Carving Out a Realm in Cangwu

In the final years of the Dachang Dynasty, the Blazing Star throws the heavens into chaos, the Red Turbans sweep across the land, and the Nine Provinces splinter apart. Qin Zheng, a declining local strongman from Cangwu, swears to protect the people with three hundred village volunteers. He meets Huo Qing, a stern-faced Confucian general; Yan Pojun, a fierce warrior with the aura of a demon; and Ling Wuchen, a brilliant strategist dressed in white. The four form a blood pact on Cangwu Mountain, carving their oath into a stone stele. In the name of benevolence and righteousness, they rally allies; with courage and cunning, they break through every crisis. From the small city of Cangwu to the fertile lands of Jingxiang, from the bountiful region of Bashu to the thousand-mile northern frontier, they set Chiji Crossing ablaze, outwit their way into Bashu, and sweep aside their rivals, ultimately founding the Great Zhou Dynasty. But as Qin Zheng ascends the throne, his original ideals begin to erode. The sharp edge of the Black Ice Terrace becomes a source of suspicion, and his brothers’ loyalty becomes an obstacle to power. Yan Pojun dies with a grudge in his heart. Huo Qing passes away, disillusioned, and Ling Wuchen retreats from the world in white. The realm is unified, and the Nine Provinces belong to Zhou. Qin Zheng commands an empire stretching for thousands of miles, yet all that remains by his side is a lonely shrine on Cangwu Mountain, a weathered stele, the dregs of old wine, and an endless night. This is an epic of a warlord’s rise amid chaos, and a mournful elegy for the way power devours loyalty: even the most passionate sworn brotherhood cannot withstand the cold, lonely path of an emperor.