Chapter Summaries

Zhang Xing planned the Exorcising the Dragon Gang’s post-autumn tax, education, military, and legal work, while weighing factional balances and deciding to move Wei Xuanding’s secretariat to Liaocheng. At Cangcheng, he issued his instructions and learned that Cheng Zhili had sought a marriage with the Qinghe Cui Clan, leaving Zhang to keep the matter under watch while prioritizing officer reorganization.

• Zhang Xing drafted plans for the autumn tax, youth literacy lessons, military reorganization, new laws, and wider political outreach.
• Zhang Xing weighed how to manage Hebei’s factions, chose to strengthen Wei Xuanding’s role, and wrote down the plan to move his secretariat to Liaocheng.
• Zhang Xing held a meeting at Cangcheng, sent Xiong Bonan to Mount Heng, proposed Wei Xuanding’s relocation, and urged localities to supervise the autumn harvest.
• Yan Qing asked Zhang Xing whether the leadership should monitor chiefs’ marriages and reported that Cheng Zhili had proposed to the Qinghe Cui Clan through the Fang Yanlang Brothers.
• Zhang Xing decided not to interfere with Cheng Zhili’s marriage plans but ordered Yan Qing to watch the matter and focus on officer personnel after the autumn tax.

Lord Zhang Shen arrived in Jiangling as Luo Shu’s envoy and saw how the Exorcising the Dragon Gang governed and treated its members. After discussing the rapidly worsening political situation, Zhang Xing asked Xie Minghe to seek powerful allies, while Zhang Shen realized he had been given the same modest quarters and everyday treatment as the gang’s chiefs.

• Xie Minghe welcomed Lord Zhang Shen to Jiangling and showed him the city’s camps, markets, and workshops.
• Xie Minghe escorted Lord Zhang Shen to meet Zhang Xing, who asked whether Luo Shu had sent a message and invited him to join the corridor meal.
• After Lord Zhang Shen left, Xie Minghe described him as either honest or highly calculating, and warned Zhang Xing that Luo Shu could not be trusted.
• Xie Minghe and Zhang Xing discussed unrest in the Northern Lands and Guanlong, the risk that the Eastern Capital would target their gang, and the need to strengthen their position.
• Zhang Xing asked Xie Minghe to contact powerful figures and potential allies, including Northern Lands experts and the Mirror-Holder.
• After the meal, Lord Zhang Shen saw Zhang Xing return to a courtyard identical to his own and realized he had been given the chief’s ordinary treatment.

After the autumn harvest, Zhang Xing planned tax collection, education, military reforms, and ways to balance rival factions, then began issuing instructions at the Jiangling Traveling Secretariat. He leaves Wei Xuanding’s move to Liaocheng in motion and orders Yan Qing to monitor Cheng Zhili’s marriage proposal while keeping Cheng outside the core of power.

• Zhang Xing wrote down post-harvest priorities, including fair tax collection, literacy instruction, military reorganization, new laws, and greater outreach to neighboring territories.
• Zhang Xing weighed factional rivalries and decided to move Wei Xuanding’s traveling secretariat to Liaocheng to counterbalance Dou Lide’s influence.
• Zhang Xing instructed the officials at Cangcheng to send Xiong Bonan to Mount Heng and proposed relocating Wei Xuanding’s secretariat to Liaocheng.
• Yan Qing asked whether the leadership should involve itself in chiefs’ marriages and reported that Cheng Zhili had sought a match with the Qinghe Cui Clan.
• Zhang Xing allowed Cheng Zhili’s marriage proposal to proceed without interference, ordered Yan Qing to monitor it, and told him to focus on officer personnel matters.

Wang Daiji persuaded Wenren Xunan to align with him, while Guo Zhu left Huainan to join Du Pozhen’s forces at Yancheng. Du Pozhen flooded the city and defeated its defenders, but the victory was followed by Liang and Huaiyang Commanderies changing allegiance to the Exorcising the Dragon Gang.

• Wenren Xunan explained why he would ally with Wang Daiji, and Guo Zhu departed with three hundred companions to join Du Pozhen in Huaibei.
• Du Pozhen ordered his army to build dams around Yancheng and relied on autumn rain to flood the city.
• A torrential storm broke the dams’ waters over Yancheng, and Du Pozhen’s troops captured the city as Song Changsheng and the other commanders fled.
• Hu Yan reported the defeat of the government army to the Yingchuan Commandery Governor, who ordered him to warn the Intendant.
• The Yingchuan Commandery Governor told Hu Yan that Li Shu had taken Liang Commandery and Zhao Tuo had surrendered Huaiyang Commandery to the Exorcising the Dragon Gang.

