A Tiger Swallowing Ten Thousand Miles: The Life of Liu Yu

Name: A Tiger Swallowing Ten Thousand Miles: The Life of Liu Yu
Author: Old Chen, Direct Secretary

气吞万里如虎：刘裕大传

by Old Chen, Direct Secretary (直秘阁老陈)

Status: Completed
Length: 439k Words
Genre: Historical
Subgenre: Historical & Ancient
Updated: 5mo ago
Source: Fanqie

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Synopsis

In a turbulent age, heroes rose one after another, and Liu Yu, Emperor Wu of the Southern Song, was the most dazzling legend of the period from the late Eastern Jin to the early Southern Dynasties. Born into a humble family in Jingkou, he was driven by the bold spirit of a chaotic age. Armored and armed, he rode through war and upheaval, crushing Huan Xuan and suppressing Lu Xun, then destroying Southern Yan, Qiao Shu, and Later Qin. With iron resolve and strategic brilliance, he brought the chaos of the Eastern Jin to an end and founded the Liu Song dynasty, embodying the imperial might of one "whose aura could swallow ten thousand miles like a tiger." Historical records say this founding emperor, a warrior all his life, died at the age of sixty. Just as his ambitions remained unfulfilled and his life hung by a thread, a chance to defy fate and redeem him quietly appeared. The novel The Tiger Whose Aura Swallowed Ten Thousand Miles: A Biography of Liu Yu follows Liu Yu's extraordinary life, with a parallel storyline featuring the mysterious diviner Wang Yao. The diviners had endured and kept faith for generations, abiding by their ancestral precepts for a thousand years. But driven by conviction and a sense of responsibility, Wang Yao breaks their ironclad rule: "observe the currents, but never interfere." When Liu Yu reaches sixty, drained of life and standing at death's door, Wang Yao is willing to sacrifice years of his own life to defy fate for this legendary emperor whose story ended too soon, granting him another thirty years. Can these years won by defying fate allow Liu Yu to fulfill his lifelong dream of unifying the realm, and make his decades of warfare and the sacrifices of his sworn brothers worthwhile? What response will the diviner's resolute sacrifice ultimately bring? Every line evokes the desolation of a chaotic age and the tragic grandeur of its heroes. With a weighty, powerful focus on Liu Yu's legendary life, this is a book worth reading for anyone who loves history and tales of political intrigue.

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