Dust on the Wanli Frontier

An original historical novel. During the Wanli reign of the Great Ming, the empire's northern frontier garrisons have long since fallen into ruin. Lu Zhaoming, a hereditary military household member, goes from a passionate young man to a cold bureaucrat, becoming adept at surviving within a corrupt system. He falsifies accounts, embezzles military farmland, and deals with inspections, using every trick in the art of being ruled to advance his career. Yet he can only watch as his ideals are extinguished, his dearest friend dies horribly, and his family falls apart. When the noose of the system finally tightens around everything he holds dear, he must make the ultimate choice between conscience and survival.

This is a profound and sorrowful epic, depicting how an ordinary person is gradually dehumanized and devoured by a vast system. It reveals just how small and tragic an individual's struggle and perseverance are beneath the flood of history. Wear the mask long enough, and rust seeps into your bones, until all things turn to dust.