Chapter Summaries

Lu Donghongri ordered the Zhennan rear troops to retreat after the Qi Family Army’s firearms shattered the Iron Armor Army and made further resistance seem hopeless. As the Qi Family Army advanced, Qi Jiguang explained to Zhang Fei how firearms and archers worked together to cover their weaknesses.

• Lu Donghongri realized the Zhennan army could not withstand the firearms and ordered the rear troops to retreat rather than risk losing the entire force.
• The withdrawing Zhennan troops abandoned the more than sixty thousand soldiers already committed to the front.
• The Qi Family Army advanced, and its firearms wiped out the Iron Armor Army, leaving only Lu Dongsong clinging to life.
• Zhang Fei praised the firearms but complained that he could not safely fight in front of the gunners.
• Qi Jiguang explained that the firearms cleared heavily armored front ranks while archers covered the areas the guns could not reach.

Qi Jiguang used the Qi Family Army’s coordinated firearms, artillery, and archers to crush the Zhennan forces at Pingyu Pass. Lu Donghongri withdrew with his rear army, but Qi Jiguang focused on annihilating the sixty thousand men left behind, and Pingyu Pass fell.

• Zhang Fei studied the Qi Family Army’s alternating hand-cannon ranks and praised Qi Jiguang’s coordinated formation.
• Zhang Fei spotted the Zhennan rear army retreating, but Qi Jiguang ordered his troops to keep advancing rather than pursue it.
• Qi Jiguang had the hand-cannon troops withdraw to reload and sent archers and spearmen forward to defeat the sixty thousand Zhennan soldiers.
• Zhang Fei charged into the battle while Qi Jiguang’s army quickly overwhelmed the enemy left behind.
• Qi Jiguang shot Lu Dongsong, the last Zhennan resistance collapsed, and Pingyu Pass fell.

Qi Jiguang captured Pingyu Pass and confronted the remaining civilians, while Zhang Fei defended Great Liang’s invasion by claiming Zhennan had killed Zhao Zhong, its kindest commander and envoy of peace. The civilians realized they had killed the man who might have prevented the war, leaving them to face Great Liang’s advancing army.

• Qi Jiguang celebrated the Qi Family Army’s victory after it destroyed the Iron Armor Army and captured Pingyu Pass.
• Qi Jiguang warned the remaining civilians that Great Liang would not harm them unless they attacked its soldiers.
• Zhang Fei punched a protesting civilian and argued that Zhennan was responsible for its own violence and Great Liang’s invasion.
• Zhang Fei claimed that Zhao Zhong had been Great Liang’s kindest commander, sent to make peace before Zhennan killed him.
• The Zhennan civilians learned that Zhao Zhong had been a peace envoy and realized they had destroyed their last chance to avoid the war.

After capturing Pingyu Pass, Qi Jiguang ordered a sweep of the region while Zhang Fei pursued Lu Donghongri. At Flying Hero Pass, Nan Ke learned that Pingyu Pass had fallen and realized Great Liang’s unexpected strength threatened his planned decisive battle.

• Zhang Fei condemned the people who had resisted, and Qi Jiguang ordered them arrested and assigned to clear the battlefield and build a base.
• Qi Jiguang activated the Heavenly Net and planned to purge Pingyu Pass, while Zhang Fei accepted the task of pursuing Lu Donghongri.
• Qi Jiguang’s forces swept through Pingyu Pass and brought the entire region under Great Liang’s control.
• A scout reported to Nan Ke that Pingyu Pass had fallen, Lu Donghongri was missing, and the Net had blocked communications.
• Nan Ke, Nan Yiming, and Lu Donghuchen discussed the defeat and feared that Great Liang’s Qi Family Army had changed the balance of the coming battle.

Nan Ke and his advisers debated whether to risk an early counterattack to rescue Lu Donghongri’s trapped army, then considered peace talks to buy time for Zhennan’s defenses. Nan Ke approved offering Great Liang submission as a way to delay its attack while Zhennan completed its preparations.

• Nan Ke asked Lu Donghuchen whether Zhennan could win if it launched its counteroffensive early to save Lu Donghongri’s two hundred thousand troops.
• Lu Donghuchen advised sending scouts to learn whether Lu Donghongri was still alive before acting, effectively abandoning an immediate rescue.
• Nan Ke accepted the decision and vowed to avenge Lu Donghongri after Zhennan completed its plan to trap Great Liang at Flying Hero Pass.
• Nan Yiming warned that the Qi Family Army and Zhang Liao’s Tiger and Leopard Cavalry could bypass Zhennan’s defenses through other routes.
• Zan Rihong proposed offering submission to Great Liang during peace talks to delay its attack, and Nan Ke approved the plan.

