Recaps

Liu Xie and Guo Jia discussed whether Zhen Mi could be trusted, while Yuan Shao, Lü Bu, Liu Bei, and Sun Ce mobilized against Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu refused to yield, and Cao Cao demanded Zhang Xiu’s surrender outside Wan City before launching an assault.

• Liu Xie worried that Zhen Mi might expose his plans, and Guo Jia advised him to observe her before deciding whether to trust her.
• Yuan Shao, Lü Bu, and Liu Bei formed an alliance against Yuan Shu, while Sun Ce seized Danyang and Lujiang; Cao Cao instead marched against Zhang Xiu, and Liu Biao stayed out of the conflicts.
• Yuan Shu became furious upon learning that several armies were advancing against him and ordered his generals to meet them in battle.
• Yang Hong urged Yuan Shu to avoid fighting and reconcile with Sun Ce, but Yuan Shu rejected the advice and ordered Ji Ling, Qiao Rui, Li Feng, Liang Gang, and Le Jiu to lead the army.
• Cao Cao arrived outside Wan City with forty thousand troops and ordered Dian Wei to demand Zhang Xiu’s surrender, threatening to kill everyone in the city if he refused.

Cao Cao captured Wan City and forced Zhang Xiu to submit, then demanded that Zhang Xiu march against Yuan Shu. After learning of Lady Zou, Cao Cao sent Dian Wei to seize her, and Zhang Xiu learned that Cao Cao’s men had killed people while taking her away.

• Dian Wei threatened Wan City with slaughter, and Zhang Xiu emerged bound with his officers to surrender to Cao Cao.
• Cao Cao humiliated Zhang Xiu by making him lead his horse into the city, while praising and rewarding Hu Che'er for defending his general.
• At a victory feast, Cao Cao confronted Zhang Xiu for refusing the imperial order to campaign against Yuan Shu, and Zhang Xiu promised to march the next day.
• Cao Cao learned from Dian Wei that Lady Zou, Zhang Ji’s widow and Zhang Xiu’s aunt, was beautiful, then ordered Dian Wei to bring her to him.
• Dian Wei led fifty soldiers to Lady Zou’s residence and forcibly took her, killing people who tried to stop him.
• Zhang Xiu heard from a servant that Cao Cao had abducted Lady Zou and reacted in shock and anger.

Yuan Shang and Shen Pei told Yuan Shao that Cao Cao had been routed at Wan City after Zhang Xiu rebelled over Cao Cao’s assault on Lady Zou. Yuan Shao celebrated the news and ordered an edict praising Zhang Xiu, while Guo Jia followed the report to learn more before informing the emperor.

• Guo Jia presented Yuan Shang with carefully processed military reports, earning his praise and an invitation to a banquet.
• Shen Pei reported that Zhang Xiu had destroyed Cao Cao’s army at Wan City, killing Dian Wei, Cao Ang, and Cao Anmin.
• Yuan Shang and Shen Pei hurried to tell Yuan Shao, while Guo Jia decided to follow them before reporting the news to Liu Xie.
• Shen Pei explained that Cao Cao had taken Lady Zou, prompting Zhang Xiu to launch a night attack after disarming and getting Dian Wei drunk.
• Yuan Shao ordered Gongyu to request an imperial edict commending Zhang Xiu and to publicize Cao Cao’s defeat.
• Yuan Shao asked about the campaign against Yuan Shu, and Yuan Shang began reporting on the fighting.

Yuan Shang gained control of all military affairs, while Liu Xie predicted that Cao Cao would pardon Zhang Xiu and warned that Sun Ce might become a powerful threat. After Cao Cao’s disastrous defeat at Wan City, he shut himself in his study, leaving his followers worried as a woman arrived to see him.

• Yuan Shao praised Yuan Shang’s handling of military affairs and put him in charge of all military matters.
• Guo Jia told Liu Xie that Zhang Xiu had destroyed Cao Cao’s army and killed Dian Wei, Cao Ang, and Cao Anmin.
• Liu Xie wagered that Cao Cao would pardon Zhang Xiu and take him into his service, despite Guo Jia’s doubts.
• Guo Jia warned that Sun Ce could seize Yuan Shu’s lands and become the greatest beneficiary of the war.
• Cao Cao shut himself in his study after fleeing to Xu County, and Xun You and Xu Chu worried about his grief and refusal to eat.
• Xun Yu stopped Xu Chu from breaking down the study door, and the gathered followers bowed as a woman approached.

