Chapter Summaries

After Qi State’s victory over Wei State, envoys from the six states gathered in Linzi, where Han and Wei proposed that the Duke of Qi become king. Luo Li distinguished the title of king from the unique status of the Son of Heaven, and the Duke of Qi proposed that Qi, Qin, and Chu seek kingship together; Luo Li left Linzi lamenting the outcome.

• Qin State invaded Wei State after Qi State’s victory, while Zhao and Wei sought peace and the other states sent envoys to Linzi.
• Prince Sheng praised the Duke of Qi and prepared to raise the question of kingship, but the Han Chancellor declared that Han State would honor the Duke as king.
• The Wei Chancellor joined Han’s proposal, and the assembled envoys looked to Luo Li for the Zhou Royal House’s response.
• Luo Li asked whether the Duke sought to be King of Qi or Son of Heaven of Qi, then said the lords should seek a royal mandate from the Son of Heaven of Zhou at Luoyi.
• After Lü Ji advised him to share kingship with Qin and Chu, the Duke of Qi proposed that the three states seek the title together, and Prince Sheng agreed to report the proposal to Qin.
• Luo Li left Linzi, looked back at Qi State, and said, “What a pity,” as the chapter described the proposal’s effect on the Zhou Royal House’s authority.

After King Xuan of Qi died, Yan State’s Yue Yi organized a six-state alliance against Qi, whose rulers’ ambition to annex Han gave the other states a pretext to attack. As the allied armies reached Qi’s walls, Luo Li concluded that Qi would be devastated and questioned whether sound institutions could rival wise rulers and worthy ministers.

• King Xuan of Qi died, and the passing of his generation of ministers left Qi’s new leadership arrogant and politically weaker.
• Yue Yi persuaded the Marquis of Yan to form an alliance by promising the rulers of Han, Zhao, and Wei recognition as kings and appealing to the other states’ interests.
• King An of Qi condemned Han’s new king and prepared to attack, prompting the frightened King of Han to seek help from Yan, Zhao, and Wei.
• The kings of Yan, Chu, and Qin joined the alliance against Qi, with Wei Yang advising Qin to conceal its strength while participating.
• Luo Li told Luo Ce that the alliance would cripple Qi and argued that wise rulers mattered more than institutions in determining which state would prosper.
• The armies of the six allied states arrived beneath Qi’s city walls.

Yue Yi led Yan’s army to defeat Qi’s forces, capture Linzi, and earn the King of Yan’s reward, while the other five coalition states withdrew to prevent Yan from growing too powerful. Qi’s brief revival collapsed, leaving the struggle for supremacy under heaven to continue among the remaining states.

• Yue Yi coordinated the six-state coalition’s advance, defeated Qi’s army, and alarmed the other states with Yan’s unexpected strength.
• After the five states withdrew, Yue Yi pursued Qi’s scattered forces and led Yan’s army straight to Linzi.
• Yan’s army captured Linzi in thirteen days, and Yue Yi ordered his soldiers to treat its people gently while taking the royal treasures.
• The King of Yan rewarded Yue Yi with a two-hundred-li fief and the title Lord Jing'an.
• Qi’s revived hegemony collapsed, and it withdrew from the struggle for supremacy under heaven.

After Ji Ni and Luo Ce died, upheavals across the States drove Yue Yi from Yan and helped Qi recover. In Luo State, Luo Li and Crown Prince Hong read Mengzi’s essay and resolved to bring him to the Academy.

• Ji Ni died, and Luo State persuaded the Zhou Royal House to give him a derogatory posthumous title.
• Luo Ce died after warning of future hardships for the Luo Clan, and Luo Li reassured him that the clan was ready for its mission to end.
• King Zhao of Yan died, and his successor’s distrust drove Yue Yi to flee to Zhao; without Yue Yi, Yan lost its war against Qi.
• Luo Li described how Confucian education and the adoption of other schools’ ideas had helped the Confucian School grow stronger.
• Luo Li read Mengzi’s essay and praised its defense of righteousness, while Crown Prince Hong urged Kong Qi to invite Mengzi to Luo State.

