Li Yan, code-named “Dragon King,” gives his life for his country. When he opens his eyes again, he has become the twelve-year-old Emperor Xizong of Tang, a child ruler treated like a puppet by the eunuchs.
Before him, the flames of Huang Chao's rebellion are about to engulf the realm. Beneath his feet lies a rotting empire, sucked dry and hollowed out by aristocratic clans.
Li Yan smiles. In his previous life, he could take an enemy's head amid ten thousand troops. In this life, too, he can carve out a bright new world from this living hell!
To kill the eunuchs, he bathes the palace in blood. To suppress the regional warlords and destroy the aristocratic clans, he implements the “Li Clan's Grace Decree,” uproots ancient noble families, and distributes their land to the people!
He reforms the imperial examinations, valuing science and loyalty in equal measure. He colonizes foreign lands, replacing barbaric customs with Tang law. He establishes an ironclad rule: the emperor must be replaced every fifteen years, and anyone unfit for the throne is immediately removed!
As the whole world trembles beneath his iron hooves, he holds up his bloodstained sword and proclaims to the new empire behind him:
“Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. If I am a raging flood, then I shall crush every stone of the old age for you!”
