Xing Tang Quan Chuan (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Chen Yunrong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
Features: During the chaotic period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the ruler of Western Wei gradually unified the northern river region with the country's wealth and people's strength. General Yang Jian relied on the power of his uncle Yang Lin to overthrow the Zhou Dynasty and establish the Sui Dynasty, achieving hegemony in Chang'an, known as Emperor Wen of Sui. In his later years, Emperor Wen became foolish, and his second son Yang Guang was ambitious, gathering factions and eliminating his rivals. After killing his brother and father, he seized the throne and proclaimed himself Emperor Yang of Sui. Court official Wu Jianzhang refused to compromise with him and was executed with his entire family. His son Wu Yunzhao, who was not in the capital, escaped the calamity. Upon hearing the news, he rebelled but was soon suppressed. In the chaos, various heroes rose up, either seizing mountain strongholds or allying with frontier generals to establish their own kingdoms. In Shandong, the hero Qin Qiong was originally a constable in Jizhou Prefecture, known for his integrity and generosity, deeply admired by the heroes of the Green Forest. Qin Qiong's friend Cheng Yaojin and You Junda were imprisoned for robbing the imperial procession escorted by the powerful Mountaineering King Yang Lin. To save his friends, Qin Qiong pledged blood with Wang Bodang, Shan Xiongxin, Xu Maogong, and other capable individuals, broke the Shandong prison, rescued the heroes, and defected from the court. The heroes, resenting the tyrannical rule of the, gathered at Wagon to oppose the declining Sui Dynasty, repeatedly repelling the imperial armies' encirclement campaigns. Sui generals like Qiu Rui and the Pei family also defected to the rebel army, dissatisfied with Emperor Yang's extravagant rule. Emperor Yang remained arrogant and indulgent, ordering the construction of the Grand Canal for his own pleasure, which eventually provoked the wrath of heaven and people, leading to widespread rebellion. Among the eighteen rebel kings, the former Sui official—Lǐ Yuān, Duke of Tang—gained the people's support and hearts, while heroes like Qin Qiong and others joined his ranks. Emperor Yang, unjust and cruel, was eventually forced to death by the traitor Zifu Huaiji. With no ruler, the rebel kings fought among themselves for the throne. Qin Qiong and other heroes assisted Li Yuān's son, Prince Li Shimin, in strategically subduing the fierce general Yuchi Gong, and successively defeated King Dingyang Liu Wuzhou and King Song Yi Meng Haogong... Unifying the world, they established the Tang Dynasty.