How Tang Taizong Created China's Golden Age - Tang Dynasty Origin (Compilation)

The establishment of Tang dynasty, the golden age of China, was a team project. And the MVPs were Li Yuan and his wife's son Li Siming. Just to be clear, this strapping Adonis was also his own flesh and blood. But you could hardly ever find such contrasting father and son duo in history. And in this episode, I will tell you the story of how these two boys beat all that competition in a deadly race against time to overthrow the tyrannical Sui dynasty. Before the Sui dynasty was established, China was in chaos. And Northern China was ruled by various nomadic tribes that had settled there. Li Yuan, the sentimental family man, was born in the year 566. In one of those states, the Northern Zhou dynasty. His mother, who was of nomadic Xianbei descent, had a sister who was married to the man who established the Sui dynasty, Yang Jian, his uncle. But he didn't attain a high rank purely through family connections. He was also a great shot. And he won his wife's hand in marriage in an archery competition. She was also of Xianbei descent. But despite all the Xianbei connections, Li Yuan was super proud of his Li family lineage. He claimed to be a member of the prestigious Li clan from Longxi. And among his ancestors were legendary figures such as Li Guang, the flying general of Han dynasty. Li Xin, a famous general of Qin dynasty. And Lao Zi, the author of Tao Te Ching. His wife's sister was also married to the current emperor, Yang Guang. So with all this connection, you would think that he could coast through life relying solely on his guanxi. But the problem is that this new emperor was a massive jerk. The complete opposite of his wise and frugal father. Practically everyone suspected that he ordered his own father's assassination. He was tyrannical, wasteful, and murderous to boot. Countless peasant lives were lost as they were worked to death in mega projects such as the rebuilding of the Great Wall and digging the Grand Canal. And the death count kept rising by the thousands as he launched wars to all corners of the empire. He was considered one of the worst tyrants in Chinese history. The main difference between him and historical tyrants such as Qin Shi Huang and Han Wu Di was that he was an incompetent loser. His father had once failed in his invasion of Goguryeo Korea in 598. So in 611, he gathered the largest army the world may have ever seen. If the records can be believed, it was over a million troops and millions more in supporting role. He completely dwarfed the Goguryeo army. Yet his invasion in 612 ended with utter crushing defeat with devastating number of casualties. That failure led to a series of rebellion as he tried to raise more troops for another invasion. Peasants and officers rebelled against the empire. So Yang Guang cancelled his next invasion and sent his official Wang Shichong to deal with them. This dude wasn't a good egg either. He was competent yet evil. In one instance, he promised a group of rebels' safety if they were to surrender. But once they did, he massacred all 30,000 of them. Yang Guang really didn't give a damn about the rebels. He was more concerned about his projects and leisure. So he went to inspect the Great Wall up north. As for what would probably be a greater threat than the rebels at the time, was the Eastern Turkic Khaganate. His father, the late emperor, had politically neutralized them. But if they started to get funny ideas and used the chaos as opportunity to launch a surprise attack, then he's in trouble. Yep, he is in trouble. Information about his visit was leaked and they surrounded him with a massive force. Oh, looks like the story is ending early and the Sui dynasty is about to collapse. But not if Li Si Ming had anything to say about this. 16 years old Li Si Ming was just a junior officer at the time. He was once described to be as gracious as Liu Bang, the founder of Han dynasty, and as bold as Cao Cao, the famous Three Kingdoms warlord. As the Turks saw what seemed to be a massive army approaching them, they had no choice but to retreat. However, that was just a ruse. Li Si Ming had come up with the idea to deceive his enemies into thinking that the army he was riding with was much larger by carrying more flags and beating more drums. Apparently, he also had the brilliance of those legendary figures. At this point, the Li family was still loyal to the Sui dynasty. Li Si Ming's father, Li Yuan, was recently made the governor of Taiyuan in charge of suppressing the rebels and defending against the Turks. But as the rebellion intensified in 616, the father and son duo could clearly see that the days of the Sui dynasty was numbered. But Li Yuan would never dream of lifting a finger against the empire, especially when his other family members were held near the capital. If he was to even breathe funny, then their lives would be forfeit. No, he won't. Because Li Yuan was a massive softy when it comes to his own family members. He may have played with the idea of rebelling himself, but the current emperor was still his first cousin after all. So it took a lot of convincing to change his mind. He hadn't been doing a great job suppressing the rebels and an imperial inspector was coming to question him. If that inspector were to also know that he had been having a bit of fun in the imperial harem, then he