In the twenty-third year of Yongxi under the Great Han, fourteen northern prefectures have fallen, and the Xiongnu cavalry loom like tigers. The court clings to the south of the Yangtze, while its harsh policies are more terrifying than tigers: every household must provide one able-bodied man each year, and he will either die or be maimed.
Li Zhao, a hunter's son from Wangbei Village, sets a trap to make his elderly father fall and injure himself, then takes his father's place and joins the army in his name.
In the military camp, he sees with his own eyes how officers treat refugees like weeds, openly looting and slaughtering innocents while shouting, "Those northern peasants are lowborn scum, unworthy of being called human."
In that moment, Li Zhao grips the twin maces in his hands, and a spark takes root in his heart:
This rotten court must be replaced.
But he does not want the dragon throne, nor does he wish to become emperor.
He is willing to be the strategist behind the scenes, support the rightful ruler, purge the corrupt officials, and march north to reclaim the fourteen prefectures, so the people of the north will never have to bow their heads again.
I didn't write well for the first time, please forgive me.