Chapter 1: A Young Man's Ambition At the end of the Five Dynasties period, the Central Plains were mired in continuous warfare and regime changes. The fragmentation of the land by regional warlords resembled a power struggle among scattered forces, with each faction rising and falling in turn, leaving the people in dire straits. Anci in Youzhou, though geographically isolated, could not escape the shadow of this chaotic era; the people were impoverished, and the landscape was ravaged. Lü Duan was born into a scholarly family during this turbulent time. From a young age, he was slender yet possessed a resilient spirit, with fair skin and bright eyes that revealed intelligence and determination beyond his years. His family possessed a rich collection of books, which, to him, were...