would be in serious trouble. Knowing that he would be executed either way, he was blackmailed into joining the rebellion. He may not have his son's courage, but this daddy is a smooth operator. He knew that the first thing he needed to do was to secure the safety of his family members. So he spread rumors that the emperor is preparing for another invasion of Goguryeo and incited another round of rebellion. Pretending to be overwhelmed by the rebels, he sent out Li Si Ming and other officers to conscript soldiers from other districts. He also sent out secret envoys to smuggle his family members out of the empire's grasp. But unfortunately, they were kept on tight leash. His daughter couldn't make her way to him and decided to hide where she was, near the imperial capital, Chang'an. But she knew how to handle herself, she said. With this assurance, Li Yuan finally launched his rebellion. They knew that this is not going to be an easy ride. The clock was ticking and many dangers were creeping towards them. The emperor, not caring about the dire situation of the empire, had taken a leisure cruise to the city of Jiangdu in eastern China. So their main objective for now is to take the capital, Chang'an, before he and his army could return. The Turks were also a threat. They could strike them from behind at any time. So he struck a treaty with them and rented some of their best cavalry warriors. But he had to put up a strong front against them at all time. If the Turks, whose totem animal was the wolf, could smell any sort of weakness, then he would become their prey instead. Nevertheless, the rebellion is on, baby! In the last few years, there was a prophecy spreading around China. It said that someone with the surname Li would become the next emperor. And could that person really be him, he thought? Probably not. Because his two-bit operation was much smaller than the leading contender, the rebel leader Li Ni, who wasn't related to him at all. If he didn't play his cards right, then he would be swallowed by the bigger fish in the pond. Besides, the chosen one wouldn't have gotten stuck in the first obstacle they came across. Li Yuan's army had trouble taking Huoyi, which was defended by the elite imperial troops. As the days go by, the morale of his army started to drop. The mass of untrained rebel army was only duct-taped together by winning momentum and rations, rather than discipline. If he can't bring them victories, or if they run out of food, then they would inevitably disband. To make the matter worse, he heard that the Turks were making their move and his fourth son, Li Yuanji, was practically left all by himself to guard the base at Taiyuan. Maybe he should turn back. Maybe he wasn't cut out for this after all. Maybe it is time to give up, Li Yuan thought. No! Li Siming and his elder brother, Li Jiancheng, pleaded impassionately for their father to keep going. It is too late to give up now. They had done everything to keep the army together and it is about time for their dad to do the same. Li Siming even cried outside his father's camp throughout the night to change his mind. Finally, after much deliberation, the old man came around and he emerged out of his camp with renewed resolve. He then turned his current predicament into his advantage. He sent a letter to Li Mi, who was besieging Luoyang and feigned subservience. It not only bought him time, it also allowed Li Mi to face the main imperial army led by Wang Shicong without reserve. As for the Turks, they would need to take the town of Mayi before they can get to Taiyuan. So it means that they still have time. All they needed to do is to take Chang'an and make it that new base before Taiyuan is taken. To keep the morale up, they will just have to keep winning and seize their enemy's supply. With strengthened resolve, they were able to trick the enemy commander into leaving the base and ambushed him. Riding on the wave of this breakthrough, they steamrolled past other obstacles with the fervor of a victorious army. As they progressed, their army exploded in size as peasants and officials flocked under their banner. No looting, Li Siming warned. When some petty theft happened, he compensated it out of his own pocket and punished neither the soldier nor the peasants because he needed to maintain high morale as they approached their final destination, the imperial capital, Chang'an. To prevent being caught in a pincer attack, Li Yuan divided his army into two. He ordered his subordinates to assault the city of Hedong to prevent them reinforcing Chang'an. The moment he crossed the Yellow River, he received wonderful news. His daughter and other family members were still alive and they had even gathered their own band of rebels. So Li Siming was sent westward to rendezvous with them and take Fufeng to prepare for a pincer attack on Chang'an. Along the way, the size of his division grew as more people joined him and he also absorbed competing rebel groups that he defeated. But then suddenly, a massive contingent of men appeared before him. It was a formidable force of 70,000. But he was not fazed by them one bit because he recognized the leader of this band. It was his very own sister, the legendary princess Ping Yang. Apparently, she not only took care of herself, she even managed to gather 70,000 men under her command. How did she do it? Well, you will find out in a different