In the south of the Northern Dynasty, Xiao Ling, the daughter of a brocade weaver, is sent to the imperial palace for her breathtaking beauty. The emperor neglects the affairs of state for her, leaving the people in misery. Qin Yu, a sixteen-year-old from Zhao Prefecture, witnesses the refugees' suffering and rallies heroes across the land under the banner of "Strike North." Leading a people's militia through three years and seven months of bloody fighting, he overthrows the corrupt dynasty and founds the Qin Dynasty. He lightens taxes and punishments and cracks down on corrupt officials. After sixteen years of campaigns across the north and south, he unifies the realm and becomes the mightiest emperor in history. His son, Qin Huai'an, succeeds him and continues his benevolent rule, finally bringing the world to a state of "Great Harmony." Taking Xiao Ling's fate as its starting point, the story focuses on Qin Yu's journey from commoner to emperor, weaving together the passion, political machinations, and shifting loyalties of a chaotic age. It shows how one young man, through responsibility and an iron will, rewrites history and brings a world in disarray back to peace.
