Chapter Summaries

Li Anlan considered Lin Rusong’s request to appoint Lin Yi governor of Xiliang and suspected the Prince of Northern Liang was sending his heir to be tempered. After the ministers debated the request, Li Anlan approved it, leaving Lin Yi free to try to establish himself in Xiliang.

• Li Anlan dismissed Lin Rusong’s request to give Lin Yi control of Xiliang and discussed the dangers with Wei Tong.
• Li Anlan summoned the ministers to debate whether Lin Yi could build another Northern Liang.
• Tan Cheng denounced Lin Rusong’s plan as rebellious, while Qin Li argued that Lin Rusong had acted within his rights because Xiliang covered only two or three counties.
• Li Anlan ruled that Lin Yi could give it a try, prompting Lu Yafu to anticipate renewed turmoil in Northern Liang.

Zhuo Feifan gathered Xiliang’s powerful clans to form an alliance against Lin Yi, warning them of his bloody reputation and arguing that Northern Liang meant to absorb the commandery. Duan Yingxiong questioned the wisdom of provoking the Prince of Northern Liang, but Zhuo Feifan claimed Lin Yi had only a little over a thousand men and was being tested by his father.

• Zhuo Feifan told the assembled clans that Lin Yi had slaughtered more than thirty forces in Northern Liang City and even killed members of the Heavenly Eagle Guard.
• Zhuo Feifan argued that Northern Liang’s creation of Xiliang Commandery suggested the prince intended to build another power there and subdue the local clans.
• Duan Yingxiong warned that opposing Lin Yi could enrage the Prince of Northern Liang, whose forces could destroy them.
• Zhuo Feifan revealed that the twenty thousand Northern Liang troops had withdrawn, leaving only an old man in Xiliang, while Lin Yi approached with just over a thousand men.
• Zhuo Feifan said the withdrawn troops were camped at the edge of Xiliang Commandery and suggested Lin Rusong had left them there to temper Lin Yi.

Duan Yingxiong learned that Lin Yi’s organization, Net, had been watching the leaders of Dayu Pass, making him fear that the proposed alliance was a trap. When Lin Yi heard about the alliance, he chose to win its members over rather than rush to kill them.

• Zhuo Feifan urged the leaders of Dayu Pass to form an alliance against Lin Yi and hinted that he wanted to lead it.
• Duan Yingxiong questioned Wang Chengfei, who revealed that Lin Yi’s organization, Net, had placed people around Dayu Pass.
• Duan Yu suggested naming the alliance the Lion-Slaying Alliance, and Duan Yingxiong struck him and warned that killing Lin Yi could provoke the Prince of Northern Liang.
• Duan Yingxiong dragged Duan Yu away, while Zhuo Feifan watched them and grew thoughtful.
• Lin Yi heard about the alliance and told Wang Yue not to kill its members, saying they should win people over with virtue.

Lin Yi entered Xiliang Commandery and ordered his forces to crush the bandits and other threats amid the region’s chaos. As his caravan pressed toward the governor’s residence, flames rose from a nearby bandit lair, signaling that his campaign had begun.

• Lin Yi gave Jia Xu responsibility for governing Xiliang Commandery and handed him a stack of documents.
• In White Monkey County, residents warned Lin Yi that bandits preyed on the people, and Wang Yue lamented their plight.
• Lin Yi ordered Wang Yue to eliminate bandits within a hundred li, assigned Jia Xu to coordinate the operation, and told him to act on the Net’s list.
• Lin Yi ordered Ma Chao to clear bandits along the route and hurried toward the governor’s residence.
• After Lin Yi’s caravan left White Monkey County, residents saw flames and heard battle cries near a bandit lair.

After Lin Yi’s forces wiped out the mountain bandits, Xiliang’s people learned that the young man they had met was the Prince of Northern Liang’s heir and hoped he would protect them. Lin Yi received nearly twenty thousand Yellow Turban troops, Zhou Cang, and sweet potatoes, then arrived at a dilapidated governor’s residence and arranged for the retiring old general to return safely to Northern Liang City.

