Recaps

Gongsun Zan pledged allegiance to Yan State and led its opening attack against Qu Yi's First-to-Scale Death Warriors after Luo Yan refused Yan Mu's invitation to defect. Yuan Shao and Yan Lin arrived with their armies, bringing the opposing forces together for a larger battle.

• Gongsun Zan pledged allegiance to Yan State, and Yan Mu ordered him to reorganize his troops on the left flank.
• Yan Mu invited Luo Yan to serve Yan State, but Luo Yan refused because he was his lord's son-in-law.
• Yan Mu proclaimed Yan State's claim to replace the Han Dynasty and threatened those who refused to surrender.
• Yan Mu ordered Gongsun Zan to lead the attack, intending to exhaust the First-to-Scale Death Warriors' crossbow ammunition while supporting him with Yan State's troops.
• Gongsun Zan sent the Youzhou Iron Cavalry forward against Qu Yi's tightly defended formation while Luo Yan and Qu Yi prepared to hold out for reinforcements.
• Yuan Shao arrived on the battlefield with his army, and Yan Lin followed at the head of Yan State's main force.

Yuan Shao agreed to Yan Lin’s terms after the armies fought to exhaustion, and the two rulers proclaimed rival states independent of the Han Dynasty. The chapter ended with Yuan Shao accepting that his new title would make him a target throughout All Under Heaven.

• Yan Lin led Yan State’s army southward, while Yuan Shao rallied his exhausted Hebei forces to fight rather than retreat.
• Luo Yan was carried back wounded, and Yuan Shao agreed to Yan State’s demand that he proclaim himself king and invited Lü Fengxian to attend or observe the ceremony.
• Yan Lin and Yuan Shao met before their armies and performed a blood ceremony on a platform.
• Yan Lin proclaimed himself Emperor of Great Yan and declared Yan State independent of the Han Dynasty.
• Yuan Shao rejected Liu Xie’s claim to the throne, proclaimed himself king of Zhao, and entered brotherhood with Yan State.
• After returning to Hebei, Yuan Shao lamented that he would become a target for every arrow in All Under Heaven.

After Yuan Shao founded Zhao State, Luo Yan helped shape its government while the court adjusted to the new distinction between sovereign and subject and prepared for conflict with Cao Cao and Liu Bei. Ji Zhao sensed the Mandate of Heaven Purple Qi again and sent his consciousness toward the depths of the world to investigate.

• Yuan Shao returned his army to Ye City and established Zhao State as an independent kingdom.
• Yuan Shao invested Zhen Mi as the Grand Elder Princess of Wuji and appointed Luo Yan Chief Construction Commissioner to design Zhao State's official system.
• Luo Yan and Zhen Mi traveled to the Royal Palace, where the ministers gathered for Yuan Shao's royal court.
• Ji Zhao noticed a streak of Mandate of Heaven Purple Qi and grew wary because he had believed he had neutralized it before.
• Ji Zhao told Ji Lingjun to watch over the mortal world while he slept, then sent his divine consciousness and soul toward the bottom of that world.

After Yuan Shao proclaimed himself king, Liu Bei urged the Han Court to campaign against him, and Cao Cao joined Liu Bei in raising a great army. Luo Chu recognized that Jiangxia had become a strategic liability for Jiangdong and ordered its troops to withdraw, leaving the story poised for war across the northern provinces.

• Luo Qi learned that Yuan Shao had proclaimed himself king and hurried to Liu Bei, where he argued that the crisis offered a chance to revive the Han and defeat Yuan Shao.
• Liu Bei sent Liu Ye to Xuchang to seek an alliance with Cao Cao, then submitted a memorial urging the Court to campaign against Yuan Shao.
• Liu Xie issued a decree calling the feudal lords to fight Yuan Shao, and Cao Cao pledged to announce the campaign; the Court appointed Liu Bei Agile Cavalry Great General and Marquis of Tan County.
• Cao Cao and Liu Bei led their armies to besiege Jiangxia alongside Zhao Hong and Liu Biao, while Jiangdong's forces began withdrawing by ship.
• Luo Chu concluded that Cao Cao and Liu Bei were using Jiangxia to keep Jiangdong occupied and ordered Zhou Yu to prepare Jiangdong's army and provisions for a future campaign.

