Recaps

Lin Yi’s Xiliang army annihilated the encircled Northern Barbarians, and Tuoba Wanli’s surrender offer was rejected. Lin Yi killed Tuoba Wanli and Ashina Dubi, then celebrated victory with his troops.

• Lin Yi ordered his men to kill the captured Northern Barbarians, and the Xiliang army rained arrows on the encircled forces.
• The Northern Barbarian army dwindled under the assault, and Tuoba Wanli offered to surrender if Lin Yi spared his brothers.
• Bai Zizai rejected the surrender and led the cavalry in destroying the remaining Northern Barbarian troops, capturing Tuoba Wanli and Ashina Dubi.
• Lin Yi revealed that he had sent Xu Zhong to intercept Tuoba Wanli’s eldest son, then killed Tuoba Wanli and Ashina Dubi.
• Lin Yi reached the summit and announced the victory as the Xiliang soldiers celebrated.

After Lin Yi's forces annihilated the Northern Barbarian army at Great Jade Mountain, he celebrated the victory and received powerful system rewards, including Zhao Zilong, Guo Jia, and two armies. The chapter ended with Wang Yue reporting that Great Ning had launched a five-hundred-thousand-strong attack on Xiliang, leaving Lin Yi to decide whether to send reinforcements.

• Lin Yi celebrated the victory at Great Jade Mountain and promised promotions and rewards to the soldiers.
• Duan Yingxiong and Wang Chengfei arrived, saw the battlefield, and praised Lin Yi for crushing the Northern Barbarians.
• Lin Yi received system rewards: Zhao Zilong, Guo Jia, the Wudang Flying Army led by Wang Ping, and one hundred thousand Hanzhong Infantry.
• Wang Yue told Lin Yi that Great Ning had begun a joint attack on Xiliang with five hundred thousand troops.
• Lin Yi considered the report, noting that the Northern Barbarians were nearly defeated and that he could leave troops behind to deal with them.

Lin Yi prepared to return south and attack Great Ning while leaving Jia Xu to oversee the Northern Barbarians’ defeat. As Ning Kun’s forces struggled against Xiliang, news that Lin Yi had annihilated Tuoba Wanli’s five-hundred-thousand-strong army left Ning Kun and his advisers questioning their intelligence.

• Jia Xu advised Lin Yi to leave the Formation-Breaking Camp and Asura Army behind to finish conquering the Northern Barbarians, and Lin Yi appointed Jia Xu to lead them south afterward.
• Lin Yi ordered Zhang Liao and Ma Chao to prepare to return to Xiliang the next day.
• Shangguan Yun’s three-hundred-thousand-strong army failed to capture Great Ning Port and retreated under Gan Ning’s naval harassment.
• Ning Kun’s three-hundred-thousand troops suffered losses against Jiang Wei at Youning Commandery, prompting Tao Xianfang and others to suspect their intelligence about Xiliang’s strength was false.
• A scout reported that Lin Yi had annihilated Tuoba Wanli’s five-hundred-thousand-strong army at Great Jade Mountain, and Ning Kun’s camp reacted with disbelief.

Ning Kun learned that Lin Yi had defeated the Northern Barbarians at Great Jade Mountain and feared Lin Yi would unite the north and threaten Great Ning. He requested reinforcements as unrest spread across the empire and capital residents questioned the court’s decision to attack Xiliang.

• Ning Kun ordered Wang Xiaoyi to investigate reports that Lin Yi had defeated the Northern Barbarians, then questioned captured refugees about the battle.
• The Northern Barbarians told Ning Kun that Lin Yi had defeated their king and killed five hundred thousand troops at Great Jade Mountain.
• Ning Kun and his officers feared Lin Yi would become the King of the North and counterattack, so Ning Kun sent an urgent dispatch to the emperor requesting reinforcements.
• Residents in Great Ning’s capital discussed attacks on the empire’s borders and criticized the court for sending troops to suppress Xiliang.
• A bystander ordered men to drive away the residents for discussing state affairs, while the crowd looked anxiously toward a nearby restaurant.

Emperor Li Anlan met with former chancellor Lu Yafu to discuss Great Ning’s mounting crises and the threat posed by Lin Yi. An urgent dispatch from Great Wasteland Commandery left Li Anlan so shaken that he slumped onto the dragon throne, though the report’s contents remained unrevealed.

