Chapter Summaries

Qiao Wei persuaded the Six Great Clans of Wu Commandery to support Luo Chu’s relief efforts and expansion, while Luo Chu hinted that he was waiting for the right moment to reveal a larger plan. After plague losses weakened Liu Bei, Chen Deng joined him, and Liu Bei proposed building a broad alliance to contain Cao Cao.

• Qiao Wei reasoned that the Six Great Clans of Wu Commandery should support Luo Chu’s campaigns rather than oppose them, so they could share in any gains.
• Lu Kang pledged the Lu Clan’s medicinal ingredients, and the other clan leaders followed by donating medicine and grain for disaster relief.
• Qiao Wei asked Luo Chu when he would announce his plans, and Luo Chu said he was waiting for an opportunity as political tensions grew.
• Liu Bei returned to Xuzhou after the plague killed a third of his soldiers, and Luo Qi brought Chen Deng to join his service.
• Luo Qi proposed an alliance with Jiangdong to deter Cao Cao, while Chen Deng explained how Yuan Shao’s war against Gongsun Zan might also pressure Cao Cao.
• Liu Bei rejected aiding Yuan Shao against Gongsun Zan and proposed a wider alliance with Gongsun Zan, Yuan Shao, Liu Biao, and Zhao Hong to balance Cao Cao.

Luo Yan used a whistle and a Haidongqing to guide Qu Yi’s army toward an ambush site while Yuan Shao’s forces pressured the divided leaders of Youzhou. After Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan held off Yuan Shao’s attack, Liu Shen reported that Gongsun Zan had turned his army against Liu Yu.

• Luo Yan summoned a Haidongqing, learned the army’s location from it, and told Qu Yi to march another hundred li before turning south toward the ambush site.
• Liu Yu rejected Gongsun Zan’s demand for an immediate decisive battle, while Gongsun Zan blamed Liu Yu for withholding provisions and weakening his army.
• Yuan Shao urged Liu Yu to proclaim himself emperor, but Liu Yu defended Liu Xie’s claim and refused.
• Yuan Shao’s army attacked, and Liu Yu committed to holding his defensive line while Gongsun Zan promised a secret special force.
• Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan refused Yuan Shao’s offer and declared that Youzhou would not surrender; after heavy losses, Yuan Shao withdrew.
• Liu Shen rushed to Liu Yu, wounded and grieving, and reported that Gongsun Zan was attacking Liu Yu’s army.

Gongsun Zan attacked Liu Yu’s weakened army and defeated it, while Liu Yu refused to submit or flee. He sent Liu Shen to seek Liu Bei, then killed himself rather than accept Gongsun Zan’s rule, leaving his fate to be remembered as a loyal servant of Great Han.

• Gongsun Zan’s Youzhou Iron Cavalry attacked Liu Yu’s exhausted army and quickly overwhelmed it.
• Liu Yu ordered Liu Shen to escape and seek Liu Bei, but refused to abandon Youzhou or submit to Gongsun Zan.
• Gongsun Zan demanded Liu Yu acknowledge him as lord, and Liu Yu denounced his betrayal of Great Han.
• Liu Yu declared he would die for Great Han and stabbed himself in the chest.
• The account recalled Liu Yu’s loyalty, his death, and the mourning of the people of Youzhou and Ji.

Yuan Shao’s plan to exploit the conflict between Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan succeeded when Gongsun Zan killed Liu Yu, leaving Yuan Shao poised to move against Youzhou. After capturing Liu Yu’s son, Liu Shen, Yuan Shao urged him to join in seeking revenge on Gongsun Zan.

• Yuan Shao explained that he had secretly coordinated with Gongsun Zan, while Tian Feng realized Yuan Shao never intended to honor their agreement and expected Gongsun Zan to turn Youzhou’s gentry against himself.
• A messenger reported that Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan had begun fighting, and Yuan Shao ordered preparations to contact Youzhou’s scholar clans and attack Gongsun Zan.
• Yuan Shao and his advisers learned that Gongsun Zan had routed Liu Yu’s army and killed Liu Yu, and they celebrated the chance to gain Youzhou.
• Yuan Shao’s scouts captured Liu Yu’s son, Liu Shen, and brought him to the command tent.
• Yuan Shao told Liu Shen that Gongsun Zan had killed his father and offered to help him take revenge; Liu Shen vowed to avenge Liu Yu.

Yuan Shao rallied the Hebei Army to avenge Liu Yu, while Gongsun Zan lost Youzhou’s support and was forced to flee. Cornered by Luo Yan and Qu Yi, Gongsun Zan was rescued by Yan State’s army and submitted to its ruler.

• Yuan Shao freed Liu Shen, who agreed to avenge his father, and called on the Hebei Army to march against Gongsun Zan.
• Gongsun Zan confronted Yuan Shao, then took Murong’s advice and sent cavalry to raid the Hebei Army’s supply routes.
• Yuan Shao won over Youzhou’s scholars and gentry, and Gongsun Zan’s seizure of their supplies triggered a rebellion that stripped away his forces and provisions.
• Luo Yan and Qu Yi’s First-to-Scale Death Warriors ambushed Gongsun Zan as he fled, while a Haidongqing pursued him from above.
• Yan State’s army arrived, and Gongsun Zan knelt before Yan Mu and submitted to the Emperor of Great Yan.

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.