Recaps

After Zhang He annihilated the Qiang Royal Court, Liu Xie praised and rewarded him, then redirected funds meant for his mausoleum toward regulating the Yellow River. The chapter ended with Lü Bu visiting his daughter and being caught by his granddaughter as she grabbed his beard.

• A messenger reported that Zhang He had slaughtered the Qiang Royal Court, burned its lands, and fouled its water sources.
• Jia Xu and Guo Jia praised Zhang He's brutality and proposed even harsher measures, while Liu Xie ordered them to stop.
• Liu Xie defended Zhang He, awarded him a thousand gold, raised his noble rank, and named him Marquis of Champion.
• Liu Xie said the Qiang spoils could fund the Yellow River works and canceled plans to build his mausoleum, earning the ministers' admiration.
• News of Zhang He's victory spread through Ye City, where people celebrated him as a hero.
• Lü Bu visited Lü Lingqi and her newborn daughter, and the baby grabbed his beard as he played with her.

Lü Lingqi and Zhen Mi adjusted to motherhood and illness while Liu Xie cared for them and explained his decisions about the Zhen Clan. As the capital’s relocation to Chang’an began, Liu Xie prepared to offer sacrifice to Heaven in the Southern Suburbs.

• Lü Bu doted on his granddaughter Liu Ying, while Yan Shi urged Lü Lingqi to give birth to an imperial prince for the Lü Family’s future.
• Liu Xie fed Zhen Mi her bitter medicine, and she reassured him that her health had improved.
• Liu Xie told Zhen Mi that he had spared the Zhen Clan from further punishment, sent its members home, and confiscated most of its assets.
• Liu Xie ordered Zhen Mi to remain in Ye City until after the birth because her illness and pregnancy made the journey to Chang’an unsafe.
• When the relocation day arrived, Liu Xie dressed for the ceremony, and Kong Rong announced that everything was ready for the sacrifice to Heaven.

Liu Xie conducted the ceremony moving Great Han’s capital from Ye City back to Chang’an, while Cao Cao learned of the relocation and considered its consequences. The chapter left Cao Cao focused on seizing Yi Province before the Imperial Court could turn its attention elsewhere.

• Kong Rong wept with relief at Great Han’s revival, and Liu Xie urged him to live and witness the dynasty’s unfinished work.
• Liu Xie led his officials and armies through cheering crowds to the Altar of Heaven, where he prayed for Great Han and declared the return to Chang’an.
• The capital relocation officially began, and the Imperial Court spread news of the ceremony throughout the realm.
• Cao Cao heard Xun You report the relocation and recognized that Chang’an would increase the Imperial Court’s prestige and put pressure on him.
• Xun You urged Cao Cao to take Yi Province while Liu Xie was occupied with moving the capital.

Xun Yu wrestled with doubts about which Son of Heaven was genuine, while Emperor Xian of Han learned that the rival court had returned to Chang'an and was shaken by its achievements. Liu Xie arrived in Chang'an, where he welcomed Zhang He and defended his appointment as Marquis of Champion.

• Cao Cao urged Xun Yu to determine Liu Bei's strength, and Xun Yu privately admitted to Xun You that he could no longer tell whether the Son of Heaven in Ye City was genuine.
• Liu Zhang told Emperor Xian of Han that the rival emperor had defeated Ma Chao and moved the capital back to Chang'an, leaving Emperor Xian disheartened and ending their banquet.
• After a month of travel, Liu Xie arrived in Chang'an and was welcomed by Zhang He, Pang De, and the army.
• Zhang He asked Liu Xie to withdraw his title of Marquis of Champion, but Liu Xie defended the honor by citing Zhang He's victories, rescue of commoners, and long service.

Liu Xie returned to Chang'an, entered the restored palace, and held a banquet to celebrate the capital's return. He left the officials wondering at the empty seats before welcoming a group of wounded and disabled soldiers with exceptional honor.