• Li Anlan challenged Lu Yafu for ignoring Great Ning’s dangers, and Lu Yafu warned that Lin Yi and the Prince of Northern Liang posed a greater threat than pirates or barbarians.
• Lu Yafu explained that Lin Yi had won Xiliang’s allegiance and that its commoners were helping resist Great Ning’s northern expedition.
• An eight-hundred-li express dispatch from Great Wasteland Commandery arrived, and Li Anlan ordered Wei Kuang to bring Lu Yafu back to the palace.
• Li Anlan read Ning Kun’s report and slumped onto the dragon throne, alarming Lu Yafu and the senior ministers.
• Zhang Zhiwei asked whether the northern rebellion was responsible, and Li Anlan replied that the situation was worse than that.

Li Anlan and his ministers learned that Lin Yi had defeated Tuoba Wanli and destroyed an army of five hundred thousand Northern Barbarians, leaving the north unified under Lin Yi’s power. Seeing an opportunity to act, Li Anlan ordered a three-hundred-thousand-man levy funded by the Privy Treasury to support the northern expedition.

• Zhang Zhiwei and the ministers read a memorial reporting that Lin Yi had defeated Tuoba Wanli and wiped out five hundred thousand Northern Barbarians.
• The ministers feared Lin Yi’s growing power, while Tan Cheng worried that Lin Yi would soon move south.
• Zhang Cong praised Lin Yi’s victory and urged Li Anlan to reward him generously.
• Zhang Zhiwei argued that Lin Yi’s army must have suffered heavy losses and suggested that Li Anlan send troops to help him.
• Li Anlan decided to recruit three hundred thousand troops for the northern expedition, with the Privy Treasury providing the funds.

News spread that Lin Yi had destroyed a five-hundred-thousand-strong Northern Barbarian army, shocking Great Ning and the southern chieftains. As Jiang Li’s son-in-law, Li Siyuan described Lin Yi’s power and considered seeking his help for revenge, while the chieftains feared what would happen once the north was unified.

• People across Great Ning spread news that Lin Yi had wiped out five hundred thousand Northern Barbarians at Great Jade Mountain, and they worried he might soon rival Emperor Li Anlan.
• The southern chieftains gathered under Jiang Li to assess the news and asked Li Siyuan, Jiang Li’s son-in-law, what he knew of Lin Yi.
• Li Siyuan recalled that Lin Yi commanded Xiliang, cowed the northern great clans, and was revered by the Western Regions, and he judged the news likely true.
• Li Siyuan privately saw Lin Yi’s conflict with the emperor as a chance to gain the power he needed for revenge.
• Jiang Li warned that the Northern Barbarians’ destruction would eventually leave the southern chieftains exposed to either Great Ning or Xiliang.

Li Siyuan arranged for rumors to proclaim Lin Yi Northern Emperor, hoping to provoke Emperor Li Anlan into attacking him. At Liangshan Pass, Lin Rusong learned that Lin Yi had avenged his mother and destroyed the Northern Barbarians, and wept with relief.

• A southern chieftain proposed waiting for the Prince of Xiliang and the emperor to exhaust each other before seizing their lands, but a Net arrow killed him as a warning.
• Jiang Li persuaded the chieftains to abandon plans to intervene and ordered A Mao to spy on Great Ning and Xiliang so they could choose a side after the war.
• Li Siyuan secretly ordered his deathsworn to spread a story that the southern chieftains recognized Lin Yi as Northern Emperor, intending to provoke Li Anlan.
• At Liangshan Pass, Lin Rusong received news that Lin Yi had annihilated five hundred thousand Northern Barbarian soldiers, killed Tuoba Wanli, and slain Ashina Dubi, and he wept with relief.

After Lin Yi’s victory destroyed the Northern Barbarians, Lin Rusong prepared to launch a campaign against Great Ning and force Wang Yining to write a proclamation. Zhao Yun arrived with Lin Yi’s token and letter, stopping him and prompting Lin Rusong to travel to Xiliang to hear his son’s plans.

