Novels like A Foundation in Troubled Times
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as A Foundation in Troubled Times, best match first.
- 51 The Great Yan Dynasty’s Number One Foolish Son-in-Law 大炎第一傻婿 I woke up as the foolish son of the prime minister, and somehow I also had a shrewish princess for a fiancée. She had a killer figure, too. Huh? Why do the women of the Great Yan dynasty dress so indecently? Tang Hao clutched his nose as it bled. “Who could possibly resist this?” 87Reads7.2Score—14d adds
- 52 The Empress’s Consort 女帝的小相公 Zhou Rui transmigrates to a fictional dynasty, where he saves a peerlessly beautiful woman with amnesia and marries her. To support his wife, Zhou Rui has no choice but to work hard and make money. "My dear, I just made these stockings. Try them on." "My dear, I just made this lingerie. Try it on." Wu Shuihan: "Husband, I'll come clean. I'm actually the female emperor!" 527Reads8.7Score—14d adds
- 53 Great Tang: From Exiled Prince to Tyrant for the Ages 大唐：从流放皇子到千古暴君 He transmigrates into the body of Li Ke, the third prince of the early Tang dynasty: noble by blood, but out of favor. From the start, he has no soldiers or power, and comes with a boss-level enemy in the form of Changsun Wuji. Fortunately, his System activates and grants him the ability to read people's hearts. He leads the common people in resisting the gentry and seizing their land and grain. He builds an industrial group and establishes a massive trade association. Changsun Wuji? No matter h 134Reads5.1Score12614d adds
- 54 Ghost Ming 鬼明 The sun and moon shine above, the mountains and rivers endure forever: glorious Great Ming, vast and mighty China. Could the Manchu Qing regime, huddled in a corner of the realm, really overthrow the Great Ming, which had ruled the land for centuries? What a weighty and profound question. Could it really happen? Even if it could, there must be some hidden secret behind it. In the first year of the Tianqi reign, a great drought struck the land. Officials drove the people to revolt, and uprisings 629Reads—Score10214d adds
- 55 Dingnan Guard: The Prince of Chu's Residence 定南卫：楚王府 [No System] [No transmigration] [No golden finger] In the fifth year of the Yongwen era of the Great Ning, the seventh prince, Yang Chen, has never been favored in the imperial palace. After unrest breaks out in the southern frontier, he is made Prince of Chu and ordered to leave the capital by a set date. The young prince does not know whether to be glad or worried that this title, once stripped from its previous holder for treason, has now fallen to him. All he can do is ride out of Chang’an t 901Reads7.2Score—14d adds
- 56 Reborn as the Ruler of a Fallen Kingdom 重生之亡国之君 Xiao Lin was a mercenary commander in his previous life. He died during a mission and transmigrated into the body of an ancient emperor whose kingdom had fallen. In this troubled empire, beset on all sides, he is hunted down by rival factions... Through relentless effort, he establishes a foothold, fights to survive, and reclaims the imperial throne! Alternate history + transmigration + reborn 8Reads—Score—14d adds
- 57 Marquis of Zhenhai 镇海侯 Alternate history, jianghu, court politics, butcher, no System Are an enemy’s remains just a corpse beneath your sword? Without a System, I’ll build my own assassin organization. When Li Mo was young, his father disappeared amid a conspiracy. With no choice, he inherited the title and the wealth accumulated by his ancestors, all while hiding his identity for over a decade and waiting for an opportunity. He founded an assassin organization, amassed wealth, forged an elite army, and rode out to m 14Reads—Score—14d adds
- 58 My Fate Is Mine to Command, Not Heaven's! 我命，由我不由天！ The story of a charcoal seller's boy, a dazzling life of breaking through every obstacle. He suppresses the rebel princes. On foot, he wields an invincible Mo Dao, cutting down men and horses alike. He sets out to crush the barbarian tribes. On horseback, his spear moves like a dragon, leaving death and devastation in his wake. On the battlefield, he kills without mercy, piling up such a mountain of blood debt that people call him the King of Hell. In the world of politics, he charges straight a 1.7kReads8.4Score12214d adds
