In the fifth year of Zhengguang under the Northern Wei, the Six Garrisons were on the verge of rebellion. When Cheng Lie opened his eyes, he had become a newly enlisted soldier in Huaishuo Garrison. His military token had no number on the back. On the frontier, a man without a number could die without even being counted among the fallen.
Cheng Lie climbed out of a pile of corpses, killed mounted scouts, seized warhorses, and rallied the remnants. With nine men, he blocked a ten-yard-wide ravine and faced Kuti's thousand cavalry.
Heads earned military merit, military merit earned him troops, and troops earned him command. But there was a fourth thing in the northern frontier: the register. Only those entered in it counted as people.
He would take up his blade and force the men with pens to write his name down.
