Chapter Summaries

Lin Yi watched his explosives rout the Northern Barbarian army and considered how to preserve the balance between Great Ning and Northern Liang. After learning that Tuoba Qingsong, Tuoba Wanli’s third son, was nearby, Lin Yi decided to meet him and see if he could win him over.

• Chen Dao praised Lin Yi’s weapon after its blast shook the mountains and helped break the Northern Barbarian cavalry’s retreat.
• Lin Yi and Wang Yue joked that Tuoba Yu had escaped one blast only to suffer another, while the Northern Barbarian army continued to collapse.
• Lin Yi ordered his men to return with the supplies and chose not to annihilate the Northern Barbarians, hoping Tuoba Yu would keep fighting Great Ning.
• Wang Yue told Lin Yi that Tuoba Qingsong, Tuoba Wanli’s third son, had come to meet the fleeing troops.
• Lin Yi decided to go see Tuoba Qingsong, while his companions laughed at the prince’s likely fate.

Gongsun Zan’s White Horse Volunteers routed Tuoba Yu’s rear guard and pursued his retreating army. After Gongsun Zan and Tuoba Yu fought to a standstill, Lin Yi arrived with a shielded force and confronted Tuoba Yu over his seizure of Ningchuan Commandery.

• Gongsun Zan’s cavalry overwhelmed the rear guard while Tuoba Yu and Xiao Shan withdrew, leaving the soldiers behind to cover their escape.
• Gongsun Zan ordered his troops to kill anyone holding a weapon, then charged after Tuoba Yu and attacked him as he slaughtered Tuoba Yu’s veterans.
• Tuoba Yu fought Gongsun Zan, and Xiao Shan joined in; together they drove Gongsun Zan back before fleeing as the enemy’s main force approached.
• Lin Yi arrived with a tightly protected army, and Tuoba Yu recognized him as the master of Xiliang.
• Lin Yi told Tuoba Yu that he had been appointed Inspector of Xiliang and claimed Ningchuan Commandery as his territory, demanding an explanation for Tuoba Yu taking it.

Lin Yi used threats and a fabricated wager to pressure Tuoba Yu and Tuoba Qingsong, then summoned a hidden Yellow Turban army that overwhelmed the Northern Barbarians with its numbers. The surprise exposed the limits of the Heavenly Eagle Guard, and Xiao Shan killed himself after accepting blame.

• Tuoba Yu claimed he had won Ningchuan Commandery's wealth through a wager, and Lin Yi pretended to believe him before demanding a wager of his own.
• Lin Yi threatened Tuoba Yu with crossbows and offered to keep Tuoba Qingsong as a guest, while Tuoba Qingsong challenged Lin Yi's authority and warned him against provoking the Northern Region.
• Lin Yi taunted Tuoba Qingsong about his position as the third prince, then settled his system rewards and summoned thirty-four thousand Yellow Turban soldiers led by Guan Hai.
• The Northern Barbarians were stunned by the reinforcements, and Tuoba Yu's party blamed Xiao Shan of the Heavenly Eagle Guard for failing to detect them.
• Xiao Shan declared that he accepted defeat and killed himself before Tuoba Yu could stop him.

Lin Yi cornered Tuoba Qingsong’s Northern Barbarian force with reinforcements and siege weapons after Xiao Shan killed himself. Tuoba Qingsong admitted Lin Yi wanted to negotiate and asked him to state his demands.

• Xiao Shan killed himself, and Lin Yi received an elite talent gift pack and one thousand of Cao Cao’s personal guards; the gift pack gave him Liu Feng.
• Guan Hai declared that he and his men had joined Lin Yi and would oppose anyone who threatened him.
• Lin Yi accused Tuoba Qingsong of invading Ningchuan Commandery and killing innocents, while Tuoba Qingsong insisted the invasion had only been meant to vent Lin Yi’s royal father’s anger.
• Lin Yi revealed catapults and heavy infantry, prompting Yelü Dashan to warn Tuoba Qingsong that his forces were at a disadvantage.
• Tuoba Qingsong warned Lin Yi not to underestimate the Northern Barbarians’ million troops, and Lin Yi countered that his royal father had once planned to raise a million soldiers against them.
• Tuoba Qingsong asked Lin Yi to state his demands, acknowledging that Lin Yi had spared him.

