Chapter Summaries

During Liu Che’s sacrifice to Heaven, the Sage King rejected the era name Taichu and sent down a bamboo slip naming the era Origin. Liu Che proclaimed the revelation and asked whether the Sage King had awakened, but Luo Jing said he did not know and advised sending an envoy to Zhao City.

• Liu Che’s Taichu bamboo slips burned, then a heavenly bamboo slip appeared bearing the words “Great indeed is the primal power of Heaven,” and the ministers witnessed the miracle.
• Luo Jing urged Liu Che to read the revelation aloud, and Liu Che declared Origin the Han era name and ordered it proclaimed throughout the world.
• Ji Zhao received notice that Origin had become the first era name of All Xia and gained some of Liu Che’s fortune.
• Luo Ling sensed his family’s foundation deepen and briefly wondered whether something momentous had happened in Guanzhong.
• The people in the mausoleum sang a long hymn praising the Sage King, then Liu Che asked Luo Jing whether the Sage King had awakened.
• Luo Jing said he did not know and told Liu Che to send an envoy to Zhao City to ask Duke Zhao.

Liu Che launched sweeping institutional reforms and backed Dong Zhongshu’s efforts to promote his interpretation of the Spring and Autumn Classic. Meanwhile, Chanyu Qilian debated invading the Han, but the Xiongnu kings’ fear of Luo Ling persuaded him to postpone an attack until the shaman was dead.

• Liu Che embraced institutional reform after a memorial persuaded him that a ruler who held Heaven’s mandate had to renew the state.
• Dong Zhongshu joined the Confucian Order’s lineage, became an Erudite of the Spring and Autumn Classic, and promoted his interpretation with Liu Che’s support.
• Liu Che ordered the commanderies and kingdoms to recommend worthy and virtuous people to the court, drawing many candidates to Chang’an.
• Chanyu Qilian urged the Xiongnu to invade south as pasture and livestock yields declined, but the Left Xian King warned that Luo Ling could bring another divine disaster.
• The Left Guli King said his father had survived the Yi River Valley flood, and the Xiongnu kings opposed invading the Central Plains.
• Chanyu Qilian dropped his immediate invasion plans and claimed the Han people were fortunate that he had spared them.

Students at the Imperial Academy debated whether Great Han should wage war against the Xiongnu as Liu Che reviewed growing public support for a campaign. After a new Xiongnu raid inflicted heavy losses and took only thirteen casualties, Liu Che ordered officials punished and summoned his ministers to prepare for war.

• At the Imperial Academy, Spring and Autumn Confucian students argued that Great Han had to destroy the Xiongnu, while a Huang-Lao student warned that war would cost lives and resources.
• Liu Che read memorials from across the realm and welcomed the growing support for war against the Xiongnu.
• A battle report informed Liu Che that a Xiongnu force had killed over a thousand people, slain nearly fifty Han soldiers, and carried off over a thousand more.
• When Liu Che learned that Han forces had taken only thirteen Xiongnu heads, he stripped the King of Yan Mountain of his title and ordered the Yan Mountain Commandant brought to Chang'an.
• Liu Che summoned the Great General, the Chancellor, the Marquis of Dong'e, and Dong Zhongshu, and vowed to make the Xiongnu pay for their losses.

Liu Che prepared Great Han for war against the Xiongnu, appointing Zhou Yafu to command an invasion while Jia Yi assured him the state could sustain the campaign. After the court agreed on a five-column advance, Luo Jing left for Zhao City to seek Luo Ling’s counsel.

• Luo Jing noticed Jia Yi’s declining health as they walked through the Imperial Palace and worried that the aging officials might not endure a long war.
• Liu Che showed Luo Jing, Jia Yi, Zhou Yafu, and another courtier a battle report and condemned the Han Army’s five-to-one casualty ratio against the Xiongnu.
• Liu Che pressured Zhou Yafu to defeat the Xiongnu, and Zhou Yafu pledged to return with victory.
• Jia Yi reported that Great Han had provisions, funds, and supplies to sustain a large army for years without seriously harming the country.
• Liu Che appointed Zhou Yafu supreme commander, ordered a five-column campaign to clear the Xiongnu from the grasslands south of the desert, and sent recruitment orders across Guanzhong.
• Zhou Yafu returned to the Great General’s Residence, while Luo Jing traveled to Zhao City to consult Luo Ling.

