Epics

• Lu Zhishen vs. Huyan Zhuo

  1. A Letter at the Monastery Gate The letter from Peach Blossom Mountain arrived at Twin Dragons Mountain with dust ground into its folds. Its bearer knelt in the hall of the former Baozhu Monastery. Qingzhou troops, he said, had reached the foot of the mountain. Zhou Tong had ridden out with his spear, but…

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  Hulao Pass

  Main Characters FORCES 势力与阵营 The struggle at Hulao Pass was not simply a clash between a handful of famous warriors. Behind the battlefield stood two very different kinds of power. On one side was Dong Zhuo, who controlled the Han court, the imperial capital, and much of the machinery of the central government. His own…

• Gao Chong and the Rolling War Carts

  I. Grain Above, an Army Below The grain Niu Gao had brought through the siege had barely reached Ox-Head Mountain. Below, Jin campfires still spread from the foot of the mountain into the distance. Yue Fei guarded Emperor Gaozong above them. He could not let the enemy seal the roads again; Jin Wuzhu had no…

• The Battle of Mount Dingjun: Huang Zhong and Xiahou Yuan

  I. The Mountain Pass The fires on Mount Tiandang had died, but the struggle for Hanzhong had not. Tiandang had held stores for Cao Cao‘s army. After Huang Zhong and Yan Yan took it, Zhang He and Xiahou Shang withdrew with the survivors toward Mount Dingjun. Liu Bei could hold the captured stores and still…

• Huang Zhong and Guan Yu: The Three Battles of Changsha

  I. Outside Changsha Liu Bei had taken two of the commanderies in southern Jingzhou. Changsha still held out. He meant to secure all four, and could not leave this city behind him. Its governor, Han Xuan, would not surrender. Guan Yu asked his elder brother for the command to take it. Zhuge Liang warned him…

• Yang Zhi vs. Huyan Zhuo

  I. A Letter from Peach Blossom Mountain The messenger entered the hall on Erlong Mountain with a letter raised above his head. Li Zhong and Zhou Tong at Peach Blossom Mountain needed help. Huyan Zhuo‘s army had pressed them back toward their stronghold. Lu Zhishen read the plea and set it on the table. “When…

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  Yang Zhi vs. Lu Zhishen

  I. No Way Back from Yellow Mud Ridge The men on Yellow Mud Ridge still lay scattered where the drugged wine had brought them down. Yang Zhi had already understood that the birthday gifts were gone. He had left Daming in charge of chests of jewels intended for the Grand Tutor Cai. He had also…

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  Yang Zhi vs. Suo Chao

  I. White Marks on the Training Ground Soldiers had filled the eastern training ground of Daming before the morning was far advanced. Zhou Jin sat mounted beneath the banners. Yang Zhi faced him with a spear. Above them, Governor Liang watched with his officers. Yang Zhi had once been an officer of the Palace Command.…

• Yang Zhi vs. Lin Chong

  I. The Third Day The last snow around Liangshan Marsh had begun to thaw. Lin Chong still had no head to take back to the mountain. Wang Lun had given him three days. Kill a traveler, bring in the severed head, and he would be admitted as a brother. Fail, and even Chai Jin’s letter…