With the Wolf King in the north defeated, Great Liang turns its full attention to the war's southern front, where the Westerners have occupied the fertile land of Jiangnan. Gu Yun races south to lead Great Liang's fledgling navy, while Chang Geng is recalled to the capital to solve the pressing matter of funding the war effort.Yet the imperial court is no less treacherous than the battlefield. As Chang Geng walks a precarious path where one misstep could brand him a traitor or worse, he begins to suspect that Gu Yun is in more danger than he lets on. Chang Geng will stop at nothing to bring an end to the war and build a nation where his beloved can lay down his armor and live, at long last, in peace.