Recaps

Luo Shu tried to bring Luo Kong back to Zhao City, but Luo Kong chose to remain beside Liu Bian and protect the emperor from Dong Zhuo. As the Luo Clan prepared to leave Luoyang, Yuan Shao considered how to build ties with them, while Li Ru began plotting to remove Luo Kong without making him a martyr.

• Luo Shu asked Luo Kong to return to Zhao City, but Luo Kong refused, citing his duty to Liu Bian and the Han Dynasty.
• Tang Ji and Liu Bian pleaded with Luo Kong to stay or leave as he wished, and Luo Kong promised that they would depend on one another to survive.
• Dong Zhuo and Li Ru watched Luo Shu leave the palace; Li Ru rejected an immediate attack and said he would devise a plan to kill Luo Kong later.
• Luo Shu warned Yuan Shao that Dong Zhuo might disregard political conventions, and Yuan Shao and Xun Chen realized their usual methods could not protect them.
• Yuan Shao and Xun Chen discussed finding a peerless beauty to connect them with the Luo Clan, and Xun Chen said a noble girl in Jizhou might fit.
• Luo Shu told the grieving Luo Clan youths that Luo Kong had chosen his path, then an account from the Book of Later Han recorded Luo Kong's loyalty and resolve to die for the state.

Luo Shu led the Dare-to-Fight Warriors and Diao Chan out of Luoyang after they publicly warned that the Luo Clan would avenge any destruction of the city. Cao Cao decided to rebuild his power as a Feudal Lord in Yanzhou, while Liu Bei arrived in Qingzhou planning to secure the Lü Clan’s support and establish a base.

• Luo Shu and the Dare-to-Fight Warriors chanted the full Hymn of Praise to the Sage King outside Luoyang, and Diao Chan joined them before Luo Shu explained that the chant warned of the Luo Clan’s vengeance.
• Luo Kong listened to the departing chant in the Imperial Palace and considered how the Taiping Army and Yuan Shao’s Army might break Dong Zhuo’s hold over the palace.
• Cao Cao returned to Qiao Commandery, persuaded the Cao Clan elders to pursue Feudal Lord status, and chose Yanzhou as the best place to rebuild his forces.
• Cao Cao told the elders to find a Yanzhou commandery where the Cao Clan had ample grain and other resources, while he considered which connections could help him.
• Liu Bei reached Qingzhou and laid out a plan to defeat bandits, win the Lü Clan’s support, and gain backing from Qingzhou’s gentry.

Liu Bei uncovered the Huang household head’s crimes after feigning drunkenness at a banquet and resolved to punish him despite the risk of alienating Qingzhou’s gentry. A later historical account described the resulting purge and Liu Bei’s recruitment of local followers, leaving his campaign with a much larger Qingzhou force.

• Liu Bei entered Jinan Kingdom, recruited and bought horses, and accepted an invitation to dine with the Huang household head.
• At the banquet, Liu Bei suspected Huang’s claims about bandits, feigned drunkenness, and returned to camp sober.
• Liu Yan investigated and reported that Huang had swindled and plundered people and was hated by local gentry and righteous forces.
• Liu Bei and his followers agreed to eliminate Huang despite the danger of turning Qingzhou’s gentry against them.
• A historical account recounted Liu Bei’s forces killing Huang and other guilty clans, after which locals and scholars joined Liu Bei and his army grew to twenty thousand.

Luo Chu left his relatives on the road back to Marquis Ying's Marquisate and rescued Mi Zhu's caravan from a refugee army, earning the Mi Clan head's gratitude and interest in a match with his sister, Mi Zhen. Luo Chu continued through Yanzhou and reached the familiar fields near home, where mounted people waited for him.

• Luo Chu told Luo Shu he would not return to Zhao City, and Luo Shu sent twenty Spirit Soldiers and three hundred Dare-to-Fight Warriors to escort him to Marquis Ying's Marquisate.
• Luo Chu encountered a refugee army besieging Mi Zhu's caravan and led the Dare-to-Fight Warriors in a charge that scattered the attackers.
• Luo Chu introduced himself to Mi Zhu, who began imagining him as a future husband for his sister, Mi Zhen.
• Mi Zhu gave the Dare-to-Fight Warriors generous gifts, and he and Luo Chu arranged for Luo Chu to visit Xuzhou later.
• Luo Chu continued through Yanzhou and arrived near Marquis Ying's Marquisate, where mounted people were waiting by the city.

