Recaps

Lin Yi assigned Guan Yu, Lü Bu, and Zhang Fei to lead an overseas campaign using newly acquired colonial coordinates as a proving ground for naval warfare. After finalizing the preparations, he learned Ashina Tiandu had arrived in Yong'an City and resolved to end the Frostwest Empire.

• Lin Yi chose Guan Yu, Lü Bu, Zhang Fei, and the other trained generals to conquer the overseas territories and test their naval skills.
• Guan Yu, Lü Bu, and Zhang Fei eagerly accepted the assignment, while Abide William agreed to guide them.
• Lin Yi warned Zhang Fei not to mistreat Abide William as long as he remained loyal to Great Liang.
• Lin Yi finalized the colonization plan and arranged the necessary supplies and resources.
• Dun Ruo reported that Ashina Tiandu had been brought to Yong'an City, and Lin Yi decided to make the Frostwest Empire vanish.

Lin Yi met the captive Ashina Tiandu, the defeated emperor of the Frostwest Empire, and rejected his plea for mercy. He promised to let Ashina Tiandu see his son before his execution.

• Lin Yi ordered Ashina Tiandu brought before him in the imperial palace.
• Ashina Tiandu recognized Lin Yi, mocked the idea that their family ties could have prevented the conquest, and admitted they were alike in their ambition.
• Ashina Tiandu asked Lin Yi to spare his life, arguing that he no longer posed a threat and that mercy would improve Lin Yi’s reputation.
• Lin Yi refused, saying Ashina Tiandu was too clever and ambitious to be left alive.
• Ashina Tiandu cursed Lin Yi and accepted his fate, and Lin Yi promised he could see his son before he died.

Lin Yi declared that the defeated Frostwest Empire would be abolished and reorganized as Great Liang’s Anxi Grand Protectorate, with Wang Ziwen as its first grand protector. He ordered plans for the new territory and took Ashina Tiandu to meet his son before his execution.

• Lin Yi agreed to let Ashina Tiandu see Ashina Mafa, acknowledging their family ties despite intending to kill him.
• Lin Yi announced the end of the Frostwest Empire and named Wang Ziwen the first grand protector of Anxi.
• Ashina Tiandu grieved that he had failed to command the West and had instead buried his empire.
• Xun Yu proposed using Anxi as a military base for operations in the Great West Empire and former Black Skull territory.
• Lin Yi ordered the Palace Library to prepare detailed plans and told Ashina Tiandu he would take him to see his son before his death.
• Ashina Tiandu collapsed as he accepted that he could not escape execution.

Lin Yi escorted Ashina Tiandu to the Imperial Academy, where Tiandu tried to seize the emperor and escape but was easily beaten. Tiandu reunited with his son, Ashina Mafa, and accepted that the Frostwest Empire was gone and Mafa should live safely under Lin Yi's protection.

• Lin Yi escorted Ashina Tiandu to the Imperial Academy, where Tiandu accused him of miscalculating and revealed his plan to capture him.
• Ashina Tiandu attacked Lin Yi, but Lin Yi overpowered and severely beat him.
• Lin Yi brought the battered Tiandu to see Ashina Mafa, who recognized his father after studying his swollen face.
• Ashina Mafa told Tiandu he seemed to have already brought the Frostwest Empire to ruin.
• Ashina Tiandu urged Mafa to live well and stop thinking about the empire, saying it was gone and Lin Yi would spare him.

Ashina Tiandu asked Anne to protect his son, Ashina Mafa, and Lin Yi agreed to let the boy live in Great Liang. From the Stargazing Pavilion, Lin Yi and his advisers discussed Mafa’s submission and why he posed no threat to Great Liang.

• Anne confronted Ashina Tiandu over his defeat, and he admitted he wanted his son to survive.
• Lin Yi promised to spare Ashina Mafa if he lived peacefully in Great Liang, and Mafa pledged to study and help Lin Yi unite the world.
• Lin Yi left Ashina Tiandu with Anne and Mafa and went to the Imperial Academy.
• At the Stargazing Pavilion, Lu Yafu warned Lin Yi that Mafa’s loyalty might not be sincere.
• Lin Yi said Great Liang’s strength and its watchful agents would prevent Mafa from restoring the Frostwest Empire.

After Ashina Tiandu’s death, Lin Yi turned Great Liang’s attention toward overseas expansion while Princess Dada returned to the Xinma Empire with goods and news of Great Liang’s overwhelming power. The Xinma court was stunned and asked whether Great Liang had agreed to cooperate with them.