Luo Qi met Lü Shen in Mount Tai to arrange provisions for Liu Bei and Cao Cao’s campaign against Zhao State, while Luo Yan assumed command of Qingzhou under Yuan Shao. The chapter left Luo Yan preparing Qingzhou’s forces and gentry to support Yuan Shao’s main front against Liu Bei and Cao Cao.

• Luo Qi reassured Lü Shen about his sister and her newborn son, then asked about Qingzhou.
• Lü Shen showed Luo Qi Yuan Shao’s edict appointing Luo Yan Grand Commander of Qingzhou and explained how the Lü Clan had lost its Han-era titles and lands.
• Luo Qi and Lü Shen selected sites in Mount Tai Commandery for granaries and ordered them filled with grain.
• Luo Yan entered Linzi with Shen Pei, Zhang He, and Gao Lan, and explained why Yuan Shao regarded Liu Bei as a more urgent enemy than Cao Cao.
• Luo Yan told Shen Pei that he served the Yuan Clan out of loyalty, then ordered Qingzhou’s gentry summoned and troops stationed to guard against Langya and press toward Yanzhou.

Luo Yan captured Zhang Yan in Linzi, then persuaded him to submit again to Zhao State and sent him to defend against the Xuzhou army. In Bingzhou, Lü Qiling reunited with Lü Bu and convinced him to support Yuan Shao, giving Zhao State a major advantage as the war against the Han Army began.

• Luo Yan confronted the captured Zhang Yan, cut his bonds, and accepted his renewed submission to Zhao State.
• Luo Yan assigned Zhang Yan thirty thousand troops to defend Jimo against the Xuzhou army, with Guo Tu, Xin Ping, and other advisers accompanying him.
• Yuan Shao welcomed Lü Qiling's return and announced that he would appoint a crown prince if Zhao State defeated the Han Army.
• Lü Qiling wept as she reunited with Lü Bu and urged him to protect her and her family by helping Zhao State.
• Lü Bu agreed to aid Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shao's ministers celebrated the powerful reinforcement as their armies prepared for war.

Luo Yan led Zhao State’s main army from Qingzhou toward Yanzhou, while arranging for Gao Lan to besiege Mount Tai and guard the supply routes. At Mount Tai, he met his elder brother Luo Qi, who served Liu Bei, and the brothers parted after declaring their opposing convictions.

• Luo Yan compelled Qingzhou’s aristocratic families to send their men with the army and finished mobilizing the province for Zhao State’s war.
• Shen Pei voiced concern about commanding Zhao State’s main force, and Luo Yan explained why Zhao State’s centralized resources gave it an advantage over the Han Dynasty.
• Luo Yan spread false reports that Zhao troops were besieging Mount Tai, then ordered Gao Lan to surround the commandery and prevent Liu Bei’s forces from disrupting Zhao supply routes.
• Luo Yan and Luo Qi met north of Mount Tai, exchanged greetings, and argued over whether Liu Bei or Zhao State followed Heaven’s mandate.
• Luo Qi withdrew toward the Central Plains, while Luo Yan told Gao Lan to monitor his movements and continued toward Yanzhou with most of the army.

Yuan Shao marched against the Han Dynasty and provoked Cao Cao and Liu Bei during a meeting before the battle lines. After the three men parted as enemies, the Youzhou Iron Cavalry charged, forcing Cao Cao and Liu Bei to prepare for battle.

• Yuan Shao issued a proclamation denouncing Liu Xie and the Han court, worsening Liu Xie's distress and enraging Cao Cao with insults against his family.
• Liu Bei arrived with a hundred thousand troops to join Cao Cao, while both leaders remained wary of each other’s ambitions.
• Cao Cao and Liu Bei accepted Yuan Shao’s invitation to drink before the battle lines and heard him defend his claim to the throne while mocking their loyalties and ambitions.
• The three men drank together, declared their former comradeship ended, and returned to their armies as mortal enemies.
• The Youzhou Iron Cavalry charged, and Cao Cao and Liu Bei ordered their forces to prepare for battle.

Luo Yan’s cavalry ambushed Cao Cao’s army, and Guan Yu halted the rout by wounding Zhang He before withdrawing under arrow fire. After the battle, Guan Yu gave up his Han offices and noble rank to return to Liu Bei, who welcomed him back with tears and reunited with him and Zhang Fei.

