During the Jiayou period of the Northern Song Dynasty, Wang Shao, a Jinshi, resigned from his post as chief registrar and traveled westward alone for ten years in the wilderness between Qin and Wei. He drew maps, visited Tibetan tribes, learned riding and archery, and wrote the "Pingrong Policy" which shocked the government and the public as a commoner.
Emperor Shenzong made an exception, and Wang Shao led the army with a scholar. In fifty-four days, he recovered the six states of Xi, He, Tao, Min, Die, and Dan, and expanded the territory for two thousand miles. He rode alone into the enemy camp, and the Tubo leader Yu Longke called him "big brother"; he led his army across the Tao River, but his face was cut into pieces by ice and debris without changing his expression. It was the most glorious victory in border defense since the founding of the Northern Song Dynasty.
However, the hero on the battlefield became a "patient" in the court. He didn't know how to be an official, couldn't stand in line, and couldn't pretend to be humble in front of the emperor - he was demoted again and again because of his arrogance and madness based on his merit. In his later years, he sat alone in the official residence of Junzhou, with only the map that took him six years to draw to accompany him.
This is a story about ideals, loneliness and forgetfulness. The hero has traveled two thousand miles, but cannot escape the hearts of the people.
Intent: The loneliness and disillusionment of idealists caught in the cracks of reality - a person can regain two thousand miles of land for the country, but cannot learn how to be a "normal person" in the court. The novel explores: When pure ideals collide with complex power fields, is sticking to one's heart noble or "crazy"? History remembers his military exploits, but forgets his crushed life. The real tragedy is not to die in battle, but to live and be abandoned by the times.