Recaps

Sun Jian’s army reached Eight Gods Island and learned that its defenders had been warned in advance, apparently through Takayama Ichizawa’s actions. Sun Jian rejected Kusakawa Saemon’s suggestion to seize nearby islands in sequence and revealed he planned to split the four hundred thousand troops to attack many islands at once, alarming Saemon.

• Sun Jian identified Kusakawa Saemon as Kusakawa Akio’s disgraced son, and Saemon begged to be spared and offered to guide the army.
• Ran Min scorned Saemon for his cowardice and learned that he had attacked because he mistook the army for a small force from the Great Flow Nation.
• The fleet sighted Eight Gods Island, where soldiers and defenses were already waiting, prompting Gan Ning to suspect Saemon had been set up.
• Saemon blamed Takayama Ichizawa, his father’s trusted aide, for letting him charge into danger without warning him.
• Sun Jian explained that Great Liang would divide its forces to attack key islands and surrounding territories, and Saemon realized the Yamata Nation could not reinforce them all.

Ran Min and the Great Liang commanders prepared to invade the Yamata Nation, with Sun Jian ordering a five-column assault to destroy its forces and seize its islands. The chapter ended with Saemon realizing the order to kill anyone who threatened the army could leave almost no one alive.

• Ran Min called for the Great Liang army to wipe out all four thousand islands, and Gan Ning, Yu Jin, and Yue Jin eagerly anticipated earning military merits.
• Sun Jian drew the emperor’s Imperial Sword of Authority and announced that the 400,000-strong army would attack from five directions and destroy the Yamata Nation’s capital.
• Ran Min, Gan Ning, Yue Jin, and Yu Jin accepted command of the four assault columns, while Saemon grew anxious about the threat to his country.
• Sun Jian relayed the emperor’s order to kill anyone who posed a threat to the Great Liang army, and the generals vowed to obey.
• Saemon feared the order would lead the invaders to slaughter nearly everyone in the Yamata Nation.

Sun Jian sent the Great Liang armies toward the battlefield after Saemon offered to atone for his crimes. At Eight Gods Island, Takayama Ichizawa learned that a huge Great Liang fleet was approaching and agreed to defend the island while demanding that reinforcements arrive soon.

• Sun Jian kicked Saemon down, then accepted his offer to provide useful information in exchange for atoning through service.
• Sun Jian sent Saemon to be questioned and ordered the five armies to sail toward the battlefield, while Ran Min headed for Eight Gods Island.
• Takayama Ichizawa and Yamaza Ichito identified the approaching fleet as Great Liang's and feared its immense size.
• Takayama Ichizawa complained that his forces could not hold Eight Gods Island against several hundred thousand attackers without reinforcements.
• Yamaza Ichito warned Takayama Ichizawa that he would face the grand general's wrath for Saemon's death and needed the emperor's protection.
• Takayama Ichizawa agreed to do his best to defend the island and urged Yamaza Ichito to hurry the reinforcements.

Takayama Ichizawa and Yamaza Ichito prepared to defend Eight Gods Island as Great Liang’s fleet approached, while Ran Min ordered gunpowder jars to clear the coastal defenses. The obstacles were destroyed and Great Liang’s attack began, leaving the Yamata defenders facing the first devastating ballista strikes.

• Takayama Ichizawa ordered his aide to recruit wave roamers, threatening to kill them if they refused to fight.
• Yamaza Ichito realized Great Liang had split its forces to attack elsewhere and placed his thousand soldiers under Takayama Ichizawa’s command.
• Takayama Ichizawa and Yamaza Ichito recognized the Great Liang fleet and strengthened their defenses around Eight Gods Island.
• Ran Min ordered gunpowder jars thrown at the floating timber and stakes, blasting the coastal obstacles apart.
• Ran Min sent sailors into the water to remove underwater stakes as Great Liang’s warships advanced.
• Takayama Ichizawa ordered his troops to fire, but Great Liang’s ship-mounted ballistae struck first and skewered several Yamata soldiers.

