The smoke of war still hung over the Huaihai battlefield when Li Yunlong opened his eyes and found himself transformed into Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. There were no Italian cannons in sight, only Yang Xiuqing putting on a divine act, Wei Changhui pilfering provisions, and a band of gaunt soldiers who relied on incense and prayers to fight.
When Yang Xiuqing staged the absurd farce of being possessed by the Heavenly Father, Li Yunlong called him out on the spot, claiming he had personally received a new decree from the Heavenly Father: abolish divine authority and ban empty rituals. When he discovered that the Holy Treasury was piled high with provisions while the soldiers went hungry, he ruthlessly stamped out corruption, abolished communal rations, and introduced distribution according to work. On the training ground, he rejected showy drills and personally taught his brothers how to fight, vowing to forge a force capable of winning hard-fought battles.
Crude and domineering Li Yunlong has collided with the corrupt, chaotic Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Using the iron-fisted methods of a seasoned commander, he sets the government in order, tightens military discipline, and builds weapons. He must deal with Yang Xiuqing’s counterattack and Wei Changhui’s lip service, while also holding off the Qing demons lurking outside the city.
Can Li Yunlong, once the commander of the Independent Regiment and now the Heavenly King of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, turn the kingdom’s fortunes around through sheer force of will? Can he lead a band of peasant brothers to drive out the Qing demons and carve out a different path to survival?
