"My… divine general…"
Li Shimin froze, his breath catching so hard it felt like blood was about to surge up his throat.
Victory against twenty thousand with eight hundred.
Riding alone into enemy ranks.
Intimidating all of Hebei with sheer presence.
He had the talent of Huo Qubing—
yet none of Huo Qubing's fatal frailty.
A pillar of the state.
The blade of a flourishing Tang.
And yet Xuanzong had snapped him in two with his own hands.
Only forty-five years old…
Li Shimin reached toward the glowing screen, fingers grasping at nothing. After two futile motions, his arm fell limply to his side.
What replaced the grief was a fury like a tidal wave.
"Such descendants deserve to be called traitors to the state!"
"Blind and mediocre, occupying the throne while ruining the nation!"
"Casting aside worthy ministers, slandering famous generals to death!"
"For such a deranged fool to rule—how I wish I could break a staff and drive him off the throne myself!"
At this moment, no minister dared interrupt.
After all, even though Xuanzong lived a century later, he was still a Tang emperor—and half a family matter, at that.
Courtiers could complain in general terms, but when the Emperor himself unleashed such direct, venomous condemnation, no one dared follow.
Seething, Li Shimin stared at the text on the screen and clenched his fist, slamming it down hard—
Only to hit not a table, but a hand.
Sun Simiao sucked in a sharp breath and hurriedly pulled his hand back, rubbing it.
"Why does Your Majesty vent his anger on this humble physician?"
Li Shimin's rage stalled abruptly. The lingering bitterness in his mouth reminded him—he still owed this man medicinal favors.
With that interruption, he found he could no longer keep cursing.
Zhangsun Wuji stepped in to soothe him.
Wei Zheng took the opportunity to curse Li Linfu instead.
In the ensuing chaos, the Tang Emperor was finally pressed back into his seat.
But soon, another issue surfaced in Li Shimin's mind.
"Yang Yuhuan was originally Prince Shou's consort… but Prince Shou didn't die?"
If a prince died and the emperor married his widow, it was improper—but Li Shimin could force himself to accept it.
But now he learned Prince Shou was still alive, and Xuanzong openly seized his own daughter-in-law—
"This is the behavior of a beast!"
Even cursing felt exhausting now.
Li Shimin sipped his tea and stared blankly at the phrase 'one day, three sons executed.'
Three imperial sons executed in a single day.
One of them the crown prince.
For the first time, Li Shimin felt a different kind of headache—not from illness, but from sheer disbelief at these unspeakable royal affairs.
Disaster arose from Xuanzong himself.
The circumstances around him, the repeated mention of "Li Sanlang"…
Li Shimin subtly counted on his fingers beneath his sleeve.
Li Zhi.
Li Longji.
Li Heng.
And himself.
None were eldest sons.
At once, a faint, familiar scent reached his nose.
"Perhaps… this is also tied to changes in the military system," Du Ruhui said softly.
Fang Xuanling glanced at the still-dazed emperor, recalled earlier discussions, and spoke:
"The collapse of the equal-field system, the rise of professional armies… the decay of the garrison troops?"
Du Ruhui nodded gravely, marking this point down to later consult with General Li Jing.
[ Lightscreen]
[If An Lushan's eventual rebellion marked the collapse of Tang's golden age,
then 747—the year Wang Zhongsi was framed—was its true turning point.
After Wang Zhongsi was slandered and summoned to court, the positions of military governor were left vacant. On Li Linfu's recommendation, two foreign generals assumed his authority.
Geshu Han became Military Governor of Longyou.
An Sishun, cousin of An Lushan, became Military Governor of Hexi.
That same year, another military star began to rise.
In 747, the kingdom of Lesser Bolü—modern Kashmir—rebelled against Tang and defected to Tibet, which then controlled over twenty northwestern states in rebellion.
Xuanzong remotely ordered Gao Xianzhi to lead ten thousand troops to suppress them.
It was no easy task—but Gao Xianzhi believed his moment had arrived.
From today's maps, Gao Xianzhi departed from Dunhuang, passed Aksu, entered Bachu, went through Kashgar, crossed the Pamir Plateau, and finally camped in what is now Tajikistan.
The journey took three months and nearly ten thousand li.
Then Gao Xianzhi boldly divided his forces into three routes, using a "borrow-the-road-to-destroy-Guo" stratagem to annihilate Lesser Bolü.
Thus he achieved the feat of striking ten thousand li deep into foreign lands, and seventy-two states west of the Congling Mountains submitted in fear.]
"Another rising star…"
Li Shimin's expression was complicated.
Such achievements filled him with pride for the Tang he had founded.
But was this brilliance merely the empire's dying glow?
Could it truly turn back the collapsing tide?
Even Li Shimin did not know.
Li Jing stared at the route marked on the screen and clapped his hands in admiration.
"To dare march ten thousand li into desolation, destroy kingdoms, and claim victory—this is truly a fierce general of High Tang!"
He understood the weight of such an achievement better than anyone.
To march so far and still command troops like limbs—
it revealed Tang's utter contempt for foreign states and its hunger for military merit.
"The grandeur of Great Tang is clear for all to see!"
Hou Junji, meanwhile, tasted bitterness in his mouth.
Must every one of them be this terrifying?