• Liu Xie rewarded Zhang He with the title Marquis of Champion and led his officials and soldiers into Chang'an.
• Chang'an's residents welcomed Liu Xie, who then explored the palace as Zhang He introduced its halls and buildings.
• Liu Xie hosted a banquet in Yongshou Hall and explained that the unoccupied seats were reserved for special guests.
• Gao Lan summoned wounded and disabled officers and soldiers into the hall, surprising the officials and earning the generals' respect.
• Liu Xie personally helped a lame elderly veteran rise, leaving the veteran overwhelmed by the emperor's kindness.

At the capital relocation banquet, Liu Xie honored wounded veterans by recalling their names and deeds, moving the court and soldiers with his recognition. After the drunken emperor was taken to the Bedchamber, Empress Fu reflected on the difference between the false and real Son of Heaven and left him in the palace maids’ care, puzzling Guo Nüwang.

• Liu Xie named the veterans and recounted their battlefield achievements, then thanked them on behalf of the Imperial Court.
• Ma Youyin and the other veterans knelt and vowed they would die without regret for Great Han and Liu Xie.
• Liu Xie declared the relocation feast begun, shared in the celebration, and warned Empress Fu to maintain her decorum.
• Liu Xie drank heavily at the banquet, and Empress Fu brought him back to the Bedchamber.
• Empress Fu helped the sleeping Liu Xie out of his ceremonial clothes, wondered whether he seemed more like the true emperor, and left him with the palace maids.
• Guo Nüwang watched Empress Fu leave and wondered why the empress had not stayed to attend Liu Xie.

After Liu Xie drunkenly slept with his attendant palace maid, Guo Nüwang, he discovered her identity the next morning and granted her the title of Beauty Guo. Guo Nüwang returned to her quarters feeling hurt, where other palace maids noticed her.

• Guo Nüwang ordered hot water and Sobering Soup, then tried to care for the drunken Liu Xie.
• Liu Xie mistook Guo Nüwang for a consort, confessed that he could not make her Empress, and pulled her onto the bed; the other palace maids left.
• Liu Xie woke beside the naked Guo Nüwang, helped her up, and learned what had happened after he blacked out.
• Liu Xie learned his attendant was named Guo Nüwang and ordered an edict naming her Beauty Guo and granting her residence in Yunguang Hall.
• Guo Nüwang returned to her shared quarters feeling wronged, as the other palace maids watched her.

Liu Xie granted Guo Nüwang the title of Beauty and moved her to Yunguang Hall, while she forgave the palace maids who had mocked her. At the Xuan Room, officials discussed an urgent report that Cao Cao was preparing to invade Yi Province, and Liu Bei had requested reinforcements.

• Chief Eunuch Wu delivered Liu Xie's decree naming Guo Nüwang Beauty Guo and ordering her to live at Yunguang Hall.
• Guo Nüwang forgave the palace maids who had mocked her and followed Chief Eunuch Wu to her new residence.
• Liu Xie joined Guo Jia, Zhuge Liang, Jia Xu, and the other officials in the Xuan Room to handle state affairs.
• Jia Xu reported that Cao Cao had assembled a large army on the border and that Liu Bei had requested imperial reinforcements for Yi Province.
• Liu Xie questioned how quickly Cao Cao had absorbed Jing Province's forces.

Liu Xie agreed to recruit Zhou Yu to train a navy for the coming campaign against Cao Cao, and Lu Su went to the Imperial Prison to bring him before the court. Lu Su found Zhou Yu weakened by imprisonment and had not yet told him about the offer when Zhou Yu asked if his time to die had come.

• Liu Xie and his ministers agreed to prepare a southern campaign against Cao Cao and discussed reinforcing Yi Province.
• Lu Su proposed developing a navy and recommended Zhou Yu, saying he was the best person to train it.
• Lu Su and Zhuge Liang urged Liu Xie to let Zhou Yu redeem himself through service, and Liu Xie ordered Gao Lan to bring Zhou Yu to the hall.
• Lu Su accompanied Gao Lan into the Imperial Prison and entered Zhou Yu’s cell to speak with him privately.
• Zhou Yu, gaunt and exhausted from imprisonment, asked Lu Su whether he had come to tell him his time to die had arrived.

