Xiao Che, a low-ranking military officer stationed at Heroic Bastion, a fortress in the desolate northern frontier, opens his eyes to a desperate situation, his wounds not yet healed. Outside the walls, the Kelei cavalry bears down like a dark cloud. Inside, food has run out, reinforcements are nowhere to be seen, and morale is crumbling. Meanwhile, suspicion and schemes from the imperial court coil around him like venomous snakes.
One step back means death. One step forward might offer a chance to survive. Armed with gunpowder knowledge far ahead of its time and fearless grit, Xiao Che upgrades the firearms and rallies the surviving troops. With extraordinary courage, he turns the tide before an army of thousands and defeats the enemy, shocking the world with a single battle. Yet his great victories on the frontier earn him deeper suspicion and fabricated charges. The struggle for the throne between the Crown Prince and the Third Prince sweeps him and his soldiers into a bloody game for the empire's highest power.
From holding a lonely fortress to rushing to the aid of Shuofang, from purging corrupt officials at the emperor's side to saving the nation from disaster, Xiao Che uses fire and blood as his ink, drawing a domain of his own across the empire's northern frontier. Wherever his firearms point, the powerful invaders are reduced to ashes. Wherever his schemes reach, the court's balance of power is overturned. When the old throne collapses and the jade seal, symbol of supreme authority, flees west, Xiao Che faces a choice between a crown within his grasp and the hopes of the people under heaven. He makes a decision that transcends his age:
The realm should no longer belong to one man or one ruling house. He will join the people of the realm to forge a new path, one the world has never seen before.
This is an epic about a lowly soldier, the upheaval of an age, and a stirring song of survival, justice, and transcendence.
The third chapter completes the wonderful transition from "surviving in the wilderness" to "seeking skin from a tiger". The description of the environment of the ghost market is full of camera sense, and the gray area of steaming steam and mixed fish and dragons is vividly displayed on the page. The most shocking thing is of course the test explosion at the racecourse - the loud "boom" not only stunned the guards in the book, but also seemed to explode in the readers' ears, instantly making people understand the weight of this "curious item" that can subvert the rules. Madam Su appears in a few words but her aura is full of energy. Every word of temptation and condition she makes reveals shrewdness and danger. The restraint and bottom line shown by the protagonist in the negotiation (sticking to the formula and striving for core autonomy) make people see that he is no longer a fugitive simply seeking survival, but a potential chess player with bargaining chips. The completion of the deal is not the end. Madam Su's unfathomable eyes and the condition of "exclusive agency" clearly indicate more complex bonds and crises. Fifty taels of gold and Heishuiyu Villa are hope and a new cage. People can't wait to see how the protagonist builds his first foothold on the edge of this knife.
A very nice book