Xie Jinyao, born into a humble family, transmigrates into an age of turmoil armed with modern military strategy. He rises through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, only to face his archrival, Chu Zhaolin. The crown prince, who should have died young, has defied fate and taken command of the Longyuan Guard. From treating each other as blades aimed at one another to secretly forging an alliance, the two enter a deadly game for the realm amid the spreading flames of war. One uses brilliant schemes to break the power of the great clans; the other rules the land through blood and iron. Border battles, undercurrents at court, and ministers plotting against one another are all part of their contest. Xie Jinyao’s designs for firearms are hidden in a fragmentary manuscript, while Chu Zhaolin’s nine-layered dragon-scale armor is stained with the blood of loyal souls. Who is the true master chosen by fate? With their blood still hot and their horses still running, they wager their lives to establish a new order for the realm.
