Shen Yan, a failed art student in the 21st century, accidentally traveled through the 24th year of Guangxu's reign, which coincided with the eve of the Reform Movement of 1898. The Qing court was corrupt and the people were in dire straits. Being penniless, he abandoned the glass and perfume that are standard for time travellers, went off the beaten track with his life drawings that were ahead of his time, and earned the first pot of gold in the rebellion from the salt merchants. Binding the weak system of "Reverse the Qing Dynasty and Prospering the Han Dynasty", he got clues about the Cao Gang's connections, and then joined the Jianghu, outsmarted the greedy prefects, and conquered the Cao Gang's forces. In troubled times, when the common people were cowardly and easy to bully, and the Qing court was brutal and unbridled, Shen Yan used pen and ink as his blade and Caogang as his foundation to rectify the south of the Yangtze River, develop industry, and train powerful troops. Finally, at the time of Gengzi's national calamity, he raised his flag for the Northern Expedition. As a painter, he stirred up the storm, settled the country, and ushered in a new era for China. [Tags: Traveling through the late Qing Dynasty, weak system, passionate rebellion, rise of Caogang, art student counterattack
