Who Rules The World Episode 39 Recap
> Who Rules The World Recap
Emperor Jing Yan, neglecting state affairs as Jizhou and Yongzhou expanded their territories, instructed General Dong Shufang to consult with Yu Wuyuan. To gain Dong Shufang's trust, Yu Wuyuan revealed his secretly trained Divine Forces. He explained that if Dong Shufang had independently launched troops, his chances of victory, once thirty percent, were now less than ten. However, Yu Wuyuan asserted he had a complete plan.
He showcased his elite Divine Forces, whose weaponry was from the Tie family and whose formations utilized the Xuanyuan family's Iron Gyro Formation. Dong Shufang, initially skeptical, was deeply impressed and asked about their numbers. Yu Wuyuan proudly stated he commanded a hundred thousand such soldiers, boasting a hundred percent chance of victory with his strategy. Convinced, Dong Shufang apologized for his previous suspicions, and Yu Wuyuan accepted, affirming their joint commitment as strategist and general to ensure Dadong's triumph.
Yu Wuyuan, having already resolved the Blood Curse with the Empyrean Token, revealed his elaborate scheme to a subordinate. He planned for the Yongzhou and Jizhou armies to converge on the Realm of the Kings, anticipating they would fiercely battle each other before reaching the Imperial City. He expected a "tough win" for either side, leaving him poised to be the ultimate victor. Yu Wuyuan further hinted at a "good show" he had prepared for Hei Fengxi and Bai Fengxi.
He acknowledged that his ally Huang Chao valued trust above all, noting that if Huang Chao discovered his true intentions, he would be unforgivable and pose "endless trouble." Unbeknownst to them, Huang Yu was secretly listening outside. When she inadvertently made a sound, she was discovered and immediately eliminated on Yu Wuyuan's orders by the Soultaker Sect.
In Yongzhou's court, Hei Fengxi's strategists perceived Emperor Jing Yan's edict to recruit sages as a desperate attempt to incite conflict between Yongzhou and Jizhou. Hei Fengxi declared his intention to enter the Realm of the Kings, and his officials pledged their support. Ren Rusong cautioned against underestimating General Dong Shufang's formidable military acumen, though another minister noted the Imperial Family's limited troop strength of only 100,000 men.
Bai Fengxi, however, voiced her primary concern was not Dong Shufang, but the elusive Yu Wuyuan, whose deep-seated machinations made him a perilous unknown. Hei Fengxi concurred, recognizing the inevitability of the conflict despite their wariness. Hei Fengxi then unveiled his comprehensive strategy: Ren Rusong's brothers, Chuanyun and Chuanyu, would lead 100,000 Moyu Cavalry through Beizhou to pressure Jiaocheng and advance directly on the Realm of the Kings.
Hei Fengxi, along with Ren Rusong, would lead the remaining forces through the Yongzhou-Shangzhou border, establishing a pincer movement against Huang Chao. Meanwhile, Bai Fengxi would lead the Fengyun Cavalry to conquer Juancheng. Her mission was to advance to the Realm of the Kings after Hei Fengxi engaged Huang Chao, where they would reunite in the Imperial City. Meanwhile, Huang Chao, anticipating Hei Fengxi's deployments, assembled his own forces.
Recognizing that Jizhou's proximity to the Realm of the Kings offered an advantage, he resolved to personally lead his army. He predicted Hei Fengxi would attempt to intercept them at Dongdan, identifying it as the pivotal engagement for control of the realm. Huang Chao commanded Xuekong to bypass Fucheng and swiftly reach Dongdan. He also dispatched Qiu Jiushuang to Jiaocheng with instructions to establish an ambush to delay the Yongzhou forces.
Concerned about Huang Yu, who had not returned, he postponed searching for her until after his entry into the Realm of the Kings, expressing unwavering confidence in his impending victory. As Hei Fengxi's forces advanced, scouts reported the city ahead was completely deserted, devoid of even civilians. His advisors suggested Emperor Jing Yan was recalling his limited forces to the capital for a last stand. However, Hei Fengxi suspected this was not Jing Yan's doing, but Yu Wuyuan's.
He speculated that Yu Wuyuan, who had been missing, had likely gone to the Imperial City to manipulate Jing Yan and assume control. Bai Fengxi, upon receiving a request for provisions from Hei Fengxi's forces facing supply delays, immediately dispatched Qi Shu with half of Juancheng's provisions and 3,000 men, and sent Xu Yuan with 5,000 men to clear muddy roads at Mount Pa.
Soon after, intelligence revealed that General Dong Shufang, rather than defending the Realm of the Kings, was advancing towards Juancheng. Intrigued by the challenge of facing the legendary veteran, Bai Fengxi refused to recall her generals. Despite warnings about Juancheng's weak defenses and dwindling 20-day supply of provisions, she was resolute, declaring they would "welcome him from afar" instead of defending the city.
She instructed Lin Ji to immediately inform Hei Fengxi to engage Huang Chao in battle, stressing that the Moyu Cavalry's actions were crucial. General Dong Shufang, leading his Divine Forces towards Juancheng, noted their extraordinary efficiency, recognizing them as a "killing knife" while musing on their ultimate master. He ensured his vanguard, led by General Luo Lun, was advancing towards Mount Luoying. However, Bai Fengxi preemptively struck, annihilating Luo Lun's 10,000-strong vanguard, with only a thousand managing to escape.
