Chapter Summaries

Lu Yafu admired Lin Yi’s generosity and ambition, while Lin Yi woke to a series of system rewards that brought Wen Tianxiang and other notable figures, troops, and technologies to Great Liang. The chapter ended with Lin Yi anticipating how the rewards, especially Xue Rengui and the steelmaking method, would strengthen the realm.

• Lu Yafu praised Lin Yi for giving fifty million strings of cash to the common people and resolved to support him by finding talent and compiling histories.
• Lin Yi received Wen Tianxiang as a golden legendary reward and learned that he would embody scholarly integrity in Great Liang.
• Lin Yi received rewards for his recent campaigns and acts of virtue, including Xue Rengui, elite troops, an intermediate steelmaking method, Li Bing, scholars, and other gifts.
• Lin Yi recognized that the steelmaking method could improve Great Liang’s cannons and firearms.
• Lin Yi welcomed Xue Rengui and his troops, believing their arrival would help Great Liang absorb the strengths of other military traditions.

Lin Yi discovered that ordinary people had triggered many of his rewards and learned that Yang Xiu’s newspaper had inspired a wave of donations to support his goal of educating everyone. He refused to keep the people’s gifts for himself and ordered the treasury to repay them with even greater quantities of supplies.

• Lin Yi examined his rewards, welcomed Li Bing, a thousand scholars, and other prizes, and praised the unabridged Thick Black Theory.
• Lin Yi asked Lü Qiling whether anything major had happened, and she told him a newspaper story about his aspiration had sparked rumors that he was selling palace treasures to fund education.
• Zhao Gao reported that people were donating money, heirlooms, and even offering their daughters, while Lord Mi struggled to manage the crowds.
• Lin Yi decided the gifts should not be kept and ordered the Ministry of Revenue to record donations and distribute more valuable supplies from the Jiazi Treasury in return.
• Zhao Gao objected to giving away the treasury’s treasures, but Lin Yi called the arrangement government bonds.

Lin Yi unveiled the Mountains and Rivers Regional Map, a detailed three-dimensional map showing terrain and major mineral deposits, and summoned Xue Rengui, Li Bing, and Wen Tianxiang to serve Great Liang. Li Bing immediately began identifying waterways and terrain that could be improved to open routes toward the Western Regions.

• Lin Yi told Zhao Gao to arrange compensation for the people after their well-meant misunderstanding, and Zhao Gao praised him before leaving to carry out the order.
• Lin Yi unfolded the Mountains and Rivers Regional Map across the imperial garden lawn and saw its terrain, mineral deposits, and strategic routes.
• Lin Yi summoned Xue Rengui, Li Bing, and Wen Tianxiang, who bowed and examined the map.
• Xue Rengui recognized the map’s military value, while Li Bing studied the terrain and proposed channeling rivers and widening waterways.
• Lin Yi considered using Li Bing’s improvements to send Great Liang’s navy upstream toward the Western Regions.

Lin Yi assigned Xue Rengui, Wen Tianxiang, and Li Bing roles in Great Liang’s expansion and development. He planned to advance steadily toward the Frostwest Empire and Great West Empire while leaving the chapter with Wen Tianxiang resolved to strengthen the character of Great Liang’s people.

• Wen Tianxiang admired Great Liang’s vast landscape, and Lin Yi told him the remaining lands of the East would eventually belong to Great Liang.
• Xue Rengui offered his 150,000 Tang troops for the conquest, and Lin Yi told him to prepare for a future campaign against the Frostwest Empire and Great West Empire after Zhennan fell.
• Lin Yi asked Wen Tianxiang to shape Great Liang’s backbone through the Imperial Academy, and Wen pledged to instill pride in scholars and common people.
• Lin Yi appointed Wen Tianxiang to the Ministry of Rites under Cao Cao and assigned him to teach at the Imperial Academy.
• Lin Yi gave Li Bing a temporary post in the Ministry of Works and planned for him to take over as minister and lead major waterworks projects.

Lin Yi ordered Li Bing to plan a vast network of waterways and canals, using prisoners captured from Zhennan to build it. Wang Yue reported that the emperors of the Great West Empire and Frostwest Empire were due to arrive in Yong'an City, and Lin Yi ordered their protection as Wang Yue began to reveal another concern.

