Emperor Taizong and the Rise of the Tang Dynasty DOCUMENTARY

[@KingsandGenerals]

This video is like a prequel for our video on the An Lushan rebellion, check it out next: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3LZnZevgN2HgKM and if you like our work, support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/KingsandGenerals or Paypal: paypal.me/kingsandgenerals

[@surplusbus9269]

If you will ever need help with italian sources i can be of help and i would be honored to do that

[@MrJuggernautishere]

Are Tangs descendants of Nomads instead of Han Chinese?

[@ardiasyahdahlan7643]

Pliss next make about qin shihuangdi first imperor of china

[@harveyliu89]

MrJuggernautishere ethnically, they are mixed nomads and Han Chinese, culturally they are predominantly Han Chinese, as Emperor Wen of Northern Wei (nomad emperor of Xianbei tribe) forcefully adopted Chinese customs, languages and traditions 100 years ago

[@etcgfedi1549]

a mistake， Lishimin 李世民 have Xianbei 鲜卑 decent not turkic 突厥

[@barbiquearea]

"A ruler who oppresses his own people is no different from a gluttonous man who feasts on his own flesh" - Emperor Taizong

[@葛海涛-c1u]

and there is another "the people are the water, the rulers are boats; water can carry boat, it can also sink the boat" ,taught in every version of high school history book

[@Nana-cs6yn]

@@kanding3369 资治通鉴里写着这些，可是当今天子正割肉充饥，不知何时亡国？

[@alitahir4147]

Beautifully put. He was a great man.

[@dbrzy8989]

@Ben Louis?

[@swatimes9766]

@@Nana-cs6yn 宁真的牛批，两百年三百年也有牌面说？宁不知道宁的洋主子，奥斯曼帝国“享国”四百年？混了个欧洲病夫，爽不爽？现在公知天天洗脑中国奴性重，宁脑子不太好，也跟着恍然大悟了？宁这么喜欢数字，去看看中国人民起义多少次，“有民主反抗精神”的欧美人起义多少次，能让一个单一宗教压迫的农奴帝国活四百多年，谁是奴才？没点脑子就不要从众了嘛真的是，多气呢

[@MurdocIsASaint]

Reminds me of Augustus, ruthless in the pursuit of power but once he had it turned it to the improvement of the state.

[@ahamedihamiyun5927]

Mark would have being a better emperor

[@000dixon]

@@ahamedihamiyun5927 He was under cleopatra's skirt, how could he was better....

[@LetsGoGetThem]

@@000dixonNo response.

[@nicholaspanos1559]

@Hoàng Nguyên By crushing Cleopatra underfoot, Augustus made Egypt the personal property of the emperor for centuries. Can't get ties much stronger than that.

[@ihl0700677525]

@@ahamedihamiyun5927 Mark Anthony was good military commander, but incompetent politician and bad administrator. Not only that, he was arguably a traitor since he "bequeathed" Roman territory in the east to his children with Cleopatra. Those territory will effectively be controlled by Egyptian kingdom if Anthony won the civil war, and since Cleopatra/Egypt bankrolled the whole campaign, Egypt will dominate Roman republic too.

[@worsethanjoerogan8061]

"I heard you advised my brother to kill me" "Can you tell me it was bad advice?"

[@Jesse_Dawg]

thank you for the laugh

[@IllicitGreen]

'yes, & i wouldv gotten away with it too, if it wasnt for those...'

[@HxH2011DRA]

My favorite part of the video XD

[@ny8993]

In fact, Li Jiancheng and Gaozu have very big gap with Taizong. Taizong is the best general in that time, and one of the best generals in Chinese history. Taizong also is a best manager. Most of military and ministers want Taizong to instead his farther. Taizong is a unbelievable man. They can not kill Taizong. The best choose for Jiancheng is that surrender and escape faraway

[@abcdef27669]

"Employing the right men is far more important than the sheer number of established posts". Can't imagine wiser words...

[@mr.simonphoenix7181]

But Tan That doesn’t take away from the quote, one’s sacrifice can be appreciated without being rewarded with nepotism.

[@proudfirebrand3946]

@@buttan3399 That is the unfortunate truth, sacrifice is a necessity, A snake must shed its skin in order for it to grow... Another perspective :) Hindsight is 20/20

[@biocapsule7311]

@@buttan3399 They can be send away from their post, but that doesn't mean they lose benefits.

[@SaretGnasoh]

@@buttan3399 you miss the whole point

[@cavaleer]

Taizong was brilliant. Great work. He deserves much more attention outside of China.

[@EngCenturion]

Understatement

[@MadMamluk88]

Agreed. He is arguably the greatest ruler in Chinese history.

[@sanfordwong]

Some historians argued that Taizong wanted to prove his greatness over the elder brother he murdered, & father not granted him "crown prince" as promised before "Xuanwu Gate incident". For Taizong's whole life the sin he made in "Xuanwu Gate incident" kept influencing him - but it was fortunate for the people in Tang that influence was in progressive direction.

[@sanfordwong]

@Adecodoo That was truly "Game of Throne", he won or he would die. Actually I think what Taizong truly cold blood is he killed all sons of his two rival brothers aftermath.

[@zaph2580]

@Adecodoo Ottoman's sultan also did the same, and it even became their royal tradition each generation. It might be the necessary evil the royal had to do at that time to prevent usurper.