Luo Chu returned to Marquis Ying's residence, then traveled to Xuzhou to honor his promise to Mi Zhu and meet Mi Zhen. After assessing Mi Zhen, he proposed her as a bride for his elder brother Luo Qi, and Mi Zhu agreed.

• Luo Chu reunited with Luo Qi and their parents, who allowed him to follow his dreams and travel to Jiangdong to meet the Qiao Clan.
• Luo Chu left Luo Ying City with three hundred guards and headed for Xuzhou to visit Mi Zhu.
• Mi Zhu prepared to welcome Luo Chu and introduced his sister Mi Zhen, hoping to arrange a marriage between them.
• Luo Chu admired Mi Zhen and asked whether she was betrothed.
• Luo Chu proposed Mi Zhen as a match for his elder brother Luo Qi, and Mi Zhu happily accepted.

Liu Bei traveled to Marquis Ying's Marquisate to seek Luo Chuan's support for his bid to restore the Han Dynasty. Luo Chuan pledged aid and urged him to win over the Lü Clan, while Luo Qian considered whether Liu Bei might become a suitable ally for Luo Qi.

• Liu Bei led his army from Jinan Kingdom through bandit-ridden Mount Tai Commandery and settled in Fenggao, planning to establish a power base there.
• Luo Chuan, Luo Qian, and Luo Qi discussed Luo Chu's letter about a marriage proposal and then read a recommendation letter from Luo Kong introducing Liu Bei.
• Liu Bei visited Marquis Ying's Residence with Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Liu Yan, and Luo Chuan received him as Prefect Liu.
• Liu Bei explained that he meant to build strength and restore the Han Dynasty despite the risks of approaching the Five Surnames Families.
• Luo Chuan promised Marquis Ying's support, encouraged Liu Bei to seek the Lü Clan's assistance in Jimo and Linzi, and declared that Qingzhou could become the foundation of his rise.
• Luo Qian observed Liu Bei closely as she considered whether he could serve as a suitable liege or coalition leader for Luo Qi.

Liu Bei returned to Mount Tai after gaining Luo Chuan’s covert support, while Dong Zhuo tightened his grip on Luoyang and clashed with Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao agreed to Xun You’s plan to assassinate Dong Zhuo with Luo Kong’s help, but Li Ru’s watch over the palace and Luo Kong remained a threat to the plot.

• Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei left Luo Ying City determined to build their strength in Qingzhou and restore the Han Dynasty.
• Luo Qian praised Liu Bei’s qualities as a ruler but told Luo Qi that the Luo Clan could only support him covertly for now.
• Dong Zhuo imprisoned Yuan Clan officials and threatened the court, prompting Yuan Shao to denounce him and leave the assembly unharmed.
• Xun Chen introduced Xun You to Yuan Shao, and Xun You proposed killing Dong Zhuo in the palace with Luo Kong’s help before seizing control of Luoyang.
• Yuan Shao agreed to prepare death warriors while Xun You sought a way to contact Luo Kong, but Li Ru kept the palace under close watch.

After Liu He died from a fever brought on by his terror of Dong Zhuo, his funeral became an opportunity for Dong Zhuo and Li Ru to plot against Emperor Liu Bian and Empress Dowager He. Xun You then asked Luo Kong to help kill Dong Zhuo, and Luo Kong agreed while warning him that Li Ru was the plan’s greatest danger.

• Dong Zhuo and Li Ru interrupted Luo Kong’s gathering with Empress Dowager He, Liu Bian, Tang Ji, and Liu He, frightening Liu He into fainting.
• Liu He developed a high fever and died three days later, leaving Empress Dowager He and Liu Bian grieving as the palace faced his funeral arrangements.
• Li Ru persuaded Dong Zhuo to poison Liu Bian and Empress Dowager He and make their deaths appear to result from grief.
• Li Ru urged Dong Zhuo to appoint members of the great clans as provincial officials to challenge the self-appointed feudal lords, and Dong Zhuo ordered him to act immediately.
• Xun You asked Luo Kong to kill Dong Zhuo, and Luo Kong agreed while warning that Xun You had to keep their plan hidden from Li Ru.

Luo Kong’s plan to kill Dong Zhuo collapsed when the man shot from the palanquin turned out to be a double, and he discovered that Dong Zhuo and Li Ru had poisoned Liu Bian and Empress Dowager He. Badly wounded, Luo Kong escaped the palace hall with Tang Ji as Western Liang soldiers surrounded them.