episode. Right now, we have an empire to topple. With the Li family reunited, they became stronger than ever. Together, they launched a pincer attack on Chang'an and took it down in no time. To solidify his control, Li Yuan captured the current emperor's grandson, Yang You, and made him a puppet emperor. Not long after, the original emperor, Yang Guang, who was feeling pretty comfortable in his new base in Jiangdu, was killed by his own subordinates who got sick of his antics. Seeing that there was no more need to keep a Sui dynasty emperor for legitimacy, the puppet emperor was forced to abdicate and the Li family established the Tang dynasty. Thus, Li Yuan became the first emperor of the Tang dynasty and Li Siming, the prime minister. The eldest son, Li Jiancheng, became the crown prince. But empire building is not like a game of chess. The chaos doesn't magically end when you win the game. In fact, some of the rebels and former imperial loyalists became even stronger and established their own dynasties, such as Dou Jiande, who established the Xia dynasty, and Wang Sicong, who established the Zheng dynasty. These were some of the biggest threats the Tang dynasty had to face, including the powerful eastern Turkic Khaganate up north, which was capitalizing on the chaos to encroach into China. If they were to let their guards down, then they would end up like Li Mi. Once the favorite to win among the rebels, he was defeated by a rival and sought refuge in the Tang dynasty. But after he betrayed the Tang by trying to re-establish his power, he was then caught and executed like a lowly traitor. So peace wasn't really an option in this dog-eat-dog world. Luckily for them, there is someone who is very responsible and mature to take care of the capital while everyone was away fighting. Li Jiancheng, the sociable and generous crown prince of the Tang dynasty. My little brother Li Siming is just a meathead with battle lust. Sure, he fought some important battles, but when he was besieging Wang Sicong at Luoyang, it gave Dou Jiande the opportunity to join forces against him. It was only by luck that Dou Jiande was stupid enough to be lured into an ambush and defeated by the numerically inferior Li Siming. In his final confrontation against Wang Sicong, he even had to be helped by some weakling vegetarians, some Buddhist monks from an obscure temple called Shaolin. His adventures will be the stuff of legends to be told for millennia to come, they say. Yeah, right. Well, I say being a ruler is not about defeating enemies. It is about making friends. Li Jiancheng and his little brother Li Yuanji got along well with his father's concubines. Really well. What do you expect since he gave them money and gifts? So the girls sang their praises before the emperor. And that's how they maintained their social standing despite many of Li Siming's outstanding achievements. Yet, he is still worried. Li Siming had refused the position of crown prince twice. But if he were to change his mind, then it is kinda hard to argue against his merits. So Li Jiancheng had to prove himself. He needed a rebel he can defeat easily. So he picked Liu Heita as his target. This rebel leader had been defeated once by Li Siming and he didn't have much people under him left. So his minister, Wei Zheng, advised him to use psychological warfare and released the family members of the rebels from prison and sent them home. The rebels were then promised that they will be pardoned in the same way if they were to leave their leader. So without much bloodshed, Liu Heita's army collapsed. That was a spectacular resolution. But still, Li Jiancheng thought that it might not be enough to secure his position. So he secretly gathered a private army for a coup. As his father moved to the Summer Palace in 624, he ordered his brother to kill Li Siming. However, while he was preparing his army, his plan was leaked and foiled before anything even took place. Luckily for him, his father was a softy when it comes to family members. So he was only put under house arrest for this serious crime. His accomplice then went on to rebel and became a problem for Li Siming to handle. Annoyingly, this turn of events actually improved Li Siming's standing. And he was promised the crown prince's position once he returned after taking care of this mess. But while Li Siming was away, Li Jiancheng pulled all his strings and got his father's concubines to sweet-talk him out of this mess. And you know what? It worked. And the old man even let him keep his position as the crown prince. Much to Li Siming's dismay. But then, the Turks suddenly appeared near Chang'an. They had been a constant threat through this whole affair. The Li family almost had to burn down their own capital, Chang'an, to prevent it from being looted. But Li Siming argued against the idea and they were able to secure a peace treaty with the Turks with a regular payment of gold. However, it didn't take long for them to renege on their promise to return with more troops. In 624, still hurting from the destruction of the civil war, Tang had no way of winning from this confrontation. So Li Siming had to put up a strong front and use his wits. He wrote up to the leader of the Turks, Shilik Khan, and reiterated the treaty they had. If they are unhappy with the previously agreed terms, Then, he would challenge the Khan himself to a duel, he said. Not knowing