Lu Su persuaded Zhou Yu to leave prison and train a navy for Liu Xie, but Zhou Yu initially refused because he felt guilty over Jiangdong’s downfall. After Sun Quan freed him from that guilt and urged him to kill Cao Cao, Zhou Yu accepted Liu Xie’s appointment and began preparing to build a fleet within three months.

• Lu Su told Zhou Yu that Liu Xie wanted him to train a navy and campaign against Cao Cao, but Zhou Yu refused because he felt responsible for the Sun family’s fate.
• Sun Quan told Zhou Yu he owed the Sun family nothing and urged him to kill Cao Cao, giving Zhou Yu a reason to keep living and fight.
• Zhou Yu accepted Sun Quan’s command, and Lu Su led him out of the Imperial Prison to seek an audience with Liu Xie.
• Liu Xie appointed Zhou Yu General Who Crosses the Seas and ordered him to train a navy within three months, promising warships from the Foundry Bureau.
• Zhou Yu accepted the deadline and vowed to defeat Cao Cao, while Lu Su later thanked Zhuge Liang for speaking up on Zhou Yu’s behalf.

Zhou Yu began training the Imperial Court’s navy and was astonished by the discipline and precision of Lü Bu’s Bing Province Army. After Lü Bu challenged his loyalty, Chen Gong welcomed Zhou Yu and helped arrange for him to train the army; Zhou Yu judged its soldiers far superior to Jiangdong’s.

• Zhou Yu began preparing to train the navy, deciding to start with the Imperial Court’s battle-tested troops rather than recruit new sailors.
• Zhou Yu watched Gao Shun’s soldiers march and drill in precise formations, and marveled at their discipline and strength.
• Lü Bu accused Zhou Yu of spying and pretending to submit, while Chen Gong rebuked Lü Bu and apologized to Zhou Yu.
• Zhou Yu explained that he wanted to train the Bing Province Army first, and Chen Gong agreed to summon its senior generals and promised Lü Bu would not interfere.
• Zhou Yu told Chen Gong that the Bing Province Army surpassed Jiangdong’s elite troops in discipline and soldier quality.

Liu Xie ordered the Foundry Bureau to build warships for a southern campaign, and Meng Yang presented its new military inventions, culminating in a demonstration of the Ten-Shot Repeating Crossbow. The weapon devastated armored targets, leaving Liu Xie impressed by its battlefield potential and aware of its cost and limited range.

• Liu Xie tasked Zhou Yu with training the navy and asked Meng Yang whether the Foundry Bureau could build enough warships within three months.
• Meng Yang showed Liu Xie drawings for an improved Stone-Throwing Engine, a Second-Generation Mo Dao, and lighter, stronger heavy armor.
• Meng Yang introduced the Foundry Bureau's Ten-Shot Repeating Crossbow and asked Liu Xie to watch it fire.
• Tiger Warriors Army soldiers fired the crossbow at targets four hundred paces away, piercing their armor and embedding the bolts in a palace wall beyond them.
• Meng Yang explained that the crossbow could penetrate five layers of armor within three hundred paces, had a maximum range of five hundred paces, and was expensive to manufacture.

Liu Xie praised the Foundry Bureau’s ten-shot heavy crossbow, ordered mass production for the coming campaign, and asked Meng Yang to develop a portable repeating version with Zhuge Liang’s help. He visited Guo Nüwang, who asked to resume serving him in the Xuan Room but accepted his refusal; the chapter ended with Zhuge Liang studying the crossbow’s drawings when his wife brought him tea.

• Liu Xie asked Meng Yang to make a handheld repeating crossbow and ordered the Foundry Bureau to produce ten-shot heavy crossbows in large quantities for the march south.
• Gao Lan said five hundred ten-shot heavy crossbows could change the course of a battle, and Liu Xie then went to Yunhua Hall to visit Guo Nüwang.
• Guo Nüwang told Liu Xie she wanted to return to the Xuan Room to assist him, but he refused because an imperial consort could not appear there under court rules.
• Liu Xie comforted Guo Nüwang, and she responded to his kiss as the palace maids withdrew from Yunhua Hall.
• Zhuge Liang studied the ten-shot heavy crossbow drawings sent by the Foundry Bureau and wondered how to simplify the weapon.
• Zhuge Liang’s wife entered his study with tea and asked why he was still awake.

