In the late Qing of the nineteenth century, the empire is sinking into twilight. As the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom tears through Jiangnan and Britain and Russia circle the frontiers, a poor scholar from Xiangyin who has failed the imperial examinations three times leaves the countryside in his forties and becomes a pivotal force shaping the times. His name is Zuo Zongtang, a practical man who calls himself a “solitary official” and fights for every inch of China's land against impossible odds.
From plotting strategy behind the scenes in Changsha to waging fierce campaigns on the Zhejiang battlefield, he forms the Chu Army and develops the navy, using the principle of “applying practical knowledge to real affairs” to break through the constraints of the system. When the debate over coastal and frontier defense shakes the imperial court, he submits a five-thousand-character memorial arguing that “not an inch of land can be yielded.” He sets out with his coffin in tow and, through a strategy of “advancing slowly and striking swiftly,” recovers a million square kilometers of territory and brings Ili back into the empire. Hu Xueyan's funds and Zeng Jize's negotiations become pieces on his chessboard, while the Zuo Gong Willows and the settlement of the northwest lay the foundations for lasting stability on the frontier.
He falls out with Zeng Guofan over the lijin transit tax and clashes with Li Hongzhang over coastal defense. In a corrupt bureaucracy, he uses his integrity and resolve to break deadlocks, but pays a heavy price in his relationships. From the Self-Strengthening Movement in the southeast to frontier defense in the northwest, from the Mawei Naval Academy to the Gansu Examination Hall, he makes military strength the bones and people's livelihoods the flesh of his work, living by his belief in “quelling disorder and strengthening the nation.” Even when, in old age, he is urgently summoned to oversee the defense of Fujian, the victory report from Zhennanguan remains the final testament to his fierce spirit.
This is not the tale of a perfect hero, but the story of an old man, at once eccentric and humble, resisting the shackles of his era. As the empire's collapse grows near, Zuo Zongtang's solitary courage burns like a torch, illuminating not only 1.6 million square kilometers of territory, but also the spiritual compass of the Chinese people in the darkness.