• Luo Yan led the Youzhou cavalry in a surprise attack on Cao Cao’s rear, breaking through the Han Army’s formations.
• Guan Yu charged into Yuan Shao’s army, wounded Zhang He, and slowed the Zhao army’s advance before Luo Yan’s troops forced him to withdraw.
• Guan Yu returned to Cao Cao, surrendered his seals and official robe, and announced that he was leaving to serve under Liu Bei.
• Cao Cao watched Guan Yu ride away and sought reassurance from Chen Gong that he would remain by his side.
• Liu Bei met Guan Yu outside his camp and embraced him with Zhang Fei, rejoicing that his brother had returned.

Yuan Shao weighed three strategies for exploiting his victory over Cao Cao and Liu Bei, then chose to pursue a decisive conquest of the Central Plains. While Gao Lan guarded the route through Mount Tai, Taishi Ci ambushed and defeated him, leaving his fate uncertain.

• Luo Yan joined Yuan Shao after the victory, and Yuan Shao praised Qingzhou’s contribution before asking his advisers how Zhao State should proceed.
• Xun Chen, Shen Pei, and Tian Feng proposed different campaigns, while Luo Yan advised Yuan Shao that each plan had merits; Yuan Shao dismissed the council to consider them.
• Cao Cao and Xun Yu discussed recruiting Han Sui and Ma Teng, while Lü Bu prepared to march from Bingzhou and Sima Yi warned Henei’s leaders that the situation could change quickly.
• Yuan Shao announced his intention to seize Yanzhou, Yuzhou, and Xuzhou, while Gao Lan discovered that Liu Bei’s troops had secretly left Fenggao to threaten Qingzhou’s supply route.
• Gao Lan led Qingzhou troops into an ambush, where Taishi Ci fought him, struck him down, and called on him to surrender; Gao Lan refused.

Lü Bu joined Yuan Shao’s campaign and confronted Liu Bei’s army, where Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun forced him to withstand their combined attack. After learning that Gao Lan’s forces had been annihilated in Mount Tai Commandery, Yuan Shao chose to campaign there instead of striking Cao Cao and Liu Bei.

• Guan Hai let Lü Bu pass through his territory after Sima Yi warned him of Lü Bu’s strength, but sent word to Cao Cao and Liu Bei.
• Lü Bu crossed the Yellow River and found Liu Bei’s army waiting; Liu Bei questioned why he was aiding Yuan Shao, and Lü Bu cited their marriage alliance.
• Zhang Fei attacked Lü Bu, and Guan Yu and Zhao Yun joined him; Lü Bu barely held off the three with Red Hare’s agility.
• Lü Bu withdrew after the clash, while Liu Bei’s generals recognized that they had tested his strength without committing their armies.
• Luo Yan reported to Yuan Shao that Gao Lan’s forces had been ambushed and annihilated in Mount Tai Commandery, and Gao Lan had been killed.
• Yuan Shao rejected a direct attack on Cao Cao and Liu Bei and ordered his army to sweep Mount Tai Commandery.

Yuan Shao rejected Lü Bu’s proposal for a decisive attack because his army’s food supplies were limited, while Gongsun Zan persuaded Yan Lin to break the treaty and invade Jizhou. The war expanded into a broader conflict, with its original leaders losing control over how it would unfold.

• Yuan Shao told Lü Bu that his army could not risk a prolonged campaign because it depended heavily on Qingzhou’s grain, and an exhausted rider arrived with a letter.
• Gongsun Zan urged Yan Lin to attack Yuan Shao while he was occupied fighting Cao Cao and Liu Bei, arguing that Yan State needed to seize all of Youzhou and the Yan Mountain Range.
• Yan Mu challenged Gongsun Zan over Lü Bu, the risk of a northern counterattack, and whether Yan State could hold Jizhou, but Gongsun Zan answered each concern.
• Yan Lin approved Gongsun Zan’s plan, and Gongsun Zan volunteered to lead the vanguard into Jizhou, driven by his hatred of Yuan Shao.
• Lü Bu’s and Yan Lin’s entry into the conflict widened the Central Plains war into the War of All Xia, beyond the control of Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Liu Bei.

Yan State’s surprise attack forced Yuan Shao to send Luo Yan back to defend Jizhou, while Yuan Shao tried to keep Cao Cao and Liu Bei from discovering his weakened army. After Cao Cao and Liu Bei learned the truth, they burned Yuan Shao’s tempting letters and pledged to defeat him together.

