Recaps

Yuan Xi attempted to seize the succession by force, but Yuan Shao awoke and confronted him. Yuan Xi struck his father unconscious and killed Yuan Shang, leaving the courtyard stunned and the succession crisis bloodier than ever.

• Yuan Xi bound Shen Pei and the other advisers, then approached Yuan Shao’s chamber with his sword, intending to kill him and blame Yuan Shang.
• Yuan Shao emerged, cowed Yuan Xi’s soldiers, and repeatedly struck Yuan Xi while condemning his rebellion and ambition.
• Yuan Xi stopped Yuan Shao’s next slap and accused him of favoring Yuan Shang and preparing him to inherit the Heir’s Position.
• Yuan Xi prevented the Tiger Character Battalion from laying down their weapons by claiming Yuan Shao had been deceived and that their families would be punished.
• Yuan Xi knocked Yuan Shao unconscious, then killed Yuan Shang with his sword.
• Feng Ji, Shen Pei, and the others reacted in shock and grief as Yuan Shang’s head fell in the courtyard.

Yuan Xi killed Yuan Shang and several advisers, then coerced Shen Pei and Tian Feng into supporting his claim to power while Yuan Shao lay unconscious. Ju Shou escaped the residence and rode to warn the city defenses, as Yuan Xi prepared to use Yuan Shao’s seal to command the Ji Province Army.

• Yuan Xi executed Yuan Shang, Feng Ji, Xin Ping, and Guo Tu after they refused or failed to name Yuan Shang’s alleged conspirators.
• Yuan Xi discovered that Ju Shou had escaped after killing two guards and stealing a horse.
• Tian Feng revealed that Ju Shou was likely heading to alert the city defense camp, and Yuan Xi threatened Yuan Shao’s life to force Tian Feng and Shen Pei to submit.
• Shen Pei advised Yuan Xi to govern Ye City while Yuan Shao remained unconscious, and Yuan Xi agreed to rely on him and Tian Feng.
• Yuan Xi went to find Yuan Shao’s seal so he could command the Ji Province Army in Yuan Shao’s name.
• Ju Shou rode through the city at night, fearing that Yuan Xi had attacked Yuan Shao’s residence and wondering what he intended to do.

Yuan Xi emerged from the Grand General’s Residence with the heads of Yuan Shang and three advisers, claiming that Yuan Shao had ordered him to take charge after being driven unconscious. Ju Shou demanded to see Yuan Shao, but Yuan Xi refused and said no one could approach him until the alleged plotters’ accomplices had been rooted out.

• Ju Shou sought reinforcements from the City Defense Army and tried to persuade Yan Liang to enter Ye City, but the gate officers refused to open the gates without Yuan Shao’s Golden Token.
• Xu You refused Ju Shou’s request to bring Yan Liang into the city and led his men toward the Grand General’s Residence, while Jia Xu, Guo Jia, Zhang He, and Gao Lan waited for news at the Imperial Guards’ camp.
• Xu You arrived at the residence and found it occupied by Yuan Xi’s Tiger Character Battalion, then saw Yuan Xi emerge with four severed heads.
• Yuan Xi identified the heads as Yuan Shang’s, Feng Ji’s, Guo Tu’s, and Xin Ping’s, and claimed he had killed them for plotting against Yuan Shao.
• Yuan Xi showed Ju Shou and Xu You a written order bearing Yuan Shao’s seals and said Yuan Shao was unconscious, forbidding anyone from seeing him during his investigation.
• Ju Shou demanded to verify Yuan Xi’s story with Yuan Shao, but Yuan Xi refused and named Shen Pei and Tian Feng as witnesses.

Yuan Xi seized control of Ye City after killing Yuan Shang and his supporters, but he kept Yuan Shao imprisoned, frustrating the plot devised by Liu Xie, Jia Xu, and Guo Jia. With Yan Liang marching toward the city and Yuan Xi refusing to harm his father, the conspirators considered how to salvage their plan.

