The Northern Army's Comeback: The Aristocratic Clans Are All on Their Knees

South of the Yangtze, the Wang and Xie clans remain illustrious. Famous scholars wave their feather fans and talk of philosophy, captivated by the mysteries of the universe. The ink at the Orchid Pavilion has yet to dry, and the setting sun still bathes the entrance to Black Garment Alley. Xie Daoyun's line, "It is more like willow catkins rising on the wind," captures the last elegance of the Eastern Jin literati, its fame lingering in the misty rains of the south.

Look north, and devastation stretches as far as the eye can see. The iron hooves of northern cavalry trample cities as rival factions fight among themselves. Luoyang and Chang'an, the two capitals, have been lost for a century. The people suffer terribly, and cruelty born of these chaotic times is everywhere in the north.

In this fractured age, one man rises from Jingkou. Born to a poor family, he joins the ranks and uses the elite Northern Army to range across the land. He quells internal rebellions, campaigns against Lu Xun, destroys Huan Xuan, leads a northern expedition, conquers Southern Yan and Later Qin, and recovers the old capital of the Central Plains, his ambition sweeping across ten thousand miles like a tiger. Born in lowly circumstances, he shakes the realm and challenges the entrenched order of the great clans.

The refined music of scholarly discussions, the laments of the north, and the beating drums and blaring horns of battle echo together. The setting sun of the great clans, the rise of the poor, and the blood and tears of history are all written into this turbulent era.