Recaps

Abaddon and his ministers concluded that Great Liang might be behind the attack on the Moses Empire, and A Long advised drawing the Moses Empire into a prolonged war while supporting Frostwest. The chapter ended with Abaddon ordering troops east and strengthening Great West’s defenses against Great Liang and the unknown forces.

• Alusi argued that the mysterious attackers were likely Great Liang, citing its captured Kun of the Northern Deep and its Red-Coat Cannons.
• Abaddon and Morandi feared Great Liang could sail around the continent and attack the Great West Empire from the rear.
• A Long advised Abaddon to support the Frostwest Empire and direct the Moses Empire’s attention toward Great Liang.
• Abaddon ordered information sent to the Abide Family and royal uncle Adolf to march east and support Frostwest.
• A Long suggested Huo Qubing and Xue Rengui might be connected to Great Liang, but admitted he could not confirm it.
• Abaddon blamed Lin Yi for extending Great Liang’s reach and ordered heavy forces stationed to defend the Great West Empire.

Ashina Tiandu learned that Great Liang’s two-million-strong offensive was crushing Frostwest’s defenses with powerful siege weapons, while Prince Xiuli helped the invaders and persuaded Frostwest soldiers to surrender. With the empire nearing collapse, Ashina Tiandu sought support from the Great West Empire and Moses Empire, but only the former had sent troops.

• Ashina Tiandu erupted at the reports of defeats across Frostwest’s fronts and demanded an explanation for the army’s collapse.
• Zela explained that Lin Rusong led two million Great Liang troops in a five-pronged invasion, using weapons capable of destroying fortresses and forcing Nishu to retreat.
• Zela revealed that Xiuli was guiding Great Liang’s forces and persuading Frostwest soldiers to surrender, and Ashina Tiandu spat blood in fury.
• Ashina Tiandu learned that the Great West Empire had sent three hundred thousand troops, while the Moses Empire had not arrived.
• Ashina Tiandu ordered Zela to keep contacting the Moses Empire and urge it to attack Huo Qubing’s forces.

Ashina Tiandu learned that the Moses Empire’s 300,000 reinforcements had been annihilated before reaching the Great West Empire, leaving Frostwest exposed to advancing enemies. He ordered Zela to watch the ministers and kill any who seemed ready to defect, while Zela began considering his own escape.

• A messenger reported that a mysterious army had destroyed all 300,000 Moses Empire reinforcements before they landed.
• Ashina Tiandu and the ministers feared Frostwest could not withstand the forces of Great Liang, Great Tang, and Great Han without Moses Empire’s support.
• Ashina Tiandu said he would ask Abaddon and the Great West Empire to hold Huo Qubing back until the Moses Empire returned.
• After the ministers left the palace, Ashina Tiandu ordered Zela to monitor them and kill anyone suspected of plotting to defect.
• Ashina Tiandu said he would rather strike first than let the ministers hand him over to Great Liang, and Zela agreed while considering an escape route.

Ashina Tiandu realized that Great Han and Great Tang were secretly part of Lin Yi’s scheme and raged at Great Liang’s threat to Frostwest. He sent his wife Dafenli to persuade her cousin Abaddon to support Frostwest, leaving the empire’s hopes dependent on her mission.

• Ashina Tiandu concluded that Lin Yi had fabricated Great Han and Great Tang to weaken Frostwest and was leading Huo Qubing and Xue Rengui toward Tiele City.
• Dafenli urged Ashina Tiandu to protect his health and warned him that their son Mafa remained detained by Great Liang.
• Ashina Tiandu told Dafenli to enlist Abaddon’s help, warning that Frostwest’s fall would put the Great West Empire next in danger.
• Dafenli agreed to appeal to Abaddon’s interests and set out from Tiele City with Ashina Tiandu’s letter.

