Chapter Summaries

After the coalition’s defeat, Yuan Shao’s supporters turned their attention to Luoyang, while Gongsun Zan recovered his confidence after learning of Zhang Jue’s death. Liu Bei also learned of Zhang Jue’s death and set out for Qingzhou and Xuzhou, hoping to restore the Han, without realizing the political struggle gathering in Luoyang.

• Ju Shou, Xun Chen, and the Hebei gentry committed themselves to Yuan Shao and began planning around Luoyang.
• As Gongsun Zan and Liu Bei fled to Youzhou, Gongsun Zan doubted they could defeat Zhang Jue, while Liu Bei urged him to persevere and decided to leave for Qingzhou and Xuzhou.
• After news of Emperor Ling’s death and posthumous title reached Youzhou, Gongsun Zan regained his confidence and attracted the support of the local gentry, though he accepted that he could not yet remove the governor.
• In Qingzhou, Liu Bei praised Zhang Jue’s inauspicious posthumous title for Emperor Ling and reflected on the possibility of restoring the Han dynasty.
• When news arrived that Zhang Jue had died, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun mourned the lost chance to challenge him, while Liu Bei rejoiced and called on them to pursue a great undertaking.
• Liu Bei and his companions continued toward Qingzhou and Xuzhou rather than Luoyang.

Jia Xu and Cai Yan neared Zhao City, while Luo Zhang and the Luo Clan discussed the coming age of war after learning that Luo Xiao had broken the Han dynasty’s Mandate of Heaven and died. The clan resolved to restore its influence and help protect All Xia, then received guests sent by Luo Kong.

• Jia Xu praised Cai Yan’s talent and hinted that she would soon marry into the Luo Clan as the escort traveled toward Zhao City.
• Luo Zhang told the clan that resources had declined as trade routes faltered and the clan’s influence weakened.
• The High Priest confirmed that Zhang Jue had broken the Han Court’s Mandate of Heaven, and Luo Zhang revealed that Zhang Jue was Luo Xiao, who had died from the backlash.
• Luo Zhang reported that their ancestor said there was no Mandate of Heaven and that anyone could win the world through human effort.
• The clan proposed sending its outstanding sons into public service and having Duke Zhao’s State protect All Xia during the coming turmoil.
• A messenger announced that guests sent back by Young Master Kong had arrived.

Jia Xu and Cai Yan arrived in Zhao City and were received by the Luo Clan. In his interview with Luo Zhang, Jia Xu predicted that Dong Zhuo and Li Ru would seize Luoyang, replace Liu Bian with Liu Xie, and ensure Liu Bian’s death; Luo Zhang welcomed him into the clan.

• Luo Zhang arranged to receive Jia Xu and Cai Yan after learning Luo Kong had sent them back to Zhao City.
• Jia Xu and Cai Yan entered Zhao City, admired its orderly streets, and were assigned separate destinations in the inner city.
• Cai Yan went to Taiyin Palace to meet the Luo Clan elders, while Jia Xu went to meet Luo Zhang.
• Jia Xu recounted his background and journey with Luo Kong, then predicted that Dong Zhuo would march on Luoyang and establish Liu Xie as emperor after Liu Bian died.
• Luo Zhang praised Jia Xu’s insight and welcomed him into the Luo Clan.

Luo Zhang used the Book of Man to assess Jia Xu and considered assigning him a role in planning and political maneuvering. At Taiyin Palace, Cai Yan met Luo Clan women, whose praise of her exceptional memory made her imagine earning a place in history as Cai Wenji.

• Luo Zhang examined Jia Xu's hair with the Book of Man, which described him as a formidable strategist whose calculations left nothing unaccounted for.
• Luo Zhang considered giving Jia Xu a position involving planning and political maneuvering.
• Luo Qinghe welcomed Cai Yan to Taiyin Palace, where Cai Yan met a gathering of Luo Clan women.
• The High Priest asked Cai Yan about her reading, and Cai Yan said she could remember seventy or eighty percent of her family's extensive collection.
• The Luo Clan women praised Cai Yan's potential to become a worthy and leave her name in history, and Cai Yan eagerly considered that possibility.

Cai Yan arrived in Zhao City and was welcomed with the freedom to choose her future and marriage. In Luoyang, Wang Yun urged Diao Chan to seek safety in Zhao City, but she chose to remain, trusting Zhang Jue’s advice and waiting for the person fate would bring.

• The High Priest assured Cai Yan that she could choose her own husband and future in Zhao City, and Cai Yan thanked the women for their kindness.
• Luo Zhang received a letter Luo Xiao had written before his death, which named people to watch and urged the clan to bring Diao Chan safely to Zhao City.
• Empress Dowager He worried about ruling and protecting her young son after Zhang Jue’s death.
• Wang Yun discussed Diao Chan’s marriage prospects, but a spirit soldier reminded him that the choice belonged to her.
• Wang Yun warned Diao Chan that Luoyang was dangerous and recommended Zhao City as a refuge, but Diao Chan said she would stay because Zhang Jue had told her to remain there.

Dong Zhuo and Li Ru moved to take control of the Han court, summoning Liu Bian and Luo Kong from Chang'an to Luoyang while plotting to replace the emperor. Luo Kong refused Li Ru’s invitation and stayed beside Liu Bian and Tang Ji as the Western Liang Army marched toward the capital.

