Eight Hundred Years of the Great Song

This is an epic work that examines the rise and fall of dynasties from a unique perspective. It sets aside traditional grand narratives and instead focuses on key physical evidence and secret symbols hidden in the folds of history. From the bronze armor engraved with the words "benevolence and righteousness" that Zhao Kuangyin wore beneath his armor at dawn in Chenqiao Station, to the intricately engineered mandarin duck wine pot concealing a mechanism at the banquet where he took military power from his generals; from the map of Southern Tang treasures, revealed by tears soaking the paper in Li Yu's prison cell, to the ingenious improved lock gates shown in the Bian River shipping map; and finally to the tragic blaze that lit up the night sky when Zhang Shijie burned his fleet before the naval battle at Yashan... This book uses eighty carefully devised "historical codes" as its key to weave together the complete story, from the founding of the Northern Song in 960 to the fall of the Southern Song in 1279.

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