Luo Hong welcomed Meng Ke to Luo State and offered him a marriage into the Ducal House, winning his trust and hearing his arguments for limiting rulers’ power and valuing the people. Meng Ke planned to persuade other states to adopt the Way of the King, and Luo Hong promised to equip him for a journey to Wei State after his wedding.

• Luo Hong warmly received Meng Ke and offered him his younger paternal cousin in marriage, which Meng Ke accepted after consulting his mother.
• With the marriage bond established, Meng Ke explained his arguments that ministers should restrain unjust rulers and that the people mattered more than a ruler.
• Luo Hong agreed that unchecked royal power could bring disaster and discussed the political interests behind the Luo Clan’s support for ministerial authority.
• Meng Ke argued that a ruler who practiced the Way of the King could attract people from neighboring states and overcome rivals such as Qin State.
• Luo Hong agreed to provide Meng Ke with books, guards, and recorders for his planned journey to Wei State after the wedding.

Mengzi traveled to Qi State to advise King Shen on rebuilding after the war, but the king rejected his call to govern through benevolence and righteousness. After winning fame in debates, Mengzi left Qi State content to uphold Luo State’s way rather than compromise his convictions.

• Mengzi traveled to Qi State with Meng Ji, Gongzi Qiwen, and Luo State guards, and King Shen warmly received him.
• King Shen asked how Qi State could regain its strength, and Mengzi urged him to ease taxes and labor, care for the people, and follow Luo State’s way of the king.
• King Shen admired Mengzi but rejected his political advice because he still sought hegemony.
• Mengzi debated the Qi Mohists and Legalists, defeating them in arguments as Luo State companions recorded his words and sent them home.
• King Shen personally saw Mengzi off and regretted that he could not employ him.
• Luo Qiwen asked whether Mengzi regretted failing to use his practical abilities, and Mengzi replied that he would not abandon the way he believed in.

Qin State’s capture of Hangu Pass alarmed the Zhou Royal House and Chu State, while reform-minded Chu nobles sought the Xiang Clan Head’s support. As Luo Hong and Luo Li considered whether Qin might hold the Mandate of Heaven, they identified Zhao State’s military reforms as a possible counterweight.

• Qin State defeated Wei State, seized its lands, and captured Hangu Pass, completing its defensive line and alarming the Zhou Royal House and Chu State.
• Reform-minded Chu nobles asked the Xiang Clan Head to lead change, but he argued that reform would fail under the current King and proposed preparing the Crown Prince for the throne instead.
• The Xiang Clan Head asked that talented young clansmen go to Luo State to ask the Marquis of Luo whether Chu still bore the Mandate of Heaven.
• Luo Hong received letters from the Zhou Royal House and the Xiang Clan, and he and Luo Li discussed Qin State’s growing power and the other states’ inability to unite against it.
• Luo Hong pointed to Zhao State’s military reforms as a possible path to challenge Qin and resolved to keep a close watch on Qin State.

Su Qin built a six-state Vertical Alliance that forced Qin to withdraw from Wei, while Zhang Yi urged Qin to undermine the alliance through bribery and discord. As the States shifted toward new diplomatic struggles, Luo Hong reflected on the people caught in rulers’ schemes, while Zhuang Zhou and Mengzi pursued their own paths.

• Luo Hong watched a departing carriage and horse leave Zhao City and discussed why talented people did not always need to remain in Luo.
• Su Qin persuaded the King of Zhao to appoint him minister and send him to Chu, where he secured a marriage alliance and a treaty against Qin.
• Su Qin brought Wei into the Vertical Alliance by promising it time to recover, and the six states’ treaty compelled Qin to withdraw its army from Wei.
• The King of Qin ordered his ministers to recruit talent and sow discord among the six states, while Zhang Yi proposed bribery and division instead of coercion.
• Luo Hong played a board game with Zhuang Zhou and reflected on how people became pieces in the struggles of rulers and ministers.
• Mengzi abandoned efforts to gain employment in Wei and Qi, choosing instead to lecture and train disciples so his teachings could endure.