Lin Yi forced Tuoba Yu and Tuoba Qingsong to submit, earning powerful military rewards from the system. As Tuoba Yu withdrew and Tuoba Wanli approached with two hundred thousand troops, Lin Yi received another reward for making the third prince apologize.

• Lin Yi demanded that Tuoba Qingsong bow and admit defeat, then ordered Gongsun Zan to continue attacking when the prince refused.
• Tuoba Yu offered to apologize in Tuoba Qingsong’s place, bowed to Lin Yi, and pledged his submission.
• The system rewarded Lin Yi with ten thousand First-to-Ascend Camp soldiers and the general Qu Yi.
• Wang Yue reported that Tuoba Wanli was approaching with two hundred thousand troops to rescue Tuoba Qingsong.
• Lin Yi forgave Tuoba Yu but threatened Tuoba Qingsong, who bowed and apologized; the system rewarded Lin Yi with fifty thousand imperial court guards and General-in-Chief He Jin.

After gaining a vast army and the Bearing of a Formidable Hero title, Lin Yi proposed trading sweet potatoes and potatoes to the Northern Barbarians for top-grade warhorses. He let Tuoba Qingsong leave to consult his father while preparing to avoid a confrontation with Tuoba Wanli’s approaching force.

• Lin Yi assessed his new rewards and troop strength, then formed a plan to deal with the Northern Barbarians.
• Tuoba Qingsong tried to leave, but Lin Yi stopped him and proposed a trade for top-grade warhorses.
• Lin Yi offered sweet potatoes and potatoes in exchange, and Tuoba Yu explained their high yields and cold resistance to Tuoba Qingsong.
• Tuoba Qingsong said he needed his father’s approval and left with his companions.
• Lin Yi told Gongsun Zan that Tuoba Wanli was approaching with two hundred thousand troops, and Wang Yue asked why he would give the Northern Barbarians the crops.
• Gongsun Zan wondered whether the crops might poison anyone who prepared them incorrectly.

Lin Yi revealed that giving potatoes and sweet potatoes to the Northern Barbarians would encourage them to settle, leaving them vulnerable to a future Xiliang invasion. After routing Tuoba Yu, Lin Yi planned to use supplies to win over Ningchuan Commandery’s people, while officials in neighboring Youning Commandery celebrated the victory before realizing Lin Yi had 150,000 troops nearby.

• Lin Yi explained that potatoes could anchor the Northern Barbarians to their fields, making the offer both an opportunity for them and a trap he intended to exploit after Tuoba Wanli’s battle at Mountain and River Pass.
• Lin Yi assigned Gongsun Zan the missing supplies, ordering some distributed to the people and the rest used for wages and meals to rebuild Ningchuan Commandery.
• Lin Yi saw officials from Youning Commandery observing the situation and welcomed the chance for Li Anlan to learn of his strength.
• Zhang Ci and Youning’s officials cheered as Tuoba Yu’s defeated forces fled, praising Lin Yi for protecting their commandery.
• The commandery military officer estimated that Lin Yi had deployed 150,000 troops, alarming Zhang Ci and prompting the chief administrator to claim his father was ill and ask to resign.

After Lin Yi drove back Tuoba Yu’s forces, Zhang Ci decided to meet with him to protect Youning Commandery, while the retreating Northern Barbarians tried to understand how Lin Yi had gathered such a huge army. Tuoba Wanli arrived and recognized that Lin Yi had become a formidable power.

• Zhang Ci warned Hao Datong to stay alert and decided to meet Lin Yi, despite Zhang Yihua’s alarm over the emperor’s order to monitor him.
• Tuoba Qingsong complained that Tuoba Yu had nearly gotten him killed, while Tuoba Yu mourned the loss of the Evil Bodhisattva and Xiao Shan.
• Yelü Dashan and Tuoba Qingsong questioned how Lin Yi had fielded around 150,000 troops when earlier reports had counted far fewer.
• Tuoba Wanli arrived to rescue his son and heard Tuoba Qingsong recount the battle.
• Tuoba Wanli concluded that Lin Yi had become a force to reckon with and felt the growing pressure from Xiliang.