• Tian Feng and Shen Pei confirmed Yuan Xi's account to Ju Shou, concealing that Yuan Xi had imprisoned Yuan Shao to protect him.
• Yuan Xi declared himself in charge of Ye City, ordered a lockdown, and sent a directive summoning Yan Liang's army to the city gates.
• Yan Liang received the directive and ordered his troops to march for Ye City.
• Xu You told Liu Xie, Jia Xu, and Guo Jia that Yuan Shao remained alive and that the Imperial Guards could not reach him before Yan Liang arrived.
• Jia Xu resolved to confront Yuan Xi and insist that Yuan Shao be killed, while Yuan Xi confined Tian Feng, Shen Pei, and Ju Shou to the residence and assured them he would spare Yuan Shao.

Yuan Xi imprisoned Yuan Shao after killing Yuan Shang and demanded that his father yield authority, while Yuan Shao refused and urged him to continue the campaign against You Province. The next morning, Yuan Xi prepared to seek the Grand Commandant post and brought Jia Xu’s involvement to light, provoking Ju Shou, Shen Pei, and Tian Feng.

• Yuan Xi told Yuan Shao that Yuan Shang was dead, defended the killing by citing Yuan Shao’s execution of Yuan Shu, and demanded that Yuan Shao hand over his position.
• Yuan Shao refused to yield, urged Yuan Xi to consult Ju Shou and send troops against You Province, and wept for Yuan Shang after Yuan Xi left.
• Yuan Xi announced that he would seek the Grand Commandant post from the Son of Heaven and ordered Ju Shou, Tian Feng, and Shen Pei to accompany him.
• Jia Xu arrived, and Yuan Xi thanked him for guiding the previous night’s actions, revealing his role to the three advisers.
• Shen Pei accused Jia Xu of manipulating Yuan Xi, Ju Shou condemned him, and Tian Feng charged at him.

Yuan Xi refused Jia Xu’s advice to kill Yuan Shao, choosing instead to imprison him and rule Ji Province in his name. Jia Xu abandoned Ye City for Gongsun Zan, while Liu Xie rejected Yuan Xi’s request for the Grand Commandant’s office and ordered him out.

• Jia Xu urged Yuan Xi to kill Yuan Shao and Ju Shou, Tian Feng, and Shen Pei, but Yuan Xi refused and promised Jia Xu a place at his side.
• Jia Xu left the Yuan Residence and fled Ye City toward the East Gate, intending to seek refuge with Gongsun Zan.
• Yuan Xi went to the palace with Ju Shou, Tian Feng, and Shen Pei, leaving the three advisers outside while he met Liu Xie.
• Yuan Xi asked Liu Xie to appoint him Grand Commandant, claiming that Yuan Shao had ordered him to oversee Ji Province.
• Liu Xie rebuked Yuan Xi, refused his request, and ordered him to leave.

Liu Xie rejected Yuan Xi’s request for an appointment and used Ju Shou’s summons to further his plan to exploit the conflict in the Yuan household. Ju Shou discovered Liu Xie’s ambition to become the true Son of Heaven, but left the palace unable to expose him as a pretender.

• Liu Xie refused to grant Yuan Xi an additional office, then summoned Ju Shou into the palace alone.
• Zhang He reported that Jia Xu had left Ye City, and Liu Xie anticipated that Jia Xu would persuade Gongsun Zan to attack Ji Province and draw Yan Liang’s army away.
• Ju Shou urged Liu Xie to arrest Yuan Xi and free Yuan Shao, but Liu Xie refused to trust his account and revealed that he intended to use the family crisis to consolidate power.
• Ju Shou realized Liu Xie planned to turn Yuan Xi into a pawn and threatened him with the tens of thousands of troops outside the city.
• Liu Xie denounced Ju Shou as a rebel and had him escorted from the palace, then summoned Guo Jia to plan how to deal with Yuan Xi.
• Yuan Xi confronted Ju Shou outside the palace and threatened him with a sword, but Shen Pei and Tian Feng persuaded him to let Ju Shou go; Ju Shou regretted having advised Yuan Shao to install a false Son of Heaven.

