Chapter Summaries

Lü Bu learned that Yuan Shu sought a marriage alliance to draw him into an alliance, and Chen Gong warned him that accepting would brand him a rebel. After Chen Gong criticized his indulgence and threatened to leave, Lü Bu vowed to quit drinking and begged him to stay.

• At Lü Bu’s birthday banquet, Chen Gong arrived with news that Yuan Shu had sent a betrothal proposal for Yuan Yao to marry Lü Bu’s daughter.
• Chen Gong explained that Yuan Shu wanted to secure Lü Bu’s support after proclaiming himself emperor and warned that the marriage would make Lü Bu a target of the other lords.
• Lü Bu rejected the proposal, condemned Yuan Shu, and thanked Chen Gong for exposing the danger.
• Chen Gong rebuked Lü Bu for neglecting military affairs and warned that he might leave his service.
• Lü Bu smashed his wine cup, vowed to quit drinking, and pleaded with Chen Gong not to abandon him.

Chen Gong advised Lü Bu to return Pei County to Liu Bei, reject Yuan Shu’s marriage proposal, and prepare for war after learning that Yuan Shao held the Son of Heaven in Ye City. At Pei County, Liu Bei’s deadline passed without a reply, and Yan Liang and Wen Chou surrounded his tent as he and his brothers prepared to flee.

• Liu Bei’s letter told Lü Bu that Yuan Shao had confined the Son of Heaven in Ye City and that Liu Bei needed Pei County to avoid punishment and help rescue the emperor.
• Chen Gong warned Lü Bu that Liu Bei’s story might be false but recommended yielding Pei County to avoid a costly fight and gain Liu Bei’s favor.
• After hearing Chen Gong’s assessment, Lü Bu condemned Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, then went to reject Yuan Shu’s marriage proposal while Chen Gong headed to the camp to withdraw the troops from Pei County.
• On the fifth day of Liu Bei’s deadline, Zhang Fei returned without news, so Guan Yu and Zhang Fei urged Liu Bei to escape with them.
• As Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei armed themselves, Yan Liang and Wen Chou’s soldiers surrounded their tent, and Yan Liang challenged Liu Bei about where he was going.

Yan Liang and Wen Chou nearly executed Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei when Pei County remained untaken on the military pledge’s final day. A scout reported the city’s defenders had withdrawn, and Yan Liang freed the brothers rather than damage Yuan Shao’s reputation; Liu Bei concluded that Lü Bu had returned Pei County out of loyalty to the Emperor.

• Yan Liang and Wen Chou surrounded Liu Bei’s tent and threatened to execute him and his brothers if Pei County had not fallen by sunset.
• Liu Bei asked Yan Liang to wait until sunset, and Yan Liang ordered soldiers to keep the brothers confined in the tent.
• Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei prepared to die together when a scout reported that Pei County’s defenders had abandoned the city and left its gates open.
• Liu Bei argued that Lü Bu’s withdrawal fulfilled his pledge to take Pei County, but Wen Chou still demanded the execution.
• Yan Liang ordered the brothers untied to protect Yuan Shao’s reputation, and Liu Bei later praised Lü Bu’s loyalty to the Emperor.

Liu Xie learned that Liu Bei had secured Pei County after Lü Bu surrendered it, and Guo Jia reported progress in stirring conflict among Yuan Shao’s sons. Yuan Shao then dismissed the failed attempt to kill Liu Bei and heard that Lü Bu was preparing to attack Yuan Shu, before Madam Liu arrived with his medicine.

• Liu Xie praised Lü Bu as a loyal Han minister after Guo Jia explained that Liu Bei had likely invoked the emperor’s name to obtain Pei County.
• Guo Jia told Liu Xie he had gained Yuan Shang’s trust and planned to deepen the rivalry between Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi.
• Yuan Shao learned that Lü Bu had rejected Yuan Shu’s marriage proposal, executed the envoy, and announced a campaign against Yuan Shu.
• Ju Shou explained that Lü Bu’s adviser Chen Gong was likely guiding his actions, and Yuan Shao accepted the explanation.
• Madam Liu entered Yuan Shao’s room and brought him his medicine.

While recovering, Yuan Shao considered marriage alliances for his sons and chose Zhen Mi of the Zhongshan Zhen Family as a bride for Yuan Xi. Yuan Shang became infatuated with Zhen Mi and confronted his mother, then froze when Yuan Shao appeared.

• Lady Liu brought Yuan Shao medicine and discussed marriage prospects for Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang.
• Yuan Shao selected Zhen Mi of the Zhongshan Zhen Family as a suitable match and decided Yuan Xi would marry her.
• Yuan Shang saw Zhen Mi's portrait, declared that he wanted to marry her, and learned Yuan Shao had chosen Yuan Xi instead.
• Yuan Shang angrily tried to confront Yuan Shao, who appeared at the doorway and silenced him with an icy stare.

Yuan Shang learned that Yuan Shao planned to marry Yuan Xi to the powerful Zhen Family and feared his father had chosen his second brother as heir. After Guo Jia suggested there was still a way to change the situation, Yuan Shang secured his advisers’ support and they began discussing how to stop the marriage.