• The villagers found the bandits dead and a Xiliang banner, realized Lin Yi had sent his men to save them, and worried that people plotting against him might destroy their newfound hope.
• Lin Yi received rewards for wiping out the bandits, including nearly twenty thousand Yellow Turban troops, the general Zhou Cang, and ten thousand jin of sweet potatoes.
• The system told Lin Yi that most of the Yellow Turban troops were barely stronger than ordinary civilians, so he planned to train some and use the rest to farm.
• Lin Yi arrived at the dilapidated governor’s residence and learned from the old general that construction on his new residence had stopped when troops were reassigned.
• The old general said he would return to Northern Liang City after nearly twenty years guarding the commandery, and Lin Yi ordered Wang Yue to escort him safely.

Wang Ziwen told Lin Rusong about Lin Yi’s achievements and delivered gifts from him: a five-hundred-year-old ginseng root and The Legacy of Wumu, a military treatise that could help Northern Liang counter the Northern Region barbarians. After Lin Rusong and Wang Ziwen studied the book, Lin Rusong revealed that he had secured Lin Yi’s appointment as commandery governor but failed to obtain Great Ning’s territory.

• Wang Ziwen described Lin Yi’s actions in Xiliang Commandery, astonishing Lin Rusong with his son’s transformation.
• Wang Ziwen gave Lin Rusong a five-hundred-year-old ginseng root from Lin Yi, then revealed that he had received one as well.
• Wang Ziwen handed Lin Rusong The Legacy of Wumu, and Lin Rusong praised its strategies for defeating the Northern Region barbarians.
• Lin Rusong let Wang Ziwen study the book and explained that he had secured Lin Yi’s commandery-governor position, but Emperor Li Anlan had refused to cede Great Ning’s territory.
• Lin Rusong said he had presented Li Anlan with two choices so the emperor could reject the land request while confirming Lin Yi’s appointment.

Lin Rusong learned that Lin Yi had wiped out more than thirty bandit strongholds in Xiliang Commandery, alarming the factions there and prompting him to send Yi Yun to watch over his son. The people celebrated Lin Yi’s campaign, while those preparing to oppose him were shocked by his sudden attack.

• Lin Rusong and Wang Ziwen discussed the emperor’s suspicion of Northern Liang and the possibility of supporting Lin Yi if he strengthened Xiliang.
• A messenger reported that Lin Yi’s forces had destroyed more than thirty strongholds near White Monkey County, alarming Lin Rusong and Wang Ziwen.
• Lin Rusong ordered Yi Yun to go to Xiliang Commandery and intervene only if Lin Yi faced certain death.
• News of the campaign spread through Xiliang, where common people praised Lin Yi for clearing the bandits from the region.
• The factions preparing to unite against Lin Yi were stunned by his attack.

Zhuo Feifan realized Lin Yi had secretly arranged the destruction of more than thirty mountain strongholds, while Wang Chengfei and Duan Yingxiong sought to submit to him. Lin Yi reassured Haitang that he could defeat the gathered factions, then learned that twenty or thirty thousand men had surrounded them and wondered if their leader was Zhou Cang.

• Zhuo Feifan blamed his scouts for misreporting Lin Yi’s movements and warned his allies to investigate Lin Yi and recent strangers in Xiliang Commandery.
• Wang Chengfei recalled submitting to Lin Yi’s white-clad cavalry and the Net, and Duan Yingxiong asked him to arrange an introduction so the Duan Clan could serve Lin Yi.
• Wang Chengfei warned Duan Yingxiong to keep their submission secret because Lin Yi might intend to catch all the factions in one net.
• Haitang warned Lin Yi that more than fifty thousand opponents and their backers posed a serious danger, but Lin Yi said they were only rabble.
• The old general reported that twenty or thirty thousand men had surrounded Lin Yi’s group, and Lin Yi asked whether their leader was a dark-skinned man named Zhou Cang.

