Chapter Summaries

After Wu Shuangren’s forces publicly executed Hong Zhanming and his accomplices, wealthy households rushed to offer gifts, and Wu hosted Yi Province’s officials to discuss defending the city. He sought their support to establish the Yi Province Militia, and the officials debated whether to grant him authority or give him only an empty title.

• Hong Zhanming and the other prisoners were publicly beheaded, frightening Yi Province’s wealthy households and former associates of Mist Hidden Temple.
• Wealthy households brought silver, silk, and antiques to Wu Shuangren’s residence after Guo Jiwang predicted the executions would make them comply.
• Wu Shuangren hosted Feng Guanglu, Shen Jingchuan, Wang Xun, Xu Jing, and other officials, then warned that Mount Liang’s growing forces might attack while reinforcements were cut off.
• Wu Shuangren asked the officials to support the establishment of the Yi Province Militia so he could unite local forces to defend the city.
• After the banquet, Guo Jiwang told Wu Shuangren that he needed to gain a name to match his existing power.
• The officials gathered at Feng Guanglu’s residence, where Shen Jingchuan proposed giving Wu Shuangren an empty title instead of establishing the militia.

Wu Shuangren and Guo Jiwang arranged a gathering to bring Yi Province’s local powers under the militia’s influence. Wu Shuangren left them stunned with a parade of his troops and equipment, then sent nearly three hundred riders out of the city.

• Feng Guanglu and the other officials asked Wu Shuangren to send militia members to help recruit manpower, avoiding any mention of establishing the Yi Province Militia.
• Guo Jiwang explained that the local officials would resist Wu Shuangren taking command, while Wu recognized that Guo’s earlier killing of Fan Yu had also served his larger plan.
• Wu Shuangren sent militia squads with government officers to invite Yi Province’s local powers to a meeting in the prefectural city.
• On the sixth day after Ciwen’s death, Xu Yu led the assembled representatives to the north gate, where Wu Shuangren announced a military parade.
• Wu Shuangren’s troops marched out in disciplined companies, including more than two thousand men, over a thousand suits of leather armor, and nearly a hundred suits of iron armor; Guo Jiwang said the armor had been seized from brigands.
• Nearly three hundred riders emerged from the city gate, further impressing the local powers gathered on the wall.

Wu Shuangren used a military review and promises of protection and rewards to persuade Yi Province’s local militias to join a unified force against Mount Liang. When nearly ten thousand troops gathered outside Yi Prefecture City and demanded reward money, the officials realized Wu had established the Yi Province Militia without their approval.

• Wu Shuangren displayed his well-equipped troops to the local strongmen and urged them to unite against Mount Liang’s returning army.
• The county militias and local strongmen agreed to send troops to Yi Prefecture City, and Wu announced they would join the Yi Province Militia.
• Wu Shuangren and Guo Jiwang hosted a banquet, assuring the representatives that the militia would provide benefits and reward money.
• Over the following days, troops from Yi Province and Rong Province gathered outside the city until nearly ten thousand soldiers had assembled.
• The gathered troops demanded reward money, prompting Feng Guanglu and Shen Jingchuan to summon Wu Shuangren and accuse him of establishing the militia without their consent.

Guo Jiwang forced Yi Province’s officials to approve the formation of the Yi Province Militia, and Wu Shuangren was hailed as its commander outside Yi Prefecture City. Wu then publicly rewarded his troops and honored their fallen, leaving the militia and its supporters with new promises of support for the martyrs’ families.

• Guo Jiwang confronted the officials with statements they had written for the Mount Liang rebels and secured an official document approving the Yi Province Militia.
• Wu Shuangren rode out of Yi Prefecture City, where nearly ten thousand men greeted him as commander.
• Wu Shuangren’s clerks distributed battle rewards to the Bo County Militia, impressing the other forces and their leaders.
• Wu Shuangren read the names of 115 fallen militiamen and declared them Yi Province Martyrs.
• Wu Shuangren promised land, houses, free medical care, and priority militia admission for the martyrs’ families.

Wu Shuangren rewarded the Yi Province Militia, honored its martyrs, and punished deserters as he united the province’s forces under his command. After feeding and reorganizing the troops, he announced a new rank and pay system and ordered the formation of a cavalry battalion.

