Chapter Summaries

After Xun Xian’s death, Liu Cheng returned to Tuqiu Settlement and took charge of the Northern Command’s crisis, arranging a withdrawal while preventing his subordinates from turning against one another. He proposed transferring Northern Command officials into civil posts to preserve Xun Xian’s gains and secure a peaceful transition.

• After receiving Han Bo’s message, Liu Cheng ordered Shen Jin to hold Xiaqiu and sent letters demanding reinforcements and support for Shouchun, then hurried back east through the spring rain.
• At Tuqiu Settlement, Liu Cheng learned that the Northern Command’s camps had split and warned Xi Chao, Han Bo, and Huan Xin that Xun Xian’s insecure staff officers posed the greatest danger of violence.
• Liu Cheng ordered Han Bo to oppose any unauthorized use of force, sent Xi Chao to sound out Zhuge You, and had Huan Xin bring the injured Xie Wan to Xun Xian’s mourning hall.
• At the mourning hall, Liu Cheng insisted that Xun Xian’s coffin and the Northern Command’s sick and wounded be withdrawn, while promising to defend the Mount Tai-Gaoping line with Western Command troops.
• Liu Cheng proposed that Xie Wan lead a memorial recommending Northern Command officials for civil appointments in Xuzhou’s commanderies, offering them future posts in exchange for a peaceful withdrawal.
• Zheng Xi began writing the memorial recounting Xun Xian’s achievements as the former staff officers and generals wept.

Liu Cheng and Xi Chao helped Zhuge You overcome opposition to mourn Xun Lingze, then discussed how to stabilize the Northern Command and defend Xuzhou. Liu Cheng proposed that the command could defend first and later focus on taking Qing Province, while the region’s political future remained uncertain.

• Liu Cheng arranged for Zhuge Heng to collect signatures on a memorial and sent Xi Chao to explain matters to General Liu at Yang Pass.
• Zhuge You said he wanted to offer sacrifices before Xun Lingze’s spirit, and Liu Cheng and Xi Chao escorted him to the mourning hall.
• Zhuge You mourned sincerely, recounted his history with Xun Lingze, and pledged to carry out his military orders; Zheng Xi and the others let him complete the rites and saw him out.
• After returning to Liu Cheng’s courtyard, Xi Chao and Liu Cheng discussed the Northern Command’s factional tensions and the threat from the Murong Xianbei.
• Liu Cheng suggested that Xi Chao persuade his uncle to defend Pengcheng while Zhuge You and Liu Zhuang held the mountain country around Langya and Mount Tai.
• Liu Cheng outlined a possible strategy of defending Xuzhou before contesting Qing Province, and Xi Chao noted that Xun Xian’s earlier decisions had also reflected the court’s concerns.

Han Bo reached Jiankang and reported Xun Xian’s death, the Northern Command’s crisis, and the events surrounding Liu Cheng. The court agreed to support Mount Tai and approve the Northern Command’s requested appointments, while settling on a compromise to reward Liu Cheng without appointing him commander of the Northern Command.

• Han Bo left the party carrying Xun Xian’s coffin, reached Pengcheng, then hurried onward to Jiankang, where he reported to the emperor and ministers.
• Sima Yu proposed sending envoys to Shouchun and Pengcheng with supplies and troops, and the court agreed to support Mount Tai.
• The emperor hesitated over the joint memorial, but Sima Yu and Wang Biaozhi urged him to approve it to reassure the Northern Command.
• Sima Yu argued that Liu Cheng had the ability and achievements to lead the Northern Command, but Wang Biaozhi defended Xi Tan’s appointment as Military Secretary of Xuzhou.
• Wang Biaozhi proposed granting Liu Cheng the title of General of the Guards instead of making him a Bearer of the Staff, and Wang Shu agreed to yield the title.

Han Bo told the emperor about Xun Xian’s criticism of the court and the soldiers’ suffering, then warned him that relying on incompetent maternal relatives would leave him with no capable ministers. In Yecheng, Sun Xing nearly threw himself from a terrace while protesting Murong Jun’s mass conscription, and Murong Jun later woke from a nightmare about Shi Hu.

• Han Bo explained Xun Xian’s disputes with Liu Cheng, Xi Chao, and Xie Wan, and recounted Liu Cheng’s remonstrance about Jia Jian and the soldiers’ misery in the winter rain.
• Han Bo urged the emperor to appoint men for their ability and warned that his reliance on maternal relatives would ruin the state; the emperor watched him leave, realizing he had lost another trusted adviser.
• Murong Jun accused Sun Xing of serving Murong Ke, but Sun Xing described villagers fleeing conscription and condemned the emperor’s demands for soldiers and local treasures.
• Sun Xing ran toward the railing in an attempt to die in protest, but Murong De caught him; Murong Jun agreed to stop sending envoys to demand local goods but remained unwilling to abandon the proposed levy of one and a half million men.
• Murong Jun renamed the Dragon-Riding Monastery Changning Temple, then woke from a nightmare shouting that Shi Hu had frightened him and ordering that Shi Hu’s grave be dug up.