- 59 The Concubine's Son Becomes Emperor 庶子成皇 In the eighteenth year of Longxing, the Great Zhou, which had once united the land under its rule, was already in decline, and the realm was in turmoil. Within its borders, heroes rose from humble beginnings, while powerful clans stood poised to act. Beyond them, the steppe barbarians and fierce warriors of the northern tribes held sway in the lands beyond the desert, weapons at the ready. Beset by troubles at home and abroad, where would this mighty empire go from here? At such a time, the Nort 1.2kReads8.6Score10114d adds
- 60 That Year, That Blade, That World of Rivers and Lakes, That Imperial Court 那年，那刀，那江湖，那庙堂 [Transmigration] + [Alternate World] + [Court Politics] + [Jianghu] + [No System] The special forces king Zhao Chen transmigrates into the body of the heir to the Marquis of Dingguo, a frail scholar. Unfortunately, soon after arriving in the Great Xia Kingdom, his father is framed and dies on the battlefield, his mother dies of grief, and his hereditary title is coveted by the second branch of the family. Watch as he escapes his predicament, leaves the capital, abandons literature for martial ar 26.4kReads8.2Score4.4k14d adds
- 61 Great Qian: Eight Hundred Iron Cavalry from the Start, Unbeatable Under Heaven 大乾：开局八百铁浮屠，天下无敌 [Decisive] + [Summoning] + [Conquest] + [Political Intrigue] Yang Shen transmigrates into the Great Qian dynasty in its 23rd year. Born with blocked meridians, he is regarded as a disgrace to the imperial family. Fortunately, his elder brother, the Crown Prince, treats him kindly and even damages his own cultivation to prolong Yang Shen's life. Just as Yang Shen thinks he is unlike other transmigrators and can spend his life carefree under the Crown Prince's protection, bad news arrives from the 11.7kReads7.3Score64514d adds
- 62 Horseback Hack-and-Slash, Starting with Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI 从三国志11开始骑马砍杀 Transmigrate into a game world and vie for supremacy. Obtain a custom Mount & Blade: Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI MOD System, and keep strengthening and upgrading. Wage all-out war and fight for control of the realm. Meng Wu transmigrates into the game and obtains a custom Mount & Blade: Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI MOD System. He keeps a low profile while building up his strength, recruiting troops, claiming territory, climbing the tech tree, and enhancing himself until he becomes a pe 753Reads6.0Score10414d adds
- 63 The Realm Under the Regional Commanders 天下节度 In the eighth year of Tianfu under the Great Zhou dynasty. That year, Su Yu transmigrates to an unfamiliar era where feudal lords carve up the land, military governors rule their own domains, the common people live in misery, and uprisings erupt across the realm. To survive these chaotic times, he takes on the great clans, defeats local tyrants, builds a new army, establishes new laws, and introduces new institutions. Step by step, he rises to the top and founds a brand-new dynasty. Note: No Sys 1.3kReads7.2Score10014d adds
- 64 A Disastrous Start, Exiled to the Frontier as a Suicide Soldier 天崩开局，被发配到边疆当死士 (Reborn + System + Ruthless + God of War + Campaigning on the Battlefield + Muscle-Bound + Physical Cultivation + Invincible + Comedy) For no apparent reason, Lin Fan was reborn in the Great Xia Dynasty. After beating up the crown prince, he was sent to the frontier from the start, on the verge of becoming cannon fodder. Fortunately, he awakened the [Invincible Body System]. The more enemies he killed, the stronger his body became. Private A: “Why can’t we even scratch him?” General B: “Have you 1.4kReads8.7Score10814d adds
- 65 A New Path at the End of the Tang Dynasty 唐末新轨 Li Mingyuan, a modern social science researcher, transmigrated to the eve of the Huang Chao Rebellion and joined the rebel army as a refugee. Drawing on modern management ideas, he carved out his own domain amid the chaos, established a base, created a system of decentralized governance, and introduced reforms. As the old order crumbled, he used institutional innovation to contend with the regional warlords and rebel forces, seeking a new path that united the ancient and modern worlds in the tur 53Reads6.7Score—14d adds