[@Mattyhollis]

In this video we hope to give a balanced narrative of the life of Taizong, one of the greatest Chinese emperors in history. To westerners, it is easy to see the many Chinese emperors as almost the same person, but through this portrayal I hope we can show how monumental this man was. Hope everyone enjoys the video. : )

[@heavenwatcher100]

It should help if more western audience are aware of his full name Li Shimin(李世民) , which distinguishes this emperor from the many "Taizong"s of other dynasties.

[@ollie3x10_8]

@@heavenwatcher100 李世民是Li Shimin吧？

[@InspectHistory]

Seek Knowledge even if you have to go as far as China

[@heavenwatcher100]

@@ollie3x10_8 You are right. Thanks for the correction.

[@arnoldussineamico498]

Simon Lee in Cantonese lol

[@Dragons_Armory]

Interesting bulletins about Taizong's life: He was able to persuade most of his enemies to work for him. Many of the most important Tang inner cabinet were former generals, and princes who had once opposed him. Four of his best generals, Li Jing, Li Shiji, Qin Shubao, and Yuchi Gong had all once fought for rulers that directly opposed the Tang. Each of them was either defeated and pardoned by Li Shimin, or was persuaded by his charisma to join the Tang cause. Because of this marked appreciation for such men of talents, these once doomed men (one was literally pardoned from right below a headsman by Li Shimin's intercession) would become the founding fathers and pillars of the Tang state: Two of them would become deified as Door Gods and still venerated today, and the other two would each be instrumental in taking down a powerful rival empire. Li Jing the Gokturks and Li Shiji the Xueyantao and also the Korean kingdom of Goguryeo. His chief Councillors- the Chancellor of Taizong's dynasty was a former enemy: as covered in this video Wei Zheng was a close adviser to his brother and in the desperate ramp up to their open violence suggested acting decisively against Taizong by killing him. Despite this, Taizong also recognized that Wei Zheng is a very honest man who is straightforward in all councils. Thus Taizong did the unthinkeable and not only pardoned him but also made him a Chancellor. Wei Zheng eventually proved to one of the dynasty's best, his critique to Taizong was always harsh and direct, but also provided much long term wisdom. The last part of the video, where Taizong proclaimed that: "With a bronze mirror, one can see whether he is properly attired; with history as a mirror, one can understand the rise and fall of a nation; with men as a mirror, one can see whether he is right or wrong." is directly said in honor of Wei Zheng upon his death, the full quote ends with the following: "Now I've lost my faithful mirror by the death of Wei Zheng." Two of his great allies were also princes who once fought him. Ashina Simo (Qilibi Khan), and Qibi Heli were both great princes of the Eastern Gokturks. Taizong eventually became sworn brothers to Ashima Simo and supported his rule among the Gokturks. During Taizong's latter battles in Korea, Ashina Simo was injured by an arrow, and it was said that Emperor Taizong personally sucked the poisoned pus out of his wound, which greatly inspired the assembled soldiers. So rare in history is an administration at the peak performance staffed by so many former rivals of an empire, perhaps rarer still was a person who was able to command such service from each of those able men.

[@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory]

As soon as I saw this video, I knew I'd find you here

[@Dragons_Armory]

@@TheJackmeisterMongolHistory Well I am subbed to the channel lol

[@Dragons_Armory]

@Alex Y I am slowly compiling a video, but meanwhile check out my blog, just google it. Cheers

[@chilieping]

Li Jing and Li Shiji were great generals but they were more like commdander/strategic type of generals similar to Sima Yi or Zhuge Liang. Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao were different type, they were vanguard/champion type of generals who couldn't lead too many soldiers but they were strong fighters as individuals just like Xu Chu and Dian Wei. Su Dingfang was like combination of the two types,being excelled both at commanding large troops and individual martial prowess. Qibi Heli was probably one of the most valiant turk generals of Tang, during the first campaign against goguryeo he was injured by a spear as he was always charging ahead of others but with the help of his assistant general Xue Wanbei he managed to break out from the encirclement and wrap his own wound then continued fighting through the enemy line.

[@大火-q7h]

好古 千军易得一将难求

[@TheSamuraijim87]

When your name becomes synonymous throughout the Middle Kingdom and East Asia with "Greatness", it is difficult to understate the magnitude of your achievements. Great emperor, great video!

[@AJ-ud1ui]

TheSamuraijim87 which name, LiShiMin or Taizong?

[@TheSamuraijim87]

@@AJ-ud1ui Taizong.

[@wu40681]

@@AJ-ud1ui Every emperor in China will receive a title after death, is the evaluation of an emperor's life, Li Shimin is the emperor's name during his lifetime, ordinary people can not call the emperor's name directly, and the emperor or when will release some era names, is used to record time, usually, the emperor's name after death is generally only one, and the emperor when he was alive issued the year name, there may be several, Li Shimin only used a year name, called Zhenguan, and his posthumous title is called Tang Taizong, Taizong is the Chinese high evaluation of an emperor, This custom ended after the end of the last Qing dynasty, and only Japan still practices this custom today, because they did not abolish the emperor

[@InspectHistory]

Without doubt, Tang Taizong (Li Shimin) was one of the Greatest Chinese Emperor :)

[@yeshichophel5428]

Also a brother murderer

[@ru4582]

@@yeshichophel5428 and same would be true for every European monarchs and Ottoman Sultans that fought for their inheritance. How else do you think people consolidate power?

[@hamzaferoz6162]

Laughs in Gaozu of Han

[@franciscomm7675]

Alongside emperor kangxi of qing and emperor wu of han

[@yeshichophel5428]

@@ru4582 I'm just saying, but not all emperor kill their own brothers. Of course I won't deny his talent and achievements

[@NUSensei]

Fantastic documentary. Thank you for creating and sharing this.

