Chapter Summaries

Jia Xu launched the assault on the Jushi Kingdom after explosions from the direction of Shachi signaled that Lin Yi’s forces had taken the neighboring kingdom. As the Jushi walls buckled under Xiliang’s siege, Jia Xu ordered specially made explosive crossbow bolts fired at them.

• Lin Rusong arrived at the Jushi Kingdom and asked Jia Xu whether he had anticipated his arrival to protect Lin Yi.
• Jia Xu waited for signals from the direction of Shachi, then ordered the White Horse Volunteers, Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors, and Asura Army into action.
• Xiliang’s catapults and siege crossbows battered the Jushi walls, forcing the king and Tu’er to take cover.
• The Jushi king learned that Lin Yi’s twenty thousand White Horse Volunteers had captured Shachi and imprisoned its king, and he persuaded the Shachi general to stay and fight.
• Jia Xu ordered specially made siege crossbows to fire explosive bolts at the Jushi walls.

After the Jushi Kingdom’s wall fell, its king rallied his army, sent his third prince to seek Great Ning’s help, and ordered civilians to be mobilized for a desperate defense. At the Xiliang camp, Jia Xu learned that more than a hundred thousand civilians were being armed and prepared to fight.

• The king of the Jushi Kingdom rallied his soldiers by warning that the enemy would ravage their homes and steal their property, then ordered them to block the breach and defend it with archers.
• Tu'er told the king that Cai Yu could send thirty thousand Xining Army troops, but they would not arrive until the next day.
• The king gave the royal scepter to his third prince and sent him toward Great Ning’s camp to enlist Cai Yu’s help.
• The king ordered his guard to enact the second plan, mobilizing civilians aged fourteen to sixty to fight for the Jushi Kingdom.
• Jia Xu received a Net scout’s report that the king had conscripted over a hundred thousand civilians, and he condemned the king for sending ordinary people to their deaths.

Jia Xu ordered Zou Yi’s Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors to break through the Jushi Kingdom’s defenses, and their fearless shield advance and powerful Divine Arm Crossbows overwhelmed the defenders. The Jushi king feared defeat, while Bai Zizai held the Asura Army back rather than risk charging into the crossbow fire.

• Jia Xu ordered Zou Yi to prove the Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors’ oath in battle, and Zou Yi led twenty thousand men into the enemy’s arrow storm.
• The Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors advanced behind their shields while firing at the Jushi Kingdom forces, astonishing Lin Rusong and Wang Ziwen with their fearlessness.
• Jia Xu instructed the White Horse Volunteers to follow once the Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors broke through the gates and to kill anyone who resisted.
• Zou Yi ordered his Divine Arm Crossbows to target the Jushi Kingdom’s shields, and the bolts pierced them, killing defenders and scattering the archers.
• The Jushi Kingdom army retreated under the assault, and its king feared they could not hold out.
• Bai Zizai refused his deputy general’s suggestion to charge, deciding the Asura Army should wait rather than risk being struck by the Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors’ crossbows.

The Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors opened the way for the White Horse Volunteers, whose cavalry charge turned the Jushi Kingdom's retreat into a rout. As the king tried to flee, General Tu'er confronted him and attempted to capture him to pledge allegiance to Lin Yi, but an arrow interrupted him just before he could strike.

• Zou Yi's Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors broke through the Jushi Kingdom's defenses and opened a passage for the cavalry.
• The White Horse Volunteers charged into the enemy ranks, and Bai Zizai led the Asura Army after them.
• Chaos in the rear and the Shachi Kingdom's general fleeing caused the Jushi Kingdom's forces to collapse and scatter.
• The king decided to retreat to the Mengshi Kingdom, but General Tu'er blocked his way and said he could not leave.
• Tu'er revealed that he intended to hand the king over to Lin Yi and raised his saber, but an arrow knocked it from his hand as a man emerged from the crowd.