Tuoba Wanli explained why he feared Lin Yi, revealing that Lin Yi’s network had reached Mountain and River Pass and that his forces were far more formidable than expected. He ordered Tuoba Yu to attack either Youning Commandery or Great Wasteland Commandery, and Tuoba Yu accepted.

• Tuoba Wanli told Tuoba Qingsong, Tuoba Yu, and Yelü Dashan that the army opposing them likely belonged to Lin Yi, not Lin Rusong.
• Tuoba Wanli revealed that Lin Yi’s Net had been discovered at Mountain and River Pass, showing that Lin Yi had extended his influence into the Northern Barbarians’ territory.
• Tuoba Qingsong proposed using the captured Net member to drive a wedge between Lin Yi and Li Anlan, but Tuoba Wanli said the man had revealed nothing under torture.
• Tuoba Wanli ordered Tuoba Yu to choose either Youning Commandery or Great Wasteland Commandery and disrupt the enemy’s plans.
• Tuoba Yu knelt and agreed to carry out Tuoba Wanli’s order.

Tuoba Yu chose to invade Great Wasteland Commandery while Tuoba Wanli weighed Lin Yi’s offer to trade high-yield crops for top-grade warhorses. In Great Ning’s capital, news of Lin Yi’s victory in Ningchuan Commandery prompted public celebration and praise for the Heir of Northern Liang.

• Tuoba Yu selected Great Wasteland Commandery as his target, and Tuoba Wanli ordered him to focus on the campaign rather than Lin Yi.
• Tuoba Qingsong told Tuoba Wanli that Lin Yi offered sweet potatoes and potatoes in exchange for top-grade warhorses, and Tuoba Yu confirmed the crops’ remarkable yields.
• Tuoba Wanli hesitated over trading away valuable warhorses and learned that attempts to steal the crops had failed.
• News reached Great Ning’s capital that Lin Yi had defeated Tuoba Yu’s forces in Ningchuan Commandery after borrowing troops from the White Horse Tribe.
• The people of the capital celebrated the victory and praised Lin Yi’s military skill and his status as the Heir of Northern Liang.

After Lin Yi retook Ningchuan Commandery and routed Tuoba Yu with help from the White Horse Volunteers, Li Anlan and his ministers debated the astonishing victory and questioned the use of barbarian troops. The emperor grew wary of Lin Yi’s growing power and furious that Great Ning’s enemies were taking advantage of its troubles.

• Commoners celebrated Lin Yi as the hero who saved Ningchuan Commandery and mocked the Northern Barbarians’ defeat.
• Li Anlan and his ministers received news that Lin Yi had retaken Ningchuan Commandery and routed Tuoba Yu, leaving the emperor doubtful, angry, and resentful.
• Tan Cheng questioned whether the White Horse Tribe mentioned in the victory report actually existed, and Li Anlan asked Wei Tong to explain.
• Wei Tong reported that the White Horse Volunteers came from Great Yu Mountain and included many barbarians, confirming that Lin Yi had borrowed barbarian troops.
• Li Anlan learned that the Prince of Northern Liang had recalled his hundred thousand supporting troops to deal with unrest in the Western Regions, and he angrily condemned the countries taking advantage of Great Ning.
• Zhou Zifeng reassured Li Anlan that the opportunistic powers were no threat once the emperor had dealt with Tuoba Wanli, easing the emperor’s anger.

Li Anlan learned that Lin Yi had amassed 150,000 troops and nearly annihilated a Northern Barbarian army, making it too risky to punish him. He invested Lin Yi as Prince of Xiliang and charged him with defending the realm from the Northern Barbarians, leaving the court stunned.