[@KingsandGenerals]

Thanks for watching!

[@dorjeepalden86]

Do Tibetan empire 7-10th century

[@wuyuli5691]

滅東突厥（630）、滅吐谷渾（635）、擊退吐蕃（638）、滅高昌（640）、擊敗焉耆（644）、滅薛延陀（645）、擊敗龜茲（648）

[@andrisrubins8022]

Videos about ancient China are my favorite.

[@siechamontillado]

No, they're more my favorite than yours.

[@comradetiedanski6038]

actually this is middle China period, you would have to go another 1500 years back to actually relate to ancient China.

[@adrianatgaming8640]

@@comradetiedanski6038 yeah i think he means imperial china and chinese history in general

[@lukehaddad5185]

Not as much as the underrated Indian history. Hint: Kings and Generals did a video on Ashoka the Great. Check it out.

[@birdyashiro1226]

It's all bc all dynasty have been record detailed. Ancient Chinese they smart.

[@Mikethehamham]

Well done. Chris Stewart's the history of China podcast goes deep into the history of the Tang as well. Phenomenal stuff!

[@silverrain530]

I like how you are covering parts of history that aren't often taught in the west. It helps build Perspective

[@espadac4746]

Taizong was also the only person in history to be both the Emperor of China and the Khan of the Gokturks.

[@basartv5880]

thats hardcore

[@saena4752]

@王中孚 are they directly original that copied or just simplified version and what you guys feel about Turks looks like they are your historical enemy but you are living in the same country now how is feel and how is projected to school books?

[@saena4752]

@王中孚 thank you for the answer I impressed you guys still can read old history books in my country we even cant read a poem wrote in 90 years ago it is a beautiful thing that you manage to protect your language you should proud with that

[@yuenhai]

@@saena4752 "we can't even read a poem wrote in 90 years ago" How come?

[@saena4752]

@@yuenhai there was a langue reform in turkey after the ww1 because we lost our empire and we lost all the nation in it. elites in country in that time thought it looks ridiculous to still using the langue of empire, language that combination of nations languages in the empire so they tried to change it to pure Turkish and they changed the alphabet too (Arabic to Latin) today a normal person that never studied on ottoman langue cant read a poem that written before the ww1, of course, there are exceptions poems that written with pure Turkish but few and probably written by a peasant that only knew turkish

[@TheSage9191]

This was a welcome surprise today covering one of my fav emperors of history thanks guys. You keep getting better and better.

[@harveyliu89]

The name Taizong 太宗 and Gaozu are all temple names of the emperor, given to him after his death to signify his contribution to the dynasty (it was the custom of Imperial tradition that only those emperors that made great contribution to his dynasty are allowed in the royal family temple thereby gaining a temple name). As such, no one will call the emperor his temple name while alive because: a. The name doesn’t exist, and b. It would be the same as cursing the emperor to die early

[@harveyliu89]

@array s Chinese emperors are given two sets of names after their death: Temple names 庙号 (read Miao Hao) and posthumous names 谥号 (read Shi Hao). The first one refers to his rank in the royal temple, where the more senior in the lineage and the greater contribution to his dynasty will result in him placing higher in the altar. Therefore, every founding emperor of every dynasty is Taizu 太祖, as it means Grand Ancestor, always the first to be worshiped, followed usually by Taizong which are the next senior place in the altar. Bonus fact: before Tang dynasty, not every emperor was given the honor of a temple name. Out of 20 or something emperors from Han dynasty, only half of them were given temple names.

[@harveyliu89]

Muramasa S it’s interesting you said that, cuz only a few founding emperors (Tang Gaozu) included are named Gaozu, while the emperors of Han, Jin, Song, Ming (almost all) are named Taizu, and the difference actually are due to two parts

[@harveyliu89]

Muramasa S 1. When Sima Qian wrote Shiji, the record of history which had huge influence on future Chinese historical academics, he mentioned Liu Bang, the first emperor of Han Dynasty (Temple name Taizu, posthumous name Gao Huangdi) as Gaozu, a combination of both temple and posthumous name, instead of his actual temple name Taizu

[@harveyliu89]

Muramasa S this resulted in a lot of miscalculation latter on that Gaozu was supposed to be the primary title of temple names, which it actually was not. Secondly, the Taizu of Tang went to Li Hu (李虎), the grandfather of Tang Gaozu, and the reason is also reasonable, as Li Hu was the person that elevated the Li family from a small warrior clan with little prestige and influenced based in the border region to become one of the eight founding pillars (柱国, which are like royal princes each commanding several field armies), laying the most important foundation to Tang Dynasty

[@edukid1984]

@array s Well, it's rather common knowledge to those familiar with Chinese history. In fact there must be at least a dozen "Emperor Taizhong"s scattered across the various dynasties and kingdoms that rose and fell throughout the 2200 years of Imperial China. All of whom would've been referred to merely as Your Majesty or The Emperor (or any number of honorifics befitting of the throne) while they were alive. Indeed, making the grevious mistake of addressing the reigning Emperor with a title reserved for those who've passed away (especially in written document) would almost certainly have meant capital punishment due to lese majeste laws*. HOWEVER, there's no problem with historians or this video referring to him as Emperor Taizhong after his time, as long as we are clear about which Taizhong we're talking about. * Such capital punishment can vary from just execution of the offender, to the wholesale execution of his/her entire immediate and extended families. Gruesome stuff.

