Chapter Summaries

Lin Yi and the court officials reframed Great Liang’s destruction of the Yamata Nation as a hard-fought victory against a tenacious enemy, then silenced Zhao Zhong’s objections. Lin Yi spared Zhao Zhong but ordered stricter reasoning tests for future Imperial Examination candidates, leaving Zhao isolated as the court glared at him.

• Lin Yi, Cao Cao, and Xun Yu portrayed the Yamata Nation as tenacious and Great Liang as victorious rather than guilty of slaughtering innocents.
• Zhao Zhong looked to Yang Xiu for support, but Yang Xiu refused to side with him.
• Zhang Fei stepped on Zhao Zhong’s foot and claimed it was an accident, while Gongsun Zan and others backed his account.
• Lin Yi ended the dispute, and Cao Cao and Huang Zhong insisted that Zhao Zhong had merely exchanged blows with them.
• Lin Yi forgave Zhao Zhong but announced that Imperial Examination candidates would need to pass a screening for logical and dialectical reasoning.
• Zhao Zhong swallowed his objections after seeing the officials and even some of his fellow appointees glare at him.

Lin Yi sent Zhao Zhong to the Zhennan Dynasty after Zhao pledged to practice winning people over with virtue, while Yang Xiu impressed the court with a poem praising the emperor. Lin Yi renamed the Yamata Nation Inside-the-Well Commandery and announced plans for maritime expansion, promising to share ocean profits with his ministers.

• Zhao Zhong admitted his fault, and Lin Yi ordered him to accompany Qi Jiguang to the Zhennan Dynasty as a test of his principles.
• Yang Xiu praised Lin Yi's magnanimity and recited a poem celebrating the emperor, astonishing Zhang Fei and Zhao Zhong.
• Lin Yi declared that the Yamata Nation would become Inside-the-Well Commandery and serve as Great Liang's naval base and forward base at sea.
• Lin Yi announced that Great Liang would claim the ocean's wealth and share some of the proceeds with his ministers.
• The ministers cheered at the promise of higher incomes, and Lin Yi said that shared prosperity was true happiness.

After Great Liang conquered the Yamata Nation, Lin Yi approved a Maritime Law asserting Great Liang’s control over its islands, waters, and resources. He then prepared to confront the expanding Zhennan Dynasty by backing southwestern states that sought Great Liang’s protection.

• After court adjourned, Lin Yi asked Xun Yu and the senior ministers to remain and discuss maritime administration and the Zhennan Dynasty.
• Xun Yu proposed enacting a Maritime Law to regulate Great Liang’s vast island holdings and their resources.
• Lin Yi ordered the ministers to establish Great Liang’s sovereignty over its territorial waters, control resource extraction, and require island populations to submit to Great Liang.
• Lin Yi asked Zhang Fei whether the southwestern nations seeking aid were still present, and Zhang Fei confirmed they were willing to become Great Liang’s vassal states.
• Lin Yi ordered the nations to submit state letters and told the Zhennan Dynasty to withdraw from Great Liang’s territory and compensate it or face sanctions.

Lin Yi decided to send Qi Jiguang’s army to join Great Liang’s forces in preparation for conquering the Zhennan Dynasty. After learning that Great Liang had destroyed the Yamata Nation in seven days, King Nan Ke ordered troops to the border and halted his son’s remaining conquests.

• Xun Yu and Zhang Fei argued that Great Liang should conquer the Zhennan Dynasty before it grew stronger, and Lin Yi endorsed the plan by framing expansion as reclaiming Great Liang’s rightful territory.
• Guo Jia praised Journey to the West and suggested that the Zhennan Dynasty belonged to Great Liang, prompting Lin Yi to announce that Qi Jiguang’s three hundred thousand troops would reinforce nearly five hundred thousand troops in the southwest.
• News spread that Great Liang had destroyed the Yamata Nation and annihilated a million troops in seven days.
• King Nan Ke and Zan Rihong concluded that the report was likely true and feared Great Liang would turn west toward the Zhennan Dynasty.
• Nan Ke ordered Nan Yiming to gather forces and reinforce the border, rejecting his request for another month to conquer the remaining small countries.

Nan Ke prepared to confront Great Liang after a delegation arrived at the Zhennan Dynasty’s palace to proclaim an imperial edict. Zhang Fei led the envoys inside and drew the palace guards’ ire with his bold behavior.

• Nan Ke reprimanded Nan Yiming for considering an alliance with the Frostwest Empire and ordered him to remain in the palace.
• Zan Rihong reported that the Frostwest Empire sought an alliance, though the two sides still disputed border control.
• A guard reported that Great Liang’s envoys had arrived to proclaim an imperial edict, and Nan Ke ordered spies to investigate Great Liang’s border forces.
• Nan Ke allowed the envoys into the palace and prepared to receive the edict.
• Zhang Fei entered the royal palace with the delegation, and the palace guard captain shouted at him for acting disrespectfully.

