Twelve Steles Overlooking the Rivers and Mountains of the North

A madman woke up.

His whole family was waiting to die.

He had to save his father.

The Dacheng Dynasty had lost half its territory. The Northern Di cavalry were at the borders, the peace faction held the court, his father had been impeached and imprisoned, and his second younger brother had been locked up with him. He was the only man left in the family, because he was insane.

The peace faction thought a madman couldn't get in their way. The emperor spared his life to answer to his cousin, Lady An Guo.

On New Year's Eve, he cracked his head open and came to with a new soul. Twelve stone steles lit up, and he vowed to drive the Xiongnu to the far north.

He couldn't bathe or change clothes. In this most wretched state, he had to write military strategies, sketch horn bows, and enter the palace to meet the emperor.

The emperor asked, "Do you know the penalty for deceiving the emperor? Are you not afraid to die?"

He replied, "I'm afraid to die. That's why I came."

He laid out a sixteen-character strategy: Hold the border, clear the land, use war to force negotiations, and prepare for war while negotiating.

After a long silence, the emperor asked, "Why should I trust you?"

He looked up, still unkempt and barefoot, but with a gaze as cold as a blade.

He wasn't just saving his father.

He was saving an emperor who had been on his knees for ten years, and a dynasty that was already half dead.