- 66 I Really Don't Want to Be a Worthy King 我真的不想做贤王啊 Great Wei, year three of Hongde. After more than three hundred years, the battered Great Wei dynasty is on its last legs. Powerful enemies circle beyond its borders, while rebellions by displaced commoners erupt within. At court, the ministers scramble to keep the dynasty alive. Lin Fan: “So, my imperial brother got to enjoy more than a decade of peace and stability, and now the realm falls apart as soon as I take over as regent. Heaven, are you messing with me?” Lin Fan: “I transmigrated here a 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 67 A Hegemony for the Ages 千秋霸业 A true man born between Heaven and Earth should have ambition enough to swallow the world! The sun and moon lose their light, the natural order is overturned, and the Southern Liang and Northern Wei divide the realm between them! This is an age shared by ambitious schemers and master plotters, when heroes and warlords rise one after another! 2.6kReads8.0Score16014d adds
- 68 Twenty Thousand Miles to Andu 此去安都两万里 War is a matter of vital importance to the state, a place of life and death, a path to survival or ruin. It must be studied carefully. A general who understands war holds the lives of the people in his hands and is responsible for the nation's security. After the Shangyu Dynasty, which had ruled vast lands and thirty million people, collapsed, the eighteen regional lords stationed across the realm all raised armies and declared themselves kings, waging war against one another. After more than si 282Reads8.9Score—14d adds
- 69 Building an Empire from Liangzhou! 从凉州建立霸业！ Ma Xie’an is reborn in another world as a young master from a minor family in the Great Zhou dynasty. Since he is not the legitimate eldest son, he has no chance of inheriting the family headship, so he uses his family’s connections to go to Liangzhou. After years of bloody battles and campaigns, he gradually gains control of a border city. When a rebellion breaks out, he swiftly leads his army to take Dunhuang, then uses it as a base to seize control of Liangzhou. Later, the imperial court appo 179Reads6.9Score—14d adds
- 70 Summoning Fierce Generals: Rising from a Nation's Refugees 召唤猛将：从亡国流民开始崛起 [Summoning Mighty Generals] [Surviving in a Chaotic Age] [Alternate History] [Warring States] [Barbarian Invasion] Xiao Liang awakens a summoning interface. Amid a chaotic age of fallen kingdoms and shattered families, he summons elite troops and mighty generals, struggling to survive before ultimately uniting the warring states, sweeping across the eight directions, and bringing all lands under his rule! 734Reads6.5Score—14d adds
- 71 Great Tang: Leveling Up Through Battle to Become a God of War 大唐：战斗升级成战神 [Campaigning + Invincible + Decisive and Ruthless + Contending for Supremacy + Great Tang] Li Xuan's soul traveled back to the period between the fall of the Sui and the rise of the Tang. The Great Tang was just beginning to sweep aside the various warlords and unify the realm. A commoner, he suffered the humiliation of having his marriage proposal rejected. Just when things seemed darkest, his fortunes turned, and he gained an extraordinary golden finger. He resolutely enlisted in the army, ris 467Reads7.3Score10114d adds
- 72 The Strongest Prince of the Great Tang 大唐之最强皇子 Transmigrating to the Tang Dynasty, Li Ke becomes a virtuous prince of the early Tang! But this prosperous Tang is not quite the same! It has not only the twenty-four meritorious officials of the Lingxiao Pavilion, but also ten military governors! In a single day, he turns the tables on treacherous ministers, rebel armies, and insurgents! He secures his position as military governor of Lingnan, taking control of Guangzhou Port, the most prosperous port in the world, and commanding the greatest s 244Reads—Score—14d adds
- 73 Rising to Rule the World, Starting as a Foot Soldier 从小兵开始称霸天下 Xiao Qi was China's strongest special forces soldier. He died a hero while carrying out an overseas mission, but he wasn't dead after all. He had transmigrated to the Great Zhou dynasty, a realm on the verge of collapse. To stay alive, he rose step by step from a lowly soldier, winning glory for himself along the way. 592Reads8.8Score—14d adds
- 74 Abolish the Tyrant 废除昏君 [Superhuman strength] [The art of imperial rule] [Decisive and ruthless] [Wise and courageous] [The pinnacle of martial prowess] [A sworn enemy of evil] [A ruler among the people] An old soldier sacrifices himself to protect his comrades. His soul transmigrates to an unknown ancient world, a world that also has legends of Yan and Huang. Li Yunyang’s soul transmigrates into the body of a seven-year-old farmer’s son. In this ancient world, people eke out a living from the land, natural disasters s 666Reads7.4Score—14d adds