Yuan Xi failed to stop Jia Xu from escaping Ye City and tightened his control over the advisers and their families. Meanwhile, Xin Pi concluded that Yuan Xi had framed the executed officials and planned to expose him by spreading the truth through the city and appealing to the Son of Heaven.

• Yuan Xi learned that Jia Xu had escaped Ye City using Yuan Xi’s personal seal and ordered Jia Xu hunted throughout Ji Province.
• Yuan Xi restrained Shen Pei, Tian Feng, and the others, ordered their families brought to the Yuan Residence, and questioned Ju Shou about his audience with the Son of Heaven.
• Xin Pi told Feng Wei and Guo Kai that he believed Yuan Xi had killed their fathers and Yuan Shang to seize the succession and had placed Yuan Shao under house arrest.
• Feng Wei and Guo Kai wanted to seek revenge, but Xin Pi warned that the City Defense Army might include Yuan Xi’s agents and that they lacked evidence.
• Xin Pi urged Feng Wei and Guo Kai to spread the accusations throughout Ye City so the City Defense Army, Yan Liang, or the Son of Heaven would demand access to Yuan Shao.

Rumors that Yuan Xi killed Yuan Shang and imprisoned Yuan Shao spread through Ye City, and Liu Xie ordered Guo Jia to counter them by portraying Yuan Shao as a traitor holding the Son of Heaven hostage. Yuan Xi accused Ju Shou, Shen Pei, and Tian Feng of spreading the rumors, but they denied involvement and privately speculated about who was behind them.

• Feng Wei and Guo Kai secretly spread rumors that Yuan Xi killed his younger brother and imprisoned Yuan Shao, stirring public doubt and unrest among the City Defense Army.
• Liu Xie and Guo Jia decided to spread a counter-rumor that Yuan Shao was holding the Son of Heaven hostage, giving Yuan Xi a justification to confine his father and pressure him to execute Yuan Shao.
• Guo Jia agreed to spread Liu Xie's account discreetly and investigate who had started the rumors against Yuan Xi.
• Yuan Xi confronted Ju Shou, Shen Pei, and Tian Feng, accused them of leaking the truth, and threw a teacup that cut Ju Shou's face.
• After Yuan Xi left, Shen Pei asked Ju Shou whether Xun Chen, Xin Pi, or Xu You had spread the rumors.

Yuan Xi traced the rumors against him to Xin Pi, Feng Wei, and Guo Kai, then raided the Xin Residence and killed them and their families. In You Province, Gongsun Zan prepared to use the turmoil in Ye City to attack Ji Province, but Jia Xu arrived with a Girdle Edict.

• Ju Shou, Shen Pei, and Tian Feng hoped the City Defense Army would see through Yuan Xi's deception, but they had no way to contact it from their confinement.
• After identifying the Feng Family and Guo Family as the source of the rumors and linking Xin Pi to them, Yuan Xi led the Tiger Character Battalion to the Xin Residence.
• Xin Pi planned to seek an imperial edict to investigate Yuan Xi, but Yuan Xi arrived, killed Xin Pi, and ordered his soldiers to slaughter the Xin, Feng, and Guo families.
• The killings frightened Ye City's aristocratic clans, whose heads and elders gathered at the Xun Residence to consult Xun Chen.
• After receiving a report about Ye City's sealed gates and Yan Liang's army, Gongsun Zan summoned Jia Xu and welcomed him despite Gongsun Fan's concerns.
• Jia Xu entered Gongsun Zan's residence and presented a Girdle Edict, calling on Gongsun Zan to receive the imperial decree.

Jia Xu presented Gongsun Zan with the blood-written Girdle Edict and persuaded him to invade Ji Province to rescue the Son of Heaven. In Ye City, Xun Chen gathered Ji Province's aristocratic clans to discuss how to respond to Yuan Xi's violent purges, but had not yet revealed his plan.