Ran Min’s fleet unleashed a devastating barrage on Eight Gods Island, killing thousands and shattering the Yamata Army’s defenses. After Yamaza Ichito was killed and Great Liang troops landed to the south, Takayama Ichizawa ordered a retreat despite leaving several thousand men behind.

• Ran Min ordered every warship to fire its ballistae and catapults at Eight Gods Island before preparing to land.
• The barrage killed thousands of Yamata soldiers, and Takayama Ichizawa struggled to find cover from the armor-piercing bolts.
• Takayama Ichizawa urged Yamaza Ichito to retreat, but Yamaza Ichito insisted they wait for ronin reinforcements.
• A catapult stone struck Yamaza Ichito and crushed his head.
• A messenger reported that Great Liang troops had landed to the south, so Takayama Ichizawa ordered a retreat despite his deputy’s warning that several thousand men would be left behind.

Takayama Ichizawa abandoned his position on Eight Gods Island, leaving his ten thousand soldiers to face the Qihuo Army. After the Qihuo Army crushed them, Ran Min dealt with the dead and asked what should be done with the Yamata Nation soldiers who surrendered.

• Takayama Ichizawa rejected his deputy general’s protest and fled toward the center of Eight Gods Island with a few dozen followers.
• The Qihuo Army attacked the abandoned position with a devastating rain of arrows and overwhelmed the Yamata Nation soldiers.
• Takayama Ichizawa’s deputy general and a dozen soldiers slit their bellies, while many others surrendered to Great Liang.
• Ran Min remarked on the Yamata Nation’s martial spirit and ordered the corpses thrown into the sea to prevent disease.
• Ran Min asked what should be done with the surrendered soldiers.

Ran Min ordered the surrendered Yamata Nation soldiers killed and prepared to attack Great Wind Island. Takayama Ichizawa joined forces with Takemoto Ichiro’s ronin by promising them an official license to plunder and control of Eight Gods Island if they held out for the reinforcements.

• Ran Min ordered his troops to execute the surrendered soldiers, clear the battlefield, and prepare for a night raid on Great Wind Island.
• Takayama Ichizawa escaped the battlefield and encountered Takemoto Ichiro and forty to fifty thousand ronin.
• Takayama Ichizawa told Takemoto Ichiro that Great Liang had brought nearly a hundred thousand troops and urged the ronin to help resist them.
• Takemoto Ichiro questioned whether the Yamata Nation would reward the ronin for fighting, and Takayama Ichizawa promised an official license to plunder and access to the navy’s weapons and equipment.
• Takayama Ichizawa offered Takemoto Ichiro permission to recruit fighters across Eight Gods Island and promised he could become its next lord if the emperor approved.

Takemoto Ichiro accepted Takayama Ichizawa’s offer to command Eight Gods Island’s forces, hoping to become its ruler, while Takayama secretly treated him as a pawn against Great Liang. As Ran Min’s army approached and Takemoto waited for the enemy, Tamura Tamako returned with nearly seventy thousand recruits of all ages.

• Takemoto Ichiro accepted Takayama Ichizawa’s offer and ordered Tamura Tamako to recruit everyone able to hold a weapon in the emperor’s name.
• Takayama Ichizawa handed authority to Takemoto Ichiro, while privately telling his confidant that Takemoto was a pawn who would need his backing against Great Liang.
• Takayama Ichizawa warned his men that the enemy was near and lay down to rest, while Takemoto Ichiro watched for the approaching army and wondered why it had not arrived.
• Tamura Tamako returned with nearly seventy thousand men and women, young and old, leaving Takemoto Ichiro dismayed by his recruitment.

Takemoto Ichiro and Tamura Tamako gathered a huge force to defend Eight Gods Island, but Takemoto discovered that Takayama Ichizawa had abandoned them. The seafarers charged Great Liang’s army and were devastated by its arrows and siege weapons, leaving Takemoto stunned by the enemy’s strength.

