Xiaofeng

Xiaofeng is a long historical web novel by Hai Feng'er, approximately 2 million characters across 781 chapters, completed on January 30, 2014. The story is set after the An Lushan Rebellion: the Tang Empire, having declined from its peak, fractures, and after countless wars the realm is divided among the Zhou, Yan, Han, and Yue, as well as the Tang established by a branch of the Li clan—a fictional landscape of contending states. The protagonist, Lu Qi (Lu Tianfeng), rises from a corner of Shidai and carries two temperaments at once: the wolfish nature of the "owl"—greed, ambition, endurance, ruthlessness—and the filial piety, gratitude, tenderness, and compassion of a "good man." Starting from a minor post in the county, he drills troops, hunts bandits, trades in medicine, and cultivates ties with the powerful, climbing step by step through military strategy and political maneuvering amid the vortex of multi-state rivalry. The book unfolds in five volumes: Volume One, "A Song of Xiaofeng, Rising from Shidai"; Volume Two, "Azure Clouds of the Capital, Truth in Dreams"; Volume Three, "Climbing Dragons and Supporting Phoenixes, Fortune and Misfortune"; Volume Four, "Taihu as a Pond, Raising Clouds and Spreading Rain"; and Volume Five, "Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Gazing North at the Realm." The plot covers administrative details such as incorporating a navy, reforming the examination system, and adjusting taxation, interwoven with emotional entanglements and family bonds; the final volume centers on the founding of the Dayu Empire and closes with the protagonist's return to his homeland. Two recurring techniques are the frequent use of "Hesheng says"-style dialogue to advance the story and the protagonist's habit of encountering benefactors.