• Yuan Shao sent Luo Yan with forty thousand troops to Ye City to defend Jizhou, while Yuan Shao stayed at Guandu to face Cao Cao and Liu Bei.
• Luo Qi suspected Yuan Shao was hiding the true size of his army, and Liu Ye reasoned that Yuan Shao had fewer troops than they had believed.
• Xu You advised Yuan Shao to renounce his royal title and use the resulting divide between Cao Cao and Liu Bei to delay their attack; Yuan Shao agreed to try the plan.
• Cao Cao and Liu Bei learned that Yuan Shao’s army was weakened, but both burned his letters unread and pledged to defeat him together.

Cao Cao and Liu Bei’s coalition faced Yuan Shao as Ma Chao’s Western Liang Iron Cavalry suddenly attacked his forces. Yan Liang and Wen Chou sacrificed themselves to hold Ma Chao back, allowing Yuan Shao to escape.

• Ma Teng, Han Sui, and the western lords arrived to join the campaign, while Fa Zheng encouraged Ma Chao to seek glory on the main battlefield.
• Yuan Shao and his ministers accepted that Cao Cao and Liu Bei’s plans had succeeded, and Ju Shou, Tian Feng, Zhang He, and Xun Chen declared their loyalty to Yuan Shao.
• Cao Cao’s coalition assigned the lords to sever Yuan Shao’s Qingzhou supply route, while Liu Bei’s army fought Lü Bu and Ma Chao joined the assault on Yuan Shao.
• With his army scattered and the supply route cut off, Yuan Shao learned that Lü Bu was in grave danger and that Luo Yan was still delayed in Yan State.
• Ma Chao’s Western Liang Iron Cavalry charged Yuan Shao’s position, and Yan Liang and Wen Chou stayed behind to let Yuan Shao escape.
• Yan Liang and Wen Chou fought Ma Chao until they died, while Ma Chao abandoned his pursuit after Yuan Shao had gotten away.

Luo Yan negotiated with Yan Lin to halt Yan State’s advance into Jizhou, then led his army south toward Guandu as the war against Yuan Shao’s forces worsened. On the way, he glimpsed Zhen Mi in Ye City and continued toward the battle, unsure whether his king’s army could hold.

• Luo Yan warned Yan Lin that conquering Zhao State would leave Yan State facing the Han Dynasty Coalition, while proposing that the two states draw their borders along their current territories.
• Yan Lin agreed to the proposed arrangement and began withdrawing his army, though Shen Pei questioned whether he could be trusted after his earlier betrayal.
• Luo Yan ordered Shen Pei to defend Jizhou and told his Spirit Soldiers to protect his wife before taking the army south toward Guandu.
• As Luo Yan’s army passed Ye City, he glimpsed Zhen Mi on the walls but did not stop to see her.
• Luo Yan sent an envoy ahead to Guandu and continued south, worried by reports of Yan Liang and Wen Chou’s deaths and the worsening battle.

After Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao at Guandu, Xu You attempted to secure Zhao State’s survival but was exposed and executed. Yuan Shao’s illness worsened, and just as Luo Yan returned with reinforcements, Yuan Shao died after naming Yuan Tan his heir and entrusting Luo Yan with guiding Zhao State.

• Yuan Shao sent Xu You to Cao Cao’s camp to negotiate, but Xu You urged Cao Cao to let Zhao State survive and was executed for his covert intentions.
• A letter from Luo Yan reported the situation in Jizhou, and Yuan Shao told his army that reinforcements were coming while ordering it to hold its position.
• Yuan Shao’s illness worsened, so he named Yuan Tan as his successor and appointed Luo Yan to lead those supporting the new ruler.
• Luo Yan arrived at the camp and learned that Yuan Shao was gravely ill, then reached his bedside just as Yuan Shao died.

After Yuan Shao’s death, Luo Yan prepared Zhao State to survive by retreating to Handan and seeking time, while Cao Cao ambushed Liu Bei and a coalition of lords struck Cao’s forces across the Great River. The chapter ended with Luo Qi and Zhao Yun returning wounded to Liu Bei, who chose to press on toward Qingzhou.

