In the chaotic final years of the Han dynasty, war raged everywhere, famine swept the land, and human lives were worth no more than weeds. Su Yanzhi was an ordinary farmer from the outskirts of Luoyang. He lived with his father, Su Wangshu, his mother, Wen Yuheng, and his wife, Shen Qingyan, asking only to survive the turmoil and keep his family safe. Then, by chance, he gained the ability to receive "one intelligence report a day." The reports might reveal changes in grain prices, the movements of armies, the secrets of the warlords, or ways to avoid danger.
From using news about grain prices to trade for half a sack of millet and survive a famine, to opening up trade routes with intelligence on the warlords; from supplying grain to Cao Cao's army and devising a surprise attack on Wuchao, to trading across borders between Wei, Shu, and Wu; from avoiding the fires of the Battle of Guandu and the smoke of Chibi, to predicting the course of the turbulent age through his intelligence, stockpiling supplies, expanding trade routes, and acquiring land, Su Yanzhi gradually rises from a lowly farmer to a wealthy merchant whose business spans north and south.
He wields intelligence like a blade, unraveling the chaos of the age and escaping the ravages of war. With his family always in mind, he keeps his parents safe and stays by his wife's side, while teaching his eldest son, Su Chengyan, and second son, Su Chengyan, to study intelligence and protect and grow the family business. He has no grand dreams of riding into battle and no ambition to hold power over the court. He has only one simple resolve: with one report a day, keep his family safe for a lifetime.
From surviving famine in the final years of Emperor Ling's reign, to expanding trade routes during the Three Kingdoms, and finally securing his family's future after the Jin dynasty is established, Su Yanzhi and his family navigate an age of war with intelligence as their boat and affection as their sail. Amid blades and bloodshed, they forge a path of their own: protecting their family, building their enterprise, and passing it down through the generations. Their story holds the simple perseverance and fulfillment people seek in a chaotic age.
