Chapter Summaries

Liu Acheng traveled through Master Du Ming’s Manor and reached Shanyin, where he offered condolences to Wang Shu’s family and visited Wang Xizhi’s residence. There he learned that Xu Yin’s family had invited Xu Changshi, a spirit medium, to perform rites for the ailing Wang Xuanzhi, leaving Liu Acheng to consider the political and personal consequences.

• Liu Acheng used Shen Jin’s proposed marriage alliance to help Wang Ahhuo reconcile with Wang Guanli and restore Wang Ahhuo’s dignity.
• Liu Acheng questioned Master Du Ming about Huan Wen, learned about Zhi Daolin’s struggle for Buddhist supremacy in Kuaiji, and unsuccessfully proposed exchanging Manors.
• Liu Acheng and Luo You reached Shanyin, offered condolences to Wang Shu’s family on Huan Wen’s behalf, and Liu Cheng comforted Wang Tanzhi and his brothers.
• Liu Acheng visited Wang Xizhi’s residence and told Xi Yin that Xi Chao wanted Zhou Horsehead brought over; Xi Yin agreed and asked about his son.
• Xi Yin explained that Wang Xuanzhi had fallen ill again, prompting Wang Xizhi’s family to invite Xu Changshi to conduct a spirit-medium ceremony after days of fasting and incense rites.
• Liu Acheng recognized Xu Changshi as Xu Mai’s younger brother, realized why Lu Song had given him meaningful looks, and left to arrange lodging for his party.

Liu Cheng used Wang Xizhi’s failure to offer condolences as a way to draw Kuaiji’s celebrated scholars together and press Wang to do so after his appointment as Interior Minister of Kuaiji. When Wang Xizhi hid from the assembled visitors, Liu Cheng dragged the medium Chief Clerk Xu into the hall and silenced him with a blow.

• Liu Cheng and Gao Rou agreed to use the dispute over Wang Xizhi’s séance and condolence visit to advance their plans concerning Jingkou and Gao Rou’s return to office.
• Liu Cheng established a camp near the Orchid Pavilion, sent members of his party to local families, and began visiting Wang Xizhi’s and Xu Xun’s households while offering condolences with Kuaiji scholars.
• After the court appointed Wang Xizhi Interior Minister of Kuaiji and General of the Right Army, Liu Cheng persuaded Xie An and the other scholars to visit Wang and urge him to offer condolences to Wang Shu.
• Wang Xizhi hid in his inner residence, so Liu Cheng summoned Chief Clerk Xu; when Xu refused to meet the visitors, Liu Cheng dragged him into the hall by his hair and struck him in the mouth with his saber’s hilt.

Liu Acheng exposed Xu Changshi as a fraud who had exploited the Wang and Xi families, then escorted him away instead of killing him. Wang Xizhi finally visited Wang Lantian’s residence, but only paid respects and left without offering condolences, worsening their rift.

• Liu Acheng presented written evidence and questioned Xu Changshi’s servants, who testified that Xu fabricated spirit messages using information gathered about the families and Wang Xuanzhi’s illness.
• Wang Xizhi accepted that Xu Changshi was a fraud but refused to have his old friend’s younger brother killed, so Liu Acheng agreed to escort him back to his native place.
• Liu Acheng and the others went to Wang Lantian’s residence to offer condolences after Wang Xizhi agreed to visit.
• Wang Xizhi entered Wang Lantian’s home, performed the mourning salute, and left without approaching the grieving family.
• Wang Lantian swore never to associate with Wang Xizhi again, while the gathered men reacted with dismay.

Liu Cheng said farewell to the Kuaiji scholars and planned his next moves, including securing a manor and inviting distinguished men north. After realizing Zhi Daolin could use a Northern Expedition to escape his local Buddhist rivals, Liu Cheng persuaded him to lead one to Jiankang and arranged to travel with him.

