The dust had settled at Talas, and the Tang army’s banners lay torn. The flames of the An Lushan Rebellion had begun to rise, and Chang’an’s palace walls trembled. Li Chang’an, carrying knowledge from a later age, stood at the edge of history’s chasm.
He would begin in the ruins of Talas and restore the lost edge of the High Tang. Karluk wolf riders would wield their blades for him, Fergana crossbowmen would draw their strings, and Sogdian caravans would pave a bloody road with their camels. What he built was more than armor-piercing fire mines: it was trust, shared by Han and foreign peoples alike.
The white hair of veteran general Guo Ziyi gleamed in the moonlight on the watchtower. Ayesha’s medicine chest held sea-buckthorn balm and all her unspoken concern. Ashina Zhen’s curved saber bore the words “brothers in arms.” Yet the road ahead was full of thorns: plots by court eunuchs, fire mines copied by the rebels, and the ambitions of Tibetan cavalry all threatened to tear apart his reborn hope.
To recreate the High Tang does not mean duplicating the glory of the past. It means letting sea-buckthorn berries mingle with the scent of wheat, letting Sogdian merchants’ abacuses keep time with Tang armor, and letting the blood of every people boil once more on the same land.
From Talas to Chang’an, every step is steeped in blood, yet leads toward the dawn.
The characters are rich and the content is realistic, especially the plot describing Hexi, which makes up for the regrets of the Tang Dynasty in Central Asia.
If the prosperous Tang Dynasty had not disappeared from history, I don't know what the Chinese nation would be like!
Personally I think it's good
Fight the Battle of Hendos Again
This book is worth reading together.
The Battle of Talas, the first time that Eastern civilization collided with the Arabs of West Asia!
It's worth reading if it's written
The description is delicate, the feeling is immersive, and the logic is reasonable.