• Li Bing warned Lin Yi that the waterworks would cost an enormous sum, but Lin Yi said Great Liang had enough money and labor, including prisoners captured after Zhennan’s defeat.
• Wen Tianxiang, Li Bing, and Xue Rengui accepted that forced labor would spare prisoners from a worse fate, and Li Bing proposed expanding the waterways for shipping and irrigation.
• Lin Yi tasked Li Bing with drafting an overall plan and said the Net’s people would assist him.
• Wang Yue told Lin Yi that the emperors of the Great West Empire and Frostwest Empire would reach Yong'an City the next day.
• Lin Yi explained that he had invited the emperors to pressure them and keep them from interfering during the war, then ordered that they be protected; Wang Yue began to raise a further issue.

Lin Yi learned that Zhennan’s heir, Nan Yiming, had arrived in Yong’an City with gifts to negotiate, but he ordered Wang Yue to accept the gifts and stall him. As foreign envoys watched Great Liang’s people donate toward free schooling, Bill III envied Lin Yi’s influence and wished his own subjects would give him money.

• Wang Yue told Lin Yi that Zhennan’s heir, Nan Yiming, had come with many gifts, and Lin Yi ordered him to accept them while Xu You delayed further talks.
• Envoys and powerful clans arrived in Yong’an City for Lin Yi’s birthday as locals queued to donate money for children’s free schooling.
• A merchant from Xiliang named Huang Sanze explained that Lin Yi’s policies had helped him prosper and ordered his steward to donate half their money.
• Bill III saw the donation queues and asked Nishu what was happening; Nishu explained the free-schooling campaign and dismissed Lin Yi’s promise that everyone could become a dragon as a slogan.
• Bill III accepted Nishu’s explanation and envied Great Liang’s people, wishing the commoners of the Frostwest Empire would donate money to him.

Bill III and Abaddon, rulers of the Frostwest Empire and Great West Empire, encountered each other in Great Liang and restrained their hostility. Abaddon recognized Great Liang’s growing threat and considered whether to prepare for war or ally with the Frostwest Empire.

• Nishu and Bill III watched Great Liang’s people eagerly donate money to Lin Yi, and Bill III wondered if he could persuade his own people to do the same.
• A guard informed Nishu that Abaddon had arrived, and Nishu urged Bill III to avoid trouble and establish contact with Great Liang first.
• Abaddon rode up to Bill III and taunted him, while Bill III warned him not to cause trouble on Great Liang’s busy streets.
• A Long restrained Abaddon and warned that Great Liang’s unity and military strength made it a formidable threat to both empires.
• Abaddon left for the Court of Diplomatic Reception after considering whether the Great West Empire should prepare to resist Great Liang or ally with the Frostwest Empire.

Zhennan's eldest prince, Nan Yiming, tried to secure peace talks with Great Liang by offering a legendary night pearl to Xu You. Xu You accepted the gift but warned that Emperor Lin Yi was unlikely to meet them before his birthday, leaving Zhennan running out of time.

• Nan Yiming grew frustrated as Xu You avoided arranging an audience with Emperor Lin Yi by boasting about his past achievements.
• Nan Yiming offered Xu You a fist-sized night pearl, which Xu You admired and agreed to present to the emperor.
• Xu You warned Nan Yiming that Lin Yi was displeased with Zhennan and that Great Liang might simply conquer it and claim the pearl.
• Nan Yiming argued that Zhennan wished to submit, but Xu You said the emperor was busy with his birthday celebrations and would not see him until then.
• Nan Yiming gave Xu You additional pearls as gifts and left, while Xu You privately dismissed the prospect of peace talks as wishful thinking.

Nan Yiming realized Xu You’s calligraphy exposed how his father had made him a disposable hostage and arranged for someone else to inherit Zhennan. Xu You chose to let Nan Yiming’s resentment grow rather than approach him immediately, expecting the prince to seek Great Liang out himself.

• Nan Yiming concluded that Great Liang had no intention of negotiating peace, and his deputy urged him to keep seeking help or wait for Lin Yi’s birthday.
• Xu You’s subordinate delivered calligraphy to Nan Yiming, who concealed its message from the deputy and returned to his room.
• Reading “Those before plant trees, those after enjoy the shade,” Nan Yiming understood that his father had abandoned him and likely chosen a new heir.
• Xu You’s subordinate reported Nan Yiming’s furious reaction, and Xu You and Xu Chu discussed how the calligraphy had driven a wedge between father and son.
• Xu You refused to approach Nan Yiming, reasoning that the prince would bargain if approached and would eventually come to Great Liang of his own accord.

Xu You laid out his plan to force Nan Yiming into dependence on Great Liang and arranged hospitality for the visiting rulers while seeking approval for their audience with the emperor. Meanwhile, Bill III learned that his agents had no useful information and could not meet Anne inside the imperial harem.

