The northern wind drives the snow, and Yanmen Pass stands on the brink of disaster. At twenty-five, famed general Nan Yiba commands fifty thousand battered troops, facing three hundred thousand Xiongnu cavalry, while the treacherous court official Wang Dun withholds provisions and plots to trap him. At this desperate moment, the mysterious woman Liu Ruyan, whom he rescued from a Xiongnu prisoner-of-war camp half a month earlier, steps forward. Drawing on her intimate knowledge of the Xiongnu and her exceptional strategic mind, she proposes a plan to sow discord. Black Wind Pass is treacherous terrain; the Left Wise King is greedy for wealth, while the Right Sage King lusts after women. Liu Ruyan volunteers to lead a team in disguise and infiltrate the area, hoping to exploit the rivalry between the two factions and spark internal conflict. Nan Yiba remains at the pass, holding his troops together through sheer force of will as he waits for a chance to break the stalemate. This surprise raid on a snowy night will determine not only the fate of Yanmen Pass, but also whether Nan Yiba can break free of his shackles, purge the emperor’s court of traitors, and embark on his path to supremacy. Liu Ruyan’s mysterious past and daring also lay an unknown twist in the path of this turbulent age.