• Wang Shu and Liu Cheng exchanged sincere farewells, while the Kuaiji scholars prepared to leave Shanyin in different directions.
• Liu Cheng invited Sun Chuo to travel north after the summer heat and discussed his plans to secure a manor and gather scholars with Gao Rou and Luo You.
• Liu Cheng reconsidered Luo You's question about why he would not marry into a Jingzhou family and acknowledged his ambition to rise beyond Huan Wen's influence.
• Liu Cheng visited Zhi Daolin and questioned him about the backlash his aggressive efforts to dominate Kuaiji's Buddhist community had provoked.
• Liu Cheng advised Zhi Daolin to spread Buddhism by leading a Northern Expedition to Jiankang, where success would force his Kuaiji rivals either to follow or fall behind.
• Zhi Daolin agreed to organize a northward journey with Liu Cheng, inviting Kuaiji's scholars to accompany him and attend Liu Cheng's planned wedding.

Liu Acheng secured Du Ming’s manor through pressure and persuasion, then organized Kuaiji’s celebrated gentlemen to travel to Jiankang and potentially Jingzhou. After his summer tour ended, he headed north with a growing group of companions and discovered his former survival companion Qi leaving the manor with the Way of the Celestial Masters.

• Liu Acheng confronted Du Ming with Xu Changshi’s confession and secured an exchange of manors, while explaining that he would not help Lu Song beyond repaying his old kindness.
• Sun Chuo’s letter persuaded Xu Xun to travel to Jiankang with the monk Zhi Daolin, and Liu Acheng’s invitation tour attracted more Kuaiji gentry to the journey north.
• Zhu Faqian agreed to join the expedition, while Wang Xizhi’s inspection of Kuaiji’s empty treasuries and storehouses further stirred support for traveling to Jiankang.
• Liu Acheng left for Jingkou with young scholars including Yu Qiu and Shen He, after persuading his brother-in-law Shen He to accompany him to Jingzhou.
• At the manor, Liu Acheng encountered Qi, who explained that he was leaving because the property no longer belonged to the faith, and watched him hurry away with the departing procession.

Liu Cheng used Huan Wen’s threat to march from Wuchang to press Jiankang into reconciling the Upper and Lower Reaches, while assuring the Kuaiji scholars that he intended to preserve unity. After arranging his wedding for the next day, he left Jiankang as the Xie brothers prepared for a crisis and Xie An asked the ailing Xie Ju to attend the wedding in his place.

• Huan Wen sent Liu Cheng three sealed memorials declaring that he would lead eighty thousand troops downstream unless he replaced Yin Hao and took charge of the Central Plains expedition.
• Liu Cheng showed a copy of Huan Wen’s memorial to Luo You and arranged for Fu Tao to present it to Sima Yu, then gathered the Kuaiji scholars at Dong'an Temple to explain the danger.
• Liu Cheng declared that he would marry the next day and asked the Kuaiji scholars to help preserve unity between Jing and Yang; Sun Chuo agreed to convey his intentions, while Gao Rou and Xu Xun heard his appeals.
• Liu Cheng submitted the final copy of the memorial to Liu Shuang and left Jiankang to prepare for his wedding.
• Xie An and his brothers planned how to respond to Huan Wen’s threat, and Xie An asked Xie Ju to attend Liu Cheng’s wedding on behalf of the Chen Commandery Xie Clan.

Liu Acheng married Shen Daoxi and used their wedding night to explain how she should manage his Manor and unite the Liu Clan of Pengcheng and the Gao Family while he returned to Jingzhou. After three days at the Manor, he was summoned to Jiankang for a meeting as pressure over the city’s crisis mounted.

• Liu Acheng held a grand wedding with Shen Daoxi, drawing celebrated scholars and dignitaries, and the newlyweds completed the shared-gourd marriage rite.
• In the bridal chamber, Shen Awu questioned Liu Acheng about his claim that she had smiled at him before their betrothal, and he reassured her that he had remembered correctly.
• Liu Acheng explained which eminent families Shen Awu should associate with and told her to use the Manor to gather his clansmen and the Gao Family.
• Liu Acheng instructed Shen Awu to establish a Department of State Affairs and recruit experienced women to manage the Manor’s workers, marriages, disputes, and aid for families.
• Liu Acheng stayed at the Manor with Shen Awu for three days before Huan Xin arrived with Fu Xizhi, Yu Qiu, and Wu Fusheng to summon him to Jiankang for a meeting.
• Liu Acheng bade Shen Awu farewell and rode to Jiankang after hearing that Fu Tao could no longer withstand the pressure.