• Ran Zijin accused Lin Yi of rebellion for occupying Ningchuan Commandery, while Gongsun Gui and another general warned that punishing him after his victories could unsettle the realm.
• Hao Yulin presented a letter from his son, Hao Datong, reporting that Lin Yi’s forces had grown to 150,000 through local recruits and volunteers.
• Wei Tong confirmed that the Great Ning Guard had received similar reports, and an urgent dispatch revealed Lin Yi had nearly annihilated 100,000 Northern Barbarian troops outside Youning Commandery before Tuoba Wanli reinforced them.
• Li Anlan issued an edict investing Lin Yi as Prince of Xiliang and ordering him to defend against the Northern Barbarians.

News that Lin Yi had become the Prince of Xiliang and routed Tuoba Yu and Tuoba Qingsong’s army stunned the capital. Lu Yafu and Zhou Dayong concluded that the emperor had granted Lin Yi the title because his military strength and control of Ningchuan Commandery made his position impossible to deny.

• People in the capital celebrated Lin Yi’s elevation after hearing that his 150,000 troops had nearly destroyed the Northern Barbarians’ 100,000-strong army.
• Lu Yafu arrived in the capital, heard the news, and regretted underestimating Lin Yi and missing the chance to visit Xiliang Commandery.
• Zhou Dayong asked why the emperor had made Lin Yi a prince despite his wariness of Northern Liang.
• Lu Yafu explained that Lin Yi’s army and control of Ningchuan Commandery had already made him a territorial lord in practice.
• Lu Yafu and Zhou Dayong recognized that Lin Yi and his father could threaten the emperor, and Lu Yafu lamented that the Lin Clan was unstoppable.

Lin Rusong worried that his son, Lin Yi, lacked enough troops to retake Ningchuan Commandery from Tuoba Yu, but a report revealed that Lin Yi had captured the commandery and pursued Tuoba Yu into Youning Commandery. The leaders were stunned by the account and struggled to understand how he had won so quickly.

• Lin Rusong complained that Lin Yi had returned a hundred thousand troops and would struggle to attack Ningchuan Commandery with thirty thousand recruits.
• Xu Zhong estimated that Tuoba Yu could command up to a hundred thousand troops and said he would need an equal force to defeat him.
• A Northern Liang Guard soldier reported that Lin Yi had taken Ningchuan Commandery, driven Tuoba Yu into flight, and pursued him into Youning Commandery.
• The soldier explained that Lin Yi had seized Little Pine Mountain, borrowed fifty thousand troops, breached Ningchuan Commandery in less than the time it took an incense stick to burn, and gained the support of the local people.
• Wang Ziwen confirmed the report had come from Yi Yun, while Lin Rusong and the other leaders marveled at Lin Yi's victory and wondered how he had accomplished it.

Lin Rusong and his court learned that Lin Yi had raised an army of 150,000, seized Ningchuan Commandery, and routed Tuoba Yu and Tuoba Qingsong. Lin Rusong concluded that his son had secretly prepared for years and left the court confident that Li Anlan would struggle to reclaim the commandery.

• Lin Rusong read the report and learned that Lin Yi commanded 150,000 troops and had defeated Tuoba Yu and Tuoba Qingsong's 120,000-strong army.
• Lin Rusong explained that Lin Yi had gathered troops after borrowing soldiers, while the court questioned the origins of the White Horse Tribe.
• Han Song suggested Lin Yi had secretly built up the White Horse Tribe, and Lin Rusong embraced the idea that his son had concealed his strength for years.
• Xu Zhong and Wang Ziwen praised Lin Yi's achievements, with Wang Ziwen suggesting that even Northern Liang might already be within Lin Yi's grasp.
• Lin Rusong declared that Li Anlan would need at least 200,000 troops to retake Ningchuan Commandery and expressed confidence that Lin Yi would defeat any such attempt.

Lin Rusong decided to arrange a marriage between Lin Yi and Wang Zijin to gain the support of the Wang Clan of Shuzhong and settle an old insult. He visited Wang Yining with an exaggerated report of Lin Yi’s victories, leaving Wang Yining alarmed by both the proposal and Lin Rusong’s intentions.