- 75 I Transmigrated to Ancient Times, and After My Business Failed, I Had No Choice but to Rebel 穿越古代，经商失败的我只好造反 Modern young man Li Qi accidentally transmigrates to ancient times. With the help of a System, he initially plans to make his way as a merchant. But as a farmer with no connections to protect him, he nearly gets killed for his money. If the merchant's path is closed, then I have no choice but to raise an army and rebel. In two and a half years, he overthrows the Dacheng Dynasty. In the year after founding his own kingdom, he subdues the northern nomads and wipes out his fishing-and-hunting neigh 455Reads6.6Score—14d adds
- 76 The Edge of the Blade 兵锋天下 Every inch of our land is soaked in blood; for every hundred thousand soldiers, there are a hundred thousand sons. In uniform, I am a god of war. Once I take it off, they call me the Owl! 805Reads8.6Score11314d adds
- 77 Great Waves Rise from Gentle Ripples 浪成于微澜 The wind rises at the tips of duckweed; the waves begin with the smallest ripples. In Guangyang City, a burly man casually places a stinking Fanyang hat on a beggar’s head. “From now on, you’re a soldier of Great Liang!” The beggar looks helplessly at the mangled corpse beside him. A battle cry rings out from the distant city wall... He fought across three thousand miles in a lifetime, his sword once holding back a million troops. Thirty years later, before a dilapidated temple, a dignified old 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 78 The Strongest Crown Prince in History 史上最强太子爷 After getting drunk, he wakes up to find he has transmigrated into the body of a useless crown prince? And he's about to be deposed? There’s no way he’s getting deposed! Not in this lifetime! The realm? Women? Wealth! I’ll take it all! 29Reads7.3Score—14d adds
- 79 The Peerless Emperor: The Everlasting Emperor 极品皇爷：长青帝 Li Changqing, a wage worker with a two-year college degree, transmigrates into the body of the Great Qin Emperor. From then on, he wields power over all beneath Heaven by day and rests with beauties in his arms by night. But corrupt officials hold sway, graft runs rampant, and foreign tribes invade, among one crisis after another. Li Changqing has no choice but to take up the butcher's knife and become a tyrant for the ages! Those who follow me will prosper; those who oppose me will perish! As t 914Reads8.5Score10114d adds
- 80 Reborn as a Soldier, Rising in the Late Ming 重生小兵，崛起在明末 (Late Ming Dynasty + passionate + ruthless conquest + hegemony + war + farming) Li Junye accidentally transmigrates to the final years of the Ming Dynasty. Through relentless effort, he finally builds an invincible army... He leads his troops on campaigns across the land, carving out a place for himself amid the chaos. A brand-new empire rises, spreading his ideals to every inch of its territory. 582Reads7.7Score—14d adds
- 81 The Invincible Heir 世子无敌 What should you do if you transmigrate to another world with no powerful connections? Zhao Yun said, “No problem! When you're out in the world, you make your own identity. First, get control of the army, then make money, and give yourself the title of heir to a prince.” After years of scheming, his useless father became a prince with a different surname, and he became Great Xia's most useless princely heir. Now he had powerful connections. Zhao Yun said, “A life of luxury and pleasure is the goo 20Reads5.9Score—14d adds
- 82 The Great General Who Protects the Nation 护国大将军 After getting drunk and falling into a sewer, Wang Zheng somehow transmigrates to the baffling Zheng Dynasty. From then on, he begins a life of warfare and beautiful women at his side. This is a lighthearted, humorous story that feels close to everyday life. 5Reads8.3Score—14d adds
- 83 The Border City Crossbowman 边城游弩手 (Note: A traditional alternate-history novel, with no System and no wish-fulfillment.) A war to conquer a nation, fought by nobodies rising to prominence. A struggle for power full of ingenious schemes. The empire falls apart, and the chaos of war rises once more. A corrupt and twisted Confucian regime, powerful clans seizing land, warlords entrenched in their own territories, and barbarians watching hungrily from the sidelines. Clashing ideologies, rigid class divisions, a turbulent political l 645Reads8.9Score—14d adds
