Recaps

Yang Hu confronted the five Southern Xiongnu division commanders with evidence that Liu Meng had plotted rebellion against Great Wei. Liu Meng’s expression changed as Yang Hu accused him, and his fate remained unresolved.

• Liu Meng urged the other division commanders to reclaim pastures beyond the frontier, but they mocked and dismissed him.
• Yang Hu and Inspector Xianyu Si prepared to act against Liu Meng on Minister Pei’s instructions.
• Yang Hu entered the commanders’ meeting, questioned them about their divisions, and presented letters accusing Liu Meng of plotting rebellion.
• Yang Hu denounced Liu Meng for seeking rebellion despite the Imperial Court’s benevolence, leaving Liu Meng alarmed.

Yang Hu subdued Liu Meng after he tried to attack him, then heard Liu Bao and other tribal commanders request permission to adopt farming, schooling, and Central Plains customs. The commanders’ fear of repeating the fate of the tribes in Yongliang prompted their requests, while Yang Hu continued planning for the growing Xianbei threat.

• Liu Meng accused Wei of breaking its promises, then lunged at Yang Hu and was beaten down by Liu Jing and the other tribal commanders.
• Yang Hu had guards take Liu Meng away and was preparing to leave when Liu Bao asked him to submit proposals for farmland, tenant farming, schooling, and new policies to the emperor.
• Liu Jing asked Yang Hu to submit the same request, and he told two hesitant commanders that tribes in Yongliang had been killed after refusing to accept civilization.
• The two commanders hurried after Yang Hu and insisted they too wished to accept civilization and submit memorials, believing refusal might bring them the same fate.
• Liu Bao explained the misunderstanding to Yang Hu and Xianyu Si, while Yang Hu considered the sharper conflicts in Bing Province and Youzhou and prepared cavalry to counter the Xianbei.

Cao Mao sent Pei Xiu to Yongliang to forcibly integrate the Qiang and Hu into registered households, while Pei Kai received a posting in Shu. On the fronts, Lu Kang reorganized Wu’s defenses against Wei’s advance, while Puyang Xing’s forced labor project sparked growing resentment across Wu.

• Cao Mao approved Pei Xiu’s plan to register Yongliang’s Qiang and Hu as ordinary subjects and ordered him to avoid repeating Deng Ai’s excesses.
• Pei Xiu urged Pei Kai to accept Xun Xu’s recommendation for a post in Shu, where he could gain experience serving as an official.
• Lu Kang advised Shi Ji and Ding Feng to abandon exposed ground, concentrate forces at key junctions, and evacuate the population and resources.
• Wang Ji and Wen Qin captured territory in Jingzhou but were stopped at key routes into Lingling, Hengyang, and Nan Commanderies.
• Puyang Xing launched a vast corvée project around Danyang Lake, and officials forced whole households and soldiers to labor, causing casualties and widespread resentment.

Cao Mao chose to punish Sima Zhao without a formal trial, and He Zeng began dismantling the Sima Family and condemning Sima Yi’s legacy. Cao Mao then turned his attention to the campaign against Wu, deciding to build warships and wait for Wu’s great clans to lose hope and surrender.

• Cao Mao ordered the ailing Wang Su to rest, and Zhang Hua suggested that Wang Su feared being implicated in Sima Zhao’s crimes.
• Cao Mao decided that Sima Zhao should take his own life rather than face a formal trial that could implicate many related clans.
• He Zeng prosecuted members of the Sima Family, and Sima Gan died after being tortured in prison.
• He Zeng accused Sima Yi of usurping power and persecuting loyal ministers, while Cao Mao ordered Sima Yi’s titles and honors stripped and his remains treated as those of a commoner.
• Cao Mao told Zhang Hua to stay out of the purge and focus on affairs in Yongliang with Pei Xiu.
• Cao Mao judged that Wang Ji and Wen Qin’s campaign against Wu would make limited gains, so he planned to build warships until Wu’s great clans chose to surrender.

Cao Mao’s reforms had weakened powder use and restored the authority of the law in Luoyang, where guards arrested a powder user who tried to buy wine. Cao Mao visited Yang Zong in prison and urged him to believe that meaningful change was possible, then continued putting surrendered Shu officials to work according to their abilities.