Unwilling to subject Juancheng's people to a destructive siege, Bai Fengxi relocated the decisive battle to Xiyuan. Upon arriving outside Juancheng and seeing the scattered corpses of his vanguard, a grim Dong Shufang immediately redirected his forces to Xiyuan. On another front, Ren Rusong's brothers arrived with their forces three days ahead of schedule, joined by Xu Yuan and Qi Shu who had delivered provisions.
Hei Fengxi, relieved and bolstered by the news that Bai Fengxi had engaged and wiped out Dong Shufang's vanguard, understood her warning about potential ambushes in the Realm of the Kings. He immediately ordered his army to "march into Dongdan tomorrow" to alleviate the pressure on Juancheng. The next day, Hei Fengxi and Huang Chao met on the battlefield at Dongdan. Their armies executed intricate maneuvers, recalling their previous strategic duel.
After a protracted engagement, neither side gained a decisive advantage. Recognizing the stalemate, both Hei Fengxi, acknowledging Huang Chao's tactical prowess, and Huang Chao, calling Hei Fengxi "astute," agreed to withdraw and resume battle the following day. During a rest period at Bai Fengxi's camp, Han Pu reported devastating losses from their battle with the Divine Forces: their 30,000 Fengyun Cavalry had been decimated to only 5,000, while their 20,000 enemies suffered only half that number in casualties.
Han Pu noted the enemy's unusual weapons, skilled formations, and, most alarmingly, their ability to recover quickly from injuries, as if they had consumed his Han family's secret medicine. Bai Fengxi immediately concluded that Yu Wuyuan was behind it all, revealing that he had used the Soultaker Sect to acquire the finest military resources—Xuanyuan family's armor, Ma family's horses, Tie family's weapons, and Han family's medicine—to equip his forces.
Han Pu, realizing Yu Wuyuan was responsible for his family's destruction, vowed revenge. Reflecting on the prolonged conflict, Bai Fengxi yearned for peace, while Han Pu expressed his desire to open a medical center after the war. A distraught Lin Ji reached Hei Fengxi, relaying that Bai Fengxi's 30,000 Fengyun Cavalry had been ambushed at Mount Luoying, suffering nearly fifty percent casualties against a formidable enemy that was not the Imperial Army.
Bai Fengxi, fighting for her life, had ordered him to seek aid. Alarmed, Hei Fengxi re-evaluated his priorities, declaring that while his rivalry with Huang Chao was a power struggle, protecting his people, especially Bai Fengxi, was paramount. He immediately redirected 100,000 troops towards Mount Luoying. Concurrently, Ren Rusong dispatched Zhong Li to Huang Chao, conveying Hei Fengxi's offer to retreat from Dongdan as a sign of sincerity and appealing for a temporary alliance against their common foe.
Huang Chao, upon receiving the surprising offer and confirming Yongzhou's retreat, saw an opportunity despite his general's concerns about the mysterious enemy force. He rapidly mobilized his army to march directly on the Imperial City. Meanwhile, Yu Wuyuan, aware of both Hei Fengxi's diversion and Huang Chao's advance, revealed his chilling endgame.
With fewer than 10,000 imperial soldiers, he planned to use the Imperial City's 100,000 civilians as leverage, training adult males into divine soldiers while reserving the old and infirm for "other uses" to control Huang Chao. He declared that "the game is coming to a close," intending to eliminate Hei Fengxi and Bai Fengxi and claim the world. Yu Wuyuan then confronted Emperor Jing Yan.
He baldly stated his goal was to own the world and chillingly corrected the Emperor's understanding of their plan: "You don't own this world. It belongs to me." He unveiled his sinister plot: Bai Fengxi would perish at Mount Luoying, Hei Fengxi in Liefeng Valley, and Huang Chao at the Imperial City's gates, paving his way to the throne.
A horrified Jing Yan invoked the Empyrean Yu family's duty, but Yu Wuyuan scoffed, stating their true duty was to aid whoever could pacify the world—which he now could. When Jing Yan mentioned the Empyrean Token, Yu Wuyuan revealed he already possessed it and had lifted the Blood Curse. The Emperor, finally grasping the horrifying truth, accused Yu Wuyuan of murdering his father, the previous Emperor, and in that moment understood that Yu Wuyuan was the fabled "100-year lineage."
Back at Mount Luoying, Bai Fengxi's forces had run out of provisions as expected reinforcements were delayed. Han Pu presented her with a potent, quick-acting poison to apply to their weapons. A sudden realization struck Bai Fengxi when she noticed half of the enemy's campfires had vanished. Dismissing the idea of a deceptive maneuver, she deduced they were merely "bait."
Dong Shufang had intercepted their reinforcements to lure Hei Fengxi into a trap orchestrated by Yu Wuyuan, who knew Hei Fengxi would come to her aid. Recognizing Hei Fengxi's imminent danger, Bai Fengxi immediately ordered her remaining troops to break out under the cover of night. Meanwhile, Hei Fengxi, rushing to Mount Luoying, encountered a fierce ambush that significantly delayed him.
From a distance, General Dong Shufang observed the battle, expressing profound admiration for the Fengyun Cavalry's unwavering loyalty as they valiantly protected their Queen. As the battle raged and a volley of arrows rained down, Han Pu selflessly threw himself in front of Bai Fengxi. With a final cry of "Martial Sister!" Han Pu succumbed to his wounds, sacrificing his life to save her. Heartbroken, Bai Fengxi rallied her forces to fight their way down the mountain, realizing Dong Shufang's trap was complete.
