At the end of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the realm was divided three ways: He Liuhun ruled Hebei, Yuwen Tai commanded the western passes, and Xiao Pusa governed Jiangdong through Buddhism. War raged without end, and the common people were treated like blades of grass.
Chen Qingzhi was born into a poor family, and both his parents were killed in the chaos of war. While fleeing, he received the art of war from a mysterious stranger and gathered a band of followers in the Taihang Mountains. Starting with just a few hundred refugees, he redistributed farmland, trained a new army, and recruited talented people. In an age of heroes, he quietly rose to power.
At Yecheng, he defeated Gao Huan. Beneath Chang'an, he brought Yuwen Tai to heel. In Jiankang, he took Jiangnan. At the Battle of Heqiao, he crushed the Turks. The ragged child of humble birth would ultimately become a founding emperor.
This is the story of one man's defiance of fate, and of a people reborn through fire. Cross the Taihang Mountains, ford the Yangtze, unite the realm, and build an empire anew!
