Edge and Blade

In 1937, the nation is on the brink of collapse, and two boys beneath the Dabie Mountains are pushed by the times toward utterly different destinies. Lu Shan, a bold and unruly farmer's son, grows into a battlefield commander amid the smoke of war. He dares to take on tough fights and defy orders, battling through the anti-encirclement campaigns in the Taihang Mountains and on to the decisive Huaihai Campaign. Charging forward with his sword raised in the sunlight, he becomes a renowned blade of war. Shen Yan, born into a family of scholars, carries the fate of his country in his heart. He infiltrates the upper ranks of the Kuomintang, enduring and maneuvering in enemy territory, and risks his life to send out multiple top-secret intelligence reports that turn the tide of battle. A handshake in a cave at Xinkou is the only time the two ever meet. For more than a decade of war, they fight side by side from afar and help each other succeed, never knowing the other's unwavering loyalty. When the land is liberated, Lu Shan guards his homeland, cloaked in glory. Shen Yan heads to an isolated island to continue his undercover work, only to be betrayed and die a heroic death, his achievements buried for half a century. Through thirty years of turmoil, some guard the archives to the death while others search far and wide for the truth. Survivors gaze across the sea, keeping watch over a flourishing age on behalf of those who are gone. When the dust settles, the nameless loyal spirit breaks free of the fog and finds its place before the monument to the martyrs. Heroes take two forms in this world: some stand in the light, sword in hand, to break the chaos of a troubled age; others hide their blades in the darkness to protect the dawn. Their paths differ, but their faith leads them to the same end.

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