Recaps

After witnessing Great Liang’s wealth and military power, Abaddon concluded that the Great West Empire could not face it alone. He sought an alliance with Bill III, and they agreed to recruit more countries before Great Liang advanced west.

• The common people celebrated Great Liang’s capture of the Kun and called Lin Yi the Celestial Emperor descended to earth.
• Abaddon warned that Great Liang’s strength, wealth, and freed-up troops made it a serious threat to the Great West Empire.
• A Long urged Abaddon to set aside his hatred and ally with the Frostwest Empire before Great Liang moved west.
• Abaddon approached Bill III, who admitted that the Frostwest Empire also needed allies to deter Great Liang.
• Abaddon and Bill III agreed that their two empires needed more support, and Abaddon offered to contact other countries.

After returning from the conquest of the Yamata Nation, Sun Jian and the other commanders received promotions and new military posts from Lin Yi. Emperor Muren was brought before the court as a prisoner, where he blamed treacherous ministers for opposing Great Liang, and Lin Yi challenged his excuse.

• Sun Jian and the other commanders recounted the fall of the Yamata Nation, impressing the ministers with its thousands of islands and million-strong military.
• Lin Yi rewarded the returning commanders with promotions, appointing Sun Jian grand commander of the East Sea and Ran Min commandant of the Western Regions' vanguard.
• Sun Jian asked Lin Yi what should be done with Emperor Muren, and Lin Yi ordered that the prisoner be brought before him.
• Wang Yue forced Muren to his knees before Lin Yi, who mocked him for once daring to provoke Great Liang.
• Muren claimed treacherous ministers had deceived him, and Lin Yi questioned who these ministers could be when Muren had ruled with absolute authority.

Muren desperately tried to save his life by offering his daughters and Yamata Nation's queen to Lin Yi, but Lin Yi and his ministers showed no interest in sparing him. Chen Qun urged Great Liang to punish Yamata Nation harshly, leaving the court ready to respond with force.

• Lin Yi rejected Muren's plea to become Great Liang's servant, and Muren offered his daughters and Yamata Nation's queen in exchange for mercy.
• Cao Cao praised Muren's willingness to offer his family, while Jiang Wei, Zhang Juzheng, and Gongsun Zan condemned him and agreed he could not be trusted to live.
• Chen Qun told Lin Yi that Great Liang had been too gentle toward foreign powers and should make an example of Yamata Nation.
• Guo Jia, Qu Yi, and Gongsun Zan recognized Chen Qun's anger and anticipated that Great Liang would soon take ruthless action.

Lin Yi told Muren that the Yamata Nation had been destroyed and handed him over to Zhao Gao for punishment. He then learned that several kings were gathering with Abaddon and Bill III, and prepared to deal with their opposition to Great Liang.

• Chen Qun condemned Muren, and Lin Yi agreed that Muren should not be allowed to morally blackmail Great Liang.
• Sun Jian told Muren that the Yamata Nation had been destroyed after its people resisted Great Liang's army, leaving Muren in despair.
• Muren cursed Lin Yi, who handed him over to Zhao Gao; Zhao Gao silenced him and had eunuchs drag him away.
• Xu You reported that Abaddon and Bill III were contacting other kings, and several had already joined them.
• Jiang Wei and the other ministers called for the kings to be killed, while Lin Yi concluded that their defiance showed he had been too lenient.

Lin Yi and his ministers planned to defeat the Great West Empire and Frostwest Empire together, but an unexpected invasion from the Land of the Far West forced them to reconsider. Xun Yu advised letting the newcomers and the Great West Empire weaken each other while Great Liang conquered nearby lands.

• Lin Yi decided Great Liang would wage war against both the Great West Empire and the Frostwest Empire after they rejected his offer to submit.
• Xun Yu and the other chancellors judged that Great Liang had enough troops and strength to fight the two empires.
• Wang Yue reported that a hundred thousand troops from the Land of the Far West had landed in the eastern Great West Empire and clashed with its forces.
• Lin Yi recognized that the invasion disrupted his plans and asked his ministers how Great Liang should respond.
• Xun Yu proposed letting the invaders and the Great West Empire fight while Great Liang absorbed nearby small countries and the Frostwest Empire, then attacked the weakened sides.

Lin Yi and his advisers decided not to attack the Great West Empire while the Land of the Far West advanced, choosing instead to exploit the disruption and expand Great Liang’s control. Lin Yi assigned generals to prepare for operations in the Western Regions and ordered Xun Yu to oversee logistics.

