Chapter Summaries

Zhang Liao led the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry onward through Great Wasteland Commandery, while Wang Sitao prepared to defend Great Wave Valley against the approaching force. After realizing the enemy had split its troops to surround him, Wang Sitao feigned resistance and fled with his men.

• Zhang Liao ordered the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to leave some troops behind to clear the battlefield and charge ahead without stopping.
• Wang Sitao learned that the Great Ning general-in-chief expected his ten thousand soldiers to hold off nearly three hundred thousand rebels.
• Wang Sitao saw about fifty thousand armored cavalry approaching and learned that the enemy’s remaining forces might be moving to cut off his retreat.
• Wang Sitao shot an arrow before the cavalry were in range, then declared that his forces had to retreat and fled on horseback.
• Wang Sitao’s soldiers followed his example by shooting arrows at empty ground before running away.

Zhang Liao’s cavalry pursued and captured Wang Sitao’s forces, while Gongsun Zan and Ma Chao pressed ahead with their own campaigns. Meanwhile, Wang Yining’s proclamation accusing Emperor Li Anlan of treason spread across Great Ning and fueled public distrust of the emperor.

• Zhang Liao’s army crossed the Great Wave Valley defenses and caught up with Wang Sitao, who had surrendered to Gongsun Zan’s White Horse Volunteers and Ma Chao’s Xiliang Iron Cavalry.
• Zhang Liao chastised Wang Sitao for surrendering, then learned that Ma Chao had already gone ahead to attack.
• Gongsun Zan told Zhang Liao that he had avoided Mountain and River Pass because the strategist had reserved it for his own assault.
• Zhang Liao ordered his troops to mount and pursue Ma Chao’s forces through Great Wasteland Commandery.
• Wang Yining’s proclamation accused Li Anlan of murdering his family and conspiring with the Northern Barbarians, igniting public outrage and suspicion across Great Ning.

Lin Yi’s denunciation and rumors about Li Anlan’s bloodline stirred widespread unrest in Great Ning, while Shangguan Yun tried to suppress the accusations. Lin Yi then mobilized a million troops to invade Great Ning along five routes and began assigning commanders.

• A man in Wuning Commandery accused Li Anlan of having Northern Barbarian blood, and Zhang Liang fueled the crowd’s suspicions before soldiers arrived and the people scattered.
• Shangguan Yun ordered the denunciation and rumors suppressed by force, while Li Ruyu warned that Lin Yi might soon attack.
• Fortune-tellers and Taoist priests spread predictions that Li Anlan was a demonic star bringing calamity, and public anger intensified across Great Ning.
• Lin Yi summoned his generals, declared war on Li Anlan, and announced that a million troops would attack Great Ning along five routes.
• Lin Yi assigned Jiang Wei to lead the first army, supported by Zhang Liao, Gongsun Zan, Ma Chao, and half of Qu Yi’s warriors, against Ning Kun’s forces in Great Wasteland Commandery.

Lin Yi assigned five armies to invade Great Ning, placing Jiang Wei in command of the largest force and leading the final army himself. He declared the campaign a righteous war meant to win people over with virtue, though he warned that resistance would be crushed.

• Lin Yi chose Jiang Wei to command a massive force against Ning Kun, combining five legions as reports said Xiliang’s cavalry had already destroyed nearly a hundred thousand enemy troops.
• Lin Yi assigned Guan Yu to lead a hundred thousand troops against Great Ning’s southeastern coast, with landing operations possible.
• Lin Yi appointed Pang De to lead two hundred thousand troops against Xining Commandery and the western commanderies.
• Lin Yi ordered Jia Xu to attack Mountain and River Pass with a hundred thousand troops, coordinating with Guan Hai’s naval forces.
• Lin Yi declared that he would lead the fifth army of three hundred thousand troops by water to attack Wuning Commandery, bringing the five-army invasion force to over a million.
• Lin Yi called the campaign a righteous war and said Great Ning’s people could submit peacefully, but he would show no mercy to those who resisted.

Lin Yi planned to secure the Northern Barbarians' territory while leading a million soldiers on campaign, deciding that military intimidation alone would not be enough. He ordered the region renamed the Northern Plain and established an Edification Corps to force its people into submission.