• Xun You told Yuan Shao and Xun Chen that he had been exposed, but Yuan Shao refused to abandon the assassination plan.
• Bu Cai and his companions led Taiping Army soldiers in an attack on Dong Zhuo’s palanquin, while Luo Kong shot the man riding in it and discovered he was a double.
• Luo Kong fought through Western Liang soldiers to reach the emperor’s Bedchamber, where he found Tang Ji hiding and Liu Bian and Empress Dowager He poisoned.
• Luo Kong killed Hua Xiong and Li Ru, but Liu Bian and Empress Dowager He died before he could save them.
• Luo Kong promised the dying Liu Bian that he would send Tang Ji to Zhao City, then left the Rear Hall with her as Western Liang soldiers surrounded them.

Luo Kong escaped the palace with Empress Tang after Dong Zhuo poisoned the emperor and Empress Dowager, then called upon his ancestor and received a means to kill Dong Zhuo. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao joined forces with him, and the feudal lords gathered outside Luoyang to swear an oath against Dong Zhuo.

• Luo Kong fought through the Western Liang soldiers with Tang Ji and escaped the palace after Bu Cai and his men arrived to help.
• Yan Liang led Luo Kong to Yuan Shao's forces, and the group broke out of Luoyang as Yuan Shao held his position until Yan Liang returned.
• Luo Kong called upon his ancestor, and Ji Zhao sent a message and divine artifact into his mind that gave him confidence he could kill Dong Zhuo within three hundred paces.
• Cao Cao arrived with his army, joined Yuan Shao, and promised to create an opportunity for Luo Kong to get close to Dong Zhuo.
• Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and the other feudal lords swore a blood oath by the Luo River and began their campaign against Dong Zhuo.

Luo Kong led Yuan Shao and Cao Cao’s coalition against Dong Zhuo, then sacrificed his life to activate a divine artifact that killed the tyrant with heavenly punishment. Luo Kong died as Dong Zhuo perished, leaving behind a jade heart and a legacy recorded in the Book of Later Han.

• Luo Kong entrusted Tang Ji to Yuan Shao and asked him to take her safely to Zhao City after the battle.
• Luo Kong rallied the coalition troops, and Yuan Shao and Cao Cao’s forces charged Dong Zhuo’s Western Liang Army.
• As the generals fought toward Dong Zhuo, Luo Kong reached the artifact’s activation point and offered his life to invoke heavenly punishment.
• A blood-red sky and uncanny wind appeared as golden lotuses bloomed, and divine beams struck Dong Zhuo and set him ablaze.
• Dong Zhuo’s army fled while Luo Kong approached him with his own heart in his hands, and Dong Zhuo died in agony.
• Luo Kong disappeared, his heart transformed into jade, and the Book of Later Han recorded his loyalty and sacrifice.

After Luo Kong’s sacrifice killed Dong Zhuo through heavenly punishment, the coalition seized the chance to retake Luoyang as the Western Liang Army fled and plundered the city. Cao Cao pursued the abducted Emperor Liu Xie, while Yuan Shao left to defend Jizhou from Gongsun Zan.

• Ji Zhao received the Blood Jade and a fortune-point reward as Luo Kong’s fame and statue were honored.
• Cao Cao and Yuan Shao recovered from the shock of Dong Zhuo’s death, rallied the coalition, and ordered it to retake Luoyang.
• Zhang Ji fled west, while Li Jue and Guo Si took Emperor Liu Xie and looted Luoyang as their troops escaped.
• Yuan Shao and Cao Cao entered Luoyang and learned of the destruction and the emperor’s abduction.
• Yuan Shao departed for Jizhou after hearing that Gongsun Zan had gathered cavalry at the border, while Cao Cao urged the coalition to pursue Li Jue and Guo Si.

After the system announced the end of the second chapter and named Luo Kong, Dong Zhuo, and Yuan Shao as its protagonists, Yuan Shao rushed to defend Jizhou from Gongsun Zan while Xun Chen escorted Empress Tang to Zhao City. In Qingzhou, Liu Bei won the Lü Clan’s support and a marriage offer, while Cao Cao pursued the Western Liang Army into an ambush.

• The system announced that the second chapter had ended, named Luo Kong, Dong Zhuo, and Yuan Shao as its era protagonists, and warned that the world would soon evolve again.
• Yuan Shao learned that Gongsun Zan had invaded Jizhou and ordered Xun Chen to escort Empress Tang to Zhao City while he led troops to confront Gongsun Zan.
• Tang Ji presented Luo Kong’s jade pendant to the Dare-to-Fight Warriors, and Luo Zhang welcomed her before agreeing to mediate between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan.
• Liu Bei refused Gongsun Zan’s invitation to attack Yuan Shao, met Duke of Qi Lü Lu with Luo Chuan’s letter, and accepted Lü Lu’s offer of a marriage alliance.
• Xun You warned Cao Cao not to drive the Western Liang Army to desperation, but Cao Cao pursued it and fell into Xu Rong’s ambush.

