Xiao Heng, the Seventh Prince of Great Jing, is framed by the Crown Prince and powerful ministers and exiled to the deadly wasteland of Huangzhou. Along the way, he rescues Wei Jue, a loyal and courageous military officer, and Su Yan, a strategist from a humble family, and meets Shen Ying, the orphaned daughter of the former Western Garrison Army. He gathers displaced civilians and scattered soldiers, establishes trade routes, stockpiles grain, trains troops, and builds fortifications, thwarting enemy forces and internal conspiracies. When the capital is besieged by the Western Rong, the court officials come begging at his door. Xiao Heng leads his iron army from Huangzhou to rescue the emperor and restore order, punishes corrupt traitors, clears the names of loyal men who were wronged, and protects the realm and its people with compassion and determination.