Chapter Summaries

Cao Chengsi sought to consolidate power by reassuring Cao Mao’s former followers and granting Cao Lü sweeping honors, then shocked Wei State by proposing temple names for Cao Mao and earlier emperors. The news provoked outrage across the other states, while Xiao Yan and Luo Xianzhi discussed Liang State’s strategy toward Yizhou and Wei.

• Cao Chengsi and his followers agreed to delay recalling Cao Lü and to win his loyalty by promising him greater honors and hereditary authority in Yizhou.
• At the Grand Court Audience, Cao Chengsi proposed promoting Cao Lü and granting him a larger fief and the right to pass his position down through his family.
• Cao Chengsi proposed temple names for Cao Mao, then answered objections by proposing temple names for Cao Cao, Cao Pi, and Cao Rui as well.
• Wei officials left the audience outraged, while Liu Chen ordered Han writers to ridicule Wei State’s temple names and accuse Cao Lin of regicide.
• Luo Xianzhi lamented the damage to the temple-name system, and Xiao Yan said he would accept a temple name only if he earned it by uniting All Under Heaven.
• Luo Xianzhi advised Xiao Yan to focus on Liang State’s internal affairs and coordinate an advance from Nanyang Commandery toward Heluo with Yan State’s attack in Hedong.

Murong Ke explained Yan State’s long-term strategy to Murong Chui, including moving the capital to Jinyang and using the fourth Battle of Hedong to weaken Wei State. He warned Murong Chui that court fears of imperial-clan power partly targeted him, then reported the campaign plans to the emperor and Empress Dowager, who pressed him to promote officials outside the imperial family.

• Murong Ke told Murong Chui that Yan State intended to move its capital to Jinyang, conquer Hedong and Guanzhong, and keep Han State intact as a check on Liang State.
• Murong Chui correctly explained that Murong Ke had prolonged the Battles of Hedong to exhaust Wei State’s forces, and Murong Ke announced plans for a fourth campaign.
• Murong Ke warned Murong Chui that the Empress Dowager and others suspected him because he was Murong Ke’s blood brother and one of the emperor’s surviving biological sons.
• Murong Ke urged Murong Chui to value aristocratic clans as partners in governing, promised to protect him, and insisted that he join the campaign in Hedong.
• Murong Ke reported the preparations for the fourth Battle of Hedong to the emperor and told the Empress Dowager that his investigation of Yan’s imperial clansmen had found nothing suspicious.
• The Empress Dowager told Murong Ke to share important responsibilities with capable people outside the imperial clan, and Murong Ke agreed.

The Luo Clan remained secure and self-sufficient in Liaodong while waiting for a better time to emerge, and Luo Su dismissed Ji Lingjun’s concerns about turmoil in the Central Plains. In Yan State, Murong Ke responded to political pressure by launching another campaign against Wei State, leaving Ji City to lead the army.

• Luo Clan hunters used the Heart of Nature and a spirit tiger to track and subdue another tiger in the mountains around Winter City.
• Luo Xianren prayed in the Ancestral Temple as the Luo Clan’s reserves dwindled, while Ji Lingjun judged that the clan was not ready to leave Liaodong.
• Ji Lingjun told Luo Su about recent events in Wei State, and he said the upheaval would not matter once he returned to the world.
• Murong Ke recognized that the emperor and Empress Dowager were allowing his power to be divided, amid opposition from Yan State’s old nobility.
• Murong Ke announced a new war against Wei State and took command as Grand Marshal of the Western Campaign, departing Ji City for Hedong.

Murong Ke led Yan State’s campaign against Hedong while Wei State’s court struggled to respond, and Cao Chengsi schemed to profit from the expected defeat. In Liang State, Xiao Yan and Luo Xianzhi agreed to concentrate their forces on taking Yique Pass and Luoyang.

• Murong Ke told Murong Chui he would establish a Grand Xing Tai in Guanzhong for him if Yan State conquered Wei State, while warning him to preserve hope for Yan amid the Empress Dowager’s faction.
• Cao Xiu mobilized eight thousand troops to defend Heluo after learning that Murong Ke was attacking Hedong.
• Cao Chengsi proposed sowing distrust between Murong Ke and Yan State’s imperial court, then provoked two assistant regents into accepting command against Murong Ke.
• Cao Chengsi told his allies he would ensure the two assistant regents could not return to Chang’an victorious, even if he had to arrange their defeat.
• Luo Xianzhi persuaded Xiao Yan to abandon a feint against Guanzhong and focus Liang State’s campaign on breaking through Yique Pass to seize Luoyang.
• Xiao Yan requested fifty thousand additional troops and two years of provisions, and Luo Xianzhi agreed to prepare them.