After Great Liang’s naval forces annihilated the invading army and captured Abide William, a court-connected man told Yong'an City residents that the Moses Empire had plotted with Great West and Frostwest to invade and colonize Great Liang. The outraged people petitioned the government to destroy all three powers.

• News reached Yong'an City that Great Liang had destroyed three hundred thousand invading troops, captured Abide William, and seized ships and supplies.
• A middle-aged man claimed his minister brother had told him that the invaders came from the Land of the Far West and had allied with Great West and Frostwest against Great Liang.
• The middle-aged man described the Moses Empire’s colonial rule and accused Great West and Frostwest of betrayal, enraging the gathered citizens.
• A newly married young man and other residents condemned the Moses Empire’s right of the first night, enslavement, and seizure of wealth.
• The middle-aged man disappeared into the crowd as citizens went to government offices to demand the destruction of the Moses Empire and punishment of Great West and Frostwest.

Lin Yi and his court celebrated Zhou Yu and Gan Ning’s decisive defeat of the Moses Empire’s fleet, then assessed the enemy and prepared for its likely retaliation. Guan Yu and others volunteered to reinforce the seas, while Lin Yi doubted Cao Cao and Lü Bu’s suitability for naval combat.

• Lin Yi praised Zhou Yu and Gan Ning after their forces destroyed three hundred thousand Moses Empire troops with almost no losses.
• Li Ru dismissed the Moses Empire’s military strength, and Guo Jia explained that Great Liang had exaggerated the Far West’s power to deter the Great West and Frostwest empires.
• Li Si suggested the Abide Family had sent only three hundred thousand troops to weaken Great Liang and claim the continent for itself.
• Guan Yu asked Lin Yi for permission to reinforce Zhou Yu, warning that the Moses Empire would return with more troops.
• Guo Xin, Lü Bu, and Cao Cao volunteered to join the fight, but Lin Yi doubted Cao Cao’s ability to cross the sea and Lü Bu’s usefulness in naval combat.

After Zhou Yu and Gan Ning defeated the Moses Empire’s fleet, Lin Yi used the system’s rewards to prepare reinforcements and warned his commanders that war with the empire was approaching. He rejected Ashina Tiandu’s repeated peace requests as the retired emperor advanced into Frostwest.

• Lin Yi received Lu Kang, the Eastern Wu Navy, steam-engine knowledge, and a map of islands around Great Liang as rewards for the naval victory.
• Lin Yi told Cao Cao and the others that reinforcements for Zhou Yu were already arranged, then ordered Cao Cao to attend Fengxiao’s training class for three days over his public drunken behavior.
• Lin Yi told Lü Bu and the others to intensify their training because war with the Moses Empire seemed near.
• Tian Feng reported that the retired emperor had pushed into Frostwest and that Bill IV had sent ten messages seeking peace.
• Lin Yi rejected Bill IV’s peace request and condemned Ashina Tiandu for scheming against Great Liang.

At court, Lin Yi approved a plan to bring Huo Qubing and Xue Rengui into Great Liang while presenting their invasion of Frostwest as a righteous intervention. He then visited the Ministry of Works and found Ma Jun testing a steam-powered wooden donkey.

• Li Si urged Lin Yi to destroy Frostwest quickly, and the ministers agreed that Ashina Tiandu should be defeated.
• Lin Yi described Huo Qubing and Xue Rengui as righteous men threatening Tiele City, and Yang Xiu proposed welcoming them into Great Liang.
• Lin Yi ordered Xu You to have Wang Xuance contact Huo Qubing and Xue Rengui and demand their submission, by persuasion or force.
• After dismissing court, Lin Yi went to the Ministry of Works to check on Ma Jun's steam-engine research.
• A guard captain led Lin Yi to Ma Jun's test, where Lin Yi saw a wobbling wooden donkey powered by a steam engine.

Ma Jun demonstrated a steam-powered wooden donkey to Lin Yi, showing that it could move under its own power but remained difficult to control. After the donkey broke apart during a test, Lin Yi praised Ma Jun and the craftsmen and promised their work would be rewarded and recorded in history.

