Chapter Summaries

Li Anlan's court struggled to respond as Lin Yi's forces threatened Great Ning on several fronts. Li Anlan ordered troops concentrated at Liangshan Pass and committed his last two hundred thousand troops to defend Wuning Commandery, while the officials privately weighed their chances as Great Ning teetered on the brink.

• Wei Kuang reported that Lin Rusong had sent three hundred thousand troops to attack Liangshan Pass and that Pang De was advancing through the Northwestern Circuit.
• Qin Li and Zhang Zhiwei urged Li Anlan to concentrate Great Ning's scattered forces, and Li Anlan ordered troops from the northwestern commanderies to defend Liangshan Pass.
• Li Anlan asked about Ma Chao's raids on reinforcements, and General Zhou demanded troops to challenge Ma Chao to single combat.
• A scout reported that Lin Yi was leading three hundred thousand troops in an assault on Wuning Commandery.
• Qin Li urged Li Anlan to reinforce Wuning Commandery, and Li Anlan committed his last two hundred thousand troops to the defense.

Lin Yi landed on the Great Ning River’s shore and summoned two hundred thousand reinforcements, including Zhang Fei and Huang Zhong, to deliver the final assault against Shangguan Yun. As the new troops charged into battle, Zhang Fei challenged Shangguan Yun and his retreating forces neared collapse.

• Zhang Wanhao and other officials met privately, and Liu Kun argued they should back an emperor who needed the great clans rather than Lin Yi, who did not.
• Lin Yi ordered his forces to land and prepare to strike Shangguan Yun with Gongsun Zan’s Youzhou Legion and the Danyang Soldiers.
• Lin Yi reached shore and summoned two hundred thousand troops, astonishing the laborers who witnessed their sudden appearance.
• Lin Yi appointed Zhang Fei and Huang Zhong vanguard generals and put each in command of one hundred thousand troops.
• Lin Yi ordered the signal flare and horns, and Zhang Fei and Huang Zhong led their reinforcements into the battle as Shangguan Yun’s forces faltered.
• Zhang Fei roared a challenge to Shangguan Yun, declaring that Zhang Yide had arrived.

Shangguan Yun struggled to break the Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors while Xiliang’s attacks battered Great Ning’s flanks. Xiliang reinforcements arrived and unleashed a massive rain of arrows, forcing Zhou Yuan’s troops to retreat as Qu Yi ordered his men to pursue and destroy them.

• Shangguan Yun learned that Li Songshan had died under a storm of arrows and heard Li Ruyu’s reports of Xiliang’s successes on both flanks.
• Shangguan Yun decided that Great Ning had to defeat the Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors to regain the initiative.
• Signals and war drums announced Xiliang’s new attack, and Shangguan Yun saw hundreds of thousands of reinforcements arrive.
• Xiliang’s troops blanketed the battlefield with arrows, inflicting heavy casualties on Great Ning’s forces.
• Zhou Yuan ordered his vanguard to retreat, while Qu Yi commanded his men to expend every arrow and leave the hundred thousand attackers behind.

Xiliang routed Great Ning's forces outside Wuning Commandery, while Gan Ning's Brocade Sail Battalion overran seven downstream landing sites. Shangguan Yun and Li Ruyu retreated into the city and prepared to hold out until reinforcements arrived.

• Xiliang's arrows killed tens of thousands of Great Ning troops, and Zhang Fei led the Danyang Soldiers in a charge that broke their ranks.
• Zhang Fei wounded Zhou Yuan with a thrown spear, and Zhou Yuan's flight caused the Great Ning army to collapse as Huang Zhong cut down the fleeing soldiers.
• Shangguan Yun and Li Ruyu retreated into Wuning Commandery and shut the gates, leaving the infantry outside to be slaughtered.
• Shangguan Yun received reports that Gan Ning's Brocade Sail Battalion had attacked seven landing sites and wiped out nearly fifty thousand defenders.
• Li Ruyu urged Shangguan Yun to hold the city until reinforcements arrived, and Shangguan Yun agreed.