Lin Yi welcomed Zhou Cang and thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers, while Jia Xu secretly stirred the townspeople to join them by portraying Lin Yi as Xiliang’s hope. Lin Yi then announced that he had obtained sweet potatoes and potatoes capable of producing enormous harvests, and the crowd reacted with astonishment.

• The old general and Haitang learned that Zhou Cang’s men had come to join Lin Yi, and Lin Yi recognized them as the Yellow Turban soldiers Jia Xu commanded.
• Zhou Cang knelt before Lin Yi with his followers and pledged to protect Xiliang, while Jia Xu disguised among them urged people to follow Lin Yi.
• Lin Yi praised the people’s trust and promised to help them eat their fill, prompting townspeople to kneel and join him.
• Zhou Cang offered Lin Yi his life and service, and Lin Yi considered putting the Yellow Turban soldiers to work rather than wasting them in battle.
• Lin Yi revealed that an immortal had given him sweet potatoes and potatoes that could yield up to eight thousand jin per mu, astonishing Zhou Cang and the old general.

Lin Yi secured White Asura’s help in cultivating the high-yield crop, then learned that Zhuo Feifan had sent a spy to watch him. He prepared to strike Zhuo Feifan once Ma Chao arrived, while remaining curious about the powerful backer behind the clan leader.

• The people of Xiliang Commandery eagerly offered to help Lin Yi grow the high-yield crop, and White Asura agreed to stay and assist.
• Wang Yue revealed that the old farmer was White Asura, a trusted aide of Lin Rusong and a feared former vanguard commander.
• Wang Yue caught a spy near the governor’s residence and had him interrogated until he identified Zhuo Feifan as the person who sent him.
• Lin Yi reviewed intelligence on Xiliang’s three great clans, crossed Zhuo Feifan’s name off the list, and considered how to handle Wang Chengfei and Duan Yingxiong.
• Lin Yi told Wang Yue they would wipe out Zhuo Feifan after Ma Chao arrived, using the victory to establish his rules in Xiliang.

Jia Xu settled the thirty thousand Yellow Turban soldiers and learned that Lin Yi’s high-yield crops could secure Xiliang Commandery’s food supply. Lin Yi ordered the governor’s residence rebuilt and new streets laid out, then left Jia Xu with the commandery’s documents to review.

• Jia Xu told Lin Yi that he had settled the thirty thousand Yellow Turban soldiers, then asked whether potatoes and sweet potatoes could really produce such enormous yields.
• Lin Yi assured Jia Xu that the crops were genuine, and Jia Xu said a reliable grain supply would make it easier to build a realm from Xiliang Commandery.
• Wang Yue explained that the old general lived in the famous White Garden and that years of attacks had left the governor’s residence in ruins.
• Jia Xu worried that becoming deputy governor would put him in danger, so Lin Yi decided to station his guards around the residence while it was rebuilt.
• Lin Yi ordered Jia Xu to oversee the residence’s reconstruction, new streets, and wasteland clearing, then handed him the commandery’s documents and intelligence to review.

After Lin Yi crushed more than thirty mountain strongholds, Zhuo Feifan’s allies gathered at Carefree Mountain Manor and demanded action against him. Zhuo Feifan restrained them, recognizing that Lin Yi was more formidable than he had expected.

• Several factions complained to Zhuo Feifan about Lin Yi’s attacks and urged him to protect their interests.
• Zhuo Feifan concealed his anger and promised the gathered leaders they would find a countermeasure once they understood Lin Yi’s situation.
• The lone returning scout reported that Lin Yi had killed the other nine scouts and sent him back with a threat to wipe out Zhuo Feifan.
• The furious leaders called for an immediate assault on Lin Yi, but Zhuo Feifan declined to lead one, prompting several to leave and threaten to act on their own.
• Zhuo Feifan told his steward to ignore the departing leaders and concluded that Lin Yi had hidden his abilities and was too dangerous to challenge rashly.

