Shields of the Empire (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798262941513)

Han China, 200 CE

A nervous peace settles over northern Jing. Liu Bei and his loyal men race to prepare their army while Cao Cao wages war in the north, for when the dust settles, the Hero of Chaos is bound to march south at the head of the greatest force the empire has ever seen.

To stand a chance, Liu Bei needs more than soldiers and bravery. He needs a mind to match Cao Cao's.

Enter Xu Shu: a brilliant and enigmatic scholar whose bold reforms shift the balance of power. But Xu Shu carries a shadowed past, one that threatens to erupt and unravel everything Liu Bei has built.

It now falls to Liao Hua and his Blood Riders to slay the ghosts of Xu Shu's violent history before the armies gather at Bowang Po. The fate of the war depends on their blades, the future of the empire on their shields.