Recaps

Lin Yi fortified Xiliang Commandery, secured support from Bai Zizai, and maneuvered around Li Sansi while Tuoba Yu advanced with a vast army. The arc ended as Zhang Liao prepared to defend Dayu County and Tuoba Yu ordered his forces to invade Xiliang.

• Li Anlan refused to punish Lin Yi over his memorial and ordered the Prince of Beining Commandery to act cautiously as Tuoba Yu assembled troops.
• Lin Yi expanded Xiliang’s defenses with cement and explosives, while Zhang Liao prepared troops and the walls of Dayu County neared completion.
• Tuoba Yu decided to attack before the walls were finished, while Li Sansi positioned his forces and considered exploiting the conflict between Lin Yi and the Northern Barbarians.
• Bai Zizai offered Lin Yi fifty thousand Asura Army soldiers and gave him the Asura Token, while Yi Yun arranged for Northern Liang civilians and cement support.
• Lin Yi accepted Tuoba Yu’s invitation to join forces as a feint, and Tuoba Yu marched toward Ziwu Road while Li Sansi prepared to defend Little Pine Mountain.
• Li Sansi traveled in disguise to Xiliang, was exposed by the Net, and met Lin Yi at Dayu County, where he saw the completed walls and learned of Tuoba Yu’s proposal.
• Tuoba Yu’s scouts crossed Raging Waves Bridge, and the Net ambushed his vanguard as Lin Yi revealed the proposed alliance to Li Sansi and declared that Zhang Liao would command the defense.
• Lin Yi marked Zhang Liao’s Formation-Breaking banner with his blood and entrusted him with the battle, while Tuoba Yu sent Evil Bodhisattva to clear the woods and ordered his remaining forces to invade Xiliang.

Lin Yi repelled Tuoba Yu’s invasion, strengthened Xiliang, and maneuvered amid the growing war between Great Ning and the Northern Barbarians. The arc ended with Lin Yi exposing a spy network while Li Sansi’s defenses at Little Pine Mountain neared collapse.

• Tuoba Yu withdrew from Dayu County after his siege crossbow failed to damage Lin Yi’s new walls, but Zhang Liao ambushed his army and drove it back with the Formation-Breaking Camp and repeating crossbows.
• After an assassination attempt gravely wounded He Zudao, Tuoba Yu attacked Little Pine Mountain while Lin Yi arranged for Wang Yue to keep Li Sansi alive and prolong the fighting.
• Lin Yi’s victory over Tuoba Yu reached the imperial court, where Li Anlan appointed him Great General of Divine Might and authorized him to raise an army of fifty thousand.
• Lin Rusong secured provisions, equipment, and back pay from Lu Yafu, then arranged to send supplies and weapons to Lin Yi as Great Ning faced Tuoba Wanli’s invasion.
• Lin Yi chose to hold Ziwu Road rather than aid Li Anlan, and planned to let Tuoba Yu invade Ningchuan Commandery so Xiliang could later intervene as its rescuer.
• While exploring Xiliang City during the Double Ninth Festival, Lin Yi’s people caught Great Ning Guard commander Wei Tong near the Wafting Fragrance Pavilion, then Lin Yi ordered the pavilion sealed and its people arrested.
• Lin Yi and his advisers suspected the pavilion had targeted the Prince of Northern Liang and sent a warning to Lin Rusong, while Li Sansi’s forces lost the first two defensive lines at Little Pine Mountain and debated retreating.

After Li Sansi’s defeat and death, Tuoba Yu conquered Ningchuan Commandery, but Lin Yi drove him out and brought the commandery under Xiliang Province. Tuoba Yu joined forces with Tuoba Qingsong to confront Lin Yi’s cavalry, while Zhang Ci recognized Lin Yi as an ally.

• Li Sansi’s defenses collapsed, and he stayed behind to cover the retreat before taking his own life, and Li Yunqing and He Zudao fled toward the Song Tao River.
• Tuoba Yu’s forces crossed the river, killed He Zudao, drove Li Yunqing away, and captured Ningchuan Commandery, where they slaughtered and plundered the population.
• Lin Yi sent Ma Chao against Tuoba Yu’s base and Zhang Liao with Gongsun Zan to take Little Pine Mountain, while Zhang Liao’s troops broke through the defenders and captured the mountain.
• Li Anlan elevated Xiliang Commandery to a province and appointed Lin Yi inspector, and Lin Yi ordered Zhang Liao and Gongsun Zan to attack Ningchuan Commandery and set out to claim it.
• Lin Yi confronted Tuoba Yu at Ningchuan, and Tuoba Yu withdrew rather than risk a costly battle, and Lin Yi’s forces entered Ping’an City, returned money to residents, and established control over the commandery.
• The system granted Lin Yi Cai Yan, Chen Dao, fifty thousand White Feather Soldiers, and other rewards, and Lin Yi assigned Chen Dao to help secure Ningchuan and asked Cai Yan to run a newspaper.
• Gongsun Zan’s cavalry harried Tuoba Yu’s retreat, but Tuoba Qingsong arrived with fifty thousand reinforcements and joined Tuoba Yu in pursuing them.
• Tuoba Qingsong ordered eighty thousand troops to attack Gongsun Zan’s thirty thousand White Horse Volunteers while leaving thirty thousand to guard the grain, and Zhang Ci saw the battle and declared Lin Yi an ally.

Lin Yi routed Tuoba Yu’s Northern Barbarian forces, reclaimed Ningchuan Commandery, and gained recognition as the Prince of Xiliang. As Lin Rusong moved to strengthen the Lin Clan’s position and Wang Zijin decided to meet Lin Yi, Lin Yi received news of further victories and major system rewards.

• Lin Yi ambushed Tuoba Yu’s forces with repeating crossbows and a mountain collapse, then forced Tuoba Qingsong and Tuoba Yu to submit and reclaimed Ningchuan Commandery.
• Lin Yi offered sweet potatoes and potatoes for top-grade warhorses, distributed supplies to rebuild Ningchuan, and watched Tuoba Wanli prepare a campaign against Great Wasteland Commandery.
• Li Anlan learned of Lin Yi’s victories and invested him as Prince of Xiliang after reports said his army had nearly destroyed Tuoba Yu’s forces.
• Lin Rusong celebrated Lin Yi’s success, proposed that Wang Yining marry his daughter to Lin Yi, and showed him an embellished battle report.
• Wang Zijin learned of Lin Yi’s achievements and chose to visit Xiliang to judge him before deciding whether to accept the proposed marriage.
• Lin Rusong ordered Xu Zhong to clear out the chaff in Northern Liang, while a pigeon reported that Ma Chao had taken the South Mountain Plain and uprooted Tuoba Yu’s stronghold.
• Lin Yi received system rewards including Xun Yu, the Four Great Inventions, troops, weapons, warships, and administrative personnel, then decided to give Xu Zhong a chance.