers to demand an heir be named.
• A eunuch reported that Duke Wen had entered the palace, and Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao later reminded Lü Lingqi to follow Hua Tuo’s pregnancy precautions.

Lü Lingqi’s pregnancy delighted Lü Bu, who fainted after learning he would become a grandfather and then recovered under Hua Tuo’s care. Liu Xie privately summoned Guo and Jia after announcing a celebration, while Lü Bu confidently imagined his unborn grandson would become the future heir.

• Da Qiao questioned Lü Lingqi about how she had conceived, embarrassing her and prompting Xiao Qiao to scold her sister.
• Lü Bu rushed to Ziyun Palace, confirmed Lü Lingqi’s pregnancy, and fainted from joy at the news.
• Liu Xie summoned Hua Tuo, who revived Lü Bu with acupuncture after diagnosing a faint caused by overwhelming excitement.
• Liu Xie announced that officials would be informed and a banquet held, then privately ordered that Censor-in-Chief Guo and Zhongshu Jia be summoned.
• Lü Bu praised Lü Lingqi and declared that her child would be a son and Great Han’s future heir, while she said she only hoped the child would be born safely.

Liu Xie learned that Lü Lingqi was pregnant and worried about how the child would affect the imperial court and the struggle for the Empress's position. Guo Jia advised expanding the imperial harem, while Jia Xu concealed a more sinister idea; the chapter ended with Jia Xu helping a palace maid who accidentally scattered memorials.

• Lü Bu warned Lü Lingqi that court officials might scheme against her and her unborn child, then left to visit Zhang Liao.
• Liu Xie told Guo Jia and Jia Xu that Lü Lingqi was pregnant and asked how to manage the resulting political balance.
• Jia Xu and Guo Jia congratulated Liu Xie, and Guo Jia proposed expanding the imperial harem so that more consorts might bear heirs.
• Liu Xie asked Jia Xu about Cao Cao, and Jia Xu reported that Cao Cao had allied with Liu Cong and assembled a large force near their border.
• After leaving the palace, Jia Xu said he would have the Embroidered-Clothes Envoys seek suitable common-born women, then picked up memorials after a palace maid dropped them.

Liu Bei’s forces celebrated their victories in Yi Province, but Pang Tong warned that Swordland’s terrain and Yan Yan’s defenses made a direct assault nearly impossible. Xu Shu proposed sowing rumors that Yan Yan planned to defect and sending troops toward Shu Commandery to make Liu Zhang recall him, leaving Swordland open.

• Liu Bei praised his officers for conquering more than half of Yi Province, while Guan Yu and Zhang Fei vowed to capture Liu Zhang in Chengdu.
• Pang Tong rebuked Guan Yu and Zhang Fei for assuming victory was certain, and Liu Bei agreed that they should not underestimate Liu Zhang.
• Pang Tong explained that Yan Yan defended Swordland’s narrow, perilous passes with twenty thousand troops, making a frontal attack extremely difficult.
• Zhang Fei offered to attack Swordland, but Liu Bei stopped him and asked Pang Tong and Xu Shu for a strategy.
• Xu Shu proposed spreading rumors that Yan Yan intended to defect and sending troops toward Shu Commandery so Liu Zhang would recall Yan Yan from Swordland.
• Liu Bei praised Pang Tong and Xu Shu’s plan, and Zhang Fei sat back down without arguing.