• Lin Rusong and his generals celebrated Lin Yi’s revenge for Northern Liang after learning the Northern Barbarians had lost five hundred thousand troops and their leaders.
• Lin Rusong challenged Wang Yining to recognize Lin Yi’s achievement, while Wang Yining privately worried that Lin Yi’s power threatened Great Ning.
• Lin Rusong revealed he had kept Wang Yining alive so he could write a proclamation against Great Ning, and Wang agreed under threat to himself and his family.
• Zhao Yun arrived with Lin Yi’s message saying Lin Rusong need not bear the infamy of rebellion.
• Lin Rusong read Lin Yi’s letter, ordered the proclamation materials put away, and set out for Xiliang to learn what his son intended.

Lin Yi learned that rival powers were exploiting the Northern Barbarians’ defeat and that Li Siyuan had named him the Northern Emperor. He ordered a major offensive against Great Wasteland Commandery and Ning Kun’s forces, leaving Li Anlan’s campaign against Xiliang facing an even larger rebellion.

• Lin Yi reviewed intelligence about Li Anlan’s troop buildup, Guan Yu’s raids, and unrest among the southern chieftains and Great Ning’s clans.
• Guo Jia told Lin Yi that Li Siyuan had publicly honored him as the Northern Emperor, a move meant to provoke Li Anlan into attacking Xiliang.
• Lin Yi ordered Guo Jia to cut back on wine after Dong Feng warned that his health was seriously impaired.
• Lin Yi sent Gongsun Zan, Zhang Liao, and Ma Chao to attack Great Wasteland Commandery and the Mountain and River Commandery area, then destroy Ning Kun’s army.
• Lin Yi ordered Guan Yu to send an elite unit to harass Ning Kun’s rear while continuing to cause trouble across Great Ning.

Lin Yi assured Guo Jia that he had arranged a way to defeat Great Ning without making Lin Rusong bear the infamy of rebellion. When Lin Rusong caught up with him, he brought the Lin Clan Genealogy as a possible legitimate claim to rule, but Lin Yi said he had already secured Great Ning’s defeat.

• Guo Jia urged Lin Yi to exploit Great Ning’s confusion and launch a surprise attack, but Lin Yi said he had made other arrangements to spare Lin Rusong the stigma of rebellion.
• Wang Yue told Lin Yi that Lin Rusong was coming, and Lin Yi ordered the convoy to wait for him.
• Lin Rusong reunited with Lin Yi, checked that he was unharmed, and praised Xu Chu as a fierce warrior.
• Lin Rusong gave Lin Yi the Lin Clan Genealogy and explained that their ancestors had founded the Great Lang and Great Xuan dynasties, offering a legitimate banner for restoring their rule.
• Lin Yi considered the old dynasties’ claim far-fetched and assured Lin Rusong that Great Ning had no power to change its fate.

Lin Yi told Lin Rusong that his forces had Great Ning pinned down, then presented him with the heads of Tuoba Wanli and Ashina Dubi. After returning to Ping'an City as the celebrated savior of the north, Lin Yi reunited with Cai Yan and declared the Northern Barbarians no longer a threat.

• Lin Yi told Lin Rusong that the East Sea Pirates and his Western Regions army, alongside the forces in Xiliang, had Great Ning cornered.
• Lin Yi gave Lin Rusong the heads of Tuoba Wanli and Ashina Dubi, and Lin Rusong ordered them displayed for the people of the north.
• Lin Yi and Lin Rusong entered Xiliang City, where crowds cheered Lin Yi for defeating the Northern Barbarians.
• Lin Rusong praised Lin Yi for winning the people's support, and the procession continued to Ping'an City.
• Cai Yan welcomed Lin Yi, who embraced her and said the Northern Barbarians could no longer threaten the north.

After returning from defeating the Northern Barbarians, Lin Yi heard that Li Anlan had committed nearly eight hundred thousand troops to attacking Xiliang. Lin Yi reviewed the enemy’s deployments and prepared to face the emperor’s all-in gamble.

