Forging an Empire: The Iron-Blooded Great Ming

The court of the late Ming is rife with undercurrents. A cheating scandal in the imperial examinations exposes layer upon layer of corruption. Zhou Yan, a general of the Capital Garrison, is ordered to investigate, only to discover that the case is entangled with a web of deeply rooted powers. Remnants of the eunuch faction fake their deaths and make a comeback, joining forces with powerful Donglin officials, aristocratic families, and surviving Shanxi merchants. Through exam-fraud rings, military grain smuggling, and collusion with the Later Jin, they weave a deadly net meant to topple the empire.

Guided by Wang Yangming's principle of the unity of knowledge and action, Zhou Yan joins forces with the female physician Wen Yuheng, various jianghu factions, and Prince Xin, Zhu Youjian. He spots clues in the handwriting on exam papers, reforms the Capital Garrison's old practices and trains its troops, and tracks the culprits to bookshops south of the Yangtze and trade routes beyond the Great Wall. Facing attacks from Donglin officials and deadly plots by the eunuch faction, he holds fast to the evidence, foils a palace coup, executes traitors, and cuts off the supply lines to the enemy. Amid a storm of political intrigue, he defends the Ming realm with loyalty, courage, and wisdom, staying true to his mission of protecting the country and its people amid the corruption.