[@ZhangtheGreat]

One seemingly small trait about Tang Taizong that's often overlooked is that he actually accepted criticism for his rule. These days, as we mostly live in republics, we expect leaders to be able to handle criticism, but in those days, getting caught criticizing the emperor would often mean death. Yet here's Taizong, the son of heaven, who allowed himself to be criticized openly and didn't threaten to silence the dissenters. Talk about a guy who was well ahead of his time!

[@DccAnh]

@@muslimresponse103The Chinese government can still be criticized by their people, hell it happened all the time on Chinese social media Weibo, if you think the CCP oppressed their people then you have never come to China.

[@DccAnh]

@@muslimresponse103 if you can’t counter my point, should just admit your fault or shut up lol, trying to sound sarcastic only make you look like a pathetic loser

[@chrissmith3587]

@@DccAnh or they are someone who’ve heard of the Uighurs, Falun Gong, watched the CCPs handling of covid including the footage of officials welding people in homes, or heard of the events in Tiananmen Square in 1989 Anyone watching this video is fascinated by Chinese culture and is trying to embrace China, but seriously your government acts like the nazis. They are robbing you most of all

[@lucyfiniarel2347]

@@muslimresponse103 it’s true. They accept constructive criticism on policy and administrative decisions - not destructive criticism intended to destabilize the government.

[@J.B.Whiteside]

@@lucyfiniarel2347 I read a book recently called "Rise of the Tang Dynasty" by Julian Romani. I found it incredibly interesting. He seems to have been an excellent General yet they rarely talk about him like they do Qin Shi Huang and Han Wu Di in the West.

[@alitahir4147]

Amazing video. Your channel deserves millions of subscribers unlike most other channels.

[@nomadichorseman]

Being a westerner, I love learning about European history. However, it’s also very intriguing learning about cultures that are essentially a world away. Thank you, K&G, for this excellent video about the Tang!

[@evelyngravatt3198]

This guy was basically like "Well your defeated..... But you got spunk, I like that, Welcome aboard" His Enemies: "Wtf?"

[@manuvirajkhare]

@Evelyn Gravatt So did they have a 'Surprised Pikachu' WTF or an "Unsettled Tom' WTF?

[@frankg2790]

LOL!

[@MasterChiefSamus]

Enemies: *surprised Pikachu face* Li Shimin's own advisors: *unsettled Tom face*

[@heavenwatcher100]

@@andrewsuryali8540 The Sui princess you mentioned was Princess Yicheng, sister of Emperor Yang of Sui or distant aunt of Taizong of Tang. Quite sarcastic that herself was killed by Tang forces in the campaign against Turks.

[@heavenwatcher100]

@@andrewsuryali8540 Taizong had conflicting attitude toward Xuan Zang's pilgrim to India. Initially for security reason, Xuan Zang would be arrested for trespassing the border. But after he became so successful in India, Taizong himself even greeted Xuan Zang in person at the bridge just outside Chang'an and built the famous Big Wild Goose temple for Xuan Zang. I think Taizong is a pragmatist from his changing stances toward Wei Zheng and Xuan Zang.

[@TheSunshineRequiem]

how can ppl not know about Tang Dynasty, many parts of Asia were heavily influenced by Tang. At its peak, it was the most powerful empire on the planet, in almost all aspects, military, technology, literature, arts and economy.

[@silversurfer2977]

Only problem is that tang struggled to elimimate Koreans and Tibetians.

[@papercat2599]

@@silversurfer2977 they did well to subdue them. Gorguryao was eventually destroyed by tang

[@silversurfer2977]

@@papercat2599 Actually, Tang troops got almost eliminated by Tibet empire. And it was impossible for Tang dynasty to eliminate Goguryeo if it were not for Silla on the south.

[@papercat2599]

@@silversurfer2977 most troops fought in destruction of gorguryao were tang troops. Also no tang were quite advantageous against Tibetan throughout their history. Except the time of an shi rebellion when tang were already exhausted as fuck. Tibetan took advantage and attack. But there’s no such thing as tang troops eliminated by Tibetan. Tang troops were mostly already eliminated by civil war at the time. Even so tang still successfully repeal them.

[@papercat2599]

@@silversurfer2977 a successful tang victory against Tibetan included this one. When Emperor Taizong of Tang refused a marriage alliance, Songtsen Gampo sent an army to attack the Chinese frontier city of Songzhou in 638, which was the first military conflict between the rising Tibetan Empire and the Chinese Tang dynasty. After a Tang army inflicted heavy casualties on the Tibetans in a night-time attack, Songtsen Gampo withdrew. He sent emissaries and tributes to Tang capital Chang'an to apologize, and to again request marriage. Taizong decided to give Songtsen Gampo a distant niece, Princess Wencheng, in marriage.

[@tjallingappelhof2055]

The quality of your videos is amazing, and these sort of 'story-video's' are very nicely put together. I don't know a lot about China, so I am excited for the upcoming videos about this very interesting country's history! Thanks for the great content.

[@KingsandGenerals]

Thanks for watching!

[@brokenbridge6316]

Taizong sounds like a mighty impressive ruler and man. One can't help but admire him. As do I. My compliments to those who made this video a reality. Because this was a good video to watch.

[@chiefdoesgaming8269]

The end of the video gave me goosebumps.

[@chiefdoesgaming8269]

@DOnkeyshyt hahah what

[@sisphotothen2807]

One of the strongest Chinese emperor throughout the whole Chinese history, with both great military strategy and political talent. Conquests, unifications, & assimilation of surroundings such as ancient Turkish khanates and Goguryeo. Innovation of "imperial examination" which shapes the selecting mechanism of officials in the continents of Asia and Europe.