The Net captured the king of the Jushi Kingdom after killing Tu'er, who had tried to pledge allegiance to Xiliang. With the king and grand general gone, the Jushi army surrendered, and Jia Xu learned that the Net had helped trigger the capital's unrest; he left the fleeing Shachi men to Yan Gang.

• Zhang Feng refused Tu'er's offer to serve Xiliang and ordered the Net to kill him and his subordinates.
• The Net took the Jushi king alive, while Zhang Feng ignored his accusation that the Net had incited the civilians.
• The White Horse Volunteers and the Asura Army routed the Jushi forces, and the remaining soldiers surrendered after the king and grand general fled.
• Jia Xu warned the prisoners that only the Prince of Xiliang could decide whether they would be spared, then learned that nearly twenty thousand enemy troops had been killed and more than ten thousand had surrendered.
• Zou Yi explained that the Net had stirred up militia leaders and placed treasure before the palace to provoke the rioters, and Jia Xu decided not to pursue the fleeing Shachi men because Yan Gang would handle them.

Jia Xu secured the Jushi Kingdom and planned to direct Bai toward the Xining Army, while Lin Yi learned that Li Anlan had formed a new intelligence group called Shadow. Lin Yi visited the captured Wei Tong and challenged Great Ning’s treatment of his family, leaving Wei Tong silent and resigned.

• Jia Xu ordered his men to send news to their lord, collect the Jushi Kingdom’s wealth, and eliminate potential enemies, while revealing he had prepared the Xining Army as a target for Bai.
• Lin Rusong and Wang Ziwen discussed how the heir’s strategy had made the Jushi Kingdom’s defeat inevitable.
• Wang Yue reported that Liu Ziyi had been killed and gave Lin Yi a token marked Shadow, which Lin Yi recognized as evidence of Li Anlan’s new intelligence organization.
• Lin Yi went with Wang Yue to visit Wei Tong in prison and confronted him over Li Anlan’s attacks on Lin Yi and his father.
• Wei Tong could not answer Lin Yi and silently accepted that his own life was nearing its end.

Lin Yi learned that Wei Tong believed Li Anlan still had hidden resources, but Wei Tong killed himself before explaining further. A report of victories over the Shachi and Jushi Kingdoms brought Lin Yi major military and administrative rewards, including Pang De and Ma Jun, leaving him eager to meet the inventor.

• Lin Yi showed Wei Tong Liu Ziyi’s token and confirmed that he had killed Liu Ziyi, prompting Wei Tong to admit that Li Anlan had abandoned the Great Ning Guard.
• Wei Tong warned Lin Yi not to underestimate Li Anlan, then declared that he owed the emperor nothing and killed himself by striking his head against the prison wall.
• A pigeon delivered news that Lin Yi’s forces had conquered the Shachi and Jushi Kingdoms and killed their king and grand general.
• Lin Yi received rewards including Pang De, Ma Jun, cavalry, warhorses, camels, administrators, and ancient war chariots.
• Lin Yi considered Ma Jun’s inventions and the possible uses of the camels, and looked forward to meeting the renowned craftsman.

Lin Yi met the inventor Ma Jun and learned about his powerful repeating crossbow and rapid-fire stone-thrower. He appointed Ma Jun as a high-ranking retained master of Xiliang’s Heavenly Craft Workshop, freeing him to focus on inventions.

• Ma Jun paid his respects to Lin Yi, who praised his talent and asked about his improved Zhuge Repeating Crossbow.
• Ma Jun explained that his crossbow could fire fifty bolts in one volley but had been shelved because it consumed too many bolts and was slow to reload.
• Lin Yi considered using teams of Ma Jun Divine Crossbows for specialized assaults, where their concentrated fire could be effective.
• Ma Jun described his rapid-fire rotary stone-thrower, which could launch stones several hundred paces with a simple pull of a rope.
• Lin Yi appointed Ma Jun a retained master of the Heavenly Craft Workshop with rank equivalent to a commandery governor and tasked him solely with inventions.

