Chapter Summaries

Lin Yi summoned Huo Guang and Wei Zifu, then arranged for Wei Zifu to stay in the rear palace with him. After noticing Huo Guang's skeptical look, Lin Yi challenged him to prove himself with a test, which Huo Guang accepted.

• Lin Yi summoned Huo Guang and Wei Zifu and admired their appearance and historical reputations.
• Lin Yi reflected on Wei Zifu's tragic fate and invited her to stay in the rear palace and keep him company while he read.
• Wei Zifu gladly accepted Lin Yi's arrangement, while Lin Yi hoped it might help him summon Wei Qing in the future.
• Lin Yi noticed Huo Guang's scornful gaze and accused him of doubting his intentions.
• Lin Yi called Huo Guang unruly and challenged him to a test; Huo Guang accepted without objection.

Lin Yi sent Huo Guang alone to pressure coastal states that had pledged allegiance to Great Liang but continued making demands. He then drank an Elite-Grade Body Enhancement potion, becoming strong enough to shatter stone with the Sky Piercer.

• Lin Yi ordered Huo Guang to go alone and make the demanding coastal states accept Great Liang's terms, presenting the mission as a test of his courage.
• Huo Guang accepted the assignment, and Wei Zifu left with him and Zhao Gao to prepare.
• Lin Yi celebrated gaining Huo Guang, Wei Zifu, and a hundred thousand elite Great Han troops before using the Elite-Grade Body Enhancement potion.
• The potion transformed Lin Yi's strength, and he crushed a chair armrest with his hand.
• Lin Yi struck the floor with the Sky Piercer, creating a huge crater, and told alarmed guards that he had only been practicing.

Lin Yi tested the Sky Piercer and considered the missing Nine Tripod Cauldrons before ordering Gan Ning and Zhou Yu to destroy the Land of the Far West’s invading army. After receiving the decree, Gan Ning rallied his men and set out to join Zhou Yu.

• Lin Yi swung the Sky Piercer, examined its battlefield-enhancing and stamina-restoring attributes, and decided to keep it.
• Lin Yi noted that the Nine Tripod Cauldrons were still missing and wondered how many superpowers remained undiscovered.
• Lin Yi ordered Dun Ruo to tell Gan Ning to work with Zhou Yu and wipe out the Land of the Far West’s three-hundred-thousand-strong army.
• Gan Ning received the imperial decree the next day, and his men eagerly prepared to attack the invading force.
• Gan Ning led his troops to find Zhou Yu, declaring that they would outdo him.

Zhou Yu and Gan Ning prepared Great Liang's fleet to destroy the three hundred thousand troops coming from the Land of the Far West. At the border, Abide Leier learned that his reinforcements would arrive that night and readied to attack Great Liang.

• Gan Ning arrived at Zhou Yu's harbor, and the two agreed to annihilate the Far West army at a chosen point near its landing harbor.
• Gan Ning and Zhou Yu sent a vast fleet from the harbor toward the Great West Empire.
• Abide Leier told his officers that three hundred thousand reinforcements were coming and declared Great Liang their target.
• James celebrated the prospect of plundering Great Liang, while Abide Leier warned him not to underestimate its strength.
• A messenger told Abide Leier that the reinforcements would arrive that night, and he eagerly prepared to receive them.

Abide Leier and James Quinton welcomed the Abide Family’s reinforcements and anticipated conquering Great Liang, but a pirate fleet ambushed Abide William’s warships as they approached shore. Abide Leier realized the attackers were the same pirates who had robbed them before and feared they were targeting his forces.

• James Quinton urged Abide Leier to invade Great Liang by sea, but Abide Leier persuaded him to wait for the reinforcements and attack overland.
• Abide Leier and James Quinton watched Abide William’s fleet approach and spoke eagerly of massacring Great Liang’s people and plundering its wealth.
• A distant horn sounded, and enormous warships appeared and destroyed one of the Abide Family’s vessels with a long-range attack.
• Abide William ordered his fleet to charge the attackers and slaughter them.
• James Quinton recognized the attackers’ black-skull flag as belonging to the pirates who had plundered them before.
• Abide Leier realized the pirates had ambushed Abide William before the fleet reached the coast and feared they were coming for him.

Gan Ning and Zhou Yu attacked Abide William’s fleet with Great Liang’s superior cannons, catapults, and boarding tactics, devastating the enemy before close combat began. William ordered a retreat after suspecting Leier had lured him into a trap, but Liang’s ships were already closing in, so he prepared to fight.