Zhang Fei presented Great Liang’s imperial edict demanding that the Zhennan Dynasty return territory and pay compensation, while threatening war. After learning that a million Great Liang troops were massed near the border, Nan Ke agreed to surrender the lands and pay, but Zhang Fei rejected his request for six months to raise the money.

• Zhang Fei rebuked the palace guard and challenged King Nan Ke to respond to Great Liang’s envoy.
• Zhang Fei read the emperor’s edict accusing the Zhennan Dynasty of seizing Great Liang’s territory and demanding its return and compensation.
• Nan Yiming and Nan Ke protested the demands, while Zhang Fei insisted the lands belonged to Great Liang.
• Zan Rihong reported that more than eight hundred thousand Great Liang troops had appeared at the border, with the total likely reaching a million.
• Nan Ke agreed to return the territory and pay nearly thirty million strings of cash to avoid war.
• Nan Ke asked for six months to collect the money, but Zhang Fei refused and questioned his sincerity.

Zhang Fei left the Zhennan Dynasty with ten million guan after giving Nan Ke three days to pay the rest, while Nan Ke sought to stall Great Liang and pressure the Frostwest Empire into helping him. Zhang Fei revealed that his deadline did not prevent Great Liang’s army from attacking, leaving the Zhennan Dynasty’s fate in the hands of its military.

• Nan Ke offered Zhang Fei ten million guan immediately and the remaining compensation in two months, but Zhang Fei demanded full payment within three days.
• Nan Ke ordered ten million guan sent to Great Liang and arranged for rumors to reach Bill III that he planned to submit to Great Liang, hoping to pressure the Frostwest Empire into supporting him.
• Zhang Fei left the palace with the ten million guan, escorted by Zhennan Dynasty soldiers to the border.
• After crossing the border, Zhang Fei told his adjutant that his three-day deadline did not stop Great Liang’s Ministry of War from attacking.

Zhang Liao led the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry into the Zhennan Dynasty, while Lü Bu and Guan Yu headed for their assigned attacks around Daxin Pass. Zhang Fei, left behind with the valuables, decided to wage a diplomatic campaign against the dynasty instead.

• Zhang Liao met Zhang Fei outside Great Liang's territory, then led the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry toward the Zhennan Dynasty to attack.
• Zhang Fei asked Zhang Liao to help transport his wagons of valuables, but Zhang Liao refused and hurried off to earn military merit.
• Lü Bu complained that Zhang Liao had taken the assault on Daxin Pass, then led the Bingzhou Legion to break through the right wing.
• Guan Yu told Zhang Fei to attack the left side of Daxin Pass, but Zhang Fei said he would deliver the valuables before joining the fight.
• Zhang Fei's deputy urged him to focus on his own domain, so Zhang Fei ordered Net to publicize the Zhennan Dynasty's seizure of Great Liang's territory and launch a diplomatic attack.

Zeri Longxi and his officers lamented the compensation paid to Great Liang and vowed revenge, but Great Liang’s 300,000 troops suddenly attacked Daxin Pass. As Zeri Longxi tried to hold the pass, Zhang Liao ordered the Red-Coat Cannons brought forward to blast it apart.

• Zeri Longxi’s subordinates complained about the compensation Great Liang had demanded, and Zeri Longxi vowed to kill millions in revenge.
• A sudden boom alerted Zeri Longxi and his officers to a massive Great Liang attack on Daxin Pass.
• Zeri Longxi ordered the gates shut, abandoning Zhennan soldiers outside as the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry charged.
• Zeri Longxi ordered his troops to fire crossbow bolts and sent messengers to seek reinforcements.
• Zhang Liao dismissed the defenders’ resistance and ordered Er Zhuzi to bring up the Red-Coat Cannons.

Great Liang used red-coat cannons to shatter Daxin Pass’s wall and send the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry charging into the breach. With enemy forces blocking reinforcements and Snow Mountain Pass also under attack, Zeri Longxi ordered a retreat to Flying Hero Pass.

• Er Zhuzi brought the red-coat cannons to the front, and Great Liang fired on Daxin Pass, killing defenders and cracking the wall.
• Zhang Liao ordered Er Zhuzi to target the cracks, and the cannon fire collapsed a large section of the wall.
• The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry charged through the breach and overwhelmed the defenders inside Daxin Pass.
• Zeri Longxi ordered troops to intercept the cavalry, but a guard reported that nearly two hundred thousand enemy troops had appeared on the flanks.
• Zeri Longxi learned that Snow Mountain Pass was under attack by Sima Yi and ordered his forces to retreat toward Flying Hero Pass.