Lady Ding confronted Cao Cao over the deaths of Zixiu and Anmin, prompting Cao Cao to order an attack on Wan City. Zhang Xiu chose to join Yuan Shu despite Jia Xu's advice, while Lü Bu's campaign against Yuan Shu advanced and Chen Gong explained its aims.

• Lady Ding blamed Cao Cao for Zixiu and Anmin's deaths and demanded that he retrieve Zixiu's remains.
• Cao Cao ordered his generals to muster and march on Wan City to raze it.
• Jia Xu advised Zhang Xiu to flee to Ji Province and join Yuan Shao, but Zhang Xiu decided to join Yuan Shu instead.
• Jia Xu left the Zhang residence, considering whether to approach the Son of Heaven in Ye City.
• Lü Bu celebrated his army's rapid advance against Yuan Shu and said he wanted to fight Sun Ce.
• Chen Gong explained that the campaign aimed to destroy Yuan Shu's claim to the throne and divide Yang Province among the allied armies.

Chen Gong advised Lü Bu to preserve his forces and secure the territory he had taken rather than rush to rescue Liu Xie from Yuan Shao. In Ye City, Yuan Shao ordered further reinforcements for the Yang Province campaign, dismissed Yuan Xi’s concerns about logistics, and instructed his sons to welcome the Zhen Clan’s convoy and send its daughter to the Imperial Palace.

• Chen Gong warned Lü Bu that Sun Ce was waiting for the other armies to weaken Yuan Shu, and urged Lü Bu to hold his strength and consolidate his captured territory.
• Lü Bu asked about rescuing Liu Xie, but Chen Gong persuaded him that Yuan Shao was too powerful and that Liu Xie was safe in Ye City.
• Yuan Shang reported heavy casualties on the Yang Province front and proposed reinforcements, but Yuan Shao ordered twenty thousand more troops and a fifty-percent increase in supplies.
• Yuan Xi warned that the added supplies would overwhelm logistics, but Yuan Shao rebuked him, and Yuan Shang offered to handle the problem instead.
• Ju Shou reported that the Zhen Clan’s convoy was nearing Ye City and that Zhang Xiu had fled Wan City for Yang Province; Yuan Shao ordered his sons to welcome the convoy and send the Zhen Clan’s daughter to the Imperial Palace.

Zhen Mi arrived in Ye City and was brought before Liu Xie for her investiture, captivating him and the Yuan brothers with her beauty. Liu Xie began the formal ceremony, while the chapter ended before her title was announced.

• Ju Shou welcomed the Zhen Clan convoy outside Ye City and escorted Zhen Mi toward the palace, leaving Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang to receive the clan and arrange the convoy.
• Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang caught a glimpse of Zhen Mi and were stunned by her beauty; Yuan Xi angrily blamed Yuan Shang and left, while Yuan Shang escorted Zhen Yuan into the city.
• Liu Xie prepared to meet Zhen Mi, then summoned her into the hall after Ju Shou reported her arrival.
• Zhen Mi knelt before Liu Xie, who was dazzled by her appearance, and Ju Shou reminded him to proceed with the investiture.
• Liu Xie called for the attendants, and a eunuch entered carrying the tray for the investiture ceremony.

Liu Xie invested Zhen Mi as a Noble Lady and struggled to decide how to treat his new wife, while Zhen Mi adjusted to her unfamiliar palace home. When Liu Xie visited her that evening, she asked whether he wanted her to attend him in bed.

• Liu Xie granted Zhen Mi the rank of Noble Lady and sent her to Qingli Palace to rest.
• After Ju Shou left, a eunuch asked whether Zhen Mi should prepare to attend Liu Xie in bed, but Liu Xie put it off.
• Liu Xie found the Zhen Clan's enormous tribute shipment at the palace gates and recognized it as Zhen Mi's dowry.
• Zhen Mi asked a eunuch to bring her maid into the palace, then fell asleep at her dressing table.
• Liu Xie visited Zhen Mi, covered her with a garment, and steadied her when her numb legs nearly made her fall.
• Zhen Mi thanked Liu Xie for his concern and asked whether he wanted her to attend him in bed that night.