• Dong Zhuo’s army entered Hedong, alarming the Luoyang court, and a letter from Dong Zhuo warned the officials that he was bringing Liu Bian back to the city.
• Dong Zhuo and Li Ru discussed making Liu Xie emperor and eliminating Liu He and Liu Bian, but Li Ru urged Dong Zhuo to keep Luo Kong alive for the moment.
• Dong Zhuo asked Luo Kong to join his plans, but Luo Kong rejected him and Li Ru, then insisted on accompanying Liu Bian to Luoyang.
• Liu Bian and Tang Ji traveled with Luo Kong in one carriage as the Western Liang Army rode toward Luoyang.
• Dong Zhuo reflected on his rise to power and challenged the Han court’s limits on granting kingship, while Luo Kong’s rebuke and a cited historical account recalled that he had previously desisted from claiming a living king’s title.

Dong Zhuo demanded that Luoyang open its gates, claiming authority through imperial titles and threatening the city with his Western Liang Army. Empress Dowager He rejected him and ordered him to return to Liangzhou, while Li Ru urged a show of force before attempting to negotiate.

• Dong Zhuo sent Luoyang a letter listing his titles, demanding entry, and promising to overlook the court's support for the King of Yingchuan.
• Empress Dowager He and the ministers denounced Dong Zhuo's demands, and she ordered a reply refusing to open the gates unless he sent Bian, Tang Ji, and Liu Xie into the city and then withdrew.
• Dong Zhuo received Luoyang's reply and grew furious at its insults and refusal to admit his army.
• Li Ru advised Dong Zhuo to demonstrate the Western Liang Army's strength, then offer the Luoyang officials guarantees to persuade them to cooperate.
• Dong Zhuo ordered his generals to gather the troops, requisition supplies from Sili's commanderies, and prepare to attack Luoyang.

Li Ru rallied Dong Zhuo’s Western Liang generals to attack Luoyang, while Dong Zhuo’s letters tried to win over the city’s factions and the former Taiping Army commanders. The siege continued as support for letting Dong Zhuo enter began to surface, leaving Bu Cai and the other two to consider his appeal.

• Li Ru urged the Western Liang generals to seize their chance and fight, and Dong Zhuo ordered them to attack Luoyang.
• After three days of assaults, the Western Liang Army paused to reorganize and sent letters explaining its grievances and claiming it sought to restore the Great Han.
• Luoyang’s factions split over whether to admit Dong Zhuo, while the Yuan Clan and other powerful families opposed his entry and some ministers quietly supported it.
• Luo Kong warned Liu Bian that the Western Liang Army’s appeal mixed genuine grievances with excuses and that the court’s factions could not be trusted to unite.
• Dong Zhuo apologized to Bu Cai and the other two, appealed to their shared experience of discrimination, and asked them to consider cooperating with him.

Bu Cai, Zhou Cang, and Liao Hua decided to summon their Taiping Army allies as Dong Zhuo and Li Ru maneuvered to seize Luoyang. Yuan Shao and five Luo Clan Scions raced toward the city, forcing Dong Zhuo to accelerate his assault; Luoyang’s gates opened before they arrived, leaving its defenders retreating into the inner city.

• Bu Cai persuaded Zhou Cang and Liao Hua to write to their Taiping Army brothers and rely on their troops for leverage against Dong Zhuo.
• Li Ru assured Dong Zhuo that his letters would divide Luoyang’s leaders, while planning to seize the initiative before other forces arrived.
• Yuan Shao gathered ten thousand cavalry and headed for Luoyang, then joined forces in Henei with the Luo Clan’s two thousand Dare-to-Fight Warriors and five Scions led by Luo Shu.
• Yan Liang and Wen Chou warned Yuan Shao that several dozen men accompanying the Luo Clan seemed terrifyingly dangerous, and Yuan Shao ordered his troops to kill anyone blocking their route to Luoyang.
• After learning Yuan Shao and the Luo Clan were approaching, Dong Zhuo followed Li Ru’s advice to enter Luoyang that night and secure the palace, the emperor’s sons, and Empress Dowager He.
• The Western Liang Army intensified its assault, Luoyang’s gates opened, and the defenders began withdrawing toward the inner city.

After Luoyang’s warring factions reached a settlement and Liu Bian was enthroned, Luo Shu met Wang Yun and arranged for the Luo Clan to bring Diao Chan to Zhao City. Diao Chan accepted the invitation, believing the Luo Clan was connected to her benefactor Zhang Jue.

• Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao, and the other powers agreed to enthrone Liu Bian, depose Liu He, and station their armies separately in Luoyang.
• Luo Shu appeared before the newly enthroned Liu Bian and offered his congratulations on behalf of Duke Zhao’s State.
• Luo Shu approached Wang Yun with a marriage proposal for his daughter, then summoned the other Luo Clan Scions to Wang Yun’s residence.
• Diao Chan dressed to receive the Luo Clan Scions and recognized a connection between them and the benefactor she knew as Zhang Jue.
• After meeting Diao Chan, Luo Shu invited her to Zhao City, where she could choose a husband later, and she agreed to go with them.

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.