• Lu Yafu praised Lin Yi after Ashina Tiandu’s defeat, and Lin Yi said Great Liang’s next conquests would lie overseas.
• Dun Ruo reported that Ashina Tiandu had killed himself with a dagger from Noble Consort Anne, and Lin Yi ordered his body collected and stabbed once more on his behalf.
• Princess Dada and her party returned to the Xinma Empire after three days at sea, carrying unfamiliar goods that astonished the people.
• Princess Dada told Empress Mary An Da that she had met Great Liang’s powerful emperor and described the empire’s customs and military strength.
• Xinier confirmed that Great Liang had nearly unified its continent and possessed territory many times larger than the Xinma Empire.
• Mary An Da asked whether Great Liang had agreed to an alliance, fearing the Xinma Empire might have made a mistake.

Princess Dada defended her alliance with Great Liang to Empress Mary An Da, arguing that its military and economic strength made cooperation essential despite the risks. Her mother accepted Dada’s resolve and, after seeing the trade goods, agreed that the Xinma Empire had gained valuable crops and supplies.

• Princess Dada and the Xinma court worried that revealing their location to Great Liang could invite an attack, while Xinier said Emperor Lin Yi had treated Dada well.
• Empress Mary An Da confronted Dada about spending a night in Great Liang’s palace and warned that this could disqualify her from becoming empress.
• Dada argued that Great Liang’s power and crops yielding over eight thousand jin per mu made an alliance necessary, and she declared she would follow her chosen path without regret.
• Empress Mary An Da accepted Dada’s resolve and examined the sweet potatoes, potatoes, and other trade goods from Great Liang.
• Dada said she planned to trade for Great Liang’s high-yield rice and wheat, and the empress concluded that the Xinma Empire had gained a good deal.

The Xinma Empire learned that the Moses Empire was advancing with over a million troops, and the empress decided to seek Great Liang’s military help. At sea, Yize and Abide Xisi led the Moses Empire’s vanguard toward Xinma, intending to destroy it before it could ally with Great Liang.

• Princess Dada explained to her mother why Great Liang valued regional crops and minerals, and the two discussed her experiences before falling asleep.
• A maid reported that more than a million Moses Empire troops were approaching Xinma, prompting the empress to prepare for war.
• The empress ordered supplies sent to Great Liang to complete their trade and requested its army to join Xinma in a pincer attack.
• Princess Dada left to return to Great Liang and bring its army to help defeat the Moses Empire.
• At sea, Yize and Abide Xisi led the Moses Empire’s vanguard toward Xinma, and Abide Xisi agreed to pursue revenge against Great Liang after the empire grew stronger.

The Moses Empire sent over a million troops toward the Xinma Empire, while Lu Kang watched their movements from nearby waters and reported the threat. On the Great West Empire front, Abaddon learned that Great Liang and the Frostwest Empire were closing in and that the Moses Empire might be unable to help.

• The Moses Empire advanced toward the Xinma Empire, hoping to eliminate a rival and strengthen itself before Great Liang could attack.
• Lu Kang spotted the Moses army, ordered patrols to watch Great Liang’s territorial waters, and sent a boat to follow the army while reporting its movements.
• Abaddon commanded the Great West Empire’s defense as Great Liang’s forces pressed forward.
• Delin told Abaddon that the Frostwest Empire had joined the attack, with Aksu leading its troops, and that Ashina Tiandu had been taken to Great Liang’s capital.
• Abaddon asked where Abide Leier and the Moses Empire were, and Delin reported that Leier had gone into hiding and that Great Liang and the Xinma Empire were preparing to attack Moses.

Abaddon ordered the Great West Empire to abandon vulnerable territory and prepare to retreat into the Hengduan Mountains, while seeking help from the Moses Empire. As defeats mounted across the front, he discovered that the general defending the eastern gate was connected to Amur, whose wife Abaddon had taken.

• Abaddon told Delin to inform Adolf to consolidate the defenses and fall back to the Hengduan Mountains if necessary.
• Abaddon ordered an envoy to ask the Moses Empire for assistance, offering to hold off Great Liang in return.
• Reports arrived that Great Liang and Frostwest forces had broken through the southeastern, northeastern, and western defenses, while Lin Rusong attacked the eastern gate.
• Abaddon berated the eastern gate's defenders for requesting reinforcements, then learned that its general, Dongku, was an uncle Amur had acknowledged.
• Delin explained that Amur had sought Dongku's protection after returning from the front and discovering that Abaddon had taken his wife, Xi'er.