• Ma Jun and the craftsmen tested the steam-powered wooden donkey, which took several steps under power from a small steam apparatus.
• Lin Yi arrived, examined the invention, and praised Ma Jun for his progress.
• Lin Yi promised each craftsman a merit credit and a place in the history books, and had the chief clerk record their names.
• Ma Jun explained how he adapted the wooden ox and flowing horse with steam power, then removed the sandbag from the donkey's back.
• The unrestrained wooden donkey lurched around and broke apart, and Lin Yi reassured Ma Jun that the test was still a major achievement.

Lin Yi visited Ma Jun’s workshop and saw the inventor’s powerful steam engine, which inspired plans to propel war chariots and guide them along fixed routes. Ma Jun also reported that Great Liang’s Red-Coat Cannon had been refined to fire ten shots before its barrel cracked.

• Lin Yi gave Ma Jun a book about steam engines, and Ma Jun said its contents confirmed his ideas.
• Ma Jun showed Lin Yi a working steam engine whose power he had limited by removing part of its transmission mechanism.
• Ma Jun proposed using steam engines to propel war chariots and then suggested making them travel along prescribed routes.
• Lin Yi approved Ma Jun’s experiments but ordered that his safety be protected and that he not conduct them personally.
• Ma Jun reported that technological updates had improved Great Liang’s steelmaking and gunpowder, and that the Red-Coat Cannon could now fire ten times before cracking.

Lin Yi praised Ma Jun for his inventions and ordered a review of rewards for craftsmen, then toured the Heavenly Craft Workshop and learned about its standardized weapons production and a new multifunctional spinning and weaving machine. The chapter left Lin Yi asking whether cotton seeds had been found, since Great Liang still needed better ways to keep warm.

• Lin Yi praised Ma Jun for his contributions, and Ma Jun knelt to pledge his loyalty.
• Lin Yi told Ma Jun to arrange a fairer system of rewards for craftsmen, whose enthusiasm rose at the promise of recognition and better benefits.
• Ma Jun showed Lin Yi how the Heavenly Craft Workshop used assembly-line production and Great Liang standards to make weapons easier to repair and use.
• Lin Yi discovered Ma Jun's improved machine could spin and weave wool, other animal hair, silk floss, and silkworm silk.
• Lin Yi asked Ma Jun whether anyone had found cotton seeds.

Lin Yi ordered further research into steam-powered warships while accepting wool as a substitute for cotton. After news of Great Liang’s victory over the Moses Empire spread, Zhang Ruohai learned that he would need to register with the Maritime Trade Office and sponsor warships to share in maritime profits.

• Dun Ruo told Lin Yi that searches in the Zhennan Dynasty and Frostwest Empire had found no cotton, so Lin Yi ordered the search to continue and suggested using wool if it failed.
• Lin Yi inspected Great Liang’s weapons and warships, then instructed Ma Jun to accelerate steam-engine research and develop steam-powered warships.
• News spread that Great Liang had defeated the Moses Empire, and Zhang Ruohai asked Zhang Ruoyun whether the reports were true.
• Zhang Ruoyun warned Zhang Ruohai not to grow too greedy and told him to register with the Maritime Trade Office to pursue a share of maritime profits.
• Zhang Ruoyun explained that Zhang Ruohai would have to sponsor warships for the state and maintain a good record to qualify.

Zhang Ruohai and Zhang Ruoyun discussed the sponsorship fee, then met with northern aristocratic families eager to profit from Great Liang’s overseas expansion. They decided they could pay sponsorship fees to fund warships and gain access to the wealth of the seas.