Lord Zhang Shen arrived in Jiangling and met Zhang Xing, where he learned that the Exorcising the Dragon Gang’s modest hospitality reflected the chief’s own way of life. Zhang Xing and Xie Minghe discussed the accelerating collapse of Great Wei and began seeking outside support as the gang prepared for possible conflict.

• Xie Minghe welcomed Lord Zhang Shen, showed him Jiangling’s camps and markets, and escorted him to his quarters and then to meet Zhang Xing.
• Zhang Xing asked Lord Zhang Shen about Luo Shu’s message and news from Youzhou; Lord Zhang Shen said he had already shared what he knew with Xie Minghe.
• After Lord Zhang Shen left, Xie Minghe warned Zhang Xing not to trust Luo Shu and reported rising conflicts in the Northern Lands, Youzhou, and Guanlong.
• Zhang Xing said the crisis could reach a climax within six months to a year and asked Xie Minghe to contact powerful allies, including Diamonds and Northern Lands experts.
• At corridor dining, Lord Zhang Shen saw Zhang Xing carry away his own dishes and chair, then discovered that the chief lived in a courtyard just like his own.

Hu Yan reported to Cao Lin, who discussed the causes of Great Wei’s decline and rejected Li Qingchen’s plan to enthrone the Imperial Eldest Grandson. Cao Lin then mapped the realm’s competing powers and revealed that he intended to bind and confront their pivotal figures himself, leaving Bai Hengqiu, Duke of Ying, as his final target.

• Hu Yan returned to the Jing'an Directorate through flooded waterways and learned that neglected channels and blocked outlets had worsened the flooding.
• Cao Lin asked Hu Yan how Great Wei had lost the battle of Yancheng and whether the realm could be restored by recalling the army and enthroning the Imperial Eldest Grandson; he ultimately rejected the plan as too risky.
• Hu Yan argued that official neglect and long-standing exploitation had helped scatter people’s loyalties, tracing the decline back to the Court’s treatment of the former Southern Chen and Eastern Qi lands.
• Cao Lin named the realm’s officials, rebels, military forces, and powerful practitioners, and had Hu Yan arrange their names in clusters to assess their alliances and strength.
• Cao Lin tore down the weaker clusters and declared that, if Great Wei had to fall, he would stake his life on binding and dealing with the pivotal figures one by one.
• Cao Lin removed Golden Pillar’s cluster, leaving only the slips for Bai Hengqiu, Duke of Ying, fluttering on the wall.

As Zhang Xing worried over discontent within the Exorcising the Dragon Gang, his officials proposed administrative changes that could promote Cheng Dalang and calm tensions. A visit to Gaoji Lake to assess the autumn rains ended with Xiong Bonan bringing news of a massive Wu Clan invasion and reports of devastating floods, leaving Zhang Xing fearing that war and disaster could destroy the order in Hebei.

• At a tavern, Xu Shiying explained that Zhang Xing was troubled by Cheng Dalang’s marriage into the Cui Clan and warned that Zhang Xing managed powerful factions by expanding the gang, establishing rules, and handling individuals.
• Zhai Qian decided to write Cheng Dalang a letter urging him to rein in his private interests, while Zhang Xing passed the tavern group without stopping to speak with them.
• Chen Bin and Cui Suchen proposed dividing Bohai Commandery and creating specialized administrative posts; Zhang Xing approved the plan in principle and agreed to ask Cheng Dalang to govern the new commandery.
• Zhang Xing invited Zhang Daxuan to become Ministry of Revenue supervisor and wrote to Li Qingchen urging him to surrender.
• Worried about the autumn rain, Zhang Xing traveled to Gaoji Lake and learned that its rising waters were not yet at flood level because irrigation channels had been cleared.
• Xiong Bonan arrived with news that the Wu Clan had invaded with nearly three hundred thousand troops and that flash floods had swept away towns; Zhang Xing feared that disasters, war, and a poor harvest could undo order in Hebei.