Abaddon sought peace talks with Great Liang as the Great West Empire came under mounting pressure, but Lin Rusong rejected the offer and ordered a final assault. The chapter left Great Liang preparing to break through the enemy defenses and crush the empire.

• Abaddon learned that Amur might bear a grudge over his affair with Amur's wife, so he ordered Delin to replace him at the east gate.
• Abaddon told Delin to contact Lin Rusong and offer peace talks, submission, and a meeting with Lin Yi to buy time.
• Lin Rusong dismissed the peace offer, and Wang Ziwen explained that Abaddon was trying to delay Great Liang's offensive.
• Wang Ziwen reported that Great Liang had replenished its gunpowder and explosives and was ready to smash through the Great West Empire's defenses.
• Lin Rusong ordered Wang Yue to have the Net coordinate Huo Qubing and Zhou Yu with the main force and send Aksu's new legion into an all-out assault.

The Great Liang Empire launched a coordinated invasion that shattered the Great West Empire’s defenses on every front. Abaddon tried to flee to the Hengduan Mountains, but Amur blocked the city gate and faced his soldiers.

• Lin Rusong rejected the Great West Empire’s plea for peace and ordered the Great Liang Empire to advance.
• Gan Ning, Huo Qubing, Xue Rengui, Qi Jiguang, Zhao Yun, and Lin Rusong drove back the Great West Empire’s forces across the western, northern, southern, and eastern fronts.
• Huo Qubing and Xue Rengui routed Adolf’s million-strong army, prompting Adolf to accept that his forces could not stop Great Liang.
• Abaddon ordered Delin and several officials to evacuate to the Hengduan Mountains as enemy forces surrounded the Great West Empire.
• Amur stopped Abaddon’s party at the city gate, accused them of fleeing, and fought back when Abaddon ordered his soldiers to kill him.

Abaddon tried to escape as Great West forces fought among themselves, but commoners followed him and Amur exposed his plan and accused him of sleeping with Amur’s wife. The soldiers’ loyalty crumbled, and Zhao Yun of the Hundred Riders Legion appeared outside the city.

• Great West soldiers attacked one another, while commoners learned Abaddon planned to flee and hurried after him with their families and belongings.
• Abaddon claimed he was taking them to attack Lin Rusong’s camp, but a commoner questioned his excuse and Amur accused him of abandoning the people.
• Amur revealed that Hill, the woman beside Abaddon, was his wife and said Abaddon had sent him to guard the city gate so he could sleep with her.
• A crowd member recognized Hill, and Great West soldiers lost their will to fight, with some laying down their weapons and leaving the army.
• A rider on a white horse appeared outside, and Abaddon identified him as Zhao Yun of the Hundred Riders Legion.

The Great West Empire’s army collapsed as the Hundred Riders Legion and Qi Jiguang’s firearm battalion closed in, leaving Abaddon surrounded. After Lin Rusong mocked him, Abaddon killed himself, and Great Liang took control of the empire’s remaining territories.

• Abaddon learned that the Hundred Riders Legion had reached his position and ordered his troops to prepare for a final battle.
• The Great West army lost morale and surrendered as Amur opened the city gates to reveal Qi Jiguang’s firearm battalion and the Great Liang army.
• Qi Jiguang demanded Abaddon’s surrender, and Lin Rusong offered to spare his life if he knelt.
• Abaddon argued with Lin Rusong, then slit his own throat rather than surrender.
• Lin Rusong ordered Abaddon buried, and Great Liang’s army occupied Great West’s remaining territories.

After unifying the continent, Lin Yi received major system rewards, including Zhuge Liang, large armies, two tripod cauldrons, and an advanced steelmaking method. He teased Guo Jia and Tian Feng for speculating about his happiness, then threatened to give them more work.

• Lin Yi received rewards for unifying the continent and defeating or subduing several states, including Zhuge Liang, Li Bai, Du Fu, more than a million soldiers, two tripod cauldrons, and advanced steelmaking techniques.
• Lin Yi assessed how the steelmaking method, cauldrons, renowned figures, and Tiger Step Army could strengthen the Great Liang Empire.
• Tian Feng wondered whether Lin Yi was smiling because a consort might be expecting a child, and Guo Jia dismissed the idea.
• Tian Feng reflected that Lin Yi's long life might outlast his own service, while Guo Jia explained that Lin Yi was not concerned about producing an heir.
• Lin Yi interrupted their conversation and threatened to increase their workload, prompting Guo Jia to insist they had only been curious.