• Princess Shenle congratulated Lin Yi on his victory and realized he was likely about to move against her father, the emperor of Great Ning.
• Wang Zijin regretted having once looked down on Lin Yi as he returned to Xiliang in triumph.
• Xun Yu and Chen Qun welcomed Lin Yi, while Xiliang’s commoners cursed the emperor for attacking their prince during his campaign against the Northern Barbarians.
• Lin Yi sent Princess Shenle and Wenji to the rear courtyard, then asked Xun Yu about the situation in Wuning Commandery and Great Wasteland Commandery.
• Xun Yu reported that Li Anlan’s forces had withdrawn to await three hundred thousand reinforcements, and Lin Yi reviewed documents showing the emperor had committed nearly eight hundred thousand troops to the northern front.

Lin Yi prepared to attack Great Ning, using fabricated-looking evidence and aristocratic families to accuse Li Anlan of colluding with the Northern Barbarians and betraying his country. After ordering a proclamation and a march in two days, he reunited with Cai Yan.

• Lin Yi decided that Li Anlan's last gamble had failed and announced that he would move against Great Ning.
• Lin Yi showed Lin Rusong a brocade document bearing Tuoba Wanli's and Li Anlan's handprints, claiming it proved Li Anlan had colluded with the enemy.
• Lin Yi ordered Xun Yu to draft a denunciation and instructed northern and southern aristocratic families to endorse it and spread the accusations.
• Lin Yi told his followers to rest and prepare to march on Great Ning in two days, giving the proclamation time to circulate.
• Lin Yi went to the rear courtyard, where Cai Yan welcomed him, and carried her into the room.

Lin Yi learned that the Northern Barbarians had been completely conquered and received a gift pack of powerful troops, generals, and weapon plans. As he prepared to stir unrest against Li Anlan, nearly three hundred thousand Xiliang cavalry attacked Great Wasteland Commandery, forcing Ning Kun to organize its defense.

• Cai Yan told Lin Yi that the people of Xiliang had volunteered to transport supplies and equipment for the war.
• The system rewarded Lin Yi for annihilating the Northern Barbarians with Zhang Jiao, Zhang Liang, Zhang Bao, Huang Zhong, the Youzhou Legion, Divine Fire Flying Crow plans, and the Heirloom Seal of the Realm.
• Lin Yi ordered Wang Yue to deliver the Divine Fire Flying Crow plans to Ma Jun and instructed the Zhang brothers to spread a denunciation of Li Anlan.
• Ning Kun learned that the thirty thousand defenders at Great Wasteland Commandery had been wiped out by an approaching force of nearly three hundred thousand cavalry.
• Ning Kun ordered Zhang Dajun to lead a hundred thousand troops to defend Great Wasteland Commandery.

Zhang Liao led the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry onward through Great Wasteland Commandery, while Wang Sitao prepared to defend Great Wave Valley against the approaching force. After realizing the enemy had split its troops to surround him, Wang Sitao feigned resistance and fled with his men.

• Zhang Liao ordered the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to leave some troops behind to clear the battlefield and charge ahead without stopping.
• Wang Sitao learned that the Great Ning general-in-chief expected his ten thousand soldiers to hold off nearly three hundred thousand rebels.
• Wang Sitao saw about fifty thousand armored cavalry approaching and learned that the enemy’s remaining forces might be moving to cut off his retreat.
• Wang Sitao shot an arrow before the cavalry were in range, then declared that his forces had to retreat and fled on horseback.
• Wang Sitao’s soldiers followed his example by shooting arrows at empty ground before running away.

Zhang Liao’s cavalry pursued and captured Wang Sitao’s forces, while Gongsun Zan and Ma Chao pressed ahead with their own campaigns. Meanwhile, Wang Yining’s proclamation accusing Emperor Li Anlan of treason spread across Great Ning and fueled public distrust of the emperor.

• Zhang Liao’s army crossed the Great Wave Valley defenses and caught up with Wang Sitao, who had surrendered to Gongsun Zan’s White Horse Volunteers and Ma Chao’s Xiliang Iron Cavalry.
• Zhang Liao chastised Wang Sitao for surrendering, then learned that Ma Chao had already gone ahead to attack.
• Gongsun Zan told Zhang Liao that he had avoided Mountain and River Pass because the strategist had reserved it for his own assault.
• Zhang Liao ordered his troops to mount and pursue Ma Chao’s forces through Great Wasteland Commandery.
• Wang Yining’s proclamation accused Li Anlan of murdering his family and conspiring with the Northern Barbarians, igniting public outrage and suspicion across Great Ning.