Murong Chui returned to Yan’s camp with news that his eight thousand soldiers had annihilated Cao Dao’s thirty-thousand-man army, prompting Murong Ke to seek a fief and command for him in Hedong. Yan’s Empress Dowager and her allies opposed the reward, and she ordered Murong Ke recalled just as Yan’s court was preparing to strengthen the campaign.

• Murong Chui presented Cao Dao’s head and described how he routed the Wei army with an ambush, earning Murong Ke’s praise and a request that he be made Prince of Hedong.
• Murong Ke suspected Cao Chengsi had exposed Cao Dao’s reinforcements to destroy a political rival, and explained that he hoped to exploit Wei’s internal divisions by invading Guanzhong through Hedong.
• Cao Chengsi blamed Cao Dao for the defeat, assured Wei’s court that another army could hold Hedong, and learned that Murong Ke was seeking rewards for Murong Chui.
• Yan’s Empress Dowager and her relatives grew suspicious of Murong Ke’s request, and her brother urged her to recall him and oppose Murong Chui’s enfeoffment.
• At the Grand Court Audience, the Empress Dowager’s allies objected to granting Murong Chui a title before the war ended, while the Director of the Celestial Observatory claimed the war threatened Yan’s fortunes.
• Yan’s Empress Dowager ordered a Golden Token sent to Murong Ke, commanding him to bring his army back to Ji City.

Murong Ke defied twelve Golden Tokens to conquer Hedong, then returned to Ji City to face the Empress Dowager and secure a welcome and rewards for his victorious army. The emperor accepted Murong Ke’s argument, while the Empress Dowager fell silent.

• Murong Ke ignored the Court’s recall orders and led the Yan Army to conquer Hedong, defeating the Wei Army at Anyi and leaving its forces devastated.
• After his grain and fodder supplies were cut off, Murong Ke halted the advance toward Guanzhong, arranged for troops to hold Hedong, and explained to Murong Chui why he had to return to Ji City.
• Xiao Yan’s Liang Army entered Heluo and advanced toward Luoyang, while the Han State prepared to attack the Liang State and reclaim Huai-Si and Xingyang.
• Murong Ke returned to Ji City with Murong Chui and more than ten thousand troops, then entered the palace alone after learning the Empress Dowager would not welcome the army.
• Murong Ke argued that the victorious soldiers needed recognition and rewards, and the emperor agreed to lead the officials outside Ji City to welcome them.

After Liang’s costly war with Han, Xiao Yan asked Luo Xianzhi how to strengthen the state quickly, and Luo Xianzhi proposed reforms that would redirect wealth toward the treasury while protecting the common people. The chapter ended with Xiao Yan discovering that Luo Xianzhi’s proposed targets included Buddhist monasteries, despite Xiao Yan’s devotion to Buddhism.

• Xiao Yan and Luo Xianzhi surveyed the devastated Huai-Si battlefield and discussed Han’s military strength, Yan’s seizure of Hedong, and the need to defend Liang’s territory.
• Luo Xianzhi suggested that Liang could exploit Yan’s political divisions by bribing powerful nobles and arranging Murong Ke’s death.
• When Xiao Yan asked how Liang could grow stronger within a few years, Luo Xianzhi explained that the state needed to control more resources and proposed taking wealth from powerful groups.
• Luo Xianzhi warned Xiao Yan that reforms could impoverish common people unless officials restrained wealthy households and the state returned its new resources to the people.
• Xiao Yan reviewed Luo Xianzhi’s list of proposed targets and found Buddhist monasteries among them, then questioned whether Luo Xianzhi had written it by mistake.

After Emperor Xiao Yan hesitated over Luo Xianzhi’s proposal to curb Buddhist wealth, he approved a reform that would investigate religious figures, confiscate assets, and bring temples under court control. Luo Xianzhi began organizing the campaign, leaving its scope and execution as the next challenge.

• Luo Xianzhi warned Xie Daoyun that Xiao Yan’s age and changing judgment threatened Liang’s stability and their family’s safety.
• After seven days of deliberation, Xiao Yan agreed to act against Buddhism but asked Luo Xianzhi to avoid offending the gods and Buddhas.
• Luo Xianzhi proposed investigating monks and Daoists, punishing corrupt practitioners, confiscating assets, and limiting legitimate temples to those established by the court.
• Xiao Yan authorized Luo Xianzhi to carry out the reform, while requiring him to prevent bloodshed and keep the campaign from becoming excessive.
• Luo Xianzhi returned to the Secretariat and ordered the Left and Right Directors to recall provincial envoys so he could prepare the Buddhist reform.

