China's version of Game of Thrones, a sweeping portrayal of a generation's great ruler battling to claim all under heaven.
Hundreds of characters, dozens of wars, intrigue and romance, power and games. A glorious age of conflict and a grand, sweeping history of conquest.
The Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods were among the most vivid chapters in Chinese history. Beginning with King Ping of Zhou's eastward relocation, this story revisits the rise of Qi and Chu and their struggle for supremacy, ending for now with Qi's apparent victory. Yet the feudal lords' struggle for dominance did not end there. After the deaths of Guan Zhong and Duke Huan of Qi, Qi gradually declined in strength. Chong'er, a prince of Jin who had wandered in exile, returned home and ultimately established his hegemony through events such as retreating ninety li and the Battle of Chengpu.
The five-part historical novel series Flowing Fire in Spring and Autumn spans 300 years, from the brief hegemony of Zheng in the Spring and Autumn period to the end of Yue's supremacy. It depicts both bloody warfare and slaughter, and the profound tenderness behind the iron-blooded heroes, striving to restore history to its original form.
The Stratagems of Wu and Yue is the fifth book in the Flowing Fire in Spring and Autumn series, telling the stories of the people and events of the Wu-Yue period. This history is full of riveting episodes: Zixu's revenge, Fan Xin's flight into seclusion, Fuchai's foolish cruelty, Goujian enduring hardship to fulfill his ambitions, and the beauty Xishi whose allure captivated a kingdom...
The part about Zixu's revenge in the book is really heart-wrenching, and the description of Gou Jian's daring while lying on the firewood is so shocking! It feels like I have traveled back to the Wuyue period and witnessed that period of history. The author writes so well, I can't wait to read the rest of the story.