• Wu Shuangren honored the fallen with a hundred breaths of silence and introduced military merit rewards, granting land, property, and promotions to deserving soldiers.
• Wu Shuangren condemned and executed seven militia privates who had deserted during the battle at Yi Province’s north gate.
• Wu Shuangren paid the militias and local volunteers from across Yi Province and promised them the same rewards for brave service.
• Wu Shuangren arranged for the nearly ten thousand people outside Yi Prefecture City to receive food, supplementing what the city’s government and wealthy households provided.
• Wu Shuangren reorganized the troops, kept the Rong Province Militia in separate battalions, established military ranks and pay, and ordered a cavalry battalion formed.

Wu Shuangren reorganized the Yi Province Militia, assigning ranks and commanders while leaving four battalion leadership posts open to encourage cooperation and performance. As the combined forces trained outside Yi Prefecture City, Xu Jing urged Wu Shuangren to teach flag signals so battlefield orders could reach the growing army.

• Wu Shuangren established a rank system and reorganized the Yi Province Militia, naming commanders for three battalions and the personal guard, cavalry, and archery and crossbow corps.
• Wu Shuangren left the commander and deputy commander posts for four battalions unfilled, saying he would appoint them based on training performance.
• Wu Shuangren mixed militiamen from Bo County with forces from elsewhere in Yi Province, assigned acting leaders, and began training the combined troops outside Yi Prefecture City.
• The militia trained in formations, riding, and archery, while Xu Jing's instructors taught riders and Wu Shuangren's personal guards supervised discipline.
• Xu Jing told Wu Shuangren that the army needed flag signals because shouted battlefield orders would not reach so many men, and Wu Shuangren agreed.

Wu Shuangren organized flag-signal training and raised a banner naming his forces the Yi Province Army and Wu Clan Army. He also pushed his commanders to think beyond provincial rivalries, while local leaders competed for militia posts by recruiting more men.

• Xu Jing agreed to serve as chief instructor and taught the militia commanders the Five Directions Flags, while Wu Shuangren suggested practicing the signals as they learned.
• Wu Shuangren established a Command Flag Battalion and raised a black banner bearing the red character “Wu,” identifying the forces as the Yi Province Army and Wu Clan Army.
• Guo Jiwang refused Guo Ya’s money and hinted that the remaining camp appointments depended on recruiting more men, prompting local leaders to return home for recruits.
• Wu Shuangren confronted Chen Tie about the Rong Province Militia’s poor training and led him to recognize that the Yi Province Militia’s advantages extended beyond its training methods.
• Chen Tie promised to make the veterans train the Rong Province Militia properly, and Wu Shuangren urged him to consider future expansion into Rong Province.

Wu Shuangren learned from Flying Feather Hall that Mount Liang and the Shannan Army had fought to a draw at Ya Province City, leaving him uncertain whether Mount Liang would send troops south toward Yi Province. In Ya Province City, Song Hai heard Lin Qian, Zhigang, and Liang An recount their defeat by Wu Shuangren and questioned the young commander's identity.

• Chen Tie told Wu Shuangren that many Second Battalion soldiers volunteered to practice Internal Skills, and Wu Shuangren ordered the volunteers in each battalion to train separately.
• Wu Shuangren began studying Upright Origin Deliverance and practicing Leakless Golden Body, then learned that his Trait had enhanced the body-tempering art.
• A Flying Feather Hall agent reported that the Shannan Army and Mount Liang had fought to a draw near Ya Province City after a night raid and a field battle.
• Wu Shuangren considered whether Mount Liang would attack the Shannan Army or send troops south, then sparred with Xu Yu to test his enhanced Leakless Golden Body.
• In Ya Province City, Lin Qian, Zhigang, and Liang An described Wu Shuangren's victories to Mount Liang's leaders, and Song Hai asked whether Wu Shuangren was truly only eighteen.

Song Hai rallied Mount Liang after the defeat in Yi Province and ordered Lu Yulin and Wu Yan to lead an expedition to seize Yi Prefecture City, while Wang Yan sent Xu Rong and Zhang Liao by way of Lu Province to take the province first. Wu Shuangren completed the Yi Province Militia’s organization, and Luo Heng arrived in Yi Prefecture City to discuss the next steps with him.