Zhang Xing prepared the Exorcising the Dragon Gang for the Wu Clan’s invasion while considering how the Gang might survive the coming upheaval and whether it should seize Liyang Granary to relieve famine. He appointed Chen Bin to plan a conditional operation, then confirmed that the Gang’s New Laws and governance documents would still be issued as scheduled.

• Zhang Xing issued military orders to investigate neighboring powers, inspect troops and supplies, concentrate autumn grain, maintain roads and river embankments, and mediate conflicts in Hebei, placing Xiong Bonan in charge of supervision.
• During Corridor Dining, Chen Bin and Xie Minghe explained that the Wu Clan could potentially unify the world by adopting human institutions and identity, while the Southern Ranges’ Holy Mother appeared to favor protecting her territory over conquest.
• Zhang Xing asked Jia Yue about the purpose of Lord Black Emperor’s chosen ones and explored the possibility of retreating to the Northern Lands if the Exorcising the Dragon Gang were defeated.
• Zhang Xing persuaded Chen Bin to plan a possible attack on Liyang Granary, provided preparations could limit the risks, and appointed him deputy Commander-in-Chief to organize the plan with Xu Shiying, Ma Wei, and Dou Lide.
• Cui Suchen asked whether the Wu Clan’s invasion should delay the New Laws, and Zhang Xing ordered the planned laws and governance documents to proceed as scheduled.

After news of the Wu Clan invasion spread, Zhang Xing tightened the Exorcising the Dragon Gang’s preparations and weighed how the changing crisis might affect the world. He began planning a conditional strike on the Liyang Granary, while Cui Suchen confirmed that the Gang would still publish its New Laws and governance documents as planned.

• Zhang Xing issued orders to investigate neighboring powers, inspect troops and supplies, secure grain, maintain roads and river embankments, mediate disputes, and prepare the Gang for combat and possible relocation.
• During Corridor Dining, Chen Bin and Xie Minghe explained why the Wu Clan could potentially rule the world by adopting human institutions, and discussed the Southern Ranges’ strengths and limits.
• Zhang Xing asked Jia Yue about Lord Black Emperor’s aims and the Northern Lands as a possible refuge if the Gang were defeated.
• Zhang Xing persuaded Chen Bin to oversee a conditional plan to capture the Liyang Granary, with the strike dependent on adequate preparations and Chen Bin’s approval.
• Cui Suchen asked whether the Wu Clan invasion would delay the New Laws, and Zhang Xing ordered the planned publication to proceed; afterward, Zhang Xing wondered whether Cheng Zhili had returned from wedding leave.

Zhang Xing issued emergency orders as the Wu Clan invaded and discussed the political divisions among the major powers. He then began planning a conditional strike on Liyang Granary, appointing Chen Bin to direct preparations, while reaffirming that the Exorcising the Dragon Gang’s New Laws would proceed.

• Zhang Xing issued orders to gather intelligence, inspect troops and supplies, store autumn grain, maintain roads and dikes, and mediate disputes among Hebei powers.
• At Corridor Dining, Chen Bin and Xie Minghe explained why the Wu Clan’s invasion would not unite the world against them, and discussed the Southern Ranges’ limited ambitions.
• Zhang Xing asked Jia Yue why Lord Black Emperor had chosen them and considered the Northern Lands as a possible refuge if the Exorcising the Dragon Gang were defeated.
• Zhang Xing proposed attacking Liyang Granary only after famine became unavoidable and preparations were made to move the grain and withstand a Great Grandmaster; Chen Bin agreed to direct the plan as Deputy Commander-in-Chief.
• Cui Suchen asked whether the New Laws should still be promulgated during the crisis, and Zhang Xing ordered them to proceed on schedule.

Zhang Xing issued military orders and questioned his advisers about the Wu Clan invasion, the balance of power, and possible refuge in the Northern Lands. He then began planning a conditional strike on Liyang Granary, leaving Chen Bin in charge of preparing it while reaffirming that the Exorcising the Dragon Gang’s New Laws would proceed as planned.