• Jia Xu argued that the Land of the Far West’s army was isolated and that Great Liang should first subdue the Frostwest Empire and nearby small nations.
• Lin Yi decided to leave the Great West Empire alone for now and use the western advance as grounds to clear out the small nations between the countries.
• Lin Yi sent Ran Min to reinforce the Western Regions and watch the Frostwest Empire’s border, while Xue Rengui was tasked with swiftly defeating the small nations.
• Lin Yi ordered Jiang Wei, Gongsun Zan, Qu Yi, and Chen Dao to enter the Western Regions secretly and prepare for a later attack.
• Lin Yi instructed Xun Yu to manage logistics and told him to enlist Zhang Wanhao and the others if needed.

Abaddon formed the preliminary Grand Western Alliance to deter Great Liang, while weighing the threat of Lin Yi and the need to keep the Frostwest Empire between his empire and Great Liang. The story left Abaddon determined to remove Bill III as a potential defector, just as Sangdu arrived with news of more trouble.

• Abaddon persuaded the kings of various Western nations to establish the preliminary framework of a Grand Western Alliance against Great Liang.
• Abaddon and A Long discussed Great Liang’s superior weapons and the Great West Empire’s need to strengthen its defenses.
• Morandi warned Abaddon that the alliance could provoke Lin Yi, but Abaddon argued that Lin Yi would eventually target his empire regardless.
• A Long and Morandi noted that the Frostwest Empire stood between the Great West Empire and Great Liang, but Abaddon decided Bill III had to be removed because his allegiance was uncertain.
• Sangdu hurried in and told Abaddon that more trouble had arisen outside.

Abaddon and the other foreign kings discovered Muren’s mutilated corpse displayed outside a restaurant, a warning from Lin Yi that terrified them and made them regret opposing Great Liang. Jiang Li defended the display as the victor’s punishment of the weak and revealed that he had once been defeated by Great Liang, leaving the crowd admiring him for surviving.

• Sangdu told Abaddon that Great Liang had displayed a corpse, and Abaddon went outside with his group to investigate.
• Abaddon found blood dripping from Muren’s corpse and learned from Bill III that the dead man was the king of Yamata Nation.
• Abaddon interpreted the display as Lin Yi’s warning, while Bill III and the other kings feared Great Liang’s retaliation and regretted joining the resistance.
• A young man tried to remove the corpse, but a bystander explained that Zhao Gao had hung it there at Lin Yi’s direction.
• Jiang Li of South Mountain Commandery said the corpse represented the victor’s punishment of the defeated, and the crowd admired him for having survived defeat by Great Liang.

After Great Liang’s crackdown drove foreign rulers to seek its favor, Nan Yiming decided to turn against his father, the Zhennan ruler. Lin Yi received Li Yu and Li Ling as system rewards and reflected on the tragedies of their former lives.

• The countries that had rejected Abaddon’s alliance chose to pledge themselves to Great Liang and headed to the Court of Diplomatic Reception.
• Nan Yiming saw Muren’s corpse and resolved to abandon his father, who had left him to Great Liang’s pressure.
• Lin Yi received system rewards for winning over seven countries and turning Nan Yiming, including Li Ling, Li Yu, and their troops.
• Lin Yi considered Li Yu’s sorrowful fate as an emperor and Li Ling’s unjust surrender after the Han court failed to support him.

Lin Yi welcomed Li Yu and Li Ling into Great Liang, assigning Li Ling to the western expedition and arranging for both men to join the empire. After several western kings pledged allegiance, Lin Yi ordered Ban Chao to absorb their countries and sent Nan Yiming back to Zhennan to try to survive its crisis.

• Lin Yi praised Li Yu’s appearance and poetry, then told him to make Great Liang known through his work.
• Lin Yi recognized Li Ling’s military talent and urged him to fight for Great Liang in the western expedition; Li Ling pledged his service.
• Lin Yi summoned Zhao Yun to arrange Li Yu and Li Ling’s formal entry into Great Liang’s system.
• Zhao Yun reported that several western kings had submitted, and Lin Yi ordered Ban Chao to take over their countries and recruit their men for the western expedition.
• Lin Yi ordered Nan Yiming to return to Zhennan with Li Ru’s help, and Li Yu and Li Ling exchanged remarks about the misfortunes of imperial families.

Abide Leier led the Land of the Far West’s forces against the Great West Empire, then decided to gather intelligence and secretly bring in reinforcements so his family could seize the continent. In Great Liang, Abaddon and Morandi discussed how Great Liang’s strength had left them unable to pursue their plans against the Frostwest Empire, while Abaddon awaited the banquet where Lin Yi’s intentions would be revealed.

