"You think the Ming dynasty fell in 1644? No. It died in 1662, or perhaps it never truly died."
When news of Beijing's fall reaches Jiangnan, the scholars and gentry assume it is merely another southward flight of the court. They have no idea that this time, the invaders from the north are not barbarians who can be assimilated into Han culture, but conquerors bent on completely rewriting the order of the world. And before the Qing armies even march south, the southern courts that claim to be the rightful successors are already rotten from within.
This is not merely the old story of a southern dynasty clinging to a corner of the realm. It is a death spiral of infighting, betrayal, massacres, and exile.
This is no romantic epic of loyal ministers and righteous heroes, but a portrait of complicated human nature: Shi Kefa holding out in Yangzhou, Qian Qianyi saying the water was too cold, and Wu Sangui switching sides time and again...