• Zhang Xing ordered espionage, troop inspections, grain transfers, road and river maintenance, and mediation efforts, placing Xiong Bonan in charge of military oversight.
• At Corridor Dining, Chen Bin and Xie Minghe explained why the Wu Clan might unify the world only after becoming human in substance and name, and they discussed the Southern Ranges’ limits and the Holy Mother’s ambitions.
• Zhang Xing asked Jia Yue why Lord Black Emperor had chosen them and considered the Northern Lands as a refuge if the Exorcising the Dragon Gang were defeated.
• Zhang Xing proposed an attack on Liyang Granary only if the gang could prepare grain transport, counter a Great Grandmaster, withdraw quickly, and publicize its efforts; Chen Bin agreed to plan it if the risks could be controlled.
• Zhang Xing appointed Chen Bin deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Jiangling Traveling Secretariat and authorized him to work with Xu Shiying, Ma Wei, and Dou Lide on the plan.
• Cui Suchen asked whether the New Laws should still be promulgated during the crisis, and Zhang Xing ordered them to proceed on schedule before wondering why Cheng Zhili had not returned from marriage leave.

After the Wu Clan’s invasion prompted the Exorcising the Dragon Gang to prepare for war and possible relocation, Zhang Xing discussed the realm’s political divisions and developed a cautious plan to seize Liyang Granary if famine threatened. Chen Bin agreed to plan the operation under strict conditions, while Zhang Xing insisted the New Laws and other governance documents would still be published as planned.

• Zhang Xing returned to Jiangling and issued orders to investigate neighboring powers, inspect troops and supplies, gather autumn taxes, maintain roads and riverbanks, and mediate disputes in Hebei.
• Zhang Xing ordered every unit to prepare for difficult combat and possible relocation, then questioned Chen Bin and Xie Minghe about whether the Wu Clan could unite the realm under its rule.
• Chen Bin and Xie Minghe explained the political and cultural obstacles facing the Wu Clan, the Northern Lands, Dongyi, and the Southern Ranges, while Chen Bin described the Holy Mother Old Madam’s choice to keep the Southern Ranges at peace.
• Zhang Xing asked Jia Yue who might support them if the Exorcising the Dragon Gang were defeated and forced to flee to the Northern Lands, then explained his cautious contingency plans for attacking Liyang Granary.
• Chen Bin initially opposed the operation but agreed to plan it if risks could be controlled; Zhang Xing appointed him deputy commander-in-chief and approved his request for staff and secretaries.
• Cui Suchen asked whether the New Laws and other documents should still be promulgated during the crisis, and Zhang Xing confirmed they would proceed according to plan before wondering whether Cheng Zhili’s marriage leave had ended.

Han Erlang recognized signs of an imminent campaign and warned his settlement, while Qin Bao and Qutu Da discussed the rebels’ likely advance and Qin Bao’s grievances with the Court. The Exorcising the Dragon Army swept through Wuyang, captured Neihuang, and prepared to use soldiers’ families to pressure Qutu Da’s camp at Bowang Mountain.

• Han Erlang noticed military preparations in Jiangling and urged Settlement Chief Huang and the other farmers to return home quickly.
• Settlement Chief Huang received orders to count personnel and restrict travel, then Wang Laowu reported that Wang County Lord’s eldest son had disappeared.
• Qin Bao warned Qutu Da that the Exorcising the Dragon Army might attack, and challenged the Court’s refusal to promote him; Qutu Da asked him to fight if battle came and defect only afterward.
• The Exorcising the Dragon Army entered Wuyang in force, received local supplies, and rapidly advanced toward Ji Commandery as Wuyang’s officials opened their gates.
• Xu Shiying’s vanguard captured Neihuang through agents inside the city, while Niu Da led another force toward Chanyuan.
• Xu Shiying told Xu Shiren that the army would march on Bowang Mountain and use the soldiers’ families in nearby cities to urge Qutu Da’s troops to surrender.

Fan Shiying’s psychological warfare caused Chu Suzhe’s forces in North China to collapse, and Qin Bao and Chu Suzhe withdrew rather than fight. The Dark Dragon Army took Linying Granary intact, where Zhang Xing discovered its vast stores and declared that the people’s accumulated grain should be returned, including the granaries in Henan.

• Family members called to the soldiers from below Boxian Mountain, and Chu Suzhe realized his army could no longer be controlled.
• Qin Bao urged Chu Suzhe to abandon Boxian Mountain and retreat west; Chu Suzhe agreed, and Qin Bao returned to Linhe to lead his troops and their families toward Linying.
• Chu Suzhe’s departure left Linying exposed, and Dan Tongyi’s forces took the city while the Dark Dragon Army captured Linhe and secured its granary.
• Qin Bao arranged for Linhe to surrender without destroying its stores, then left for Dongdu with the troops who chose to follow him.
• Zhang Xing and the Dark Dragon Gang chiefs inspected Linying Granary and learned that its granary pits held enough food to supply eighty thousand people for a year, while the larger storage areas remained sealed.
• Zhang Xing said the people of North China should reclaim the grain and called for the Dark Dragon Gang to take the Huai'ning and Luokou Granaries as well.

