The Affaire in the Swing Age (2005)

The Affaire in the Swing Age 2005 / 江山风雨情 2005 / The Dynasty , Love Against Kingship , Jiāngshān Fēngyǔ Qíng

In 1627, the young Emperor Chong Zhen succeeded his brother, Emperor Tian Qi, as the sovereign of the Ming dynasty, with help from the eunuch Wang Cheng En. The hardworking Emperor Chong Zhen strives to save his dwindling empire from collapse and seeks to restore it to its former glory. However, it seems impossible for him to achieve these goals because the Ming government has been plagued by corruption since his predecessors' time, and the people have also rebelled against him under the leadership of Li Zi Cheng. Besides, on the northern frontier, Huangtaiji, the ambitious ruler of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, is actively preparing his army for an invasion of the Ming Empire. Yuan Chong Huan and Hong Cheng Chou are both capable military commanders appointed by Emperor Chong Zhen to counter the Manchu invaders, but they meet different fates – the emperor orders Yuan to be executed by slow slicing after believing false accusations that Yuan is plotting against him; Hong is forced to surrender to the Manchus after his defeat at the Battle of Songjin, and he aids the Qing forces on their campaign against the Southern Ming dynasty later. In 1644, Li Zi Cheng's rebel forces captured the Ming capital, Beijing. Emperor Chong Zhen commits suicide by hanging himself on a tree. Shortly after, Wu San Gui, a Ming general defending the border, defects to the Qing dynasty and opens Shanhai Pass, allowing the Qing forces to enter and overrun the rest of China. The reason behind Wu's defection is the loss of his beloved concubine, Chen Yuan Yuan. Chen was initially kept as a hostage in Beijing to prevent Wu from betraying the Ming Empire. However, after the fall of Beijing, she was taken by Liu Zong Min, a rebel general under Li Zi Cheng. Wu is angered, and he decides to ally with the Qing forces against the rebels. (Source: Wikipedia)