Murong Ke persuaded Murong Jun to reduce his proposed levy of one million five hundred thousand men, warning that it could destroy Great Yan. Murong Jun agreed to a three-five levy and planned to approve the change after a local remonstrance, while Murong Ke prepared to stabilize the provinces and consider future campaigns.

• After Murong Jun ordered Shi Hu's grave opened, his attendants found an embalmed corpse, which Murong Jun whipped and kicked before having it thrown into the Zhang River.
• Murong Ke confronted Murong Jun over the levy of one million five hundred thousand men and threatened to block it with military orders.
• Murong Ke reported that he had sent Fu Yan with twenty thousand troops to stabilize Yan Province and proposed appointing Sun Xing governor while punishing Yisheng.
• Murong Jun explained that he feared for the Crown Prince and his own failing health, then proposed a three-five levy of five hundred thousand men.
• Murong Ke accepted the reduced levy and set out preparations, while Murong Jun said he would approve it after a Hebei local submitted a remonstrance.
• Murong Ke said that if Fu Yan lost, he would attack Pengcheng with one hundred thousand troops and two hundred thousand civilian laborers.

Liu Cheng considered his promotion to General of the Guards and rejected Jiang Gan’s plan to exploit unrest in Yan Province to attack Fu Yan in Mount Tai. He chose to protect the administrators and avoid provoking a larger Yan response, while Fu Jian agreed to remain with him through the coming war.

• While Fu Jian shaved him, Liu Cheng explained that he would accept the largely ceremonial General of the Guards title despite having submitted a memorial to decline it.
• Jiang Gan proposed bringing in reinforcements and encouraging administrators in Yan Province to rebel so Liu Cheng’s forces could trap Fu Yan in Mount Tai.
• Liu Cheng refused to exploit the administrators, warning that Yan might retaliate and that disrupting Murong Jun’s planned campaign could have serious consequences; he ordered Jiang Gan and Zhou Cheng to reassure them and sent Duan Si to Duke Huan.
• Liu Cheng asked Fu Jian to stay another year or two, and Fu Jian agreed to remain until Murong Jun’s winter campaign had run its course before returning to Guanzhong.
• Liu Cheng and Fu Jian joked about their futures and began shaving one another, but Liu Cheng accidentally cut Fu Jian when his hand shook.

In March, Liu Cheng’s orders intensified the fighting around Mount Tai, while Liu Agan’s daring ambush drove Yan forces from Mou County. Liu Cheng prepared to consider attacking Bo County, but Murong De arrived unarmed, bringing the visitor he had been waiting for.

• Liu Cheng issued the Three March Orders on March 8, opening a supply route along the Yi River, holding the Wen River line, and granting local commanders authority to launch engagements.
• Liu Agan lured Yan troops into a lakeside ambush with help from forces under Liu Zhuang and Zhuge You, and both sides suffered casualties.
• Fu Yan abandoned Mou County on March 24, leaving Liu Cheng reluctant to continue the costly fighting but unable to withdraw while Fu Yan remained.
• Murong De, Governor of Yan Province and commander of its military affairs, arrived unarmed to meet Liu Cheng as April began.

Liu Cheng and Murong De met during a thunderstorm to negotiate an end to their armies’ fighting around Mount Tai. They agreed on terms for a withdrawal, while Liu Cheng urged Murong De to return to Yecheng ahead of possible upheaval in Yan and a major conflict later in the year.

• Liu Cheng welcomed Murong De and questioned him about Yan’s new levy of one soldier from every three or five households.
• Liu Cheng suggested that Murong Ke might kill Murong Jun and urged Murong De to secure a post guarding Yecheng if a crisis came.
• Fu Jian proposed that Yan withdraw to Shanchi while the Imperial Army yielded Rencheng and Gaoping, and Liu Cheng explained the military and trade reasons for the arrangement.
• Murong De accepted the withdrawal terms and asked why Liu Cheng had not taken Xun Xian’s post in the Northern Command.
• Liu Cheng told Murong De that he had become General of the Guards and needed to return to Jiankang to prepare the Imperial Guards to support Duke Huan.
• Murong De asked for a replacement bag, and Liu Cheng promised to send him new ones in Yecheng.

