The Embroidered Spring in the Wind

Era: The final years of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty, with the realm on the brink of collapse. Factional strife at court rages fiercely. Within the borders, peasant uprisings are spreading everywhere; beyond them, the Later Jin are pressing at the passes. Prices in the capital are soaring, military pay is in arrears, and corruption is rampant in officialdom. The Embroidered Uniform Guard is no longer the all-powerful force it was in the early Ming. The Northern Depot is bloated with redundant staff, salaries go unpaid year after year, and many low-ranking guards must answer to their superiors while facing a world falling apart. High officials are busy fighting for factions and lining their pockets. Low-ranking officers and squad leaders are just expendable cogs in the machinery of the dynasty.