When people think of the Tang Dynasty, what always comes to their mind is the prosperous Chang'an and the grand scene of thousands of nations coming to court.
But prosperity is just fireworks on the surface.
Many romantic dramas have left us with many stereotypes: Li Yuan is cowardly and wins, Li Shimin is born wise and powerful, and Li Longji is a sage in the early stage and a coward in the later stage. However, the real history is far from being so simple.
Jinyang was in a desperate situation, and the Li family risked the lives of their entire family and raised an army; blood was shed among the flesh and blood within the walls of the Xuanwumen Palace; they endured humiliation on the banks of the Weishui River and launched the Northern Expedition, only to win the title of Heavenly Khan respected by all the world; during the Wu Zhou Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty, the court experienced earth-shaking turmoil; in the prosperous age of Kaiyuan singing and dancing, many crises had already quietly taken root; the war drums of Yuyang suddenly sounded, and the glorious age fell apart in an instant.
This book is based on "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" and the old and new "Tang Shu", putting aside the filter of drama and romance. Just like chatting and telling stories with others, it abandons empty and flowery rhetoric and allows readers to see through the power game within the palace walls and the billowing smoke of the frontier thousands of miles away; to see the desires, struggles and inability of every historical figure in the predicament of the times.
Adopting a popular story-telling narrative style and strictly relying on official history, it tells the complete history of the Tang Dynasty from the rise of the army in Jinyang, through the heyday of Zhenguan, to the Anshi Rebellion and its decline. Taking into account the power game within the palace walls and the frontier wars outside the Great Wall, it analyzes the choices and human nature of historical figures.
##Outline of Volumes
Summary & Function Analysis of this Chapter
Plot Summary: This chapter follows the end of Li Cheng's rebellion in the Qiandong Palace. It tells the story of Wei King Li Tai who was eager to win the throne and "killed his son to pass on his younger brother" to show his loyalty. He also privately threatened Jin King Li Zhi and completely lost Taizong's trust. Changsun Wuji, Chu Suiliang and other elders tried to protect Li Zhi from the perspective of the long-term stability of the dynasty. Taizong weighed the pros and cons and finally established Li Zhi as the new crown prince, denounced Li Tai, and temporarily calmed down the turmoil of his legitimate son seizing the throne.
Function of the whole book:
① Adhere to a non-facial view of history: Li Tai is talented but eager for success, Changsun Wuji balances justice and factional selfishness, Taizong has a difficult choice between fatherly love, etiquette, and the safety of the dynasty, and refuses simple labels of good and evil;
② Following the workplace analogy, the game of reserve is transformed into a power choice that is understandable and suitable for readers of all ages;
③Conquer the main plot of the early Zhenguan period in which the legitimate son seizes the legitimate son, completes the handover of power, and paves the way for the story of the Gaozong Dynasty;
④ A strong hook is embedded in advance, which directly leads to the main line of the next chapter: Taizong's training and expedition to Goguryeo.
✅Check and self-examination: Strictly implement the writing standards we agreed on, no redundant chatter, a compact main line, major tragedies restrained from narrative, a single chapter meets the standard, and a supporting summary and function analysis.
1. Content summary: This chapter revolves around two main lines. One is the fierce debate in the court over the Turks' surrender and resettlement plan. Li Shimin weighed the pros and cons and adopted Wen Yanbo's inward resettlement policy; the other is Li Jing was impeached after returning from a great victory, and the emperor beat the heroes, showing the subtle checks and balances between the emperor and his ministers in the early years of Zhenguan. The ending brings out the hidden dangers of the reserve and lays the foundation for a new plot.
2. The function of chapters: Breaking away from simple war narratives, turning to the choices of governing the country and the game of human nature; writing about the hidden dangers in the prosperous age, breaking the stereotype of "everything is perfect in Zhenguan"; paving the way for the next chapter of the battle between the King of Wei and the Crown Prince; writing out the cost of gains and losses behind each decision, meeting the high-density main line requirements of the platform, and a strong hook at the end leads to a reserve crisis.
Summary & Function Analysis of this Chapter Plot Summary: This chapter follows the end of Li Cheng's rebellion in the Qiandong Palace. It tells the story of Wei King Li Tai who was eager to win the throne and "killed his son to pass on his younger brother" to show his loyalty. He also privately threatened Jin King Li Zhi and completely lost Taizong's trust. Changsun Wuji, Chu Suiliang and other elders tried to protect Li Zhi from the perspective of the long-term stability of the dynasty. Taizong weighed the pros and cons and finally established Li Zhi as the new crown prince, denounced Li Tai, and temporarily calmed down the turmoil of his legitimate son seizing the throne. Function of the whole book: ① Adhere to a non-facial view of history: Li Tai is talented but eager for success, Changsun Wuji balances justice and factional selfishness, Taizong has a difficult choice between fatherly love, etiquette, and the safety of the dynasty, and refuses simple labels of good and evil; ② Following the workplace analogy, the game of reserve is transformed into a power choice that is understandable and suitable for readers of all ages; ③Conquer the main plot of the early Zhenguan period in which the legitimate son seizes the legitimate son, completes the handover of power, and paves the way for the story of the Gaozong Dynasty; ④ A strong hook is embedded in advance, which directly leads to the main line of the next chapter: Taizong's training and expedition to Goguryeo. ✅Check and self-examination: Strictly implement the writing standards we agreed on, no redundant chatter, a compact main line, major tragedies restrained from narrative, a single chapter meets the standard, and a supporting summary and function analysis.
1. Content summary: This chapter revolves around two main lines. One is the fierce debate in the court over the Turks' surrender and resettlement plan. Li Shimin weighed the pros and cons and adopted Wen Yanbo's inward resettlement policy; the other is Li Jing was impeached after returning from a great victory, and the emperor beat the heroes, showing the subtle checks and balances between the emperor and his ministers in the early years of Zhenguan. The ending brings out the hidden dangers of the reserve and lays the foundation for a new plot. 2. The function of chapters: Breaking away from simple war narratives, turning to the choices of governing the country and the game of human nature; writing about the hidden dangers in the prosperous age, breaking the stereotype of "everything is perfect in Zhenguan"; paving the way for the next chapter of the battle between the King of Wei and the Crown Prince; writing out the cost of gains and losses behind each decision, meeting the high-density main line requirements of the platform, and a strong hook at the end leads to a reserve crisis.