Zhou Yafu prepared the Han Army’s five-route campaign against the Xiongnu, while Chanyu Qilian rallied the tribes and planned to defeat the Han forces one by one. As the armies moved into position, Luo Jing arrived in Zhao City to discuss the war with Luo Ling.

• Zhou Yafu reviewed the Han Army’s forces and urged its commanders to repay the emperor’s trust by winning glory against the Xiongnu.
• Zhou Yafu explained that he would try to trap the Xiongnu near water and livestock, and use linked iron war chariots as a defensive moving camp if the Han Army had to retreat.
• The Left Guli King’s envoy warned Chanyu Qilian that a Han force of over a hundred thousand had entered the grasslands, and Qilian summoned the Xiongnu princes and nobles to war.
• After learning that the Han Army had split into five routes, Chanyu Qilian ordered his cavalry to crush the weakest force first and then defeat the others in turn.
• Zhou Yafu learned that Xiongnu tribes had left their grazing grounds and abruptly changed his route, advancing rapidly with chariots and cavalry.
• Luo Jing arrived in Zhao City, where Luo Ling asked whether he had come because of the war between the Han Court and the Xiongnu.

Luo Ling explained that the Han-Xiongnu war was a trial shaped by the Mandate of Heaven, while Ji Zhao awakened as a super-large expansion began. After seeing purple qi descend upon both the Han Empire and the Xiongnu, Ji Zhao reconsidered what the Mandate of Heaven represented and turned his attention to the new Child of the Mandate of Heaven, Luo Wuji.

• Luo Jing asked Luo Ling whether Zhou Yafu’s plan to divide the Han forces was wise, and Luo Ling warned that the Han and Xiongnu commanders were evenly matched.
• Luo Ling told Luo Jing that his intervention had delayed the Xiongnu’s rise, but the Xiongnu had become stronger and the Han Court now faced a test of its Mandate of Heaven.
• Ji Zhao awakened when the Han-Xiongnu war expansion began and saw purple qi descend upon both the Han Empire and the Xiongnu royal court.
• Ji Zhao reconsidered the Mandate of Heaven as a historical mission shared by powers on both sides, and reflected on how the world’s evolution had made the Luo Clan’s Yellow Tier Items unusable.
• Ji Lingjun visited the awakened Ji Zhao and told him that Luo Wuji had appeared as a Child of the Mandate of Heaven.
• Ji Zhao and Ji Lingjun settled in to observe Luo Wuji’s achievements and wondered whether he might surpass the clan’s previous military commander, A Zai.

Luo Ling agreed to watch the Han Army’s campaign against the Xiongnu while keeping the Luo Clan in Zhao City, warning that civil war threatened All Xia more than foreign enemies. On the Grasslands, Zhou Yafu’s army encountered Chanyu Qilian’s Royal Court Army as the Xiongnu besieged an isolated Han force, leaving the Marquis of Runyin prepared to fight to the death if reinforcements failed to arrive.

• Luo Jing left Luo Ling after learning that his uncle believed the war against the Xiongnu was necessary but dangerous.
• Luo Ling heard the Sage King tell him to act as he wished, then decided to go to the Grasslands while ordering the rest of the Luo Clan to remain in Zhao City.
• Zhou Yafu advanced across the Grasslands and ordered his army to form up after scouts found Chanyu Qilian’s main force.
• Chanyu Qilian avoided a decisive battle with Zhou Yafu and led most of his troops toward an isolated Han force.
• The Marquis of Runyin’s troops endured the Xiongnu assault, and he vowed that they would fight to the death rather than surrender if Zhou Yafu could not reach them.