• Xu You told Xu Chu that Nan Yiming had no real leverage and would eventually have to accept Great Liang's terms to survive.
• Xu Chu agreed to help Xu You and learned that nearly all the visiting kings had arrived, including the emperors of the Frostwest Empire and the Great West Empire.
• Xu You ordered the visitors to receive Great Liang's food and luxuries, and said he would ask the emperor whether they could meet him.
• Bill III questioned Ashley about why Great Liang had summoned the rulers, but Ashley admitted he had found no leads.
• Ashley explained that men could not enter the imperial harem to meet Anne, leaving Bill III furious that he could not get information from his daughter.

Bill III and Abaddon feared Great Liang would soon threaten their empires after crushing Zhennan, and they considered joining forces against it. They waited to learn Great Liang’s intentions before making any move.

• Bill III worried that Lin Yi had confined his daughter in the imperial palace and asked whether Great Liang would attack Frostwest after destroying Zhennan.
• Ashley warned Bill III that Frostwest could not face Great Liang alone, so Bill III decided to learn why Great Liang had invited them before considering an alliance.
• Abaddon and Morandi concluded that Zhennan was close to defeat after its eldest prince came to Great Liang to discuss peace.
• A Long urged Abaddon to consider cooperating with Frostwest, and Abaddon agreed to wait and discover Great Liang’s plans before acting.

Lin Yi learned that Yong'an’s people had donated nearly ten million strings of cash and made sure they received supplies worth even more in return. He then approved Xu You’s scheme to undermine Zhennan’s heir, Nan Yiming, and ordered the Net to help provoke internal strife in Zhennan.

• Lin Rusong and Wang Ziwen celebrated the people’s donations, while Lin Yi confirmed Zhao Gao had given them supplies worth ten percent more than their contributions.
• Wang Yue brought Xu You to meet Lin Yi, and Xu You reported that Nan Yiming had offered a luminous pearl while seeking peace with Great Liang.
• Xu You explained that he had planted a thorn in Nan Yiming’s side, and Lin Yi praised the plan and entrusted the matter to him.
• Lin Yi ordered Wang Yue and the Net to coordinate with Xu You and use the scheme to disrupt Zhennan’s plans.

Lin Yi dismissed Nan Ke’s delaying scheme and left Zhennan’s defeat to the front lines while turning his attention to foreign rulers seeking an audience. He ruled out Princess Anne becoming an empress and declared that the Frostwest Empire had no path to survival.

• Wang Ziwen, Lin Rusong, and Lin Yi judged Nan Ke’s delaying tactic futile, while Zhao Gao reflected on the strategists and commanders arrayed against Zhennan.
• Lin Yi left Nan Yiming to Xu You and Zhennan to the front lines, saying Great Liang should focus on its own development.
• Xu You told Lin Yi that the kings of Frostwest and other countries had requested audiences, and Lin Rusong asked whether Princess Anne might become the next Shenle.
• Lin Yi said Anne would not become the third empress because she belonged to a different people, and he declared that the Frostwest Empire was certain to perish.

Lin Yi decided to prioritize Great Liang’s interests, meeting Abaddon before Bill III and leaving Anne to visit her father. Anne reunited with Bill III and admitted that life in Great Liang placed enormous pressure on her.

• Lin Yi declared that he would wipe out the Frostwest Empire and chose to meet Abaddon first, while Anne would meet Bill III.
• Zhao Gao praised Lin Yi’s supposed sacrifices for the common people, and Lin Yi ordered preparations for his meeting with Abaddon.
• Bill III feared that Great Liang might join forces with Abaddon against the Frostwest Empire, then learned that Anne had arrived.
• Bill III and Anne reunited, and Anne told him that she struggled to keep up with Great Liang’s talented women.

Princess Anne told Bill III that the Black Skull Army had fled to their lands after being defeated in the Land of the Far West, alarming the Western rulers about a new threat. When Bill III asked what Great Liang intended to do, Anne refused to reveal its plans because she had married into Great Liang.

• Princess Anne complained to Bill III that Cai Yan, Shenle, the holy maiden, and Lü Qiling outshone her in talent and swordsmanship.
• Bill III asked why Lin Yi had invited the Western rulers, and Anne said the invitation concerned the Land of the Far West.
• Anne revealed that the Black Skull Army had come from the Land of the Far West after being defeated and driven away.
• Bill III, Ashley, and Abucha feared the Black Skull Army's enemy might pursue it and threaten their lands.
• Bill III asked what Great Liang planned to do, but Anne refused to disclose its inside information because she had married into Great Liang.