• Jia Xu read the Girdle Edict to Gongsun Zan, who accepted it as a call to rescue the Son of Heaven from Ye City.
• Gongsun Zan pledged thirty thousand troops to attack Ji Province, and Jia Xu outlined three strategies for defeating it.
• Jia Xu told Zhao Yun that the Son of Heaven had praised him, and Zhao Yun vowed to fight to rescue the emperor and restore the Han.
• In Ye City, clan leaders gathered at the Xun residence, where Ju Zong asked Xun Chen how they should respond to Yuan Xi's bloody purges.
• Xun Chen surveyed the anxious gathering but kept his plan to himself.

As rumors that Yuan Xi had killed his brother and imprisoned Yuan Shao spread through Ye City, Xun Chen urged the great clans to seek the Son of Heaven’s protection. Half a month later, Gongsun Zan invaded Ji Province with thirty thousand troops, forcing Yuan Xi’s advisers to demand that he release Yuan Shao or let them lead the defense.

• Xun Chen outlined three choices for the great clans: rescue Yuan Shao, pledge allegiance to Yuan Xi, or seek the Son of Heaven’s protection; the clans favored appealing to the Son of Heaven.
• Xun Chen agreed to request an audience with the Son of Heaven, privately hoping to bring several Ji Province clans over to his side.
• Yuan Xi regretted sparing the families of Xin Ping, Feng Ji, and Guo Tu after Xin Pi’s revelations fueled rumors about him and Yuan Shao.
• Yuan Xi received an urgent dispatch reporting that Gongsun Zan had invaded with thirty thousand troops and summoned Ju Shou, Shen Pei, and Tian Feng to advise him.
• Shen Pei and Tian Feng blamed Jia Xu for informing Gongsun Zan of Ji Province’s internal troubles, while Ju Shou warned that their earlier plans did not address the invasion.
• Ju Shou and Shen Pei urged Yuan Xi to release Yuan Shao or allow them to leave the city and command the defense against Gongsun Zan.

Yuan Xi rejected his advisers’ pleas to free Yuan Shao and sent Yan Liang to face Gongsun Zan’s army, unknowingly stepping into Jia Xu’s scheme. Ju Shou, Shen Pei, and Tian Feng enlisted Madam Liu to seek help from the City Defense Army, while Yuan Xi prepared to request an official post.

• Yuan Xi refused to release Yuan Shao or yield power, and Ju Shou urged him to send Yan Liang out against Gongsun Zan.
• Ju Shou, Shen Pei, and Tian Feng saw Yuan Shao confined in a guarded courtyard and could not reach him.
• Ju Shou realized Madam Liu could carry a message outside the residence, and the three persuaded her to rescue Yuan Shao by seeking the City Defense Army’s help.
• Madam Liu agreed to act when Yuan Xi next left for the Palace, after Ju Shou reassured her that they would plead for Yuan Xi’s safety.
• Yuan Xi appointed Yan Liang commander and sent him with Han Meng and Chunyu Qiong to meet Gongsun Zan’s army, while planning to request an official post.

Yuan Xi’s attempt to win Liu Xie’s favor with gifts failed, while Madam Liu exposed his imprisonment of Yuan Shao to the City Defense Army. As troops mobilized and allies chose sides, Xu You offered to help Yuan Xi escape through the East Gate.

• Yuan Xi ordered the Grand General’s Residence sealed, then went alone to the palace with ten carriages of treasures to seek Liu Xie’s favor and an official appointment, but Liu Xie offered only an indifferent acknowledgment.
• Madam Liu defied the guards, carried Ju Shou and the others’ seals and letters to the gate generals, and told Xu You that Yuan Xi had imprisoned Yuan Shao.
• Xu You agreed to let the gate generals move against the residence while he went to the palace, and the West Gate’s defending general decided to side with Yuan Xi and sent his deputy to warn him.
• Xu You enlisted Zhang He and Gao Lan at the palace, while Yuan Xi left empty-handed and learned that the City Defense Army had been alerted.
• Xu You caught up with Yuan Xi and offered to take him to the East Gate to escape, claiming he had pretended to seek his arrest so he could leave and warn him.

