Two Hundred Years of Blood and Fire: War-Torn China

Our people span five thousand years from top to bottom and ten thousand miles from east to west. The long river of history has surged with storms and risen with mighty waves. From Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han to Emperor Taizong of Tang and Emperor Taizu of Song, heroes, champions of justice, and noble souls have emerged in endless numbers, shining like a river of stars. There was once an age when our ancestors endured more suffering than in any other era in history, but at last they were reborn like a phoenix rising from the ashes. The Huaxia people also completed the greatest ethnic integration in their history. We must not praise suffering simply because it led to rebirth, nor deny ethnic integration because the process was painful, much less stir up ethnic hatred and division over historical grievances. At the same time, we must take a nuanced view of history and forever remember the heroes of every people who sacrificed their lives for justice and braved fire and flood. History is full of twists and turns, ever-changing and unpredictable. As rival powers contend for supremacy, none can tell who will come out on top. The Way of Heaven is always changing, and fate is hard to fathom. Those who wield overwhelming power may meet a gruesome end; those who act with reckless abandon may ultimately die in exile. When the great tide recedes and the truth is revealed, only when the world becomes one's home can the true heroes be seen. But what is the Way of Heaven? Is Heaven's will always too profound to fathom? Heaven's will has always been the will of the people.

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.