Chronicles of the Bandit Army

Lin Xiao opens his eyes to a late Ming dynasty engulfed in flames of war. He has become the leader of three thousand rebel troops under Zhang Xianzhong, standing at a crossroads of history: follow the Eighth King into Sichuan and die in defeat four years later, or break away and strike out on his own for a chance to survive.

“Going into Sichuan is a death sentence. I'm not going along with it.”

He uses a clever ruse to slip away with three thousand old comrades and plunges into the vast, rugged mountains of Wuling. Others call him a bandit, but he means to turn their den into a paradise amid the chaos. They clear land and grow crops, restore military discipline, and build a new army. The three thousand rebels transform completely into a disciplined “People's Protection Army.”

Chongzhen hangs himself, the Qing army enters the pass, and the realm falls into chaos. As Li Zicheng is defeated, Zhang Xianzhong is destroyed, and the Southern Ming generals surrender at the first sign of trouble, this lone force hidden in the mountains quietly emerges.

They take Changde, fight at Yuezhou, capture Changsha, and repel the Qing army.

From three thousand battered soldiers to an army of a hundred thousand; from rebel leader to Prince of Chu, establishing his own court.

Ten years of endurance cannot cool his burning heart. From the darkest depths of the late Ming, he carves out a path to the Forbidden City by sheer force.