Lin Yi assigned Zhuge Liang to the Palace Library to learn Great Liang’s affairs, while Guo Jia and Tian Feng sized up their new colleague. An urgent report then revealed that nearly a million Moses Empire troops were moving south, and Lin Yi suspected the Xinma Empire was their target.

• Lin Yi introduced Zhuge Liang as a helper for Guo Jia and Tian Feng in the Palace Library.
• Guo Jia welcomed Zhuge Liang, but Lin Yi warned him not to lead Zhuge Liang astray and said he might become chancellor one day.
• A messenger reported that nearly a million Moses Empire troops had been sighted at sea and were advancing south.
• Lin Yi identified the Xinma Empire as the likely target, and Guo Jia warned that the Moses Empire might seek to conquer it before confronting Great Liang.

Lin Yi learned that the Moses Empire was preparing to attack the Xinma Empire and ordered Zhou Yu and Gan Ning to help seize its colonies while Great Liang waited to exploit the war. He revealed that the Great West Empire had already fallen, leaving Great Liang in control of the continent, and Tian Feng began proposing new territorial divisions.

• Lin Yi studied the updated nautical chart, and Zhuge Liang and the other advisers concluded that the Moses Empire planned to destroy the Xinma Empire.
• Lin Yi ordered Zhou Yu and Gan Ning to join Lu Kang and seize the Moses Empire’s colonies while its forces were occupied.
• Lin Yi told Zhuge Liang that the campaign against the Great West Empire had ended and Great Liang had unified the continent.
• Tian Feng urged Lin Yi to revise Great Liang’s laws and redraw its territorial divisions by east, south, west, and north.
• Lin Yi asked Tian Feng whether his proposed divisions would include Great Liang’s homeland.

After Great Liang completed its western campaign and occupied the Great West Empire, Lin Yi celebrated unifying the continent with his consorts. He left plans for reorganizing the empire’s administration with his officials, then turned his celebration toward the inner palace.

• Tian Feng proposed dividing Great Liang into eastern, southern, western, and northern regions and reshaping the former territories of conquered nations.
• Lin Yi agreed to discuss new administrative divisions and left the Palace Library to develop a plan with the officials.
• Lin Yi went to the inner palace and invited Cai Yan, Shenle, Anne, and the other consorts to guess why he was happy.
• Cai Yan and Shenle guessed that the western campaign had ended, and Lin Yi announced that Great Liang had occupied the Great West Empire and unified the continent.
• The consorts celebrated Lin Yi’s victory, and he declared that he would now unify the inner palace.

After the Great Liang Empire conquered the Great West Empire, its victory report announced that the entire continent had been unified, and the capital erupted in celebration. Jiang Li, proud of being remembered as Great Liang’s sole surviving enemy, showed Li Siyuan his approved autobiography and then proposed honoring the emperor with divine statues.

• A victory report announced that Great Liang had destroyed the Great West Empire and claimed the entire continent, prompting the capital’s people to celebrate.
• A young man explained that the continent was ten times larger than Great Liang’s homeland, and merchants from the Great West Empire mourned their country’s fall.
• Jiang Li boasted to Li Siyuan about surviving Great Liang’s conquest and presented his autobiography, “A Perfect Life Begins with Joining Great Emperor Zhenwu.”
• Jiang Li credited Yang Xiu with helping the book pass review and said foreigners were buying it, while Li Siyuan warned him to keep a lower profile.
• Li Siyuan and Jiang Li discussed celebrating the emperor’s continental conquest, but Jiang Tao said the Ministry of Rites would handle the official event.
• Jiang Li proposed erecting divine statues of Great Emperor Zhenwu, and Li Siyuan agreed that deification suited the emperor’s stature.

After Great Liang unified the continent, Lin Yi celebrated with a seven-day imperial feast while allowing Jiang Li to plan a statue of Great Emperor Zhenwu under Zhang Jiao’s review. Princess Dada arrived from Xinma seeking Great Liang’s help against Moses, only to learn the empire had already conquered the Great West Empire and begin doubting whether it would still form an alliance.

• Lin Yi allowed Jiang Li to plan a statue of Great Emperor Zhenwu, provided Zhang Jiao reviewed it.
• Lin Yi declared a seven-day feast to celebrate Great Liang’s unification of the continent.
• Princess Dada and Xinier fled the looming conflict with Moses and reached Great Liang’s coast to seek military aid.
• A local woman told Princess Dada that Great Liang had destroyed the Great West Empire and become the continent’s only country.
• Xinier questioned whether Great Liang would still ally with Xinma now that it ruled the continent.