• Abide Leier questioned whether the Great West Empire could have plundered his family’s fleet, as its soldiers and equipment seemed too weak.
• Abide Leier rebuked James Quinton’s jokes and concerns, then declared that the Abide Family had to avenge the theft of its tribute and protect its honor.
• Abide Leier ordered his subordinates to gather intelligence, summon more troops from home, and conceal their plans from the Moshli Family and the Adolf Family.
• Abide Leier and James Quinton anticipated profits from conquering the new continent and treating its people and resources as spoils.
• Abaddon told Morandi that Great Liang’s strength had made it difficult to pursue a joint partition of the Frostwest Empire, and he awaited the banquet where Lin Yi’s purpose would become clear.

Abaddon and the allied kings attended Great Liang’s birthday banquet, where they learned that the gathering concerned the Land of the Far West. Lin Yi appeared and warned them that the distant power did concern them, leaving the kings alarmed and uncertain about his plans.

• Abaddon entered Yong'an City with the allied rulers and admired the birthday decorations, telling A Long to arrange a similar celebration for him.
• Abaddon noticed Bill III was already in the palace looking dejected and found him seated beside Li Yu, the former ruler of Southern Tang.
• Li Yu recited a sorrowful poem, and Bill III told Abaddon that Lin Yi had deliberately seated him beside a fallen ruler to curse the Frostwest Empire.
• Bill III said he knew only that Great Liang’s plans involved the Land of the Far West, prompting the small-country kings to question Abaddon about it.
• Lin Yi approached and told Abaddon and the other kings that the Land of the Far West did concern them.

Lin Yi revealed that an army from the Land of the Far West had landed on the Great West Empire’s coast, and explained how its colonial conquests enslaved occupied peoples. Abaddon and the western kings realized their nations faced a grave threat, while Bill III feared his empire would be next if the Great West Empire fell.

• Lin Yi told Abaddon that Great Liang’s intelligence had uncovered a new threat, prompting Abaddon to ask whether the Land of the Far West had reached his empire.
• Lin Yi handed Abaddon a report stating that one hundred thousand soldiers from the Land of the Far West had landed on the Great West Empire’s coastline.
• Abaddon had Alusi translate the report, which described the invading army’s plundering and warned that its colonial expansion could eventually threaten Great Liang.
• Lin Yi explained that the Land of the Far West occupied foreign territories, seized their resources, and enslaved their people as soldiers and laborers.
• The western kings feared their countries would be conquered and enslaved, while Bill III worried that his empire would be the invaders’ next target if the Great West Empire fell.

Abaddon learned that the Land of the Far West planned to seize colonies and resolved to defend the Great West Empire, but he had little information about the enemy. He sought Great Liang’s aid against the threat and instead gave Lin Yi an opening to send a massive force into the Western Regions, alarming Bill III.

• Abaddon learned that the Land of the Far West intended to take colonies and vowed to resist its invasion.
• Abaddon asked Lin Yi for more intelligence, but Lin Yi said Great Liang knew little beyond the information already shared.
• Abaddon appealed to Lin Yi for help against the Land of the Far West, presenting it as a common enemy of the continent.
• Lin Yi agreed and announced that he had ordered five hundred thousand troops to assemble and reinforce the Western Regions.
• Bill III realized Lin Yi’s reinforcements threatened him, while Abaddon regretted giving Lin Yi a pretext to send troops.

At Lin Yi’s birthday banquet, Abaddon and the Western kings tried to prevent Great Liang from sending reinforcements to the Western Regions, but Lin Yi insisted the army would go. After the hostile kings departed, Lin Yi reassured the rulers who had pledged allegiance and laid out their future status under Great Liang.

• Abaddon and the other Western kings insisted they could defeat the Land of the Far West without Great Liang’s help, but Lin Yi declared that reinforcements would be sent anyway.
• Lin Yi ended the discussion for his birthday celebration, and Abaddon and the other Western kings drank reluctantly before leaving the banquet.
• Li Yu warned Lin Yi that the departing kings would likely become enemies, while Lin Yi revealed that Xue Rengui was preparing a covert strike against the small countries.
• Guo Jia told the remaining kings that the Zhennan Dynasty was close to falling, prompting them to swear their loyalty to Great Liang.
• Lin Yi welcomed the pledged kings in Yong'an City, said their families could serve in Great Liang’s army but would lose their royal titles, and gave them Great Liang’s First Decree to read.