[@denniscleary7580]

Love it when you do videos on Asia, Will you be covering the ming dynasty?

[@gameoflife9576]

That is a must

[@InspectHistory]

Zheng He? Or Zhu Yuanzhang?

[@Mattyhollis]

We're not sure when, but it's so full of great stuff that we'll definitely cover it at some point : )

[@DianeCooperTW]

Ming is wack

[@XuerLi]

Ming's first two emperors were badass but their descendants were really weak

[@InfiniteUniverse88]

There's a classic Chinese novel called "Journey to the West" which takes place in this time period. It's about a pilgrimage to the land of the Buddha. It's by far the most fantastical classical Chinese literature in existence.

[@adamant8435]

Imagine being the best emperor of a country with thousands of emperors and over 4000 years of history

[@augustineo.6990]

Kings and Generals is my mirror into historic events. Thanks guys.

[@KingsandGenerals]

Thanks for watching!

[@russia9501]

Man some channels are just a blessing to see the notification from. Great job as always, looking forward to future stuff

[@johnsonjohnson129]

it is truly impressive that this channel managed to know so much and so well on far east history , especially for those northern east nomadic tribes in current Mongol region and China.. A very high quality channel ! Cheers gentleman~~

[@whatkenyan7684]

Thanks again and again for the amazing content. It is as if it was tailored for me. cheers from Kenya.

[@Jesse__H]

K&G, your production is getting crazy good. These don't even feel like youtube videos anymore ... more like short films that you might see at a small film fest or something!

[@ironblooded3474]

Li ShiMin (Tang TaiZong): 1. The Emperor of Tang (China); 2. The Heavenly Khagan of all Göktürks; 3. The man who contributed to creating Japanese culture that is still around today; 4. One of the few emperors of China who brought such prosperity to the peasants, a whole age was named after him; 5. Father of later Tang emperor; 6. One of his sons also brought such prosperity to the peasants, a whole 'nother age was also named after him.

[@Hashishiyah]

wow impressive

[@zwang3909]

7. The best military leader among all Chinese rulers in history, according to Mao

[@tripplehhh2584]

8. The emperor who gave us princesses weng Chen to Tibet’s king songsten gompo

[@tripplehhh2584]

@علي ياسر whole world is vassal of god ....allah hu akbar Tibet is kingdom feared by its neighbors....and alalalaLala

[@tripplehhh2584]

@علي ياسر just said not kingdom now saying kingdom are you okay when did Tibet lost and became part of china ?

[@ManHeyuan]

He was legendary, to both the Japanese and Chinese, who count the Han and Tang among the greatest empires throughout history. The Tang empire is widely believed to have given Japan its name, leaving an enduring impact on what most identify as Japanese culture, including literature, customs, traditions, and the arts. For a fuller detailed account of the Xuanwu Gate incident, with all its intrigue and suspense: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jISzZWeLaNJ5gJo

[@illman8876]

Rome was also legendary, being called "daqin"

[@ManHeyuan]

@@illman8876 All roads lead to Rome; all Silk Roads lead to China.

[@illman8876]

@@ManHeyuan my Chinese friend you are going to make an Italian cry LOL

[@hejohn9227]

@@illman8876 This "大秦" of the Tang Dynasty are not refer to Rome (Byzantine Empire) but to the Persian Empire or the Syrian region

[@illman8876]

@@hejohn9227 I'm speaking of Han dynasty

[@CrimsonScar-1]

As usual, I'm blown away by the quality of your videos K&G. Keep up the good work.

[@otgunz]

thanks for watching!

[@mazzaker18]

Loving the china videos, its definitly one of the most interesting places in history

[@stefanrajic]

Great work. You now have various designs and themes you analyze. Your videos are really good, just keep up the good work!

[@HistorySkills]

I have only just started reading about Taizong and this video appeared at just the right time!

[@KingsandGenerals]

Nice coincidence!

[@hanchiman]

Considered as one of the most popular and colourful Chinese Warrior Emperor. Even Ieyasu Tokugawa from Japan during Sengoku period took alot of inspiration from him in unification of Japan.

[@过期的跳蛋]

From the Han Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, China has influenced all aspects of Japan, from writing to thinking, to architecture, clothing, musical instruments, soy sauce brewing, weapons and even the name of the country itself. Then Japan began to learn from the West to industrialize, while China was rotten in the hands of the Qing Dynasty

[@jackzhou4813]

@@过期的跳蛋 What Japan learned from the West was not just industrialization, because the Qing Dynasty was also industrializing at the same time. The reason for Japan's rise should be that it learned the excellent management and education systems of the West.

[@JerryLiuYT]

I love that you focus mostly on economics and non-military aspects. The non-military aspects of history are the most important, and the most overlooked.

[@samialhilaly7404]

An extremely exquiste piece of art from you. It's very emotional. Hats off.

[@ሰላም-ጘ5ዐ]

Just amazing. These graphics are breathtaking.

[@c3poisnotbot678]

Great video, just a reminder: "Taizong" is his "Miao-hao", or "Temple name", which was only given after the emperor died. No one would actually call him "Taizong" during his life time.

[@Omar_ayach]

My God the quality sky rocketed

[@jl9737]

I subscribed to kings and generals before year, year and a half and you had about 100 000 subscribers, just now realized you gained over 500 000 in year 😲 Two videos per week, i guess hard work really does pays off. 👏👏

[@smokytopboomboom]

Man, the production quality if the videos had improved so much. It's great to watch. I'd love to learn how they animate those paintings, those are my favorite parts.

