The Ming Dynasty began in the seventeenth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign.

On the eve of the Jia Shen Rebellion in the seventeenth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, a soul from a later era transmigrated into the body of Zhu Cilang, the last crown prince of the Ming Dynasty. As the bandits closed in on the city, Zhu Cilang pers귭 the Chongzhen Emperor to send the Empress and others to safety in the south, but he and the Emperor remained in the capital. The capital eventually fell, and the Chongzhen Emperor took his own life, while Zhu Cilang was taken hostage by the bandits. However, when Wu Sangui defected to the Qing Dynasty and Li Zicheng was defeated at Shanhai Pass, Zhu Cilang saw an opportunity to escape his captors. Instead of attempting to claim the throne in the south or living a life of seclusion, he chose to go to Sichuan, where he would eventually occupy Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan, amassing hundreds of thousands of troops and waiting for the perfect moment to strike as the bandits and the Jurchens clashed. When the time was right, the last crown prince of the Ming Dynasty marched out of Sichuan, poised to make his move and alter the course of history.