Zhuo Feifan learned that Lin Yi had gained thirty thousand followers and promised Xiliang people extraordinarily high-yield crops, making him a source of hope among the commoners. Zhuo Feifan ordered his people to lie low and spread impeachment charges while the people gathered at the prefect's residence to seek a chance to grow the crops.

• Zhuo Feifan questioned Zhang He, who reported that thirty thousand people had joined Lin Yi rather than attacked him.
• Zhang He told Zhuo Feifan that Lin Yi had become Xiliang's hope by promising sweet potatoes and potatoes with yields of thousands of jin per mu.
• Zhuo Feifan doubted the crop claims, ordered his people to conceal their illicit businesses, and directed them to submit fabricated impeachment charges against Lin Yi.
• News of Lin Yi's followers and high-yield crops spread, and commoners flocked to the prefect's residence to seek a trial planting site.
• The commoners said they trusted Lin Yi and competed for the chance to grow the crops, believing they could end their hunger.

After learning that Lin Yi had gained thirty thousand followers and deployed a formidable army, Duan Yingxiong and Wang Chengfei feared their clans would be targeted next. They brought lavish gifts to the governor’s residence to declare their allegiance, where Wang Yue warned them to choose their words carefully.

• Duan Yingxiong threatened to kneel outside the governor’s residence unless Wang Chengfei helped him get Lin Yi’s attention.
• Duan Yingxiong told Wang Chengfei that a thousand-man army had terrified his ten thousand troops, and Wang Chengfei concluded Lin Yi was preparing to act against the factions.
• Duan Yingxiong and Wang Chengfei decided to declare their position and went to the governor’s residence with lavish gifts.
• Lin Yi agreed to receive the two clan leaders after Wang Yue reported their arrival.
• Wang Yue warned Duan Yingxiong and Wang Chengfei that they would face dire consequences if they said the wrong thing.

Lin Yi received Duan Yingxiong and Wang Chengfei, who offered wealth and pledged their clans to him. He appointed both men county magistrates and sent them away with potatoes, leaving them convinced they had survived because they could serve his plans.

• Wang Yue made Duan Yingxiong and Wang Chengfei wait until Lin Yi arrived to meet them.
• Lin Yi accepted Wang Chengfei's gift of treasures and appointed him magistrate of White Sand River County.
• Duan Yingxiong offered his clan's service, and Lin Yi appointed him magistrate of Cloud and Mist Mountain County.
• Lin Yi gave both men potatoes said to yield three thousand jin per mu, and they left satisfied.
• Duan Yingxiong and Wang Chengfei discussed Lin Yi's ruthless nature and concluded that their usefulness had spared them.

Lin Yi learned what backed the three great clans and ordered Zhuo Feifan killed after assassins targeted Ma Chao. The Duan and Wang Clans submitted to Lin Yi, while Zhuo Feifan braced for an attack.

• Lin Yi learned that Wang Chengfei had likely submitted after receiving information from Old Master Bai, while Duan Yingxiong revered the Prince of Northern Liang and Zhuo Feifan ran criminal businesses and allegedly colluded with Northern Region barbarians.
• Wang Yue reported that assassins had attacked Ma Chao after he destroyed a mountain stronghold; Ma Chao captured them, and Lin Yi suspected Zhuo Feifan and ordered him killed.
• News spread that Duan Yingxiong and Wang Chengfei had submitted to the governor's office and become county magistrates, shocking the forces across Xiliang Commandery.
• Zhuo Feifan anticipated that Lin Yi would target him next and ordered his steward to strengthen the defenses around his territory.