Nan Ke agreed to feign surrender to Great Liang and send the Zhennan heir as a hostage, while Nan Yiming reluctantly accepted. Elsewhere, Bill III hesitated to attend Lin Yi’s birthday celebration after learning Abaddon had agreed to go.

• Zan Rihong persuaded Nan Ke to feign surrender and offer ten times the usual gifts to Great Liang.
• Zan Rihong argued that Great Liang would trust Zhennan only if Nan Yiming, its heir, went as a hostage.
• Nan Ke told Nan Yiming to sacrifice himself for the country, and Nan Yiming reluctantly agreed while resenting his father and Zan Rihong.
• Bill III refused to attend Lin Yi’s birthday celebration, fearing Great Liang would capture him.
• Aksu warned Bill III that Lin Yi’s invitation could be a show of strength, then reported that Abaddon had agreed to attend.

Bill III learned that Lin Yi’s invitation might concern territorial sovereignty and, fearing for the Frostwest Empire, decided to attend Great Liang’s gathering. As foreign rulers arrived in Yong'an City for Lin Yi’s birthday, Dan Ting saw how powerful Great Liang was and met other nervous kings.

• Nishu told Bill III that Lin Yi had invited the rulers to confirm sovereignty over unspecified territories, and Bill III suspected the warning concerned the Frostwest Empire.
• Aksu reported that Great Liang had broken through Zhennan’s first defensive line and might soon decide the war at Flying Hero Pass, alarming Bill III and his ministers.
• Bill III resolved to go to Great Liang and make preparations before leaving, fearing Lin Yi might otherwise target his empire.
• Dan Ting arrived in Yong'an City with half his country’s wealth and felt envy and fear at Great Liang’s prosperity and strength.
• Dan Ting learned that a neighboring king had been reprimanded after his carriage hit a child, then greeted the King of Great Night, who admitted he had come because he feared offending Great Liang.

Lin Yi and Bai Zizai witnessed a debate about Great Liang’s policy of winning people over with virtue, and Bai Zizai demonstrated that strength was needed to make others submit. The chapter ended with Lin Yi offering An Da a chance to join the army.

• Lin Yi heard a scholar question whether Great Liang truly won people over with virtue, and a border man threatened the scholar for criticizing the emperor.
• Lin Yi recognized the border man’s gratitude as a believer’s devotion and asked Bai Zizai how he would handle the dispute.
• Bai Zizai beat the scholar and explained that virtue could only win people over when backed by strength.
• An Da said he had beaten his father-in-law’s family and won over his wife, then declared that he wanted to serve Lin Yi.
• Lin Yi told Wang Yue to record An Da’s name and give him a chance to join the army.

An Da’s loyalty and strength earned Lin Yi’s favor, and Bai Zizai promised to help him join the army and deliver his birthday gift to the emperor. When An Da unveiled the gift, the crowd discovered it was an extraordinary, human-shaped ginseng root.

• The City Guard Battalion arrived after Bai Zizai beat a scholar for questioning Lin Yi’s decision, then took the scholar away for supervision.
• Bai Zizai promised An Da that he would help him join the army and serve Lin Yi.
• Bai Zizai encouraged An Da to present his prepared gift to Lin Yi.
• An Da’s wife brought over the red-wrapped gift, and An Da revealed a massive human-shaped ginseng root that stunned the crowd.

An Da offered Lin Yi a thousand-year-old ginseng and gained Bai Zizai’s promise to help him join the army. Lin Yi learned from Net’s intelligence that the Black Skull Army had fled from a powerful empire far beyond the Great West Empire, leaving Great Liang facing a possible threat.

• An Da gifted the thousand-year-old ginseng to Bai Zizai, who promised to help him secure a military posting and arranged for his family to be looked after.
• Lin Yi tested a rootlet of the ginseng on Zhao Gao, who suffered a severe nosebleed from its potency, then sent the whole root to Dong Feng to study.
• Bai Zizai praised Great Liang’s strength, but Lin Yi said no nation was invincible and showed him Net’s secret intelligence.
• Bai Zizai learned that the Black Skull Army came from the Dafeiluo Empire, which had been defeated by a mysterious empire farther west, leaving only the Black Skull Army to escape.

Lin Yi discussed the distant empires to the west with Bai Zizai, then gave the ailing general a reason to keep living by asking him to train new soldiers and preserve the Asura Army’s legacy. Bai Zizai renewed his resolve, and Lin Yi later reflected on the people’s growing prosperity as he walked through the decorated city.