Lin Yi appointed Ma Jun as Xiliang’s honored artisan and introduced his inventions to the court, where they amazed the assembled officials and generals. Ma Jun agreed to build a wool-weaving machine, and Xiliang’s leaders recognized how greatly his work could strengthen the state.

• Lin Yi appointed Ma Jun a third-rank honored artisan and asked him to build a wool-weaving machine, which Ma Jun promised to finish in two days.
• Lin Yi summoned Wang Yue to gather the chancellor and other officials so he could introduce Ma Jun and announce the good news.
• He Jin, Chen Dao, Xun Yu, and Gongsun Zan speculated about the newly created position and the unknown talent receiving it.
• Lin Yi introduced Ma Jun and described his inventions, including the Ma Jun Divine Crossbow, rotary stone thrower, dragon-bone waterwheel, and weaving machine.
• Qu Yi, Wang Yue, Chen Dao, Xun Yu, He Jin, and Gongsun Zan reacted with astonishment and welcomed Ma Jun as a major asset to Xiliang.

Lin Yi and his advisers decided that the Ma Jun Divine Crossbow was too costly in ammunition for large armies, so they would reserve it for small tactical teams and critical moments. They formed an independent Divine Machine Battalion under Hu Che'er and considered how to keep the crossbows from falling into enemy hands.

• Lin Yi and his advisers discussed the crossbow’s enormous ammunition needs, and Mi Zhu calculated that arming the Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors would require five million bolts per volley.
• Xun Yu recommended using the crossbows for small-team special operations, and Lin Yi agreed to reserve them for decapitation strikes and emergencies.
• Chen Qun proposed creating an independent Divine Machine Battalion, and Wang Yue supported separating it from the Net to prevent the intelligence organization from growing too powerful.
• Lin Yi chose Hu Che'er to command the Divine Machine Battalion because of his strength, cunning, and loyalty.
• Xun Yu raised the risk of enemy forces copying captured crossbows and asked Ma Jun to design a version that could be destroyed instantly.

Lin Yi established the Divine Machine Battalion under Hu Che'er and celebrated Xiliang’s first victory, a swift campaign that routed the kingdoms of Jushi and Shachi. The chapter ended with Lin Yi promising Gan Ning that the navy would soon have enemies to face at sea.

• Ma Jun agreed to design the Ma Jun Divine Crossbow so critical components would break if the enemy tried to capture and copy it.
• Lin Yi appointed Hu Che'er to build the Divine Machine Battalion, gave him three thousand elite troops, and directed him to seek additional fighters through Wang Yue.
• Xun Yu and the other officials read the report of Xiliang’s victory over Jushi and Shachi, including the White Horse Volunteers’ cavalry assault and Yan Gang’s attack on Shachi’s royal city.
• Gongsun Zan and Qu Yi boasted about their forces’ battlefield achievements, while Gan Ning complained that his navy had missed the fighting.
• Lin Yi told Gan Ning that the great clans and Great Ning’s imperial family were heading out to sea, and Gan Ning vowed to train the navy for their arrival.

After Xiliang’s swift victory over the Jushi and Shachi Kingdoms, Lin Yi and Xun Yu planned to secure the Western Regions and publicize the campaign as a defense of Xiliang’s people. News of the triumph swept through Northern Liang and Xiliang, where crowds hailed Lin Yi as their prince, while Song Huizu recognized the scale of his power.

• Xun Yu warned Lin Yi that the Xining Army could threaten Xiliang, and Lin Yi explained that Jia Xu had left Bai Zizai to face it.
• Lin Yi told Xun Yu he planned to appoint Pang De to hold the Western Regions after Jia Xu and the others returned, and to publicize the victory with Wenji.
• A Xiliang courier announced that the army had defeated Jushi and Shachi, killed over fifty thousand men, captured two hundred thousand horses, and taken over ninety thousand prisoners.
• People across Northern Liang and Xiliang celebrated the victory and shouted, “Long live the Prince of Xiliang!”
• Song Huizu marveled at Lin Yi’s strength and ordered his steward to call him the Prince of Xiliang rather than speak his name casually.