Prince Li Sansi struggled to believe reports that Lin Yi had crushed bandit strongholds, won the allegiance of thirty thousand people, and obtained extraordinary potatoes. He suspected Lin Rusong was behind Lin Yi’s growing influence and ordered his men to report to the emperor and investigate the crops while obstructing Lin Yi’s takeover of Xiliang Commandery.

• Scouts told Li Sansi that Lin Yi had defeated bandits across more than thirty strongholds, attracted thirty thousand would-be followers, and gained high-yield potatoes.
• Li Sansi questioned his scouts and He Zudao, who suggested that Lin Rusong and Bai Zizai’s Asura Army had secretly supplied Lin Yi with troops and support.
• Li Sansi recognized that Lin Yi’s victories and the submission of Duan Yingxiong and Wang Zhengfei had made him a growing political threat.
• Li Sansi ordered He Zudao to inform the emperor, send agents into Xiliang Commandery, hinder Lin Yi’s control of it, and investigate the potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Li Anlan dismissed Lin Yi’s early successes but ordered Wei Tong to seize his high-yield crops and spy on Lin Rusong. Lin Rusong prepared to protect the crops and support his son, while Lin Yi welcomed Ma Chao back and readied a purge of Xiliang Commandery.

• Li Anlan told Wei Tong that Lin Yi was not yet a threat, then ordered him to obtain the potatoes and sweet potatoes and monitor Lin Rusong.
• Lin Rusong praised Lin Yi’s crop yield and ordered Xu Zhong’s thirty thousand troops to guard the potatoes and sweet potatoes.
• Lin Rusong told Yi Yun to watch the Great Ning Dynasty and the Northern Region barbarians, and considered helping Lin Yi secure Xiliang Commandery.
• Lin Yi welcomed Ma Chao back to the commandery governor’s residence and prepared to wipe out Zhuo Feifan and the other forces in Xiliang Commandery.

Lin Yi launched a sweeping campaign to eradicate the criminal forces in Xiliang Commandery, placing Jia Xu in charge and leading the people to hope for an end to the chaos. The army reached Shi Lin’s Great Mountain Tribe, where its overwhelming force broke the defenders’ resistance and left Shi Lin considering flight.

• Jia Xu volunteered to lead the purge and presented Lin Yi with several attack routes; Lin Yi chose the route through Cloud and Mist Mountain and ordered that evildoers be killed without mercy.
• Lin Yi’s troops marched out toward Cloud and Mist Mountain, and the people learned from a public notice that the campaign targeted criminals and would allow lesser offenders to atone through labor.
• The people cheered at the prospect of safer lives and future development in Xiliang Commandery.
• With Jia Xu overseeing the operation and Duan Yingxiong, Wang Chengfei, and Ma Chao’s army supporting him, Lin Yi’s forces swept toward their targets.
• Shi Lin ordered his men to defend the pass, but the army’s arrows devastated his forces, and Shi Bao warned him that they should flee before they lost the chance.

Ma Chao led Lin Yi’s forces in a swift campaign to crush the rebellious powers of Xiliang Commandery. After Zhuo Feifan killed himself, he warned that the barbarians would avenge him.

• Shi Lin abandoned his plan to resist Lin Yi and decided to flee to Zhuo Feifan, but Duan Yingxiong arrived with an indictment and declared that Shi Lin would be executed.
• Ma Chao led Cao Cao’s Tiger and Leopard Cavalry through Shi Lin’s defenses, killed Shi Bao in one exchange, and pinned Shi Lin to his gate as he tried to escape.
• Ma Chao’s troops routed the remaining Great Mountain Tribe forces, then swept through Xiliang Commandery in half a day, leaving only Carefree Mountain Manor.
• Ma Chao’s army surrounded and stormed Carefree Mountain Manor, where Zhuo Feifan calmly identified himself and threatened that the barbarians would avenge him.
• Zhuo Feifan slit his own throat, while Wang Zhengfei remarked that Lin Yi’s cavalry included troops more formidable than the Asura Army.