After Cao Cao’s defeat, he sent Xiahou Dun to occupy Luoyang and relocate Henan’s people to strengthen Yanzhou. Li Jue and Guo Si established a court in Chang’an, while Ma Teng and Han Sui expanded their power in Liangzhou; farther west, Central Xia unified the Northern Foothills of the Tianshan Mountains and consolidated its rule.

• Cao Cao told Xiahou Dun to take five thousand troops to Luoyang, govern Henan, and move its people to strengthen Yanzhou.
• Li Jue and Guo Si used Liu Xie’s authority to grant themselves titles and reestablished the Han court in Chang’an.
• Ma Teng and Han Sui accepted imperial appointments, took over Dong Zhuo’s soldiers, and sought to win the support of the Qiang people.
• The former Eastern Dayuan and Wusun kingdoms became Western Xia and Central Xia, and Central Xia brought most of the Northern Foothills of the Tianshan Mountains under its rule.
• The King of Central Xia moved his capital near Dunhuang and strengthened the Sage King Temple, while keeping his army from attacking Liangzhou until his state was more stable.

Yuan Shao resisted Gongsun Zan’s attacks, rescued Qu Yi, and accepted Zhao City’s mediation to secure a truce in Jizhou. Meanwhile, Luo Chu traveled toward Wu Commandery, where he met Sun Jian, who sought his help in gaining influence in Yangzhou.

• Yuan Shao rallied his advisers and generals, vowed to make Gongsun Zan fear Hebei, and ordered Shen Pei to hold the defenses while preparing for a prolonged conflict.
• Qu Yi disobeyed orders and attacked Gongsun Zan, so Yuan Shao sent Yan Liang and Wen Chou to rescue him; afterward, Yuan Shao tasked Qu Yi with training a new army within a year.
• Xun Chen returned with Luo Shu and the Dare-to-Fight Warriors, and Luo Shu offered to mediate between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan.
• Gongsun Zan accepted peace talks after considering his army’s exhaustion and the threat posed by Zhao City’s forces, and he and Yuan Shao agreed to a truce.
• Luo Chu traveled toward Wu Commandery, met Sun Jian while he was pursuing bandits, and heard Sun Jian seek his support for expanding into Yangzhou.

Luo Chu met Qiao Wei in Wu Commandery, where Qiao Wei sought his help protecting Jiangdong from ambitious warlords. Luo Chu argued that Jiangdong joined with Huai-Si could become the foundation of an emperor’s dominion, and Qiao Wei recognized that defending the region might lead it to contend for the realm.

• After leaving Sun Jian, Luo Chu traveled downstream to Wu County, where Qiao Wei welcomed him to the Qiao Clan estate.
• Qiao Wei planned a gathering of Jiangdong’s young men and women to introduce Luo Chu to the region’s great clans.
• Qiao Wei explained that Jiangdong’s clans lacked a capable young leader and feared that warlords such as Sun Jian would take control of the region.
• Luo Chu advised Qiao Wei that the clans should put forward an illustrious leader, but Qiao Wei said none of their young men could bear the responsibility.
• Luo Chu inferred that Qiao Wei hoped he would unite Jiangdong and protect it from warlords, possibly by becoming Governor of Yangzhou.
• Luo Chu warned that whoever controlled Huai-Si would seek Jiangdong, while Jiangdong’s control of Huai-Si could draw it into a struggle for the realm; Qiao Wei admitted the analysis was sound.

At the Winding Stream Wine-Cup Banquet, Luo Chu met Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao and began to see Jiangdong as the place where he would establish himself. Ji Zhao watched as the system launched the Third Chapter, “The Warlords Vie for the Stag,” leaving the realm poised for renewed war.

• Qiao Wei brought Luo Chu to the Winding Stream Wine-Cup Banquet, where Jiangdong’s clans and scholars welcomed him as a rare Luo Clan Scion.
• Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao arrived, and Qiao Wei revealed he had kept them in Jiangdong as potential marriage partners for Luo Chu.
• Xiao Qiao poured Luo Chu wine, and her Heavenly Fragrance Supernatural Gift impressed him as he considered marrying her.
• Luo Chu reflected that his name and fate tied him to Chu and Jiangdong, while Qiao Wei believed his matchmaking plan had nearly succeeded.
• Ji Zhao received the system notification that the Third Chapter, “The Warlords Vie for the Stag,” had begun with Feudal Lords as its Era Protagonist.

