A soldier's loyalty. A nation's betrayal. A new horizon of hope.

China burns under the weight of invasion. The Republic's banners still fly, but behind them lie empty warehouses, starving soldiers, and orders that abandon villages to slaughter.

Lieutenant Chen Jun has given everything to the Republic - his youth, his blood, his men. But when promises turn to ashes and betrayal becomes routine, he is forced to confront a terrible question: is loyalty to the Republic the same as loyalty to China?

In the mountains of Shanxi, Chen encounters the Eighth Route Army - ragged fighters carrying red banners and a vision of a different future. Their discipline, sacrifice, and unshakable bond with the people awaken something long buried in him: belief.

As Chen's path diverges from the Republic, he must choose between obedience to a dying order and the dangerous hope of a new China. His journey will lead him through betrayal, guerrilla warfare, and the fire of comradeship - toward a horizon where the red star rises above the ruins of war.

Beneath the Banner of Autumn Leaves is a sweeping tale of courage, disillusionment, and transformation, a story of one man's struggle to reconcile love of country with the search for justice.