The First-Rank Power Minister

The Later Jin cavalry destroyed the Song, sending history down a different path and ushering in the Liu Dynasty. In the fifty-second year of Emperor Wenzhao's reign, the country faces internal strife and external threats. The Left Chancellor monopolizes power, while the imperial clan tears itself apart. The dynasty is rotten and on the brink of collapse, with the signs of national ruin and extinction plain to see.

The timid bookworm Yang Jiye undergoes a sudden change of character in the wilds of Jingman and Chu. He pursues both civil and military paths, leading an army of tribal warriors onward. He defeats bandits, suppresses Japanese pirates, controls maritime trade in the east, and confronts the Mongols and Xiongnu in the north. At home, he consolidates power and roots out traitors, strengthens the army and promotes martial prowess, and brings imperial authority to the villages. The nation grows rich and its people prosper. He rises to become a powerful chancellor, and the Chinese people reach the pinnacle of the world.

Alternate history + business battles + officialdom + war + rise to power