• Lin Yi intimidated Wang Yining into praising his plan to wage a supposedly virtuous war, then dismissed him to rest.
• Chen Qun criticized Wang Yining's lack of loyalty, and Lin Yi agreed that he was only a useful pawn.
• Lin Yi told Xun Yu and Chen Qun to stabilize Xiliang and the Northern Barbarians' territory while most of the army was away.
• Xun Yu proposed relying on Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan to keep the Northern Barbarian tribes in check, but Lin Yi said intimidation was not enough.
• Lin Yi renamed the Northern Barbarians' territory the Northern Plain, assigned a hundred thousand Youzhou Army soldiers to an Edification Corps, and ordered Zhang Bao transferred there.

Lin Yi assessed Xiliang’s campaign against Ning Kun and warned resistant southern clans, while Wang Yining left the princely residence convinced Great Ning would fall and that his family must follow Xiliang. Wang Yining ordered the Wang Clan in Shu Region to cooperate with the Net, then saw Yan Zhengsong arrive in person.

• Wang Yue told Lin Yi that Jiang Wei had invaded Great Wasteland Commandery and Ning Kun was holding the Fishtail Mountain Range while awaiting reinforcements.
• Lin Yi ordered the names of southern clans secretly gathering strength to be recorded and noted that Zhang Jiao had become Li Yifeng’s military adviser.
• Wang Yining left Lin Yi’s residence shaken by Xiliang’s power and concluded that he had to side with Xiliang after writing the denunciation.
• Wang Yining told Wang Zitao that Great Ning was likely doomed and ordered the Wang Clan in Shu Region to cooperate with the Net and create chaos.
• Yan Zhengsong arrived from Mountain and River Commandery, and Wang Yining remarked that the Yan Clan had also recognized Xiliang’s threat.

Lin Yi prepared for war against Great Ning while Princess Shenle accepted that her husband would destroy her father’s empire. At Xuanyi City, Jiang Wei chose a swift, explosive assault on Ning Kun’s fortress so Xiliang could advance south and intercept Li Anlan.

• Lin Yi visited Princess Shenle, who said she did not blame him for campaigning against her father, then dressed in bridal robes and slept with him.
• Xiliang mobilized its forces, and Ning Kun saw that Lin Yi had sent more than five hundred thousand troops to besiege Xuanyi City.
• Ning Kun ordered preparations for the defense and urged his reinforcements to hurry, knowing the city’s fall would leave his forces doomed.
• Jiang Wei took command of five Xiliang legions and discussed how to capture Xuanyi City, a heavily fortified mountain-pass stronghold.
• Jiang Wei rejected conventional methods and prepared to blow up Xuanyi City so his army could move south and intercept Li Anlan.

Jiang Wei launched an all-out assault on Xuanyi City, using siege engines and explosives to attack the walls instead of risking the deadly barbican gates. As Zhang Heng’s squad tried to break through the central wall, Jiang Wei dispatched cavalry to attack both flanks and prepared to lead Zhang Liao’s Tiger and Leopard Cavalry into the assault.

• Jiang Wei rejected an attack on Xuanyi City’s barbican gates and ordered explosives, siege towers, and Ferocious Tiger War Chariots brought forward.
• Jiang Wei assigned Zhang Heng and the Flying Bear Army to attack the central wall under cover from the Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors, catapults, and siege crossbows.
• The Xiliang army began its assault, and Zhang Heng’s squad reached the wall and struck it with heavy pointed hammers.
• Ning Kun recognized the threat to the wall and ordered defenders to bombard Zhang Heng’s squad with stones.
• Jiang Wei ordered Ma Chao to attack the left flank and Gongsun to attack the right flank with explosives, then told Zhang Liao to charge with him.

Jiang Wei’s army broke through Xuanyi City’s walls and routed Ning Kun’s forces, while Ning Kun disguised himself among the prisoners to escape. Jiang Wei ordered Ao Zang to search the captives for Ning Kun and offered him a chance to avenge himself.