what tricks the warrior prince was playing, he did not reply. Then, Li Siming wrote up to Tulek Khan, the joint ruler of the Turks, and chastised him. Tulek Khan, whose personal name was Ashina Shibobi, was more than just his old friend. How could he abandon his oath and attack his own sworn brother? The conversation went on for a bit and it made Ilik Khan suspicious. He couldn't hear what they were saying clearly and he didn't like them getting too chummy. So he withdrew his whole army back to the camp. Then overnight, under the cover of heavy rain, Li Siming moved his camp uncomfortably close to the Turks' position and occupied an advantageous spot. In the next morning, he sent them an analysis of their changed predicament, complete with the knowledge that the Turks' powerful composite bows would have lost much of their potency in the rainy season. Not wanting to risk their immediate safety, the Khans re-established their peace treaty and went home. This bloodless victory just proved how much Li Siming had grown and how indispensable he was to Tang's security. And that's why Li Jiancheng must get rid of him as soon as possible. He had to step up his game. He had to do something drastic. So he invited his younger brother to dinner and poisoned him. Li Siming barely survived the plot and he was saved by his general who took him away just in time. Again, Li Jiancheng's plan backfired. Seeing Li Siming in such pitiful state, Li Yuan was wracked with guilt. Not wanting to see this family feud spiral into a bloodbath, he promised his son half the empire and he will rule the eastern half with the authority of an emperor from the city of Luoyang. Li Siming protested against the decision because his father was practically splitting the empire apart. But he had already made up his mind. The thought of seeing his children hurting each other was too much for him to bear. Li Yuan won't budge. Until he did. Once again, Li Jiancheng and the concubines worked their magic and influenced the old fool. Li Siming must die. One way or another. But first, he must be deprived of his protectors and generals. So for the next couple of years, they framed and killed his comrades one by one, tearing them away from him like cruel children torturing an insect by ripping its limbs off. Eventually, even Li Siming's own subordinate had had enough. Even if Li Siming could bear this injustice, their lives were the ones at stake here. But still, Li Siming hesitated from taking any action against his brothers. Then suddenly, the Turks attacked again. This is great, the two brothers thought. It is the best opportunity to remove all of Li Siming's defenses. Li Yuanji requested to lead the army against the Turks. And not knowing what he was planning, his father agreed. Then as he organized the army, he transferred all of Li Siming's allies under his command. And left him defenseless. Li Jiancheng was so impressed by his brother's schemes, he even promised to make him the crown prince when he takes the throne. Which is going to happen soon. Because he planned to kill his brother during the send-off ceremony and force his father to give up power. But then, they were suddenly summoned to go to their father's court in the morning. Apparently, Li Siming had accused them to have had an affair with the concubines. Is that the best his little brother could do? Ah, cute. But as Li Jiancheng and his co-conspirator Li Yuanji approached Xuanwu Gate, they suddenly felt shivers running down their spine. Uh, I don't know why, but I think we should turn back. As soon as they did, Li Siming emerged from his hiding place and paralyzed them with his roar. Why aren't you going to court? Surprised, Li Yuanji turned around and he tried to shoot Li Siming with his arrows three times. But his nerves got the better of him and he missed all his shots. Li Siming then returned with one steady shot and killed his elder brother, Li Jiancheng on the spot. They have pushed him too far and left him no choice but to retaliate. He had been waiting for them to come all morning and now he will end them without remorse. In the ensuing chaos, Li Siming's horse was spooked and he was dismounted. Acting purely on rage and instinct, Li Yuanji then seized the opportunity to pounce on him and strangled him with his bowstrings. Meanwhile, the emperor had no idea what was going on until a stray arrow landed in the hall. It was then followed by a fully armed general who informed the emperor that the crown prince and his brother had died. Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji. Li Siming is still outside fighting against the crown prince's followers. So it would be prudent that his majesty orders everyone to stop fighting and puts everyone under Li Siming's command. It's not like there is any point in protesting. So Li Yuan did as he was told. After that, he summoned his surviving son to court and apologized for all the hardship he had suffered. Li Siming placed his head on his father's chest and bawled his eyes out. He was sorry for the sins he had committed and what he will commit. The nature of power is cruel. As he cried, his men were in the process of exterminating all the male children of his brothers. He cannot leave any destabilizing factor in the empire. In his empire. This incident changed this father and son's relationship forever. Not long after, Li Siming was made a crown prince. And following