The book is divided into three parts: “Flames over Bianliang,” “The Bloody Battle in Hebei,” and “Yanyun Returns to Song.” Centered on Miao Shouyi, a fierce general of the Great Song, it tells an epic tale of loyalty to family and country, grand enough to stir the land. As Jin forces march south and Bianliang teeters on the brink, Miao Shouyi rises to the occasion, leading the remnants of his army in a desperate defense of the isolated city and holding up the crumbling Song amid the flames of war.
By imperial command, he heads north and raises an army of three thousand elite troops. At Heishi Ridge, he wins against overwhelming odds; he launches a night raid on a Jin camp, takes Zhending by stratagem, and conquers Zhongshan, sweeping through lost territories across Hebei. At the decisive battle of Wangdu, he crushes the Jin Iron Pagoda troops and their hundred thousand cavalry, routing the main force of Wanyan Zongbi and shaking the northern frontier.
Then he leads his troops beyond the Great Wall and, with allies within and without, recaptures Youzhou, bringing the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, lost for a century, back into China's domain. Miao Shouyi rises from a garrison commander in Bianliang to become the Song's Prince Who Guards the North. His soldiers give their all, the volunteer armies answer his call, and the people rally to his cause. At last, he quells the flames of war on the northern frontier and restores peace across the Song's vast lands.
The story moves at a breakneck pace, packed with thrilling moments. It captures both the bloody battles and the greater duty to family and country, as a peerless warrior rides into battle, reclaims lost lands, and makes himself a legend of the Great Song!