Cao Chengsi eliminated his political opponents and tightened his control over the Wei State while the Empress Dowager and Emperor remained in his way. After Liangzhou rebelled and the Empress Dowager brought clan troops into the palace, Cao Chengsi ordered the emperor’s death and prepared to seize the throne.

• Cao Chengsi had the captured generals executed, then appointed his followers to positions across the Court and regions.
• Cao Chengsi replaced the palace guards with his own soldiers and told the Empress Dowager to remain within the palace while he took charge of state affairs.
• Cao Chengsi rejected calls to recover Hedong and Heluo, arguing that Wei should wait for Yan’s internal conflict to weaken Murong Ke.
• After Liangzhou rebelled again, Cao Chengsi suspected that his enemies were leaking military intelligence and considered cutting off grain to the Four Hexi Commanderies.
• Cao Chengsi learned that the Empress Dowager had brought clan troops into the palace, then ordered Cao Xu to arrange the emperor’s death as he prepared to seize the throne.

Cao Chengsi seized the Wei throne after the young emperor died and the Empress Dowager’s attempt to kill him failed. He answered public criticism with mass arrests and executions, while later histories recorded his coup as regicide and tyranny.

• The emperor died, and the Empress Dowager ordered her brother to summon Cao Chengsi and kill him.
• Cao Chengsi entered the palace guarded and armored, spotted the Empress Dowager’s trap, and escaped an attack by hidden archers.
• Cao Chengsi’s forces defeated the Empress Dowager’s soldiers, killed the Court Historian, and compelled her to support his accession.
• Cao Chengsi took the throne, then ordered the arrest and execution of thousands of scholars who criticized him.
• Cao Chengsi’s rule spread terror through Chang'an as scholars were tortured and buried in mass graves, while later histories condemned his coup and killings.

After Cao Chengsi’s slaughter of scholars and Cao Lü’s declaration of Shu’s independence weakened Wei State, Murong Chui seized the opportunity to invade Guanzhong. He captured Chang’an and brought Cao Chengsi before him, leaving the emperor’s fate at the point of execution.

• Luo Su told Ji Lingjun that the family’s principles endured because people still knew right from wrong, even when those who upheld them lacked power.
• After hearing that Cao Lü had declared himself King of Shu, Cao Chengsi flew into a rage and killed a palace maid, while resentment spread among those around him.
• Murong Chui persuaded his allies in Hedong to cross the Yellow River with six thousand cavalry and lead Yan forces into Guanzhong.
• Murong Chui’s troops defeated the disordered Wei army outside Chang’an, and he rallied soldiers to enter the city under the banners of the Sage King and the Luo River Goddess.
• Murong Chui’s forces captured Cao Chengsi in the Imperial Palace, where scholars denounced him as Murong Chui prepared to put him to death.

After killing Cao Chengsi, Murong Chui secured Chang'an, allied with Guanzhong's gentry, and defeated the Wei army with a strategy that exploited its soldiers' longing for home. Yan's emperor then appointed him King of Yong and gave him authority over the lands west of the passes, leaving him the ruler of Guanzhong in all but name.

• Murong Chui personally killed Cao Chengsi, then ordered his forces to seize the Cao imperial clan and press the Wei army to surrender.
• News of Murong Chui's victory reached Hedong, while Murong Ke praised his achievement and sent advice on consolidating control through Guanzhong's gentry.
• Yang Cheng and Wang Meng advised Murong Chui to make Guanzhong his base, and Murong Ke urged him to cooperate with the gentry while keeping the army under his command.
• Murong Chui promised the gentry titles and influence, then used the soldiers' families and the song “Chang'an Longing” to undermine the Wei army's resolve and win the Battle of Longxi.
• Murong Chui returned to Chang'an with more than ten thousand troops, suppressed smaller rebellions, and negotiated with the Liangzhou rebels.
• Yan's emperor appointed Murong Chui King of Yong and granted him command over the provinces and officials west of the passes.

Luo Xianzhi learned that Murong Ke had sworn the Oath on the Luo River under pressure from Yan State’s empress dowager, and predicted that the oath would bring disaster to Yan State. Luo Xianzhi and Murong Ke formed an alliance on the Yellow River to divide Han State, while Murong Chui prepared to use the coming war to expand in the west.