Nan Ke learned that Great Liang had launched attacks on Zhennan from multiple directions and ordered emergency defenses while demanding Frostwest’s support. In Frostwest, Bill III believed Great Liang would not attack his empire, until an urgent envoy from Zhennan arrived.

• A guard told Nan Ke that Zhang Liao had taken Daxin Pass and was advancing toward Pingyu Pass, while Zeri Longxi had retreated.
• Nan Ke learned that Sima Yi had crossed the mountains with two hundred thousand troops to attack Snow Mountain Pass.
• Nan Ke ordered conscription to defend Pingyu Pass, awaited the eldest prince’s reinforcements, and threatened to abandon martial honor if the Frostwest Empire failed to help.
• Bill III and his ministers concluded that Great Liang probably intended no attack on Frostwest, citing Ma Chao’s inactivity and growing trade.
• An envoy from the Zhennan Dynasty arrived at Frostwest’s palace seeking an urgent audience with Bill III.

Bill III and his ministers debated the Zhennan Dynasty’s request to join forces against Great Liang, whose ultimatum threatened Zhennan with a million troops. They chose to hear the envoy’s proposal before deciding whether to intervene.

• Bill III refused at first to meet the Zhennan envoy because he wanted to avoid war with Great Liang and preserve their trade ties.
• The Zhennan envoy shouted that Great Liang had threatened to send a million troops against Zhennan unless it surrendered.
• Bill III and his ministers wondered how Great Liang could field so many troops, and Nishu warned that Zhennan’s destruction could leave Frostwest next in danger.
• Derby advised Bill III to let Zhennan and Great Liang exhaust each other, while Aksu suggested hearing the envoy’s terms before deciding.
• Bill III agreed to meet the Zhennan envoy, who urged him to unite against Great Liang before Frostwest was left isolated.

Bill III rejected the Zhennan Dynasty’s request for an alliance, offering only a thousand troops after the envoy threatened that Zhennan would surrender to Great Liang. Meanwhile, Abaddon and his ministers in the Great West Empire reacted with alarm to reports of Great Liang’s swift defeat of the Yamata Nation.

• Bill III reconsidered an alliance with Zhennan, and the envoy warned that Zhennan would submit to Great Liang if left alone.
• Nishu reminded Bill III of the grim fates of other rulers who had surrendered, while Bill III admitted he might consider surrendering too.
• Derby proposed that Frostwest ally with the Great West Empire, and Bill III offered Zhennan only a thousand elite troops before dismissing its envoy.
• Abaddon called Great Liang the overlord of the East after hearing that its army had crushed the Yamata Nation in less than a week.
• A minister questioned the reported size of the Yamata Nation’s army, and Adolf said Great Liang’s victory was difficult to believe.

Abaddon and the Western countries feared that Great Liang’s war against the Zhennan Dynasty would leave them as its next targets. Lin Yi revealed that Great Liang had nearly three million troops and planned to keep advancing west while Zhennan remained isolated.

• Abaddon learned that Great Liang had launched a war of annihilation against the Zhennan Dynasty and feared Great Liang would eventually attack the Frostwest Empire and the Great West Empire.
• Lin Yi strolled through Yong'an Imperial City, unconcerned that Great Liang’s nearly three million combat personnel vastly outnumbered the million troops committed to the campaign.
• Wang Yue reported that the Western countries were watching the war, while Nan Ke’s threat had failed to persuade Bill III to aid Zhennan, leaving the dynasty isolated.
• Jia Xu and Guo Jia joked about Bill III’s troubles, and Cao Cao warned that the Frostwest Empire might join forces with the Great West Empire.
• Lin Yi said the Net’s agents could hinder any alliance and ordered his attention to remain on Zhennan as Great Liang advanced steadily westward.

Lin Yi discovered that envoys from several southwestern countries and the Frostwest Empire were beating Zhennan’s delegation in Great Liang’s capital. As the brawl exposed how isolated Zhennan had become, Lin Yi wondered how the Frostwest Empire learned of the conflict so quickly and whether Great Liang’s intelligence had leaked.

• Lin Yi and Zhao Yun went to investigate a brawl in the capital and found foreigners fighting while Xu You watched nearby.
• Xu You explained that Zhennan’s delegation was fighting people from several southwestern countries, who had grievances against Zhennan.
• Lin Yi let the fight continue, while Guo Jia and Cao Cao remarked on Zhennan’s mistreatment of the smaller countries and Jiumosong’s pestering.
• Cha’er led Frostwest Empire guards into the brawl, helping the smaller countries overwhelm Zhennan’s men.
• Lin Yi concluded that Zhennan had become isolated after attacking the smaller countries, then questioned how the Frostwest Empire knew about the fight so quickly.