Princess Anne urged Bill III to accept that the Frostwest Empire could not stand against Great Liang, but he rejected her advice and left in anger. Meanwhile, foreign delegations cautiously navigated Great Liang’s marketplace, where locals boasted of the empire’s military strength.

• Bill III nearly struck Princess Anne for opposing him, but Ashley stopped him and warned that she belonged to Lin Yi.
• Anne urged Bill III to let go of the Frostwest Empire’s ambitions, citing the Yamata Nation’s defeat, but he refused and left.
• Anne reflected that the Frostwest Empire lacked the courage to survive amid powerful rivals, and Ashley said the empire might have to depend on her.
• Great Liang’s people celebrated the visiting delegations and recounted the empire’s victories as the Hundred Riders kept watch.
• A small nation’s king warned his guards not to provoke Great Liang and explained that they had come to gather information, not seek death.

Nan Yiming learned that Great Liang possessed overwhelming military strength and feared that Zhennan would be destroyed despite his peace mission. At a gathering of foreign guests, he heard rumors that Great Liang might divide territory with the Frostwest Empire and the Great West Empire, just as gongs and drums sounded outside.

• Nan Yiming and his deputy estimated Great Liang had more than three million troops and concluded Zhennan was likely doomed.
• Foreign guests recognized Nan Yiming as a Zhennan envoy and praised or mocked him for coming while the two states were at war.
• Nan Yiming explained that he had come to seek friendly relations, but the guests dismissed the prospect of peace negotiations.
• A guest revealed that Great Liang might divide territory with the Frostwest Empire and the Great West Empire, and Chief Abe said the Frostwest emperor had asked him about it.
• The foreign guests began wondering what territory would be divided and where they should stand, then heard gongs and drums and saw Great Liang locals carrying red bags.

Foreign rulers and merchants saw Great Liang’s commoners receive valuable white sugar as birthday return gifts from Lin Yi, prompting some small-country kings to consider surrendering. Meanwhile, Abaddon entered Great Liang’s formidable palace and realized its defenses could withstand a massive assault.

• A merchant explained that Lin Yi had given the red bags as return gifts to commoners who donated, and the bags contained rare, valuable goods.
• After the merchant revealed premium white sugar, Abe complained that Great Liang’s commoners lived better than he did and said he might surrender to Great Liang.
• Other small-country kings agreed that surrender could spare them defeat and offer their people better lives, while Nan Yiming suspected Great Liang meant to subdue them without fighting.
• Abaddon entered the imperial palace with A Long, who marveled at its walls and guards.
• Abaddon judged that even hundreds of thousands of troops might fail to breach the palace and considered renovating his own palace for defense.

Abaddon visited Great Liang and learned that his empire could not afford to rebuild its imperial palace, leaving him frustrated with his subordinates. At the banquet, he mistook Guo Jia for Lin Yi and bristled when Guo Jia treated him dismissively while explaining that Lin Yi would arrive shortly.

• Abaddon proposed rebuilding the imperial palace, but Morandi and A Long told him the Great West Empire had no money.
• Morandi explained that generations of wars against the Frostwest Empire had drained the treasury, leaving Abaddon angry and envious of Great Liang's wealth.
• Zhao Yun guided Abaddon and his party through the palace, while Abaddon admired the scenery in the imperial garden.
• Abaddon saw Guo Jia fishing and assumed he was Lin Yi, but Guo Jia introduced himself as Lin Yi's Libationer of Military Counsel.
• Guo Jia told Abaddon through the interpreter that Lin Yi would arrive shortly, and Abaddon took offense at Guo Jia's indifferent manner and use of Great Liang's language.

Lin Yi warned Abaddon that a powerful, mysterious empire had invaded the Black Skull Army’s territory, using the threat to raise pressure on the Great West Empire. Abaddon accepted that the danger might be real and wondered whether he would have to ally with Frostwest, while the proposed division of territory remained unresolved.

• Abaddon asked when Lin Yi would arrive, then realized that the guards were kneeling to Lin Yi as the emperor entered.
• Lin Yi and Abaddon exchanged pleasantries and addressed each other as brothers before Abaddon asked what Lin Yi meant by dividing territory.
• Lin Yi claimed that a powerful force had devastated the Black Skull Army and that the hegemon of the Land of the Far West might have arrived.
• Abaddon, Morandi, and A Long recognized that mysterious forces had appeared in the Black Skull Army’s territory and feared the Great West Empire faced a formidable new enemy.
• Lin Yi said the Black Skull Army’s representatives had not arrived but suggested that surrounding nations might know what had happened.
• Abaddon considered that he might have to ally with Frostwest, though he wondered whose territory Great Liang intended to divide.