Liu Cheng met Sima Yu to negotiate a marriage alliance and prevent Huan Wen’s march toward Wuchang from turning into a conflict with Jiankang. He left the meeting having reframed Sima Yu’s political position and reassured him that Huan Wen sought friendship and a Northern Expedition, not rebellion.

• Liu Cheng consulted Luo You, who advised him to negotiate immediately with Sima Yu rather than wait for Yin Hao to return.
• At the Prince of Kuaiji’s residence, Liu Cheng privately learned that the proposed marriage had no serious obstacles and promised to recommend Xizhi for office in Jiankang.
• Liu Cheng met Sima Yu with Wang Biaozhi, Fan Wang, Sun Chuo, and other officials, then challenged their accusations and asked what response they intended to make to Huan Wen’s advance toward Wuchang.
• Sun Chuo explained that many favored Yin Hao’s resignation, while Wang Biaozhi argued that Sima Yu must not yield; Liu Cheng praised Wang’s reasoning and invoked the story of Lu Zijing advising Sun Quan.
• Liu Cheng told Sima Yu that he was Zhang Zhao, not Sun Quan, and argued that Huan Wen wanted a marriage alliance and a Northern Expedition rather than a downstream rebellion; Wang Biaozhi praised Liu Cheng’s debating skill.

Liu Acheng persuaded Sima Yu and Huan Wen’s representatives to reconcile through a double marriage alliance, an exchange of political exiles, and plans for the Wuchang troops to withdraw. The parties agreed on a letter and a scholarly delegation to secure the withdrawal, while the chapter ended with a later account praising Liu Acheng’s mission.

• Liu Acheng proposed betrothing Sima Yu’s two daughters to Huan Wen’s sons, and Wang Biaozhi and Xie An agreed to serve as matchmakers.
• Liu Acheng presented Huan Wen’s list of men to be sent to Jiankang, and Sima Yu accepted them, including Liu Bo, Liu Lang, and Gao Rou.
• Xie An agreed to help Fu Xizhi enter service in Jiankang, while Wang Biaozhi insisted that Huan Wen seek formal court approval before undertaking the Northern Expedition.
• Gao Song offered to write Huan Wen a letter that would let him withdraw his troops with dignity, and Liu Acheng proposed sending Sun Chuo and the Lanting Literati to Wuchang with the Zouyu Banner.
• Sun Chuo agreed to lead the delegation west, and Xie An wondered what had happened during his absence to make the gathering so harmonious.
• A later chronicle recounted that Emperor Taizu fulfilled all three aims of his mission to the Prince of Kuaiji’s residence, delighting Duke Huan.

After completing the betrothal and political arrangements, Liu Cheng left his new wife in Jingkou and returned to Jiangling, where he resumed military and logistical work ahead of the Northern Expedition. As the year ended, northern powers prepared for major campaigns, and Liu Cheng quietly awaited the wars he did not yet know were coming.

• Liu Cheng oversaw the autumn harvest, manor construction, discipline, and the departure of the Zouyu banner, Yin Hao, and Liu Huzi’s soldiers.
• Gao Rou received an appointment as Censor-in-Waiting, and Liu Jili accepted a post in Sima Yu’s residence after securing Cai Mo’s understanding.
• Huan Wen withdrew his troops after receiving the court’s letter and the Zouyu banner, while Huan Mi, Liu Bo, and Chang Qu arrived in Jiankang.
• After his marriage ceremonies concluded, Liu Cheng left Awu in Jingkou and sailed with his companions to Jiangling, where he reported to Huan Wen and arranged military postings.
• Liu Cheng resumed his duties in Jiangling as Murong Jun prepared to return to Longcheng and Fu Jian considered becoming emperor, making large-scale northern war increasingly imminent.

