Glorious Deeds in the Annals of History

The title reads: With Hong Lie's writings, I observe the nature of the world; in stillness, I gaze upon the ministers of history, past and present.

Also known as Records of the Heart of the World, The Vast Annals of History uses the shared human nature of people across the globe to shape a cast of characters with both virtues and flaws, placing little emphasis on their looks or clothing.

In the waning years of the Ming Dynasty, the court was torn by infighting and the struggle for power. Beyond the passes, the Jurchens and Manchu armies seized vast stretches of Liaodong. War raged and famine followed, sending the population into steep decline. Ordinary people were driven from their homes, and corpses piled up. A prodigy was born amid this age of chaos. To save the people of the realm, he embarked on a long and arduous path...