Luo Jing told Liu Che that Luo Ling had set out for the Grasslands, easing the emperor’s fears about the campaign. Liu Che explained that he expected the first war against the Xiongnu to reveal Great Han’s weaknesses, then ordered generous support and compensation for the troops while threatening severe punishment for officials who stole supplies.

• Luo Jing told Liu Che that Luo Ling had left for the Grasslands, and Liu Che felt reassured.
• Liu Che told Jia Yi and Luo Jing that he had prepared for setbacks and wanted the campaign to build experience for future wars against the Xiongnu.
• Jia Yi reported the army’s expenses and said the treasury could fund at least two more major campaigns beyond the frontier.
• Liu Che ordered Jia Yi to supply the soldiers generously, protect their lives where possible, and compensate the families of those killed in battle.
• Liu Che warned Jia Yi that officials who skimmed military supplies would be executed.

Zhou Yafu exploited a sandstorm to launch a surprise attack that routed the Left Xian King's forces and rescued the Marquis of Runyin. Wei Qing distinguished himself by killing a Xiongnu Vice-King, and the chapter ended as Zhou Yafu prepared to face Chanyu Qilian's approaching army.

• The Left Xian King's forces pressed the isolated Marquis of Runyin's army while Chanyu Qilian halted his troops during a sandstorm.
• Zhou Yafu ordered his army to abandon its baggage and charge the Left Xian King's forces through the storm.
• The Han attack scattered the Xiongnu, and the Left Xian King fled as Zhou Yafu's infantry arrived.
• Wei Qing shot and killed a Xiongnu Vice-King, then seized his corpse as the Left Xian King escaped.
• The Marquis of Runyin reunited with Zhou Yafu, who praised Wei Qing and recorded his military achievement.
• Zhou Yafu rallied his soldiers to meet Chanyu Qilian's approaching army.

Zhou Yafu’s illness forced the Han Army to retreat across the Grasslands while the Xiongnu pursued, and he prepared to lead one final battle to protect his soldiers. Luo Ling finally reached the battlefield and drew both armies’ attention with a thunderous slap of his carriage.

• Chanyu Qilian surrounded Zhou Yafu’s army, but Han reinforcements arrived and the two sides fought to a stalemate.
• Zhou Yafu fell gravely ill and ordered the Han Army to retreat slowly while hiding his condition from the Xiongnu.
• Chanyu Qilian pursued the retreating Han Army, and Zhou Yafu realized that the Xiongnu suspected his illness.
• As the Xiongnu elite cavalry prepared to test the Han Army, Zhou Yafu ordered his troops to halt and fight one final battle.
• Luo Ling arrived near the battlefield, climbed a hill, and slapped his carriage frame so loudly that both armies turned toward him.

Luo Ling appeared alone between the Han and Xiongnu armies and used a display of supernatural power to frighten Chanyu Qilian into retreating. He ordered the Han Army to return home and warned the dying Zhou Yafu that his time was short.

• Luo Ling arrived on a hill between the armies, and the Han soldiers recognized the carriage as belonging to Grand Lord Duke Zhao.
• Zhou Yafu learned that Luo Ling had come and ordered the generals to carry him outside to pay his respects.
• Chanyu Qilian confronted Luo Ling, who summoned rain, snow, thunder, and lightning and warned that the Xiongnu must not divide All Xia.
• Chanyu Qilian became terrified and ordered the Xiongnu tribes to retreat, ending the threat to the Han Army.
• Luo Ling told Zhou Yafu to take the Han Army home and warned him that he had little time left.

After returning from the campaign against the Xiongnu, the gravely ill Zhou Yafu received Liu Che’s gratitude and recommended the Marquis of Huaiyin as his temporary successor and Wei Qing as a promising commander. Zhou Yafu died a month later, honored with a posthumous title, while Wei Qing began rising through the ranks and Luo Jing returned to Zhao City at Luo Ling’s summons.

