Recaps

Liu Cheng organized Huainan’s forces and supplies, then led a Northern Expedition that brought him into conflict with Yao Xiang around Xingyang. The arc ended with Yao Xiang preparing repeated attacks on the city while Shen Jin’s defenders held their ground.

• Liu Cheng consolidated his command by recruiting staff, organizing military accounts and supply routes, registering 13,781 combat soldiers, and restarting Shenlang Coin production.
• Liu Cheng established paid posts for refugee elders and addressed Guo Man’s abuse of refugee labor, asserting authority over the army while promising relief for impoverished camps.
• Liu Cheng built support in Qiao Commandery, negotiated with Yuan Zhen, and prepared troops and supplies for Huan Wen’s campaign toward Luoyang.
• After Huan Wen ordered him to send five thousand men, Liu Cheng led about seven thousand troops north and secured fortified sites in Qiao and Chen Commanderies.
• Liu Cheng considered the dangers around Xingyang, then advanced to aid Dai Shi while Zhu Teng and his officers assessed the divided enemy forces.
• Liu Cheng secured Yangwu and nearby towns, rejected Zhou Cheng’s proposed truce, and worked with Dai Shi to draw Yao Xiang’s forces toward a trap.
• Liu Cheng negotiated with Zhou Cheng and Quan Yi, secured Dasuo City, and requested reinforcements from Mao Muzhi while preparing his army for battle.
• Yao Xiang marched toward Xingyang with nine thousand troops, but Huan Yi’s low dams disrupted his plan to cut off Zhou Cheng, so Yao Xiang ordered attacks on Shen Jin’s defenders, who rejected his surrender demand.

Liu Cheng helped defeat Yao Xiang, negotiated the Qiang surrender, and returned south without gaining the military authority he sought. As the Xianbei advanced, he led a river campaign to Zan County and captured their commander, who claimed to have saved Liu Cheng’s life.

• Yao Xiang’s forces failed to take Xingyang, and Liu Cheng’s army defeated them as Shen Jin’s troops broke into their camp and killed Yao Lan.
• Yao Xiang retreated toward Sishui Pass, then died by suicide after his army was defeated near Shouyang Mountain.
• Liu Cheng negotiated the Qiang surrender and arranged their settlement, while Huan Wen won appointment as Grand Marshal and Liu Cheng received an Attendant-in-Chief post.
• Liu Cheng returned to Shouchun, supported Xie Yi Shi, and strengthened the region as Murong Ke’s advance prompted him to prepare for war.
• After a Xianbei night attack at Zan County, Liu Cheng sent Zhuge Heng and Ding Kuang north as bait and led the main force upriver.
• Liu Cheng’s troops surrounded the Walled Settlement and defeated the Xianbei cavalry, whose captured commander claimed he had once saved Liu Cheng’s life.

Liu Cheng navigated court rivalries, strengthened Shouchun, and tried to secure Huan Wen’s commitment before joining the Northern Command’s campaign against Mount Tai. The army captured Shanchi, but Jia Jian’s defense and rebuke left Liu Cheng questioning how Jin could win the North’s trust.

• Liu Cheng defeated Murong De’s raiders, sent evidence of the victory to court, and used his success to press for stronger northern defenses while navigating disputes over the emperor’s authority and Wang Qia’s appointment.
• Murong De helped expose Murong Jun’s persecution of Lady Duan, then helped broker a settlement that sent Murong Chui to Liaodong and assigned Murong De to govern Yan Province.
• Liu Cheng returned to Shouchun, where Xie An took charge of fortifications, shipbuilding, and refugee resettlement after Xie Yi’s death and the Northern Yan court moved to Yecheng.
• Liu Cheng traveled to Jiangling and challenged Huan Wen to clarify his military and political plans, but Huan Wen rejected a move to Chang’an and instead appointed Huan Xin and Zhu Xu to Liu Cheng’s staff.
• Liu Cheng added Huan Qian and his siblings to the Huan Clan Genealogy, then returned to Shouchun and agreed to send troops under Xie Wan to support the Northern Command’s campaign against Mount Tai.
• Liu Cheng marched to Pengcheng and questioned Xun Xian’s preparations, while Xi Chao warned that Xun might be seeking control of the Northern Command and the army’s deployment carried political risks.
• Xun Xian’s army suffered heavy casualties and sickness in the winter rain before attacking Shanchi, where Liu Cheng’s forces helped capture Jia Jian after the defenders broke out.
• Jia Jian refused Xun Xian’s offer to free him and condemned Jin for abandoning China, prompting Liu Cheng to tell Han Bo to report his words and to investigate the absent Xianbei reinforcements.

After Xun Xian’s death, Liu Cheng secured a peaceful Northern Command withdrawal and returned south as Murong Jun’s mass levy destabilized Yan. When Murong Chui invaded Henan, Liu Cheng assembled an army and fought to contain him along the Bian River, while Xie Xuan prepared support along the Wo River.

• Liu Cheng led the rearguard against Murong De, then hurried back after Xun Xian’s illness worsened and helped secure a peaceful withdrawal for the Northern Command after Xun Xian died.
• Liu Cheng negotiated Yan’s withdrawal from parts of Mount Tai and returned to Shouchun, where he accepted the General of the Guards appointment and prepared for a winter war.
• Murong Jun’s mass conscription brought hundreds of thousands of men to Yecheng, and after taking Golden Elixirs and wine he fell gravely ill and died, leaving Murong Wei as the young emperor.
• Liu Cheng learned that Huan Wen would not launch a Northern Expedition and planned to move his headquarters to Liyang, then received word that Murong Chui had entered Henan with fifty thousand troops.
• Liu Cheng assembled an army at Matou City and turned toward Suiyang after Chen County fell, while Murong Chui marched toward the Bian River and tried to secure its crossings.
• Liu Cheng’s forces fought Murong Chui’s army along the Bian River, captured Jia Huo and routed Le Li’s troops near Meng County, then displayed captured weapons and severed heads across the river.
• After Yan soldiers burned five Jin boats, Liu Cheng ordered new defenses and approved Shen Jin’s night attack, while Xie Xuan secured Xie Wan’s authority to coordinate support along the Wo River.