Luo Zai learned that King Dang of Qin had moved the Yong Province tripod and prepared the Luo State Ruling House to fight for the Nine Tripods. In Luoyi, King Dang’s act convinced those present that Qin had seized part of the Zhou State’s Mandate of Heaven.

• Qiao Cheng brought Luo Zai a letter reporting that King Dang of Qin had reached Luoyi and demanded to see the Nine Tripods.
• Luo Zai and Qiao Cheng decided the Luo State Ruling House could not allow Qin to take the tripods and would fight to the death if necessary.
• King Dang of Qin entered Luoyi with elite troops and humiliated Ji Nuo, the Son of Heaven of Zhou, before demanding to see the Nine Tripods.
• King Dang of Qin tested the tripods, then lifted the one representing Yong Province and declared that it belonged to Qin.
• The onlookers were shocked when the Yong Province tripod moved, and King Dang of Qin laughed that the Zhou House’s Mandate of Heaven was fading.

Luo Zai led Luo State’s warriors, joined by Han and Wei forces, to ambush King Dang of Qin and recover the Yongzhou King Ding. King Dang died during the battle after collapsing, and Luo Zai ordered his troops to retake the tripod.

• Luo Hong gave Luo Zai permission to kill King Dang and entrusted him with a Mandate of Heaven Divine Artifact that summoned ten puppet guards.
• Luo Zai gathered the Dare-to-Fight Warriors, barred men without offspring from joining, and led them out of Luo State.
• Luo Zai warned Han and Wei that King Dang had seized the tripod; both states sent armies to join the ambush.
• King Dang’s army began transporting the Yongzhou King Ding from Luoyi, and Luo Zai’s allied forces confronted them by the Luo River.
• Luo Zai and King Dang fought, but King Dang collapsed and died after blood flowed from his eyes and nose; the Qin army fled.
• Luo Zai ordered his forces to retake the Yongzhou King Ding.

After Luo Zai defeated Qin and recovered the Yongzhou King Ding, Nuo, Son of Heaven entrusted all Nine Tripods to Luo State, recognizing that the Zhou Royal House could no longer protect them. Luo Zai took the tripods and the Royal House’s women to Zhao City, while the Zhou men remained in Luoyi, and Ji Zhao gained the unique Earth-Tier Item Origin Tripod.

• Luo Zai ordered King Dang of Qin’s body prepared with royal rites and decided to return the Yongzhou King Ding to Luoyi.
• Nuo, Son of Heaven, learned that King Dang had died and asked Luo Zai why he had been able to move the tripod; Luo Zai said Qin might have obtained part of Zhou’s Mandate of Heaven.
• Nuo, Son of Heaven, offered to entrust the Nine Tripods to Luo State and move them with the Royal House’s women to Zhao City, but Luo Zai said his offer had come too late.
• Nuo, Son of Heaven, formally bestowed the Nine Tripods on Luo State, and Luo Zai accepted them on behalf of the state.
• Ji Zhao gained fortune, prestige, and the unique Earth-Tier Item Origin Tripod, which could reset a person’s attributes, talents, and potential.
• Luo Zai led the Nine Tripods and the Royal House’s women out of Luoyi toward Zhao City, while the men of the Royal House remained behind.

Han and Wei tried to seize King Yu’s Nine Tripods from Luo Zai, but Luo Zai led the Luo State Dare-to-Fight Warriors against Han’s army and killed the king of Han. The king of Wei remained with his army as Luo Zai’s forces turned toward the wider confrontation.

• The kings of Han and Wei confronted Luo Zai at the border and demanded that he hand over the Nine Tripods.
• Luo Zai rebuked the king of Han for claiming a right to the tripods, and the king of Han ordered his army to attack.
• Luo Zai led the six thousand Dare-to-Fight Warriors into Han’s larger force, while the king of Han’s troops hesitated and then loosed arrows into the melee.
• Luo Zai summoned ten armored guards, helping break the Han army, and charged toward the king of Han.
• Luo Zai killed the king of Han and raised his body as the Dare-to-Fight Warriors announced his death.