• Takemoto Ichiro ordered Tamura Tamako to send the elderly away, but Great Liang’s forces arrived before they could respond.
• Takemoto learned that Takayama Ichizawa had fled to seek reinforcements and left a letter telling him to hold out.
• Takemoto resolved to fight with nearly a hundred thousand people, and Tamura Tamako arranged for more recruits and weapons.
• The seafarers charged Great Liang’s army, while Ran Min ordered his troops to attack.
• Great Liang’s arrows, catapults, and siege crossbows killed many seafarers, and Takemoto realized he had underestimated the enemy.

Takemoto Ichiro’s army was devastated by Great Liang’s forces on Eight Gods Island, and a rear attack left his men trapped and defeated. Ran Min revealed that hot-air balloons had helped Great Liang navigate the island, while Takemoto Ichiro discovered Kusakawa Saemon had not been the guide.

• Takemoto Ichiro and Tamura Tamako recognized their army could not withstand Great Liang’s arrow and crossbow fire, and Tamura Tamako lost his right arm to a giant bolt.
• Takemoto Ichiro ordered a retreat, but Ran Min’s troops attacked from behind and routed his army.
• Takemoto Ichiro asked why his reinforcements had not arrived, and Xie Hui showed him the severed heads of the men sent to recruit them.
• Ran Min told Takemoto Ichiro that Great Liang had used a guide to reach the rear, prompting Takemoto Ichiro to accuse Kusakawa Saemon.
• Kusakawa Saemon pointed out the hot-air balloons overhead, and Takemoto Ichiro looked up and saw figures aboard them.

Ran Min took control of Eight Gods Island after Takemoto Ichiro and his followers killed themselves, then ordered hidden Yamata Nation resisters killed after a black dog charged at him. He blamed the war on the Yamata Nation’s emperor and began using the island as a base for further attacks.

• Takemoto Ichiro and his followers slit their own bellies, and Ran Min ordered his guards to finish them off and bury them.
• Xie Hui reported that he had taken control of the town and placed the Yamata Nation civilians under guard.
• Ran Min arrived at the town center, where guards shot a black dog that charged at him.
• Ran Min ordered the civilians dealt with after spotting a youth, an archer, and other hidden resisters, and Xie Hui led his troops to kill them.
• Kusakawa Saemon collapsed in despair, and Ran Min blamed the Yamata Nation’s emperor for provoking Great Liang’s campaign.

Ran Min captured Eight Gods Island, ordered the remaining Yamata Nation forces on Great Wind Island and Great Xie Island wiped out, and pressed the invasion forward as islands fell across the archipelago. Fengzhong Longzi learned that Kusakawa Saemon had been captured and faced pressure from his officers to attempt a rescue.

• Ran Min rejected Saemon’s plea for mercy, ordered Eight Gods Island secured as a military base, and commanded his troops to attack the remnants on Great Wind Island and Great Xie Island.
• Ran Min shot down Yamata Nation’s flag and replaced it with Great Liang’s flag, while Great Liang forces captured more than twenty islands in a day.
• Fengzhong Longzi grew furious as reports arrived that seven islands needed aid and numerous others had fallen, leaving his hundred thousand reinforcements stretched too thin.
• A messenger reported that Eight Gods Island had fallen, Kusakawa Saemon was captured, and the enemy’s eighty thousand troops were advancing toward Great Wind Island and Great Xie Island.
• Fengzhong Longzi’s officers urged him to rescue Saemon, but he privately doubted that risking his troops for the captive was worthwhile.

Fengzhong Longzi learned that Great Liang had committed overwhelming forces to its invasion and ordered Yamata Nation to fortify and withdraw where necessary. Meanwhile, Lin Yi enjoyed a pause in Great Liang’s affairs while Princess Anne challenged him to a sword fight.

• Fengzhong Longzi decided against rescuing Kusakawa Saemon and sent for reinforcements, fearing his army could be encircled.
• Takayama Ichizawa arrived at Fengzhong Longzi’s camp and reported that Eight Gods Island had fallen and Kusakawa Saemon’s force had been wiped out.
• Takayama Ichizawa revealed that Great Liang had deployed four hundred thousand troops and thousands of warships, prompting Fengzhong Longzi to order island defenses strengthened and civilians withdrawn.
• Lin Yi remained at ease as Great Liang’s diplomatic and southwestern operations progressed, though Princess Anne repeatedly sought him out for sword practice.
• Lin Yi mocked Princess Anne for failing to defeat Shenle, and Princess Anne indignantly challenged him.

