Chapter Summaries

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao fought a costly, indecisive battle, while Yuan Shao relied on his plans to wear Gongsun Zan down and awaited Lü Bu’s cavalry. Meanwhile, Liu Bei and Cao Cao began moving against one another, exposing Liu Bei’s shortage of strategists as their armies entered Yanzhou.

• Gongsun Zan’s White Horse Volunteer Cavalry attacked Yuan Shao’s Army under mistaken orders, taking losses before withdrawing after a volley of arrows.
• Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao’s forces fought cautiously until the gongs sounded retreat, leaving both armies with casualties and neither with a decisive victory.
• Yuan Shao told his commanders that Gongsun Zan’s rashness confirmed his assessment and said he expected Hebei to win through attrition and a decisive battle.
• Ju Shou assured Yuan Shao that Jizhou had enough grain to sustain the army and Lü Bu’s approaching forces, while Lü Bu led over ten thousand cavalry toward Jizhou by way of the Taihang Mountains.
• Liu Bei marched the Qingzhou army into Yanzhou as Cao Cao led his army out to meet him, while Liu Bei’s forces remained short of strategists compared with Cao Cao’s established political team.

Luo Chuan resolved to back Liu Bei as the leading champion of the Han, while Liu Bei and Cao Cao met before their armies and argued over the emperor’s legitimacy. As Liu Bei’s followers swore to restore the Han, Xun Yu considered Cao Cao’s next move, and Yuan Shu turned his attention toward Xuzhou while vowing to punish Sun Jian for defying him.

• Luo Qian reminded Luo Chuan that Marquis Ying represented the Han’s cause wherever its people still upheld it, and Luo Chuan vowed to support Liu Bei and arrange Qi'er’s marriage to a Mi Clan Noble Lady.
• Cao Cao invited Liu Bei to discuss the world over wine, and the two leaders met between their armies with their companions present.
• Liu Bei urged Cao Cao to withdraw and recognize Liu Xie as emperor, while Cao Cao questioned the legitimacy of the Han court in Chang'an and challenged the justice of the political order.
• Liu Bei declared that the Great Han would not fall while he, Marquis Ying, and the Liu Clan remained, and Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and the others pledged to help restore it.
• Xun Yu recognized Liu Bei’s restoration banner as a source of strength and considered honoring the emperor as Cao Cao’s answer, while Liu Bei concluded that defeating Cao Cao was essential to advancing toward the emperor.
• Yuan Shu decided that Cao Cao and Liu Bei’s war gave him a chance to take Xuzhou, then erupted in anger after Sun Jian defied his orders and attacked Wu Commandery.

Zhou Yu persuaded Zhou Shang to submit Danyang Commandery to Luo Chu, who retained him as governor and prepared to resist Sun Jian’s advance with Danyang’s elite soldiers and Wu Commandery’s army. Sun Jian encountered the combined forces at Danyang, while the chapter noted that Luo Chu’s victory would force Sun Jian to turn toward the Central Plains and reshape the wider war.

• Zhou Yu urged Zhou Shang to join Luo Chu, and Zhou Shang agreed to submit Danyang Commandery while keeping some matters to settle first.
• Zhou Shang changed Danyang’s allegiance to Luo Chu and rejected Sun Jian’s claim to govern Yangzhou.
• Luo Chu arrived in Danyang, inspected Zhou Shang’s three thousand Danyang Soldiers, and retained Zhou Shang as commandery governor.
• Luo Chu ordered Zhou Shang to resist Sun Jian while Wu Commandery supplied support, provisions, and compensation for fallen soldiers.
• Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin joined Luo Chu’s forces, and Luo Chu welcomed their strength as potential generals.
• Sun Jian entered Danyang and found Zhou Shang’s elite troops backed by Wu Commandery’s main army.

Luo Chu’s forces defeated Sun Jian in Danyang, and Zhou Yu and Lu Su planned to expand Jiangdong by winning over the gentry of Jiujiang and Lujiang. Elsewhere, Yuan Shao burned Gongsun Zan’s incoming supplies and launched a decisive battle, where Qu Yi’s troops struck the White Horse Volunteer Cavalry and began to blunt their charge.

• Zhou Tai routed Chen Wu in battle, and Chen Wu later died from his internal injuries, deepening Sun Jian’s losses.
• Zhou Yu’s steady defense broke Sun Jian’s assault, forcing Sun Jian to retreat toward Jiujiang; Luo Chu then approved Zhou Yu and Lu Su’s plan to pursue control of Jiujiang and Lujiang.
• Young Master Shu informed Yuan Shao that Gongsun Zan would soon receive grain from Liu Bei and Yan State, so Yuan Shao sent Yan Liang and Wen Chou to destroy the shipment.
• After the supplies burned, Yuan Shao prepared for a final battle, while Gongsun Zan chose to rely on his White Horse Volunteer Cavalry and attack.
• Qu Yi concealed his First-to-Scale Death Warriors and Great Halberd Soldiers behind shields, then struck the charging White Horse Volunteer Cavalry with heavy crossbows, inflicting over a hundred casualties in the first clash.

At Jie Bridge, Qu Yi’s First-to-Scale Death Warriors broke the White Horse Volunteer Cavalry, and Lü Bu arrived with the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry to help rout Gongsun Zan’s army. Yuan Shao’s victory reversed the strategic situation between Jizhou and Youzhou, leaving Gongsun Zan fleeing back to Youzhou.

• Qu Yi used the narrow terrain at Jie Bridge to pin down the White Horse Volunteer Cavalry and destroy them with heavy crossbow volleys and infantry charges.
• Yuan Shao ordered his army to pursue after Qu Yi argued that this was their chance to annihilate the White Horse Volunteer Cavalry.
• Gongsun Zan tried to retreat, but a force of more than ten thousand Bingzhou cavalry under Lü Bu arrived behind his army.
• Lü Bu led Gao Shun’s Trapped-in-Battle Camp into battle while Zhang Liao advanced separately, and the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry joined Qu Yi’s attack.
• Qu Yi cut down the White Horse Volunteer Cavalry’s banner as Yuan Shao’s army pursued Gongsun Zan, whose remaining forces were killed, captured, or driven back toward Youzhou.
• Yuan Shao celebrated the victory, which left Gongsun Zan confined to Youzhou and gave Yuan Shao the initiative on the Jizhou–Youzhou front.