• Liu Che praised Zhou Yafu for the campaign, rewarded its participants, and asked him to recommend a successor as Great General.
• Zhou Yafu recommended the Marquis of Huaiyin for the office and urged Liu Che to recognize Wei Qing’s courage, experience, and military achievements.
• After Zhou Yafu requested retirement, Liu Che appointed the Marquis of Huaiyin as Great General, and Wei Qing entered the Imperial Guards.
• Zhou Yafu’s health worsened, and he died a month after returning to Chang'an; Liu Che suspended court and granted him the posthumous title Marquis Jiang, Loyal and Resolute.
• Wei Qing paid his respects at Zhou Yafu’s funeral, while Luo Jing returned to Zhao City after Luo Ling summoned everyone.

Luo Ling prepared the Luo Clan for his death, then ascended as his family and Zhao City's people mourned him. His fall changed the world's underlying rules, and the Han court honored him as Sage King Zhao while Ji Zhao recognized the world’s continued transformation.

• Luo Ling told Luo Jin Xiu and Luo Wuji that he would soon meet the Sage King and warned the Luo Clan to preserve its legacy and use its reserves cautiously.
• Luo Ling advised the clan on controlling Zhao City's population and settling the surnames and inheritance of Luo Jing's descendants.
• Ji Zhao summoned Luo Ling, who turned into platinum light as the Luo Clan and Zhao City sang the Hymn of Praise to the Sage King and mourned his fall.
• Luo Jing reported Luo Ling's death to Liu Che, and Jia Yi proposed the posthumous title Sage King Zhao, which Liu Che approved.
• Ji Zhao watched the world's underlying rules change and realized that the world would continue along the course Luo Ling had established.

After Luo Ling’s death, the world’s rules grew more intricate and the system upgraded several items, giving Ji Zhao the Mystic-Tier Spirit Soldiers and Annals. Ji Zhao warned Ji Lingjun that the Luo Clan still faced unknown threats, including the Xiongnu, as the Han-Xiongnu war approached.

• Ji Zhao observed the world’s rules expanding after Luo Ling’s death and watched the mortal world pass through years of raids and battles between the Han Army and the Xiongnu.
• The system replaced the Guard item with the Mystic-Tier Spirit Soldiers and refunded Fortune Points for obsolete items.
• A Luo Clan Scion inherited the title of Duke Zhao until Luo Wuji came of age, and he received knowledge of the clan’s Divine Artifacts.
• Ji Zhao obtained the unique Mystic-Tier item Annals, which could reveal the truth of past events, and showed its effects to Ji Lingjun.
• Ji Lingjun asked to descend to the mortal world, but Ji Zhao told her to wait for a future opportunity and warned that the Luo Clan was not yet strong enough to lead All Xia.
• Ji Zhao revealed that purple qi had appeared among the Xiongnu and said a great war between the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu was approaching.

Wei Qing returned victorious from the Xiongnu campaign, and Liu Che planned to appoint him Great General. At Jiaofang Hall, Wei Qing reunited with Wei Zifu and learned that Huo Qubing hoped to join his next campaign, impressing him with his knowledge of warfare.

• Wei Qing returned to Chang'an after winning the only major victory among five armies, and Liu Che praised him and announced his plan to appoint him Great General.
• Wei Qing visited Wei Zifu, who celebrated his rise and checked that he had returned unharmed.
• Huo Qubing arrived and said his uncle by marriage had promised he could join Wei Qing's next campaign against the Xiongnu.
• Wei Zifu agreed Huo Qubing could go if he obeyed Wei Qing, while Huo Qubing privately resolved to surprise them.
• Wei Qing questioned Huo Qubing about his military knowledge, and Huo Qubing explained his studies and shared their approach to adapting strategy to circumstances.

Luo Wuji and Luo Jin Xiu left Zhao City for Chang'an, where their cousin Luo Jing welcomed them. As Luo Wuji settled in, he planned to enter court service and earn a High-ranking Marquis title by fighting the Xiongnu.