• Gan Ning ordered the Brocade Sail Battalion to attack the Abide Family’s warships with cannons, catapults, and striking spars.
• Zhou Yu approved Gan Ning’s assault and told Huang Gai to bring the other forces into the attack.
• Huang Gai ordered the Red-Coat Cannons to fire, blasting enemy ships apart and terrifying their crews.
• Abide William watched his fleet suffer heavy losses and wondered whether Leier had deliberately sent him into danger.
• William ordered his ships to retreat, but a general warned that the enemy was already bearing down on them.
• William called on his men to fight to the death as the opposing ships approached.

Abide William’s fleet was overwhelmed by stone volleys and striking booms as Gan Ning and Zhou Yu’s larger force closed in. With the Abide ships surrounded and boarding underway, Gan Ning confronted Abide William, who demanded to know who had defeated him.

• Abide William ordered a counterattack, but a barrage of enormous stones sank dozens of his warships and drove him into hiding.
• Abide William’s fleet tried to prepare for battle as the enemy advanced, but striking booms smashed ships apart and sank more than ten in a single pass.
• Abide William’s soldiers saw the enemy’s superior numbers and lost morale, while many ships tried to flee.
• Gan Ning blocked the escape route and launched the final assault, prompting many Abide soldiers to surrender.
• Zhou Yu and Gan Ning began boarding the enemy ships as Abide William asked who was attacking him.
• Gan Ning boarded the flagship, identified Abide William as the leader, and asked a companion to translate what he was saying.

Gan Ning and Zhou Yu captured Abide William’s fleet and ordered the slaughter of its three hundred thousand soldiers after exposing the Moses Kingdom’s attempted attack on Great Liang. Abide Leier and James Quinton watched the defeat from afar and realized their plan to attack Great Liang had collapsed, leaving them with a powerful enemy behind them.

• Gan Ning discovered that Black Charcoal Head had mistranslated Abide William’s words and killed the interpreter for trying to provoke him.
• Zhou Yu confirmed to Abide William that Great Liang had defeated his fleet and would make the Moses Kingdom pay for its attack.
• Zhou Yu ordered Huang Gai to finish off the remaining enemies and send Abide William to the capital for the emperor to interrogate.
• Abide Leier and James Quinton watched the destruction of the reinforcements and feared what the Great Liang forces would do next.
• Abide Leier concluded that the joint attack on Great Liang had to be abandoned and that the Moses Kingdom now faced a dangerous enemy.

Abide Leier and James Quinton watched Abide William’s three-hundred-thousand-strong army suffer a crushing defeat and suspected Great Liang was behind the enemy’s formidable naval weapons. News of the destruction spread across the West, where Abaddon learned the army had been wiped out and demanded to know what force could defeat the Land of the Far West.

• An Abide Family member urged Abide Leier to send reinforcements to Abide William, but Leier refused, saying their small force could not change the outcome.
• James Quinton warned that the defeat threatened the Moses Empire’s position, while Abide Leier argued that the enemy had beaten their ships through superior preparation rather than greater overall strength.
• James Quinton connected the enemy’s long-range attacks to Great Liang’s catapults, and Abide Leier resolved to warn the homeland about Great Liang’s hidden naval power.
• Fishermen’s accounts spread news that an unknown force had destroyed the Land of the Far West’s three hundred thousand soldiers and taken its warships.
• Abaddon learned of the defeat from Delin, raged that his plans had been ruined, and asked what power could have routed the Land of the Far West so quickly.

Abaddon and his ministers feared the mysterious force that had wiped out Abide William’s three hundred thousand troops and discussed strengthening the Great West Empire’s defenses. As Frostwest faltered against Great Liang, Alusi suddenly warned that the mysterious power might actually be Great Liang.

• Abaddon warned that the unknown army could attack the Great West Empire, and Morandi urged him to strengthen the coastal defenses.
• Delin reported that the mysterious troops had disappeared after clearing the battlefield, while Abaddon cautioned that they might return after regrouping.
• Abaddon predicted that the Moses Empire would seek revenge for the destruction of the Abide Family’s army, and he wished he could blame Great Liang for the attack.
• Morandi warned that Great Liang would soon break through Frostwest, prompting Abaddon to angrily consider helping Ashina Tiandu hold it back.
• Alusi suddenly declared that the mysterious power might be Great Liang, and Abaddon demanded to know what he meant.

Abaddon and his ministers concluded that Great Liang might be behind the attack on the Moses Empire, and A Long advised drawing the Moses Empire into a prolonged war while supporting Frostwest. The chapter ended with Abaddon ordering troops east and strengthening Great West’s defenses against Great Liang and the unknown forces.

