In this chapter, Cai tells us that he has sworn to follow the General until he dies. He says that he's let the people around him pretend to be him and humiliate him, and that's enough for him. He's not worried about what happens in the court, though. He knows that the battle between the Mings and the Qings is imminent. He also tells Cai that the hand-man, Mr. Gongxi, has died, and asked Cai to personally convict the Ming emperor. Cai says that even if he takes the throne back, he won't be as free as he would be if he took the throne himself. Plus, he doesn't have Cai by his side, so he'll have to live in the shadows of power for the rest of his life. Cai asks if there's anyone who's loyal to him who can be with him. The answer is no. The Mings fought against the West and won a big victory, but General jiang was killed by an arrow during the battle. In the same year, a strange mountain bandit team escaped from the border. The emperor searched for them, but couldn't locate them.