Absolute Advantage

Song Tao, a former subordinate of Xiang Yu, was entrusted with guarding the treasures of Longshan. Before the Battle of Gaixia, he entered a cave with two companions. After the Han dynasty was founded, treasure hunters flocked to the site. Betrayed by his companions, Song Tao was the only one of six to make it out alive. He presented the treasure to Liu Bang, won a noble title, and went into business, cautiously navigating the years of Empress Lu’s regency, the Rebellion of the Seven States, and Emperor Wu’s reforms. In the first half of his life, he guarded dead things; in the second, he made his living through commerce. In a stark, Hemingway-esque style, the story lays bare human greed and the rules of survival.