The Jin Dynasty Rises Again

People often say, “The Three Kingdoms used up all the heroes’ mettle, and the Jin dynasties produced nothing but cowards.” Little do they know that the Jin dynasties still had men of integrity, and their heroes were not yet gone! First came Liu Kun. As the dust of the Hu armies darkened the sky, he held Bingzhou, in the area of present-day Taiyuan, Shanxi, alone for nearly ten years. One melody on the hujia flute sent ten thousand troops fleeing, making him the last lone bastion of the Han people in the north. Yet one man could not hold out alone. Framed and forced to die in despair, he left behind the timeless lament: “How did a hundred times-tempered steel become soft as a finger’s embrace?” Then came Zu Ti. With little to his name, he led a hundred or so followers across the river with resolve. Striking the oars midstream, he swore, “If I do not cleanse the Central Plains and cross back again, may I be swept away like this great river!” With his own strength, he led his forces north and reclaimed the lands south of the Yellow River. But court interference thwarted his ambitions. In the end, grief and anger made him ill, and he died before fulfilling his aspirations. Now watch as a modern soul from the 21st century transmigrates into the puppet emperor, Emperor Yuan of Jin, Sima Rui. Can he turn the tide and set right these age-old wrongs? Subdue the great clans, drive out the Hu, reclaim the heartland, and restore China to glory!