[Transmigration + no golden finger + realistic + ensemble cast + not a wish-fulfillment story + the struggle for supremacy]
After transmigrating to the late Tang dynasty, Li Yan becomes a minor clerk in Chang'an. He has no golden finger, only a hazy understanding of history.
Li Yan has a simple goal: survive.
He claws his way out of mountains of corpses, establishing a foothold in the cracks between powerful clans' infighting and warlords' suspicions. He redistributes farmland, trains elite troops, promotes trade, and stockpiles grain and supplies.
He has submitted, betrayed, and fought bloody battles. Faced with Zhu Wen's brutality, Yang Xingmi's ambition, and the Khitan cavalry, he has no choice but to be tougher, wiser, and more ruthless than they are.
This is the story of a modern soul struggling through a living hell in the clumsiest yet most earnest way, trying to rekindle the flame of civilization in a land scarred beyond recognition.
This story records a legend that might have unfolded in the gaps between the pages of history.
"A guide for survivors in troubled times, an epic depicting the wisdom of builders, and a magnificent elegy about the inheritance of civilization."