Lin Yi’s forces continued their assault on Wuning City, breached its walls, and were promised a corps-wide promotion and doubled bonuses for killing Shangguan Yun and Li Ruyu. The reward sent Zhang Fei and Huang Zhong racing into the city while Qu Yi’s troops prepared to follow.

• Shangguan Yun and Li Ruyu ordered Wuning City’s defenses reinforced and civilians conscripted as Lin Yi’s army resumed its attack.
• Xiliang’s arrows, catapults, and war chariots overwhelmed the defenders, and a section of Wuning City’s wall collapsed.
• Lin Yi offered an additional rank and doubled bonuses to the entire corps of whoever killed Shangguan Yun and Li Ruyu.
• Zhang Fei led the Danyang Soldiers toward the breach, and Huang Zhong rushed into the city with his troops.
• Qu Yi complained that Zhang Fei and Huang Zhong had beaten him to the assault, while his deputy general urged him not to worry.

Xiliang forces breached Wuning City and overwhelmed Great Ning’s defenders, forcing Shangguan Yun to order a retreat. Zhang Fei’s challenge and Wu Ya’s outburst revealed Shangguan Yun’s location, and the enemy charged toward him.

• Shangguan Yun rallied Great Ning’s troops to defend the first breach, but Zhang Fei and the Xiliang legions stormed through under heavy arrow fire.
• Explosions brought down more of Wuning City’s wall, allowing nearly three hundred thousand Xiliang troops to flood inside and prompting tens of thousands of Great Ning soldiers to surrender.
• Shangguan Yun ordered a retreat after realizing the city could no longer be saved.
• Zhang Fei searched for Shangguan Yun and taunted him, while Shangguan Yun hid from the advancing enemy.
• Wu Ya answered Zhang Fei’s challenge and inadvertently revealed Shangguan Yun’s position, sending the Xiliang soldiers rushing toward the general.

After Shangguan Yun was killed and Wuning City fell, Lin Yi prepared to advance on the capital and overthrow Li Anlan. Wang Yunze then arrived with the head of Li Ruyu, the emperor’s uncle, as a gift to Lin Yi.

• Huang Zhong shot Shangguan Yun through the throat, took his head, and earned a reward for his legion, while Zhang Fei continued the assault on Wuning City.
• Lin Yi ordered Shangguan Yun buried and reflected with Guo Jia, Xu Chu, and Zhao Yun on his campaign against Li Anlan and the defeat of the strong by the weak.
• Wang Yue reported that Gan Ning had captured towns and was coming to support Lin Yi, while Chen Dao’s White Feather Soldiers had defeated Li Ke and slain fifty thousand enemy troops.
• Lin Yi ordered his forces to clear nearby towns and villages and spare residents willing to submit to Xiliang.
• Wang Yunze arrived alone with a human head and presented it as a gift to Lin Yi, identifying it as Li Ruyu’s, the Imperial Clan Court director and the emperor’s uncle.

Lin Yi forced Wang Yunze to surrender the Wang Clan’s grain and accept appointment as governor of Wuning Commandery, then ordered him to give an interview criticizing Emperor Li Anlan and his allies. The chapter ended with Gan Ning, Qu Yi, and the other generals returning to report to Lin Yi.

• Wang Yunze claimed he killed Li Ruyu to stop him from forcing Wuning City’s men to fight the Xiliang army, and Xu Chu mocked his justification.
• Wang Yunze offered the Wang Clan’s grain and promised to help Lin Yi take Wuning Commandery.
• Lin Yi praised Wang Yunze, appointed him governor of Wuning Commandery, and told him to oversee the army’s operations.
• Lin Yi ordered Wang Yunze to give the first interview for the All Under Heaven Daily, with Guo Jia and Xu Chu conducting it.
• A guard announced that Gan Ning, Qu Yi, and the other generals had returned and requested an audience.