• Jiang Wei sent his troops through the breached walls, and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry cut down the unarmed supply soldiers inside Xuanyi City.
• The White Horse Volunteers and Xiliang Iron Cavalry entered the city, prompting Ning Kun to order a retreat and use common people to cover his rear.
• Jiang Wei’s army overwhelmed Ning Kun’s remaining defenders, leaving fewer than one in ten of the two hundred thousand troops and forcing a commander to surrender.
• The Net reported that Ning Kun had disguised himself among the soldiers, while the White Horse Volunteers blocked the far city gate.
• Jiang Wei found Ao Zang at the imperial son-in-law’s residence and told him to find Ning Kun among the prisoners in exchange for a chance to take revenge.

After Xiliang captured Xuanyi City, Jiang Wei assigned his generals to secure the city, destroy the arriving reinforcements, and threaten Great Ning's capital. At Fishtail Pass, Gongsun Zan's fifty thousand White Horse Volunteers caught the fleeing Sima Yu, who saw Hua Zigan arrive with thirty thousand reinforcements—still outnumbered by the pursuers.

• Ao Zang recognized Ning Kun among the prisoners and killed him before Jiang Wei could answer Ning Kun's question about the weapon that breached Xuanyi City.
• Jiang Wei accepted Ao Zang's surrender and ordered him to gather the captured soldiers, sparing those who joined Xiliang and killing those who resisted.
• Zhang Liao and other commanders reported that the enemy forces around Xuanyi City had been defeated, and Jiang Wei ordered Zhang Liao to regroup and destroy the three-hundred-thousand-man reinforcement army.
• Jiang Wei sent Ma Chao and the Xiliang Iron Cavalry on a raid toward Great Ning's capital to prevent Li Anlan from fleeing south.
• Gongsun Zan's fifty thousand White Horse Volunteers caught Sima Yu's five thousand fleeing troops at Fishtail Pass and attacked them.
• Hua Zigan arrived with thirty thousand reinforcements, and Sima Yu realized they were still outnumbered by Gongsun Zan's force.

Gongsun Zan’s White Horse Volunteers routed Hua Zigan’s cavalry, while Hua and Sima Yu escaped to White Jade City and reported that Xuanyi City had fallen. Chen Sishui learned of the defeat and confronted Sima Yu as a scout brought him further news.

• Sima Yu warned Hua Zigan that Gongsun Zan’s fifty thousand White Horse Volunteers were pursuing them, and Hua’s thirty thousand cavalry fled.
• Gongsun Zan’s White Horse Volunteers slaughtered most of Hua Zigan’s troops before stopping near Great Wind Commandery’s city walls.
• Ma Chao arrived with the Xiliang Iron Cavalry, and Gongsun Zan told him to have prisoners clear the battlefield.
• Hua Zigan and Sima Yu reached White Jade City, where Hua blamed Sima for the disastrous retreat.
• Chen Sishui slapped Hua Zigan and demanded an explanation, then learned Xuanyi City had already fallen.
• A scout whispered new information to Chen Sishui, who turned an angry gaze toward Sima Yu.

After Jiang Wei captured Xuanyi City and killed Ning Kun, Xiliang celebrated the victory and its northern great clans pledged their full support to Lin Yi. The fighting continued at White Jade City as Xiliang forces pressed toward the capital, while Lin Yi ordered the occupation of Great Wasteland Commandery and received rewards for the victory.

• Chen Sishui learned that Xuanyi City had fallen and Mountain and River Pass was under attack, then prepared to defend White Jade City as the Xiliang Iron Cavalry rode past and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry attacked.
• A messenger announced Jiang Wei's victory at Xuanyi City, where he killed Ning Kun, destroyed 150,000 enemy troops, and secured the surrender of 50,000 more.
• The Zhang Ruoyun brothers and other northern great clans celebrated the victory and pledged money, men, and full support to Lin Yi.
• At Great Ning Port, Lin Yi ordered Xun Yu to take over Great Wasteland Commandery and appoint Ao Zang as a general serving under Jiang Wei.
• Lin Yi received system rewards for conquering Great Wasteland Commandery, killing Ning Kun, and winning Ao Zang's allegiance.