[Lightscreen]
[Gao Xianzhi himself was a Goguryeo man. With his achievement of annihilating kingdoms deep abroad—and benefiting from Li Linfu's policy—he was promoted to Military Governor of Anxi.
At this time, Central Asia was already in turmoil.
Its former hegemon, the Turkic Khaganate, had been destroyed by Taizong and Gaozong in succession, leaving a power vacuum.
Tang could not immediately take control. To the west, the Arab Empire—combining religion and state—rose rapidly and expanded aggressively.
In 749, the Umayyad Caliphate was overthrown, replaced by the Abbasid Caliphate.
The ensuing internal chaos spread to Central Asia. The Nine Surnames of Zhaowu responded in turn, plunging the region into disorder.
Seeing this, Gao Xianzhi judged it an opportunity to restore Tang's deterrence over Central Asia and decisively launched a campaign.
His target was the Kingdom of Shiguo—a strategic hub that repeatedly vacillated in loyalty.
He marched in November and returned in March, destroying the states of Qieshi, Shiguo, and Turgesh, capturing their kings.
He also annihilated a Tibetan tribe and seized its chieftain.
All captives were sent to Chang'an. On Xuanzong's order, the King of Shiguo and his entourage were executed beneath the palace gates.]
The screen zoomed out, revealing the broader map.
The ministers of Zhenguan ignored Xuanzong's unreliability and focused intently on the geography.
Even Li Shimin's copied map was far inferior to this future technology.
They watched the rise and fall of the Turkic Khaganate—and the explosive expansion of the Arab Empire.
Fang Xuanling stroked his beard, curious.
"These Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties are both called the Arab Empire?"
"Then our Tang and Han would both be called… the Huaxia Empire?"
Du Ruhui smiled and shook his head.
"Xuanling forgets—both are simply called China."
Titles aside, the Abbasid expansion speed unsettled everyone.
"We destroyed the Turks, yet others reap the benefit?" Li Shimin frowned.
Tang had crushed the Turks merely to control the Western Regions—who would've thought their territory stretched so far?
Hou Junji hurriedly stepped forward.
"Why worry? Tang stands unrivaled. They are not worth concern."
Li Shimin nodded slowly.
Schemes like distant alliances were too troublesome. Better to crush enemies with strength and sweep away defiance.
And without fully controlling the Western Regions, how could Tang be called prosperous?
Still… watching the Arab Empire's advance, Li Shimin sensed the two powers were destined to collide.
[Lightscreen]
[After Shiguo fell, Gao Xianzhi promised its nobles he would not massacre them. Thus they surrendered readily.
After all, Chang'an's splendor was legendary; they already dreamed of luxury as celestial subjects.
They never expected Xuanzong's order: "Execute them all."
News spread westward. The various Hu states erupted in fury.
A surviving Shiguo prince traveled among them, portraying Tang as cruel and treacherous.
Instead of deterrence, Gao Xianzhi's actions drove Central Asian states into alliance with the Abbasids, plotting against the Four Garrisons of Anxi.
Unfazed, Gao Xianzhi chose preemptive action—meeting the enemy beyond Tang's borders.
When seeing him off, the poet Cen Shen praised him:
"The Protector-General sets forth anew,
In fifth month arms are donned.
Two million armored troops—
Gold glints in ordered ranks."
In July 751, Gao Xianzhi led twenty thousand troops to Talas, where he encountered the Central Asian coalition—equal in number.
Tang warriors feared nothing.
Crossbowmen, archers, Mo-dao infantry, and cavalry were deployed in layers, battering the enemy to the brink.
At the critical moment, Abbasid commanders Dawud and Ziyad arrived with elite reinforcements.
The balance shifted—twenty thousand against one hundred thousand.
The Abbasids brought heavy infantry, armored cavalry, composite bows learned from Byzantium, and dense spear formations.
Yet Gao Xianzhi still believed—
The advantage lay with Tang!
Fierce battle erupted beneath Talas. Tang valor terrified the enemy.
Desperate, the defenders conscripted thirty thousand more from the city.
Facing a disparity of twenty thousand to one hundred thirty thousand, Gao Xianzhi ordered a tactical withdrawal to seek opportunity.
Five nights later, the Turkic Karluk contingent within Tang's ranks suddenly rebelled, striking their comrades from the northeast.
The formation collapsed.
Abbasid heavy cavalry charged Gao Xianzhi's central camp. Tang forces crumbled.
Originally planning to regroup and fight again, Gao Xianzhi—after Li Siye's desperate counsel—chose to retreat.
The enemy encirclement had already closed.
Only a little over a thousand Tang troops escaped.
The Battle of Talas should have been the opening clash for control of Central Asia between two empires.
But three years later, the An Lushan Rebellion erupted—and everything turned to smoke.]
The screen showed Talas itself.
Tang soldiers in red Mingguang armor fought to the death.
Crossbows and bows fired in silent alternation, forming relentless rain.
When cavalry charged, lightly armored Tang warriors wielding massive long-handled blades roared and cleaved—man and horse shattered together.
Across from them, the black-clad Abbasid forces stunned the onlookers.
Fully armored heavy infantry.
Cataphract cavalry.
Archers wielding unfamiliar bows.
Though the result was bitter, the ministers of Zhenguan were utterly stirred.
Li Jing stood and shouted:
"A true man should fight in such a battle!"