• Lin Qian admitted Wu Shuangren had defeated him, and Song Hai accepted responsibility for the losses while restoring the hall masters’ morale.
• Wu Yan advised Song Hai to keep the Shannan Army occupied and seize Yi Prefecture City; Song Hai assigned Lu Yulin to lead ten thousand troops south and sent Wu Yan with him.
• Zhang Liao persuaded Wang Yan to send six thousand troops through Lu Province toward Yi Province, with Xu Rong commanding the detachment.
• Wu Shuangren filled the Yi Province Militia’s battalion and officer posts, bringing his forces, including two unofficial Rong Province battalions, to more than ten thousand men.
• Luo Heng arrived in Yi Prefecture City with five chests and asked Wu Shuangren whether Mo Zhengxing could come as well.

Wu Shuangren formally brought Luo Heng’s Flying Feather Hall into the Yi Province Militia, assigning ranks and outlining plans for its leadership. He then inspected the limits of local armor production and watched the militia’s first joint drill, which remained chaotic but showed the troops beginning to advance together.

• Wu Shuangren gave Luo Heng the rank of Senior Militia Colonel and ordered Flying Feather Hall to join the Yi Province Militia, granting it additional ranks and responsibilities.
• Wu Shuangren sent a second shoulder patch to Chief Steward Mo and explained that Hou Huai and two wounded personal guards would become Flying Feather Hall deputy hall masters.
• Luo Heng reported that the new armor factory had too few skilled workers and insufficient materials to produce more than a few suits of armor each month.
• Wu Shuangren inspected the militia’s first joint drill of more than ten thousand men as Xu Jing directed the formation using drums and signal flags.
• The troops struggled to follow the commands and keep formation, but Wu Shuangren ordered them to practice again as the militia slowly advanced together.

Wu Shuangren welcomed his parents and Liao Yu to Yi Prefecture City, then appointed them to train the militia’s cavalry. When more than fifteen thousand Mount Liang fighters advanced toward Yi Province, Wu Shuangren promised to defend Linwen County and asked Guo Jiwang how to protect it.

• Wu Dongrong, Xu Nanzhi, and Liao Yu arrived from Bo County, and Wu Shuangren reassured them about his injury and recounted his recent victories.
• Wu Shuangren appointed Wu Dongrong and Liao Yu to lead the cavalry, and Xu Jing praised their mounted combat skills.
• Luo Heng delivered word that more than fifteen thousand Mount Liang fighters were heading from Rong Province toward Yi Province.
• Yan Bin warned Wu Shuangren that Linwen County would be first in the invaders’ path, and Wu Shuangren promised to help defend it.
• Wu Shuangren consulted Guo Jiwang and Xu Jing, and Guo Jiwang advised evacuating some residents to nearby mountains and forests and retreating with the rest to the prefectural city.

Wu Shuangren decided to evacuate Linwen County ahead of Mount Liang’s approaching army, then chose to risk more lives to save the county’s elderly and their families. He summoned Yi Province Militia officers to explain the threat and his decision to attempt the evacuation.

• Guo Jiwang and Xu Jing advised Wu Shuangren to abandon Linwen County and defend Yi Prefecture City, so Wu ordered the county’s people to evacuate and arranged supplies for those unable to reach the city.
• Yan Bin told Wu Shuangren that miasma made the surrounding mountains dangerous for the elderly and that thousands of frail people could not travel to the city in time.
• Guo Jiwang suggested that those left behind surrender, but Xu Jing warned Mount Liang might force them to attack Yi Prefecture City and cause the militia to turn against itself.
• Wu Shuangren decided to move the elderly by handcarts or on people’s backs, arguing that saving them would protect morale and prove the militia stood by Yi Province’s people.
• Wu Shuangren summoned the militia’s commanders and told them Mount Liang was sending more than fifteen thousand men toward Yi Province and that Linwen County had to be evacuated.