• Luo Yan urged Yuan Tan to move Zhao State’s capital from Ye City to Handan, while he and the other commanders remained behind to defend Zhao State.
• Liu Bei began withdrawing toward Mount Tai, but Cao Cao ambushed his army and poisoned its grain and fodder, forcing Liu Bei to flee while Luo Qi and Zhao Yun covered the retreat.
• Fa Zheng persuaded Ma Chao to attack Cao Cao’s forces, and Ma Chao led the Western Liang Iron Cavalry across the Great River, setting fire to supplies and devastating Cao Cao’s rear army.
• Luo Yan and Lü Bu attacked Cao Cao on the northern bank, while Ma Chao halted his assault and turned toward securing Guanzhong.
• Luo Qi and Zhao Yun returned to Liu Bei badly bloodied, and Liu Bei agreed to recover Qingzhou before arranging further treatment for Luo Qi.

Luo Yan forced Cao Cao to end the war by accepting a settlement that required him to recognize Zhao and Yan and claim kingship within a year. Cao Cao became King of Wei, the feudal lords followed suit, and the Han emperor’s authority collapsed as the chapter ended with Xun Yu’s suicide and the Zhang River Agreement.

• Luo Yan’s army faced exhaustion, and he offered Cao Cao peace on the condition that Cao Cao recognize Zhao’s royal title and Yan’s imperial title and swear to claim kingship within a year.
• Cao Cao accepted the terms, ending the fighting along the Zhang River and agreeing to a boundary and mutual nonaggression.
• Liu Xie challenged Cao Cao during a troop review, and Cao Cao crushed the imperial loyalists’ conspiracy and tightened his control over the emperor.
• Cao Cao was enfeoffed as King of Wei, while Liu Bei became King of Chu, Ma Chao and Han Sui claimed the Kingship of Qin, and Lü Bu proclaimed himself King of Jin.
• Xun Yu opposed Cao Cao’s claim to kingship and later killed himself, while the Zhang River Agreement formally ended the Second All-Xia War and left the Han emperor without authority over the feudal lords.

Ji Zhao discovered that the Mandate of Heaven he had canceled was the Central Plains’ mandate to decline, while the Grasslands’ mandate would drive their rise and forceful ethnic integration. To prevent future civilizational collapses, he entered the Heavenly Pillar and became the new support for the world, leaving his descendants to shape what came next.

• Ji Zhao explored the Rule World and learned that the Mandate of Heaven he had canceled would have brought devastating natural disasters and the decline of the Central Plains.
• Ji Zhao discovered that the Grasslands’ Mandate of Heaven would make the Hu people rise through a surge of talented leaders and rapid development, and he rejected its forced ethnic integration.
• Ji Zhao decided to remove the rule governing the Grasslands’ rise instead of spending another Heaven-Tier Divine Artifact.
• Heaven warned Ji Zhao that destroying the Heavenly Pillar would collapse the developing world, then revealed that a new support could take its place.
• Ji Zhao plunged into the Heavenly Pillar, becoming the world’s new support as Heaven’s will dissipated and the system declared that he had united himself with the Way.

As Wu State attacked Jingzhou, its leaders debated surrendering to Young Master Chu, while the dying Liu Biao rejected their plans and declared he would die a minister of Han. After Liu Biao died, the Jingzhou elite burned his final message, installed Liu Cong, and prepared to surrender to Wu State.

• Cai Mao argued that Jingzhou should surrender to Wu State to preserve its people and protect the gentry's interests.
• Liu Biao drove Lady Cai from his sickroom and wrote his final declaration on white silk: he would die a minister of Han and never surrender.
• Liu Biao died, and Kuai Yue burned the silk while Cai Mao urged the leaders to install Liu Cong and surrender.
• The chapter recounted that Jingzhou submitted to Wu State and included a historian's account of Liu Biao's life and final resolve.

After Wu State took most of Jingzhou, Luo Chu weighed whether to move the capital and how to secure the Yangtze frontier. He left the capital in Jiangdong for now, appointed Liu Cong Governor of Jingzhou and admitted him to the Regency Council, while the debate over Wu State’s future strategy remained unresolved.

• Luo Chu and the Wu State fleet arrived at Jiangling, where Liu Cong and Jingzhou’s ministers submitted to Wu State.
• Luo Chu appointed Liu Cong Governor of Jingzhou and admitted him to Wu State’s Regency Council, while leaving him without real authority.
• Pang Tong explained that Xiangyang and Yiling were key to defending Jingzhou, and Luo Chu asked about Zhao Hong and a possible route into Shu.
• Lu Su, Gu Yong, and other Wu State ministers opposed moving the capital, citing Jiangdong’s interests and the danger of alerting Cao Cao and Liu Bei.
• Luo Chu decided not to move the capital for the time being, and the ministers pledged to work together to strengthen Wu State.