Lin Yi warned Princess Anne to behave, kissed her, and put their alliance talks off until later. He then received reports that Sun Jian and Ran Min had rapidly captured Yamata Nation territory and were approaching its capital, while Yamata’s envoys begged Great Liang to withdraw.

• Zhao Gao threatened Princess Anne, and she apologized to Lin Yi for speaking out of turn.
• Lin Yi warned Anne that she had to behave in Great Liang, then kissed her before turning to official business.
• Zhao Yun arrived with news from the Yamata Nation, and Lin Yi summoned Xun Yu, Gongsun Zan, and the others to hear it.
• Lin Yi read that Sun Jian had captured more than twenty islands, Ran Min had destroyed the Yamata Nation’s spiritual symbol, and Yamata’s envoys had requested a withdrawal.
• Guo Jia and Gongsun Zan praised Sun Jian’s divided attack and predicted that the Yamata Nation would soon fall.

Lin Yi received Yamata Nation ambassador Yamamoto Isoku, who begged Great Liang to withdraw its forces, but Zhao Gao, Cao Mengde, and Zhang Fei argued over how to punish the defeated nation and claim its wealth. As Princess Anne questioned Great Liang’s reputation for peace, Lin Yi rebuked his ministers for talking about treasure.

• Lin Yi learned that Zhang Fei had detained the Yamata Nation’s envoys until they were rid of bad luck, then ordered them admitted.
• Yamamoto Isoku prostrated himself before Lin Yi and apologized on behalf of the Heavenly Emperor, pleading for Great Liang’s forgiveness.
• Zhao Gao accused the Yamata Nation of provoking Great Liang and demanded that it show sincerity with gifts, while Yamamoto Isoku realized Zhang Fei had confiscated them.
• Cao Mengde volunteered to demand tenfold compensation from the Yamata Nation, and Zhang Fei argued that foreign affairs belonged to his Court of Diplomatic Reception.
• Princess Anne began doubting Great Liang’s claims of peaceful propriety, and Lin Yi told Cao Mengde and Zhang Fei to stop speaking about treasure.

Lin Yi and Jia Xu used a fabricated historical claim to reject Yamamoto Isoku’s plea for peace and justify taking the Yamata Nation. Yamamoto was detained, while Princess Anne realized Lin Yi’s threat could apply to the Frostwest Empire next.

• Lin Yi received a reward for winning over Yamamoto Isoku, then asked Jia Xu how Great Liang should treat the Yamata Nation.
• Jia Xu claimed the Yamata Nation had belonged to Great Liang since ancient times and was once called Yingzhou.
• Yamamoto Isoku protested the false claim, spat blood on Jia Xu, and fainted after Jia Xu struck him.
• Lin Yi declared that Great Liang would reclaim the Yamata Nation, and Zhao Yun took Yamamoto away under guard.
• Princess Anne understood that Lin Yi was using the Yamata Nation as a warning to the Frostwest Empire.

Lin Yi ordered Zhang Liao to begin preparations for a swift campaign against the Zhennan Dynasty while Great Liang’s victories in the Yamata Nation became popular news. A fabricated history book persuaded the public that the islands were Great Liang’s ancestral territory, while rival powers took heart that the war might keep Great Liang occupied.

• Lin Yi told Zhang Liao to oversee the southwestern campaign and immediately provide Sima Yi and the others with any supplies they needed.
• Lin Yi inspected his system rewards, found nearly eighty thousand Yellow Turban Army troops and several minor generals, and dismissed them as unimpressive.
• The Hundred Riders and the Net spread news of Great Liang’s victories, and people celebrated the war against the Yamata Nation.
• A young man showed another reader Basic Annals of Yingzhou, which claimed the Yamata Nation’s islands had once been a Central Plains fief called Yingzhou.
• Lu Yafu admitted that he had fabricated the account, while Wang Ziwen and Lin Rusong told him to keep writing and prepare Basic Annals of Diannan.
• People from the Great West Empire, the Frostwest Empire, and the Zhennan Dynasty hoped that Great Liang’s overseas war would keep its forces occupied.