Lin Yi’s court explained Great Liang’s new decree, which ranked people by their loyalty and gave native citizens priority above all others. The surrendered kings learned they had been spared captive status and thanked Lin Yi, who told them to work diligently.

• The foreign rulers eagerly studied Great Liang’s First Decree with translators after Lin Yi presented it.
• Guo Jia and Jia Xu explained that the decree divided people into four classes and placed Great Liang’s native citizens’ interests above all else.
• Lin Yi said the decree would strengthen Great Liang’s people and help make Great Liang the world’s hegemon.
• The kings realized voluntary surrender had spared their people the burdens of fourth-class captive status and thanked Lin Yi for his mercy.
• Lin Yi pardoned the kings and told them to work diligently, saying he did not mistreat talented people.

Lin Yi secured the submission of several small kingdoms as Great Liang prepared to enter the West, then comforted Princess Anne and learned that her brother had been purging her supporters in the Frostwest Empire. He resolved to use her mistreatment as a reason to take action against the empire.

• Lin Yi accepted the kings' submission and ordered them to arrange a careful handover before Great Liang's forces entered the West.
• The kings agreed to send representatives immediately, while Lin Yi said Xu You would contact them.
• Lin Yi visited Princess Anne and reassured her that Great Liang would be her home.
• Princess Anne told Lin Yi that her brother had removed her mother's supporters and would not tolerate her return to the Frostwest Empire.
• Lin Yi condemned Anne's brother for bullying her and vowed to see justice done.

Princess Anne secured Lin Yi’s promise to spare Bill III, while Lin Yi prepared to exploit the West’s turmoil. After Abaddon and the other western rulers left Great Liang, the new Grand Western Alliance faced threats from both Great Liang and the powerful force from the Land of the Far West.

• Princess Anne tearfully asked Lin Yi to conquer the Frostwest Empire and spare her father, and Lin Yi agreed to keep Bill III under house arrest.
• News of the Land of the Far West spread through Great Liang, where people trusted that Lin Yi and General Ran Min would defend them.
• Abaddon accused Lin Yi of deceiving his people and ordered the western rulers to return home.
• Bill III demanded that Abaddon provide the promised troops and supplies, warning that he would surrender to Great Liang if he could not withstand its forces.
• Abaddon and Bill III privately plotted against each other as they hurried west with the other rulers, leaving the Grand Western Alliance facing dangers from both sides.

Great Liang's commanders prepared to attack Zhennan's million-strong army at Flying Hero Pass, where Zhou Yu's navy had already landed behind enemy lines. Li Ru proposed flooding the pass by diverting water from Dalang Valley, leaving the commanders to consider his plan.

• Zhang Liao and the other commanders discussed Zhou Yu's surprise landing behind Zhennan's lines and the coming battle at Flying Hero Pass.
• Lü Bu and Guan Yu competed to lead the vanguard, but Zhang Liao said the cannons would take the lead, and both men backed down.
• Zhang Liao warned that Flying Hero Pass's narrow Gourd Mouth and Nan Ke's prepared kindling could make a frontal assault costly.
• Li Ru pointed to Dalang Valley and proposed opening waterways to flood Flying Hero Pass because the pass lay at a lower elevation.

Li Ru revealed a plan to dam Dalang Valley and divert its floodwaters toward Flying Hero Pass, potentially annihilating Nan Ke’s million Zhennan soldiers, and the Great Liang commanders approved. As they finished planning the cleanup, Wang Yue arrived with an unknown companion, leaving the group anticipating important news.

• Li Ru explained that opening a passage for Dalang Valley’s waters could flood Flying Hero Pass, but said there was not enough time to do so secretly.
• Li Ru proposed blasting down mountains to dam Dalang Valley and diverting the flood toward Flying Hero Pass through channels his men had dug.
• Meng Huo and Zhang Liao supported the plan to spare Great Liang soldiers, and Li Ru claimed the stratagem had been devised by his subordinate Li Xu.
• Zhang Liao and Lü Bu praised Li Ru and agreed to defend him from criticism as the group arranged the cleanup.
• Wang Yue, commander of the Net, requested an audience and entered with an unfamiliar companion, surprising Zhang Liao.

Zhennan’s eldest prince, Nan Yiming, arrived at Great Liang’s camp offering to defect, but Li Ru decided to keep him in reserve until Nan Ke’s army was destroyed. Zhang Liao then hinted that Li Ru had prepared a way to break Flying Hero Pass without losing soldiers.