• Luo Xianzhi and Xiao Yan received news that Murong Ke had accepted the empress dowager’s conditions and sworn an oath to remain loyal to Yan State and lead its armies against Han State.
• Luo Xianzhi explained that the oath would bring severe backlash upon Murong Ke and the empress dowager, and urged Xiao Yan to ally with Yan State against Han State.
• Luo Xianzhi and Murong Ke met on the Yellow River, discussed Han State’s weakness, and agreed to divide its lands, with the Yellow River as their boundary and Qingzhou and Yanzhou left to whoever arrived first.
• Luo Xianzhi and Murong Ke wrote and sealed a treaty with their emperors’ seals, then parted to return to their respective states.
• Murong Ke sent word to Murong Chui that the alliance would give him time to attack Liangzhou and Shu.
• Han State’s emperor refused to receive Marquis Ying, who left the palace believing the outcome was fated.

Yan and Liang’s simultaneous invasions pushed Han toward collapse as its emperor considered surrender and Luo Zhenye urged resistance. As Luo prepared to leave Fenggao and the Marquis Ying household began to disperse, Murong Chui set out to conquer the Four Hexi Commanderies, leaving Han’s fate caught between two expanding powers.

• Murong Ke launched Yan’s all-out assault on Ye City while Xiao Yan’s Liang forces attacked Han from the south, and the Han Emperor learned of the crisis only after attending court.
• Luo Zhenye rebuked the emperor for neglecting state affairs, then denounced his willingness to surrender and declared he would fight for Han’s altars of state.
• After the emperor spoke of surrender, Luo Zhenye left Fenggao for the front and arranged for his youngest daughter to be taken to Gusu as Marquis Ying’s household began to dissolve.
• Yan’s rapid advance shattered Han’s defenses and morale as Han’s armies retreated across Hebei, Yanzhou, and Huai-Si, while Xiao Yan accelerated Liang’s campaign.
• Murong Chui chose to invade the Four Hexi Commanderies rather than Shu, left Wang Meng to govern Guanzhong, and rode west with Yang Cheng and more than ten thousand cavalry.

Yan State and Liang State strengthened their opposing positions as Cao Lü surrendered Shu to Liang, while Murong Ke negotiated a truce with Luo Xianzhi despite concealing his fatal illness. Murong Ke returned to Ji City, revealed his approaching death to the emperor, and began advising him on how to preserve Yan State after he was gone.

• Cao Lü, fearing Murong Chui’s advance into Shu and doubting Liang State’s reliability, offered Shu to Xiao Yan in exchange for a safe retirement in Kuaiji.
• Xiao Yan accepted Cao Lü’s submission, enfeoffed him as Commandery Duke of Kuaiji, and changed Liang State’s era name after acquiring Shu.
• Luo Xianzhi informed Xiao Yan that Murong Ke was fatally ill, while Murong Ke concealed his coughing blood and proposed a truce between Yan State and Liang State.
• Murong Ke and Luo Xianzhi agreed to exchange Liang State’s holdings in Mount Tai for passes north of Luoyang, then withdrew their armies.
• Murong Ke returned to Ji City, collapsed into a coughing fit before the emperor, and revealed that the Oath of the Luo River was bringing him to his death.
• Murong Ke told the emperor not to fear the King of Yong, urged him to maintain ties with Guanzhong, and warned that Liang State would eventually fracture.

Murong Ke’s death left Yan State’s emperor and Murong Chui to preserve their fragile peace, while Liang State faced a crisis when Xiao Yan accused Crown Prince Xiao Tong of using occult methods against him. Luo Xianzhi persuaded Xiao Yan that Xiao Tong had been framed and began investigating the plot.

• After the Empress Dowager of Yan State died, Murong Ke died soon afterward, and the emperor granted him the posthumous title Wen.
• Murong Chui mourned Murong Ke and promised the emperor that he would remain in Guanzhong as Yan State’s loyal western defender.
• Luo Xianzhi learned that Xiao Yan had accused Xiao Tong of using Yansheng Technique against him and rushed back to Jianye.
• Luo Xianzhi persuaded Xiao Yan that Xiao Tong had been framed, preventing the emperor from condemning his son before an investigation.
• Luo Xianzhi met the confined Xiao Tong, assured him he believed him innocent, and set out to identify those behind the plot.