King Nan Ke saw Great Liang’s campaign against Yamata Nation as a chance for the Zhennan Dynasty to grow stronger, though reports of infiltrators and border activity left him wary. He ordered Nan Yiming to accelerate annexations while seeking a united front with the Frostwest Empire, and learned that Great Liang’s remaining forces seemed occupied with games.

• Nan Ke and Nan Yiming welcomed news of Great Liang’s conflict with Yamata Nation, while Zan Rihong warned that the Zhennan Dynasty still needed to strengthen itself.
• Nan Ke ordered Nan Yiming to accelerate the annexation of neighboring nations and destroy anyone who obstructed the Zhennan Dynasty’s expansion.
• Nan Ke asked Zan Rihong about an alliance with the Frostwest Empire, and Zan Rihong reported that Bill III had agreed but was conducting business with Great Liang.
• An official reported that unidentified people had infiltrated Zhennan territory and that unusual movements had been spotted along the border.
• Nan Yiming said Great Liang had transferred a hundred thousand troops to Yamata Nation and that Lü Bu and the remaining forces were playing polo and cuju.
• Nan Ke decided to monitor Great Liang while continuing the annexations, hoping Yamata Nation would hold out longer.

Emperor Muren learned that Great Liang had conquered more than three hundred Yamata Nation islands and killed over a hundred thousand troops, while neighboring nations refused to help because Yamata had plundered them. As the court considered mass conscription, a minister challenged Kusakawa Akio’s fitness to lead, threatening to turn the crisis into a clash between powerful factions.

• Emperor Muren rebuked panicking ministers after hearing of the Yamata Nation’s rapid losses and demanded an explanation from Baichuan Yuren.
• Baichuan Yuren reported that Great Liang’s four armies had attacked in coordination with superior weapons and equipment.
• Emperor Muren asked Jingbian Yilang about securing help from the Great Flow Nation and the Lesser Flow Nation, but Jingbian said both supported Great Liang instead.
• Baichuan Yuren explained that Saemon’s men had repeatedly plundered the two nations, prompting officials to blame Kusakawa Akio for making enemies and leaving Saemon to guide Great Liang.
• Kusakawa Akio argued that Yamata could raise five hundred thousand or even eight hundred thousand troops, but an elderly minister accused him of possibly leading them to defect and urged him to step down.

Emperor Muren ended the dispute over Kusakawa Akio’s loyalty, and the Yamata court agreed to recruit soldiers against Great Liang. Five enemy armies then advanced toward Iai Island, prompting Fengzhong Longzi to urge a desperate mobilization of at least eight hundred thousand troops.

• Kusakawa Akio disowned Saemon and denied any intention to defect, while Emperor Muren declared the grand general innocent and called for unity.
• Jingbian Yilang supported recruiting soldiers and urged the court to focus on the invading enemy.
• Five urgent reports announced that Great Liang’s armies, led by Yue Jin, Yu Jin, Sun Jian, and others, were advancing toward Iai Island from multiple directions.
• Emperor Muren asked Fengzhong Longzi whether six hundred thousand troops could stop the invasion, and Fengzhong Longzi said they needed at least eight hundred thousand.
• Fengzhong Longzi urged the Yamata Nation to concentrate superior forces and accept heavy losses to destroy several Great Liang armies.

Fengzhong Longzi persuaded the Yamata Nation's emperor to conscript hundreds of thousands more soldiers, including children, and led them against the invading armies. Sun Jian met Fengzhong Longzi's force with cannons, and a cannonball hurtled toward Takayama Ichizawa as he charged.

• Fengzhong Longzi urged the emperor to recruit eight hundred thousand more troops, and the emperor ordered everyone aged twelve or older to enlist.
• The Yamata Nation recruited five hundred thousand soldiers in half a day, then Fengzhong Longzi and Kusakawa Akio led them against the invading armies.
• Sun Jian learned that the Yamata Nation was conscripting a million troops and ordered his men to bring out the red-clad cannons.
• Fengzhong Longzi and Takayama Ichizawa attacked Sun Jian with two hundred thousand troops, aiming to surround his smaller force.
• Sun Jian ordered his men to blast Takayama Ichizawa, and a cannonball flew toward him as he charged with his shield raised.

