Chapter Summaries

Taoist Zhang Mao explained that he supported the Prince of Xiliang because the prince’s free potato crop gave the people hope, then agreed to join Zhang Jiao’s major undertaking. Several fugitive family heads were discovered by the Net and summoned by Lin Yi, while Wang Yunze kept his doors closed to wealthy visitors to avoid attracting attention.

• Zhang Mao told his disciple that he helped the Prince of Xiliang for the sake of the people and agreed to join Zhang Jiao’s plans.
• Zhang Mao noticed ragged figures nearby but left without investigating, and the fugitive family heads recognized him as Huaiyangzi.
• Zhang Wanhao, Wang Hui, and Liu Kun worried that they had no leverage and discussed returning to their territories before Net members blocked them and summoned them to Lin Yi.
• Wang Yunze refused to receive visitors bearing gifts, telling his steward that he needed to keep a low profile.

Wang Yunze feared the consequences of governing Wuning Commandery amid the Prince of Xiliang’s military rule, then learned that Li Anlan had massacred several great clans in the capital. After discovering his eldest uncle and other clan leaders had reached Wuning, he went to Lin Yi and admitted why he had come.

• Wang Yunze ordered his staff to obey the Prince of Xiliang and avoid seeking his advice, while reassuring his wife that the Wang Clan had withdrawn from Chang'an.
• A servant reported that several great clans’ compounds had been wiped out in the capital, and Wang Yunze blamed Li Anlan for using the Net as a pretext to seize their wealth.
• The steward told Wang Yunze that the Net had brought his clan head and others from the gate, prompting him to take their gifts to Lin Yi.
• Wang Yunze visited Lin Yi’s temporary residence, where he found his eldest uncle, Zhang Wanhao, and other clan leaders.
• After Lin Yi questioned his reason for coming, Wang Yunze knelt and admitted that he had come because he feared for his clan and had heard his eldest uncle was in Wuning Commandery.

Wang Hui and the other clan heads asked Lin Yi to take their side against Li Anlan, who had crushed their holdings in the capital. Lin Yi dismissed their pleas, then agreed to discuss their support through Xu You after they offered money, while secretly planning to use and eventually eliminate the clans.

• Wang Hui and Wang Yunze lamented the losses Li Anlan had inflicted on the Wang Clan and asked what they should do next.
• Wang Hui and the other clan heads appealed to Lin Yi to uphold justice against Li Anlan, but Lin Yi said he did not know whether their claims were true.
• Xu You and Xu Chu mocked the clan heads for expecting Lin Yi to act against the emperor on empty words, angering them.
• Liu Kun and Zhang Wanhao offered ten million strings of cash each, and other clan heads offered money as well.
• Lin Yi said he was not interested in money and told them to discuss the matter with Xu You, adding that they should convert it to cash.
• Lin Yi privately resolved to use the aristocratic clans temporarily and destroy them later.

Lin Yi ordered the aristocratic clan leaders to write a proclamation condemning Li Anlan before his army marched on the capital, and they filled it with accusations that spread across Great Ning. When the proclamation revealed that a million troops would attack the next day, Li Anlan learned that the capital had fewer than five hundred thousand defenders and questioned why his supplies had not produced a larger army.

• Lin Yi tasked Liu Kun, Wang Hui, Zhang Wanhao, and the other clan leaders with writing a proclamation against Li Anlan, then left Xu You and Xu Chu to oversee them.
• Wang Yunze urged the clan leaders to make the proclamation as vicious as possible, and they agreed to exploit their skill at crafting accusations against Li Anlan.
• The Net spread the proclamation throughout Great Ning, claiming Lin Yi had unified the north and would lead a million troops against the capital the next day.
• Qin Li returned to the palace and warned Li Anlan that Liangshan Pass might have fallen and that Lin Yi's million-strong army posed an overwhelming threat.
• Li Anlan learned that the capital had fewer than five hundred thousand troops despite recent conscription and demanded to know why his plentiful supplies had not enabled him to raise more.

Li Anlan resolved to lead Great Ning’s defense of the capital in person, while Lin Yi prepared Xiliang’s army to launch its final assault and destroy Great Ning. Xiliang’s million-strong forces advanced toward the imperial city as Lin Yi ordered them to march.

• Wei Kuang reported that the Yang Clan and Zhao Clan refused to surrender their troops, delaying the crown prince’s return to relieve Chang'an.
• Li Anlan learned that ministers were secretly moving their families south and asked Qin Li whether he could hold the capital.
• Qin Li urged Li Anlan to face the battle, and Li Anlan decided to lead the campaign himself rather than flee.
• Li Anlan ordered Wei Kuang to bring the ministers along so sovereign and subjects would face the enemy together.
• Lin Yi rallied Xiliang’s assembled army and declared that its million troops were advancing on the capital along three routes.
• Lin Yi ordered Xiliang’s soldiers to march and breach the imperial city.