Zhuge Liang and Huang Yueying devised a seven-shot repeating crossbow, which Liu Xie praised and promised to name after Zhuge Liang if it proved successful. Liu Xie then announced the creation of Lingyun Pavilion, where anyone could earn lasting honor through merit, leaving the court astonished.

• Huang Yueying advised Zhuge Liang to design a new repeating crossbow rather than simplify the Ten-Shot Repeating Crossbow, and they sketched a seven-shot design together.
• Zhuge Liang presented the design to Liu Xie, who praised him and ordered the Foundry Bureau to develop it, promising to call it the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow if it met military standards.
• Zhuge Liang credited Huang Yueying for inspiring the design, and Liu Xie acknowledged her contribution.
• Liu Xie announced that he would establish Lingyun Pavilion to honor meritorious people, regardless of birth, and allow even the lowest-ranking soldier to enter through military merit.
• Guo Jia recognized Liu Xie's announcement as a way to motivate the court and army with the promise of lasting glory.

Liu Xie announced Lingyun Pavilion as an honor for meritorious officials and named its first five third-floor inductees. He ended by honoring the late Dong Cheng for helping him escape Cao Cao’s captivity.

• Liu Xie established Lingyun Pavilion with three floors ranked by the size of each official’s contributions.
• Liu Xie named Guo Jia the first inductee, praising his early aid and strategies, and Guo Jia wept with gratitude.
• Liu Xie selected Lü Bu second and Jia Xu third, while Lü Bu smugly challenged Zhang Liao with his ranking.
• Liu Xie awarded the fourth place to Yuan Xi for placing righteousness above family, and Yuan Xi kowtowed until his forehead bled.
• Liu Xie named his late imperial uncle Dong Cheng for the fifth place, recalling that Dong Cheng had helped him escape Cao Cao’s captivity.

Liu Xie established Lingyun Pavilion and publicized its tiers, honoring officials and military leaders while inspiring a surge of recruits and ambitious scholars. Sima Yi reacted to Zhuge Liang’s exclusion, while Huang Zhong learned that he had been placed in the second tier.

• Liu Xie named Guo Jia, Lü Bu, Jia Xu, Yuan Xi, and Dong Cheng as third-tier candidates, and Guo Jia vowed to repay the emperor’s trust.
• News of Lingyun Pavilion and Liu Xie’s poem spread across the realm, prompting young men to enlist and talented people to seek service in Chang'an.
• The court announced the three tiers, placing Zhuge Liang outside the pavilion and Sima Yi on the first tier.
• Sima Yi lamented that Zhuge Liang had been excluded, and Lady Zhang scolded and struck him for taking out his frustration on her.
• Ju Yi congratulated Huang Zhong after the second-tier list reached the military camp, and Huang Zhong expressed gratitude for the honor.

Huang Zhong encouraged Ju Yi to seek a place on Lingyun Pavilion’s second level, while Cao Cao and his advisers reacted to the pavilion’s influence and Xu You’s selection. As the Imperial Court prepared to march south, Cao Cao summoned powerful clan heads to a banquet and asked what they thought of the conflict between the true and false Sons of Heaven.

• Huang Zhong praised Ju Yi’s prospects, and Ju Yi vowed to serve as vanguard and earn a place on Lingyun Pavilion’s second level.
• Cao Cao read the poem praising Lingyun Pavilion, and Xun You proposed that Emperor Xian establish an Ascending Heaven Pavilion in response.
• Cao Cao showed Xu You the selection list, and Xu You wept with relief upon seeing that the Son of Heaven had remembered him.
• Cao Cao told Xu You that he might ask him for a favor if he lost the coming war against the Imperial Court.
• Emperor Xian announced the Ascending Heaven Pavilion, while Cao Cao invited the great clan heads of Jing Province, Jiangnan, and Jiangdong to a banquet.
• At Cao Cao’s banquet, the Huang Clan head and the Zhang Clan head discussed the danger of the coming conflict, and the Zhang Clan head asked what the guests thought of the two Sons of Heaven.