Liu Xie decided to explore modern military training methods after noticing the imperial guards’ poor discipline, and summoned Zhang He and Gao Lan to learn how the army trained soldiers. Zhang He began explaining existing training practices, leaving Liu Xie with a clearer picture of the methods he hoped to improve.

• Liu Xie reassured Zhen Mi that she could rest after arriving at the palace and left her in Qingli Palace.
• The next morning, Liu Xie watched an undisciplined patrol of imperial guards and conceived the idea of training troops himself.
• Liu Xie summoned Zhang He and Gao Lan and asked them how soldiers were trained.
• Zhang He explained that soldiers trained their ears and eyes, courage, formations, physical strength and boxing, and martial skills.
• Zhang He described how signal drills, instruction, rewards and punishments, and orderly formations prepared soldiers for battle.

Liu Xie’s attempt to improve the palace guards’ fitness was checked by Zhang He and Gao Lan, who explained that food shortages made intensive training impractical and that the army already used similar methods. Meanwhile, Yuan Xi sank into resentment over Yuan Shang and his father’s favoritism until Xu You arrived with a question about Yuan Shao’s praise for Yuan Shang.

• Liu Xie demonstrated several fitness exercises to Zhang He and Gao Lan and suggested using them to train the palace guards.
• Zhang He warned that the exercises required more food than the army could supply, while Gao Lan noted that the army already used comparable drills.
• After the generals left, Liu Xie realized logistics limited military training and decided to consult Guo Jia before taking further action.
• Yuan Xi drank heavily at home and grew more resentful of Yuan Shang for disrupting his marriage to Zhen Mi and outshining him.
• Xu You visited Yuan Xi, who complained that Yuan Shao favored Yuan Shang, and asked whether he wanted to know why Yuan Shao had been praising the Third Young Master.

Yuan Xi learned that Guo Jia had been helping Yuan Shang and sought Xu You’s support, but Xu You refused to assist him further. Meanwhile, Jia Xu arrived in Ye City to meet Liu Xie, and Yuan Shao criticized Yuan Xi for neglecting his duties.

• Xu You told Yuan Xi that Guo Jia had secretly helped Yuan Shang handle affairs and had spread the rumors that disrupted Yuan Xi’s marriage alliance.
• Yuan Xi decided to report Yuan Shang to Yuan Shao, but Xu You warned that he lacked evidence and that winning capable advisers’ help was itself a skill.
• Yuan Xi pleaded with Xu You for assistance, but Xu You refused and suggested he seek help from Tian Yuanhao or Ju Gongyu.
• Jia Xu arrived in Ye City and told Gao Lan that he had come to pay his respects to Liu Xie.
• Liu Xie recognized Jia Xu’s name, ordered Gao Lan to bring him to the Main Hall, and prepared to meet him.
• Yuan Xi stayed home from the family banquet, and Yuan Shao complained that he was sulking and neglecting his assigned duties.

Jia Xu entered Ye City intending to serve Yuan Shao or support Liu Xie, depending on the circumstances, but Liu Xie’s eager welcome caught him off guard. Jia Xu pledged to help restore the Han, while privately reassessing the emperor who had grown more capable.

• Yuan Shang pretended to worry about Yuan Xi, and Yuan Shao ended the discussion over dinner.
• Ju Shou told Yuan Shao that Jia Xu had entered the palace to meet the Son of Heaven, prompting Yuan Shao to head there.
• Jia Xu considered whether Liu Xie was genuine and weighed serving Yuan Shao or helping restore the Han.
• Liu Xie rushed into the empty hall, embraced Jia Xu, and praised him for opposing Cao Cao and plotting Cao Ang’s death.
• Jia Xu pledged to assist Liu Xie in restoring the Han, and Liu Xie warmly welcomed his promise.
• Jia Xu recognized Liu Xie and privately noted that the emperor had grown during their years apart.

Jia Xu arrived in Ye City and met Liu Xie, but Yuan Shao quickly took him away to host a welcoming banquet. At Yuan Shao’s residence, Jia Xu explained that he had left Zhang Xiu because Zhang Xiu planned to join Yuan Shu, leaving Yuan Shao and his strategists astonished.