• Wang Yue brought Nan Yiming before the ministers and said he had chosen to help Great Liang restore order in the southwest.
• Zhang Liao and Li Ru discussed Nan Yiming’s limited usefulness, while Nan Yiming worried that Great Liang might reject his defection.
• Li Ru warmly welcomed Nan Yiming but told him he would not be forced to act against Zhennan, then had him escorted away under guard.
• Li Ru explained that Nan Yiming would be more valuable as Zhennan’s legitimate heir after Nan Ke’s army was destroyed, allowing Great Liang to advance under his name.
• Wang Yue learned that Great Liang still had to attack Flying Hero Pass, and Zhang Liao said Li Ru had devised a plan to destroy Zhennan’s million-strong army without sacrificing soldiers.

Li Ru revealed that his explosive-backed plan to flood Zhennan was ready to proceed, while Zhennan’s leaders trusted Lu Donghuchen’s new defenses to stop Great Liang. The chapter ended with Nan Ke wondering why his eldest son Yiming had sent no news.

• Wang Yue learned from Zhang Liao that Li Ru had devised a plan to overwhelm Zhennan and praised its ingenuity.
• Li Ru reported that preparations were complete and that the flood operation could begin that night.
• Zhang Liao and the others resolved to move quickly against Zhennan and welcomed the prospect of further campaigns in the west.
• Lu Donghuchen built trenches and low parapets to blunt Great Liang’s cannon fire and cavalry, earning praise from Nan Ke, Zan Rihong, and Zeri Longxi.
• Nan Ke approved using incendiary materials and poisons against Great Liang, then wondered why Yiming had not reported back.

Nan Ke learned that Great Liang had withdrawn its troops and credited the retreat to the treasures he had sent with the eldest prince. He planned to celebrate and negotiate over the passes, while believing Lin Yi had been bought off.

• Nan Ke hoped the gifts and the eldest prince would persuade Lin Yi to avoid war, but Lu Donghuchen warned him that Great Liang might take the gifts and attack anyway.
• A guard reported that Great Liang had withdrawn from the Flying Hero Pass area, and Nan Ke celebrated, assuming his son had persuaded Lin Yi.
• Nan Ke boasted that he had bought off Lin Yi, while Lu Donghuchen and Zan Rihong reacted with relief at the retreat.
• Nan Ke sent trusted aides to verify the report, and they confirmed Great Liang had withdrawn from Flying Hero Pass and yielded part of Pingyu Pass.
• Nan Ke announced a banquet and plans to negotiate over Pingyu Pass and Daxin Pass the next day.

After the announcement that Great Liang had withdrawn lifted morale in Zhennan, a flood suddenly rushed toward Flying Hero Pass, revealing a possible Great Liang trap. Nan Ke and his men fled toward the mountains, leaving the panicked crowd to fend for itself.

• Nan Ke announced Great Liang's withdrawal, and the people of Zhennan celebrated while crediting him with forcing the enemy to retreat.
• A distant rumble shook Flying Hero Pass, and Lu Donghuchen recognized the approaching sound as a flood.
• Zan Rihong suspected that Great Liang had diverted the waters of Dalang Valley toward Flying Hero Pass.
• Lu Donghuchen urged Nan Ke to flee to the highest mountain, and Nan Ke abandoned the crowd to escape.
• When the panicked people blocked the way, Nan Ke ordered Lu Donghuchen to carve a path through them.
• Lu Donghuchen and the guards killed civilians as they shouted, "Let His Majesty go first!"

Nan Ke ordered Lu Donghuchen to shoot Zhennan commoners who tried to stop them escaping, but the flood overtook Zhennan and devastated the city. At Flying Hero Pass, Li Ru celebrated his plan while Zhang Fei and the others looked forward to fighting survivors, and Sima Yi explained to Meng Huo why servants of a ruler should avoid earning too much merit.

• Zhennan commoners attacked Nan Ke and his party after they blocked their escape, and Nan Ke ordered Lu Donghuchen to have archers kill them.
• Nan Ke fled up a mountain as the flood reached Zhennan and swept away everything below.
• Li Ru watched the flood destroy Flying Hero Pass and claimed credit for the feat, while Zhang Fei complained that he had earned no merit.
• Zhang Liao pointed out that survivors might find shelter in the heights, cheering Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, and Lü Bu with the prospect of battle.
• Meng Huo asked Sima Yi why their command was not pursuing merit, and Sima Yi warned that a subject who eclipsed the ruler or exhausted the honors available could invite disaster.