Dragons at War in a Chaotic Age
The glorious Tang collapses, and the realm descends into chaos. The Yellow River bursts its banks, the people are driven from their homes, and harsh rule prevails. Huang Chao gathers followers and raises an army. His iron hooves sweep north and south, striking straight for Chang'an and ushering in a century of turmoil.
The winds shift, and warlords rise. Zhu Wen betrays Qi and surrenders to Tang, establishing himself in Bianliang. Li Keyong's Shatuo cavalry strikes fear into Hedong. The Battle of Shangyuan Post leaves Liang and Jin bound by a bitter blood feud, facing off across the north and south in unending warfare. Zhu Wen usurps the Tang and founds Liang, bringing three hundred years of Tang rule to an abrupt end. The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms erupt in flames.
Li Cunxu fulfills his father's dying charge to avenge him, defeats Yan, destroys Liang, restores Tang, and proclaims himself emperor, only to die after favoring actors. Shi Jingtang cedes the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun to the Khitan and serves them, inviting wolves into his home and leaving the gates to the Central Plains wide open. In this chaotic age, rulers are murdered, ministers are ruthless, warlords command their own armies, and prefectures attack one another. Corpses litter the Central Plains for thousands of miles, while the people struggle to survive amid the fighting.
The Later Tang is torn by repeated infighting, and the Later Jin falls to the Khitan. Guo Wei founds Zhou and gives the people time to recover. Chai Rong governs with determination, redistributes land, cuts taxes, campaigns west against Later Shu, leads three expeditions against Southern Tang, and marches north against the Khitan to reclaim the Three Passes. His bow and blade are still in action, his arrowheads still dusted with frost from Youzhou, when he dies before fulfilling his ambitions. In the south, the kingdoms of Wu flourish, Wuyue thrives on trade, Min and Chu keep to their own corners, Southern Tang cultivates an elegant culture, and Later Shu prospers. All eventually rise and fall between division and surrender.
After the Chenqiao Mutiny, Zhao Kuangyin is vested with the Yellow Robe and replaces Zhou with Song. He secures the allegiance of his generals over a cup of wine, then sends his armies north and south: pacifying Jinghu, destroying Later Shu, subduing Southern Han, and laying siege to Jinling. Li Yu surrenders, Wuyue yields its lands, and the Ten Kingdoms are reunited. At last, the scattered people once again see cooking smoke rise from their homes.
Dragons at War in a Chaotic Age takes its shape from its characters, its pulse from its battles, and its heart from the common people. It paints a sweeping portrait of an epic age of turmoil, where the bloodshed and scheming of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms intertwine with the rise and fall of nations and the choices made along the way.