Lin Yi appointed Lü Bu to lead a hundred thousand troops against the seven northern county seats while the main Xiliang army marched on the capital. Lü Bu swiftly overwhelmed Wind Chime County, where its magistrate refused to surrender despite having almost no troops.

• Lin Yi chose Lü Bu over the other eager generals and ordered him to break through the county seats north of the capital with a hundred thousand soldiers.
• Lü Bu accepted the vanguard command, rode Red Hare toward the battlefield, and Lin Yi led the remaining five hundred thousand troops after him.
• Wang Yue told Lin Yi that Jiang Wei, Jia Xu, and their forces had taken Great Wind Commandery and Great Cang Commandery and were advancing on the capital.
• Lü Bu's vanguard crushed the defenders at Wind Chime County, killed its county commandant, and demanded that the survivors surrender.
• Wind Chime County's assistant magistrate urged the county magistrate to kneel, but the magistrate refused to abandon the people, drawing Lü Bu's attention.

Lü Bu’s vanguard swept through several counties as Lin Yi’s forces closed in on the capital from three directions. Facing an overwhelming invasion, Li Anlan gambled on defeating Lin Yi’s army and ordered the city sealed against the Net’s agents.

• Lü Bu forced the magistrate of Wind Chime County to surrender, left troops to watch over the county, and led his vanguard onward.
• Lü Bu’s hundred thousand troops captured Mulberry and Elm County and several other towns in quick succession.
• Li Anlan received reports that Jiang Wei and Jia Xu had destroyed Chen Sishui’s army and that Pang De and the Prince of Northern Liang had taken Liangshan Pass.
• A messenger reported that Lin Yi was personally advancing on the northern gate with five hundred thousand troops while Lü Bu had taken seven counties.
• Li Anlan dismissed most of the ministers, then ordered Qin Li to defend the other gates and prepare for a decisive battle against Lin Yi’s army.
• Li Anlan ordered a purge of the Net’s intelligence agents and strict surveillance throughout the capital so he could plot against Lin Yi.

As Xiliang's army surrounded the capital, Zhang Jiao and Li Yifeng witnessed a gigantic statue of the Prince of Xiliang emerge from Daxing Temple with the Heirloom Seal of the Realm. Jia Xu presented the seal as proof that the Prince of Xiliang was heaven's chosen emperor, then led the troops in a charge toward the capital.

• Li Yifeng watched Jiang Wei and Jia Xu's vast army advance and questioned Zhang Jiao about the Prince of Xiliang's mandate and his own safety.
• Daxing Temple exploded, revealing a giant golden statue of the Prince of Xiliang with a jade seal hanging at its waist.
• Zhang Jiao identified the jade seal as the true Heirloom Seal of the Realm, and Li Yifeng realized it would help Xiliang claim legitimacy.
• Jia Xu declared the seal proof that the Prince of Xiliang was heaven's chosen emperor and called for an attack on Li Anlan.
• Jia Xu retrieved the seal as the people and soldiers knelt, then the hundreds of thousands of troops charged toward the capital.

Lin Yi’s Xiliang Army attacked Northern Xuan Gate, the capital’s second defensive line, and broke through with a relentless siege barrage. Lü Bu led the charge into the breach as the Great Ning defenders fled or surrendered.

• Lü Bu swept through seven outlying county towns, and Lin Yi led the army toward Northern Xuan Gate after handing the prisoners to Xu You.
• Lin Yi ordered Qu Yi to bring up the siege weapons, and the Xiliang Army bombarded Northern Xuan Gate with catapults and siege crossbows.
• Meng Xi ordered replacement defenders to counterattack, but the bombardment killed him and an explosive charge brought down the wall.
• Lü Bu charged through the breach and slaughtered the defenders until Lin Yi ordered his troops to spare those who surrendered.
• The Great Ning soldiers dropped their weapons and knelt before the Xiliang Army.

After Xiliang broke through the Northern Xuan Gate, Lin Yi reassured the capital’s commoners that he would not harm them unless they attacked his forces. The rewards for his campaign revealed the impact of Zhang Jiao’s use of the Heirloom Seal, while Lin Yi and his advisors realized Great Ning had sacrificed its defenders to set an ambush aimed at capturing him.

