Reborn as a Failed Scholar, I Abandoned Literature and Raised an Army to Conquer the Realm

Shen An, an impoverished scholar who had failed the examinations eighteen times, is reborn at the end of a dynasty, carrying the regrets of a lifetime spent studying by lamplight. After witnessing bandits slaughter his neighbors and his parents die beneath their blades, he tears up the classics of the sages and gives up on a career through the imperial examinations.

Drawing on the skills of calculation and planning he honed through study in his previous life, he swears brotherhood with Zhao Shuo, an orphan of the frontier army, and gathers scattered, defeated soldiers. The strategist Chen Xuan offers him plans for conquering the realm; salt merchant Su Yao supplies a steady stream of grain and weapons; and Zhang Ye, an heir of the previous dynasty, lends him the old dynasty's military seal and secret network.

The northern warlord Murong Lie and provincial governor Wang Xun each command powerful armies. Colluding with foreign tribes and exploiting the people, they plunge the land into chaos and misery. Shen starts out in a humble village school, raiding supply trains, seizing counties, and sowing discord among rival powers. With a single plan and a ragtag force, he gradually devours the warlords' territories.

At home, he resettles refugees and reforms the administration; beyond his borders, he holds off cavalry and opens up the grain and salt routes, establishing a safe haven amid the flames of war. The impoverished scholar whom everyone once looked down on will eventually crush the various separatist powers, march on Luoyang, end the turmoil, and found a brand-new dynasty from humble beginnings.