The north wind howls through the night as nomads hunt beneath the stars; silver spears and saddled horses, while respectable families search for their footprints.
Ministers debate in court, then enter the palace; beneath flickering candlelight, blades and axes decide who receives the treasures of power.
The storm engulfing an empire blows from the imperial court to the northern frontier.
A young man named Yang Yong steps out of a tavern and, from that moment on, becomes a soldier on the Tang frontier.
“Do the nomads pride themselves on their courage? Have they never heard of the Yang family's son? Do the nomad girls seek a lover? There are always Han men around.”
A ballad spreads from the empire's borderlands.
A legendary tale begins in this small city north of the desert.