• Alusi argued that the mysterious attackers were likely Great Liang, citing its captured Kun of the Northern Deep and its Red-Coat Cannons.
• Abaddon and Morandi feared Great Liang could sail around the continent and attack the Great West Empire from the rear.
• A Long advised Abaddon to support the Frostwest Empire and direct the Moses Empire’s attention toward Great Liang.
• Abaddon ordered information sent to the Abide Family and royal uncle Adolf to march east and support Frostwest.
• A Long suggested Huo Qubing and Xue Rengui might be connected to Great Liang, but admitted he could not confirm it.
• Abaddon blamed Lin Yi for extending Great Liang’s reach and ordered heavy forces stationed to defend the Great West Empire.

Ashina Tiandu learned that Great Liang’s two-million-strong offensive was crushing Frostwest’s defenses with powerful siege weapons, while Prince Xiuli helped the invaders and persuaded Frostwest soldiers to surrender. With the empire nearing collapse, Ashina Tiandu sought support from the Great West Empire and Moses Empire, but only the former had sent troops.

• Ashina Tiandu erupted at the reports of defeats across Frostwest’s fronts and demanded an explanation for the army’s collapse.
• Zela explained that Lin Rusong led two million Great Liang troops in a five-pronged invasion, using weapons capable of destroying fortresses and forcing Nishu to retreat.
• Zela revealed that Xiuli was guiding Great Liang’s forces and persuading Frostwest soldiers to surrender, and Ashina Tiandu spat blood in fury.
• Ashina Tiandu learned that the Great West Empire had sent three hundred thousand troops, while the Moses Empire had not arrived.
• Ashina Tiandu ordered Zela to keep contacting the Moses Empire and urge it to attack Huo Qubing’s forces.

Ashina Tiandu learned that the Moses Empire’s 300,000 reinforcements had been annihilated before reaching the Great West Empire, leaving Frostwest exposed to advancing enemies. He ordered Zela to watch the ministers and kill any who seemed ready to defect, while Zela began considering his own escape.

• A messenger reported that a mysterious army had destroyed all 300,000 Moses Empire reinforcements before they landed.
• Ashina Tiandu and the ministers feared Frostwest could not withstand the forces of Great Liang, Great Tang, and Great Han without Moses Empire’s support.
• Ashina Tiandu said he would ask Abaddon and the Great West Empire to hold Huo Qubing back until the Moses Empire returned.
• After the ministers left the palace, Ashina Tiandu ordered Zela to monitor them and kill anyone suspected of plotting to defect.
• Ashina Tiandu said he would rather strike first than let the ministers hand him over to Great Liang, and Zela agreed while considering an escape route.

Ashina Tiandu realized that Great Han and Great Tang were secretly part of Lin Yi’s scheme and raged at Great Liang’s threat to Frostwest. He sent his wife Dafenli to persuade her cousin Abaddon to support Frostwest, leaving the empire’s hopes dependent on her mission.

• Ashina Tiandu concluded that Lin Yi had fabricated Great Han and Great Tang to weaken Frostwest and was leading Huo Qubing and Xue Rengui toward Tiele City.
• Dafenli urged Ashina Tiandu to protect his health and warned him that their son Mafa remained detained by Great Liang.
• Ashina Tiandu told Dafenli to enlist Abaddon’s help, warning that Frostwest’s fall would put the Great West Empire next in danger.
• Dafenli agreed to appeal to Abaddon’s interests and set out from Tiele City with Ashina Tiandu’s letter.

After Great Liang’s naval forces annihilated the invading army and captured Abide William, a court-connected man told Yong'an City residents that the Moses Empire had plotted with Great West and Frostwest to invade and colonize Great Liang. The outraged people petitioned the government to destroy all three powers.

• News reached Yong'an City that Great Liang had destroyed three hundred thousand invading troops, captured Abide William, and seized ships and supplies.
• A middle-aged man claimed his minister brother had told him that the invaders came from the Land of the Far West and had allied with Great West and Frostwest against Great Liang.
• The middle-aged man described the Moses Empire’s colonial rule and accused Great West and Frostwest of betrayal, enraging the gathered citizens.
• A newly married young man and other residents condemned the Moses Empire’s right of the first night, enslavement, and seizure of wealth.
• The middle-aged man disappeared into the crowd as citizens went to government offices to demand the destruction of the Moses Empire and punishment of Great West and Frostwest.

