Recaps

Lü Xiao Bai established the Cangyi Alliance with Luo State’s support and became its leader, then called on the allied states to aid Yan State against the Mountain Rong and Eastern Hu. As the campaign began, Luo State sent envoys south while Luo Xiu reflected on the weakening Royal House and the rise of hegemonic politics.

• Luo Xi arrived at Cangyi and publicly honored Lü Xiao Bai’s rank, signaling Luo State’s support for Qi State’s assembly.
• After Han State, Xing State, Ju State, Cai State, and Chen State agreed to attend, Luo Xi persuaded Lü Xiao Bai to hold the assembly despite the limited turnout.
• The rulers of six states swore an alliance at Cangyi, and Lü Xiao Bai was recognized as alliance leader; Ji Zhao received the unique Yellow Tier item Like an Extension of the Arm.
• Luo Xi reported the assembly’s results to Luo Xiu, who concluded that the states increasingly cared about a new order rather than the Son of Heaven’s authority.
• Lü Xiao Bai called on the allied states to aid Yan State, and a seven-state army led by Qi State marched there to fight the Mountain Rong and Eastern Hu.
• As the allied forces prepared for their campaign, Luo State dispatched three groups of envoys toward southern states.

Luo Xiu formed alliances with Ying State of Ying and Wu State to contain Chu State, while his envoy visited the elderly Luo Yu in Yingdu. Luo Yu warned the King of Chu that the Central Plains was consolidating and advised him on how to respond, leaving the King of Chu newly alarmed and receptive to his plan.

• Luo Xiu dispatched envoys to Ying State of Ying and Wu State to build an alliance against Chu State, and sent Chen Chen to Chu State to investigate and congratulate Luo Yu.
• Luo Yu went to the King of Chu Palace after learning that Luo State had sent a delegation, and warned the King of Chu that the Central Plains states were beginning to consolidate under Qi State.
• The King of Chu considered eliminating the Han-Yang Ji States, but Luo Yu rebuked him and urged him to listen to a different plan.
• The King of Chu listened to Luo Yu's plan, while Ji Zhao reflected that the Luo Clan's loyalty was shifting toward Chu State.

After defeating the Mountain Rong, Lü Xiao Bai led the lords in forcing Qu State to submit and then backed Prince Fu Yi’s claim to Song State’s throne. The allied army defeated Kuang Fu, who fled to Zheng State and was killed there, while Lü Xiao Bai’s prestige grew and he held his fourth alliance assembly.

• The Marquis of Yan offered to attack Qu State in gratitude for Lü Xiao Bai’s aid, and the Marquises of Han and Xing joined him.
• The four states assembled thirty thousand troops and invaded Qu State, whose Earl agreed to cede two hundred li of land, apologize, and host an alliance assembly.
• Lü Xiao Bai accepted Qu State’s submission and ordered the Earl to prepare an assembly platform outside the capital within three months.
• Prince Fu Yi asked Lü Xiao Bai to help him claim Song State’s throne, and the lords of fifteen states gathered seventy thousand troops to support him.
• The allied army defeated Kuang Fu, who fled to Zheng State, and the Marquis of Zheng had him killed after receiving Prince Fu Yi’s request.
• Lü Xiao Bai’s prestige rose, and he held his fourth alliance assembly in Song State.

Luo Xiu presented opposing theories of human nature and built the Luo Clan Academy into a center for debate, then shared his fears about Luo State’s future with Ji Zhao. After Ji Zhao reassured him that the clan would survive, Luo Xiu devoted himself to writing the Luo Discourses, whose completion earned Ji Zhao a unique Mystic-Tier item.

• Luo Xiu gave Luo Xi essays on innate goodness and innate evil and instructed her to have Academy students debate them and record their arguments.
• Luo Xi displayed both essays at the Academy and offered rewards for persuasive arguments, while Ji Zhao recognized that the debates could seed many schools of thought.
• Ji Zhao summoned Luo Xiu, heard him develop theories of governance, and reassured him that Luo State might fall but the Luo Clan would endure.
• Ji Zhao showed Luo Xiu the clan’s Mandate of Heaven Divine Artifacts and urged him to proceed with Lü Xiao Bai’s plans without fear.
• Luo Xiu handed practical affairs to Luo Xi and spent ten years writing the Luo Discourses, then collapsed after completing the work.
• The system awarded Ji Zhao the unique Mystic-Tier item Wishing for One’s Child to Become a Dragon, and Luo State began making copies of the book.