• Bai Zizai and Lin Yi discussed the Dafeiluo Empire, the mysterious power that destroyed it, and the challenges of reaching the far west; Lin Yi said Zhou Yu’s fleet would investigate.
• Bai Zizai urged Lin Yi to conquer the Frostwest Empire and the Great West Empire before unifying the world, and Lin Yi said he wanted Bai Zizai alive to witness it.
• Lin Yi asked Bai Zizai to stay at the Imperial Academy, train new soldiers, and preserve the Asura Army’s legacy alongside An Da and Lin Yi’s imperial father.
• Bai Zizai regained his resolve to live and promised to pass on the Asura Army’s legacy and witness Lin Yi’s conquests; Lin Yi granted his request.
• Lin Yi walked through a city decorated for his approaching birthday and praised the people, while Bai Zizai credited Lin Yi with improving their lives and Lin Yi acknowledged Xun Yu and the others.

Lin Yi found Cao Cao and Jia Xu pressuring wealthy clan leaders to sponsor his birthday celebration, and he joined their meeting. After Cao Cao claimed the court treasury was short of funds, the clans agreed to contribute millions of strings of cash.

• Lin Yi spotted Jia Xu and Cao Cao discussing contributions with great clan leaders and learned they wanted the clans to sponsor his birthday celebration.
• Cao Cao demanded five million strings of cash from Zhang Wanhao, while Jia Xu warned the clan leaders that holding onto their wealth could bring trouble.
• Lin Yi entered the teahouse and objected to taking money from the clans for his birthday.
• Cao Cao explained that the Ministry of Revenue had spent much of its funds on wars and could not cover Imperial Examination benefits.
• Wang Hui, Zhang Wanhao, and the other clan leaders agreed to contribute after hearing Lin Yi was concerned about the court’s finances.

Lin Yi pressured the aristocratic clans into contributing a huge sum to Great Liang, while Jia Xu framed their payments as support for the Western Regions army and other causes. The clan heads survived the audience but blamed Cao Cao for putting them in such a dangerous position.

• Lin Yi hinted that the clans’ initial offers were insufficient, despite claiming he could not take their money without cause.
• Zhang Wanhao offered another five million strings of cash for the Western Regions army, and Lin Yi accepted his contribution.
• Wang Hui and the other clan leaders proposed additional payments for veterans, infants, and other causes, bringing the total to two hundred million strings of cash.
• Lin Yi praised the clans and promised that following Great Liang would bring them greater profits before leaving with Cao Cao and Jia Xu.
• After Lin Yi left, the clan leaders collapsed with relief, and Wang Hui privately blamed Cao Cao for threatening them with accusations that could ruin their standing.

Lin Yi ordered officials to study commercial law and balance Great Liang’s domestic economy with its booming Western Regions trade. He then received news that Qi Jiguang and Zhang Fei had destroyed Zhennan’s army at Pingyu Pass, leaving Flying Hero Pass as the likely site of a decisive battle.

• Zhang Ruoyun reassured the great clans that the emperor would reward them despite their paying ten million strings of cash.
• Lin Yi discussed the risks of excessive exports with Mi Zhu and ordered senior ministers to regulate the economy and accept supplies and resources in foreign trade.
• Zhao Gao delivered Qi Jiguang’s report that Zhang Fei had killed Lu Donghongri and Great Liang’s forces had wiped out Zhennan’s two-hundred-thousand-strong army and taken Pingyu Pass.
• The ministers concluded that Zhennan would likely fight a decisive battle at Flying Hero Pass, where Guo Jia said its forces planned to trap Great Liang’s army in the gourd-shaped terrain.
• Lin Yi dismissed Nan Ke’s plan to trap Great Liang’s million-strong army at Gourd Mouth.

Lin Yi rejected Nan Ke’s plan to stop Great Liang with Zhennan’s million-strong army, confident that Great Liang’s generals and weapons would prevail. He promised Chen Dao and Zhao Yun future campaigns against powerful western enemies, leaving them hopeful of earning distinction abroad.

• Lin Yi, Jiang Wei, and Zhang Juzheng dismissed Nan Ke’s human-wave strategy as ineffective against Great Liang’s weapons and formidable commanders.
• Qu Yi, Gongsun Zan, and Chen Dao volunteered their forces for the Zhennan campaign, but Lin Yi refused to reinforce Li Ru and Zhang Liao, telling the other commanders to train with Great Liang’s improved weapons.
• Chen Dao asked Lin Yi about powerful countries in the far west, and Lin Yi named the Great West Empire, the Frostwest Empire, a mysterious western country, and the lands of chaos as future enemies.
• Lin Yi promised Chen Dao and Zhao Yun opportunities to lead campaigns and earn distinction, explaining that Zhao Yun had established the Hundred Riders because Great Liang already had several major cavalry legions.