Xu You convinced Yuan Xi to use the Imperial Guards Army against Yuan Shao, and Yuan Xi seized Zhang He's Tiger Tally to lead the guards toward the Grand General's Residence. The chapter ended with the City Defense Army surrounding the residence and accusing the Tiger Character Battalion of rebellion.

• Xu You urged Yuan Xi to claim he was rescuing the Son of Heaven and promised to draw Zhang He and Gao Lan away from the Imperial Guards Army.
• Yuan Xi agreed to Xu You's plan and resolved to kill Yuan Shao, believing Xu You wanted revenge for Shen Pei's execution of his family.
• Xu You lured Zhang He and Gao Lan away from the Northern Office, and Yuan Xi took Zhang He's Tiger Tally and commanded the Imperial Guards Army to march against Yuan Shao.
• Xu You revealed that Zhang He and Gao Lan had cooperated in the plan, then the two generals hurried back to protect the Son of Heaven.
• The City Defense Army surrounded the Grand General's Residence, and its South Gate commander accused the Tiger Character Battalion of rebellion and demanded its surrender.

Ju Shou, Shen Pei, and Tian Feng freed Yuan Shao, who refused to flee and went outside to reclaim Ye City. Yuan Xi arrived with the Imperial Guards and accused his father of holding the Son of Heaven hostage, leaving Yuan Shao facing the prospect of being branded a traitor.

• The South Gate commander led the City Defense Army against the Grand General's Residence, while the West Gate commander betrayed them and attacked from behind.
• Ju Shou, Shen Pei, and Tian Feng armed themselves, killed the five guards holding Yuan Shao, and freed him.
• Yuan Shao rejected Shen Pei's suggestion to flee Ye City and went to the gates to reclaim his authority.
• Yuan Shao appeared and stopped the fighting, prompting the South and North Gate commanders to report that Yuan Xi had deceived them.
• Yuan Xi arrived with more than a thousand Imperial Guards and accused Yuan Shao of holding the Son of Heaven hostage and rebelling against his sovereign.

Yuan Xi attacked Yuan Shao in Ye City while claiming to act for the Han, forcing Yuan Shao and his advisers to flee. Yuan Xi publicly severed their father-son bond, then faced the grief and anger of Madam Liu.

• Yuan Xi accused Yuan Shao of holding the Son of Heaven hostage and ordered the Imperial Guards Army to attack him.
• Yuan Shao's forces clashed with the Imperial Guards, and Ju Shou and Shen Pei urged Yuan Shao to flee Ye City.
• Yuan Shao escaped toward the North Gate while the South Gate commander stayed behind to cover his retreat.
• Yuan Xi killed the South Gate commander, then publicly declared that he would treat Yuan Shao as an enemy and pursue him on the battlefield.
• Madam Liu confronted Yuan Xi and fainted from grief, and Yuan Xi ordered his men to take her back to the residence.

Yuan Xi returned to the Palace after driving Yuan Shao from Ye City, hoping the Son of Heaven would reward him with an official post so he could raise an army. The Son of Heaven refused to see him, and Xu You hinted that the refusal came from fear rather than personal animosity.

• Liu Xie reprimanded Xu You, Zhang He, and Gao Lan for deploying the Imperial Guards without permission, but allowed them to atone through meritorious service.
• Yuan Xi returned with the Imperial Guards, and Zhang He and Gao Lan confronted him over the stolen Tiger Tally and forged decree.
• Yuan Xi explained that Yuan Shao had fled Ye City and returned the Tiger Tally; Zhang He spared him and took the troops away.
• Yuan Xi told Xu You that he wanted an official post so he could recruit an army, but Xu You warned that Liu Xie would not receive him.
• Gao Lan ordered Yuan Xi to leave, and Xu You stopped him from forcing his way into the Palace, explaining that Liu Xie dared not see him.