• A powder-taking old man tried to buy wine, but the shopkeeper refused to serve him and scholars and bystanders rebuked him.
• Armored guards arrived, arrested the old man, and drew cheers from the crowd.
• Cao Mao spoke with Yang Zong in prison, reminding him that his reforms had changed the world and that Sima Yi had suffered retribution for his crimes.
• Yang Zong wept as Cao Mao left, and Cao Mao told Zhang Hua that they would have to wait to learn whether Yang Zong would agree to serve him.
• Cao Mao assigned surrendered Shu officials, including Dong Jue, Fan Jian, and Qiao Zhou, to posts suited to their abilities.

Cao Mao recruited Yang Zong and summoned Ma Jun, who asked him to spare two talented Shu artisans, Li Zhuan and Pu Yuan. As Zhang Hua searched for Pu Yuan, Yang Zong left prison with both wine and an official post, then urged an investigation into another prisoner’s case.

• Cao Mao recruited Yang Zong after arranging to monitor him and brought Zhang Hua back toward the palace.
• Cao Mao welcomed Ma Jun, who pleaded for Pu Yuan and Li Zhuan, and Cao Mao ordered Zhang Hua to find them.
• Zhang Hua brought Li Zhuan to Taiji Hall, where he and Ma Jun eagerly discussed mechanical crafts and their shared scholarly connections.
• Yang Zong left prison after choosing both the Sage Wine and the palace attendant cavalryman’s seal and ribbon.
• Yang Zong asked the prison clerk to investigate whether the prisoner held beside him had been forced to take the blame.

Liu Yin arrived in Hanzhong as its new commandery governor after Emperor Liu Shan pardoned him for criticizing the court. As he restored local administration and found the imprisoned artisan Pu Yuan, Pu Yuan condemned him for serving Wei, and Liu Yin responded in anger.

• Liu Yin arrived in Hanzhong in a prisoner cart, identified himself as the new commandery governor, and explained that he had been pardoned after criticizing the emperor over Jiang Wei’s death.
• Liu Yin ordered Xun Zou to finish registering public fields and began reshaping Hanzhong’s administration and restoring cultivation.
• Liu Yin visited the mining fields and recognized the elderly prisoner Pu Yuan, the famed Shu artisan who had forged him a fine saber.
• Liu Yin forced Pu Yuan into his carriage and brought him to his residence, where he offered to recommend him to Wei’s Ministry of Works.
• Pu Yuan accused Liu Yin of being a spineless Shu man, and Liu Yin slammed down his wine cup and glared at him.

Liu Yin convinced Pu Yuan to serve Wei by explaining why he had surrendered and how Cao Mao treated former Shu officials. Cao Mao appointed Zhang Hua to oversee military and civil affairs in Ba-Shu, leaving both ruler and trusted minister reluctant to part.

• Liu Yin defended his surrender to Pu Yuan, describing the hardships he and the people of Shu had endured and declaring that he now served Cao Mao.
• Liu Yin showed Pu Yuan an imperial edict ordering officials to find the artisan and send him to Luoyang, persuading Pu Yuan to reconsider returning home.
• Yang Zong warned Cao Mao that powerful families might exploit appointments in Shu to seize land and recommended sending a trusted official to oversee the region.
• Yang Zong proposed Zhang Hua for the post, and Cao Mao reluctantly appointed him imperial commissioner over Ba-Shu’s military and civil affairs.
• Zhang Hua accepted the appointment after Cao Mao gave him lengthy instructions, and Yang Zong quietly drank wine as they said goodbye.

After Sima Zhao’s death, Cao Mao visited Sima Yan and urged him to find a way to redeem his clan through his own actions rather than mourn helplessly. Cao Mao then discussed sparing some of the Sima family and reviewed preparations for the eventual conquest of Eastern Wu.

• Sima Yan knelt before Sima Zhao’s spirit tablet as the disgraced Sima Family faced a reckoning.
• Cao Mao joined Sima Yan, acknowledged the price the Sima clan had paid for its choices, and encouraged him to prove through his conduct that not every member of the family was wicked.
• Sima Yan asked why the whole clan had to be implicated, and Cao Mao explained that he had spared Sima Yan and his brother because of their friendship.
• Yang Zong suggested sparing some Sima relatives for their usefulness against powerful clans, and Cao Mao agreed to leave the question of revising harsh punishments until the realm was pacified.
• Cao Mao returned to Taiji Hall and reviewed memorials about Ba-Shu and Guanqiu Jian’s shipbuilding preparations for the campaign against Eastern Wu.

