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Xia Dynasty King Jie Brings About the Collapse of His Dynasty
King Zhou’S Despotic Rule
Grand Duke Jiang Taigong Does Some Fishing
Fooled by the Lighting of the Beacon Fire
Confucius Travel S to VariouS States
Emperor in Shi Huang
The Songs of Chu Used against the Soldiers Of Chu
Zhang ian’S Diplomatic Mission to the Western Regions
Sima ian Writes‘The Records of the Grand Historian’
Zhaojun Departs for the Frontier
Cai Lun Makes Paper
Liu Bei Pays Three Visits to Seg Dragon Ridge
Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty Initiates me
Digging of the Grand Canal
The Incident at Xuanwu Gate
Songtsan Gampo and Princess Wencheng
Empress Wu Zetian
The An—Shi Rebellion and the Mutiny at Mawei
Acclaimed Emperor When Hungover and
Consolidating Power Using Wine
Li Yu Loses His Kingdom
Yue Fei and the Yue Army
Zhu Yuanzhang,an Emperor from Humble Origin
Zheng He’S Voyages
Nurhaci Founds the Later Jin Dynasty
Zheng Chenggong Reoccupies Taiwan
Cao Xueqin and‘A Dream of the Red Mansions’
Humen Opium Destru.ction
Burning of the Old Summer Palace
Zuo Zongtang Recovers Xinjiang
ReforlTlMovementof 1898
The Revolution of 1911
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LiYuLosesHisKingdomAfterthefalloftheTangDynastyin907,Fivedynasties-theLaterLiang(907-9),LaterTang(9-36),LaterJin(936-947),LaterHan(947-951)andLaterZhou(951-960)-quicklysucceededoneanotherinthenorth,andtenindependentstates-Wu,Wuyue,Min,Chu,SouthernHan,FormerShu,LaterShu,Jingnan,SouthernTangandNorthernHan-wereestablished,mainlyinthesouth.TheSouthernTang,oneoftheTenKingdoms,wasfoundedin937.ThecapitalwaslocatedinJinling(present-dayNanjinginJiangsuProvince).ThestatewasnamedTang(historywouldrefertoitastheSouthernTang).TheSouthernTangwasconqueredin975bytheNorthernSong.Itwasruledbythreeeerrandlastedatotalof39years.LiYu(937-978),thelastruleroftheSouthernTangascendedthethronein961.HeishistoricallyknownasLiHouzhu(literallymeaningthelastlordoftheSouthernTang).ThisfertilelandwaslargeandprosperouscomparedtotheotherTenStatesofthatperiod.However,thethreegenerationsofeerrweresomediocrethattheywastedalltheirnaturaladvantages.LiYuwasaverypeculiarmonarch.Hewasidioticintermsofpolitics,butanexcellentrulerintermsofthearts.Hewasskilledincalligraphy,music,painting,andpoetry,especiallytheciform.Hehasbeencalledthe“firsttruemaster”oftheciforminthehistoryofChinesepoetry.AfterfoundingtheSongDynasty,ZhaoKuangyinlaunchedsuccessivemilitaryexdiiosagainsttheneioringkingdoms.Severalsmallstateswereeasilyconquered,soLiYubegantopanic.HisfirstplanwastopaylargetributetotheSongcourtsoastomaintainhispower.ThenhewrotealettertotheSongeerr,ayingthathewaswillingtodiscardthetitleof“SouthernTang”andtotermhimself“lordoftheregionssouthoftheYangtzeRiver.”However,hisproposalsdidnothingtochangeZhaoKuangyin’sdeterminationtounifyallChinaundertheSongbanner.In974,SongEmperorTaizuZhaoKuangyinsent100,000troopstoattacktheSouthernTangbywaterandland.ArrivingatthebanksoftheYangtzeRiver,theSongDynastyarmiespreparedtocrosstheriverbybuildingafloatingbridgeinordertoattackJinling.Hearingthisnews,LiYudidnotbelieveit,andcontinueddrinkingwithhisministers.TheSongDynastyarmiescrossedtheYangtzeRiverandquicklyarrivedatthegatesofJinling.AtthattimeLiYuwaschantingsutrasandprayingwiththemonksandTaoistpriestsinthepalace.Onthesecondday,hewentuptothegatetowertomakehisrounds.ImmediatelyhesawthebannersoftheSongDynastyarmiesallaroundhiscapital.HeimmediatelysentaspecialenvoytothecapitaloftheSongDynastytosueforpeace.Thepeacetalkfailedandthetwoarmiesfought.TheSouthernTangarmywasannihalated.BeforetheSongarmycouldconquerhiscapital,LiYupiledupalotofstrawinthepalace.Heplannedtosetfiretoitandtakehisownlife,butintheendhecouldn’tgothroughwithit.HewastakencaptivebytheSongDynastyarmies.TheSouthernTangstateceasedtobe.LiYuwasmarchedofftothecapitaloftheSongDynastyandwasmadetheMarquessofWeiMing(literally,theMarquessofDisobeyedEdicts)bySongEmperorTai.LYubecameaprisoner.However,hisbest-knownpoemswerecoedduringtheyearsaftertheSongformallyendedhisreignin975.Li’sworksfromthisperioddwellonhislamentforhislostkingdomandthepleasureithadbroughthim.SongEmperorTaizuZhaoKuangyinpassedawayin976.LiYuwaspoisonedbytheSongemperorTaizongZhaoJiong(namelyZhaoKuangyi)in977.