• Zhang Ruoyun warned Zhang Ruohai that the opportunity to join the overseas venture was rare and profitable.
• Qian Yulong, Gu Ruotang, and other northern aristocrats arrived to ask Zhang Ruohai how they could share in the profits of the seas.
• Gu Ruotang explained that the families wanted a share of the wealth Great Liang planned to exploit after its victory over the Great West Empire.
• Zhang Ruoyun proposed using sponsorship fees to pay for warships needed for Great Liang’s overseas campaigns.
• Qian Yulong agreed that the families should top up the sponsorship fees to win favor and secure a share of the ocean’s riches.

Liu Feng tried to find sponsors for Great Liang’s warships by tempting merchants with rumors of riches at sea, but the northern great families arrived at the Maritime Trade Office offering funds. After Liu Feng promised them profits from the Ocean Development Plan, they committed to the project, leaving him eager to secure their sponsorship.

• Liu Feng decided not to keep demanding funds from the great families and planned to attract merchants by spreading word about fortunes at sea.
• Dozens of carriages blocked the Maritime Trade Office, and Liu Feng mistook the arriving northern great families for troublemakers.
• Zhang Ruohai explained that he and the others had come to sponsor Great Liang’s maritime efforts, and Liu Feng welcomed them and recorded their names.
• Qian Yulong asked when the warships would be built and when sponsors could earn money, so Liu Feng described the Ocean Development Plan’s promised resources.
• The northern great families grew excited at the prospect of gold, silver, golden-thread nanmu, and fruit, while Liu Feng saw their offer as a chance to fund hundreds of warships.

Qian Yulong, Gu Ruotang, and Zhang Ruohai pledged major maritime sponsorship funds to Liu Feng, who rewarded their support by promising to seek imperial recognition. Lin Yi then refused Zhang Fei’s request to leave Guan Yu’s training and join Gan Ning’s forces, insisting that he first learn to fight at sea.

• Qian Yulong and the other great-clan leaders agreed to cover more than half of Great Liang’s maritime sponsorship funds, hoping to win favor with the emperor and secure future profits.
• Liu Feng thanked the clans and promised to report their contributions to His Majesty, prompting Qian Yulong and Gu Ruotang to offer him further support.
• Zhang Ruohai pressured Liu Feng into becoming his sworn younger brother, and Liu Feng agreed to celebrate after completing the registrations.
• Lin Yi watched Liu Feng’s new alliances with Zhang Fei, who praised Liu Feng for securing the clans’ money for the mission.
• Zhang Fei asked Lin Yi to transfer him from Guan Yu’s training to Gan Ning, but Lin Yi refused and warned that he needed to learn sea combat before fighting at sea.

Lin Yi rebuked Zhang Fei for trying to secure a post through a gift, then used Huo Guang’s carefully prepared attack on the southwestern foreigners to teach Zhang Fei a lesson about caution. The chapter left Lin Yi and Zhang Fei entering the Court of Diplomatic Reception to see whether Huo Guang could win.

• Zhang Fei offered Lin Yi his Portraits of a Hundred Beauties, but Lin Yi refused to treat it as a bribe and gave the revealing paintings to Zhao Gao.
• Lin Yi told Zhang Fei to accompany him to the Court of Diplomatic Reception before he decided whether Zhang Fei could join Gan Ning.
• Huo Guang charged into the Court of Diplomatic Reception, vowing to take on the southwestern foreigners alone.
• Zhao Gao explained that Huo Guang had checked the foreigners’ numbers, tested their strength, and arranged support from the City Defense Battalion before attacking.
• Zhang Fei admitted he had acted rashly and resolved to prepare more carefully, then followed Lin Yi into the Court of Diplomatic Reception.

Huo Guang charged into the Court of Diplomatic Reception and challenged the southwestern tribesmen to one-on-one fights, defeating more than twenty in succession. Zhang Fei, Xu You, and Lin Yi recognized the clever use of his horse and the challenge’s rules as Huo Guang left the tribesmen cowed and warned them to behave.