Puyang Xing’s forced corvée and construction projects fueled unrest across Eastern Wu, while Sun Xiu ignored Lu Kang’s warning and let the project continue. In Shouchun, Guanqiu Jian learned that Jiaozhi had rebelled against Wu and submitted to Wei, bringing the prospect of conquering Eastern Wu closer.

• Lu Kang blamed Puyang Xing’s forced transport of people for a rebellion that cut his supply route, then sent Sun Xiu a warning about the unrest and its danger to the war effort.
• Sun Xiu told Puyang Xing to involve the great clans in the project without disrupting agriculture, and Puyang Xing sought Zhang Bu’s advice on how to comply.
• Zhang Bu urged Puyang Xing to keep suppressing the great clans, while Puyang Xing feared their private troops and considered continuing to burden commoners.
• Guanqiu Jian rejected conscripting more laborers at Shouchun, saying it would undermine Wei’s effort to defeat Wu, and told Zhang Te that capturing Sun Xiu would bring them merit.
• A scout informed Guanqiu Jian that Jiaozhi had submitted to Wei after Lü Xing and others killed Governor Sun Xu in an uprising against forced conscription.

Cao Mao assigned Ma Long, Wen Yang, and Cheng Cui to new regional posts and received news that Jiaozhi Commandery had risen against Eastern Wu. He ordered forces to support the uprising and summoned Chen Qian and Deng Ai to discuss taking Jiaozhou.

• Cao Mao advised Ma Long on governing Yongliang and warned Wen Yang to obey Yang Hu and avoid provoking the Xianbei.
• Wen Yang joked that Cao Mao valued him more because he had been told not to beat officials, while Ma Long urged him to obey his commanding general.
• Yang Zong reported that officials in Jiaozhi had killed their commandery governor and raised an army after abuses ordered by Puyang Xing.
• Cao Mao ordered Huo Yi to return to Nanzhong and Zhuge Dan to send men to support Wen Qin and take over Jiaozhi Commandery.
• Cao Mao summoned Chen Qian and Deng Ai to discuss the situation in Eastern Wu.

Deng Ai proposed threatening Jianye with a naval offensive to prevent Wu from reinforcing Jiaozhou, despite Chen Qian’s objections. Cao Mao considered the strategy but decided to consult the General of Chariots and Cavalry, while refusing Deng Ai’s offer to lead the Huainan forces.

• Deng Ai told Deng Zhong that he could return to the Ministry of Personnel, though Deng Zhong remained anxious about his unfinished appointments work.
• Cao Mao summoned Deng Ai and Chen Qian to review news that Jiaozhou had been secured without a fight.
• Deng Ai argued that Wei should threaten Jianye rather than merely send troops to Jiaozhou, forcing Wu to keep its forces near the capital.
• Chen Qian rejected Deng Ai’s plan, warning that Wei’s navy could be defeated and leave its southern territories exposed.
• Deng Ai defended the plan by citing Wei’s naval strength, Wu’s divided forces, and the lack of capable commanders in Jianye.
• Cao Mao decided to consult the General of Chariots and Cavalry but rejected Deng Ai’s offer to go to Huainan and lead the attack himself.

After returning from Shu, Zhong Hui received Cao Mao’s praise and argued that Zhang Hua should only govern Shu temporarily. He then warned Zhong Yu about the court’s coming moves against the Great Clans and asked his brother to give him a son to inherit his title, prompting Zhong Yu to order him out.

• Deng Ai was sent back to his residence while Deng Zhong was summoned to the Imperial Secretariat again.
• Zhong Hui returned to Luoyang early, and Cao Mao praised his military achievements and reviewed the talented Shu figures he had recommended.
• Zhong Hui objected to Zhang Hua governing Shu, but agreed to let him serve until a suitable candidate was found.
• Zhong Hui visited Zhong Yu and Xiahou He, bragged about his new County Marquis title, and drove Xiahou He away with an insulting remark.
• Zhong Hui warned Zhong Yu that Cao Mao would soon move against the Great Clans and urged him to be cautious.
• Zhong Hui asked Zhong Yu to give him one of his sons as an heir, and Zhong Yu angrily ordered him out.