Song Huizu allied the Song Clan with Qian Duoduo’s Qian Clan as great clans flocked to Xiliang’s ocean-fishing venture. In Great Ning, Li Anlan learned that Liu Ziyi had been killed and considered how to respond to Lin Yi’s growing threat.

• Qian Duoduo told Song Huizu that he wanted their clans to partner in developing ocean fisheries and protect each other’s interests.
• Qian Duoduo revealed that the Zhang, Hao, Chen, and other clans had also arrived, persuading Song Huizu to form an alliance with him.
• Li Anlan learned of Liu Ziyi’s death and concluded that Lin Yi had lured Liu Ziyi to the destroyed prison before killing him.
• The crown prince urged Li Anlan to stop Lin Yi, and Li Anlan vowed to deal with him.
• Zhou Zifeng offered the palace imperial guard as a new organization to serve Li Anlan, since the Great Ning Guard and Shadow had lost their leaders.

Li Anlan learned that Lin Yi had conquered the Jushi Kingdom and the Shachi Kingdom, extending his power into the Western Regions. He ordered Cai Yu to campaign against the forces occupying the kingdoms, setting up a direct confrontation.

• Zhou Zifeng and other officials offered to take over the Great Ning Guard and Shadow after their setbacks, while Li Qiankun recommended Yi Liancheng.
• Li Anlan revealed that he knew Li Qiankun had sent assassins after the Wang Clan, and said the Net and Northern Liang Guard had killed them.
• An urgent dispatch from the Xining Army reported that Lin Yi had sent fifty thousand troops with Bai Zizai to conquer the Jushi Kingdom and the Shachi Kingdom.
• Zhang Zhiwei warned that Lin Yi's forces could threaten Xining, and Li Anlan ordered Cai Yu to campaign against them and restore order in both kingdoms.

Li Anlan and Li Ruyu planned measures to contain Lin Yi, including restoring spies in Xiliang, approaching the Northern Barbarians, and blockading Lin Yi’s trade. Li Anlan then appointed Wei Kuang to lead the Great Ning Guard and Shadow under the new name Blood Guard, while Wei Tong remained detained in Xiliang.

• Li Anlan asked Li Ruyu whether Lin Yi and his father could destroy Great Ning, and Li Ruyu said the dynasty was secure but Lin Yi had become a grave threat.
• Li Ruyu proposed restoring surveillance in Xiliang, discussing Lin Yi with the Northern Barbarians, and blockading his trade with the Shu Region.
• Li Anlan approved the plans and assigned the Prince of Min to handle contact with the Northern Barbarians.
• Li Anlan summoned Wei Kuang and placed the Great Ning Guard and Shadow under him, renaming them the Blood Guard.
• Li Ruyu and Li Qiankun recognized Wei Kuang as a feared and ruthless figure, while Wei Kuang showed no visible reaction to news that his younger brother Wei Tong was held in Xiliang.

Li Anlan ordered Wei Kuang to purge political rivals within Great Ning and tasked Cai Yu with confronting Lin Yi after Xiliang’s swift conquest of two Western Regions kingdoms. Cai Yu’s army reached the Jushi border too late to join the fighting, leaving him to decide whether to advance or withdraw.

• Li Anlan told Wei Kuang to target the Prince of Min and Prince of Shu, granting him authority to act before reporting.
• Li Anlan revealed to Li Qiankun that several princes, including Lin Yi and Li Yunmiao, wanted the throne, and declared that he would suppress them.
• Cai Yu recalled his army’s mission to support the Jushi Kingdom and assessed Xiliang’s destruction of Jushi and the Shachi Kingdom.
• Dong Chengwu complained that the two kingdoms had fallen before the Xining Army arrived, while Cai Yu explained that their weak defenses could not withstand Xiliang’s forces and siege weapons.

