In the chaotic final years of the Sui and the early Tang, the land was in turmoil and warlords carved up the realm. Li Yuan and his sons seized their chance, rose with the tide, and ultimately secured Chang’an, founding the Tang dynasty. Yet after its founding, this new empire, which had risen from the ruins of the late Sui, faced unprecedented challenges. The road to unifying the realm was long and arduous. In the face of such a difficult situation, Prince of Qin Li Shimin, who from childhood had been entrusted with the great responsibility of “saving the world and bringing peace to the people,” and was born with the bearing of a dragon and phoenix and the brilliance of the sun, willingly took on the burden of repelling foreign enemies and competing for supremacy in the Central Plains. With unyielding resolve and an unwavering, pure heart, he defeated the various separatist forces of Xue Rengao, Liu Wuzhou, Wang Shichong, Dou Jiande, and others in succession, ultimately fulfilling the Tang dynasty’s ambition to pacify the realm. In the fires of war that engulfed the land, Li Shimin transformed from the finely dressed, spirited “Young Lord of Taiyuan” into the “Supreme General of the Heavenly Strategies,” whose name struck fear across the realm.