Liu Cheng watched Huan Wen tighten military discipline and debate when to launch the Northern Expedition, while Huan Wen decided to wait until autumn and sent Liu Cheng to warn Yin Hao and Xie Shang about Zhang Yu’s possible defection. The chapter ended with Liu Cheng reluctantly preparing to travel to Shouchun with Fu Yong’s intelligence.

• Liu Cheng and Xi Chao saw a clerk publicly beaten for falsifying reports about military horses, as strict discipline and ten-day reporting unsettled officials across Jingzhou.
• Huan Wen’s staff debated Fu Jian’s proclamation as emperor and the timing of the Northern Expedition, then agreed to wait until supplies were ready for an autumn campaign.
• Luo You warned that local officials and recruited gentry sons were taking military affairs too lightly, so Huan Wen told Liu Cheng to organize a warning at the willow-shooting assembly.
• Fu Hong returned with his brother Fu Yong, who reported that Zhang Yu was angry over denied titles and had secretly contacted Guanzhong with an intention to defect to the Di.
• Huan Wen ordered Liu Cheng to travel to Shouchun and tell Yin Hao and Xie Shang about Zhang Yu’s plans, asking them to avoid acting against him before the autumn campaign.

Liu Cheng delivered Huan Wen’s warning about Zhang Yu’s likely rebellion to Yin Hao and Xie Shang in Shouchun, where Yao Xiang’s presence made an immediate campaign against Zhang Yu seem inevitable. After the generals rejected Huan Wen’s advice to wait, Liu Cheng left with Yao Xiang’s aides and witnessed Xie Shang singing and playing pipa in public.

• Liu Cheng reached Shouchun and learned that Yin Hao and Xie Shang had gone to Mount Bagong, where they were meeting Yao Xiang.
• Liu Cheng delivered Huan Wen’s letter and reported that Zhang Yu intended to rebel because he resented his treatment and Yao Xiang’s favored status.
• Yao Xiang revealed that his forces were stationed along the Sui River, and Liu Cheng concluded that Zhang Yu felt surrounded and was likely to rebel or flee toward Guanzhong.
• Liu Cheng warned Xie Shang, Yin Hao, and Yao Xiang that an immediate advance against Zhang Yu could ruin Huan Wen’s planned autumn expedition, but the generals dismissed his advice.
• Quan Yi and Yao Chang invited Liu Cheng to meet Yao Xiang again, but Liu Cheng hesitated as they crossed the Fei River.
• Xie Shang disembarked and sang while playing pipa in the street, leaving Yao Xiang stunned and Liu Cheng applauding.

Liu Cheng assessed the Western Command’s chances against Zhang Yu, warned Liu Huzi that Yao Xiang would eventually rebel, and then rode north with Yao Xiang while building trust through candid talk and intelligence sharing. Just before they reached Suiyang, a messenger reported that Zhang Yu had rebelled.

• Liu Cheng visited Liu Huzi’s camp, learned that Xie Shang and Yin Hao were respected by their troops, and judged that the Western Command might defeat Zhang Yu but would ultimately face disaster if Yao Xiang grew stronger.
• Liu Cheng returned to Shouchun, arranged to travel north with Quan Yi, and sent Huan Wen a letter outlining his plans and warning that Yao Xiang would rebel.
• After Xie Shang delayed his departure with performances and banquets, Liu Cheng joined Yao Xiang’s party and explained to Liu Huzi why traveling with the Qiang leader was safe for now.
• Liu Cheng and Yao Xiang spoke openly about their mutual interests, then exchanged intelligence about the Central Plains, Ran Min, the Imperial Seal, and a surviving kinsman of Liu Cheng’s.
• On the evening before the party was to reach Suiyang, a Qiang messenger informed Yao Xiang that Zhang Yu had rebelled.

Liu Cheng joined Yao Xiang’s mobilization against Zhang Yu’s rebellion, studied the Qiang army’s organization, and waited as the Jin campaign stalled before Yao Xiang hurried south to press Xie Shang to act. After the Imperial Army advanced, Liu Cheng marched with the Qiang forces but found himself separated from Yao Xiang and unsure where to go.