After Luo Xiu died, Ji Zhao gained the Earth-Tier Divine Item Peach Blossom Spring, while Chu State invaded Chen State and threatened Zheng State. Lü Xiao Bai and Guan Zhong used Luo Xiu’s national mourning as the basis for calling the lords to war against Chu, and Chu’s campaign toward Luoyi faced a gathering alliance.

• Lü Xiao Bai rushed to Luo State with Xi Yi and Guan Zhong, mourned with Luo Xiu, and watched his uncle die after their final conversation.
• Ji Zhao received Peach Blossom Spring, assessed its heavy Fortune Point costs, and put the item away.
• Xiong Xiqie’s Chu army captured Chen State’s capital and planned to march through Zheng State toward Luoyi to seize the Nine Tripods.
• The Marquis of Zheng debated surrendering, while Zheng Qing went to Xiong Xiqie’s camp and secured time by offering provisions without granting passage.
• Chen State’s ruler appealed to Lü Xiao Bai for help, and Guan Zhong composed a proclamation calling the lords to prepare for war against Chu State.

Luo Xi’s alliance used Wu State to cut off Chu State’s supplies, and the allied lords defeated Xiong Xiqie’s army at Yanling. Lü Xiao Bai received the rank and privileges of a Regional Earl, but the chapter ended with the deaths of Luo Xi, Xi Yi, Guan Zhong, and Lü Xiao Bai.

• Luo Xi explained to Lü Xiao Bai and Guan Zhong that Wu State would sail upriver to cut Chu State’s supply route while Qi, Song, Wei, and Ying State of Ying attacked.
• Xiong Xiqie defeated the Song army and won several smaller battles before Zhang Qi’s Qi army held him in a prolonged confrontation at Yanling.
• Wu Crown Prince Qing Li led Wu State’s fleet upstream, and Minister Fan explained that Wu State joined the alliance to seize the Jiang-Huai Plain from Chu State.
• Wu State’s army destroyed Chu State’s grain convoys, prompting the allies to attack; Xiong Xiqie discovered the severed supply route and was defeated as his Han-Yang troops surrendered.
• The Son of Heaven of Zhou granted Lü Xiao Bai Regional Earl’s authority and honors at the lords’ assembly at Yanling.
• Luo Xi and Xi Yi died in successive years, and Guan Zhong and Lü Xiao Bai died on the same day in the twentieth year of the Yanling Hegemony.

Luo Yan promised that Luo State would protect Prince Chong'er, but the Marquis of Jin later named the underage Prince Wuzhi as his successor. Prince Wu then challenged Wuzhi's accession and marched on Yi City, where Jin's ministers and officials defeated him and forced him to withdraw.

• The Marquis of Jin asked Luo Yan which of his five princes should succeed him, then entrusted Prince Chong'er to Luo State's protection.
• After Luo Yan left, the Marquis of Jin issued a genuine testamentary decree naming Prince Wuzhi as ruler, and Wuzhi ascended the throne with the ministers' support after the Marquis died.
• Prince Wu raised troops and claimed the decree naming Wuzhi was forged, arguing that Jin's Ducal Clan should choose the next ruler.
• Prince Wu advanced to Yi City with support from the Ducal Clan, but Jin's ministers and officials summoned their own troops and defeated him outside the city.
• Prince Wu withdrew from Yi City and vowed to punish the ministers and officials once he became ruler.

Prince Lin brought Song troops into Jin to challenge Prince Wuzhi’s rule, prompting Luo Yan to warn that Qin might follow and intervene. Luo Ci and Luo Yan devised a plan to recognize Prince Wuzhi as Jin’s legitimate ruler and send Luo and Qi troops into Jin under royal and legal authority.

• Prince Lin asked Song State for an army and sent an envoy to Prince Wu, proposing that they enter Yi City together while sparing Prince Wuzhi.
• Song troops entered Jin through Southern Yan State, provoking Luo Yan’s concern that Prince Yin would invite Qin troops into Jin as well.
• Luo Yan urged Luo Ci to intervene in Jin’s succession struggle before Qin could seize the Xiao-Hangu corridor.
• Luo Ci rejected a covert plan to kill Prince Wuzhi, explaining that his lawful accession and ministerial support made such a move dangerous.
• Luo Yan proposed abandoning support for Prince Chong’er and recognizing Prince Wuzhi, whose testament gave him the stronger claim to Jin’s throne.
• Luo Ci approved the plan to seek a royal edict investing Prince Wuzhi and have him invite Luo and Qi armies into Jin.

