Chen Yan, a scholar specializing in the late Ming Dynasty, transmigrates into the chaos of 1644 and uses modern knowledge to establish himself in a famine-stricken village. He ambushes and defeats routed soldiers, rallies the people with slogans about improving their lives, and forms the Homeland Defense Association. He uses the hair-shaving edict to expand his forces, equips a firearms unit, and wins his first battle against the Qing. Later, he rejects the Hongguang regime, pushes for tax cuts and education, and holds Yangzhou long enough to wear down the Qing army. He welcomes Zhu Yujian and proposes a council of government. Allied with Zheng Chenggong, he defeats Dorgon at the mouth of the Yangtze, sets out a three-stage counteroffensive, retakes Nanjing, and kills Duo Duo in a decisive battle at Shanhai Pass. In 1655, he signs a treaty and restores the Central Plains. Chen Yan gives up his title as king and introduces new reforms, ushering in a new era for the Ming with his people-centered ideals.
