Amid the rise and fall of dynasties, the land is plunged into chaos and warfare. When a dynasty flourishes, the common people suffer; when it falls, they suffer all the same. Yet as heroes vie for supremacy, war fires blaze across the Tiehuo Continent. After years of campaigns in the north and south, the Great Huan Dynasty rises to power. Its second-generation ruler is a formidable leader who builds a great empire and commands a million troops, undefeated across the land. He brings peace to the troubled age and saves the people from misery. But in the north, the nomadic power of the Yuqiong Spirit Cavalry grows ever stronger. Tensions mount between the two sides, and both expand their armies and prepare for war. Gunpowder has been invented, but has yet to be used in battle. Meanwhile, vast iron deposits are discovered and mined on a large scale, while iron smelting and forging techniques advance by leaps and bounds. The true age of heavy armor has arrived.