• Huo Guang rode into the court alone, insulted the southwestern tribesmen, and challenged them to fight him one-on-one.
• A Hu of the Blackwater Tribe attacked Huo Guang, who sent him flying with a powerful spear strike.
• Huo Guang defeated successive challengers, while Zhang Fei explained to Xu You how Huo Guang used his horse and the single-combat challenge to his advantage.
• Lin Yi praised Huo Guang’s strategy, and Xu You marveled at his prospects.
• Huo Guang defeated more than twenty opponents and warned the tribesmen to behave themselves.

Huo Guang used his warhorse to defeat the southwestern tribesmen until Kunshan ordered them to attack the horse, prompting the City Defense Battalion to intervene. The general accused the tribesmen of assaulting a minor and threatened them with execution under Great Liang's laws.

• Kunshan told Huo Guang to dismount, then ordered his men to cut down the warhorse when Huo Guang refused.
• Huo Qubing attacked five tribesmen who charged the horse, while another five rushed Huo Guang and increased the pressure on him.
• Zhang Fei prepared to help Huo Guang, but Lin Yi said the City Defense Battalion Huo Guang had summoned had arrived.
• The City Defense Battalion surrounded the courtyard, and its general accused the tribesmen of ganging up on Huo Guang.
• Kunshan claimed the fight had been single combat, but Huo Guang showed his identification document proving he was fifteen.
• The general said attacking a minor in a group carried threefold guilt and meant immediate beheading, while Kunshan denied the charge.

Huo Guang challenged the southwestern delegation and defeated dozens of their soldiers, warning them that Great Liang had many warriors stronger than him. Kunshan recognized the threat and agreed to relinquish the southwestern tribes’ sovereignty and submit to Great Liang.

• Huo Guang insisted on fighting from horseback, and the City Defense Battalion urged Kunshan’s men to accept his challenge.
• Kunshan learned that Huo Guang was the nephew of the emperor’s favored consort and ordered his men not to kill him.
• Huo Guang defeated several southwestern soldiers in succession, leaving most of the delegation’s men down.
• Huo Guang mocked the southwesterners’ strength and left, warning them to keep their tails between their legs in Great Liang.
• Kunshan ordered Lord Xu summoned and agreed to relinquish their sovereignty, submit to Great Liang, and cease to exist as an independent power.

Lin Yi decided to spare Nan Ke and his son, then questioned Zan Rihong about his future under Great Liang. Zan Rihong offered intelligence about other continents, catching Lin Yi’s interest.

• Lin Yi ordered Xu You to have the southwestern nations submit their state letters and arrange their entry into Great Liang.
• Nan Ke asked Lin Yi to treat the people of Zhennan kindly, and Lin Yi said Nan Ke could live out his remaining years in peace.
• Zan Rihong showed disappointment that Nan Ke had been spared, and Lin Yi asked how he thought he himself would be dealt with.
• Zan Rihong offered important intelligence to prove his loyalty and revealed that he possessed a nautical chart containing information about other continents.
• Lin Yi became intrigued and asked Zan Rihong to explain what the chart said.

Lin Yi learned from Zan Rihong about overseas visitors who called their land the Nine Provinces Continent, or Central Continent, and considered whether it was connected to the Nine Provinces Tripod Cauldrons. The visitors’ account gave Great Liang clues about distant continents, and Lin Yi ended the chapter eager to pursue new opportunities across the sea.

• Lin Yi asked Zan Rihong about other continents, and Zan Rihong described a nautical chart and records of visitors from the Southern Continent who called their land the Nine Provinces Continent and the center of the world.
• Lin Yi wondered whether the name was connected to the Nine Provinces Tripod Cauldrons and pressed Zan Rihong for the chart, but Zan Rihong said his son had torn it up and admitted he remembered only its general outline.
• Zan Rihong recounted how his ancestor had encountered five bedraggled visitors in a small boat, which carried only defensive weapons and crude pottery; he could offer only stick figures as a depiction of them.
• Lin Yi assessed that the visitors’ equipment suggested the Southern Continent might not threaten Great Liang, and wondered whether it could be the continent colonized by the Moses Empire.
• Zhang Fei asked Lin Yi to let him earn merit by fighting in the Western Continent, and Lin Yi declared that the Western Continent was only a small goal on his journey to the stars and sea.

