In the Chaotic Times of the North and South: A Fallen-City Power Minister — Biography of Gao Cheng

[Historical · Drama · Politics]

When the world is long divided, it must unite; when long united, it must divide again.

In the late Northern Wei Dynasty, the imperial house had fallen, and powerful ministers held sway. Amid their struggle for benefit, the state split apart. Gao Cheng and Yuwen Tai went from first meeting each other to becoming sworn brothers in mutual admiration, and then, along different life paths, were gradually pushed to the positions of powerful ministers in Eastern Wei and Western Wei respectively, beginning a fierce battle of outmaneuvering and mutual struggle.

The great changes in the world are like shifting clouds and fog, while the powerful ministers who can topple states stand like pillars holding up the sky. See how Gao Cheng, son of Gao Huan of Bohai, father of the Linyi Prince, the god of war, evolves from an heir who does not understand court affairs into the great general who dominates Eastern Wei. See how Yuwen Tai, once a small officer under the Grand Commandery Office of Guanzhong, remains calm in the face of danger and seizes every opportunity to become the grand chancellor who controls Western Wei alone. See how the two great ministers compete over the state, strategic strongholds, and governance.

Northern Wei is the foundation of Eastern Wei and Western Wei, and also the foundation of the Sui and Tang dynasties. From the conflict between Gao Cheng and Yuwen Tai were born the Guanzhong aristocratic clans; the formation of the Guanzhong group gave rise to an age of prosperity and opened the brilliance of the High Tang.