[@otgunz]

join our Discord channel my friend

[@kla7151]

Great vid as always Kings and Generals

[@teo5758]

one of the best episode of this youtube channel

[@adamschaeffer1436]

Legend has it a tasty, orange powdered drink is the only remaining legacy of this dynasty.

[@stevenyd644]

Adam Schaeffer lol underrated comment

[@chris42076301]

His family is not a mix of Chinese and Turkish, but Han and Xianbei (S[a]r-pe) from North. Siberia = Xianbei's Land.

[@cbrtdgh4210]

So the Xianbei spoke a Mongolic language? Turkish isn't the right word to use here, it refers to the modern language of Turkish. Turkic languages are though to have originated from Siberia as well.

[@chris42076301]

@@cbrtdgh4210 Yes, Xianbei language is one of the Eastern branch of Mogolic language with strong Chinese influence. Some eastern Mongolian tribes were pushed by growing Xiongnu about 2200 years ago to the East end of Euro-Aisa continent and settled there, later known as Xianbei (not how they call themselves). Turkish people are from somewhere more central Asia. They languages are not understandable to each other.

[@cbrtdgh4210]

@@chris42076301 Nice, thanks for the information.

[@antonfeng1434]

自古以来……

[@lucioagelvis2134]

@Cenk Tüneygök How can Touba be Turkic and Xianbei (Mongol) at the same time??? (I suppose people back then weren't as racist as they are now) Genghis wanted to unite " ALL who lived in FELT TENTS)

[@TPS19891225]

Chinese here, in high school we always joked about how his English name should be Simon Lee because of the similar pronunciation. But ya, he is considered one of the greatest emperor in Chinese history.

[@jeffagain7516]

So extremely grateful to see your vids on such outstanding Historical figures. As a Westerner, I've spent many hours reading and viewing what I can on the East Asian Empires, as they sadly lack a lot of exposure in our schools and research facilities. Fortunately, I've found a few excellent books and some excellent YT vids. Thanks again K & G !

[@theprogenitor951]

Another great vid as always!

[@controversialopinions3659]

This was wonderful, please do Emperor Wu of Han or Kangxi of Qing next.

[@CodytheHun123]

Kangxi is my favorite emperor!

[@AmorFati72]

Wu of Han is the real Champ!!!!

[@Ayy_Doll_Fiddler]

Press F to honor Taizong. Gone but never forgotten. (T_T)

[@manuvirajkhare]

F

[@jinjunliu2401]

F

[@sun-jo2rs]

F

[@hellatze]

Dont F on genocidal ruler.

[@SADBOY-di3th]

f

[@benscott9929]

Maybe the best content to date and I've been here since day 1. Love the channel!

[@AlexanderofThebes]

I love how you change the art style to reflect each new culture you present.

[@otgunz]

Thanks alot! Our team and I all love cultures and their unique artstyles.

[@cbrtdgh4210]

I saw a Korean film called "The Great Battle", about Taizong invading Korea. It's an enjoyable film, great at bringing that era to life, but it's a bit silly in the way it vilifies Taizong and all the heroic acts/Korean nationalist themes.

[@user-cd2yq1gw1b]

@@jackcc429 They had many open field battles as well such as battle of Jupilsan and battle of Sasu and so on. Traditional Korean armies were mostly horsemen so that is why they preferred open battles

[@hagongda123]

@@jackcc429 抗日神剧笑而不语

[@damanchan6839]

the glory and the prosperity of Tang Dyansty left such an impression that China Towns throughout the world are still called "Street of Tang's People" in Chinese

[@cart172]

It's what overseas Cantonese people refer to themselves as - 'Tang People'.

[@Zeruel3]

Sometimes the right person comes along at the right time, Taizong was one of those people

[@zachfox7771]

the visuals were absolutely stunning in this one! keep it up!

[@otgunz]

thanks alot!

[@rayanhey2411]

Can't wait for the video about Yu the Engineer !!! I love this kind of vidoe keep up the GREAT work !

[@ww2killerk]

I love this art style! Awesome video man

[@JonAtomic]

i love this channel so much

[@jerrylitthachack1464]

It be really cool if you did some videos on the kingdoms of southeast Asia. Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and the islands underneath. People don't really know or say much about them. I'm Lao but I dont know much of its ancient history. Great video as always and thanks for making them

[@jeffagain7516]

Fully agree. The West knows very little of either the ancient or the classical age of S.E. Asia and vids by such reputed sites as K & G, could go far in relieving that shortfall. :) Personally, I find the Kingdoms of Laos and Cambodia are neglected the most and would love to see more on them. Vids of Siam, Burma, the Viets, and the early Malaysian kingdoms would also be greatly appreciated!

[@SleepingDrag0n]

Love the Chinese calligraphy based font you used in this video.

[@kawaiku]

Love these types of videos alongside the military history ones. Would love to see more to accompanying the ones about kings and leaders.

[@haobaihsu3414]

glad to see so many people are interested in history of Tang dynasty, a great dynasty and a free country which shows a right way to China nowaday

[@HWDragonborn]

I won't say Tang Dynasty as a free country as it was ruled by an absolute monarchy

[@daniboy2982]

I was inspired to learn about this dynasty after an episode of a podcast that gives glimpses into parallel universes where events on earth turn. out different. A scenario where the Tang rebellion never happened and it was the Chinese who discovered the Americas. They mentioned the toll of the rebellion and I was fascinated to learn about the Tang.

[@hassanabdulahi4705]

What’s the name of the podcast?

[@daniboy2982]

Twilight histories

[@DanielLee_2304]

Great vid about the Tang, really interesting topic and the art and animation is awesome too.