Cheng Zhili sought to keep his military command after offending Zhang Xing, but Zhang transferred him to govern Pingyuan and replaced him as battalion commander. As the gang’s northern deployment triggered fresh crises in Hebei, Zhang ordered troops to pursue fleeing magnates and threatened to attack Xindu if Xue Changxiong moved into Youzhou.

• Cheng Zhili asked Xu Shiying to intercede with Zhang Xing and keep him in the army, while Xu advised him to accept a commandery governorship.
• Xu Shiying asked Zhang Xing to make an exception for Cheng Zhili, but Zhang explained that removing Cheng from military command was meant to prevent future trouble.
• Zhang Xing appointed Qian Tang prefect of Wudi, Cheng Zhili prefect of Pingyuan, Zhou Xingfan acting great chief of Cheng’s Armored Cavalry Battalion, and new officers to fill the resulting vacancies.
• After Li Cheng petitioned to leave Youzhou, Zhang Xing sent more than twenty battalions to the Zhang River line to deter Xue Changxiong from taking control of Youzhou.
• Urgent reports said Langya magnates were fleeing through Wuyang toward Ji and Wei, while Wang Chenkuo’s troops clashed with Li Cheng’s escort as it passed through Zhao Commandery.
• Zhang Xing ordered Zhou Xingfan and Fan Wang to arrest the fleeing magnates, investigate Wang Chenkuo, and prepare to denounce him as a traitor; he said the gang would attack Xindu if Xue Changxiong advanced into Youzhou.

Zhang Xing sent letters to allies and potential opponents, then organized grain relief and transport from Liyang Granary. As the relief effort expanded, Li Shu launched an invasion of Xingyang Commandery, while Cao Lin remained trapped at Tong Pass by Han Yingong’s movements in Hedong.

• Zhang Xing wrote to Bai Yousi, Li Ding, Li Qingchen, and several Great Grandmasters, then tore up his letter to Daoist Chonghe after realizing Daoist Chonghe’s position near the Western Capital could affect the campaign.
• Zhang Xing sent the letters with messengers and devoted himself to distributing grain with Dou Lide, his wife, and Wei Xuanding.
• Zhang Xing appointed Yuan Baocun acting governor of Wuyang Commandery and made local officials’ performance in grain transport and relief distribution a basis for their assessment.
• Madam Dou, Cao Xi proposed conscripting grain recipients as civilian laborers to carry grain home, and Zhang Xing appointed Cao Xi a Great Chief to manage the effort.
• Li Shu returned from Liyang Granary and, on the fourth day of the first month, mobilized the Jiyin Traveling Office’s forces to invade Xingyang Commandery alongside the Hebei forces and advance toward Luokou Granary.
• Eastern Capital officials sent an urgent, jointly signed letter to Cao Lin at Tong Pass, where Han Yingong’s unmoving army in Hedong kept Cao Lin from crossing the frozen Great River.

Dou Xiaoniang and Su Jingfang completed a grain handover and discussed the Exorcising the Dragon Gang’s rapid conquests and the danger of Great Grandmasters entering the conflict. Li Qingchen left Wuan to seek Cao Lin, while Li Ding weighed his options and questioned Su Jingfang about his loyalties; ten days later, Li Qingchen reached Tong Pass and met Cao Lin.

• Dou Xiaoniang and Su Jingfang oversaw the transfer of grain and civilian allowances at the border, then parted on unhappy terms after discussing the gang’s campaign and their commanderies’ strained relationship.
• Li Qingchen arrived in Wuan and told Li Ding he was preserving troops for Cao Lin’s counterattack, but would go to find Cao Lin himself if he did not come.
• Li Qingchen rejected Li Ding’s offer of refuge and departed alone for Tong Pass, while Li Ding ordered a message sent to Taiyuan.
• Su Jingfang praised Zhang Xing’s commitment to sharing grain, assessed the rival leaders, and warned Li Ding that Wang Chen’e might have only recently joined the Duke of Ying.
• On the tenth day of the first month, Li Qingchen reached Tong Pass and met Cao Lin, who noted that he had not yet condensed his core.