• Xiliang breached the Northern Xuan Gate, and the capital’s commoners feared they would be plundered or harmed.
• Lin Yi’s letter spread through the capital, promising that Xiliang would spare commoners who did not attack it.
• The system rewarded Lin Yi with Journey to the West, a poison-immunity vaccine, rice, fertilizer techniques, Xing Daorong, and 30,000 elite Lingling soldiers, among other rewards.
• Lin Yi noticed that Great Ning had left fewer than fifty thousand troops to defend the gate and suspected Li Anlan had another plan.
• Guo Jia and Xu You concluded that the defenders had sacrificed themselves to buy time for an ambush.
• Lin Yi realized Li Anlan and Qin Li planned to capture him and use him to make his father yield.

Lin Yi sent Ma Jun’s hot-air balloons to scout Great Ning and expose Li Anlan’s hidden army. Li Anlan realized his ambush was in danger and ordered Hong Tao to withdraw.

• Lin Yi warned Xu You not to underestimate Li Anlan and ordered Xu Chu to bring out Ma Jun’s new invention.
• Lin Yi explained how to operate the ten tethered hot-air balloons, and they rose toward Great Ning.
• Li Anlan predicted Lin Yi would attack Xuanwu Gate and planned to ambush his troops and capture him.
• Qin Li spotted the balloons and realized they could reveal the hidden army in the outer city.
• Li Anlan saw a figure sending flag signals from a balloon and ordered Hong Tao to leave before the enemy discovered his troops.

Lin Yi learned that Li Anlan had hidden two hundred thousand troops outside the inner city and sent Lü Bu and Zhao Yun to destroy them while he advanced on Xuanwu Gate. Hong Tao’s concealed force was exposed by Xiliang’s hot-air balloons, and a cavalry attack caught his men by surprise.

• Lin Yi ordered Lü Bu and Zhao Yun to lead two hundred thousand cavalry against Li Anlan’s ambushers, then set out for Xuanwu Gate with the rest of his army.
• Guo Jia revealed that Zhang Fei and Huang Zhong would take the crucial task of attacking Xuanwu Gate, and Lin Yi assigned Zhang Fei the emperor.
• Hong Tao and Zhao Yucheng waited with two hundred thousand troops in a forest, relying on concealment and dry rations to avoid discovery.
• A messenger warned Hong Tao that his position had been found, and Hong Tao saw Xiliang hot-air balloons overhead signaling his location.
• Hong Tao heard Lin Yi’s cavalry approaching and rushed to meet them, but the Xiliang Iron Cavalry slaughtered five thousand Great Ning soldiers before they could react.

Lü Bu led the Xiliang cavalry through Hong Tao's Great Ning army, overwhelming its soldiers and killing the Three Sima Brothers. As Lü Bu charged toward Hong Tao, the commandant called for Zhao Yucheng to stop him.

• Hong Tao ordered his troops to defend and fire arrows as Lü Bu's cavalry broke into their formation.
• Lü Bu cut through the Great Ning soldiers and killed seven officers, while his cavalry drove forward behind him.
• Hong Tao sent the Three Sima Brothers to confront Lü Bu, but Lü Bu killed Sima Lang and struck down the other two brothers.
• The Xiliang army's morale surged as Lü Bu led another charge, and Great Ning's two hundred thousand troops were pushed back.
• Hong Tao saw Lü Bu heading toward him and called for Zhao Yucheng to deal with the general.

Zhao Yun and Lü Bu led Xiliang’s attack against Great Ning’s forces, killing Zhao Yucheng and devastating the enemy with their weapons. As Li Anlan learned that Hong Tao’s army was collapsing, he realized Lin Yi’s remaining forces were approaching the capital and he could not send reinforcements.

• Zhao Yun fought Zhao Yucheng, killed him with a spear strike, and turned to target Great Ning’s archers.
• Hong Tao ordered archers to suppress Lü Bu, who shot a Divine Arm Crossbow bolt through several guards before the Xiliang troops unleashed their crossbows in reply.
• Lü Bu charged into Great Ning’s formation as the two-hundred-thousand-strong Xiliang army launched an all-out assault and forced the enemy to retreat.
• A messenger told Li Anlan that Hong Tao’s army was under attack, the Sima brothers had been killed, and reinforcements were urgently needed.
• Li Anlan realized Lin Yi’s remaining three hundred thousand troops were approaching the capital and that he could not send help to Hong Tao.

Lin Yi’s Xiliang army reached Xuanwu Gate, where he and Li Anlan exchanged insults through an envoy and demanded surrender. Li Anlan refused and offered Lin Yi a chance to withdraw, while Xing Daorong declared that the Northern Emperor stood as an equal to an emperor and did not need to rebel.