Cao Cao pressured the great clans into supporting his campaign against the northern Pretender Emperor by threatening to list them among the meritorious subjects in Ascending Heaven Pavilion. The clans agreed to help him move the emperor to Changsha and fortify the Yangtze, while the Imperial Court's troops eagerly awaited the coming campaign.

• Cao Cao asked the clan heads who would win the war, and they publicly declared loyalty to the Han orthodoxy and confidence in his victory.
• Cao Cao admitted his chances were poor and warned the clans that Lü Bu and Yuan Xi might punish them if he lost.
• Cao Cao threatened to put the clans' names in Ascending Heaven Pavilion, which they feared would make them targets for retribution.
• Cao Cao proposed relocating the emperor to Changsha, fortifying the Yangtze, and destroying most of the docks.
• The clan heads agreed to assist Cao Cao, who promised them rewards if they defeated the Pretender Emperor.
• The court and its soldiers grew eager for the campaign, hoping to earn merit through Lingyun Pavilion.

As Great Han prepared for war, Liu Xie recognized that many fallen soldiers would be forgotten once their families were gone. He proposed turning the mountain behind the imperial mausoleum into a Martyrs' Cemetery with three hundred thousand steles, and assigned Zhuge Liang to oversee it.

• Liu Xie told Guo Jia, Zhuge Liang, and the other ministers that his visits to soldiers' families had revealed many fallen soldiers left no descendants.
• Liu Xie explained that people suffered a final death when the last person who remembered them forgot them, and argued that nameless soldiers deserved to be remembered.
• Liu Xie proposed building a Martyrs' Cemetery with a stele for every fallen soldier and said he would be buried there if he failed to recover Great Han's realm.
• Zhuge Liang, Guo Jia, and Sima Yi asked for steles for themselves, while Yang Xiu raised concerns about the cost.
• Liu Xie ordered Zhuge Liang to oversee the cemetery's construction and directed that the unused funds for his mausoleum pay for it.

Liu Xie’s memorial for fallen soldiers won broad support, while Cao Cao’s forced evacuation of Xinye exposed the growing divide between his cause and the Son of Heaven’s. The chapter ended as young Deng Ai confronted a Huang Clan servant who was about to kill a farmer’s ox.

• Liu Xie announced that every fallen soldier would be honored with a monument and pledged to be buried among them if he failed to defeat the rebels.
• People across Great Han donated labor and supplies to build the Great Han Martyrs’ Mausoleum, and Liu Xie had his own monument erected first.
• Cao Cao ordered Xinye’s people and supplies relocated south, and Cao Ren inspected the evacuation with the Huang Clan’s elders.
• A Huang Clan servant whipped an old farmer’s ox, was knocked into a puddle when it tossed its head, and drew his saber to kill it.
• Young Deng Ai stepped between the servant and the ox, citing Great Han law against slaughtering farm oxen without authorization.

Deng Ai challenged Cao Ren over the forced migration of Xinye’s people, but soldiers blocked their return and the procession continued. Later, anger among the displaced commoners turned toward rebellion when Liao Hua declared it was their only chance to survive.

• Deng Ai confronted a Huang Clan servant who threatened him, and Cao Ren stopped the servant before asking the boy his name.
• Deng Ai questioned Cao Ren about forcing the people south, prompting the crowd to protest and try to return to Xinye.
• Cao Ren blocked the routes with soldiers and insisted that migrating was an imperial command; Deng Ai’s uncle apologized and took him away.
• Deng Ai’s uncle warned him to guard his words but privately predicted that the Son of Heaven in Chang’an would defeat Cao Cao.
• Commoners complained around a bonfire about the forced migration and praised the northern court’s policies.
• Liao Hua told the gathered young men that rebellion was their only way to survive.