that, he was offered the position of emperor. Which he refused at first. This is just theater of course. Any self-respecting Chinese emperor had to refuse a few times. For PR purpose. They don't want the empire. They only want to work for the well-being of the people. But Li Siming had no time for an extended charade. He took the position the next day. Since right now, the Turks were literally at the gates of Chang'an. Uh-oh. Looks like his reign is going to be a short one. But nah. Li Siming wasn't a quitter. He was a prodigious general with legendary track records. So he met them on the field. With banners streaming and armor glistening under the sun, he led his imperial army from the front. Then, without the protection of any guards, he rode up to the Turks' leader, Ilih Khan. He looked at him with disdain for breaching their existing treaty. And then, he... renegotiated the peace treaty. Li Siming had to put up a strong front. If he showed any weakness, then they would bury him. He had been around the Turks long enough to know how their society worked. In fact, some of his relatives were Turks due to the political marriages between the Turkic Khaganates and the previous dynasties. Their joint ruler, Tulis Khan, whose personal name was Ashina Shibobi, was even his sworn brother. Whether it was justified or not, Li Siming was confident that if push comes to shove, he could still defeat them with the right application of tactics and traps. But then, the ensuing war would devastate both sides. Not only that it will further ruin the Tang Empire, which is already hurting from the recent wars, it would also unite the various Turkic tribes in hatred against Tang. So, he had to swallow his pride this time and pay them tribute for peace. Besides, he can already see the tears at the seams of their Khaganate. Ilik Khan was proud and greedy. He treated the smaller tribes within his Khaganate poorly. So, the opportunity to strike back was bound to present itself eventually. But for now, he has to rebuild his own empire. The succession war he fought with his brothers had split his government apart and he had to reunite his administration. So, he had to let bygones be bygones and appoint the most meritorious and talented people to the right position. He even appointed Wei Zheng who was once his treacherous brother's advisor to be his own. Li Si Ming relied on him a lot to guide him along the right path. But he needed more than just one voice. So, the young emperor ordered all his officials to speak to him honestly and encourage free speech. No minister shall ever be punished for pointing out his mistakes. In fact, he actually rewarded them for doing so. Despite him wanting to recruit more soldiers to bolster his defenses against the Turks, he followed their advice to focus on working on their domestic affairs first. Thus, the warrior prince learned to be a statesman. His reign was called the Zhengguan era which can be translated literally as correct observation and it became the subject of study for future emperors. It was actually quite lucky for him to have focused on domestic affairs first. There was a series of natural calamities such as droughts and unseasonal snow. So, he was able to provide relief to his people and came through with minimal harm. As for the Turks, they were caught unprepared by these calamities as the Ilih Khan was too preoccupied trying to extract taxes from the various tribes under him. The Eastern Turkic Khaganate operated in a similar fashion to other historical nomadic empires such as the Xiongnu. Their empire is led by the royal family, Ashina, and was made up of smaller groups within larger groups. The Tiele Confederacy, for example, is a group within the Khaganate. But the confederacy itself is made up of a leading tribe, Tiele, and smaller tribes such as the Xueyuan Tuo, Uyghurs, and so on. Feeling dissatisfied with the Ilih Khan, the tribes started to split apart and abandoned him. Frustrated by the insubordination and his loosening grip to power, the Ilih Khan started to persecute those tribes and sent Tuli Khan to do the job. Unfortunately, Tuli was defeated by them and he himself was punished by Ilih. So, he decided to rebel too and requested his sworn brother for help. Now, this is a turning point. Li Si Ming never expected that the Eastern Turkic Khaganate would start to unravel so soon. He wanted to help his bro but he had to be a responsible ruler. So, he consulted his ministers and generals and finally launched his campaign in 629 once he received their support. Through the years, the smaller tribes that had left the Eastern Turkic Khaganate such as the Xueyuan Tuo and the Khitans had defected to Tang and sought its patronage. With Tang's help, Xueyuan Tuo was able to form its own Khaganate and other smaller tribes such as the Uyghurs and Xi came under them. So, by the time the war against the Eastern Turkic Khaganate started, General Li Jing, commander-in-chief of the Tang army received lots of military assistance from the defected tribes. And together, they defeated the Eastern Turkic Khaganate easily by 630. In the aftermath, the members of the Turkic tribes nominated Li Si Ming to be their new ruler. The Khan of Heaven, Tian Ke Han, which is the Chinese translation of Dengri Khan. Dengriism is the majority religion of the ancient Turks and other tribes in the area. It is often translated as Tian in