Opening New Frontiers Under Wude: Building a Realm in the Early Tang

Chen Feng, a fifty-year-old long-haul truck driver, has spent years traveling far and wide to make a living. After an accident on a rainy night, he finds himself alone in the mountains during the early Tang dynasty, in the Wude era.

As soon as he arrives, he encounters refugees being harassed by bandits. He fights back to protect himself, gradually developing a calm and decisive approach to handling things.

His backpack contains crops such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, chili peppers, and tomatoes, along with outdoor lighting equipment, a self-defense knife, medical texts, and emergency medicine.

By chance, he rescues an injured local boy and promises to help find the boy's missing young sister. He settles in a Qinling mountain valley and meets a gentleman who lives in seclusion to pursue the Way.

He improves ancient salt-making methods to expand trade routes, relies on the mountainous terrain to fend off bandits, takes in orphans displaced by the troubled times and teaches them knowledge and skills, and makes the acquaintance of powerful figures at court, agreeing to enter public life.

Later, he earns distinction serving with the army, compiles primers, and creates poetry and prose that will be remembered for generations. After achieving success, he chooses to retire to the mountains and live in peace.

This story focuses on farming and development, as well as survival in troubled times. The protagonist is rational and practical, steadily establishing himself and building a life in the Great Tang.