Lin Yi ordered Wang Yue to investigate how the Frostwest Empire learned of Great Liang’s plans, then restrained the foreign tribes’ brawl and reaffirmed his resolve to strengthen Great Liang. He visited the Heavenly Craft Workshop to inspect its latest weapons, where the group heard a test explosion and learned it was likely a bomb.

• Lin Yi told Wang Yue to find out whether Great Liang’s intelligence had leaked or the Frostwest Empire had its own means of learning about it.
• Lin Yi ordered Zhao Yun to stop the foreign tribes from brawling and warned them that conflicts between nations belonged on the battlefield.
• Lin Yi asked Zhao Yun about the fire lances, crouching tiger cannons, and improved Red-Coat Cannons, then decided to visit the Heavenly Craft Workshop.
• Lin Yi and his companions reached the workshop’s secret mountain base and heard a loud explosion during weapons testing.
• The guide said the diffuse blast was probably a bomb rather than a cannon, and Jia Xu praised the workshop’s role in strengthening Great Liang.

Ma Jun told Lin Yi that he had invented an improvised mine and improved the firearm after studying its mechanism. At the testing ground, Guo Jia took the new firearm from Lin Yi and fired it at a target.

• Ma Jun hurried to Lin Yi and explained that his experiments had produced an improvised mine triggered by flint.
• Ma Jun described how his study of the matchlock had also led him to improve the firearm and add specially made iron shot.
• Ma Jun assured Jia Xu and the others that the new firearms had passed rigorous testing and were safe if handled properly.
• Lin Yi began to take a firearm, but Guo Jia stopped him and volunteered to test it instead.
• Guo Jia loaded the firearm, aimed at a prepared target, and pulled the trigger, striking the flint and sending sparks flying.

Lin Yi watched Ma Jun test improved firearms and introduced him to cartridge ammunition as a possible future direction. Ma Jun then demonstrated the wheeled Crouching Tiger Cannon, whose destructive power impressed Lin Yi and the others, though weak steel still limited further improvements.

• Cao Cao tested Ma Jun's improved hand cannon and praised its increased power, while Lin Yi noted its greater range and reliability.
• Ma Jun explained that he had strengthened the barrel, improved the gunpowder, and made loading easier, then asked about developing portable ammunition.
• Lin Yi fired his own cartridge gun at a distant target and showed Ma Jun the ammunition, giving him a reference for future work.
• Ma Jun brought out the Crouching Tiger Cannon, which his workers tested by blasting apart a tree and part of a mound.
• Ma Jun explained that weak steel limited further improvements to the Crouching Tiger Cannon and prevented the Red-Coat Cannon from being fielded.

Lin Yi ordered the production of Crouching Tiger Cannons while Great Liang prepared to press its advantage over Zhennan. News arrived that Zhang Liao, Lü Bu, and Guan Yu had captured Daxin Pass, and the court celebrated as Sima Yi’s army advanced toward another pass.

• Lin Yi ordered Ma Jun to build a hundred Crouching Tiger Cannons and told Wang Yue to prioritize finding flint for the Heavenly Craft Workshop.
• Lin Yi inspected the Red-Coat Cannon, which had improved to firing three shots, then returned to the palace.
• A messenger reported that Zhang Liao, Lü Bu, and Guan Yu had taken Daxin Pass and were advancing toward Pingyu Pass.
• Lin Yi summoned his ministers, and Lin Rusong, Wang Ziwen, and Cao Cao celebrated Great Liang’s victory over Zhennan.
• The messenger said Sima Yi had fought his way to Snow Mountain Pass, raising hopes that Zhennan’s second defensive pass would soon fall.

Lin Yi named Xu You acting Grand Herald and ordered the small countries seeking refuge to surrender their sovereignty to Great Liang. He then revealed that Zhao Zhong, not Qi Jiguang, would command the next campaign, leaving the officials startled by the choice.

• Lin Yi read Zhang Yide's letter and decided Xu You would temporarily replace him as Grand Herald, with Xu Chu assigned to assist.
• Lin Yi ordered Sima Yi to arrange the incorporation of the small countries seeking refuge into Great Liang.
• Lin Rusong asked about Qi Jiguang's campaign, and Lin Yi revealed that Qi Jiguang would serve as deputy to commander Zhao Zhong.
• Cao Cao joked that Zhao Zhong might court the enemy instead of fighting, and Guo Jia imagined the armies exchanging flirtatious glances.