Chinese. And this is the beginning of the cosmopolitan Tang Empire. Li Si Ming considered himself to be as much a Chinese emperor as he was the Khan of the Turkic tribes. He even boasted that he was the first Chinese emperor who treated the nomadic tribes equally as subjects instead of their inferior. As a sign of goodwill, he even kept the Ilik Khan alive and gave him a governor's position. In a few generations, the streets of Chang'an would be bustling with Turkic soldiers, Persian generals, Korean officials, Indian teachers, and Japanese delegates. All of this was made possible by a combination of excellent domestic and military policies. In the following years, the Tang Empire grew more powerful and was able to effectively defend against other threats such as the Tuyuhun and the Tibetan Empire. But the teething troubles of a cosmopolitan empire soon manifested. In 639, in the form of an assassination attempt on Li Si Ming by some of the dissatisfied members of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate royal family, the Ashina. Luckily, the plot failed. To prevent more of this kind of incident from happening, Li Si Ming recreated the Eastern Turkic Khaganate and sent the Ashina and their subjects back to their land. But by then, the Xueyuan Tuo, their former vassal-turned-enemy, had also formed their own Khaganate and became more powerful. So Li Si Ming had to promise protection to both sides to fulfill his role as the Tengri Khagan. The Tang Dynasty could have actually become a lot more culturally Turkic because Li Si Ming's first crown prince, Li Chengqian, was a Turkophile. He preferred to dress and speak like the Turks and that wasn't considered an issue by his dad. His downfall, however, started when it was discovered that he had sexual relationship with a young boy. The Tang Dynasty is famous for being socially liberal, but I guess that was too much even for Li Si Ming. Apparently, it was his obese brother, Li Tai, who snitched on him. He was after the crown prince position himself. Thus, the ensuing rivalry for the throne between a Turkophile with a lame leg and a fat scholar who was too heavy to walk must have been quite a sight to behold. And as you would expect, it ended poorly for both of them as Li Chengqian, pressured by his brother's plot, decided to organize a coup. But his two-bit plot was eventually discovered and he was deposed. Believing that Li Tai was also to blame for this plot, Li Si Ming disqualified him from the crown prince position too. Eventually, the position was given to his ninth son, Li Zhi. But of course, there are always more than one side to every story. Their affinity towards the Turks could be interpreted differently. The Orkhon inscription was erected around 100 years after Li Si Ming died. After the Second Turkic Khaganate declared independence from Tang, it depicted the Chinese to be a corrupting influence who drew away their people with rich gifts and ingratiating words. Only the good and stout people like them could resist their cunning. Li Si Ming died of dysentery in 649 and received the posthumous name Tang Taizong. He was just 51 years old and left a thriving empire to his son. He was remembered as a great emperor for generations to come. For his heroism and just rule. But, was he really all he cracked up to be? Now, here comes the controversy. Apparently, the importance of his role in the uprising against the Sui dynasty might have been embellished. The court journal of an official who worked under his father, Wen Daya, presented a different account to the official histories of Tang dynasty. In that book, the initiative for rebellion against the Sui dynasty was mostly attributed to his father. And some of Li Si Ming's successors was actually credited to his eldest brother, Li Jiancheng instead. Li Si Ming was also known to have interfered in the writing of court history. Generally, emperors were not allowed to look at their own history as they are being recorded. However, he insisted to look at them so that he could learn from his past mistakes. And, he just sometimes need to sort a few things straight. For, historical accuracy. Well, alright. He might not be the sage king superman he wanted to portray himself to be. But still, it is hard to deny the fact that the dynasty prospered under him and its military dominance. The Tang dynasty hardly ever lost a major engagement. Except, for that one occasion when Tang Taizong himself was humiliatingly defeated when he attacked Goguryeo Korea in 644. On the next episode, we will look at the Siege of Ansu, the lone fortress that withstood the might of Tang Taizong and the powerful army of Tang dynasty. So, you are just a guy minding your own business in a small fortress in Goguryeo. Then, one day, you saw the enemy army approaching. It is massive. They all look like elite soldiers bursting with high morale. Worse, it was led by Tang Taizong, the hero emperor of Tang dynasty China, the Khan of Heaven himself. So, you turn to your boss and say, Should we surrender now? Or should we wait until they get closer so that we don't have to shout? What? He had no intention to surrender. This is the story of the Siege of Ansu, the little fortress that single-handedly resisted the might of the imperial Tang dynasty army. How the heck did we get into this mess? Before Korea was unified, there were three kingdoms that had been fighting over