Lin Yi reassured Zhao Yun and other eager commanders that they could eventually leave their posts for war after training successors, while ordering heightened security for the visiting neighboring kings. He briefed his ministers on the powerful empire in the Far West, and they concluded Great Liang should prepare for future naval warfare.

• Zhao Yun thanked Lin Yi for allowing him to leave his security duties once the Hundred Riders had a successor, and vowed to conquer the Frostwest Empire and the Land of the Far West.
• Cao Cao and Jiang Wei also volunteered for campaigns, but Lin Yi told them to train replacements before leaving their posts.
• Lin Yi ordered the Net and the Hundred Riders to secure the capital and protect the visiting neighboring kings, citing Great Liang's credibility and dignity.
• Lin Yi explained what he knew about the empire in the Land of the Far West, and Jia Xu suggested it was occupied with absorbing the Dafeiluo Empire.
• Jiang Wei anticipated future wars across the sea, and Cao Cao realized he would need to learn to swim.

Lin Yi addressed Great Liang’s shortage of administrative talent by deciding to raise officials’ salaries and benefits, while considering how to recruit more civil officials. After Qu Yi and Guo Jia’s brothel visits became the focus of the court, Lin Yi ordered regular physical examinations to keep weak officials away from brothels.

• Lin Yi recognized that Great Liang lacked enough administrators and decided the Imperial Examination could only fill lower-level posts for now.
• Lin Yi chose to raise officials’ salaries and benefits to encourage clean government and win scholars’ loyalty.
• Qu Yi burst into tears over the pay raise, and Lin Yi scolded him for spending his salary at brothels with Guo Jia.
• Guo Jia claimed his visits had shown that Great Liang’s people were wealthier and praised Lin Yi, prompting Xun Yu and Cao Cao to react with disbelief.
• Lin Yi ordered regular physical examinations for officials and said those in poor health would be barred from visiting brothels.

Lin Yi announced a fifty-million-string subsidy for imperial examination candidates and children receiving elementary instruction, presenting the donation as a personal sacrifice for the people. He ordered Yang Xiu to publicize Great Liang’s educational policies while keeping his own contribution understated, leaving Yang Xiu to puzzle over the emperor’s pointed instructions.

• Lin Yi ended the officials’ joking about Guo Jia’s health and urged them to build households and careers in their new lives.
• Lin Yi announced that he would withdraw fifty million strings of cash from the imperial privy treasury to support examination candidates and elementary-school children.
• Chen Qun and Mi Zhu objected that the amount was excessive, but Lin Yi defended the subsidy as a way to make education accessible to all.
• Xun Yu and the other ministers praised Lin Yi’s ambition for everyone to become a dragon among men, while Jia Xu and Cao Cao privately recognized his theatrics.
• Lin Yi instructed Yang Xiu to write about the examinations and educational benefits without dwelling on the emperor’s personal donation, and Yang Xiu tried to decipher the hint.

Lin Yi arranged for Yang Xiu to publish his vision that everyone under heaven could be like a dragon, while telling Princess Anne her father would visit Great Liang for her marriage discussions. The newspaper’s bold message stunned the people and inspired cheers for a society where ordinary people could live with dignity.

• Lin Yi hinted that Yang Xiu should record his efforts plainly, and Yang Xiu promised to write the facts.
• Lin Yi summoned Princess Anne and told her that her imperial father had been invited to his birthday celebration, where they could discuss her marriage.
• Anne worried that Lin Yi might threaten her father, but Lin Yi assured her he would not bully him and then teased her.
• The northern and southern newspapers published Yang Xiu’s article quoting Lin Yi’s wish that all people under heaven be like dragons.
• Readers first feared the article was treasonous, then learned it reflected the emperor’s own words and cheered for his vision.

Yang Xiu arranged for a rumor about the emperor's enormous investment in public education to spread among the people, stirring their admiration and loyalty. He and Lu Yafu watched the crowd's reaction with satisfaction.

• A skeptic argued that the emperor's promise to help commoners become dragons was too difficult to fulfill.
• A middle-aged man claimed that his uncle at the Great Liang Royal Bank had learned Mi Zhu sold palace treasures to raise fifty million strings of cash for public education.
• The crowd accepted the story, praised the emperor, and gathered to cheer for him, with some vendors preparing to donate their earnings.
• Yang Xiu told Lu Yafu that he had used a planted rumor to make the people believe the emperor's good intentions without making the newspaper's praise seem deliberate.