Liu Cheng withdrew from Mount Tai after warning the Northern Command not to provoke Yan, then returned to Shouchun and prepared for the great war expected that winter. The court accepted his requested arrangements and rewards, and Liu Cheng accepted his appointment as General of the Guards on the fourth offer.

• Liu Cheng met Zhuge You and Liu Zhuang at Yang Pass, urged them to hold Xuzhou rather than attack Yan, and promised to argue against reckless orders from the court.
• Murong De’s Xianbei forces withdrew from Bo County and Fenggao, and Liu Cheng waited before sending Liu Zhuang and Zhuge You to take over Mount Tai.
• Liu Cheng warned Xi Tan in Pengcheng that Shouchun would not rescue the Northern Command if it provoked Yan, and Wang Xianzhi explained the expeditionary army’s hardships to Xi Tan.
• Liu Cheng returned to Shouchun, paid and rewarded his troops, and met Xie An, who reported political changes and the looming winter war.
• Liu Cheng ordered Xie An to resume repairing the cities, and Xie An agreed after Liu Cheng explained the need to prepare for any outcome.
• Emperor Chui followed Wang Biaozhi’s advice to approve Liu Cheng’s arrangements and rewards, and Liu Cheng accepted the General of the Guards appointment on its fourth offer.

As Huan Wen mobilized against the Xianbei, Jiankang struggled to retain control of its armies while Liu Cheng rested his troops in Shouchun and watched the northern campaign stall. The chapter ended with Murong Jun facing the prospect of abandoning Yecheng and returning to Longcheng, as uncertainty unsettled both sides.

• Huan Wen warned the court that the Xianbei had mobilized as many as six or seven hundred thousand men and demanded authority to direct the realm’s armies.
• Jiankang debated whether to support Huan Wen, restricted politically charged performances, and kept the Imperial Guards and parts of the Northern and Western Commands under court control.
• Yuan Zhen and Liu Cheng submitted their Western Command forces’ battle records and deployable units to Huan Wen, strengthening his authority despite the court’s silence.
• Liu Cheng enforced regular rest and leave for his troops while monitoring the slow, disorderly mobilization in Hebei.
• Murong Jun, refusing to dismiss the conscripts and face ridicule, said he would abandon Yecheng and return to Longcheng to pasture horses.

Murong Ke and the court tried to rein in Murong Jun’s disastrous mass levy, but the emperor insisted on assembling the men before dismissing them. As the gathering outside Yecheng brought famine, cold, and disorder, Murong Jun’s illness worsened after he repeatedly took Golden Elixirs with wine, and he collapsed before the planned review.

• Murong Ke urged Murong Jun to abandon the campaign and dismiss the Adult Males, but Murong Jun ordered Murong Ping and Muyugen to compel the local officials to assemble them first.
• Murong Ke, Feng Yi, Yang Wu, and Murong De discussed Ding Jin’s Golden Elixirs and concluded that they seemed to relieve Murong Jun’s symptoms temporarily.
• Hundreds of thousands of Adult Males crowded outside Yecheng, where shortages, freezing weather, and disorder forced Murong Ke to organize the camps and distribute cloth for winter clothing.
• Murong Ke sent Murong De to tell Murong Jun to issue an edict dismissing the men, but Murong Jun instead planned to review selected troops the next day.
• Murong Jun took Golden Elixirs with wine despite Ding Jin’s warnings, and Murong De helped him drink; later that night, Murong Jun took still more pills and wine.
• The next morning, Murong Jun tried to rise for the review but could not stand, and he fell back onto the couch.

With Murong Jun gravely ill and unable to rule, Murong Ke took charge of Great Yan’s affairs while Murong De maneuvered for influence. After Murong De helped the emperor regain brief lucidity, Murong Jun entrusted the empress and Crown Prince to Murong Ke and appointed Murong De General of the Left Guard.

• Murong De questioned Ding Daoren about Murong Jun’s chances of waking, and Murong Ke ordered the physician to keep the emperor alive and manage state affairs from the Dragon-Riding Monastery.
• Murong Ke assigned security and military duties, ordered Murong Chui back to Yecheng, and warned that leaving Aludun in Longcheng would invite disaster.
• Officials and Xianbei leaders feared succession conflict, unrest among the mobilized men, and a possible attack by Huan Wen; riots and desertions followed around the New Year.
• After hearing that Murong Jun had regained some awareness, Murong De secretly visited him and asked whether he would accept another dose of elixir; Murong Jun blinked his consent, and the empress did not object.
• Murong Jun regained enough strength to speak, summoned Murong Ke and the Crown Prince, and told Murong De to obey the empress, appointing him General of the Left Guard.