the dominion of the Korean peninsula. Goguryeo, Silla and Baekje. They've been at it for centuries. Borders fluctuate and cities change ownership frequently. It seemed like there is no end to this conflict. So, to break this deadlock, they followed the classic rule 23 of the 36 stratagems and befriended distant states to attack their neighbors. They tried to form alliance with whichever foreign states that could benefit them. And as it turned out, Baekje ended up forming a pretty good relationship with Yamato Japan, Silla with Tang China and Goguryeo tried to develop a relationship with the powerful eastern Turkic Khaganate. But, that plan eventually went down the drain because the Tang dynasty eventually defeated the Turks. Now, why would Tang Taizong want to attack Goguryeo? Well, Goguryeo had been a long-time rival of the various Chinese dynasties and the demarcation line between the two had been fluctuating throughout history. The Sui dynasty attacked Goguryeo multiple times to prevent them from allying with their greatest enemy, the eastern Turkic Khaganate and also to reclaim what they perceived to be lost Han dynasty land. However, the invasions failed so badly it eventually led into a mass rebellion against the Sui dynasty and the creation of the Tang dynasty. Relationship between Tang and Goguryeo was tense but relatively peaceful because the latter sent tributes to Tang and accepted their official religion, Taoism. However, deep down, the Chinese were still sore about Sui dynasty's disastrous defeat. They even made an incursion to destroy the monument built by Goguryeo to celebrate the defeat of the Sui dynasty. But suddenly, the excuse to attack Goguryeo presented itself. The Goguryeo general, Yongesu Mun, had launched a coup and killed his own king. He massacred hundreds of officials and placed a puppet king on the throne. The royal family and the military faction had always been at loggerheads but this move was still very shocking. That's not how a king should meet his end, Tang Taizong thought. Then again, he could use this as an excuse to attack Goguryeo in the name of justice. Besides, it was an emperor's duty to guarantee the safety of his tributary after all. But he can't because it would be unconfusion to attack another country that's in mourning. What finally pushed him over the edge was Silla's queen Sundo who requested for a relief force against Goguryeo. Silla had been battered by the combined forces of Goguryeo and Baekje so they needed Tang's assistance in that war. To be honest, Tang Taizong had never respected this woman. Ha! Female ruler! Over my dead body! Then again, Goguryeo's rising power is a concern and Silla had pretty good relationship with Tang. Her nephew was even a good friend of his own crown prince. So he agreed to attack Goguryeo to punish the regicidal villain. His best general, Li Jing, was ready and willing to fight. But this veteran seemed to be too old for the job. So he decided to lead the campaign himself. Now, this is where the pride comes before the fall. Tang Taizong had not led an army for almost two decades and despite his legendary adventures in his youth, this is sounding like a severe case of middle-age crisis. Unfortunately for him, his wise and most trusted minister, Wei Zheng, had died recently. So nobody could reign him in. Meanwhile, back in Goguryeo, Yong Gesu Mun wasn't exactly known as Mr. Popular. Carrying five swords at a time, he was recorded in Korea's own history as a brutal despot. Yet, he was a powerful military general who scored lots of victories. So if you're clever, then you would submit to him. But, to his annoyance, not everyone did. There is this annoying little fortress that kept defying him and repelled his army a few times. In the end, he had no choice but to strike a truce and let that ungodly stubborn fortress keeper run the place. Yep, you guessed it. The name of that fortress is Ansi. In late 644, Tang Taizong launched his campaign, sending 40,000 soldiers by sea and 60,000 by land. Accompanied by extra dispatch from the Eastern Turkic Khaganate and the Tribe of Chibi. By the time he personally joined the fray in 645 May, the advance team had already conquered many of the cities along the Goguryeo defense line. Now, with Tang Taizong in helm, they laid siege on Yeorong City, the most important city along the defense line, which was defended by 40,000 Goguryeo soldiers. By capitalizing on his inspiring presence and clever PR moves like moving dirt together with his soldier to cover the city moat and tending to his general's wound himself, the Tang army's morale soared and they easily took the city. After steamrolling through a few more cities, Tang Taizong's detachment of 30,000 finally reached Ansi in June. Oh no, this is not good. The Tang's army high morale makes them a much tougher enemy. It is definitely a bad idea to fight them on the field. You know, I think I prefer to just wait inside the fortress and wait for reinforcement. Soon enough, a massive Goguryeo army of 150,000 warriors arrived to reinforce Ansi. Here they are, haha, we are saved. Come in, come in my friends. What? Where are you going? Wait, come back. No, don't think you're winning. It's a trap. So despite outnumbering the Tang army 5 to 1, the Goguryeo reinforcement was lured away from the fortress and outmaneuvered. Ansi's last hope was routed in no time and the Goguryeo generals