[@KingsandGenerals]

Thanks!

[@emir870]

From my joung age i loved history . I love your videos because you make your videos with passion. I hope we can meet in future sit and just speak about history

[@KingsandGenerals]

Thank you very much!

[@Crytica.]

YASSSSS Time for another episode where you have to fully concentrate from start to finish because all the names are so damn hard lmao! I'm more and more interested in Chinese,Korean can Japanese history because of videos like this. I never was into this kind of history because a lot used to be myths and legends plus it all sounded the same. Add that with the fact it's on the other side of the world for me, it's hard to relate or picture their cultures. But again, thanks to you and others on KZbin. You guys give this part of the world and it's history a fresh spin and shine a good light on it in a way it's easier to get into the history! okay, I rambled enough, felt like saying this! Keep up the good work Kings and Generals.

[@longmarch2668]

Li Shimin would personally charge enemy formation and his horses got killed several times. He is a skillful warrior.

[@jake2.035]

The animations in these videos are brilliant!

[@alexanderkorol677]

What an inspiration! I hope to be a great ruler like him, Ashoka, and lee Kwan Yew one day.

[@OneOnOne1162]

The art in these videos really is fantastic.

[@otgunz]

thanks alot!

[@supremereader7614]

Thanks!

[@fjerdy]

Great video as always! really enjoyed the artwork

[@KingsandGenerals]

Glad to hear!

[@大火-q7h]

The origin of Turkic people is worth to be explored. The Book of Sui documented the origin of Turks. According to the Book of Sui, the Turks’ ancestors were mixed blood barbarians from what is now northwest China. The primary family name of the Turks was Ashina. They lived in the area around the Golden Mountain for generations, and were experts in blacksmithing, making exquisite iron products. Because of the shape of the Golden Mountain resembles a helmet, which sounded like ‘turk’ in Turkish language, the Turks adopted the name of ‘turk’ as the name of their state. Some scholars believed that the Golden Mountain referred to the Altai Mountains. The Book of Sui also provided an alternative story for the origin of Turks. According to the second version, the ancestors of Turks lived close to the west sea. They were defeated and conquered by neighbouring tribes, who only spared a single boy. This boy was raised by a she-wolf and eventually had intercourse with her. The she-wolf gave birth to ten boys, who were believed to be the first Turks. In modern day Turkey, the wolf is still the national animal. According to the epic of Ergenekon of the Turkish people, “the Turkish tribe was annihilated by the enemy but only one young boy remained alive. In supernatural event, the boy found protection with a grey wolf which gave birth to his children. After centuries passed by, a grey wolf appeared and led the Turks to their new homeland where they became a world power”. The story in the Book of Sui matches perfectly with the epic of Ergenekon, indicating the continuation of Turkish culture. The continuation of Turkish culture, on the other hand, demonstrated the importance of studying the interaction between the Turks and the Tang dynasty in order to understand the causation and rationale for the west migration of Turks.

[@XuerLi]

Turks were just a cultural and military union, they have many differents tribes with different looks and were extremely hybrid, the Turkic people in the far east are probably the purest turks and they look kind of like Mongols, those live in the further west exterminated/assimilated tones of natives and look more like Eurasians, the extreme example is Turkey they have only left with less than 10% Mongoloid/original turkic DNA.

[@maverikmiller6746]

I am a Turk (Oghuz) and Ergenekon legend seems to be the same as you mentioned. When talking about origins this videos the most scientific one I can find around explaining quite well. kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJKqmJVnibl5jdk

[@TheTariqibnziyad]

the quality is only getting better !!! Taizong was a real state builder, its a shame when people know only those who were famous in war, for me the ones famous in peace are the most important, for example i consider Alexander's Hellenization way more important than his military career.

[@TheTariqibnziyad]

@array s nah Egypt was downhill anyways; in fact Ptolemaics gave Egypt its final golden age, Romans were coming in all cases.

[@Gigastorz]

there's a new tv show with very high production quality based on tang dynasty, 长安十二时辰 "the longest day in chang'an", first 3 episode is free on youtube with english sub, the rest of the show is available via multiple online streaming sites including amazon, for those who are interested.

[@hyltoniali257]

Emperor Tang TaiZong of China, Tengri God Khan of nomads, founder of the ZhenGuan Golden Era

[@user-jh9nx6tl1n]

Wait what does Tengri mean? Is it the Gök Tengri/Kokh Tengri?

[@houchenll3097]

@@user-jh9nx6tl1n Tengri means Long live heaven or god in Mongolian language and other North Asia languages

[@houchenll3097]

@@user-jh9nx6tl1n and, today in inner Mongolian province of China there is a desert called tengri

[@user-jh9nx6tl1n]

@@houchenll3097Kök Tengri or Gök Tanrı literally translates to Sky god in Turkish. So he got Tengri Khan title after defeating Göktürks.

[@houchenll3097]

@@user-jh9nx6tl1n yes, he is the only Chinese emperor who got this title

[@daimyopikachu8108]

Not only Emperor of China,but emperor of all.What a great man he was! (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure-Awaken plays in the background)

[@daimyopikachu8108]

@@Muramasa1794 dragonsarmory.blogspot.com/2018/06/bayanchur-khan-of-uyghur-khaganate.html?m=1 found ya here dude

[@CheemsofRegret]

I'm surprised that this wasn't sponsored by Three Kingdoms Total War

[@tortex1]

They've either stopped sponsoring videos or this is too late in the timeline, this was 7th century while 3K is in the 3rd.

