The Flaming Song

If you were the reincarnation of Emperor Gaozong of Song, Zhao Gou, and had no choice but to live through that life all over again, what would you do? Zhao Gong, a modern man, is faced with exactly that question.

“Flame” means a great fire. The Song founded its dynasty under the element of fire. After Zhao Gou became emperor of the Southern Song, he therefore chose the era name Jianyan. His retreat south became known to history as the Jianyan Southern Migration.

And so the Southern Song began, an era that was both the most humiliating and the most impassioned in Chinese history, a dynasty whose rise and fall would leave later generations sighing with regret. People cannot help but wonder: if Yue Fei’s northern campaign had succeeded, how might history have unfolded?

To claim the three wishes promised by the gods and reunite with his family in the modern world, Zhao Gong must change the course of history. His enemies include not only the Jin, but also the wise Western Xia ruler Li Qianshun, the Mongols, soon to be led by Genghis Khan, and the conservative gentry class.

What can he do?