- 84 The Ninth Prince of Liang 梁朝九皇子 [Ensemble cast + political intrigue + no System + fictional setting] A king is one whom all under Heaven turn to. A ruler brings people together; one who can unite them is fit to rule all under Heaven. Receiving Heaven’s mandate above and protecting the common people below, ushering out the old and bringing in the new, and reshaping the world: this is what it means to be a king. After being poisoned, the soul of a modern man, Su Chengjin, falls into the treacherous struggle for the throne and be 41.3kReads8.4Score3.5k14d adds
- 85 Claiming the Throne 称皇 [Alternate history] [Crown prince succession] [Political intrigue] [Emperor] [Ensemble cast] [play the pig to eat the tiger] In the waning years of the Great Zhou, the empire teeters on the brink of collapse, and every failing of the dynasty is laid bare. The nation is impoverished and weak, class divisions grow ever more severe, powerful enemies circle beyond its borders, and treacherous ministers plot within. The emperor is incomp 20Reads—Score—14d adds
- 86 Transmigrating to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms as an Empress 穿越到五代十国当女帝 I'm an ordinary female liberal arts student. After an accident, I transmigrated to the Later Jin and became Shi Jingtang's youngest daughter. I put my knowledge of history to use, sweeping across the land with a million troops, conquering the eight corners of the world, uniting the four seas, and winning the hearts of all under heaven. I gathered the finest weapons, recruited elite troops, armed myself to the teeth, and joined the heroes of the land in vying for supremacy over the Central Plains 806Reads—Score—14d adds
- 87 Husband of the Wind: The Rise of an Empire 夫风者：帝国崛起 As the Great Yan Empire falls apart, Dongfang Yin, a descendant of the imperial bloodline, rises in the east. Using both covert schemes and open strategies, he battles sects plunging the world into chaos, brings warring states to heel, hunts down the mastermind behind the empire's collapse, and unites the ancient realm of Zhongding. An ancient war novel. 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 88 Transmigrated to the Northern Song, I Get a Million Heavy Cavalry Through Sign-In 穿越北宋，签到获得百万重骑 [Transmigration]+ [Sign-In]+ [Unify the World] Qi Xiao transmigrated to the second year of the Jingkang era in the Northern Song Dynasty and obtained a sign-in System. Congratulations, sign-in successful: reward, one heavy cavalryman! Qi Xiao: “Zhao Gou! Why did you rebel?” Qi Xiao: “There are a hundred different ways to write the word ‘hello,’ and none of them recognize one another. It's extremely inconvenient. Once I unify the world, I will abolish all those miscellaneous scripts and leave onl 17.1kReads7.3Score1.2k14d adds
- 89 Transmigrate as a Good-for-Nothing: From Playboy to Prince of the North 穿越废柴从纨绔到镇北亲王 A modern veteran transmigrates into the past and becomes Lin Chen, the most useless second son in the Minister of Revenue’s household. A drunkard, a gambler, a coward with no ability, he’s a laughingstock everyone tramples on. But the moment he opens his eyes, his brilliance blazes forth, and no one in the world can stop him! He takes on his elder brother, crushes spoiled brats, and turns the capital’s elite upside down, rising from a good-for-nothing to the most formidable official’s son! The b 12.9kReads8.2Score1.3k14d adds
- 90 Weapons Delivered from the Start: I Use Japanese Pirates as Test Subjects 开局送武器，我拿倭寇做实验 On the day I transmigrated, I caught Japanese pirates bullying my sister-in-law. The System popped up: [Option One: Swear brotherhood with the pirates. Reward: Japanese sword-drawing skills after two and a half years of practice] [Option Two: Pretend to be blind and run. Reward: One motorized tricycle] [Option Three: Rescue my sister-in-law. Reward: One pistol] I chose option three and shot a pirate dead. I thought I was on my way to the top of the world from then on... Until I ran into thre 34Reads—Score—14d adds
- 91 Reborn in 1937: I Lead a Routed Army in the Defense of Nanjing 魂穿1937：我带着溃兵守南京 As the Japanese invaders' iron hooves trampled China's magnificent lands, as a million Nationalist troops at Songhu retreated from the front lines like a receding tide, the Chinese nation faced its most perilous hour. Nanjing, the capital, faced its most perilous hour, too. When the Nationalist high command and its elite troops chose to abandon the city, one Nationalist regiment commander, Song Shaojie, became the sole man to go against the tide of this rout, leading a band of scattered soldiers 11Reads—Score—14d adds