Prince Wuzhi’s rule collapsed after his ministers killed Prince Yin, and Prince Chong’er seized the throne with support from Luo State and Qi State. Jin State’s succession crisis ended, but Qin and Chu drew closer against the Qi-Jin alliance, dividing All Xia into rival military blocs.

• Prince Chong’er acknowledged Prince Wuzhi as Marquis of Jin, while Yan Gui and Jin’s ministers decided to kill Prince Yin to prevent him from bringing Qin State’s army into Jin State.
• Prince Yin escaped his attackers but was cornered beneath Hangu Pass and killed; when his salted head was shown in Yi City, Prince Wuzhi fainted and developed a fatal fever.
• After Prince Wuzhi died, Prince Wu and Prince Lin accused Prince Chong’er of regicide and joined forces against him, but Luo Yan brought Qi and Luo armies to rescue Chong’er.
• Prince Chong’er defeated Prince Wu, had him killed, and took the throne as Marquis of Jin; Prince Lin fled to Song State, where the Duke of Song killed him after receiving Chong’er’s threatening letter.
• The Five Princes’ turmoil ended as Jin and Qi formed an alliance, while Qin and Chu drew closer and two rival military blocs began a long struggle.

After Xuan Mi married the Count of Qin, she introduced Yi Li, whose counsel persuaded Qin to strengthen its western frontier and wait for Jin, Qi, and Luo to weaken before advancing east. Yi Li became Qin’s Senior Grand Steward, and the Count of Qin pledged lasting marriage ties with Chu.

• Luo Yan reflected on Qi State’s decline after returning from the oath sworn with Chong'er and the Duke of Qi.
• King of Chu sent Xuan Mi to marry the Count of Qin, and she promised to foster friendly relations between Chu and Qin.
• After the marriage, Xuan Mi introduced Yi Li to the Count of Qin, who recognized the name from Qi Lin’s praise of his abilities.
• Yi Li argued that Luo State had engineered Prince Yin’s death to block Qin’s eastward ambitions and advised Qin to focus on the Western Rong and build its strength.
• The Count of Qin appointed Yi Li Senior Grand Steward and pledged to bind Qin and Chu in lasting marriage ties.

Luo Ci and Luo Yan discussed Qin's letter and Chong'er's rule in Jin, where Chong'er excluded the Ducal Clan and empowered hereditary ministers. Luo Yan warned that Jin's system would eventually cause its ruin, as the chapter ended with a historical judgment that Chong'er would rise and fall by the same policy.

• Luo Yan read Qin's letter, which praised Luo State's history, urged it to trust Jin's rise, and promised Qin would keep the Western Rong from crossing its territory.
• Luo Ci recognized Qin's promise as a delaying tactic but welcomed the possibility that Qin would focus on the Western Rong instead of advancing east.
• Luo Yan recalled urging Chong'er to appoint Ducal Clan members among Jin's Six Ministers, but Chong'er refused, citing Jin's history of succession struggles and the ministers' greater ability.
• Chong'er empowered hereditary ministerial clans, allowed them to take Ducal Clan lands, and publicly rebuked the Ducal Clan for lacking virtue and talent.
• Luo Yan warned Luo Ci that Jin's ministerial system would eventually bring the state's downfall, and a closing historical account recalled Duke Xiang of Luo predicting that Chong'er would rise and fall by the same policy.

Ji Tai became consumed by his desire for beauty, and Feng Ji schemed to bring Prince Shu’s wife Yi Jiang into the palace. After Yi Jiang revealed the abuse to Prince Shu, he resolved to kill Ji Tai, leaving the Royal House on the brink of a violent succession crisis.

• Ji Tai complained that the women sent to him were unattractive, so Feng Ji promised to find him a peerless beauty in exchange for a reward.
• Feng Ji told Prince Shu that Ji Tai would make him Crown Prince if he led an army against the Yi-Luo Rong, then sent him out with troops already prepared.
• After Prince Shu left Luoyi, Feng Ji summoned Yi Jiang to the palace and tricked her into believing that she could secure her husband's return by dancing for Ji Tai.
• Ji Tai took Yi Jiang and granted Feng Ji a city as his fief, while Yi Jiang endured the abuse in silence until Prince Shu returned months later.
• After Yi Jiang told Prince Shu what had happened, he denounced Ji Tai and resolved to kill him, claiming that Heaven would support the execution of a tyrant.

