While the Roman general Crassus and his 40,000 men are on the verge of being defeated by the Parthians, the Roman trade delegate Gaius Cornelius Sulla, a scion of aristocratic Roman society, is enjoying the hospitality of the emperor of the Western Han dynasty, Xuandi, at his imperial court.
However, the still teenage emperor is only a straw puppet of his cunning and powerful general Huo Guang, who distracts him with amusements and trivialities.
Xuandi's pretty sister Chan (chin: beautiful, graceful) knows about the general's intrigues, but cannot assert herself against him.
Using Rome's gold, Gaius buys silk from the Chinese, which he takes west along the Silk Road. But since Jzh-jzh, the leader of the Huns in the western territory, blocks large parts of the Silk Road, he has to postpone his departure time after time.
Marcus Tullius, commander-in-chief of one of Crassus' legions, knows the battle is lost. With his closest loyal soldiers, he is imprisoned by the Parthians, who lead them to the east - to fight the Huns.
Tired of waiting, Gaius heads off, despite the emperor's warnings. Accompanied by an escort, he leaves the imperial court. Secretly, Chan has hidden in his palanquin because she can no longer stand it at her brother's court. She already feels like a prisoner, being promised to the general's nephew. Gaius knows about that. Gaius and his men are soon ambushed by the Huns in the region of the Talas River.
The Huns, however, do not know that they have captured the emperor's sister. Gaius pretends that she is his mistress.
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SHREDS & Leftovers (english)
De TodoA Failed Project Collection from past to present