- 92 Who Says Beibei City Has Firearms? That's a Tiger Tank! 谁说拒北城有火器，那叫虎式坦克 213Reads8.7Score—14d adds
- 93 The First Tyrant of Great Zhou 大周第一暴君 A legendary God of War transmigrates to an unknown war-torn continent and becomes the tyrant emperor of Great Zhou! Power-hungry ministers dominate the court, conspiracies run rampant in the harem, and the feudal lords outside the capital command armies of their own. Meanwhile, foreign enemies watch hungrily from the sidelines! See how Tang Mou plots to conquer the realm, dominates the martial world, and claims both the empire and its beauties! 193Reads5.1Score—14d adds
- 94 Conquer the Realm: I’ll Unite the Land and Claim the Seven Princesses 争霸：不仅统一天下还要七国公主 An Peng transmigrates to Great Qi. The new emperor ascends the throne, and Zhao's army invades. He burns 100,000 Zhao soldiers in a valley, then floods Yancheng, beginning a campaign to help the emperor unify the realm. But after the greedy, lustful An Peng captures a princess of Zhao, he sets his sights on grand ambitions. He intends not only to make a name for himself, but also to marry the princesses of all seven kingdoms. 11Reads—Score—14d adds
- 95 Transmigrating as a Profligate Heir, Yet You Force Me to Rebel 穿越纨绔世子，你们却逼我造反 After transmigrating, Xiao Yi awakens to find himself a disgraced heir wanted by the imperial court. The Northern Pacification Prince’s household has been framed by treacherous men and charged with rebellion. Every member of the family has been slaughtered. The original owner refused to be bound by an arranged marriage, fled to Daheng, then drank himself to death in the snow. A wanted criminal, Xiao Yi takes the alias Song Yi and hides in the Marquis of Wu’an’s residence, where he lives as a low —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 96 The Empire's Turmoil: The Sixth Prince's Comeback 帝阙风云：六王子的逆袭 Yuan Tai transmigrates into the Tianyuan Dynasty as its useless Sixth Prince. From the start, the Third Prince frames him as a remnant of the former Crown Prince’s faction. He can’t take it anymore, so he kicks the Third Prince right where it hurts. “I just want to quietly build up my strength. Why does everyone keep trying to bully me?” Years later, standing beneath the gates of the imperial capital with countless troops at his command, Yuan Tai says just that. Third Prince: “Sixth Brother, you —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 97 The Entire Army, Form Up! 全军列阵 Dragons really do exist in this world. They're also called emperors, wielding power over all under heaven, and every dragon has a scale it can't bear to have touched... Hey! I plucked them all myself. 109Reads9.1Score—14d adds
- 98 Late Tang: Book of Turmoil 晚唐：乱世书 [Late Tang Dynasty] [Rebel Army] [Decisive and Ruthless] [Unify the Realm] The difficulty is hell from the start! For other people, joining the army means getting killed. For me, it's starting a business! From a low-ranking auxiliary soldier in Huang Chao's army, one who could die at any moment, to the founding dynasty's Grand General Who Guards the Nation. From the corpse-strewn lands of Lingnan to Chang'an, where rivers of blood flowed. From a regional warlord ruling the northern frontier to t 280Reads—Score10014d adds
- 99 The Tumultuous Chen Wu Era 陈武风云 Orphaned at a young age, he was adopted by a prince and sent to fight on the battlefield. After the dynasty fell, the Governor of Luoyang gave him a position, allowing him to establish a foothold in the Central Plains. When the governor died, he built his power from the Central Plains and seized Guanzhong. With nothing left, he made a comeback in Shu, unified the various kingdoms, ended the age of chaos, and brought prosperity to the people. 14Reads—Score—14d adds
- 100 A New Era for All Under Heaven 天下更始 The Chen Dynasty has stood for three hundred years since its founding by the Grand Ancestor. Though it has had several emperors who revived the dynasty and rulers who diligently maintained the realm, its institutions have grown rigid. When a foolish emperor takes the throne, generations of effort can be undone in an instant. Faced with a broken realm, Emperor Ling wanted to make a difference, but fate was against him. A crushing military defeat and a ruined economy left him with no choice but to 48Reads—Score—14d adds