Zhong Hui adopted his nephews Zhong Yi and Zhong Yong, ordering them to stay at his residence and study. Meanwhile, Chen Qian and Wang Chang weighed how to handle Shu’s surrendered troops and struggling population, and Cao Mao summoned Chen Qian after hearing their proposal.

• Zhong Yi and Zhong Yong greeted Zhong Hui, who adopted them and instructed them to study and avoid disreputable company.
• Zhang Hua reported that the Shu lands needed famine relief, not merely tax concessions, and dismissed a County Magistrate who wanted to relocate the local people.
• Chen Qian told Wang Chang that officials disagreed over whether to disband, relocate, or enlist the nearly eighty thousand surrendered Shu soldiers.
• Wang Chang proposed keeping elite troops such as Huo Yi’s Nanzhong forces in Wei service and sending the other soldiers home to replenish the population.
• Cao Mao warmly summoned Chen Qian and heard Wang Chang’s proposal, agreeing that relief was needed for the Shu lands.

Cao Mao appointed Deng Ai as Chen Qian’s deputy in the Ministry of War despite the ministers’ concerns, while Yang Zong proposed strengthening the Imperial Clan through education. Deng Ai accepted the post, and he and Deng Zhong began their official careers anew, with Deng Ai quickly reviewing the Ministry’s work and devising solutions.

• Cao Mao overruled Chen Qian’s objections and ordered Deng Ai to serve as Chen Qian’s deputy, then told Yang Zong to develop a plan for educating Imperial Clan descendants.
• Cao Mao read a report from the Prince of Pei about officials consuming powder and welcomed the princes’ growing role as his eyes and ears in the provinces.
• Chen Qian visited Deng Ai and explained that he would serve as a deputy at the Imperial Secretariat, where he would advise on settling various matters.
• Deng Ai told Deng Zhong that he accepted the post because his plans could not be put into practice without the emperor’s favor.
• Deng Ai and Deng Zhong went to work the next day, and Deng Ai questioned the Ministry of War’s young officials before beginning to devise solutions.

Pei Xiu and Zhuge Xu staged a confrontation to force the Hu-Qiang tribes to dissolve their chieftainships and register as ordinary households. After Pei Xiu identified the cooperative young Tufa tribesman Shu Jinen as a potential future threat, Zhuge Xu summoned him and learned that Shu Jinen hoped to study and rise to prominence.

• Pei Xiu announced that the White Mountain Qiang and Wuge Qiang chieftains would receive Cao surnames, noble titles, and opportunities for their descendants to study and serve as officials.
• Pei Xiu denounced the other assembled chieftains as captives and demanded that their tribes settle in county towns, accept local rule, and pay taxes and perform corvée labor.
• Shu Jinen declared that his tribe would obey the edict, and Zhuge Xu agreed to decide how to proceed after the guards escorted the chieftains out.
• Pei Xiu privately revealed that he and Zhuge Xu had staged their dispute to pressure the tribes into submission, then urged Zhuge Xu to kill Shu Jinen as a possible future threat.
• Zhuge Xu summoned Shu Jinen and learned that he wanted to study the classics in Luoyang and acquire the abilities to become a powerful minister and founder of a prominent family.

Pu Yuan arrived in Luoyang and received an honored welcome from Cao Mao, who appointed him to the Ministry of Works and gave him a residence. In Ye City, Yang Hu received Wen Yang and decided to teach the headstrong young general the administrative work required to command and govern.

• Du Yu welcomed Pu Yuan outside Luoyang and brought him into a lively discussion with Ma Jun about smelting and ironworking.
• Cao Mao praised Pu Yuan, appointed him a Gentleman in the Ministry of Works, and granted him a residence and grounds for his household.
• Li Zhuan reminded Pu Yuan that the Shu ruler had accepted Cao Mao's kindness, and Ma Jun invited him to inspect the improved blast furnace.
• Yang Hu read Cao Mao's letter praising Wen Yang's courage while warning that he was headstrong, then met the young general in Ye City.
• Wen Yang urged Yang Hu to send him into battle, but Yang Hu told him to rest before they went to Youzhou.
• Yang Hu decided to put Wen Yang in charge of helping the Southern Xiongnu migrate and settle, so he could learn the administrative duties of a commander.