[@giadinhhang5988]

New dlc?

[@annguyenlehoang7779]

Ayyy mongol invasion dlc ?

[@heavenwatcher100]

Well, at least CK2 could sponsor episodes about Tang and Song.

[@crystalball020]

This is much later than Three kingdoms

[@209Diskence]

Love it, would love to see one about Empress Wu Zhe Tian

[@inakiirusta1601]

Episode´s cuality is improving a lot. I´m happy about that, i really enjoy this videos. Taizong was an exellent stateman and commander, sadly unknown.

[@deanzaZZR]

As an aficionado of Chinese history, I love this content. 好好做! It's a huge topic, but I'd love to see you do a series on the Imjin War in Korea in the 16th century involving the forces of Korea, Japan and Ming China.

[@hwasiaqhan8923]

Early Imperial Tang family was utmost half Han and half Xianbei(Mongolic people not Turkic), because Taizong’s paternal lineage was Han and maternal side being mixed Han and Xianbei. Also later concubines that gave birth to the crown princess were all ethnically Han.

[@suyuntoktosun]

Xianbei was Turkic-Mongolic. The Tuoba Tribe was Turkic not Mongolic.

[@hypoyt0015]

​​@@suyuntoktosun yeah turkic its my grandson *roll eyes*

[@athelloren1741]

great video again may you make video about gokturks ? they always fighting with china

[@qus.9617]

Li Shimin accomplished what Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei tried but failed to do a hundred years ago. An integration of sinicised northern people with han-chinese. More than that, the golden age of China also began to move Southern China closer to Northern China with engineering projects liked the grand canal linking Beijing to Hangzhou beginning from the Sui dynasty to final renovation works in the Ming dynasty. A super highway where goods and peoples could move along the coast of China in relative safety of piracy and weather, dotted with towns along the way. Or travelling towards central China's capital without ever having to travel on road due to the canal's connecting of all the major rivers together. It is an integration not seen before in Chinese history. The Han dynasty as an example failed to do so and had generally stereotyped the southern portion of their empire as wild and barbaric. China's final re-unification after centuries of warfare is a strong reason why some people south of China call themselves Tang-ren, people of Tang. And also why the balance of power and people began to shift from the traditional northern heartland towards the growing cosmopolitan south. Or to put it more accurately, the south could no longer just be seen as wild lands to be controlled but an area dotted with cities of financial, military and cultural importance. When Emperor Yang Jian of the Sui dynasty held a conversation with the now retired Chen dynasty emperor they were unable to understand each others speech. Only when corresponding in written Chinese were they able to communicate. Without the success of historical figures like Emperor Taizong, then perhaps would be no megacities today in Southern China, no pearl delta where tens of millions of people live. Cities of colonial importance like Hong Kong and neighbouring Shenzhen would perhaps be located further north after conflict with the global superpower Britain.

[@_ABDUL-RAHIM.]

I'm interested at the part about two emperor of different dynasties, they were unable to understand each other words except through written communication?

[@qus.9617]

@@_ABDUL-RAHIM. That's correct. Though I'm not an expect on written Chinese history. The History of China podcast has a section on the Sui Dynasty where you can find that incident. As an example that the writing had in-fact not deviated to the point that both dynasties were mutually unintelligible was the letter correspondences between the northern and southern dynasties. In one example the Chen dynasty emperor made a faux pas when congratulating the new Sui dynasty emperor after overthrowing the Northern Zhou. In his congratulations, Emperor Yang Jian felt insulted by the supposed haughty condescending tone of the letter. The impression was that of someone of a higher position addressing someone lower than them. Another issue the Sui dynasty faced was insurrection, disdain and rebellion of the annexed southern Chen. The local elite/gentry class were given no preferences and replaced with loyal administrators from the north. A common occurrence between the new governors and their prefecture inhabitants now was the inability to understand each other. It's not different today in China. Older literate generations that can't speak Mandarin can still communicate through writing.

[@flyingbirdskingcloud2908]

In ancient China, the non-Han people in the South and North were defined as barbarians. Barbarian tribes

[@冠军侯-m2u]

日了

[@primalforlorn]

The virtue and competence of Taizong, Ashoka, and Octavius Augustus alike are rare sight nowadays. Imagine if every presidents/dictators/monarches in world history can be as great as them, our civilization could be many decades if not centuries ahead of what we are right now.

[@jinjunliu2401]

Then the real question would be, why haven't there been figures this great for such a long time?

[@UltimaSigmarAlonso]

PrimalForlorn what’s with John II Komnenos

[@lordm3s447]

@@jinjunliu2401 because bad guys now are brilliant enough to disguise as good guys and knows how to make good guys look bad guys

[@junchunpeng2107]

yes

[@kittykattzee]

“Employing the right men is far more important than the sheer number of established posts” my boy playing tall

[@jozzieokes3422]

as i soon as this pooped in my notifications I clicked on it instantly lol

[@jozzieokes3422]

@@patricianoftheplebs6015 i mean poped

[@sisi4361]

Tang Dynasty,the greatest dynasty of china ,rised greatly but sadly ending.

[@sunnydaysddt2068]

Not as sad as Qing dynasty

[@xudeen]

Thank you for the great video! Please consider doing a video on Ming Dynasty's imperial secret police - the Embroidered Uniform Guard (锦衣卫).

[@oidoioi5971]

The most famous and wise words from him should be: “People is like water and Ruler is the boat. Water can lift the boat as well as sink the boat.”

[@MsCuirassier]

Even one of the most wise ruler couldn't resist the temptation of immortality.