Li Qingchen persuaded Cao Lin to abandon his westward advance and turn back to attack the Exorcising the Dragon Gang in Hebei, while Bai Hengqiu gathered Taiyuan’s elites and secured their support to monopolize the Jin Region’s benefits. Cao Lin’s army marched east as Zhang Bofeng left Southern Slope and Bai Hengqiu began taking control of the Jin Region.

• Li Qingchen urged Cao Lin to leave Luokou Granary alone, strike Zhang Xing’s forces in Hebei, and then use the opening to counter the Duke of Ying; he cited Zhang Bofeng’s promise not to attack Cao Lin’s rear.
• Cao Lin agreed to turn back toward Hebei, ordered his army east, and sent Li Qingchen to gather Song Changsheng, Qutu Da, Su Wei, and other support in the Eastern Capital.
• Han Yingong learned Cao Lin had reversed course, visited Zhang Bofeng at Southern Slope, and then marched north toward Taiyuan when Zhang announced he would soon leave.
• Wang Huaitong told the gathering in Taiyuan that the Duke of Ying should take the Western Pass but strike Hebei hard because Zhang Xing’s gang could become a major threat.
• Bai Hengqiu entered the banquet with armed supporters, proclaimed that heroes had to monopolize the world’s benefits to restore order, and asked the Jin Region’s elites to let him monopolize its twelve commanderies.
• Wang Huaitong and the other guests bowed in support, and Bai Hengqiu ordered Wang Xiong to open the Taiyuan Temporary Palace and distribute its provisions and treasures among his followers.

Wu Jingfeng left the Exorcising the Dragon Gang’s grain-distribution meeting to seek the Crouching Dragon Seal in the Eastern Capital, while Cao Lin confronted Qin Bao over his refusal to fight the gang. Wu Jingfeng escaped with the seal but damaged the Black Tower, and Cao Lin prepared to respond as he faced the Great River’s melting ice.

• Wu Jingfeng urged Li Shu to attack Dragon-Imprisoning Pass and the Eastern Capital, but Li Shu said the gang would not support the assault, leaving Wu Jingfeng frustrated.
• Zhang Shizhao advised Wu Jingfeng to enter the Eastern Capital alone and retrieve the Crouching Dragon Seal so Zhang Xing or Li Shu could use it against Great Grandmasters.
• Wu Jingfeng flew to the Eastern Capital, learned from Xu Wei that Li Qingchen was reinforcing its defenses, and searched the White Tower before a hidden presence drove him away.
• Wu Jingfeng entered the Black Tower, seized the Crouching Dragon Seal, damaged the tower with a tornado of true qi, and fled north.
• Cao Lin questioned Qin Bao, who refused to fight the Exorcising the Dragon Gang; after Qutu Da pleaded for him, Cao Lin severed most of Qin Bao’s meridians and ordered him confined beneath the Black Tower.
• As Cao Lin prepared to cross the Great River, he sensed the Black Tower’s disturbance and ordered his men to find the army’s strongest practitioner of Ice True Qi.

Cao Lin led the Eastern Capital’s last offensive army across the Great River into Hebei, while Wu Jingfeng reunited with his master, Daoist Chonghe, and learned that several Great Grandmasters were gathering there. Zhang Xing received Zhang Bofeng’s invitation just as news arrived that Cao Lin’s army was entering Henei.

• Cao Lin used a commandant’s Ice True Qi and his own River-Cutting True Qi to create a broad strip of ice, allowing the Eastern Capital’s thirty-thousand-man army to cross the Great River into Hebei.
• Wu Jingfeng realized the army intended to attack Zhang Xing, but hesitated over whether to warn Zhang Xing or take advantage of the Eastern Capital’s weakened defenses.
• Daoist Chonghe appeared, admitted he had been in the White Tower, and explained how Cao Lin had mistaken his arrival from Hedong for Zhang’s.
• Chonghe told Wu Jingfeng that several Great Grandmasters were going to Hebei to settle old grievances and assess Zhang Xing and the Exorcising the Dragon Gang, then ordered Wu to stay with him.
• After Zhang Xing received an invitation signed by Zhang Bofeng, word arrived that Cao Lin’s army had entered Henei, leaving Zhang Xing chilled by the news.