Li Jue and Guo Si tried to secure their rule by offering offices and titles to the warlords across the passes, hoping to draw some into alliance and set others against one another. Their sweeping Imperial Edict named dozens of regional leaders, and Shandong was shaken by the appointments.

• Li Jue and Guo Si slaughtered their political opponents in Chang'an and the Three Adjuncts, prompting Guanzhong’s aristocratic clans and many officials to flee or resign.
• Li Jue argued that appointing the Shandong warlords in the emperor’s name could win allies and pressure Han loyalists such as Liu Bei to obey.
• Guo Si proposed granting the warlords and their followers prestigious offices and titles to provoke conflict among them.
• Li Jue and Guo Si spent three days drafting an Imperial Edict that appointed leaders including Yuan Shao, Lü Bu, Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Yuan Shu, Sun Jian, Liu Biao, Liu Yan, Ma Teng, and Han Sui.
• The edict’s sweeping distribution of titles caused Shandong to shake.

Li Jue and Guo Si’s Jian’an Edict forced the feudal lords to declare their positions, while Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan moved toward war and Yuan Shao sought alliances against him. The rival powers eventually swore oaths to oppose Li Jue and Guo Si, setting the stage for the First All Xia War.

• Ma Teng, Han Sui, Liu Yan, Lü Bu, and other rulers accepted the Chang'an Court’s appointments, while Liu Biao kept the envoys waiting.
• Yuan Shao rejected the edict, denounced Liu Xie, and prepared to fight Gongsun Zan, while his generals volunteered to lead the vanguard.
• Yuan Shao arranged a secret marriage alliance with Lü Bu and considered seeking help from the Yan State, but Ju Shou advised postponing that approach.
• Gongsun Zan accepted the Court’s rewards and pressed Liu Yu to punish Yuan Shao, while Yuan Shao’s envoy urged Liu Yu to claim the throne and alarmed Gongsun Zan.
• Yuan Shu’s appointment of Sun Jian as Governor of Yangzhou brought Sun Jian into conflict with Luo Chu, while Cao Cao refused the edict and demanded the emperor’s return to Luoyang.
• Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Liu Biao swore an oath to destroy Li Jue and Guo Si, and Yuan Shu, Liu Bei, and Gongsun Zan later swore to uphold the Han Dynasty, bringing All Under Heaven to the brink of war.

Gongsun Zan marched into Jizhou with fifty thousand troops under an imperial edict, while Yuan Shao prepared to stop him and planned to defeat him decisively. As the armies drew toward battle, Lü Bu set out from Bingzhou to join the conflict.

• Li Jue and Guo Si ordered Gongsun Zan to attack Yuan Shao, and Gongsun Zan rallied Youzhou's officials before marching into northern Jizhou with fifty thousand troops.
• Liu Yu watched Gongsun Zan's preparations and anticipated his defeat.
• Yuan Shao assembled his officials at Ye City, assigned Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Gao Lan, and Zhang He to counter the Youzhou cavalry, and ordered Qu Yi's elite troops into the fight.
• Yuan Shao explained that he intended to break Gongsun Zan's forces and seize the initiative, while Ju Shou and Xun Chen saw that he did not fear his rival.
• Lü Bu agreed to an offensive and defensive alliance with Yuan Shao, then reassured Lü Qiling before preparing to leave Bingzhou.

Liu Bei prepared to fight Cao Cao for control of Mount Tai Commandery, while Lü Shen urged him to seek Zhang Yan’s support. In Marquis Ying’s Marquisate, Luo Qi and Luo Qian discussed Liu Bei’s prospects and the need to support him fully.

• Liu Bei decided to send thirty thousand elite troops against Cao Cao and agreed to have Lü Shen contact Zhang Yan about an alliance.
• Liu Bei assigned Guan Yu to command the main army and Zhang Fei to lead the vanguard, while Taishi Ci vowed to keep Cao Cao’s army out of Qingzhou.
• Mi Zhu asked Luo Qi how Xuzhou should respond to the rising warlords, and Luo Qi argued that Liu Bei was the best choice to rule the province but should not be invited during the war.
• Luo Qi advised Mi Zhu on how to soothe Xuzhou’s public sentiment, and Mi Zhu returned to Xuzhou after discussing Luo Qi’s planned marriage to Mi Zhen.
• Luo Qian encouraged Luo Qi to support Liu Bei without agonizing over the risks, and Luo Qi felt his doubts lift.

