Years after being reborn from the ashes, the Purple Phoenix looks back on these vast grasslands, Xiao Ai’s words, and the scenes on the screen. Everyone can’t help but sigh. Many years ago, Ottoman cavalry had already crossed from Asia Minor into the Balkans, while their distant Eastern Roman cousins in Constantinople, the Palaiologos dynasty, were still struggling to survive. In about 34 years, the Battle of Constantinople will break out. A few decades after that, Trebizond will disappear into the river of history. And what a sorry state Trebizond is in: nobles run rampant, emperors seize the throne after killing their fathers, and no one knows what lies ahead...
Some emperors rule with diligence and ambition. Some return to Constantinople like a bolt of lightning. Some sing, dance, rap, and play basketball, leaving everything to their successors. Some curse their ancestors, wishing they could dig them up and leave them out in the sun. Some lead armies into battle themselves, only to nearly become the Fortress Emperor...
Today, the rise and fall of a nation, its very fate, rests in their hands. The wheels of history keep turning. Will they be crushed beneath them, or escape disaster? Nothing is certain...
P.S. For various reasons, the circumstances and figures of some countries will be changed slightly and fictionalized to some extent.
