Books and Swords in the Prosperous Tang Dynasty

The land is picturesque, its people remarkable. This is the heart of the world: the Tang Dynasty. Its armies bring the Four Barbarians to heel, and the Silk Road begins here. This, too, is the Tang Dynasty.

Li Cheng cannot change this magnificent, turbulent age, so he adapts to it. Emerging from the flames of war on the northwestern grasslands, he slowly makes his way into the treacherous imperial court. On the battlefield, he is an undefeated general; at court, a capable minister who brings peace and prosperity. Away from official life, he is a poet of incomparable grace and a quiet recluse who delights in mountains and rivers.

At a turning point in history, he departs in silence, leaving the river of history to flow freely onward.