Lin Yi received Zhang Fei, a hundred thousand Danyang Soldiers, and a hundred thousand loyal commoners among the rewards for taking Xuanyi City. In the capital, news that Lin Yi had destroyed Ning Kun’s army and was advancing south left Li Anlan and his ministers scrambling to raise troops.

• Lin Yi welcomed Zhang Fei, the hundred thousand Danyang Soldiers, and the loyal commoners as rewards, while Ao Zang provided more than two thousand administrative talents.
• A dispatch informed the court that Lin Yi’s army had taken Great Wasteland Commandery, crossed the Fishtail Mountain Range, and was heading toward Great Wind Commandery.
• Li Anlan learned that Lin Yi had destroyed Ning Kun’s army and still had hundreds of thousands of troops, leaving the ministers too frightened to propose a response.
• Zhang Zhiwei urged Li Anlan to resume conscription, and Li Anlan ordered five hundred thousand troops raised to reinforce Chen Sishui.
• Qin Li warned that raising another five hundred thousand troops would be extremely difficult, so Li Anlan offered battlefield honors and a marquisate to recruit men in Shu Region and Jiangling.

Li Anlan’s court received news that Xiliang and several other forces were attacking Great Ning from multiple directions, and Li Anlan collapsed after hearing that Li Yifeng had joined them. He ordered emergency measures after recovering, while news of Xiliang’s victory and advance toward the capital spread across Great Ning.

• Li Anlan offered a marquisate to anyone who could stop the Xiliang Iron Cavalry, but learned that one hundred thousand Xiliang troops had bypassed Great Wind Commandery and were marching on the capital.
• Li Anlan learned that Mountain and River Pass was also under attack and ordered nearby governors to send troops against the Xiliang army.
• Reports revealed that Pang De had invaded Wuning Commandery with two hundred thousand troops, Guan Yu was raiding Great Ning’s coast, and the southern native chieftains had declared war in support of Lin Yi.
• Li Anlan heard that Li Yifeng had raised nearly fifty thousand troops and planned to attack Great Cang Commandery, then vomited blood and fainted.
• Zhang Zhiwei locked down the palace and brought in the crown prince and empress; after recovering, Li Anlan ordered officials to seek reinforcements, recruit Guan Yu, investigate Li Yifeng’s rebellion, and arrange talks with the great clans.
• News spread that Xiliang had defeated Ning Kun’s three-hundred-thousand-strong army at Xuanyi City and that its cavalry was advancing toward the capital, prompting panic and thoughts of flight among Great Ning’s people.

Guan Yu turned his coastal forces into the East Sea Righteous Army and launched an attack on Great Ning, while news reached Lin Rusong that the heir had destroyed Ning Kun’s army and sent Xiliang cavalry toward the capital. The chapter left Lin Rusong’s forces energized as the campaign against Great Ning accelerated.

• Commoners in Great Granary Commandery heard rumors that the Prince of Xiliang was advancing on the capital and treated a statue resembling him as proof of Heaven’s mandate.
• Guan Yu celebrated the Xiliang Iron Cavalry’s advance and ordered Huang Gai and Gu Yong to prepare an assault on Great Ning.
• Guan Yu renamed his pirates the East Sea Righteous Army, raised a new banner, and led one hundred thousand troops toward the Min River region.
• Yi Yun told Lin Rusong that the heir had defeated Ning Kun and annihilated the three hundred thousand troops in Great Wasteland Commandery.
• Yi Yun reported that one hundred thousand Xiliang Iron Cavalry were heading for the capital, prompting the Northern Liang generals to praise the heir.

Lin Rusong received explosive weapons from his son and prepared to break Liangshan Pass as Xiliang forces advanced across Great Ning’s fronts. Pang De secured the four Xining commanderies, while reports of Jiang Wei’s and Ma Chao’s victories revealed Great Ning’s worsening position.

• Lin Rusong praised his son’s rise and learned that he had sent weapons powerful enough to destroy a city.
• Yi Yun told Lin Rusong that Xiliang forces were overwhelming Great Ning on multiple fronts, and a messenger reported that Pang De had captured Xining Commandery.
• Lin Rusong ordered his troops to clear the area around Liangshan Pass and prepare to attack alongside Pang De.
• Pang De accepted the Western Regions’ troops, swept through four commanderies, purged Li Anlan’s followers, and appointed Xiahou Yuan administrator of Xining Commandery.
• Xiahou Yuan reported that Jiang Wei had defeated three hundred thousand troops and that Ma Chao was advancing toward Great Ning’s capital.

