Recaps

Xiahou Xian earned Cao Rui’s praise during a hunt and received a Precious Carved Bow, while Cao Rui’s concerns about Yong and Liang lingered. After Cao Xiu’s death, Cao Rui appointed Man Chong to command Yang Province and asked Xiahou Xian whether he would accept a post in Huainan.

• Xiahou Xian and Guanqiu Jian brought the enormous wild boar to Cao Rui, and Guanqiu Jian credited Xiahou Xian with the kill.
• Cao Rui rewarded Xiahou Xian with a Precious Carved Bow and served rare black pepper at the hunting feast.
• Cao Shuang mentioned Yong and Liang during the feast, stirring Cao Rui’s worries about the troubled region.
• Cao Xiu died, and Cao Rui granted him the posthumous title Marquis Zhuang while Cao Zhao inherited his rank.
• Cao Rui consulted senior ministers and appointed Man Chong as commander of Yang Province.
• Cao Rui asked Xiahou Xian whether he was willing to take up a post in Huainan.

Cao Rui appointed Xiahou Xian Administrator of Huainan Commandery and sent him to Yang Province to gain experience serving the Wei court. At Xiahou Xuan’s farewell banquet, He Yan revealed Five Minerals Powder and claimed it enhanced health and sexual prowess, prompting Sima Zhao to volunteer to try it.

• Cao Rui promoted Man Chong to act as commander of Yang Province and appointed Xiahou Xian Administrator of Huainan Commandery.
• Qinghe prepared a large caravan of goods, servants, attendants, cooks, and maids for Xiahou Xian’s journey.
• Xiahou Xuan hosted a farewell banquet for Xiahou Xian and praised him before the guests, including Sima Shi and Sima Zhao.
• He Yan arrived at the banquet flushed and bare-chested, then introduced Five Minerals Powder and offered to share its formula.
• He Yan claimed the powder doubled prowess in bed, and Sima Zhao immediately stepped forward to try it.

Xiahou Xian traveled to Shouchun to take up his post as governor of Huainan and met resistance at the city gates. He won over the gate commander Wen Qin with praise and a gift of Shu brocade, then explained to Shi Feng that building alliances would help him secure his position.

• At a banquet, He Yan offered Sima Zhao a chance to try his formula, but Sima Shi stopped him and asked about obtaining the recipe another day.
• Xiahou Xian departed for Yang Province and reached Shouchun with a conspicuous procession of carriages.
• Gate officials stopped Xiahou Xian’s party to inspect its credentials and goods, while Shi Feng tried to explain that Xiahou Xian was the newly appointed governor.
• Wen Qin, the officer overseeing Shouchun’s defenses, tried to claim the party’s Shu brocade before Xiahou Xian identified himself as governor of Huainan.
• Xiahou Xian praised Wen Qin’s vigilance and promised to recommend him to Inspector Wang, then gave him the brocade as a gift.
• Shi Feng asked why Xiahou Xian rewarded Wen Qin, and Xiahou Xian explained that cultivating useful relationships would help him establish his authority.

Xiahou Xian visited Man Chong and found him pushing ahead with an investigation despite Wang Ling’s objections and the threat of war with Shu Han and Eastern Wu. Before Xiahou Xian left, Man Chong asked how he would have handled a past case involving the Prince of Yongqiu, leaving him under the general’s piercing scrutiny.

• Xiahou Xian visited Man Chong’s residence and learned that over a thousand people from Runan had followed Man Chong to Yang Province.
• Man Chong and Wang Ling argued over an investigation, with Wang Ling urging him to focus on defending Huainan while Shu Han prepared to attack Wei.
• Man Chong insisted that the investigation proceed swiftly, and Wang Ling left the hall in anger.
• Man Chong dismissed Xiahou Xian, then stopped him to ask how he would have handled a case in which the Prince of Yongqiu had been falsely accused of treason.

Xiahou Xian agreed to investigate Wu State’s spy network in Huainan after Man Chong explained his plan to halt all merchant traffic and lure the spies into action. Realizing he needed local knowledge of Shouchun’s defenses, Xiahou Xian ordered horses prepared.

• Xiahou Xian told Man Chong he would report the truth and clear Cao Zhi’s name rather than bend the law to please the powerful.
• Man Chong entrusted Xiahou Xian with investigating Wu State’s spy network and disclosed plans to stop all merchant traffic in a month to flush out the spies.
• Man Chong said Wu State’s agents had connections with Huainan officials and generals, making their infiltration a threat beyond stolen intelligence.
• Xiahou Xian returned to his residence and considered recruiting capable local assistants because he lacked a foundation in Huainan.
• Xiahou Xian realized he needed someone familiar with Shouchun’s defenses and told Shi Feng to prepare the horses.