Lin Yi learned that Wuning Commandery had fallen and its people had supported his forces, triggering major system rewards, including Lü Bu and the Bingzhou Legion. He began rewarding his victorious generals, starting with Qu Yi and Gan Ning.

• Qu Yi reported that Shangguan Yun and Li Ruyu had died, the remaining towns had surrendered, and people across Wuning Commandery had helped drive out Great Ning's garrisons.
• Lin Yi received system rewards for the victory, including Lü Bu, the Bingzhou Legion, Xu You, administrative personnel, and a maritime merchant group.
• Lin Yi assessed the new recruits and resources, then decided to reward the troops who had fought in the landing operation.
• Lin Yi promoted Qu Yi to Great General of Divine Martial Prowess and rewarded him and the Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors.
• Lin Yi bestowed on Gan Ning the title of Great General of the Brocade Sail and command of the Great Ning Navy, along with a warship and gold.

After rewarding his generals for the victory at Wuning Commandery, Lin Yi planned an assault on the capital and assigned Gan Ning and Zhao Yun separate missions. At the palace, Li Anlan learned that Shangguan Yun’s three hundred thousand troops had been destroyed and faced the threat of Lin Yi’s advance.

• Lin Yi rewarded his commanders and welcomed Wang Yunze, the newly appointed Governor of Wuning Commandery, into his ranks.
• Wang Yue reported that Li Anlan had withdrawn and reinforced his army at Liangshan Pass, while Gan Ning reported that Li Anlan’s reinforcements had retreated after Wuning fell.
• Lin Yi announced plans to attack the capital, ordered Gan Ning’s navy to harass the enemy along the Great Ning River, and sent Zhao Yun with fifty thousand cavalry to raid western commanderies.
• Lin Yi ordered the rest of his army to rest for one day before attacking the capital.
• A messenger informed the imperial palace that Wuning’s three hundred thousand troops had been wiped out and that Shangguan Yun and Li Ruyu had been killed.
• Li Anlan demanded an explanation, and an official told him Lin Yi had brought his forces to five hundred thousand troops.

Li Anlan learned that Xiliang had overwhelmed Wuning Commandery and now threatened the capital with a vast army. With his ministers fearing defeat, he agreed to move Great Ning’s capital south to Jiangling and wait for reinforcements.

• Zhou Zifeng reported that Xiliang had taken Wuning Commandery, killed the emperor’s brother-in-law and the director of the Imperial Clan Court, and made Wang Yunze its governor.
• Li Anlan accused Wang Hui’s clan of siding with Lin Yi, but Wang Hui disowned Wang Yunze and offered one hundred thousand shi of grain, so Li Anlan let the matter go for now.
• Li Anlan asked his ministers how to stop Xiliang, and they feared that the approaching troops would soon besiege the capital.
• Grand Commandant Qin Li urged Li Anlan to move the capital to Jiangling, where the Tianshui River could help defend the south.
• Li Anlan approved the move and said he had contacted the southern native chieftains and the Frostwest Empire for aid.

After the Min River region fell to Guan Yu, Li Anlan abandoned plans to move the capital to Jiangling Commandery and ordered Qin Li to defend the capital. As news spread, people in Great Ning learned more about Xiliang’s growing power and its victories across the Western Regions and the northern steppe.

• Li Anlan’s court discussed seeking support from the Frostwest Empire and the southern native chieftains, but an urgent dispatch reported that Guan Yu’s hundred-thousand-strong army had routed the Min River defenses.
• Li Anlan coughed up blood after learning that Guan Yu had taken two-thirds of the Min River region and that Yang Dongyu and Zhao Dezhu had retreated to Jiangling Commandery.
• Qin Li said Guan Yu had previously commanded only tens of thousands of men and admitted he had not noticed the pirate’s rapid growth.
• Li Anlan decided to keep defending the capital and assigned Qin Li to oversee its defenses while he reconsidered Great Ning’s options.
• News of Wuning Commandery’s fall spread among the populace, and a merchant described Xiliang’s victories in the Western Regions and against the Northern Barbarians.

