The General Who Lost the Silk Road (Untold Chinese History - Tang Dynasty) Kindle Edition

What happens when a legendary warrior faces impossible odds and discovers his greatest enemy wears his own uniform?In 670 CE, Empress Wu Zetian summoned General Xue Rengui to Chang'an's throne room with an impossible command: lead 50,000 Tang soldiers against Tibet's 400,000-man invasion force threatening China's control of the Silk Road.Xue had never lost a battle. Rising from peasant origins to become the Tang Dynasty's most celebrated general, he built his legend through extraordinary archery and tactical brilliance. Now, at age 56, he devised a defensive strategy that held the Tibetan horde for four grueling days at the Dafei River. Victory was within reach until his own deputy, Guo Daifeng, disobeyed explicit orders and launched a reckless advance seeking personal glory. In a single afternoon, 13,000 men fell and China's western empire collapsed.The Silk Road belonged to Tibet for the next century. Merchants paid Tibetan taxes. Central Asian kingdoms answered to Tibetan emperors. One act of insubordination rewrote the map of Asia.Discover how ambition and disobedience cost an empire in The General Who Lost the Silk Road. Read more