Luo Chu advised Jiangdong’s leading families to reject the Court’s edict, ally with Liu Biao, and prepare to establish an independent state as Han authority collapsed. He outlined ways to defeat Sun Jian, then asked the families to consider a final problem: Jiangdong’s lack of talent and its failure to recruit worthies across Yangzhou.

• The heads of the Qiao, Chu, Gu, Lu, Zhu, and Zhang families condemned the Court’s edict and asked Luo Chu how Jiangdong should respond.
• Luo Chu assessed the rival alliances and proposed allying with Liu Biao against Sun Jian and Yuan Shu, then eventually establishing a state of Jiangdong.
• Luo Chu argued that the families should fund a defensive force in Danyang by recruiting local people and Mountain Yue.
• Luo Chu proposed exploiting the distrust between Yuan Shu and Sun Jian with rumors, and said a scholar from Xuzhou he had recruited could carry out the plan.
• Luo Chu identified Jiangdong’s shortage of talent as a third major problem and asked the assembled families to consider recruiting worthies from across Yangzhou.

Luo Chu persuaded the Six Great Clans of Wu Commandery to accept recruiting talented men from across Yangzhou, then issued an Edict to Recruit Worthies to strengthen Jiangdong against Sun Jian. The proclamation drew scholars toward his new administration, while Zhou Yu wrestled with whether to join Luo Chu or remain loyal to Sun Ce.

• Gu Yong accepted Luo Chu’s proposal to recruit local and sojourning talent, and the other clan heads agreed to support it.
• Luo Chu reassured the clans that the recruitment would focus on top civil and military talent while leaving lower-level officials in place.
• Luo Chu issued an Edict to Recruit Worthies throughout Yangzhou, inviting scholars and generals to serve in Wu Commandery.
• Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong abandoned their plans to wait for Sun Jian and decided to join Luo Chu’s military headquarters.
• Zhou Yu received the edict and debated joining Luo Chu because he was close to Sun Ce; then Lu Su arrived to visit him.

Lu Su persuaded Zhou Yu to answer Luo Chu’s Edict to Recruit Worthies, arguing that serving Luo Chu would let Zhou Yu avoid the political struggles that would follow Sun Jian’s takeover of Jiangdong. Zhou Yu was persuaded, while Lu Su began considering how Sun Jian could be removed and his generals brought into Jiangdong’s service.

• Lu Su told Zhou Yu he planned to serve Luo Chu temporarily and would stay if Luo Chu accepted his plan for Jiangdong to contend for All Under Heaven.
• Lu Su explained that Zhou Yu’s pride in the Zhou Clan’s distinguished lineage made him reluctant to serve the Wu Commandery clans or join Sun Jian’s cause.
• Lu Su warned that Sun Jian’s rise would trigger a prolonged struggle between the Sun Clan and the Wu Commandery gentry, preventing Zhou Yu from pursuing military ambitions.
• Lu Su argued that Luo Chu, as the Qiao Clan’s son-in-law, could balance local interests through cooperation, and Zhou Yu agreed with his reasoning.
• Lu Su began devising how to remove Sun Jian without getting his own hands dirty and secure Sun Jian’s fierce generals for Jiangdong.

Zhang Zhao, Zhang Hong, Lu Su, and Zhou Yu joined Luo Chu’s cause as Jiangdong moved toward war with Sun Jian. In the north, Yuan Shao provoked Gongsun Zan into losing his composure, and Gongsun Zan ordered an attack; the chapter left the armies on the brink of battle.

• Zhang Hong’s letter won Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong an audience with Luo Chu, and both men decided he was an excellent ruler despite his reluctance to claim All Under Heaven.
• Lu Su urged Luo Chu to seize Jiangdong, predicted Sun Jian’s death, and proposed taking in the Sun Clan; Luo Chu valued Lu Su’s strategy and considered giving Zhou Yu command of a legion.
• Sun Jian ordered his forces to enter Danyang and attack Wu Commandery, while Luo Chu began recruiting soldiers in Wu and Kuaiji Commanderies.
• Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan’s forces clashed after their scouts met on a narrow path, and Yuan Shao used an envoy to provoke Gongsun Zan with accusations about his past.
• Gongsun Zan answered Yuan Shao angrily and admitted his grudge, then ordered his army to attack and offered rewards for Yuan Shao’s death.