Xiahou Xian recruited Wen Qin to command Huainan’s troops, restoring Wen Qin’s ambition to distinguish himself. After Wen Qin reported that two unclaimed battalions contained over four thousand men, Xiahou Xian tasked him with taking them over and enforcing merchant inspections; Wen Qin then mentioned a renowned young man in Huainan.

• Xiahou Xian visited Wen Qin’s camp and appointed him commandant of the Huainan Prefect’s Office, entrusting him with command of the commandery’s troops.
• Wen Qin recalled his past disgrace and isolation, and realized Xiahou Xian’s trust had rekindled his desire to build a career.
• The next day, Wen Qin reported that the Huainan Guard had 820 men and that two unclaimed battalions should contain more than four thousand troops.
• Xiahou Xian entrusted Wen Qin with taking over the two battalions and carrying out Man Chong’s orders, including strict inspections of traveling merchants.
• Wen Qin said he was ill-suited to secretly investigate city officials, then told Xiahou Xian of a remarkably intelligent young man in Huainan; Xiahou Xian asked where he was.

Xiahou Xian visited Lady Liu’s home seeking a talented aide and discovered that the rumored scholar was her thirteen-year-old son, Jia Chong. He appointed Jia Chong chief clerk, and Jia Chong accepted while refusing to readily acknowledge anyone as his lord.

• Wen Qin led Xiahou Xian to the Jia residence, where Lady Liu explained that her sons were still young.
• Jia Chong entered, introduced himself, and sharply traded insults with Wen Qin.
• Jia Chong correctly guessed why Xiahou Xian had come and impressed him with his insight.
• Xiahou Xian offered Jia Chong the position of chief clerk, and Lady Liu allowed him to accept.
• Jia Chong accepted the appointment but said he would serve only as an official and would not readily acknowledge anyone as his lord.

Xiahou Xian accepted Jia Chong's request and returned to his residence, where Wen Qin asked him to take Wen Qiluo, his martial-arts-skilled sister who had secretly served as a soldier, as a household guard. The next morning, Xiahou Xian met Wen Qiluo and tested her interest in archery, leaving her challenge hanging as he asked where he should shoot.

• Xiahou Xian agreed to Jia Chong's request and left the Jia residence with Wen Qin.
• Xiahou Xian ordered Wen Qin to oversee the troops and tighten inspections at the city gates.
• Wen Qin revealed that Wen Qiluo had secretly joined his army and asked Xiahou Xian to employ her as a household guard.
• Xiahou Xian agreed to consider Wen Qiluo for other discreet tasks and told Wen Qin to bring her to his residence.
• Wen Qin brought Wen Qiluo to Xiahou Xian the next morning, and she eagerly asked him to demonstrate his two-shi bow.
• Xiahou Xian asked Wen Qiluo where he should shoot.

After Wen Qiluo joined Xiahou Xian’s household as a guard, Jia Chong impressed Xiahou Xian with a plan to expose Wu State spies by leaking false military intelligence. Jia Chong then tested Chen Yuan’s remarkable recall of tax records, leaving Xiahou Xian curious about the clerk’s memory.

• Xiahou Xian demonstrated his archery to Wen Qiluo, who was impressed and accepted a place as a household guard.
• Wen Qiluo asked Shi Feng for servants to train and began working immediately.
• Jia Chong told Xiahou Xian that Man Chong’s plan to seal Shouchun’s gates would not catch spies and proposed secretly leaking urgent military intelligence instead.
• Ji Shao arrived late and drunk, while Chen Yuan returned with annotated tax records for Jia Chong.
• Jia Chong asked Chen Yuan for Hefei County’s grain levy, and Chen Yuan recalled the exact figure, prompting Jia Chong to ask whether he had a photographic memory.

Xiahou Xian questioned Elder Gu, a merchant from Wu Commandery, after Wen Qin detained his caravan, while Jia Chong suspected the merchant was concealing something. Elder Gu later met Ji Shao to trade and then used a coded phrase at a hidden door, leaving his purpose uncertain.