Murong Jun named regents and urged Murong Ke to take the throne, but Murong Ke refused and vowed to uphold succession by the eldest legitimate son and defend the Murong realm. Murong Jun died after asking to be buried in Longcheng, and the eleven-year-old Murong Wei ascended amid disorder as the troops were disbanded.

• Murong Jun asked Murong Ke to succeed him, but Murong Ke refused and pledged to support Murong Wei and preserve the succession laws.
• Murong Ke promised to disband the troops gathered outside the city, suppress rebellion, and resist both internal rivals and foreign attacks.
• Murong Jun and Murong Ke discussed the regents, including Duke Yang, Duke Feng, Yisheng, Muyugan, and Aludun.
• Murong Jun asked to be buried in Longcheng with his father, then remained with the empress and Crown Prince as his condition worsened.
• Murong Wei asked Murong De to offer Murong Jun another cup of wine, and Murong Jun died.
• Murong Wei ascended the throne at eleven, while the disbanded troops clashed on their way home south of Yecheng.

After Matou City’s completion ceremony began, Liu Cheng told Yuan Zhen that Huan Wen had rejected a Northern Expedition for now and planned to consolidate control south of the Yangtze. Yuan Zhen revealed that Huan Wen intended to move his headquarters to Liyang, while Liu Cheng worried that the emperor might resist and force a costly confrontation.

• Liu Cheng and Yuan Zhen met at Matou City as its ferry was completed and discussed the situation in Hebei.
• Liu Cheng explained how Murong Ke’s rivals, the Muyugen brothers, had been purged after plotting against him.
• Liu Cheng described his three letters urging Huan Wen to launch a Northern Expedition and shared Huan Wen’s detailed refusal.
• Liu Cheng said Huan Wen planned to spend three years consolidating control south of the Yangtze and intended to recall him to oversee Tuduan.
• Yuan Zhen revealed that Huan Wen planned to move his headquarters to Liyang, and Liu Cheng worried about how the emperor would respond.

Liu Cheng discussed Wang Xianzhi’s appointment and his own plans to oversee Tuduan with Xi Tan and Xie An, then recruited Xi Aqi. During a ferry-crossing ceremony, an urgent report of Murong Chui’s invasion reached Liu Cheng, leaving him poised to consider a military response.

• Xi Tan asked Liu Cheng whether Wang Xianzhi should join Huan Wen’s staff, and Liu Cheng proposed that Xie Ae accompany him to soften the political implications.
• Liu Cheng recruited Xi Aqi for his staff, while Xie An revealed that Xie Ae wanted to return to Liu Cheng rather than serve Huan Wen.
• Liu Cheng explained that he would move south to oversee Tuduan and use the work to arrange futures for his staff, while urging Xie An to preserve the possibility of a Northern Expedition.
• At the ferry-crossing ceremony, a fast dispatch boat delivered Quan Yi’s report that Murong Chui had led fifty thousand troops into Henan and might threaten Chen County or Suiyang.
• Liu Cheng cut the ceremonial ribbon with his blade and challenged the assembled leaders to provide thirty thousand troops so he could defeat Murong Chui’s force.

Liu Cheng decided to confront Murong Chui’s invasion with a river-based campaign, assembling troops to relieve Chen County and then redirecting them toward Suiyang after Chen fell. The chapter ended with Liu Cheng ordering the army to continue toward Suiyang, gambling that Murong Chui’s main force would attack there next.

• Fu Jian, Jiang Gan, Fan Ning, and Liu Huzi advised Liu Cheng that he could use the rivers and his fleet to obstruct Murong Chui’s fifty thousand troops without risking a field battle.
• Liu Cheng consulted his staff and told Xie An, Yuan Zhen, Xi Tan, and Xie Wan that he would prepare to fight, while they arranged troop deployments and contingency reports.
• Liu Cheng secured support from Yuan Zhen and Xi Tan, assembled roughly twenty-four thousand troops at Matou City, and appointed Zhou Cheng to command the Wo River defenses.
• Quan Yi’s reports confirmed Murong Chui was preparing to attack Chen County and Suiyang, so Liu Cheng sent Shen Jin and Liu Jian ahead, followed by Wang Xia and Zhu Fu.
• Fu Jian informed Liu Cheng that Chen County had fallen and Zhu Teng’s fate was unknown; Liu Cheng assessed Murong Chui’s strategy and ordered the army to turn toward Suiyang.
• Fu Jian, Quan Yi, and Jiang Gan agreed with Liu Cheng’s decision to continue the campaign, and Liu Cheng sent the vanguard toward Suiyang.

