"I Was a Troublemaker in the Southern and Northern Dynasties" is a light comedy-style novel that combines historical time travel, Machiavellian management and market survival. Zhang Wei, a young man from modern Chongqing, accidentally traveled to Pingcheng in the Northern Wei Dynasty and woke up from a mass grave. He was penniless and did not understand the language. However, with the tenacity and modern thinking of a kid from a mountain city, he forcibly carved a way out in troubled times.
Starting from selling peppercorns at a stall in the West Market, Zhang Wei relied on his keen sense of spices and food to develop unique preserved meats and wines, and even got involved in the salt and iron franchise, gradually accumulating capital. He met Tuoba Ye, a down-and-out Xianbei nobleman, and the two hit it off immediately. With business as the fulcrum, they skillfully maneuvered among the Xianbei tribe, the Han people and the court's powerful people, and flexibly arranged themselves in the power fields of Xishi, Pingcheng and even Luoyang. After helping Tuoba Ye ascend the throne, he faces political reckoning and disillusionment. The protagonist's final choice - to retreat into seclusion, resist, or to find new answers?
Zhang Wei is good at using modern strategies such as "killing people with a borrowed knife" and "building momentum through public opinion" to resolve crises and strengthen his strength. He promoted the New Deal of Salt and Iron, established an intelligence network, trained private guards, and even intervened in the battle for the throne, playing a key "spoiler" role in the turbulent political situation of the Northern Wei Dynasty.
The book starts with the vivid Chongqing dialect and combines elements of food management, business strategy, officialdom games and historical fiction. It depicts how a modern little man relied on his wisdom, courage and unconventional "shit-stirring" spirit to gradually rewrite his own destiny and that of this era in the troubled times of the Southern and Northern Dynasties.
Reader comments
It's a very interesting read, and I can understand the historical allusions of the Northern Dynasties. I hope to write about the struggle between the protagonist and Tuoba Ye later.
It's a very interesting read, and I can understand the historical allusions of the Northern Dynasties. I hope to write about the struggle between the protagonist and Tuoba Ye later.