Yuan Xi accepted Xu You’s advice to spend the Yuan Clan’s wealth recruiting volunteers, while Liu Xie consolidated control of Ye City and planned to bring Zhang Liao’s ten thousand troops through Qing Province. The chapter left Liu Xie preparing to use Kong Rong’s uprising to distract Yuan Tan and secure the route for Zhang Liao.

• Xu You persuaded Yuan Xi to recruit Yi Cong with the Yuan Clan’s fortune, and Yuan Xi hurried away to raise troops and defend Ye City.
• Liu Xie celebrated his freedom from Yuan Shao’s control with Guo Jia, Zhang He, and Gao Lan, then heard that Xun Chen was waiting to present him with a gift.
• Guo Jia and Xu You advised Liu Xie to use Yuan Xi to eliminate Yuan Shao’s remaining supporters and bring the General of Agile Cavalry’s army into Ye City.
• Liu Xie ordered Xu You to deliver a letter to Yuan Shao, seek the death of one of Yuan Shao’s chief advisers, and later join Cao Cao as an inside agent.
• Liu Xie tasked Zhang He and Gao Lan with taking control of Ye City and ordered Zhang Liao to bring ten thousand troops from Yang Province.
• Liu Xie planned to order Kong Rong to rise in Beihai Commandery, distracting Yuan Tan so Zhang Liao could cross Qing Province to Ye City.

Xun Chen offered Liu Xie the support of Ji Province’s aristocratic clans, but Liu Xie exposed the Xun Clan’s past and revealed his own plans for defeating Yuan Shao and restoring the Han. Xun Chen began to reconsider whom he should serve, while Yuan Shao regrouped with Yan Liang and prepared to march back to Ye City.

• Xun Chen presented Liu Xie with a list of aristocratic clans pledging their support, and Liu Xie questioned why the Xun Clan was absent.
• Liu Xie accused Xun Chen’s elder brother, Xun Yu, of helping Cao Cao control the emperor, forcing Xun Chen to admit his fear.
• Xun Chen began outlining five dangers, but Liu Xie dismissed his concern that Yuan Shao could retake Ye City and revealed that he had engineered the crisis with Gongsun Zan and Yuan Xi.
• Liu Xie described his plans to unify the realm and urged Xun Chen to recruit Xun Yu and Xun You, leaving Xun Chen weighing whether to join him.
• Yuan Shao joined Yan Liang in Hejian Commandery, ordered him to muster the army, and vowed to return to Ye City and kill Yuan Xi.

Yuan Shao chose to keep fighting Gongsun Zan rather than return to Ye City, while Ju Shou warned that Liu Xie was secretly ambitious. Xu You arrived with a letter from Liu Xie, strengthening Yuan Shao’s belief in the emperor’s loyalty, as Ju Shou grew suspicious of Xu You’s escape from Ye City.

• Ju Shou and Shen Pei persuaded Yuan Shao to postpone dealing with Yuan Xi until after he had repelled Gongsun Zan.
• Ju Shou warned Yuan Shao that Liu Xie was plotting to become the true Son of Heaven, but Yuan Shao doubted his accusations.
• Xu You arrived in Lecheng and explained that he had escaped Ye City after Yuan Xi drugged Zhang He and Gao Lan and seized the Tiger Tally.
• Xu You delivered Liu Xie’s letter asking Yuan Shao to return to Ye City, and Yuan Shao told him to reassure the emperor that he would come back after defeating Gongsun Zan.
• Ju Shou questioned how Xu You had evaded Yuan Xi’s search and escaped Ye City, and Xu You said Liu Xie had sheltered him in the Imperial Palace.

After Liu Xie’s plans triggered upheaval in Ye City, Yuan Shao’s reputation collapsed and Cao Cao and Lü Bu considered how to exploit the crisis. The chapter left Zhang Liao ordered to reinforce Ye City while Kong Rong hesitated over whether to follow Liu Xie’s imperial decree and attack Yuan Tan.