As Xiliang’s strength became clear, Zhang Wanhao persuaded the great clans to side with Lin Yi before they could be crushed. In the palace, Li Anlan learned that Shangguan Yun had died and asked the empress to use the Shangguan Family’s forces to suppress the wavering clans.

• Zhang Wanhao warned the great clans that Lin Yi had likely prepared to take the capital and that they would be in danger if they resisted him.
• Zhang Wanhao chose to side with Xiliang, and the other clan leaders agreed to contact the Prince of Xiliang.
• Li Anlan told the empress that her brother, Shangguan Yun, had died in battle.
• Li Anlan asked the empress to deploy the Shangguan Family’s strength against the great clans, planning to strike before they could join Lin Yi.

Li Anlan sent Shangguan Yan and the crown prince to safety, then used a staged raid to massacre the capital’s great families and seize their wealth while blaming Xiliang. The imperial guards clashed with the black-clad attackers, and Liu Tong watched his home burn, convinced Li Anlan was behind it.

• Li Anlan told Shangguan Yan that Lin Yi’s million-strong army was nearing the capital and decided to strike the great families first.
• Shangguan Yan gave Li Anlan her family token, allowing him to mobilize the fifty thousand private troops attached to the Eastern Palace.
• Li Anlan sent Shangguan Yan and the crown prince to Jiangling Commandery, refusing to relocate the capital or trust that Lin Yi would spare them.
• Black-clad men raided the great families, killing many and carrying their wealth toward Xiliang, while Li Anlan’s imperial guards sealed Chang'an and fought them under Hong Tao’s command.
• Liu Tong hid in a cave and watched his home burn as the attackers and imperial guards carried away belongings, then cursed Li Anlan.

The southern chieftains learned that Lin Yi had destroyed Shangguan Yun’s army and chose to join Xiliang, hailing Lin Yi as the Northern Emperor. At Liangshan Pass, Lin Rusong received news of Lin Yi’s victory and the arrival of Zhao Yun.

• Jiang Li and the southern chieftains learned that Lin Yi had sent five hundred thousand troops to defeat Shangguan Yun and capture Wuning Commandery.
• Li Siyuan urged Jiang Li to join Xiliang, and the southern chieftains agreed to form a blood alliance and march against Li Anlan.
• The chieftains assembled two hundred thousand troops and advanced toward the Shu Region, forcing Geng Jinzhong to request reinforcements from the emperor.
• At Liangshan Pass, Yi Yun delivered Lin Yi’s intelligence to Lin Rusong, who learned that Shangguan Yun and Li Ruyu had died and Zhao Yun was coming to meet him.

As Lin Rusong’s forces began their assault on Liangshan Pass, news arrived that Lin Yi had captured Wuning Commandery and was advancing on the capital. The chapter left Bai Tianwang’s army facing the prospect of being surrounded and cut off.

• Lin Rusong and his allies celebrated Lin Yi’s capture of Xuanyi City and Wuning Commandery, then received the signal to attack Liangshan Pass.
• Feng Zicai volunteered to lead the vanguard, and Northern Liang’s veteran soldiers charged the walls under heavy fire.
• Lin Rusong joined the assault and led his troops into battle, driven by anger toward Li Anlan and regret over his old comrades’ suffering.
• Bai Tianwang struggled to contain the assault, while Wang Youli warned that the defenders could not give up the city.
• A scout reported that Lin Yi had taken Wuning Commandery and was marching toward the capital with five hundred thousand troops, leaving Bai Tianwang’s four hundred thousand soldiers at risk of encirclement.

Lin Rusong, Pang De, and Zhao Yun’s forces broke through Liangshan Pass and defeated Bai Tianwang’s army. Bai Tianwang killed himself after surrendering, while Lin Rusong spared the prisoners and prepared to march on Great Ning’s capital with Pang De.

