The Edict of the Struggle for the Throne

According to the History of Former Mo: “Emperor Wu, the founding emperor, was of the Mo clan. His personal name was Yun, and his courtesy name Zixing. He was from Tianying City, Jingyang Commandery, Chuzhou. Orphaned as a child, he was raised by his master, Duanmu Long, from whom he learned the arts of war and martial skills. At the end of the Sui dynasty, when the realm fell into chaos, Emperor Wu joined the righteous army, honored Emperor Ming, destroyed the tyrannical Sui, drove out the steppe tribes, and pacified the Japanese pirates. He thus unified the realm and was enfeoffed as Prince of Mo. When the new emperor proved unvirtuous, he deposed him and took the throne himself, founding the Mo dynasty and proclaiming the Tianming era. Emperor Wu was resolute and upright, skilled at recognizing and appointing talent, and accomplished in both civil and military affairs. During his reign, he lifted the maritime trade ban, thoroughly reformed the administration, and governed with diligence. Later generations called his reign the ‘Tianming Governance,’ also known as the ‘Tianming Flourishing Age.’”