Great Liang used its powerful red-clad cannons against the Yamata Army, killing Takayama Ichizawa and prompting Fengzhong Longzi to order a desperate charge. Sun Jian welcomed the attack and unleashed all twenty cannons as the battle for the Yamata Nation intensified.

• A red-clad cannon shell killed Takayama Ichizawa and devastated the soldiers around him, frightening the Yamata Army.
• Fengzhong Longzi examined Takayama Ichizawa's mutilated corpse, then offered a promotion and ten thousand taels of gold for Sun Jian's head to drive his troops forward.
• The Yamata Army charged through Great Liang's arrows, and the two sides clashed.
• Sun Jian dismissed the enemy's numerical advantage and ordered his troops to use their red-clad cannons and explosive packs at full strength.
• Sun Jian promised his soldiers an all-fish banquet after victory, then ordered the twenty red-clad cannons to fire.

Yamata Nation’s army was devastated by Great Liang’s cannons and crossbows, then driven into a fierce melee by Sun Jian’s hundred thousand Jiangdong troops. Fengzhong Longzi led a desperate charge toward Sun Jian to prevent Great Liang from reaching Iai Island, and the two commanders rushed to meet each other.

• Great Liang’s cannon and catapult bombardment shattered the Yamata Nation ranks and wounded Fengzhong Longzi.
• Sun Jian rallied the Jiangdong troops by urging them to prove their worth, then led their charge against the enemy.
• The Jiangdong elites broke through the larger Yamata Nation force, while Sun Jian ordered arrows and crossbow bolts to pursue the fleeing soldiers.
• Fengzhong Longzi recognized that defeat would endanger Yamata Nation’s emperor and personally led a charge toward Sun Jian.
• Sun Jian met Fengzhong Longzi’s charge, and the two commanders rushed at each other.

Sun Jian defeated Fengzhong Longzi and annihilated the Yamata Nation army on the island, then signaled his intention to seize the royal capital. Elsewhere, Ran Min routed Kusakawa Akio's forces and turned his attention to Kusakawa Saemon.

• Sun Jian charged through the enemy ranks, defeated Fengzhong Longzi with his horse-cutting saber, and killed him.
• The Yamata Nation soldiers broke and fled after Fengzhong Longzi's death, but Sun Jian ordered his troops to pursue them.
• Sun Jian refused to spare the tens of thousands who surrendered, and Great Liang's army annihilated the two-hundred-thousand-strong force.
• Sun Jian fired a signal and declared that he would advance on the Yamata Nation's royal capital if Ran Min did not act first.
• Ran Min and Gan Ning routed Kusakawa Akio's three-hundred-thousand-strong army, while Kusakawa Saemon claimed he had tried to stop his father from fleeing.
• Ran Min told Kusakawa Saemon that there was no use keeping him alive after his father's defeat.

Ran Min killed Saemon and hurried his army toward Iai Island as Great Liang’s forces crushed the Yamata Nation’s armies. With the enemy breaking into the capital and surrender seeming no safer than resistance, Emperor Muren vowed to fight on.

• Ran Min killed Saemon, left men to clear the battlefield, and ordered his army to march toward Iai Island.
• Emperor Muren learned that Fengzhong Longzi’s two-hundred-thousand-man army had been destroyed and that the other Great Liang forces were advancing.
• Messengers reported that Yue Jin, Yu Jin, and Gan Ning had defeated the remaining armies, while Ran Min and Gan Ning had routed Kusakawa Akio.
• A powerful explosion shook the palace as Yu Jin’s army, reinforced by troops from the Greater Flow Nation and the Lesser Flow Nation, broke into Iai Island.
• Muren asked Jingbian Yilang whether he should surrender, but after hearing how defeated rulers had fared, he swore to live and die with the Yamata Nation.