The Lordless Old Retainer

The Old Retainer

In the chaotic Five Dynasties era, the throne changed hands again and again.

In the third year of the Kaiyun era of Later Jin, the Khitan repeatedly invaded Hebei, and the imperial court waged war year after year. Shen Weian, secretary in the staff office of the Tianxiong Army in Weizhou, discovers that two hundred suits of armor have gone missing during a routine military supply allocation.

A ledger draws him into the tangled web of interests within the military headquarters, entangling him in the struggle for power between the imperial court, regional warlords, and their generals.

In an age when even the emperor can barely keep his throne, loyalty is a choice, and betrayal is a choice too. More often than not, people have no choice at all.

Shen Weian is neither a hero nor a loyal subject. He's merely an ordinary man trying to stay alive and make something of himself amid the chaos.

But as the world falls further into disorder, some things, once done, can never be undone.

The banners on the city walls change with every new king, while the old retainer's books remain on his desk.

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual events or people is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.