Luo Zai killed the King of Han and forced the King of Wei to retreat, then returned to Luo with King Yu’s Nine Tripods. Luo State welcomed the sacred vessels with a grand ceremony, and Luo Hong declared that the Mandate of Heaven rested with Zhou and Luo.

• Luo Zai displayed the King of Han’s corpse and threatened the King of Wei as routed Han troops disrupted Wei’s formations.
• The King of Wei claimed he had come to escort Luo Zai and withdrew with his army after Luo Zai let him go.
• Luo Zai told Qiao Cheng that killing the King of Wei would cost Luo State lives and strengthen Qin State, so they should not pursue him.
• Luo Zai returned to Zhao City with the Dare-to-Fight Warriors and King Yu’s Nine Tripods, and the people of Luo knelt in welcome.
• Luo Hong held a grand sacrifice for the Nine Tripods and proclaimed that the Mandate of Heaven endured through the Zhou Royal House and Luo State Ruling House.

After King Ji of Qin appointed Bai Qi, Bai Qi annihilated the armies of Han and Wei and repeatedly seized territory from Han, Wei, and Chu. As Qin besieged Luoyi, the three states sent envoys to Luo State seeking help from Luo Zai.

• Nuo praised Luo Zai after hearing that he had killed the King of Han, while Ji succeeded his half-brother as King of Qin and sought a great general.
• Bai Qi promised King Ji that he would confront Luo State and won the king’s trust.
• Bai Qi led Qin to annihilate the combined Han and Wei army, forcing Han and Wei to cede cities and sue for peace.
• Luo Zai studied reports of Bai Qi’s victories and recognized him as a formidable enemy.
• Bai Qi won three major battles against Chu and continued taking territory from Han, Wei, and Chu.
• When Qin besieged Luoyi, envoys from Han, Wei, and Chu arrived in Luo State with lavish gifts.

Envoys from Chu, Han, and Wei asked Luo Zai to intervene against Qin, offering troops and gifts in exchange for his help. As Bai Qi’s army besieged Luoyi, Nuo, Son of Heaven, rejected his son Prince Yi’s call to surrender and prepared to defend the Zhou Royal House.

• Qu Yuan, Prince Xiaochen, and Prince Yin arrived in Luo State to persuade Luo Zai to act against Qin.
• Qu Yuan urged Luo Zai to oppose Qin’s attack on Zhou, while the princes of Han and Wei offered troops and treasures.
• Luo Zai affirmed that the Son of Heaven of Zhou had done no wrong, and Chu, Wei, and Han pledged troops to lift the siege of Luoyi.
• Bai Qi waited outside Luoyi, expecting internal disorder or surrender rather than launching an assault.
• Nuo, Son of Heaven, prayed at the Ancestral Temple and vowed to defend the Zhou Royal House.
• Prince Yi urged his father to surrender to Qin, but Nuo struck him and insisted that a Son of Heaven of Zhou must die fighting rather than submit.

Luo Zai led Luo State’s forces east to join Han, Wei, and Chu against Bai Qi, while both commanders tested each other in their first clash. Bai Qi withdrew rather than face Luo Zai directly, leaving the war to turn toward maneuver and strategy.

• Luo Zai accepted the armed Luo People’s request to join the campaign and led the Dare-to-Fight Warriors toward Luoyi, followed by Luo State’s elite soldiers and hidden reserves.
• Luo Zai’s advisers urged him to exploit Qin’s strained supply lines by dividing the battlefield and winning smaller engagements, and Luo Zai voiced concern about discord among the allied states.
• After learning that Luo Zai commanded the allied forces, Bai Qi shifted his deployments to target enemies on every side instead of prioritizing the siege of Luoyi.
• Luo Zai led elite troops through the Qin formations, striking points where orders had stalled before returning to camp and raising the allied army’s morale.
• Bai Qi recognized Luo Zai’s ability to exploit weaknesses, reinforced his personal protection, and chose to avoid a direct confrontation while waiting for an opportunity.
• When the Qin Army withdrew, Luo Zai concluded that Bai Qi intended to rely on strategy rather than meet him head-on.