As Xiliang prepared to attack Wuning Commandery, Shangguan Yun learned that Ning Kun’s army had been destroyed and Ma Chao had reached the capital, leaving Great Ning under severe threat. Lin Yi launched the battle across the Great Ning River with Gan Ning commanding the naval assault.

• Pang De, Tu Xiu, and Meng Chihu pledged to help the Prince of Xiliang take Liangshan Pass and advance on Great Ning’s capital.
• Shangguan Yun learned that Ning Kun’s three hundred thousand troops had been wiped out and Ma Chao had raided toward the capital.
• Li Ruyu spotted Xiliang’s warships approaching Wuning Commandery, and Shangguan Yun ordered his forces to prepare for battle.
• Lin Yi told Gan Ning to lead the main assault across the river and relieve pressure on Ma Chao.
• Gan Ning rallied the Brocade Sail Navy, and thousands of Xiliang ships surged toward Wuning Commandery.

Lin Yi and Guo Jia watched Gan Ning outmaneuver Great Ning’s defenses with upstream patrols and multiple landing forces. Gan Ning then used Xiliang’s longer-range weapons to devastate Shangguan Yun’s first line and send ships toward the bank, where Shangguan Yun ordered archers and cavalry to counterattack.

• Lin Yi reassured Zhao Yun that Gan Ning and the Net were guarding against fire ships sent downstream.
• Gan Ning split his fleet into several smaller forces to threaten landing sites across Wuning Commandery and stretch Great Ning’s defenses.
• Gan Ning ordered his catapults and ship-mounted ballistae to fire from beyond the enemy’s range.
• Xiliang’s barrage destroyed Shangguan Yun’s first line of defense, shattered obstacles, and caused heavy casualties with stones and explosive charges.
• Several hundred Xiliang ships approached the riverbank as Shangguan Yun ordered archers to cover the defenses and three thousand cavalry to attack them.

Qu Yi’s Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors broke through Great Ning’s attacks while Shangguan Yun ordered fireships sent against the crowded fleet on the Great Ning River. Before he could act, he learned that the enemy navy had already attacked Li Ke upstream and was striking at their rear.

• Qu Yi’s Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors shot down Shangguan Yun’s charging cavalry with Divine Arm Bows and advanced behind layered shields to suppress Great Ning’s archers.
• Li Songshan and Li Ruyu recognized the attacking force as Lin Yi’s Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors, and Shangguan Yun ordered Li Songshan to use catapults against their shields.
• Shangguan Yun ordered a Blood Guard to tell Li Ke to send fireships downstream against the packed warships.
• The Blood Guard noticed flames upstream, prompting Shangguan Yun to suspect that something had already gone wrong and order an inspection.
• The Blood Guard reported that Li Ke had been attacked by the enemy navy, whose tower ships sank their warships with striking booms and were attacking their rear.

Lin Yi’s forces used Gan Ning’s mobile naval attacks to spread fighting across Wuning Commandery, while Chen Dao destroyed Shangguan Yun’s fireships and opened a second breach upstream. Lin Yi ordered Chen Dao’s remaining eighty thousand White Feather Soldiers to reinforce the advance and push through the breach.

• Shangguan Yun learned that Chen Dao’s forces had destroyed his fireships and landed upstream, while enemy troops threatened Wuning Commandery from multiple directions.
• Li Ruyu hurried to reinforce the upper and lower routes as Shangguan Yun struggled to respond to the expanding attacks.
• Gan Ning used his fleet to strike different points along the Great Ning River, forcing Shangguan Yun’s troops to rush between battlefields.
• A messenger reported that Chen Dao had defeated Li Ke’s fireships with tower-ship striking booms, landed upstream, and requested reinforcements.
• Lin Yi ordered Chen Dao’s remaining eighty thousand White Feather Soldiers to join the attack and drive through the upstream breach.