• Xiahou Xian planned a covert investigation alongside Wen Qin's overt inquiry and questioned Wen Qin's detained merchant caravan from Wu Commandery.
• Elder Gu appeared to be a genuine traveling merchant, but he revealed that Wen Qin had told him Huainan might be sealed off.
• Jia Chong offered to follow Elder Gu and find out whom he intended to contact in Shouchun.
• Elder Gu sold salt and Wu embroidery to Ji Shao at the Ji Clan Trading House.
• Elder Gu left his wagon with his attendant, took a bundle to a hidden door, and spoke a coded phrase after knocking.

Xiahou Xian and his officials planned to flush out a suspected Wu spy by searching places Elder Gu had visited and using Ji Shao as a pretext. Jia Chong intercepted Elder Gu as he tried to leave Shouchun and arrested him, calling him a spy from rebel Wu.

• Jia Chong told Xiahou Xian that Elder Gu had lingered in a shop while his attendant returned alone to the guesthouse.
• Ji Shao recognized Elder Gu as a longtime family business contact, and Xiahou Xian told Ji Shao and Chen Yuan that Huainan would investigate merchants and travelers from Wu State.
• Chen Yuan proposed searching the places Elder Gu had visited to make him flee, and Xiahou Xian decided to involve Ji Shao in the plan.
• Elder Gu ordered A Da to pack so they could leave Shouchun after hearing that officials had searched places they visited and detained Ji Shao.
• Jia Chong stopped Elder Gu's carriage, ordered his men to seize him, and accused him of being a spy from rebel Wu.

Xiahou Xian interrogated Elder Gu about suspected ties to Wu State and learned that he had been secretly trading illicit maritime goods. A name on the register led Xiahou Xian to question Wang Guang, whose reaction prompted him to send a warning to his father in Lujiang.

• Xiahou Xian threatened to hand Elder Gu over to Man Chong, and Elder Gu confessed that he had been secretly trading Wu State's illicit goods.
• Jia Chong reported that everyone who had contact with the Wu merchants had been identified and placed under surveillance.
• Xiahou Xian noticed Wang Guang's name in the register and went to visit him at the Wang residence.
• Xiahou Xian showed Wang Guang a portrait of a suspected Wu spy, and Wang Guang denied knowing the man while offering to help with the investigation.
• After Xiahou Xian left, Wang Guang ordered a servant to ride to Lujiang and deliver a message to his father.

Wen Qiluo watched Wang Ling after he secretly met a man in Liu'an, then followed another visitor from the residence to a tavern. She cornered the blue-robed man’s masked escort, but an unseen archer intervened as the opponent fled.

• Wang Ling scolded a servant, arranged to return to Shouchun, and met with a shadowed man who advised him to cut ties when the time came.
• Wen Qiluo and her men watched Wang Ling’s residence; after Wang Ling left by carriage, she searched the grounds for another exit.
• Wen Qiluo spotted a man in blue scholar’s robes leaving through a side gate and followed him to a tavern.
• The blue-robed man disappeared from the tavern, and Wen Qiluo chased him into an alley, where a masked opponent attacked her.
• Wen Qiluo wounded the masked man and pursued him, but an arrow from concealment forced her to dodge.

Wang Ling returned to Shouchun and told Wang Guang that Wu State was preparing for Sun Quan to proclaim himself emperor, while discussing Man Chong’s investigation and a possible move into Yang Province. Xiahou Xian pieced together clues implicating Wang Ling but lacked proof, and Man Chong received word that a subordinate had brought someone back.

• Wang Ling returned to Shouchun, warned Wang Guang that Man Chong might investigate Huainan, and ordered him to keep a low profile.
• Wang Ling told Wang Guang that Sun Quan planned to ascend the throne and that Wu State was moving troops to Jing Province, possibly leaving Yang Province vulnerable.
• Xiahou Xian reviewed the links between Elder Gu, Wang Guang, and Wang Ling, then decided to report the leads to Man Chong.
• A black-robed man met Man Chong and said he had brought the person back.

Xiahou Xian and Man Chong confronted Wang Ling about his dealings with the suspected Wu spy, Elder Gu. Wang Ling denied knowing the man was a spy until Man Chong brought in a badly injured witness who recognized him from the previous day.

• Xiahou Xian told Man Chong that Wang Guang had confirmed buying rare treasures from Elder Gu, whom Xiahou suspected of being a Wu spy.
• Wang Ling arrived to report on Lujiang and Hefei, then reacted angrily when Man Chong asked whether he had colluded with Wu rebels.
• Xiahou Xian explained that Wang Guang had been one of Elder Gu's buyers and showed Wang Ling the man's portrait.
• Wang Ling admitted knowing Elder Gu and buying rare treasures from him, but denied that he had known he was a spy.
• Man Chong had two officials bring in a badly injured man, who told Wang Ling they had met the previous day.