Luo Zai outmaneuvered Bai Qi’s plans and led the allied armies of Han, Wei, and Chu to relieve Luoyi, where he promised Nuo, Son of Heaven, to fight Qin State. The armies prepared for a larger clash as Luo Zai routed Qin troops in battle, while Bai Qi chose Chu State as the point to break the alliance.

• Luo Zai had experts map the battlefield’s routes to anticipate Bai Qi’s deployments and counter his strategies.
• Bai Qi told Prince Bi that he would face Luo Zai rather than abandon Qin State’s ambitions, and King Ji of Qin agreed the battle could not be avoided.
• Luo Zai arrived at Luoyi with the allied armies, reunited with Nuo, Son of Heaven, and pledged to fight Qin State.
• Luo Zai divided the battlefield into three sections and planned a pitched battle north of Luoyi, while Bai Qi recognized his intentions and continued building fortifications.
• Luo Zai led Han, Wei, and Chu troops into battle, killed two Qin generals, seized their banners, and caused part of the Qin Army to rout.
• Bai Qi chose Chu State as his point of attack, hoping to sever the allied armies’ supply routes and exhaust them.

Xiang Zeng sought Luo Zai’s help in using the war against Bai Qi to purge Chu State nobles bribed by Qin State, while the Xiang Clan committed troops and its sons to the campaign. Luo Zai agreed to their plan, which would let Chu State recover and prepare to reclaim Yingdu.

• Xiang Zeng told Xiang Ju that Qin State was bribing Chu State officials and that Crown Prince Zai had repeatedly checked Bai Qi’s attacks.
• Xiang Ju urged Xiang Zeng to visit Luo Zai and said the Xiang Clan could stake everything on victory.
• Xiang Zeng warned Luo Zai about Qin State’s bribes and offered Xiang Clan troops, including its sons, as vanguard fighters in exchange for help removing the compromised nobles.
• Xiang Zeng explained that the Xiang Clan wanted to defeat the nobles’ elite troops, expose their treason to the King, and seize their fiefs, but feared weakening Chu State without Luo Zai’s support.
• Luo Zai agreed to help, and the two clans planned to let Chu State’s army appear divided before revealing its true forces against Bai Qi.

Luo Zai chose to risk the Luo Clan in battle rather than accept a quiet retreat, while Bai Qi prepared to break the coalition by exploiting the battlefield and Chu State’s turmoil. As the armies clashed, Bai Qi realized Luo Zai was waiting for reinforcements, but their source soon became apparent.

• Luo Zai rejected the cautious plan of retreating from Zhao City and ordered his forces to prepare for battle, with Luo Hong supporting him.
• Bai Qi and Prince Ti discussed Chu State’s unrest and planned to split and wear down the coalition rather than attempt to encircle Luo Zai.
• Luo Zai held the coalition’s center with most of its elite troops as Bai Qi’s Qin army attacked and gained the upper hand.
• Luo Zai sent Qiao Cheng and elite soldiers to support Han State’s weak troops on the left wing.
• Bai Qi suspected Luo Zai was waiting for reinforcements, and the truth soon became plain.

At the Battle of Luoyi, Xiang Zeng led Chu reinforcements into the Qin Army’s flank, turning the tide and allowing Luo Zai to rout the Qin forces. Bai Qi retreated west with the surviving troops, while Luo Zai and Xiang Zeng pursued them and reclaimed the initiative for Chu and Luo.

• Bai Qi recognized that Crown Prince Zai’s placement of the faltering Chu Army was suspicious and ordered Prince Ti to regroup the Qin right wing and avoid pursuing.
• Xiang Zeng seized control of Chu State’s capital, detained the Old Nobles, and led fresh troops through the mountain paths to attack the Qin flank.
• The Xiang Banner restored the Chu Army’s morale, and Xiang Zeng’s surprise assault shattered the Qin camps’ command and sent their troops fleeing.
• Luo Zai charged into the disordered Qin formations with his guards and Dare-to-Fight Warriors, joining Xiang Zeng in driving the enemy into defeat.
• Bai Qi withdrew west of Luo with the surviving Qin troops and accepted responsibility for the loss, while Luo Zai and Xiang Zeng advanced after them.