• Liu Xie welcomed Jia Xu to the palace and invited him to dine, but Yuan Shao arrived and took Jia Xu to his residence instead.
• Liu Xie hid his nervousness around Jia Xu, then worried over why the strategist had come to Ye City and planned to consult Guo Jia.
• Yuan Shao honored Jia Xu at a banquet attended by his strategists and praised his role in Cao Cao’s defeat at Wan City.
• Shen Pei asked Jia Xu why he had come to Ye City without Zhang Xiu, who had gone to Yang Province.
• Jia Xu explained that Zhang Xiu intended to join Yuan Shu, so Jia Xu had left him; Yuan Shao privately condemned Zhang Xiu’s decision.

Jia Xu joined Yuan Shao after arriving in Ye City, while Guo Jia suspected he had come for self-preservation and warned Liu Xie that the new adviser could threaten their plans. Guo Jia decided to assess Jia Xu himself and consider winning him over, leaving Liu Xie to stay cautious.

• Jia Xu declared that he wished to serve the Han Dynasty, and Yuan Shao welcomed him into his service.
• Guo Jia watched Jia Xu at the banquet, and the two exchanged a knowing look.
• Guo Jia visited Liu Xie at night and explained why Jia Xu had left Zhang Xiu and joined Yuan Shao.
• Guo Jia told Liu Xie that Jia Xu might discover their plans to seize Yuan Shao's power, and Liu Xie urged him to prioritize safety.
• Guo Jia proposed that Jia Xu might be won over, but told Liu Xie not to approach him until Guo Jia had judged him.

Jia Xu settled into his new position in Ye City while assessing Yuan Shao’s court and the rivalries among his sons. After refusing Yuan Xi’s request for direct help, Jia Xu questioned whether Yuan Shao was a ruler worth serving and turned his thoughts toward the Son of Heaven.

• Yuan Shao rewarded Jia Xu with a grand residence, wealth, servants, and appointment as Minister of the Imperial Clan.
• Jia Xu received a succession of visitors from Yuan Shao’s factions and used their visits to map the court’s relationships.
• Jia Xu wondered why Guo Jia had not visited and learned more about the young adviser’s background.
• Yuan Xi visited Jia Xu, offered him gifts, and asked for guidance in his contest with Yuan Shang.
• Yuan Xi told Jia Xu that Guo Jia had helped Yuan Shang ruin his planned marriage alliance with the Zhen Clan.
• Jia Xu declined to promise Yuan Xi help and concluded that Yuan Shao lacked a ruler’s bearing, deciding to consider whether the Son of Heaven was worth serving.

Liu Xie resolved to avoid Yuan Shao’s beauties, then met Zhen Mi in the Imperial Garden and impressed her with his painting advice and a charcoal portrait. The chapter ended with Zhen Mi hiding the portrait from Liu Xie when he tried to take it back.

• Liu Xie left the Side Hall after spending the night with three beauties Yuan Shao had given him and resolved not to return for a week.
• Liu Xie thought about Guo Jia’s attempt to recruit Jia Xu as he walked through the Imperial Garden.
• Liu Xie found Zhen Mi painting flowers and offered advice on her brushwork.
• Liu Xie used charcoal to draw Zhen Mi’s portrait, astonishing her with how well it captured her appearance and expression.
• Zhen Mi hid the portrait behind her back when Liu Xie reached to take it.

Liu Xie flirted with Zhen Mi and gave her his portrait, then warned himself not to become emotionally attached to her. In Ye City, Yuan Shang sent Guo Jia to visit Jia Xu, where Guo Jia was welcomed and explained that he had come on Yuan Shang’s behalf with a gift.

• Liu Xie praised Zhen Mi’s beauty and gave her the painting, which she cherished after he left.
• Liu Xie cautioned himself against falling for Zhen Mi because of her ties to the Zhen Clan.
• Yuan Shang learned that Yuan Xi had visited Jia Xu with lavish gifts and worried that Jia Xu might favor his brother.
• Guo Jia advised Yuan Shang against openly courting Jia Xu and offered to visit him instead.
• A gatekeeper turned Guo Jia away, but Jia Xu arrived, rebuked the gatekeeper, and invited Guo Jia inside.
• Guo Jia told Jia Xu that he had come on Yuan Shang’s behalf and presented a gift list.