• Duke Zhao sent Luo Wuji and Luo Jin Xiu to Chang'an with three hundred Dare-to-Fight Warriors and warned Wuji to stay safe while fulfilling his second uncle's dying wish.
• Luo Jing welcomed the siblings at his residence, where the household marveled at their Sacred Marks and the formidable guards accompanying them.
• Luo Jing arranged quarters and a banquet for Luo Wuji and Luo Jin Xiu after their journey.
• While bathing, Luo Wuji considered using the Recommendation System and Luo Jing's influence to obtain an important post in Liu Che's court.
• Luo Wuji resolved to earn a High-ranking Marquis title through military service against the Xiongnu.

Luo Jing recommended his cousin Luo Wuji to Emperor Liu Che, who appointed him Eagle-Raising Commandant over 1,200 elite cavalry. After the Xiongnu raided Dai Commandery, Luo Wuji prepared to join the coming campaign and begin his military career.

• At a palace banquet, Luo Jing praised Luo Wuji's abilities and recommended him to Liu Che as a cavalry commander.
• Liu Che appointed Luo Wuji Eagle-Raising Commandant, with the prospect of leading troops in a future war against the Xiongnu.
• At the Marquis of Dong'e's Residence, Luo Wuji studied his father's map of the Western Regions and vowed to open the route there by defeating the Xiongnu.
• The Xiongnu invaded Dai Commandery, killed 1,200 civilians, and plundered supplies, prompting Great Han to issue new conscription orders.
• Luo Wuji took out and cleaned his clan-forged armor as he prepared to join the campaign.

Luo Wuji and Huo Qubing met for the first time before Wei Qing’s campaign against the Xiongnu, tested their great bows, and left impressed by each other. Their army marched from Dai Commandery toward Dragon City, where Wei Qing intended to destroy the Xiongnu Royal Court’s main forces.

• Luo Jin Xiu worried over Luo Wuji’s safety, and Luo Jing sent him off to win military merit for the Luo Clan.
• Liu Che appointed Huo Qubing Piaoyao Commandant and urged him to earn a marquisate by defeating the Xiongnu.
• Huo Qubing and Luo Wuji met under Wei Qing’s command and praised each other’s courage and skill.
• Luo Wuji and Huo Qubing rode out and shot through targets with their heavy bows, impressing the watching soldiers.
• Wei Qing led the army of one hundred and twenty thousand beyond the frontier toward Dragon City to attack the Xiongnu Royal Court.

Wei Qing organized the Han army’s advance into Henan Land and sent Huo Qubing and Luo Wuji to scout the Xiongnu. As Luo Wuji rode out with his troops, he and Huo Qubing made a wager over their military achievements in the campaign.

• Wei Qing assigned the army’s generals and ordered Huo Qubing and Luo Wuji to scout nearby Xiongnu movements without straying far from the main force.
• Wei Qing gave Huo Qubing and Luo Wuji freedom to seek military merit and wished them success.
• Huo Qubing proposed a wager with Luo Wuji: the loser would give the winner a jar of wine.
• Luo Wuji accepted Huo Qubing’s wager, and the two parted on friendly terms.
• Luo Wuji mounted his horse and called for the Eagle-Raising Commandant’s troops to ride out with him.

Luo Wuji led the Eagle-Raising Commandant's Division across the grasslands while Wei Qing advanced toward Dragon City and Huo Qubing struck out on his own. After spirit soldiers located a Xiongnu tribe of several thousand people, Luo Wuji prepared his men for their first battle.

• Luo Wuji led twelve hundred men across the grasslands, intending to find Xiongnu locals who could guide them to the tribes.
• Luo Wuji ordered his troops to rest and check their horses' hooves before continuing their search.
• Wei Qing learned that Luo Wuji and Huo Qubing had left the main army, then ordered the Han forces to follow the plan and attack Dragon City.
• Huo Qubing led his elite cavalry away to seek a surprise attack while Luo Wuji continued searching for Xiongnu tribes.
• Luo Wuji received word from scouting spirit soldiers that a tribe of several thousand people lay ahead and ordered his men to prepare for battle.