• Liu Cheng asked Yao Xiang for armor and permission to observe the fighting, and Yao Xiang agreed to keep him with the army.
• Yao Xiang’s staff organized a rapid military mobilization, while Liu Cheng observed how the Qiang forces were held together by Yao Xiang’s extensive family network.
• At his quarters, Liu Cheng pretended to struggle with iron loin armor and met A She, who rebuked the soldiers for laughing and later warned Yao Xiang that Liu Cheng’s questions made her suspicious.
• After the Jin army stalled on the Ying River, Yao Xiang rushed south to meet Xie Shang; when Jin forces finally advanced, Liu Cheng’s squad marched west with the Qiang Central Army.
• Liu Cheng crossed the Wo River and learned that Xiangcheng had fallen and Chen County was surrounded, but Yao Xiang remained with Xie Shang across the Ying River, leaving Liu Cheng uncertain where to go.

Liu Cheng crossed the Ying River to meet Xie Shang and Yao Xiang, where his improvised frontier song delighted Xie Shang and earned him a place in an impromptu musical duet. The interlude ended with a later legend claiming that Xie Shang, Yao Xiang, and Emperor Taizu had composed the song together at the terrace.

• Liu Cheng rode across the Ying River under Duke Huan's Red Banner after choosing to seek out Xie Shang and Yao Xiang.
• Xie Shang mistook Liu Cheng's armored escort for his own troops and praised their imposing formation before the banner revealed its character, Huan.
• Liu Cheng introduced himself and accepted Xie Shang's description of him as a born general's breed without taking offense.
• Liu Cheng recited a six-line frontier song inspired by Xie Shang's Book of Songs quotation, impressing Xie Shang and Yuan Hong with its imagery and allusions.
• Xie Shang and Yao Xiang removed their armor and performed a pipa-and-qin duet on the terrace while Liu Cheng listened and applauded.
• A later account claimed that Xie Shang, Yao Xiang, and Emperor Taizu had composed the frontier song beside the Ying River.

Liu Cheng watched Xie Shang’s army abandon its cautious strategy after unauthorized troops seized Xihua, while Yao Xiang warned that neither army could be kept in hand for long. News of Ran Min’s capture and a report that Fu Jian had contained Zhang Ju persuaded Xie Shang to cross the Ying River and march north toward Xuchang, leaving Liu Cheng to ride ahead with the army.

• Yao Xiang persuaded Xie Shang to advance cautiously and wait for the Di reinforcements, though Liu Cheng thought a swift attack on Xuchang might be better.
• Liu Huzi told Liu Cheng that officers had taken Xihua without authorization and received rewards, then urged Liu Cheng to return to Jingzhou; Liu Cheng decided to stay.
• After the army’s unauthorized capture of Xihua forced Yao Xiang to move his headquarters to the Ying River, Yao Xiang warned Liu Cheng that he could delay the advance only a few more days and urged him to leave.
• News reached the headquarters that Murong Ke had captured Ran Min, prompting Liu Cheng to suspect Yao Xiang would soon abandon his remaining restraint.
• Xie Shang verified Wang Qia’s letter reporting Fu Jian’s success against Zhang Ju and ordered the army to march; Liu Cheng advised caution, but Xie Shang invited him to witness the advance.
• After the army crossed the Ying River, Liu Cheng asked Yuan Hong to assign Liu Jian to guard Admonition Bridge, then rode north with his cavalry to catch up with Xie Shang.

As the Imperial Army besieged Xuchang, Liu Cheng prepared for trouble after Zhang Yu raised a commander-in-chief banner and the Di defeated Liu Shi at Huanyuan Pass. Xie Shang and Yao Xiang ordered a retreat, but the Di cavalry reached Admonition Bridge and brought the army’s hopes of an orderly withdrawal to an end.