Liu Bei reclaimed Qingzhou and returned to Linzi, while the gravely ill Luo Chuan died after urging Liu Bei and Luo Qi to continue restoring the Han. The chapter ended with Luo Chu mourning his father in Wu State and unable to attend the funeral.

• Zhang Yan surrendered Qingzhou and its armies to Liu Bei, who celebrated his return to Linzi and promised that the Lü Clan would rise alongside the Liu Clan.
• Luo Chuan ordered the resources of Marquis Ying's Marquisate sent to Luo Qi, then fell gravely ill and later advised Liu Bei to uphold benevolence and Luo Qi to support the Han restoration.
• Luo Chuan died in Luo Qian's arms after asking Luo Qi to inherit his title and carry the marquisate's remaining defenders to Qingzhou.
• Liu Bei requested that the Han court grant Luo Chuan a posthumous title, and the court named him Marquis Ying Zhongyi.
• Luo Chu chose not to travel from Wu State to attend Luo Chuan's funeral, but began mourning his father there with Xiao Qiao's support.

Cao Cao invaded Zhao State and besieged Ye City while Zhao Chancellor Luo Yan tried to rally resistance and secure Chu State's help. Ye City fell after traitors opened its gates, and Shen Pei faced Cao Cao with the resolve to remain loyal to Yuan Tan.

• Luo Yan warned Zhao State's ministers against the Queen Mother's succession plans, then learned Wei State had attacked Ye City.
• Cao Cao's army besieged Ye City, and Yuan Tan agreed to provide grain for Liu Bei's promised intervention as Luo Yan urged Zhao State to keep fighting.
• Liu Bei sent Guan Yu's army toward the front but ordered it to wait until Wei State had been weakened, while Luo Yan led Zhao State's last army to reinforce Ye City.
• Qu Yi met Luo Yan after escaping Ye City with the First-to-Scale Battalion and reported that traitors had opened the gates and that Shen Pei was missing.
• Luo Yan and Qu Yi turned back toward Ye City to try to retake it, while Shen Pei stood before Cao Cao and refused to betray Yuan Tan.

After Ye City fell, Luo Yan and Zhao State’s remaining loyalists resisted Wei State while Cao Cao’s forces tried to exploit Zhao’s weakness and win Luo Yan over. As Cao Ang’s army pressed the front, a coup in Handan ended with Yuan Tan surrendering to Wei State, leaving Zhao State’s defenders facing the collapse of their homeland.

• Luo Yan rallied Zhao State’s ministers after Ye City fell, and Qu Yi declared that he would remain loyal to the Yuan Clan rather than surrender.
• Cao Cao divided Wei State’s forces, leading forty thousand troops to intercept Liu Bei while Cao Ang continued the campaign against Zhao State.
• Guo Jia’s trap isolated Ju Shou’s army, and Ju Shou refused repeated offers to surrender before Cao Ang ordered his men killed; Ju Shou died defending Zhao State.
• Cao Ang invited Luo Yan to surrender and hinted that Cao Cao had plans to exploit the people and things Luo Yan cared about, making Luo Yan fear that Handan was in danger.
• The Queen Mother and Yuan Shang deposed Yuan Tan and killed Tian Feng, but Yuan Tan offered to surrender to Cao Cao in exchange for Yuan Shang’s death, and the conspirators killed Yuan Shang.

After Yuan Tan killed Yuan Shang, Yuan Xi and Zhen Mi stopped him from killing Lady Liu, and he ordered Zhao State to surrender to Cao Cao. Luo Yan and Xun Chen chose to preserve Hebei’s people and families by submitting, then began planning an alliance among Hebei’s gentry.

• Yuan Tan killed Yuan Shang and nearly attacked Lady Liu, but Yuan Xi pleaded with him to spare their mother.
• Zhen Mi condemned Lady Liu’s role in the coup, and Yuan Tan set aside his anger and ordered Zhao State to surrender.
• Luo Yan and Xun Chen received Yuan Tan’s surrender decree and recognized that keeping their forces alive could protect the Yuan descendants and Hebei families.
• Luo Yan persuaded Xun Chen to remain in Hebei and help establish a new alliance among its gentry.
• Xun Chen agreed to Luo Yan’s plan to unite the former ministers and clans of Hebei under Cao Cao’s rule.