Lin Yi’s denunciation and rumors about Li Anlan’s bloodline stirred widespread unrest in Great Ning, while Shangguan Yun tried to suppress the accusations. Lin Yi then mobilized a million troops to invade Great Ning along five routes and began assigning commanders.

• A man in Wuning Commandery accused Li Anlan of having Northern Barbarian blood, and Zhang Liang fueled the crowd’s suspicions before soldiers arrived and the people scattered.
• Shangguan Yun ordered the denunciation and rumors suppressed by force, while Li Ruyu warned that Lin Yi might soon attack.
• Fortune-tellers and Taoist priests spread predictions that Li Anlan was a demonic star bringing calamity, and public anger intensified across Great Ning.
• Lin Yi summoned his generals, declared war on Li Anlan, and announced that a million troops would attack Great Ning along five routes.
• Lin Yi assigned Jiang Wei to lead the first army, supported by Zhang Liao, Gongsun Zan, Ma Chao, and half of Qu Yi’s warriors, against Ning Kun’s forces in Great Wasteland Commandery.

Lin Yi assigned five armies to invade Great Ning, placing Jiang Wei in command of the largest force and leading the final army himself. He declared the campaign a righteous war meant to win people over with virtue, though he warned that resistance would be crushed.

• Lin Yi chose Jiang Wei to command a massive force against Ning Kun, combining five legions as reports said Xiliang’s cavalry had already destroyed nearly a hundred thousand enemy troops.
• Lin Yi assigned Guan Yu to lead a hundred thousand troops against Great Ning’s southeastern coast, with landing operations possible.
• Lin Yi appointed Pang De to lead two hundred thousand troops against Xining Commandery and the western commanderies.
• Lin Yi ordered Jia Xu to attack Mountain and River Pass with a hundred thousand troops, coordinating with Guan Hai’s naval forces.
• Lin Yi declared that he would lead the fifth army of three hundred thousand troops by water to attack Wuning Commandery, bringing the five-army invasion force to over a million.
• Lin Yi called the campaign a righteous war and said Great Ning’s people could submit peacefully, but he would show no mercy to those who resisted.

Lin Yi planned to secure the Northern Barbarians' territory while leading a million soldiers on campaign, deciding that military intimidation alone would not be enough. He ordered the region renamed the Northern Plain and established an Edification Corps to force its people into submission.

• Lin Yi intimidated Wang Yining into praising his plan to wage a supposedly virtuous war, then dismissed him to rest.
• Chen Qun criticized Wang Yining's lack of loyalty, and Lin Yi agreed that he was only a useful pawn.
• Lin Yi told Xun Yu and Chen Qun to stabilize Xiliang and the Northern Barbarians' territory while most of the army was away.
• Xun Yu proposed relying on Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan to keep the Northern Barbarian tribes in check, but Lin Yi said intimidation was not enough.
• Lin Yi renamed the Northern Barbarians' territory the Northern Plain, assigned a hundred thousand Youzhou Army soldiers to an Edification Corps, and ordered Zhang Bao transferred there.

Lin Yi assessed Xiliang’s campaign against Ning Kun and warned resistant southern clans, while Wang Yining left the princely residence convinced Great Ning would fall and that his family must follow Xiliang. Wang Yining ordered the Wang Clan in Shu Region to cooperate with the Net, then saw Yan Zhengsong arrive in person.

• Wang Yue told Lin Yi that Jiang Wei had invaded Great Wasteland Commandery and Ning Kun was holding the Fishtail Mountain Range while awaiting reinforcements.
• Lin Yi ordered the names of southern clans secretly gathering strength to be recorded and noted that Zhang Jiao had become Li Yifeng’s military adviser.
• Wang Yining left Lin Yi’s residence shaken by Xiliang’s power and concluded that he had to side with Xiliang after writing the denunciation.
• Wang Yining told Wang Zitao that Great Ning was likely doomed and ordered the Wang Clan in Shu Region to cooperate with the Net and create chaos.
• Yan Zhengsong arrived from Mountain and River Commandery, and Wang Yining remarked that the Yan Clan had also recognized Xiliang’s threat.