Princess Dada and Xinier worried that Great Liang’s victories could leave the Xinma Empire vulnerable, but continued toward Yong'an City to negotiate a trade. Meanwhile, Abide Leier learned that Great Liang had destroyed the Great West Empire and realized he and his men had been abandoned and cut off from escape.

• Princess Dada and Xinier feared Great Liang might eventually turn against the Xinma Empire, so they decided to reach Yong'an City and negotiate rather than panic.
• Xu Chu welcomed Princess Dada’s delegation, ordered the cotton seeds protected, and arranged for the supplies to be counted and sent to the capital.
• Abide Leier learned that the Great West Empire had fallen and that Great Liang was preparing to take control of the continent.
• Abide Leier told James he believed the Moses Empire had abandoned them, leaving them to find their own way out past Great Liang’s naval blockade.

Abide Leier and James’s forces were discovered hiding in the mountains by Great Liang’s aerial scouts, and their attempt to shoot down the aircraft caused casualties among their own men. Chen Dao and Wang Ping led their mountain-warfare legions in pursuit, and fighting began as they caught up with the fleeing force.

• James urged Abide Leier and the others to stop hiding and fight rather than die in the mountains.
• Abide Leier spotted aerial scouts overhead and feared Great Liang had found their position.
• The enemy’s aircraft approached with red markers pointing toward the hidden troops, and James ordered his men to shoot at them.
• The arrows fell back among the soldiers, killing many, and Abide Leier ordered a retreat deeper into the mountains.
• Chen Dao’s White Feather Soldiers and Wang Ping’s Wudang Flying Army raced after Abide Leier’s force and challenged each other to compete in the pursuit.
• Chen Dao and Wang Ping caught up with the enemy, and fighting broke out.

Chen Dao and Wang Ping’s forces overwhelmed Abide Leier’s starving army in the dense forest, rejecting its attempt to surrender and killing nearly all of its hundred thousand soldiers. Abide Leier remained pinned to a tree, asking for death as Chen Dao condemned the Moses Empire’s invasions.

• Great Liang’s vanguard caught Abide Leier’s men in the forest and routed them while they fled hungry and exhausted.
• Abide Leier and James agreed to pretend to surrender so the soldiers could eat, and James announced their surrender.
• Wang Ping refused to accept the surrender, and Chen Dao ordered his troops to keep attacking.
• Abide Leier’s soldiers fought back but were soon overwhelmed; James and the rest of the army died, while Chen Dao pinned Abide Leier to a tree with a spear.
• Abide Leier asked Chen Dao to kill him, and Chen Dao denounced him and the Moses Empire as invaders.

Abide Leier learned that Great Liang and the Xinma Empire had joined forces against the Moses Empire, while Great Liang completed its conquest of the Central Continent. Emperor Moshili and Chief Elder Amu then considered sending the Judgment Legion to assassinate Lin Yi.

• Chen Dao told Abide Leier that Great Liang and the Xinma Empire were preparing to destroy the Moses Empire, and Abide Leier feared for his country's safety.
• News spread that Great Liang had wiped out the Moses Empire's hundred-thousand-strong army and unified the Central Continent.
• Moses citizens demanded revenge, but Emperor Moshili said the Great Liang Empire was too powerful to attack safely.
• Emperor Moshili confirmed to Chief Elder Amu that Great Liang had conquered the Central Continent and was building coastal docks and bases.
• Amu proposed using the five-thousand-strong Judgment Legion to assassinate Lin Yi while Moses forces remained committed to the Xinma Empire.

Emperor Moshili’s council planned to disguise the Judgment Legion as overseas merchants and send it to Great Liang to assassinate Lin Yi, while preparing for a possible Great Liang counterattack. After the Legion mobilized, Net operatives in the Moses Empire learned of the plot and resolved to strike back.

• Emperor Moshili and his council decided the Judgment Legion would infiltrate Great Liang in disguise and target Lin Yi.
• Ashan warned that Great Liang operatives had entered the Moses Empire, prompting Moshili to strengthen palace security and screen the Palace Legion.
• Moshili ordered the military to destroy the Xinma Empire quickly before Great Liang could send support.
• The Judgment Legion mobilized toward Great Liang, alerting the Net operatives who had infiltrated the Moses Empire.
• A Net leader and his deputy agreed to retaliate against the Moses Empire for planning to assassinate Lin Yi.