The greatest heroes are those who fight for their country and their people. As the saying goes, the realm's fortunes shift: after long division comes unity, and after long unity comes division. This has always been the way of things, with no exceptions throughout history.
The Tang Dynasty began when Gaozu raised an army in Taiyuan and took the empire from the Yang clan. Then came the glorious reign of Taizong, when foreign nations paid tribute, the empire's reach extending west to the Western Regions, east to Goguryeo in Liaodong, and north after the defeat of the Turks. Never had the empire seen such splendor. Though it weathered the upheaval of Empress Wu, the Li clan fortunately returned to power. Xuanzong ascended the throne, ushering in the Kaiyuan era of prosperity.
As time passed, military campaigns exhausted the people. Fanzhen military governors were established along the borders, and professional soldiers replaced the fubing system. The frontier armies grew strong while the central forces weakened, sowing the seeds of disaster. Worse still, the emperor doted on the Yang clan, to the suffering of the court and the people. At last, Fanyang rose in revolt and plunged the realm into chaos. First, Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing were executed at Tong Pass. Then treacherous eunuchs forced Geshu Han to fight there. In the end, Geshu Han's army was defeated just as victory seemed within reach, and Xuanzong fled in panic to Shu. The great realm was no longer what it had been.
Though the reigns of Suzong and Daizong saw Guo Ziyi put down the An Lushan Rebellion, the empire was left in ruins and the people in misery. The Tibetans invaded, the Niu-Li factional strife raged, Li Xilie rebelled, eunuchs seized power, worthy rulers were hard to find, and the throne was left in doubt whenever a young emperor succeeded. Though Xianzong, Wuzong, and Xuanzong each briefly revived the dynasty, their resurgences were no more than fleeting blooms, with no strength to carry on.
This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any similarities are purely coincidental. Do not imitate.
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