Wu Shuangren led the Yi Province Militia to Linwen County to delay Mount Liang’s army and help its people evacuate to Yi Prefecture City. After most residents escaped and the militia entered the county seat, scouts watched the torchlit procession and reported an estimate of eight or nine thousand troops.

• Wu Shuangren declared that the Yi Province Militia would defend Linwen County, and he assigned it to delay Mount Liang rather than fight head-on.
• Wu Shuangren led the militia toward Linwen County, while Guo Jiwang expressed disappointment in his risky choices and Zhou Zhengqing defended him.
• Yan Bin and the county officials organized an evacuation, and the people began leaving for Yi Prefecture City.
• Wu Shuangren sent militia soldiers to assist evacuees along the road, leaving just over four thousand troops with him by the time he reached Linwen County.
• Yan Bin reported that about ninety percent of the residents had evacuated, and Wu Shuangren brought his remaining troops into the county seat using torches to make their numbers appear greater.
• Two concealed scouts counted the torchlit procession and estimated that eight or nine thousand militia soldiers had entered the city.

Wu Shuangren used a staged show of force and a calculated ride to make Mount Liang believe he had brought the Yi Province Militia to defend Linwen County, intending to delay the enemy rather than fight it head-on. As he rode north with his guards, his men spotted Mount Liang scouts and Wu Dongrong and Liao Yu pursued them.

• Wu Shuangren secretly cycled militiamen through Linwen County to make Mount Liang's spies believe more than nine thousand soldiers had entered the city.
• Yan Xiaobing's vanguard learned that Wu Shuangren had brought the Yi Province Militia to Linwen County, and Yan Xiaobing chose to slow down and wait for Mount Liang's main army.
• Lin Qian wondered whether Wu Shuangren had brought his troops to cover the civilians' withdrawal, but Yan Xiaobing dismissed the idea.
• Wu Shuangren led more than three hundred riders north from Linwen County to meet Mount Liang's vanguard and deepen the enemy's suspicions.
• Liao Yu and Wu Dongrong chased five Mount Liang scouts after they spotted Wu Shuangren's riders on the road.

Wu Shuangren’s force reached the Mount Liang vanguard, where he taunted its commander into keeping his troops in formation rather than engaging. After returning to Linwen County, his men considered how to withdraw safely while the county’s residents evacuated to Yi Prefecture City.

• Wu Dongrong and Liao Yu killed four Mount Liang scouts and let the last one escape after Wu Shuangren ordered them to hold back.
• Wu Shuangren led his riders to the Mount Liang vanguard, which Yan Xiaobing had formed on a slope, and called for its commander to speak.
• Wu Shuangren and Yan Xiaobing traded challenges and insults, but Yan Xiaobing refused to risk a duel or bring his troops down to fight.
• Wu Shuangren withdrew with his riders after keeping the Mount Liang soldiers in their defensive formation for nearly half an hour.
• Wu Dongrong explained that the encounter had blunted the enemy’s momentum and worn down its troops, while the men considered how to retreat safely as Linwen County’s evacuation continued.

Wu Shuangren used his forces to cover the evacuation of Linwen County, but Yan Xiaobing’s vanguard uncovered the ruse and pursued him. In Yi Prefecture City, Guo Jiwang worried that his plan depended too much on Mount Liang making mistakes and feared Wu Shuangren would face a hard fight.

• Wu Shuangren provoked Mount Liang’s vanguard with his cavalry while more than four thousand of his men withdrew from Linwen County.
• After receiving orders from Lu Yulin, Yan Xiaobing led the vanguard toward Linwen County to investigate, despite suspecting Wu Shuangren was trying to lure them into an attack.
• Wu Shuangren learned that the vanguard was approaching at full speed and withdrew his personal guard and cavalry from the already evacuated town.
• Yan Xiaobing sent three hundred men into Linwen County and discovered it was empty, then ordered the vanguard to pursue Wu Shuangren with only three days of rations.
• In Yi Prefecture City, Guo Jiwang told Zhou Zhengqing that his plan relied on Mount Liang making mistakes and that Wu Shuangren needed to be prepared to lay down his life.