Prince Shu avenged Yi Jiang by killing Ji Tai, then fled Luoyi and gained Chong’er’s support to return as king of Zhou. After restoring Prince Shu to the throne, Chong’er received Henei, Yangfan, the rank of Regional Earl, and the Nine Bestowments, rapidly advancing Jin’s claim to hegemony.

• Yi Jiang told Prince Shu that she was pregnant with Ji Tai’s child, and the couple swore to kill Ji Tai together.
• Ji Tai visited Prince Shu’s residence, where Prince Shu stabbed him to death and ambush archers killed his guards; Prince Shu then fled Luoyi with Yi Jiang.
• Chong’er’s Jin army encountered Prince Shu, and Chong’er initially ordered him seized for regicide before accepting his account that Ji Tai had been a tyrant.
• Chong’er swore an alliance with Prince Shu and escorted him back to Luoyi, where Prince Shu executed Feng Ji and Ji Tai’s favored ministers, condemned Ji Tai, and claimed the Zhou throne.
• Prince Shu granted Chong’er Henei, Yangfan, the rank of Regional Earl, and the Nine Bestowments in gratitude for Jin’s aid.

Jin’s campaign against Chu collapsed after Qin cut its supply lines and the Jin Ducal Clan rebelled, trapping Chong’er far from home. Chong’er begged Luo State for help, admitted his failures, and Luo State’s mobilization prompted the other states to muster as well.

• Luo Ci warned that Chong’er’s ambition and Jin’s growing dominance would bring disaster, while Luo Yan criticized Jin’s attempt to dominate All Xia.
• Chong’er insulted Chu in a letter and demanded land and submission, so the King of Chu rallied his people to defend Chu.
• The Count of Qin agreed to aid Chu, and Ying Nuo led Qin troops along a hidden route to attack Jin’s supply lines.
• Chong’er ordered a retreat, but Qin and Chu harried Jin’s army while the Jin Ducal Clan rebelled and barred Chong’er from returning home.
• Wei Qing urged Chong’er to seek Luo State’s aid, and Chong’er knelt in the rain before Luo Ci’s residence to ask forgiveness and request troops.
• Luo Yan rebuked Chong’er for relying on force and losing allies, then Luo State sent its army to the front and other states began mustering.

After the Battle of Yi-Luo, Luo Yan mediated a truce between Jin, Qin, and Chu, securing territorial concessions and a pact to end hostilities. Chong'er returned to Jin with Luo’s support, defeated the rebellious Ducal Clan, and vowed to uphold the alliance.

• Luo Yan arrived with the Luo State army, and Chong'er mourned the Jin soldiers killed beside the Ying River before resolving to lead his people home.
• Luo Yan persuaded the King of Chu and Ying Nuo to negotiate, and Qin and Chu agreed to withdraw in exchange for Jin ceding territory.
• Luo Yan witnessed the three states’ truce alliance, which pledged peace, support for the Son of Heaven, and joint campaigns against foreign tribes.
• Chong'er led the Jin army back toward Yi City, and Prince Yang rejected surrender as the rebels faced the returning army.
• Chong'er’s forces crushed the Ducal Clan rebellion and reached Yi City, where Chong'er promised Luo Yan he would honor the alliance.

Luo Yan met the Royal House archivist Li Er, whose writings had impressed the ruling house of Luo State, and offered him the Sage King's secret text, Way of Heaven. Li Er read it and asked whether Heaven had feelings, leaving Luo Yan stunned by his conviction that the Sage King remained present.

• Luo Ci told Luo Yan that Chong'er had awakened after his setback and that Jin State would help secure the Zhou State's Mandate of Heaven.
• Luo Yan praised Li Er's writings on beauty, ugliness, good, and evil, and Luo Ci urged him to recruit Li Er with the Sage King's Way of Heaven.
• Luo Yan visited Li Er in the Royal House archives and presented him with the restricted text, which Li Er read with astonishment.
• Li Er described how the Sage King's deeds contradicted principles he had believed universal, then asked Luo Yan to resolve his doubts.
• Li Er asked whether Heaven had feelings, and Luo Yan was stunned by the question.