Murong Chui led his army through Henan toward the Bian River, managing rain, difficult crossings, and wavering local commanders while grieving his dead wife. After Liu Zheng offered to surrender Suiyang, Murong Chui moved his main force toward Mengzhu Marsh, where Liu Cheng and Jiang Gan prepared to contest the crossing; an account of Emperor Taizu’s rapid arrival revealed that both commanders were alarmed by the other’s speed.

• Murong Chui inspected his camp at Heze, remembered his dead wife, and woke to rain that threatened to delay the army’s march and river crossings.
• Murong Chui sent Le Li to force Wang Hui’s troops across the river and ordered Wang Hui’s Chenliu Commandery Troops to serve as the permanent rearguard under strict military discipline.
• Murong Chui’s army resumed its march, received Jia Huo and eight hundred men, and reached the Bian River, where Liu Zheng offered to surrender Suiyang.
• Murong Chui sent Le Li to take over Suiyang while the main army moved west toward Mengzhu Marsh and prepared to cross the Bian River downstream.
• Jiang Gan regretted that Liu Cheng’s forces had not drawn Murong Chui farther in, while Liu Cheng ordered them to seize the river and prevent the Yan army from building another floating bridge.
• Emperor Taizu’s account described how he and Murong Chui each reacted with alarm upon learning that the other had reached Mengzhu Marsh.

Murong Chui recognized that Liu Cheng’s fleet from Shouchun had caught his campaign off guard and ordered measures to protect his troops and seek a crossing upstream. Liu Cheng organized his forces around Mengzhu Marsh, weighing how to take Meng County and secure Suiyang, and learned that the old general Zhu had died defending Chen County.

• Murong Chui concluded that Liu Cheng had brought a large fleet from Shouchun and that someone in his army had leaked his strategic plans.
• Murong Chui ordered his troops upstream to establish camp, sent Lan Wei to direct Lan Jian toward Qiao Commandery, and tasked Gao Bi with seeking a place to build a dam.
• Liu Cheng and his commanders planned to seize Yu County, patrol the Bian River, pressure Le Li at Meng County, and strengthen contact with Liu Zheng in Suiyang.
• Zhang Zhong arrived from Suiyang with Liu Zheng’s letter, which said Liu Zheng had not authorized the Guard Army’s feigned surrender and had nearly lost the city to Le Li.
• Fu Jian reported that Liu Zheng had also received news that Old General Zhu had died for his country at Chen County.

Liu Cheng decided to seize Meng County before Yan forces could threaten his flank, while Zhu Chuo challenged Jia Huo to draw attention from Murong Chui’s camp. Le Li fled Meng County, but Liu Cheng’s army pursued and surrounded his forces as the fighting along the Bian River intensified.

• Liu Cheng concluded that Le Li would not surrender soon and ordered his troops to march on Meng County, while keeping newly arrived forces in reserve.
• Liu Cheng allowed Zhu Chuo to challenge Murong Chui, and Jia Huo answered the challenge on Murong Chui’s behalf.
• Zhu Chuo and Jia Huo fought with spears and then exchanged arrows; Zhu Chuo struck Jia Huo’s horse, and Zhu Xu helped capture Jia Huo alive.
• Liu Cheng learned that Le Li had abandoned Meng County and sent Wang Xia and Zhu Fu to pursue and cut him off.
• She Yuan’s troops caught Le Li’s forces northwest of Meng County, and Jin units attacked and surrounded them while Murong Chui’s army fought to disrupt movement along the river.
• Jin soldiers displayed captured weapons and severed heads across the Bian River, leaving Murong Chui’s army dispirited.

Liu Cheng’s commanders planned a night attack across the Bian River while moving their boats away from the vulnerable reed beds at Mengzhu Marsh. At Matou City, the approaching May Rains forced the Xianbei cavalry to abandon their chance to advance, and Xie Xuan took Xie Wan’s authority to coordinate support along the Wo River.

• Yan soldiers used grappling hooks to seize and burn five Jin boats, prompting Fu Jian to punish commanders and oversee new boat defenses.
• Liu Cheng’s officers devised a night attack from Mengzhu Marsh, and Quan Yi warned that the marsh and its boats might be vulnerable to fire or an assault.
• Liu Cheng ordered Fu Jian to move the boats south of the channel and approved Shen Jin’s night attack, supported by Liu Huzi and Gao Heng.
• At Matou City, Xie Xuan persuaded Xie Wan not to cross the Huai River and requested his staff and tally to coordinate support along the Wo River.
• Xie Xuan explained that Yuan and the Zhu generals might pursue the retreating Xianbei through the rain, and Xie Wan agreed to lend him authority.