Ashes of Old Friends Across the Mountains and Rivers

In 755 CE, the flourishing Tang dynasty crumbles beneath An Lushan's iron hooves. Xiao Yunqing, a general from Shuofang, refuses to rebel, and his entire family is slaughtered. He is the sole survivor. Driven by hatred and a sense of duty, he joins the campaign to put down the rebellion, only to face the brutal choice of “cannibalism to defend the city” during the Battle of Suiyang.

At the same time, Yang Yuzheng, a woman with ties to Yang Guozhong who despises the powerful, loses everything in the war. Fleeing for her life, she witnesses the hell of parents exchanging children to eat. When she meets Xiao Yunqing, she discovers that war and power have twisted the once steadfast man beyond recognition.

Within Chang'an, famed generals such as Li Xuan, modeled on Li Guangbi, struggle to save the empire from disaster, yet are hamstrung by eunuchs and the emperor's suspicions. The fates of Western Region merchants, wandering monks, and surviving scholars also become entangled in the web woven by war.

Eight years later, the rebellion is quelled, leaving devastation everywhere. Xiao Yunqing is made a marquis but suffers a mental breakdown and retreats to the mountains. Yang Yuzheng compiles his wartime manuscripts and secretly spreads the truth. Meanwhile, new tax laws are introduced, regional warlords rise, and dark currents begin to stir…

This is an epic about loyalty and betrayal, survival and dignity. When a golden age collapses, some become beasts, some become saints, and most simply strive to remain human amid blood and fire.