Cai Yu learned that Bai Zizai and Xiliang military adviser Jia Xu had led the recent campaign, and he analyzed how Jia Xu’s schemes had brought down two kingdoms. He decided to leave the response to the emperor and keep watch as Xiliang’s forces approached.

• Dong Chengwu gave Cai Yu a dossier identifying Bai Zizai as Xiliang’s vanguard commander and Jia Xu as its military adviser.
• Cai Yu explained that he resented Bai Zizai for mocking his defense of Xining nearly ten years earlier.
• Cai Yu inferred that Jia Xu had infiltrated the Jushi Kingdom and provoked unrest among its troops before the battle.
• Cai Yu concluded that Jia Xu had let defeated soldiers escape to spread fear and constrain the two kingdoms’ choices.
• Dong Chengwu asked how they should respond, and Cai Yu said they would wait for the emperor’s decision and keep watch.

After Xiliang destroyed the Jushi and Shachi kingdoms, the other Western Regions kingdoms feared Lin Yi’s growing power. Tu Xiu persuaded the neighboring kings not to oppose Xiliang as long as they left its trade route alone, and Meng Chihu decided to send Lin Yi ten lions.

• News of Xiliang’s destruction of the Jushi and Shachi kingdoms spread across the Western Regions and reached the Frostwest Empire.
• Meng Chihu, Xue Qianren, and other kings went to Tu Xiu to discuss joining forces against Xiliang.
• Tu Xiu refused to fight Lin Yi and warned the kings that Xiliang had devastated Jushi’s capital and taken nearly a hundred thousand people captive.
• Tu Xiu explained that Lin Yi was focused on the Northern Region Barbarians and Great Ning, and would likely leave their kingdoms alone if they did not interfere with his trade route.
• The kings agreed that provoking Xiliang would be unwise, and Meng Chihu decided to send Lin Yi ten lions.

The Western Regions’ rulers decided to send gifts and court Lin Yi, while recognizing that Cai Yu and the Xining Army were likely to face Xiliang first. At the Jushi Kingdom palace, Jia Xu assigned Bai Zizai to confront Cai Yu, and Bai pledged to win the coming battle.

• Tu Xiu persuaded the Western Regions’ rulers that Lin Yi was unlikely to attack them while Cai Yu remained his chief opponent, so they agreed to send gifts to Xiliang in person.
• Meng Chihu and Xue Qianren questioned whether Lin Yi could defeat Cai Yu, but Tu Xiu cited Lin Yi and his father’s vast forces to convince them to befriend Xiliang.
• Lin Rusong hurried away from the Jushi Kingdom palace after hearing that his son had sent tens of thousands of jin of fish for the soldiers.
• Bai Zizai complained to Jia Xu that he had missed out on the fighting, and Jia Xu told him that Cai Yu and thirty thousand Xining troops were camped nearby.
• Bai Zizai eagerly accepted the chance to fight Cai Yu, and he promised Jia Xu that he would win.

Bai Zizai prepared to lead the Asura Army in a decisive battle, while Lin Yi examined the uncertain negotiations at Mountain and River Pass and considered how Xiliang could exploit them. The chapter left Lin Yi ordering an investigation of the Prince of Min, Li Sanjiang, as a possible future ally or adversary.

• Jia Xu assigned the Asura Army as the main force and sent the Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors and White Horse Volunteers to support Bai Zizai, who set out determined to win.
• Delegations from several countries arrived to offer gifts, and Jia Xu told Zhang Feng of the Net to take them while he stayed to watch Bai Zizai's battle.
• Lin Yi heard that Great Ning and the Northern Region Barbarians had eased their fighting at Mountain and River Pass and suspected they were negotiating.
• Lin Yi reflected that Xiliang's victories over the Jushi Kingdom and Shachi Kingdom had strengthened its position and threatened Great Ning's Xining Commandery.
• Wang Yue reported that Tuoba Yu was occupied fighting the Prince of Min's fifty-thousand-strong army, and Lin Yi ordered an investigation into Li Sanjiang's strength.