Empires of the Dragon Books in Order

Sent to seek an alliance against the Xiongnu, Han officer Zhang Qian is captured before reaching his destination. Years of captivity and a perilous journey through unfamiliar kingdoms test his mission and reveal new connections beyond China.

Commissioner Lin Zexu confronts British opium merchants to protect China, but his actions bring warships and political danger. Chinese and British perspectives follow a crisis in which defending principle threatens the people and family he hopes to safeguard.

Xuanzang defies an imperial ban to seek Buddhist teachings in India, escaping China under cover of darkness. Pursued by soldiers and facing deserts, mountains, bandits, and hunger, he must decide how much his search for truth is worth.

After an uprising fails, Mao Zedong faces government troops, bounty hunters, and rejection from Communist leaders. Retreating into mountain strongholds, he must reconcile revolutionary ideals with tactical survival as a struggle develops toward the Long March.

Thirteen-year-old Ying Zheng inherits the Qin throne while his regent controls the court and rival kingdoms threaten invasion. Betrayal and rebellion force him to master political power before the people surrounding him can destroy his future.