Liao Hua led thousands of migrating commoners in a revolt against Cao Cao’s forced relocation, and the rebels plundered the Huang Clan’s wagon train before fleeing toward Guanzhong. Cao Ren arrived too late to stop them, reported the disaster to Xiangyang, and the story left the uprising on its way north.

• Liao Hua persuaded displaced commoners to rebel against the Pretender Emperor and flee to Guanzhong, promising to seize weapons from the Huang Clan’s wagons.
• After the migrating column left Xinye, Liao Hua and over a hundred men attacked the Huang Clan’s servants, seized weapons, and set a wagon alight as a signal.
• Several thousand commoners joined the uprising, overwhelming the Huang Clan’s servants and plundering grain, supplies, and weapons as the column fell into chaos.
• A Huang Clan servant reached Xinye and informed Cao Ren that the migrating commoners had rebelled.
• Cao Ren marched out to suppress the uprising but arrived days later, after the rebels had fled and the Huang Clan had suffered heavy losses.
• Liao Hua led the rioters toward Guanzhong while Cao Ren sent news of the revolt to Xiangyang.

Liu Xie inspected the newly completed navy, praised its weapons and training, and appointed Zhou Yu to join the campaign against Cao Cao. He decided to lead the expedition himself and assigned commanders and strategists to the three fronts, while Zhuge Liang remained the only adviser without an assignment.

• Meng Yang reported that the navy had 121 warships and explained how the Foundry Bureau had equipped some vessels with Ten-Shot Repeating Crossbows and Stone-Throwing Engines.
• Zhou Yu told Liu Xie that 60,000 soldiers had trained to fight aboard ships, and Liu Xie invited him to accompany the campaign against Cao Cao.
• Liu Xie announced that he would personally lead the expedition and proposed dividing the forces among Yi, Yang, and Jing Provinces, despite his ministers' warnings.
• Guo Jia recommended Zhang Liao, Huang Zhong, and Lü Bu to lead the three armies, then volunteered to assist Huang Zhong in Yang Province.
• Sima Yi volunteered to accompany Zhang Liao to Yi Province, while Jia Xu chose to remain in Chang'an and Fa Zheng, Yang Xiu, and Lu Su offered to join Liu Xie's army.
• The officials looked to Zhuge Liang, who had not yet chosen an assignment.

Liu Xie learned that displaced people from Jing Province had rebelled against Cao Cao’s relocation policy and ordered them settled while publicizing the news. As his expedition against the Pretender Emperor approached, Cao Cao struggled with the backlash and demanded a swift victory in Yi Province; Liu Xie’s army gathered for its oath-taking ceremony in the rain.

• Zhuge Liang declared that he would join Liu Xie’s expedition to punish Cao Cao and prove his worth.
• Gao Lan reported that armed refugees from Jing Province had entered Si Province, and Liu Xie ordered their settlement and publicized their flight from the Pretender Emperor.
• The Imperial Court spread the news, prompting popular anger and further resistance to Cao Cao’s forced relocations.
• Cao Cao condemned the uprisings, ordered the relocation effort accelerated, and gave Cao Hong two months to capture Yi Province.
• Ten days later, Liu Xie’s officials and officers gathered outside Chang’an for the imperial army’s oath-taking ceremony as rain fell.

Liu Xie assembled the Han Army for its campaign against Jing Province and ordered the execution of Sun Quan and his captured followers. Sun Quan’s veteran retainers died beside him, and the chapter ended with Sun Quan facing the executioner’s blade.

• Guo Jia, Fa Zheng, and Gao Lan watched the Han Army assemble as Fa Zheng declared his wish to fight alongside the troops.
• Lü Bu, Zhang Liao, Zhang He, and the other generals gathered on the Military Drill Platform before Liu Xie arrived with the Three Thousand Feathered Forest Cavalry.
• Liu Xie addressed the kneeling army and ordered the rebel Sun Quan brought forward for execution.
• Sun Quan apologized to Cheng Pu, Han Dang, and the others, while they affirmed their loyalty and accepted their fate.
• Zhang He oversaw the execution of Cheng Pu, Han Dang, and the other captured retainers, leaving Sun Quan to face the executioner.