Lin Yi prepared for war against Great Ning while Princess Shenle accepted that her husband would destroy her father’s empire. At Xuanyi City, Jiang Wei chose a swift, explosive assault on Ning Kun’s fortress so Xiliang could advance south and intercept Li Anlan.

• Lin Yi visited Princess Shenle, who said she did not blame him for campaigning against her father, then dressed in bridal robes and slept with him.
• Xiliang mobilized its forces, and Ning Kun saw that Lin Yi had sent more than five hundred thousand troops to besiege Xuanyi City.
• Ning Kun ordered preparations for the defense and urged his reinforcements to hurry, knowing the city’s fall would leave his forces doomed.
• Jiang Wei took command of five Xiliang legions and discussed how to capture Xuanyi City, a heavily fortified mountain-pass stronghold.
• Jiang Wei rejected conventional methods and prepared to blow up Xuanyi City so his army could move south and intercept Li Anlan.

Jiang Wei launched an all-out assault on Xuanyi City, using siege engines and explosives to attack the walls instead of risking the deadly barbican gates. As Zhang Heng’s squad tried to break through the central wall, Jiang Wei dispatched cavalry to attack both flanks and prepared to lead Zhang Liao’s Tiger and Leopard Cavalry into the assault.

• Jiang Wei rejected an attack on Xuanyi City’s barbican gates and ordered explosives, siege towers, and Ferocious Tiger War Chariots brought forward.
• Jiang Wei assigned Zhang Heng and the Flying Bear Army to attack the central wall under cover from the Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors, catapults, and siege crossbows.
• The Xiliang army began its assault, and Zhang Heng’s squad reached the wall and struck it with heavy pointed hammers.
• Ning Kun recognized the threat to the wall and ordered defenders to bombard Zhang Heng’s squad with stones.
• Jiang Wei ordered Ma Chao to attack the left flank and Gongsun to attack the right flank with explosives, then told Zhang Liao to charge with him.

Jiang Wei’s army broke through Xuanyi City’s walls and routed Ning Kun’s forces, while Ning Kun disguised himself among the prisoners to escape. Jiang Wei ordered Ao Zang to search the captives for Ning Kun and offered him a chance to avenge himself.

• Jiang Wei sent his troops through the breached walls, and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry cut down the unarmed supply soldiers inside Xuanyi City.
• The White Horse Volunteers and Xiliang Iron Cavalry entered the city, prompting Ning Kun to order a retreat and use common people to cover his rear.
• Jiang Wei’s army overwhelmed Ning Kun’s remaining defenders, leaving fewer than one in ten of the two hundred thousand troops and forcing a commander to surrender.
• The Net reported that Ning Kun had disguised himself among the soldiers, while the White Horse Volunteers blocked the far city gate.
• Jiang Wei found Ao Zang at the imperial son-in-law’s residence and told him to find Ning Kun among the prisoners in exchange for a chance to take revenge.

After Xiliang captured Xuanyi City, Jiang Wei assigned his generals to secure the city, destroy the arriving reinforcements, and threaten Great Ning's capital. At Fishtail Pass, Gongsun Zan's fifty thousand White Horse Volunteers caught the fleeing Sima Yu, who saw Hua Zigan arrive with thirty thousand reinforcements—still outnumbered by the pursuers.

• Ao Zang recognized Ning Kun among the prisoners and killed him before Jiang Wei could answer Ning Kun's question about the weapon that breached Xuanyi City.
• Jiang Wei accepted Ao Zang's surrender and ordered him to gather the captured soldiers, sparing those who joined Xiliang and killing those who resisted.
• Zhang Liao and other commanders reported that the enemy forces around Xuanyi City had been defeated, and Jiang Wei ordered Zhang Liao to regroup and destroy the three-hundred-thousand-man reinforcement army.
• Jiang Wei sent Ma Chao and the Xiliang Iron Cavalry on a raid toward Great Ning's capital to prevent Li Anlan from fleeing south.
• Gongsun Zan's fifty thousand White Horse Volunteers caught Sima Yu's five thousand fleeing troops at Fishtail Pass and attacked them.
• Hua Zigan arrived with thirty thousand reinforcements, and Sima Yu realized they were still outnumbered by Gongsun Zan's force.