He set out with a coffin and reclaimed a thousand miles of rivers and mountains.
He was the empire’s last lone hero in its twilight years, making a move that was sure to cost him his life in a rotten game of power.
【The Core Story】
In the late Qing Dynasty, beset by internal strife and foreign threats, the court was torn between “coastal defense” and “frontier defense.” Zuo Zongtang pushed through opposition and advocated reclaiming Xinjiang, but received nothing more than an empty title: he had to find his own provisions and pay, and answer for his own life or death.
Over sixty years old, he set out with a coffin, following a strategy of “advancing slowly and striking swiftly.” He crossed thousands of miles of desert, fought fierce battles against powerful enemies, and reclaimed the shattered territory inch by inch.
Yet human nature posed a greater danger than the battlefield. The day of victory was also the beginning of suspicion. When he finally reclaimed the land, he discovered he had fallen into another silent war: his achievements had become a threat to the ruler, and with the enemy gone, he was cast aside.
【Three Major Highlights】
Hard-hitting history: From strategic debates and raising funds for supplies to campaigns on the front lines, witness a real expedition with no golden finger.
A clash of human nature: Zuo Zongtang’s stubborn resolve, Li Hongzhang’s pragmatism, and Empress Dowager Cixi’s political scheming collide fiercely amid the empire’s endgame.
A tragic question: When ideals run up against a rotten system, what are an individual’s loyalty and steadfastness worth?
【The Reading Experience】
Feel the blood and fire of the battlefield, the hidden currents of the imperial court, and a hero poring over maps alone by lamplight as he struggles onward between duty and destiny.
This is an epic about perseverance, sacrifice, and their cost.
The iron-blooded western campaign begins now.