Deng Ai laid out plans to redeploy forces in Shu and Liangzhou, then warned the Ministry of War that the Xianbei were becoming a serious threat by learning governance and winning their people’s support. Chen Qian rejected his warning, and the officials remained unconvinced as Deng Ai argued that the Xianbei could one day contend for the realm.

• Deng Ai recommended reducing garrisons in Shu, reinforcing key passes and Nanzhong, and shifting the Yongliang Army’s focus toward Liangzhou and securing roads to the Western Regions.
• Deng Ai assessed the war with Wu, predicting its commander would abandon Jingnan and establish a defensive line through Nan Commandery as Jiaozhi fell into revolt.
• Deng Ai warned the officials that the Duan and Tuoba Xianbei were developing military strength and governing skills, and urged them to break up the tribes and disperse their people.
• Chen Qian argued that the Xianbei were loyal and peaceful, but Deng Ai attributed their defeat of the Southern Xiongnu to the Tuoba chieftain’s benevolent governance and popular support.
• The officials dismissed Deng Ai’s warning that the Xianbei might contend for the realm, while Chen Qian decided to challenge him in debate.

Cao Mao kept Deng Ai in the Ministry of War while insisting that Wei focus first on conquering Wu. Wen Yang struggled to resettle the Xiongnu until he began seeking local advice, while Tuoba Liwei sent his son Shamohan to Great Wei to pursue peaceful relations and learn how to govern.

• Chen Qian asked Cao Mao to transfer Deng Ai because his arguments for an expedition against the Xianbei were persuading officials.
• Cao Mao said the Xianbei threat deserved attention but ordered Wei to prioritize pacifying Wu, and he allowed Deng Ai to remain in the Ministry of War.
• Wen Yang met four Xiongnu tribal commanders, who readily agreed to follow Great Wei’s civilizing policies.
• Wen Yang’s hasty resettlement orders caused disorder, so he sought the local Inspector’s advice and began learning to administer the relocation.
• Tuoba Liwei chose his son Shamohan to visit Great Wei, build peaceful relations, and study its governance and classics.

Guanqiu Jian accepted the imperial plan to threaten Jianye and put Tang Zi in charge of planning Wei’s naval campaign. As Wu struggled with renewed fighting in Jingzhou and rebellion in Jiaozhi, Wei’s navy left its defensive zone and advanced toward Jianye.

• Guanqiu Jian received the emperor’s edict and told his generals that the court proposed attacking Jianye to protect Jiaozhou.
• Tang Zi proposed a new naval formation and explained Wu’s river defenses and fleet deployments to Guanqiu Jian.
• Guanqiu Jian appointed Tang Zi military adviser and entrusted him with planning and commanding the campaign, promising to petition for his reward.
• Guanqiu Jian defended Tang Zi’s appointment when other generals warned that he might defect back to Wu.
• Wei’s warships gathered in Huainan and began patrolling along the shore while Wu focused on fighting in Jingzhou and Jiaozhou.
• As Lu Kang and Puyang Xing exchanged accusations over the Jiaozhi rebellion, Wei’s navy left its defensive zone and headed toward Jianye.

Cao Mao considered the Tuoba Xianbei’s offer of peaceful coexistence and ordered officials to welcome their envoy while monitoring surrendered Shu officials. In Jianye, Zhang Bu prepared to meet Wei’s navy on the water, leaving Sun Xiu worried that a defeat could shatter Wu’s morale.

• Yang Zong told Cao Mao that the Tuoba Xianbei planned to send Shamohan to Luoyang as an envoy and leave a hostage prince in exchange for peaceful coexistence.
• Cao Mao rejected provoking the Xianbei and ordered Yang Zong to oversee their envoy’s reception, then assigned Zhong Hui to handle the heir’s visit.
• Liu Lu reported that Zhang Tong kept urging Liu Shan to return to Shu, but Liu Shan refused; Cao Mao ordered continued scrutiny of Shu officials and intelligence-gathering in Shu and Wu.
• Zhang Bu told Sun Xiu that Wei’s navy had challenged Wu on the water and announced that he had assembled warships to fight them.
• Sun Xiu worried that a Wu naval defeat could destroy the kingdom’s morale, though Zhang Bu remained confident.