Ji Zhao met Li Er, answered his questions about Heaven and the Dao, and dispelled his doubts, inspiring him to complete the Dao De Jing. Li Er became the Libationer of Luo State’s Academy, where his teachings won over students and his reputation spread to other states.

• Ji Zhao awakened after sensing Li Er’s closeness to the Dao and explained the Dao De Jing through Luo Yan, resolving Li Er’s doubts about the Sage King and the principles of Heaven.
• Luo Yan invited Li Er to serve as the Academy’s Libationer and gave him access to Luo State’s Repository of Classics, where Li Er studied for three months.
• Luo Ci read Li Er’s Dao De Jing and praised it as a work that explained the principles of all things.
• Luo Yan introduced Li Er to the Academy’s students as a sage, and Li Er answered their questions about virtue and how sages should act.
• When a student asked whether he understood every principle, Li Er admitted he could not explain the Sage King, and the day’s debates spread his reputation across the surrounding states.

Luo Qingyi and the other three scions asked Luo Ci for copies of Li Er’s teachings so they could preserve books and wisdom for their descendants. Luo Ci agreed to let them record the Academy’s debates, while he and Luo Yan worried that the states’ growing turmoil would soon bring more powerful doctrines into the open.

• Luo Yan told Luo Ci about the stir Li Er had caused, and Luo Ci explained how the Academy protected scholars who challenged established ideas.
• Luo Qingyi, Fu Jie, Kang Yun, and Yu Lin asked Luo Ci for books and permission to preserve Li Er’s teachings for their families.
• Luo Ci agreed to grant them books and let their scribes record the wisdom of scholars who came to the Academy.
• Luo Ci urged the four to have their descendants study and create teachings of their own to strengthen their clans and support the ruling house.
• After the four left, Luo Yan asked whether the harvest needed to be hastened, and Luo Ci warned that more great worthies would emerge amid the turmoil.
• Luo Yan argued that the Way of the Hegemon’s Art should remain hidden, but both men feared it would spread after the Way of the King.

During a truce among the great states, Luo State’s Academy drew scholars and delegations seeking the sage’s instruction and talented men. Luo Ci warned Luo Yan that the truce could become a time for preparing for war as rulers flocked to Luo, and the arrivals continued.

• Xiang Cheng persuaded the King of Chu to send a prince to Luo, recruit worthy scholars, and send Chu scholars to the Academy, then secured authority to choose the delegation.
• Guided by Xuan Mi, Qin State sent a lavish delegation led by a prince to Zhao City, and Luo Ci and Luo Yan read the courteous state letters from Qin and Chu.
• Luo Ci told Luo Yan that Qi and Jin would likely follow Qin and Chu, and warned that his father would soon meet the Sage King, leaving him with a heavy burden.
• Luo Qingyi and Luo Fujie discussed the many state delegations and the danger that might follow Crown Prince Qingji of Wu to Luo State.
• Qi’s delegation arrived first, followed by Qin and Chu’s princes, while scholars from across the world continued gathering at Luo State’s Academy.

Kong Qiu left Qu State after clashing with Cao Dafu over ritual abuses and traveled among the states, where rulers respected his learning but would not employ him. After reading Lord Boyang’s writings, he returned to Luo State to meet Li Er and continue developing his teachings.

• Kong Qiu left the Luo State Academy for Qu State, where the Lord appointed him chancellor to restore the Way of the King.
• Kong Qiu denounced Cao Dafu for using ritual vessels and music reserved for feudal lords, then resigned and began traveling among the states with his disciples.
• Kong Qiu read scattered writings by Lord Boyang and decided to return to the Luo State Academy to discuss their differences in person.
• Kong Qiu met the exiled Crown Prince Qingji and advised him to seek support in Luo State for reclaiming his throne.
• Kong Qiu and Qingji reached Zhao City, where Luo Yan welcomed Kong Qiu back and agreed to support Qingji and arrange a meeting with Li Er.

Kong Qiu met Li Er in Luo State's Repository of Classics and questioned his ideas about governing amid the realm's collapse. Their debate left Kong Qiu with a new way to uphold his convictions, while the Luo Clan recorded their exchange and Ji Zhao's Fortune Points rose rapidly.

