The Iron Coffin Crosses West

The late Qing general Zuo Zongtang, though frail with age, leads a western expedition with his coffin in tow. Facing criticism at court, shortages of provisions and pay, and enemies all around, he holds fast to the belief that “not an inch of our ancestors' land can be surrendered.” Leading his troops across a thousand miles of desert, he embarks on a tragic expedition that will decide the nation's dignity and territorial integrity. This is an epic of conviction and sacrifice, and a tale of lone courage in the face of despair.