Wen Yang blocked the road to inspect the Xianbei cavalry escorting Shamohan, a chieftain’s son bound for Luoyang, and challenged the envoy over past Xianbei raids. Shamohan calmly defended his tribe’s conduct, leaving Wen Yang convinced that the Xianbei could become a serious enemy of Great Wei.

• Wen Yang recruited elite young Xiongnu nobles into his command and earned the Xiongnu’s support by defending them against officials.
• Wen Yang and Liu Mo blocked the road to examine the Xianbei cavalry escorting Shamohan to Luoyang.
• A Wei officer greeted Wen Yang, who ignored the greeting and questioned the escort’s strength.
• Shamohan introduced himself in fluent court tongue and argued that his tribe had restrained its people and come peacefully to pay court.
• Wen Yang recognized the Xianbei’s discipline and potential, and concluded that they were no ordinary barbarians.

Wen Yang kept Shamohan in Bing Province while testing the Tuoba Xianbei heir and his warriors, but Zhong Hui arrived and took charge of escorting Shamohan to Luoyang. Shamohan agreed to document his army’s strength and leadership for Great Wei as proof that his state qualified to form an alliance.

• Shamohan asked Wen Yang to let him go to Luoyang, but Wen Yang urged him to stay and later took him hunting with the Xianbei and Xiongnu warriors.
• Wen Yang explained that he had kept Shamohan in Bing Province for his safety, and Shamohan recognized that Great Wei was growing more ambitious and powerful.
• When Wen Yang and Shamohan returned to the residence, Zhong Hui arrived and reprimanded Wen Yang for probing Shamohan’s abilities through a hunt.
• Zhong Hui led Shamohan away and asked him to record the size and strength of his army and the circumstances of his generals for the emperor.
• Shamohan agreed to provide the information and asked what Zhong Hui intended to do with it.

Shamohan arrived in Luoyang seeking Great Wei’s investiture, while Zhong Hui pressed him about Xianbei affairs and urged him to consider becoming a vassal. Cao Mao chose to let the Xianbei learn Great Wei’s governing methods and assigned Zhong Hui to watch over Shamohan, then prepared to assess another capable Xianbei, Tufa Shujineng.

• Zhong Hui questioned Shamohan about the Tuoba Tribe and explained why Great Wei was relocating the Xiongnu and encouraging them to adopt farming and settled life.
• Zhong Hui urged Shamohan to make his tribe a hereditary vassal of Great Wei, but Shamohan silently rejected the idea of merging his people into the empire.
• Cao Mao received Shamohan in Taiji Hall, allowed him to stay in Luoyang, and deferred deciding on his investiture until the ministers had discussed it.
• Cao Mao rejected Zhong Hui’s suggestion to use Shamohan against the Xianbei immediately and instead ordered Zhong Hui to help the Xianbei learn Great Wei’s commandery-and-county system.
• Cao Mao told Yang Zong that he would summon Qiang and Hu chieftains willing to submit, and ordered him to assess Tufa Shujineng and kill him if he seemed disloyal.

Lü Xing killed Sun Xu and led Jiaozhi Commandery in rebellion against Wu, while Lu Kang struggled to contain the uprising and the advancing Wei forces amid delays and disputes at court. Sun Xiu accepted Lu Kang’s recommendations and reorganized Wu’s defense of Jianye as the threats converged.

• Lü Xing killed Sun Xu after the governor ordered him beaten, then rallied Jiaozhi Commandery to rebel and seek Wei’s support.
• Lü Xing’s forces lost their captured territory and held Longbian County against repeated Wu assaults while waiting for Wei reinforcements.
• Lu Kang warned that Jiaozhou was about to fall and blamed the court’s delays for Wu’s worsening position.
• Lu Kang ordered his deputy to urge Sun Xiu to remove Puyang Xing, keep Zhang Bu in Jianye, and send Wu Yan to lead the navy.
• Sun Xiu stripped Puyang Xing of office and rank, kept Zhang Bu in Jianye, and appointed Wu Yan to command the navy against Wei.