Man Chong exposed Wang Ling’s dealings with Wu State and had him taken into custody by Zhang Zhong for trial. Several days later, Man Chong assembled his advisers and generals to announce a hunt in Lujiang.

• Man Chong confronted Wang Ling with a wounded Wu State spy and accused him of exchanging intelligence with Wu.
• Zhang Zhong arrived and took Wang Ling away for trial, while Man Chong ordered the spy returned to prison.
• Man Chong explained to Xiahou Xian that the Wu merchant was likely an intelligence peddler and praised Xiahou for helping expose Wang Ling.
• Several days later, Man Chong summoned Xiahou Xian and assembled his advisers and generals in the administrative hall.
• Man Chong announced that they would conduct a hunt in Lujiang.

Man Chong ordered preparations for a secret campaign against Dongguan, a strategic Wu port, while Xiahou Xian suspected Man Chong was using Wang Ling’s imprisonment to seize control of Yang Province’s military affairs. Xiahou Xian inspected Wen Qin’s expanded forces, and Wen Qin guessed that a war was coming.

• Man Chong announced that Wei would strike Dongguan, and Zhao Yan, Yue Lin, Zhang Hu, and Li Zhen discussed the risks before Man Chong ordered the generals to prepare for war and keep the plan secret.
• Xiahou Xian wondered whether Man Chong’s campaign was a bid for power after Wang Ling’s imprisonment and went to inspect Wen Qin’s troops.
• Xiahou Xian watched Wen Qin drill the Huainan Guard and learned that Wen Qin had expanded it to a thousand men.
• Wen Qin showed Xiahou Xian the camp north of Shouchun, where about five thousand troops were assembled, including new recruits and fighters drawn from Xiahou Xian’s household servants.
• In Wen Qin’s tent, Wen Qin asked Xiahou Xian whether war was brewing, and Xiahou Xian praised his keen instincts.

Xiahou Xian held a military council as Man Chong prepared to march on Dongguan, appointing Chen Yuan as his adviser and Jia Chong to manage supplies. Ji Shao then asked to join the army.

• Wen Qin eagerly agreed to prepare his troops for Man Chong's advance on Dongguan.
• Xiahou Xian gathered trusted officials for a military council, where Jia Chong arrived despite supposedly observing mourning.
• Ji Shao and Jia Chong warned that taking Dongguan would be costly and strategically pointless unless Wei intended to invade Wu.
• Chen Yuan urged the officials to prepare supplies instead of debating Man Chong's intentions, and Xiahou Xian appointed him to accompany the campaign.
• Xiahou Xian assigned Jia Chong to oversee grain, fodder, and baggage, and Ji Shao asked to join the army.

Man Chong questioned the imprisoned Governor Wang Ling about his dealings with a Wu State spy and explained that the emperor would allow him to return to his post. Wang Ling was ordered to atone through meritorious service and warned that another mistake could doom his army.

• Man Chong entered Wang Ling’s cell and asked about his attempt to use intelligence from a Wu State spy.
• Man Chong told Wang Ling that the intelligence he received might have been deliberately planted, as with the intelligence that contributed to Cao Xiu’s defeat.
• Man Chong explained that the emperor had ordered him not to behead Wang Ling and that his offense had been reduced because of frontier intelligence practices.
• Man Chong warned Wang Ling that this was his last chance and said the emperor expected him to atone through meritorious service.

Xiahou Xian brought Ji Shao to the military camp to test whether he could enlist, and Ji Shao impressed the cavalry officers with his strength and fighting spirit. After Xiahou agreed to give him a chance, Ji Shao revealed that his grandfather was the famed soldier Ji Ling.

• Ji Shao told Xiahou Xian that joining the army had long been his ambition, and Xiahou said he would have to prove himself.
• Wen Qin showed Xiahou the camp's infantry, cavalry, and scout units, then summoned cavalry deputy commander Jiang Ban to assess Ji Shao.
• Ji Shao revealed a powerful physique and fought Jiang Ban with a ring-pommeled saber, though Jiang Ban ultimately threw him down and held a sword to his throat.
• Jiang Ban asked to have Ji Shao in the cavalry, and Xiahou agreed to give Ji Shao a chance to serve.
• Xiahou asked about Ji Shao's family, and Ji Shao said his grandfather was named Ji Ling.

Xiahou Xian moved his troops to Liu'an and discussed ways to bring the displaced people near Mount Tianzhu back into society as settlers or soldiers. The chapter ended when Jiang Ban reported that Wen Qin had ridden into the mountains with several dozen men.