Wu Shuangren’s riders harassed Yan Xiaobing’s advancing vanguard, but withdrew when the terrain and Mount Liang’s formation made further attacks too dangerous. As civilians continued toward Yi Prefecture City, the First, Second, Third, and Sixth Battalions were ordered to turn back, leaving Shi Chen to suspect they would face the approaching enemy.

• Guo Jiwang recalled Wu Shuangren’s willingness to risk his life for the civilians and the Yi Province Militia, though he still felt the stakes did not justify it.
• Yan Xiaobing prepared his three thousand troops for an ambush and kept his formation advancing as Wu Shuangren’s cavalry exchanged arrows and crossbow bolts with them.
• Wu Dongrong warned Wu Shuangren that Mount Liang’s cavalry could trap his riders, and Wu Shuangren decided they needed to find a place to fight a blocking action instead of continuing to harass the vanguard.
• The First, Second, Third, and Sixth Battalions caught up with the civilians and helped them along the road before mounted messengers ordered the battalions to turn around.
• Shi Chen asked a messenger why the battalions had been recalled and concluded that Wu Shuangren had sent them back because the enemy was catching up.

Wu Shuangren’s four battalions ambushed Mount Liang’s vanguard, and the two forces fought fiercely on the official road. As Yan Xiaobing and Zhigang pressed Wu Shuangren, Lin Qian hesitated to join the attack until Wu Shuangren targeted Zhigang’s injured arm, prompting Lin Qian to charge forward.

• Yan Xiaobing received orders to pursue Wu Shuangren’s forces and prevent their withdrawal.
• Wu Shuangren and his armored guards ambushed Mount Liang’s vanguard, cutting through its formation as the four Yi Province battalions attacked from the forest.
• Yan Bin led the Sixth Battalion’s Linwen County militiamen into the battle, and the fresh militia pushed Mount Liang’s weary front ranks back.
• Wu Shuangren fought Yan Xiaobing while Xu Yu engaged Liang An; Zhigang then joined the attack despite his unhealed broken arm.
• Yan Xiaobing called on Lin Qian to carry out their planned sneak attack, but Lin Qian hesitated until Wu Shuangren threatened Zhigang’s injured arm, then charged in.

Wu Shuangren’s Trait [Match for One Person] upgraded as he fought Yan Xiaobing’s guards, letting him read and counter their movements with extreme precision. As he advanced toward Yan Xiaobing, Lin Qian launched a sudden three-thrust attack against Xu Nanzhi, leaving their duel unresolved.

• Xu Nanzhi intercepted Lin Qian, and the two fought as his injured shoulder weakened his spearwork.
• Wu Shuangren exploited his opponents’ injuries to seriously wound Zhigang, then forced Yan Xiaobing to retreat toward his guards.
• Wu Shuangren’s [Match for One Person] upgraded, allowing him to predict and efficiently counter weaker opponents.
• Wu Shuangren fought through Yan Xiaobing’s personal guards, leaving many dead or wounded and terrifying the survivors.
• Lin Qian switched from defense to offense and attacked Xu Nanzhi with three connected spear thrusts.

Wu Shuangren and the Yi Province Militia routed Mount Liang’s vanguard in an ambush, then treated their wounded and counted the costs. After ordering the army to collect useful spoils and prepare to withdraw, Wu Shuangren learned they had suffered nearly two hundred casualties while capturing more than seven hundred enemies.

• Yan Xiaobing, Lin Qian, and Zhigang retreated, breaking the morale and formation of Mount Liang’s vanguard as Yan Bin fought on despite his wounds.
• Wu Dongrong, Liao Yu, and Xu Jing led more than two hundred cavalry around the vanguard’s rear, fired a volley, and charged, completing the rout.
• Xu Nanzhi gave Wu Shuangren a medicinal pill, then told him Lin Qian had hesitated to attack and that his spear technique was improving.
• Wu Dongrong, Liao Yu, and Xu Jing returned from pursuing the fleeing soldiers, and Wu Shuangren confirmed they were unharmed.
• Wu Shuangren’s forces tallied nearly two hundred casualties, killed or wounded nearly six hundred Mount Liang soldiers, and captured more than seven hundred.
• Wu Shuangren ordered the troops to load armor and weapons, have prisoners carry the wounded and supplies, and prepare to withdraw.