What is war? I have never understood what war really was and what it can do to humanity until this 24-hr marathon. A tale told from the perspective of a very ordinary family, it detailed every phase that they went through during this difficult time and the bits and pieces of tragedy that slowly changed them.

Let me start with the heart and soul of the show, the person who left the deepest impression, the cause of my sobs and howls, the nation's brother-in-law, Jun Shan. The first time I met him, he was a shady and corrupt official who talked disrespectfully to elders which put him on my disdainful character list from the start. But over time, I saw how he truly cared and provided for his family, how deeply he loved his wife, and the efforts he did to secure a better life for his extended family. On that night when Changsha was ablaze yet, he kept saving people disregarding his own safety, I totally forgave him for being corrupt. Jun Shan was charming and had strong leadership skills. When he was deployed to the frontline, he skillfully defeated enemies one after the other with his quick wits, smarts and tricks. As he always says, he's very lucky because he can survive anything, and I had hoped for it as well. When tragedy befell his family because of petty jealousy, that was the first time I felt indescribable anguish. I bawled and roared and cursed at no one in particular for not even sparing a little child. That scene when he held his wife and said he did very bad things that's why his bad karma was received by his son made me hate on the gods who did such calculation. For protecting the people of Changsha, he fought day and night at the frontline, saving hundreds, thousands of lives. Was that not enough to balance the scale? I cried injustice. At that time, I was very sure that he would never be able to forgive himself in this lifetime, and that he would probably wish to die on the battlefield hoping to protect what he wasn't able to. And boy, I was right. He was valiant. He was brave. He was a hero. He was someone I have truly admired and respected. I will always miss the carefree smile on his face even when he was at death's door.

As for the rest of the characters, they didn't have much impact on me. I had a love-hate relationship with the family in the first few episodes of the show. I didn't like how the family spoiled the twins that they overlooked all the mischievous things they had done. Sure, they appeared to have been angry and tried to beat them, but they were all for shows, just trying to scare the children. The father was useless, as he's supposed to be the head of the family, yet it was Jun Shan who held them together. He disdained Jun Shan for being a dirty cop, yet he relied on him for everything. He prided himself on being an intellectual, but so what? Can that feed his family? I pretty much labeled him as a hypocrite. But, his last sacrifice for his loyalty to his morals and beliefs was moving and poignant. As an intellectual who loved operas, he used the most appropriate way to demonstrate that he too, can die for his country with no regrets, that he's not in any way inferior to the soldiers who died on the battlefield.

I don't want to say more for the rest of the characters because I felt they weren't as interesting as Jun Shan, nor have the most moving end like the father, so I'll skip those altogether. I don't understand why Battle of Changsha wasn't in any of the Chinese drama recommendations I have seen (and I have seen plenty). This was the most riveting historical show I have seen. It was full of tragedy, yet I could not look away. The reunion at the end and the fact that one family was intact after the war did not give any relief to the anguish I have gone through watching the entire show. I would watch this again, but I have to wait a few years at most when I have recovered from the loss of those people I have learned to love and considered my family.