• Xiahou Xian received orders to lead three thousand troops to Liu'an and join Yue Lin.
• Wen Qin gathered more than thirty scouts and riders for a patrol despite Jiang Ban's orders that no one leave camp without permission.
• Xiahou Xian met Yue Lin and proposed relaxing registration rules and reducing taxes to encourage displaced people to settle in Liu'an.
• Xiahou Xian offered to travel to Mount Tianzhu and persuade the displaced people to come back.
• Jiang Ban arrived at the administrator's residence and reported that Wen Qin had led several dozen riders into Mount Tianzhu.

Wen Qin’s cavalry massacred a village of civilians he falsely labeled bandits, then he claimed military merit for the killings. After hearing the scouts’ accounts, Xiahou Xian ordered Wen Qin and every soldier involved beheaded.

• Jiang Dashan returned to his tent with a rabbit, but a Wei scout shot him dead as he stepped outside.
• Wen Qin dismissed a scout’s doubts, ordered the village killed, and led thirty horsemen in slaughtering its residents.
• Wen Qin’s scouts looted the village’s food and weapons, cut off the dead villagers’ ears as proof of merit, and returned with the spoils.
• Wen Qin told Xiahou Xian that his thirty horsemen had defeated more than eight hundred bandits and reported taking their supplies.
• Xiahou Xian questioned the scouts, heard them boast about the massacre, and ordered guards to behead every man involved.

Xiahou Xian nearly executed Wen Qin and his men for killing displaced people and falsely claiming military merit, but Yue Lin persuaded him to punish them instead. After receiving orders to assist in surrounding Shu County, Xiahou Xian prepared for the campaign while Chen Yuan secretly hid a piece of silk beneath a cart’s hay.

• Xiahou Xian ordered Wen Qin and the men involved in the killings to be dragged out and beheaded, while Chen Yuan urged him to spare them.
• Yue Lin arrived and argued that the campaign mattered more than punishing Wen Qin, so Xiahou Xian demoted the men and docked their military pay instead of executing them.
• Chen Yuan reported that the camp had more than two months’ worth of provisions, and Xiahou Xian reflected that killing Wen Qin might have prevented Wen Yang from being born.
• A messenger delivered orders from Shouchun for Xiahou Xian’s army to assist Yue Lin in surrounding Shu County and block Wu reinforcements heading for Ruxukou.
• Xiahou Xian sent Chen Yuan to arrange grain transport, and Chen Yuan secretly slipped a piece of silk beneath the hay on a cart bound for Shouchun.

Wei and Wu massed troops along the border as Xiahou Xian's scouts investigated a Wu outpost near the Shu River. Ji Shao and Jiao Yi were surrounded by Wu cavalry, but Jiang Ban arrived with Wei cavalry to rescue them.

• Man Chong concentrated Wei forces around Hefei and Shouchun as Wu sent soldiers to Ruxu Fortress and Juchao.
• Jiao Yi and Ji Shao spotted Wu soldiers moving supplies and breaking camp near the Shu River, then saw Wu cavalry arrive at the outpost.
• When the Wu cavalry discovered the scouts, Jiao Yi ordered a retreat; Ji Shao stayed behind to cover it and killed two riders before being wounded.
• Jiao Yi turned back to save Ji Shao, and the two prepared to fight rather than be captured as more than forty Wu riders closed in.
• Jiang Ban arrived with Wei cavalry, prompting the Wu officer to order a retreat.

Xiahou Xian’s forces raided Wu outposts and seized supplies before they could be burned, then uncovered signs that Wu had learned of Wei’s movements in advance. After questioning prisoners, Xiahou Xian realized one had lied about Shu County’s defenses and ordered the last prisoner to be questioned when he begged to talk.

• Jiang Ban returned with captured prisoners after Wei cavalry defeated Wu troops at an outpost and seized supplies.
• Xiahou Xian and Yue Lin heard reports that Wu troops had been moving supplies leisurely before abruptly preparing to burn them, suggesting Wu had known of Wei’s advance in advance.
• Ji Shao and Jiao Yi reported the strange Wu movements to Xiahou Xian, who sent them away to tend their wounds.
• A Wu prisoner claimed Shu County had only three thousand defenders under Xianyu Dan, but Xiahou Xian recognized the account as a lie and ordered him executed.
• Xiahou Xian dismissed the trembling final prisoner without questioning him, prompting the man to beg for his life and offer to talk.