Guo Jia declined to press Yuan Shang’s invitation on Jia Xu, but used their conversation over lunch to probe Jia Xu’s loyalty to the Han Dynasty and hint at his own connection to the Son of Heaven. Jia Xu began to suspect Guo Jia was acting as a guest for someone else, while Yuan Shang remained hopeful after hearing Jia Xu had also rejected Yuan Xi.

• Jia Xu accepted Yuan Shang’s gifts but refused to join the brothers’ inheritance struggle, and Guo Jia agreed not to press him.
• Guo Jia and Jia Xu exchanged pointed questions about their motives, then discussed the Han Dynasty and the escaped Son of Heaven over lunch.
• Jia Xu praised Guo Jia as a loyal servant of Great Han, and the two spent the rest of the day talking as kindred spirits.
• After Guo Jia left, Jia Xu connected Guo Jia’s probing questions to Yuan Xi’s account of the ruined Zhen Clan marriage and wondered whether Guo Jia was acting as a guest for someone.
• Guo Jia revealed in his carriage that he had only pretended to be drunk and hoped Jia Xu would infer his connection to the Son of Heaven.
• Yuan Shang asked Guo Jia whether he had recruited Jia Xu, and Guo Jia reported that Jia Xu had refused to join either brother.

Lü Bu captured Zhongli County and prepared the allied armies to cross the Huai River and attack Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu arrived to block the crossing, and the chapter ended with both sides taunting each other across the river as Lü Bu remained eager for battle.

• Lü Bu marveled at Zhongli County’s stores after taking the city through discord among Han Xian and Yang Feng, then defeating Zhang Xun and Qiao Rui’s relief forces.
• Liu Bei asked Lü Bu about the next move, and Lü Bu said the armies would cross the Huai River and fight Yuan Shu.
• Wen Chou claimed the Ji Province army lacked provisions, but Lü Bu offered supplies and pressured Yan Liang and Wen Chou into agreeing to the assault.
• Chen Gong reported that Yuan Shu had led an army to the opposite bank, and Lü Bu ordered all three armies to assemble along the river.
• Lü Bu’s soldiers shouted that they would cross the river and capture Yuan Shu, while Yuan Shu furiously ordered Ji Ling to shoot at them.
• Lü Bu and Yuan Shu traded insults across the Huai River, and Lü Bu returned to his camp in high spirits.

Lü Bu and Yuan Shu’s armies faced off across the Huai River, and Le Jiu’s insults drove Lü Bu to answer with his Iron-Gall Great Bow. Lü Bu’s arrow crossed the river and pinned Le Jiu and his horse to the ground.

• Lü Bu prepared nine pontoon bridges while Yuan Shu fortified the southern bank and gathered sixty thousand troops to oppose the allied army.
• Yuan Shu ordered Le Jiu to taunt Lü Bu’s forces, and Le Jiu insulted Lü Bu while defending Yuan Shu’s claim to the throne.
• Lü Bu and Le Jiu traded challenges until Yuan Shu’s soldiers shouted for Lü Bu to surrender.
• Lü Bu called for his Iron-Gall Great Bow, drew it, and shot an iron arrow across the Huai River.
• Lü Bu’s arrow struck Le Jiu and his horse, pinning them to the ground.

Lü Bu led the allied armies across the Huai River and pursued Yuan Shu through the rout, but an unknown spear stopped his halberd just as he was about to kill the Pretender Emperor. The chapter ended with Yuan Shu’s fate unresolved.

• Lü Bu shot Le Jiu dead across the Huai River, terrifying Yuan Shu and rallying the allied armies to cross.
• The allied forces crossed the river on pontoon bridges and overwhelmed Yuan Shu’s army, while Lü Bu charged through the enemy ranks.
• Lü Bu killed Zhang Xun and pursued Yuan Shu, but his injured arm gave Ji Ling, Qiao Rui, and Li Feng an opening to attack.
• Zhang Fei and Guan Yu arrived, engaging Ji Ling and the other generals so Lü Bu could continue after Yuan Shu.
• Yuan Shu abandoned his carriage and fled on horseback, but Lü Bu caught up and swung his halberd at him.
• A silver spear struck the ground between Lü Bu’s halberd and Yuan Shu’s neck, stopping the killing blow.