Lin Yi accepted Zan Rihong’s offer to serve Great Liang and assigned him to train under Zhang Fei for the coming Western Continent campaign. After Nan Yiming also volunteered, Xu You reported that the eastern peoples had surrendered their sovereignty and joined Great Liang, leaving the western battlefronts as the last obstacle to unifying the Central Continent.

• Lin Yi ordered the Net to explore in all directions and seek information about the other continents.
• Nan Ke told Nan Yiming to investigate the continents so Zan Rihong would not claim all the merit.
• Lin Yi offered Zan Rihong a place in the Western Continent campaign, and Zan Rihong swore loyalty to Great Liang.
• Lin Yi assigned Zan Rihong to train under Zhang Fei, and Nan Ke urged Nan Yiming to volunteer as well.
• Nan Yiming offered his service to Lin Yi, who accepted him for the campaign.
• Xu You reported that the eastern peoples had surrendered their sovereignty and fully joined Great Liang.

Lin Yi decided the surrendered southwestern tribes could be put to use overseas after the system rewarded him with Zheng He and naval resources. He summoned Zheng He, who arrived at the Court of Diplomatic Reception and bowed before him, awaiting his instructions.

• Xu You suggested that Lin Yi wipe out the southwestern tribes, but Lin Yi checked the system to see whether they had submitted sincerely.
• The system rewarded Lin Yi with Zheng He and 10,000 Great Ming naval troops for winning over Nan Ke, Nan Yiming, and Zan Rihong.
• The system also confirmed that the southwestern tribes had submitted wholeheartedly and awarded Lin Yi 10,000 maritime guards, thirty handicraft production chains, and a shipyard.
• Lin Yi decided to send the tribes overseas with Zheng He and summoned the eunuch to the Court of Diplomatic Reception.
• Zhao Gao brought Zheng He inside, and Zheng He respectfully kowtowed before Lin Yi.

Lin Yi assigned Zheng He to lead a dangerous ocean expedition with ten thousand men from the southwestern tribes, while Nan Yiming and his family argued over how to serve Great Liang. In the west, Huo Qubing and Xue Rengui broke through Frostwest’s army and attacked its capital, leaving Ashina Tiandu furious with his ministers and generals.

• Lin Yi ordered Zheng He to explore overseas in the name of trade and exchange, with ten thousand southwestern men accompanying him as their pledge of allegiance.
• Zan Rihong praised Lin Yi and Great Liang, while Nan Yiming rebuked his father, Nan Ke, and rejected Zan Rihong’s proposal to join forces.
• Great Liang’s two-million-strong army pierced through Frostwest’s million-man army and advanced on the capital under Huo Qubing and Xue Rengui.
• Ashina Tiandu killed several palace guards in anger, then demanded that his generals and ministers explain why they had failed to stop the invasion.

Ashina Tiandu struggled to contain Frostwest’s collapsing war effort, executing Adviser Derby and demanding answers from his officials. Ashley then reported that Great Liang was negotiating Huo Qubing and Xue Rengui’s surrender, leaving Ashina Tiandu and his ministers terrified that Frostwest would be surrounded.

• Ashina Tiandu erupted at his silent generals and ministers, then ordered Adviser Derby executed as a scapegoat for Frostwest’s defeats.
• Ashina Tiandu questioned Kubo about why his attempt to buy off Huo Qubing and Xue Rengui had failed.
• Ashley returned with an urgent report that Lin Yi had sent envoys to negotiate Huo Qubing and Xue Rengui’s surrender to Great Liang.
• Ashina Tiandu and his ministers feared that Great Liang’s alliance with the two commanders would encircle Frostwest and leave the empire facing defeat.