Late Tang: I Rise to Power Alongside Huang Chao

(The story moves along pretty well. After about twenty chapters, the protagonist leaves Chang'an to strike out on his own. It’s a power-struggle story, and everything he does is aimed at building up his own forces. The plot follows the real historical timeline, with changes to certain events leading to a different history. The major historical events in the early part of the story won’t change, since the protagonist isn’t powerful enough to do that. He only makes local changes. If you’re interested, give it a try. If you spot any mistakes, please feel free to point them out. There’s less material on the late Tang than on some other famous eras, so if I’ve overlooked anything, please let me know.)

In the first year of Guangming, before the snow fell on Chang’an, the broken tiles of the imperial city and the ashes of civilization fell first. The ranks of golden-armored soldiers on Zhuque Avenue trampled the last vestiges of pride among the envoys of a hundred nations. Amid the clamor of horses fleeing west, the Son of Heaven abandoned his people with his own hands. This was an age of utter moral collapse, when famed scholars wailed beneath executioners’ blades and powerful clans divided the spoils amid the ruins. Li Changce, a lowborn officer clad in the armor of Great Qi, stood with his spear raised amid the flames and blood of Xuanyang Ward.

While others killed to seize the realm, he established order in a chaotic age. While others burned books and massacred cities, he quietly guarded the “seed” of civilization in this single ward. Those who kill may contend for the realm; those who save lives will lay the foundations of an empire. From lord of a single ward to an emperor for the ages, in this hopeless late Tang, he would use his own flesh and blood to smash his way into a peaceful golden age!