• Luo Yan introduced Kong Qiu to Li Er, and Kong Qiu asked whether governing through non-action could work while the realm was falling into disorder.
• Li Er challenged Kong Qiu's effort to restore ancient rites and governance, arguing that the Rites of Zhou could not be restored and that benevolence alone could not bring order.
• Kong Qiu defended his commitment to benevolence and righteousness, and Li Er recognized that Kong Qiu had already attained his own Way.
• Kong Qiu realized that affirming his Way did not require killing those who opposed it, and that he could instead learn from and help perfect another's Way.
• Li Er and Kong Qiu exchanged ideas amicably as Luo Yan's trained recorders documented their conversation.
• The Luo Clan accelerated its effort to harvest wisdom, and Ji Zhao's Fortune Points began rising at a rate comparable to when Luo Su and Luo Xiu were alive.

Sun Wu and Qingji secured Luo State’s support for Qingji’s return to Wu State, and their army quickly took the Xu-Huai region. After Yao Li tried to assassinate Qingji aboard their ship, the soldiers killed him, and Qingji vowed to destroy Helü.

• Sun Wu presented his military treatise to Luo Yan and agreed to help Qingji reclaim his position in Wu State in exchange for troops and secrecy.
• Luo Yan lent Qingji ten thousand soldiers, and Qingji departed with Sun Wu after Confucius warned him that Helü might use assassins.
• Qingji’s army defeated the garrisons in the Xu-Huai region, which Sun Wu attributed to the soldiers’ lack of will and Qingji’s reputation.
• Yao Li tried to stab Qingji, but Qingji dodged the attack and had him seized.
• Yao Li admitted that he had sacrificed his family and maimed himself to gain Qingji’s trust; Qingji ordered the soldiers to kill him and hide his body, then vowed to defeat Helü.

Qingji’s army besieged Gusu while Sun Wu used siege tactics and promises of leniency to weaken its defenders from within. As Helü sought help from Yue, Goujian and Counsellor Wen plotted to deceive him and seize all five border cities.

• Qingji’s forces swelled to eighty thousand as Wu nobles and soldiers joined him, and he besieged Gusu under Sun Wu’s command.
• Sun Wu bombarded the city, left one wall open to encourage surrender, and advised Qingji to wear down the defenders before attacking the gates.
• Helü forced the city’s people to defend him with threats and rewards, while disaffected nobles and State People considered opening the gates to Qingji.
• Bidan persuaded Helü to offer Yue five border cities and other riches in exchange for military aid.
• Goujian agreed to Counsellor Wen’s plan to take some cities, feign withdrawal, and then seize the rest while attacking Wu’s soldiers.

Qingji and Sun Wu’s army exploited a rebellion within the Wu Capital to break through its defenses and seize the city from Helü. Qingji’s forces surrounded Helü in the Royal Palace, where Qingji ordered them to capture or kill him before he could destroy the palace’s records and stores.

• Sun Wu’s forces launched a full assault as rebels inside the Wu Capital caused disorder, and his soldiers urged the defenders to surrender.
• Helü killed Minister Bidan after accusing him of helping Goujian deceive him, and the defenders and townspeople fled as the gates were opened to Qingji’s army.
• Qingji entered the city with Sun Wu, saw the suffering Helü’s rule had inflicted on the people, and vowed that Heaven had punished the tyrant.
• Qingji’s army stormed the Royal Palace, fought Helü’s guards, and pursued Helü into a hall beside the Repository of Classics and storerooms.
• Qingji realized Helü might destroy the palace’s treasures and ordered his soldiers to charge in and capture or kill him.

Luo Ci and Luo Yan agreed to support Qingji’s Wu State as a new ally for defending the Zhou Royal House, and arranged for the Son of Heaven to elevate Wu’s ruler from count to marquis. The chapter ended with Gaozu explaining that Zhou’s rule had depended on its Ji-surnamed allies and fell when those states weakened or changed.

• Luo Yan read Qingji’s letter renouncing Helü’s royal title and pledging to guard the southeast and defend the Royal House.
• Luo Ci argued that Wu State could help shelter Zhou as Qi State grew unstable, and ordered Luo Yan to secure royal recognition and authority for Qingji.
• Luo Yan arranged for Wu State to pay tribute, and Qingji praised Sun Wu for his political strategy.
• The Son of Heaven invested Wu State with a marquisate and broad authority to campaign south of the Huai River, stirring the other states.
• Gaozu told his ministers that Zhou had ruled through its Ji-surnamed allies and had fallen as those allies declined or changed.