Lü Bu’s forces defeated Yuan Shu’s army at the Huai River, but Zhang Xiu rescued Yuan Shu before Lü Bu could kill him. As Lü Bu and his allies planned their next move toward Shouchun, Cao Cao arrived by river, intent on capturing the Pretender Emperor himself.

• Zhang Xiu arrived with eight thousand iron cavalry and rescued Yuan Shu, forcing Lü Bu to abandon his pursuit.
• Yuan Shu’s sixty-thousand-strong army was essentially destroyed, while Lü Bu’s coalition won the battle with far fewer casualties.
• Lü Bu, Chen Gong, and Liu Bei discussed Zhang Xiu’s actions and learned that Cao Cao was advancing toward Shouchun with fifty thousand troops; they agreed to rest and proceed cautiously.
• Lü Bu angrily vowed to capture the Pretender Emperor before Cao Cao could claim the credit.
• Cao Cao sailed down the Huai River with Xun You, confident he would take Shou County and capture the Pretender Emperor.

Cao Cao learned that Lü Bu had routed Yuan Shu across the Huai River and that Zhang Xiu had intervened, forcing him to revise his plans and advance toward Shou County cautiously. In Ye City, Liu Xie heard of Lü Bu’s feat and learned that Guo Jia had secretly found Jia Xu’s family, offering a possible path to winning Jia Xu over.

• Cao Cao received a messenger-pigeon report that Lü Bu had killed a senior Yuan Shu general across the Huai River and routed Yuan Shu’s army.
• Cao Cao learned Zhang Xiu had led troops to rescue Yuan Shu and ordered his army to advance to the outskirts of Shou County while he assessed the situation.
• Guo Jia recounted Lü Bu’s victory to Liu Xie in Ye City, and Liu Xie marveled at Lü Bu’s strength.
• Liu Xie asked about Jia Xu, and Guo Jia said Jia Xu was not firmly committed to Yuan Shao and that he had secretly discovered where Jia Xu’s family was hidden.
• Liu Xie warned Guo Jia not to force the matter and to put his own safety first.

Liu Xie discussed Zhen Mi with Guo Jia while worrying about Cao Cao and Yuan Shao gaining power, and Jia Xu judged Yuan Shao after seeing him dismiss Tian Feng’s counsel. Tian Feng returned with news that Lü Bu had routed Yuan Shu, leaving Yuan Shao concerned that he could no longer seize Yuan Shu’s territory.

• Liu Xie told Guo Jia that Zhen Mi was respectful and kept mostly to herself, easing Guo Jia’s concern about her.
• Liu Xie hoped Lü Bu would prevent Cao Cao and Yuan Shao from expanding their power at Yuan Shu’s expense.
• Jia Xu noticed Guo Jia’s absence from Yuan Shao’s mountain gathering and suspected he had gone to meet Liu Xie.
• Tian Feng urged Yuan Shao to return to the city, but Yuan Shao insisted on staying to enjoy himself, prompting Tian Feng to leave.
• Tian Feng returned with a report that Lü Bu had routed Yuan Shu at the Huai River, while Cao Cao and Sun Ce advanced on Shou County.
• Yuan Shao read the dispatch and feared he would be unable to take Yuan Shu’s territory from Lü Bu, Cao Cao, and Sun Ce.

Yuan Shao weighed whether to send reinforcements to Yang Province and decided against it after Jia Xu explained the risks. In Shouchun, Yuan Shu’s health continued to deteriorate as fear of Lü Bu haunted him, and he vowed to kill Lü Bu someday.

• Guo Tu and Feng Ji urged Yuan Shao to reinforce Yan Liang and Wen Chou in Yang Province, while Tian Feng warned that doing so could expose Ji Province to Gongsun Zan.
• Jia Xu advised Yuan Shao to weigh the benefits of taking Yang Province against the difficulty of holding it and offered to deal with Gongsun Zan.
• Yuan Shao abandoned the immediate plan to send reinforcements and ordered everyone back to Ye City, while still intending to seek gains in Yang Province.
• Yuan Shu, sick and coughing in Shouchun, had a maid executed for serving cold honey water.
• Yuan Shu blamed his illness on his fear of Lü Bu and vowed to kill him and scatter his ashes.