• Ju Shou probed Xu You about Zhang He, Gao Lan, and the Son of Heaven, prompting Xu You to decide that Ju Shou had to be eliminated.
• News of Yuan Xi’s revolt and Yuan Shao’s flight from Ye City spread across the realm, damaging Yuan Shao’s and the Yuan Clan’s reputations.
• Cao Cao considered joining Gongsun Zan’s attack on Ji Province, but Xun You warned that Yuan Tan could invade Yan or Yu Province, so Cao Cao held back.
• Lü Bu proposed attacking Yuan Shao himself, but Chen Gong persuaded him to follow Liu Xie’s plan and send Zhang Liao with ten thousand troops to defend Ye City.
• Kong Rong received Liu Xie’s imperial decree and hesitated over whether to attack Yuan Tan and risk recognizing the emperor installed in Ye City.

Kong Rong accepted Liu Xie’s request to raise troops in Beihai and entrusted his five thousand soldiers to Taishi Ci. In Yi City, Gongsun Zan’s campaign against Yuan Shao remained precarious, while Gongsun Xu’s captured refined salt led Jia Xu to identify the Mi Clan as its source.

• Kong Rong told Taishi Ci that Liu Xie had secretly orchestrated Yuan Shao’s fall and asked for troops to help Lü Bu move through the region.
• Taishi Ci urged Kong Rong to follow his heart, and Kong Rong handed him the military tally and command of five thousand troops.
• Gongsun Zan worried that his dwindling reserves could not sustain a war of attrition with Yuan Shao before winter.
• Gongsun Xu brought Gongsun Zan more than a hundred jin of refined salt seized from foreign tribes.
• Jia Xu identified the salt as a product of the Mi Clan’s new method, and Gongsun Zan ordered Gongsun Xu to invite the caravan’s steward for questioning without mistreating anyone.
• Gongsun Xu left to fetch the steward and returned half an hour later.

Gongsun Zan learned that the Mi Clan Caravan was secretly buying warhorses for Liu Bei’s campaign in Yang Province and offered to supply them instead. After agreeing to sell thousands of horses, he saw the deal as a way to fund his campaign against Yuan Shao.

• Gongsun Zan confronted the Mi Family steward over selling refined salt to foreign tribes, then heard the caravan was buying horses for Liu Bei’s cavalry.
• Gongsun Zan offered to sell the Mi Family warhorses at a lower price than the tribes, and the steward agreed to buy five thousand, with purchases eventually reaching ten thousand.
• Gongsun Zan arranged to deliver three thousand horses first and the remainder within six months, and the Mi Family steward accepted his price without bargaining.
• Gongsun Zan escorted the steward out with an honor guard and told Jia Xu that the horse trade would fund his war against Yuan Shao.
• Gongsun Zan hurried off to send men beyond the passes to seize horses for the first transaction.

Jia Xu coordinated the Mi Family’s support for Gongsun Zan while Liu Xie strengthened his control of Ye City and prepared to expand into Ji and Qing Provinces. Liu Xie ordered Xu You to kill Ju Shou, and the chapter ended with Yuan Tan besieging Shouguang after Taishi Ci captured four cities.

• Jia Xu told the Mi Family Steward to send the warhorses to Duke Wen and hold back the new weapons until Gongsun Zan was close to collapse.
• Zhang He reported that he and Gao Lan had recruited four thousand soldiers and brought Ye City’s defenses under Liu Xie’s control.
• Guo Jia told Liu Xie that Kong Rong had raised troops with Taishi Ci, who captured three cities before Yuan Tan sent forces to suppress the rebellion.
• Guo Jia reported that Yuan Xi had recruited three thousand men and purged Yuan Shao’s loyalists, while Ju Shou had begun suspecting Xu You and the generals.
• Liu Xie ordered Xu You to kill Ju Shou, declaring that he would become the true Son of Heaven.
• Yuan Tan arrived with twenty thousand troops to besiege Shouguang and wondered how Taishi Ci had captured four cities in ten days.