Chronicles of the New Qin

Chronicles of the New Qin is a long historical romance set against the backdrop of the late Warring States and the fall of the Qin Dynasty, spanning six volumes and following the life of the common soldier Heifu. The story begins with conscription in Pinyang, where the commoner Heifu is drafted into the army. On the campaign against Chu, he faces life and death, fights alongside the strategist Jing Li, and through valor, compassion, and extraordinary insight rises step by step from a lowly soldier to a mid-ranking Qin commander. After the palace coup at Shaqiu and the First Emperor's sudden death, Zhao Gao and Li Si forge an edict and throw the government into chaos, while Meng Tian and Meng Yi are wronged and killed. Seeing through the rot of the Qin court, Heifu deliberately avoids disaster by heading north and putting down roots on the northern frontier. There he tightens border defense, reforms the military system, trains elite iron cavalry, fights the rising Modu Xiongnu, guards the Great Wall, and pacifies displaced commoners, fortifying a northern base amid the chaos. When the Daze Township uprising erupts, a wave of anti-Qin revolt sweeps the east of the passes and the old Qin order crumbles. Casting aside the corrupt Second Emperor's court, Heifu raises the banner of old Qin legitimacy and leads his northern iron army south into the Central Plains. With the aim of saving the people and ending violence, he takes in refugees, reorganizes local administration, maneuvers among the various rebel warlords, builds strength amid war, and eliminates the abuses of Qin rule. The novel depicts the Qin Empire's descent from zenith to collapse, explores the gains and losses of military merit, popular support, and institutions, and chronicles how a figure from the lower classes defends the land, pacifies the people, and seeks a new order amid the mighty tide of a great era. — Description from novelcodex.org