• Liu Cheng proposed using Zhang Yu’s apparent surrender to divide him from Yao Xiang, but Xie Shang rejected the plan and ordered the envoy away.
• Liu Cheng spotted Zhang Yu’s new banner at Xuchang, prepared his cavalry and sent riders to escort the sick toward Admonition Bridge.
• Liu Shi reported that the Di had routed his three thousand men at Huanyuan Pass, and Liu Cheng and Yao Xiang urged Xie Shang to retreat toward the Ying River.
• Liu Cheng organized retreat orders, sent supply boats downstream, appointed Liu Jian to gather troops at Admonition Bridge, and directed Yuan Hong to write further instructions.
• Liu Cheng reached Admonition Bridge, where Liu Huzi had strengthened the crossing and prepared defenses as scattered troops arrived and regrouped.
• Fu Xiong and Fu Jing led a large Di cavalry force to Admonition Bridge, where Xie Shang and Yao Xiang’s army suffered a great defeat.

After the Imperial Army was routed at the Ying River, Liu Cheng helped Xie Shang and Yao Xiang escape south by ordering them to shed their armor and travel light. At Shao Lake, he returned Xie Shang’s pipa and Yao Xiang’s qin, leaving them to face their defeat through music.

• The Di cavalry shattered the Imperial Army’s formation, and Liu Cheng crossed the Ying River to meet Yao Xiang, suspecting the Qiang rear guard had abandoned its post.
• Liu Cheng vomited after witnessing the battle’s horrors, then told Liu Huzi to hold the pontoon bridge if possible while he escorted Xie Shang south.
• Yao Xiang apologized to Xie Shang for the defeat and offered to escort him, while Liu Cheng urged Xie Shang to leave his parasol behind and shed his armor.
• Liu Cheng led Xie Shang, Yao Xiang, Yuan Hong, and a small party south for four days until they reached Shao Lake near Shouchun.
• Liu Cheng brought Xie Shang his pipa and Yao Xiang his qin, and Xie Shang admitted that singing and playing were the only things he had ever been capable of.

After Xie Shang trusted Liu Cheng, Liu laid out how the Di army would withdraw and proposed that Yao Xiang rally the northern forces to pursue them and recover Xuchang. Xie Shang entrusted Yao Xiang, Yuan Hong, and Liu Cheng with the campaign, leaving Yao to rely on Liu’s preparations to recover his people.

• Xie Shang recognized Liu Cheng’s pipa piece as “Huo Piaoyao” and declared that their shared ordeal had made him trust Liu.
• Liu Cheng explained that Fu Xiong would soon withdraw to Guanzhong and would first gather supplies and seize nearby Qiang households and followers.
• Liu Cheng proposed that Yao Xiang rally the northern troops and pursue the Di army, potentially recovering households, followers, and Xuchang.
• Yao Xiang explained that Wang Qia and Dai Shi would need to be brought into the effort, and asked Xie Shang to lend him Yuan Hong.
• Xie Shang entrusted the northern campaign to Yao Xiang, Yuan Hong, and Liu Cheng, while Liu accepted his bow of thanks.

Liu Cheng gathered surviving Jin forces and persuaded Hu Bin, Wang Qia, and Yao Xiang to join a counterattack as the Di army hurried west with captives and plunder. After Yao Xiang struck the Di column and Hu Bin halted under threat, Liu Cheng ordered Liu Jian to keep pursuing and demanded that Hu Bin move as well, leaving the campaign at a dangerous turning point.

• Liu Cheng reached Xihua, confirmed that the Di main force had gone east, and learned that Hu Bin had gathered six thousand troops at Yancheng.
• Liu Cheng persuaded Hu Bin to support a campaign against the Di, secure Liu Jian a Miscellaneous-Rank General's post if it succeeded, and move his camp to Shaoling.
• Liu Cheng convinced Wang Qia to attack Xuchang after the Di withdrew and sent requests to Huan Wen and Huan Huo for supporting attacks.
• Yao Xiang told Liu Cheng that he would lead the first pursuit, then attacked the Di column and rescued several thousand Qiang households before Fu Xiong routed his troops.
• Hu Bin halted at Linying when the Di deployed cavalry against his force, leaving Liu Jian's troops isolated.
• Liu Cheng ordered Liu Jian to continue pursuing and insisted that Hu Bin pursue too or send troops to besiege Xuchang and secure their flank.