• Yuan Shao sent Yuan Shang away and told him to take Madam Liu home without disturbing his rest.
• Madam Liu urged Yuan Shang to accept the family’s marriage arrangements, and Yuan Shang left for his official residence.
• Yuan Shang told Shen Pei and Feng Ji that Yuan Shao planned to marry Yuan Xi to a daughter of the Zhongshan Zhen Family but had rejected the match for him.
• Guo Jia warned that the Zhen Family’s support could strengthen Yuan Xi’s claim to Ji Province and suggested Yuan Shao might intend to make him heir.
• Yuan Shang asked Guo Jia, Shen Pei, and Feng Ji for help, and the advisers began planning how to prevent Yuan Xi’s marriage to the Zhen girl.

Yuan Shang adopted Guo Jia’s scheme to derail Yuan Xi’s marriage to Zhen Mi by spreading a prophecy that she was destined to become empress, while proposing that she be presented to the Son of Heaven instead. The rumors swept Ye City and reached Liu Xie, who casually discussed them with Zhang He and Gao Lan.

• Guo Jia advised Yuan Shang to publicize Zhen Mi’s empress-destiny prophecy to make Yuan Shao stop Yuan Xi’s marriage, then suggest presenting her to the Son of Heaven to preserve the Yuan Clan’s ties with the Zhen Clan.
• Yuan Shang accepted Guo Jia’s plan despite Shen Pei’s unease, and Yuan Shang and Shen Pei spread rumors about Yuan Xi’s marriage and Zhen Mi’s prophecy in Ye City.
• Ye City residents discussed the marriage and speculated that Yuan Shao might seek the throne because Zhen Mi was said to have the destiny of a phoenix.
• Gao Lan told Liu Xie that people believed Yuan Shao might rebel, while Zhang He rebuked him for suggesting Zhen Mi could become Liu Xie’s empress.
• Liu Xie stopped Zhang He from hitting Gao Lan and shared melon seeds with both men as they continued chatting in the sunshine.

Liu Xie dismissed the idea of marrying the fourteen-year-old Zhen Mi, while rumors spread that Yuan Shao planned to seize the throne through the Zhen Clan marriage alliance. Yuan Shang proposed presenting Zhen Mi to the Son of Heaven to quash the rumors, leaving Yuan Xi’s betrothal in jeopardy as Yuan Shao kept him behind for a private discussion.

• Liu Xie told Gao Lan that he was not interested in Zhen Mi because she was too young, and Zhang He sent Gao Lan away to patrol.
• Yuan Shao summoned his family and advisers to address rumors tying his marriage alliance with the Zhen Clan to a plan to claim the throne.
• Yuan Shao ordered Yuan Shang to release the people he had arrested for discussing the rumors, then asked his advisers how to contain the damage without canceling the alliance.
• Tian Feng recommended canceling Yuan Xi’s betrothal, but Yuan Shao rejected the idea because he wanted to preserve the alliance with the Zhen Clan.
• Yuan Shang proposed presenting Zhen Mi to the Son of Heaven, and Yuan Xi reluctantly agreed despite realizing the plan would cost him his bride.
• Yuan Shao dismissed everyone except Gongyu after asking Yuan Xi whether he truly had no objection.

Yuan Shao decided to send Zhen Mi to Liu Xie’s harem, while Ju Shou warned Liu Xie to protect his false identity. At the Zhen residence, the family debated the imperial order and grew uneasy over whether the Son of Heaven in Ye City was genuine.

• Yuan Shao accepted Ju Shou’s argument that offering Zhen Mi to the Son of Heaven was their only practical choice and dismissed Yuan Shang’s rumor-spreading as a form of contention.
• Ju Shou told Liu Xie that Zhen Mi would enter his harem within a month and warned him not to reveal that he was an impostor.
• Liu Xie suspected Guo Jia had arranged the match and wondered whether the Zhongshan Zhen Family might become his ally.
• Yuan Shao sent an imperial edict ordering the Zhen Clan to bring Zhen Mi to Ye City within a month.
• Madam Zhang’s children argued over whether Zhen Mi should enter the palace, and Zhen Jiang raised the fear that the Son of Heaven in Ye City might be an impostor.
• Zhen Yan coughed, interrupting the family’s silence as they confronted their uncertainty about the edict.

Zhen Mi accepted the Zhen Clan’s decision to send her to Ye City, and her family prepared an extravagant procession for her journey. Liu Xie learned from Guo Jia that Zhen Mi’s entry into the palace was meant to win the Zhen Clan’s support and drive a wedge between Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang.

• Zhen Yan explained that Yuan Shao, not the Son of Heaven, wanted Zhen Mi brought into the palace, leaving the Zhen Clan little choice but to cooperate.
• Zhen Mi entered the family hall and insisted she would go to Ye City to protect the Zhen Clan from Yuan Shao’s anger.
• Zhen Yan accepted her decision, and the Zhen Clan spent three days preparing nearly a hundred and fifty carriages and more than a hundred attendants for her journey.
• Liu Xie welcomed Guo Jia to the palace and urged him to drink ginseng soup before asking about Zhen Mi.
• Guo Jia said he had arranged Zhen Mi’s entry partly to win the wealthy Zhen Clan’s support, but chiefly to drive a wedge between Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang; Liu Xie approved his actions.

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.