• Xiliang’s army advanced on Xuanwu Gate as Qin Li urged Li Anlan to leave the walls, but Li Anlan stayed to face Lin Yi.
• Lin Yi ordered Xing Daorong to deliver his regards and demand that Li Anlan surrender to avoid bloodshed.
• Li Anlan refused to kill the envoy and listened as Xing Daorong mocked him and repeated Lin Yi’s demand.
• Li Anlan offered to forgive Lin Yi’s actions if he withdrew for Princess Shenle’s sake, but warned that otherwise he would be remembered as a great sinner.
• Xing Daorong rejected Li Anlan’s claim that Lin Yi was a rebel, calling him the Northern Emperor and condemning Li Anlan as an incompetent ruler.

Lin Yi proclaimed himself the Northern Emperor and ordered Xiliang’s forces to launch their final assault on Great Ning’s capital. After Lü Bu routed the enemy elsewhere, the attack began at Xuanwu Gate, leaving the defenders under a barrage as the vanguard charged.

• Xing Daorong denounced Li Anlan for yielding to foreign races and killing rival princes, provoking the emperor to vomit blood and deny the accusations.
• Li Anlan threatened Xing Daorong, who fled back to Lin Yi after failing to win the emperor’s surrender.
• Lin Yi praised Xing Daorong and appointed him vanguard, then learned that Lü Bu had routed the enemy and was clearing the remaining forces.
• Lin Yi ordered Guo Jia to signal the all-out assault, and flares and drums announced the attack across the battlefield.
• Xiliang’s 300,000 troops attacked Xuanwu Gate with catapults and siege crossbows as the Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors charged toward the walls.

With Xuanwu Gate under attack and the capital surrounded, Li Anlan accepted that Great Ning had already lost and chose to make a final stand inside the city. Lin Yi recognized the emperor’s resolve, recalled Lü Bu and Zhao Yun, and sent his army through the breached gate to meet Great Ning in close combat.

• Li Anlan recognized the distant explosions as the signal for an all-out assault and told Qin Li that Great Ning had little time left.
• Li Anlan recalled fighting beside Qin Li against the Northern Barbarians and challenged him to make one last stand against Lin Yi.
• Li Anlan ordered Wei Kuang to deal with the restless ministers, then directed Qin Li to withdraw the troops from the walls and form up inside the city.
• Lin Yi learned that Li Anlan had abandoned the walls to prepare for a head-on battle and ordered Lü Bu and Zhao Yun recalled.
• The Xiliang army breached Xuanwu Gate, and Great Ning’s soldiers charged out to fight them in close combat.

Li Anlan ambushed Lin Yi’s advancing Xiliang army with archers and cavalry, but Lü Bu and Zhao Yun counterattacked both flanks. The Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors then pushed through toward Great Ning’s archers as the battle continued.

• Li Anlan waited until the Xiliang army entered his formation, then rallied Great Ning’s soldiers with promises of promotions and gold.
• Lin Yi’s forces broke through the first defensive line at Xuanwu Gate and came under a heavy arrow barrage.
• Lin Yi sent Lü Bu and Zhao Yun to attack the cavalry on opposite flanks.
• Lü Bu charged into the left-flank cavalry, killed its commander, and drove the enemy back, while Zhao Yun fought on the right.
• Qu Yi led the Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors through Great Ning’s defenses toward its archers, who unleashed a mass volley.

Li Anlan’s Great Ning army struggled against the Xiliang forces’ shielded advance, so he ordered fire arrows to disrupt their coordination. Qu Yi responded by launching explosive shells at the Great Ning archers, leaving the battle poised for a new attack.

• Qu Yi led the Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors and supporting corps in a frontal assault that inflicted heavy casualties on Great Ning.
• Li Anlan recognized the threat posed by the Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors and ordered fire arrows used against them.
• Great Ning’s fire arrows slowed Qu Yi’s advance and nearly set his clothing ablaze.
• Qu Yi ordered explosive shells launched by catapult at the Great Ning archers.

Li Anlan’s forces suffered devastating losses when Xiliang’s explosive weapons shattered their archers and its armies stormed Great Ning’s positions. With the capital breached and defeat certain, Li Anlan ordered his army to surrender and went to meet Lin Yi.

• Li Anlan watched fire arrows slow the Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors, but Xiliang’s explosive iron canisters annihilated Great Ning’s archers.
• Zhang Fei, Chen Dao, and Huang Zhong led Xiliang’s assault, breaking Great Ning’s resistance and driving most of its soldiers to surrender.
• Reports reached Li Anlan that the Prince of Northern Liang had breached Vermilion Bird Gate and Jia Xu had entered the inner city through Qingfeng Gate.
• Li Anlan rejected hopes of aid from the Frostwest Empire or the crown prince and ordered Great Ning’s troops to lay down their weapons.
• Li Anlan and his generals approached Lin Yi’s carriage, where Li Anlan marveled at how young the conqueror was.