Thunderous Passion

The story takes place in an age when the land has only just begun to recover from war. Fifteen years ago, a league of ten barbarian states, including the Turks, the Rouran, the Yuezhi, and the Northern Jie, led their armies into the Central Plains. How could a nation of gentlemen, long untested by war, stand against fierce nomadic tribes like wolves and tigers? The barbarian armies swept forward unchecked, and in an instant, flames of war spread across the Central Plains. The imperial court moved its capital several times, yet could not escape the threat of enemy troops at its gates. At this moment of life and death, Lei Jingtian, a wealthy merchant who had made his home in the south of the Yangtze, rose up in fury. He sacrificed his fortune to save the nation, gave away his entire million-coin estate, raised an army of volunteers, abandoned commerce for military service, and marched north to defend the emperor. His son, Lei Zhan, only thirteen years old, mounted a warhorse on the strength of his father's steadfast support. For years, neither father nor son returned to the soft green hills and rosy blossoms of the south, or to their gentle, welcoming home. Though Lei Jingtian had been a merchant, his outrage on behalf of his country and family drove him to take up arms, and he revealed an astonishing talent for military strategy. Thirteen-year-old Lei Zhan was a fearless young tiger, already showing his sharp edge and standing on his own despite his tender age. The Jingtian Army turned the tide and grew ever more renowned, while the imperial court remained weak and intent only on making peace, allowing the situation to grow worse by the day.