• Lin Rusong rejected the emperor’s remaining daughters as possible wives for Lin Yi and proposed Wang Yining’s daughter instead.
• Xu Zhong warned that Wang Yining served Li Anlan, but Lin Rusong argued that marrying his daughter could bring the Wang Clan of Shuzhong to Northern Liang’s side.
• Han Song reminded Lin Rusong that Wang Zijin was already promised as the future crown princess, and Lin Rusong insisted Lin Yi would make her a concubine because she had once looked down on him.
• Lin Rusong visited Wang Yining, whose household feared he had come to punish them over the Wafting Fragrance Pavilion.
• Lin Rusong handed Wang Yining an embellished battle report portraying Lin Yi as a near-mythical conqueror, and Wang Yining turned green as he read it.

Lin Rusong visited Wang Yining to propose his son Lin Yi as a match for Wang Yining’s daughter, but Wang Yining refused. Han Song then brought an imperial decree investing Lin Yi as the Prince of Xiliang, leaving Wang Yining alarmed by the growing power of Northern Liang and Xiliang.

• Lin Rusong questioned Wang Yining about his years in Northern Liang and praised his own son, Lin Yi.
• Lin Rusong asked Wang Yining to marry his daughter to Lin Yi, but Wang Yining refused, saying she already had someone in her heart.
• Han Song arrived with an imperial decree announcing that Lin Yi had been invested as the Prince of Xiliang.
• Lin Rusong celebrated the decree and warned Wang Yining that his daughter might soon be unworthy of Lin Yi.
• Wang Yining ordered his steward to investigate the news, and the steward confirmed Lin Yi’s new title and the decree praising Lin Rusong for raising him well.

Wang Yining explained to Wang Zitao that Lin Yi’s new title as Prince of Xiliang revealed the Lin Clan’s growing power and put the Wang Clan at risk. He decided their family’s next move depended on the young lady’s wishes.

• Wang Yining scolded Wang Zitao for comparing himself with Lin Yi, then explained that Lin Yi had raised an army without relying on Lin Rusong.
• Wang Zitao learned that the Wang Clan’s members had repeatedly been prevented from leaving Northern Liang, suggesting that someone was targeting them.
• Wang Yining and the steward told Wang Zitao that the Lin Clan’s two princely titles showed the emperor had been forced to compromise and might not oppose the Lin Clan’s actions.
• Wang Yining warned that Lin Rusong might purge Northern Liang to clear the way for Lin Yi and ordered the steward to summon the young lady so the Wang Clan could decide what to do.

Wang Zijin learned that Lin Yi had risen from a wastrel to the Prince of Xiliang, while the Prince of Northern Liang pressured the Wang Clan to marry her to him. She decided to visit Xiliang and judge Lin Yi herself as Northern Liang celebrated his new title.

• Wang Zijin arrived at Wang Yining’s summons and initially dismissed Lin Yi as an ignorant lecher.
• The steward told Wang Zijin of Lin Yi’s victories, and Wang Yining gave her Lin Rusong’s letter proposing her marriage to Lin Yi.
• Wang Zijin realized the Prince of Northern Liang wanted to control the Wang Clan and its Shuzhong branch through the marriage.
• Wang Zijin chose to visit Xiliang and meet Lin Yi before deciding whether he was worthy of her.
• Crowds gathered at the Prince of Northern Liang’s Residence to celebrate Lin Yi’s new title and his victory over Tuoba Yu.

Lin Rusong’s officials pledged their support to Lin Yi and prepared to clear out opposition in Northern Liang. In Ningchuan Commandery, Lin Yi received system rewards for his new titles and allies, including Xun Yu, military forces, ships, and the Four Great Inventions.

• Xu Zhong and Wang Ziwen declared their support for Lin Yi, and Northern Liang’s officials followed their lead.
• Lin Rusong ordered Xu Zhong to clear out the chaff in Northern Liang.
• A pigeon informed Lin Yi that Ma Chao had occupied the South Mountain Plain and uprooted Tuoba Yu’s stronghold.
• The system rewarded Lin Yi for conquering Tuoba Yu’s lair, securing Northern Liang’s submission, and taking control of Xiliang and Great Yu Mountain.
• Lin Yi received Xun Yu, the Four Great Inventions, cavalry, weapons, warships, administrative personnel, and other rewards.
• Lin Yi considered Xu Zhong’s submission and decided to give him a chance after receiving the military rewards.