Li Shimin's Soul Returns to Great Qin

This story draws on a wealth of historical and geographical knowledge. Though the plot includes imaginative ideas, it generally respects the logic of the era. In this story, the great ruler Li Shimin transmigrates into the body of Prince Fusu of Qin. This comes from my own hopeful conviction that China’s first unified empire should not have perished after only two generations. Li Shimin was open to advice at home, practiced frugality, encouraged farming and sericulture, and let the people recover, bringing peace and prosperity. Abroad, he expanded the borders, defeated the Eastern Turks and Xueyantuo, conquered Gaochang, Qiuci, and Tuyuhun, and was honored by many peoples as the Heavenly Qaghan. Could this accomplished ruler, famed for both civil and military achievements, establish a flourishing age in the Qin dynasty after Qin Shi Huang, just as he did in the Tang? At that time, will Xiang Yu’s black steed and Overlord Spear still charge into battle? Can Liu Bang still rise above the rest, or will he remain a local strongman in Sishui Village? Will Han Xin find success while still young, rise rapidly through the ranks, and enjoy a peaceful old age, with his three treatises on military strategy passed down to later generations? Can Zhang Liang and Xiao He take charge of the central government and become Fusu’s trusted aides, serving Great Qin? Can the loyal old Fan Zeng be put to work by the court and dare to offer advice, like Wei Zheng? Will the Xiongnu in the north disappear from history sooner? Will the Yuezhi, Wusun, and Loulan in the Western Regions become part of Great Qin’s territory at this time? Will the Eastern Hu in the northeast have already submitted? And will the Baiyue in the south already have pledged their allegiance? Then let us use our own hopeful vision to have the great ruler Li Shimin, a man of extraordinary talent and ambition, carry on and realize Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng’s dream of unification, creating a prosperous, powerful, and multiethnic nation.