defected to the Tang side. In this war, quality trumps quantity and the Tang side had plenty of capable generals with high morale which didn't bode well for the defenders of Ansi. However, Korea is known as the country of mountain fortresses. Their fortresses are sturdy and made excellent use of the natural terrains. The walls of Ansi were built along high hills in the shape of a horseshoe with only one easily defensible side exposed. Haha, yeah, you will never take Ansijong, you poopy, poopy head emperor. Uh, well, Ansi wasn't the only fortress that had natural defences. If the Tang army could take those other fortresses, then this place is not that much safer. The people of Ansi had done goofed. They had insulted the Tang emperor and now his general promised that he will kill every single one of them, man and woman, once they captured the city. This was a disaster for the defenders which somehow worked to their advantage because that general had broke one of the most important rule of the art of war, do not press a desperate foe too hard. Now, the defenders' only path to survival is to defend the city. And despite all the brilliant generals fighting on Tang's side, their initial assault was foiled. Impossible, this has got to be a fluke. You know, we don't have to take every fortress, we can just go around this one, one of the generals suggested. But another general pointed out that it was too dangerous to leave this fortress alone because the people in there may cut their supply line and destroy their supply depot as they move deeper towards the Goguryeo capital, Pyongyang. So, Tang Taizong ended up staying, perhaps influenced partially by his ego. Thus, the siege dragged on. Both sides became more desperate as the days and weeks went by and resorted to more extreme tactics. However, neither was able to make significant progress. The night raid sent out by An Si was discovered and neutralized. The trebuchets of the Tang army knocked off the top of the walls but it was quickly patched up by wooden frames. So, to break the deadlock, the Tang army thought, if they can't get through the walls, then why don't they get over it? So, they worked for 60 days and night non-stop to build a massive earth ramp to the southeast of the wall. As the towering earth ramp gradually dashed over, the defenders tried everything they could to attack the workers. But, it was too well defended so all they could do was watch the dirt pile up and shiver over their impending doom. Or, was it the cold weather? But then suddenly, for unknown reason, the earth ramp collapsed towards the fortress. Why? How? It didn't matter. All the defenders know was that they must prevent the Tang army from using it to get into the fortress. So, a few hundred of them charged onto the ramp and fought with everything they've got until they finally occupied it. But, the war wasn't over yet. They had to keep on fighting against the relentless attack of the Tang army that tried to take the ramp back. So, the defenders dug deep ditches and held onto their spot for three whole days. By then, they were probably exhausted, wounded, and all cold. Very cold. This might be the end, they thought. Then they see the Tang army all gathering to one side of the fortress wall, perhaps for one final push. But, no, they are not attacking. The emperor himself is saying something. He is complimenting the fortress keeper and rewarded him with 100 bolts of silk for his impressive defense of Ansi. That is worth a fortune. Apparently, the defenders of Ansi had stalled Tang Taizong's campaign for far too long. And, by late August, the grasses of the region had already withered due to the region's naturally cold climate. The horses would be left starving if the Tang army had stayed any longer. Actually, even the soldiers would have starved because they're also running out of provisions. So, despite winning some battles spectacularly, the Tang army lost the war because they were too preoccupied by this small fortress. Tang Taizong would have probably spared the occupants of the fortress once it was captured, like what he did in another city during the early stages of the campaign, because he loved his PR stunts. Had he known that it would lead to the fierce defense of Ansi, perhaps he would have told his general to swallow his words. If only Wei Zheng had been alive, he would have prevented him from launching this expedition, he lamented. Adding injury to insult, the Tang army was hit by a snowstorm on their way back and lost many of their men. Now, you might have noticed that I had never mentioned the name of the defenders of Ansi Xiong, Ansi Fortress. Well, that's because his name had been lost in history. Nobody knew what happened to him after this. Or if he was even allowed to live by Yon Kitsumun. But, folk stories told 1,000 years later claim that his name was Liang Manchun and later became Yang Manchun. But of course, it is hard to prove that it was really his name. In Korean folktales, it was also said that he shot Tang Taizong in the eye and he would later die due to the injury. Interesting, eh? Anyway, subscribe to the channel if you like the video. If you would like to participate in the discussion and vote on future topics, then be a bro and join us on Patreon. You can also help the channel by liking, sharing, and commenting because it boosts the algorithm. Until next time, stay cool, my bros.