Luo Xianzhi uncovered the plot against Xiao Tong, crushed the conspirators, and urged Xiao Yan to reaffirm the Crown Prince’s position. Just as Luo Xianzhi turned his attention toward weakening Yan State, Xiao Tong fell gravely ill, leaving Luo Xianzhi fearing that Heaven might undo his plans.

• Luo Xianzhi intimidated the four suspects into confessing to the conspiracy against Xiao Tong, threatened their families, and destroyed the fabricated initial record after securing truthful case records.
• Luo Xianzhi told Xiao Yan that Xiao Tong had been framed, counseled him to rule cautiously, and recommended severe punishment and public support for the Crown Prince.
• Xiao Yan ordered Luo Xianzhi to visit Xiao Tong with rewards and reassurance that he would remain Crown Prince and inherit Daliang.
• Luo Xianzhi rejected Xiao Tong’s attempt to draw him closer, explaining that his loyalty belonged to Xiao Yan, while the witchcraft and gu poison case ended with many executions and exiles.
• Luo Xianzhi urged Xiao Yan to drive a wedge between the Emperor of Yan and Murong Chui, but then learned that Xiao Tong had fallen ill with depression and feared his plans for Liang State were unraveling.

After Xiao Tong’s death, Luo Xianzhi sought a way to secure Liang’s future and used a Counterintelligence Stratagem to deepen the divide between the Emperor of Yan and Murong Chui. The letters and rumors destabilized Yan State, leaving Murong Chui wary of rebellion and the Emperor increasingly suspicious of him.

• After Xiao Tong died, Luo Xianzhi asked Xie Daoyun how he should cultivate another Crown Prince, and she advised him to observe the late Crown Prince’s children instead.
• Luo Xianzhi decided to hasten Yan State’s division and arranged for Yan and Liang to resume war on two fronts.
• Luo Xianzhi forged two letters in Xiao Yan’s voice, insulting the Emperor of Yan in one and praising Murong Chui while proposing peace in the other.
• The Emperor of Yan grew furious and suspicious after reading both letters, while a close minister and other courtiers warned that the letters were meant to drive a wedge between him and Murong Chui.
• Murong Chui recognized the stratagem, but Wang Meng and Yang Cheng urged him to prepare because the Emperor of Yan would likely fall into the trap.
• Luo Xianzhi’s rumors spread through Yan State, where ministers began demanding that Murong Chui’s privileges be revoked and the Emperor feared the other Murong princes would support him.

Luo Xianzhi’s scheme drove the Emperor of Yan to purge Murong Chui’s supporters, prompting Murong Chui to proclaim himself Emperor and split Yan State in two. As Liang State celebrated Yan’s civil war, Xiao Yan promoted Luo Xianzhi but resisted his warnings about succession and enfeoffing his sons.

• Luo Xianzhi explained to Xie Daoyun how praising Murong Chui’s virtues would make the Emperor of Yan more suspicious of him.
• A minister praised Murong Chui to the Emperor of Yan, who ordered arrests and purges of Murong Chui’s allies and the Gentry, killing more than three hundred people and over a dozen imperial relatives.
• Murong Chui learned of the slaughter, proclaimed himself Emperor of Yan, and called for the disorder to be pacified in obedience to Heaven; the Emperor of Yan celebrated the rebellion as proof of his suspicions.
• Xiao Yan praised Luo Xianzhi for helping provoke Yan’s civil war and elevated him to Chancellor, while Luo Xianzhi urged Liang State to seize Qingzhou.
• Xiao Yan proposed appointing one of Xiao Tong’s sons Crown Grandson and enfeoffing his other sons, but Luo Xianzhi warned that the plan would weaken Liang State; Xiao Yan refused to change his mind and increased Luo Xianzhi’s fief.

Xiao Yan enfeoffed his sons despite Luo Xianzhi’s warnings, while Wang Meng urged Western Yan to exploit Liang’s internal division by taking Hedong and the Lüliang Mountains. As Murong Chui’s army faced the Yan Court’s forces, three rebellions erupted within Yan, delaying both states’ ambitions to unify All Under Heaven.

• Xiao Yan ignored the arguments against enfeoffment, and his sons left Jianye to take up their fiefs.
• Wang Meng called for Great Yan to seize the Lüliang Mountains while Southern Liang was divided.
• Murong Chui crossed the Yellow River, won Hedong’s surrender in less than three months, and marched east against the Yan Court’s army.
• Murong Chui and the Court Army faced each other while the Emperor of Yan remained in Ji City.
• Three rebellions broke out within Yan State, including uprisings by the Jizhou gentry and the military.