If the last prince of a dynasty disgraces his ancestors, then Yelu Dashi was heaven's chosen son, destined to bring them glory. An eighth-generation descendant of Yelu Abaoji, Emperor Taizu of Liao, he turned the tide when the Liao dynasty was on the brink of collapse. Leading his people thousands of miles, he expanded his territory, subdued foreign lands, spread Chinese culture, and founded the mighty Western Liao Empire.
In the final years of the Liao dynasty, apart from the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun and the land around Jiashan, all the realm's vast territory had fallen into Jin hands. Emperor Tianzuo, Yelu Yanxi, had disappeared without a trace. With the country on the verge of collapse, Yelu Dashi enthroned Yelu Chun as emperor in Nanjing to stabilize the court. After Yelu Chun's death, he assisted Xiao Puxianü in governing and repeatedly repelled Song armies, giving the Liao dynasty hope of recovery.
When Jin forces invaded south again, the long-suffering Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun could no longer offer refuge. Disillusioned by the incompetent Yelu Yanxi, Yelu Dashi left with two hundred men and rebuilt the Liao dynasty thousands of miles away. He subdued the Uyghurs, the Karluks, the Seljuks, Khwarezm, and other states, becoming master of the Western Regions. He was hailed as the Gur Khan, the Khan of Khans.
Legend has it that he possessed treasures such as the Gate of Alexander and the Fountain of Eternal Youth, which helped him defeat powerful enemies. He once defeated a hundred thousand Seljuk troops at the Battle of Qatwan, becoming the legendary Prester John, an Eastern ruler known to Europeans. In the Islamic world of the mid-twelfth century, five great rulers were widely recognized: the Turkic, Arab, Indian, Eastern Roman, and Chinese rulers. The Chinese ruler they spoke of was the emperor of Western Liao.
Sadly, records of Western Liao are scarce, and few people in China know much about this remarkable empire that lasted for over a century. This story takes the historical records as its foundation to portray
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