• Pang De led a hundred thousand troops toward Liangshan Pass after Zhang Sixi was killed, while Northern Liang’s forces breached the pass’s defenses.
• Pang De and Tu Xiu’s army stormed in through the western gate and split Bai Tianwang’s forces as Lin Rusong’s troops pushed through the breach.
• Zhao Yun’s forces attacked from behind after three commanderies surrendered to Xiliang, leaving Bai Tianwang surrounded.
• Bai Tianwang surrendered to save his soldiers, then killed himself after Pang De and Lin Rusong responded to his plea.
• Lin Rusong spared the surrendered soldiers if they pledged allegiance, killed Wang Youli, and agreed with Pang De to march on Great Ning’s capital.

After the Net restored order in Wuning Commandery, Lin Yi praised its work and explained how Xiliang’s restraint could weaken resistance elsewhere. News then arrived that Zhao Yun had conquered three commanderies and was advancing on Liangshan Pass, before Yingge brought Lin Yi intelligence from the southern native chieftains.

• Wang Yue reported that the Net had purged Wuning Commandery’s ringleaders and restored peace without harming ordinary people.
• Lin Yi explained that sparing captured soldiers and appointing Wang Yunze governor would encourage other regions to surrender, while Qu Yi and Guo Jia joked about Wang Yunze’s denunciation of Li Anlan.
• A messenger reported that Zhao Yun had slain seven generals and led fifty thousand cavalry to secure Hanchuan, Pingyao, and Yuzhou, then advanced toward Liangshan Pass.
• Lin Yi and Guo Jia celebrated Zhao Yun’s victories and anticipated Liangshan Pass’s fall.
• Yingge brought Lin Yi a message from the southern native chieftains and other intelligence, and Lin Yi grinned after reading it.

Lin Yi learned that Xiliang had secured the northern lands and that Li Anlan was massacring Great Ning’s powerful families to raise money and troops, while seeking help from the Frostwest Empire. After receiving new system rewards, Lin Yi sent Cao Hong to reinforce the Western Regions and asked Wang Yue about Zhang Mao.

• Lin Yi received reports that two hundred thousand southern tribal troops had invaded Shu Region and that Pang De, the Prince of Northern Liang, and Zhao Yun had captured Liangshan Pass, bringing all the northern lands under Xiliang.
• Lin Yi read that Li Anlan had sent the crown prince and empress to Jiangling Commandery and that Guan Yu had defeated the third prince and occupied the Min River.
• Lin Yi learned Li Anlan had used Shangguan Family Clan troops disguised as the Net to massacre great families, then killed nearly twenty thousand people in a crackdown to seize wealth and recruit soldiers.
• Lin Yi discovered that Li Anlan was relying on the Frostwest Empire and considered whether Xiliang needed to prepare for its intervention.
• The system rewarded Lin Yi with Cao Hong, one hundred thousand Wei soldiers, one hundred thousand Yellow Turban Army soldiers, and twenty high-level civil administrators; Lin Yi sent Cao Hong to the Western Regions and asked Wang Yue whether he knew Zhang Mao.

Lin Yi ordered preparations to march on Great Ning’s capital and had seed potatoes distributed across the commanderies to reassure the people. As Wuning’s residents welcomed the aid, a Daoist priest praised Lin Yi as a worthy future emperor.

• Wang Yue told Lin Yi that Zhang Mao, a Daoist priest in Hanchuan, had helped Zhao Yun subdue the commanderies, and Lin Yi ordered him brought in.
• Guo Jia argued that Li Anlan’s purge of the great clans benefited Lin Yi, while Lin Yi suspected the clan heads had fled into his territory and ordered them watched.
• Lin Yi instructed Guo Jia to prepare supplies for a march on the capital the next morning and ordered seed potatoes distributed across the commanderies.
• Wuning’s residents ventured back into the streets, then celebrated when notices announced they could exchange identity papers and collect seed potatoes.
• A Daoist priest praised Lin Yi for aiding the common people and said he would make a better emperor than the current ruler.