Forty Years of the Sui Dynasty's Rise and Fall, Book 1: East Asian Hegemony

The Sui dynasty was like a shooting star, blazing brilliantly across Chinese history for an instant before disappearing just as quickly. Yet it had an extraordinary and legendary character, combining unity, prosperity, and civilization with a short lifespan, tyranny, and rebellion. Yang Jian, founder of the Great Sui dynasty, was born in a temple and raised by a Buddhist nun. He entered public service at just fourteen and used unconventional means to rise swiftly to the heart of power. Before he was forty, he again resorted to extraordinary means to seize the throne from the widowed empress and young heir left behind after his son-in-law, the emperor, died. Dynastic change had long been commonplace during the Northern and Southern dynasties. For two hundred years, countless emperors and generals had dreamed of ending the chaos, only to fail with regrets. But Yang Jian succeeded. Though a new emperor, the historical Emperor Wen of Sui combined military force with strategy to divide the Turkic Empire and take its place as East Asia's hegemon. The world soon witnessed his power again: the Great Sui needed just two months to destroy the Southern Chen and unify the realm. Judged by his achievements in empire-building, he deserves the title "Emperor of the Ages"!