The Five Dynasties Return to Song

For centuries after the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the realm lay divided, with warfare raging and the people suffering. It was only when Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, ascended the throne and restored order through the Reign of Zhenguan that the turmoil of the old era finally came to an end.

Beneath the glory of the High Tang, the flames of the An Lushan Rebellion and the undercurrents of separatist military governors had already planted the seeds of the dynasty's collapse. When Chang'an's palaces fell to the flames of war, the chaos of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms swept across the Central Plains once more. The Later Tang, Southern Tang, and other remnants of the Tang dynasty rose and fell amid the turmoil, as banners changed hands on the city walls and the people were driven from their homes.

This book begins with Li Shimin's ascension to the throne, taking you through the splendor and decline of the High Tang, the devastation wrought by the An Lushan Rebellion, and the military governors' unchecked power, before moving on to the bloody upheavals of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. It continues until the Song dynasty reunifies the realm and the last remnants of the Tang dynasty finally disappear, bringing an end to centuries of turmoil.