Lin Yi and his court celebrated Zhou Yu and Gan Ning’s decisive defeat of the Moses Empire’s fleet, then assessed the enemy and prepared for its likely retaliation. Guan Yu and others volunteered to reinforce the seas, while Lin Yi doubted Cao Cao and Lü Bu’s suitability for naval combat.

• Lin Yi praised Zhou Yu and Gan Ning after their forces destroyed three hundred thousand Moses Empire troops with almost no losses.
• Li Ru dismissed the Moses Empire’s military strength, and Guo Jia explained that Great Liang had exaggerated the Far West’s power to deter the Great West and Frostwest empires.
• Li Si suggested the Abide Family had sent only three hundred thousand troops to weaken Great Liang and claim the continent for itself.
• Guan Yu asked Lin Yi for permission to reinforce Zhou Yu, warning that the Moses Empire would return with more troops.
• Guo Xin, Lü Bu, and Cao Cao volunteered to join the fight, but Lin Yi doubted Cao Cao’s ability to cross the sea and Lü Bu’s usefulness in naval combat.

After Zhou Yu and Gan Ning defeated the Moses Empire’s fleet, Lin Yi used the system’s rewards to prepare reinforcements and warned his commanders that war with the empire was approaching. He rejected Ashina Tiandu’s repeated peace requests as the retired emperor advanced into Frostwest.

• Lin Yi received Lu Kang, the Eastern Wu Navy, steam-engine knowledge, and a map of islands around Great Liang as rewards for the naval victory.
• Lin Yi told Cao Cao and the others that reinforcements for Zhou Yu were already arranged, then ordered Cao Cao to attend Fengxiao’s training class for three days over his public drunken behavior.
• Lin Yi told Lü Bu and the others to intensify their training because war with the Moses Empire seemed near.
• Tian Feng reported that the retired emperor had pushed into Frostwest and that Bill IV had sent ten messages seeking peace.
• Lin Yi rejected Bill IV’s peace request and condemned Ashina Tiandu for scheming against Great Liang.

At court, Lin Yi approved a plan to bring Huo Qubing and Xue Rengui into Great Liang while presenting their invasion of Frostwest as a righteous intervention. He then visited the Ministry of Works and found Ma Jun testing a steam-powered wooden donkey.

• Li Si urged Lin Yi to destroy Frostwest quickly, and the ministers agreed that Ashina Tiandu should be defeated.
• Lin Yi described Huo Qubing and Xue Rengui as righteous men threatening Tiele City, and Yang Xiu proposed welcoming them into Great Liang.
• Lin Yi ordered Xu You to have Wang Xuance contact Huo Qubing and Xue Rengui and demand their submission, by persuasion or force.
• After dismissing court, Lin Yi went to the Ministry of Works to check on Ma Jun's steam-engine research.
• A guard captain led Lin Yi to Ma Jun's test, where Lin Yi saw a wobbling wooden donkey powered by a steam engine.

Ma Jun demonstrated a steam-powered wooden donkey to Lin Yi, showing that it could move under its own power but remained difficult to control. After the donkey broke apart during a test, Lin Yi praised Ma Jun and the craftsmen and promised their work would be rewarded and recorded in history.

• Ma Jun and the craftsmen tested the steam-powered wooden donkey, which took several steps under power from a small steam apparatus.
• Lin Yi arrived, examined the invention, and praised Ma Jun for his progress.
• Lin Yi promised each craftsman a merit credit and a place in the history books, and had the chief clerk record their names.
• Ma Jun explained how he adapted the wooden ox and flowing horse with steam power, then removed the sandbag from the donkey's back.
• The unrestrained wooden donkey lurched around and broke apart, and Lin Yi reassured Ma Jun that the test was still a major achievement.

Lin Yi visited Ma Jun’s workshop and saw the inventor’s powerful steam engine, which inspired plans to propel war chariots and guide them along fixed routes. Ma Jun also reported that Great Liang’s Red-Coat Cannon had been refined to fire ten shots before its barrel cracked.

• Lin Yi gave Ma Jun a book about steam engines, and Ma Jun said its contents confirmed his ideas.
• Ma Jun showed Lin Yi a working steam engine whose power he had limited by removing part of its transmission mechanism.
• Ma Jun proposed using steam engines to propel war chariots and then suggested making them travel along prescribed routes.
• Lin Yi approved Ma Jun’s experiments but ordered that his safety be protected and that he not conduct them personally.
• Ma Jun reported that technological updates had improved Great Liang’s steelmaking and gunpowder, and that the Red-Coat Cannon could now fire ten times before cracking.