The Chinese

Necessary personal information that could be handy for delegates in their directives, plans and their possible alliances.

Sui Side:

Yang Guang: The Strongest Man of The Clan

Guang was an innovative, realistic, and opportunistic man in his reign. He could not be easily manipulated by outer forces and simple tricks such as adultery, basic mind games, and offering him more power in return for something. This is the reason he was the strongest man of the clan and he did not have any authority issues inside the Sui family, historically speaking at least. The outcome will be shaped by the delegates.

Yang Yun

Yun was the brother of Guang, he did not have eyes on the throne as he believed his brother was always raised to be the ruler, and he was the shadow throughout his whole life. He was more of an introvert who was interested in the arts more than the military, a notable point is that he was quite a good poet and story author. He has always been loyal to his brother. However, he also has issues regarding his confidence thus he can be manipulated by his weaknesses. There were rumors he and Nogay Han’s daughter Aybüke were in contact through letters, exchanging information on poetry, literature, and philosophy.

Princess Nanyang

Princess Nanyang is the ruler Guang's daughter. She is half Mongol and half Chinese since Guang got married to Miha Ilgai Han’s younger sister, Saran Hatun as a result of a diplomatic arrangement. She has a smooth language and there is a rumour that she could convince any traitor to admit their wrongdoings. Well, it is also said that she might seem ladylike and elegant however most of the traitors who had her as the guard during their admissions were not seen anywhere, not even their dead bodies.

Saran Hatun

Saran Hatun is a Mongolian royalty. She is Miha Ilgai Han’s sister and also Yang Guang’s wife. After their marriage, she settled in Chinese lands. It is known widely that Saran Hatun and Lady Qing do not have great chemistry together, and Saran Hatun is suspicious of Lady Qing’s actual intentions, she is alert in any case. This sometimes results in Saran Hatun spending hours in the dynasty library, for her investigations to back up her inner claims against the famous Lady Qing. Saran Hatun is still in contact with his older brother Miha Ilgai Han, they regularly have arranged meetings in Mongolian provinces. She does not let guardians stay close to her during the meetings she has with his brother Miha Ilgai.

Lady Qing

Lady Qing is Yang Yun’s fiance. As she is a Tibetan royal under Chinese rule, she was educated to a standard that meets the royal expectations of what education must contain. She is known for her quick wit and it is safe to estimate that Lady Qing is the one actually giving orders via her husband, Yang Yun. She is a woman with a dominant personality compared to his fiance, Yang Yun. As mentioned before, Lady Qing does not have a good relationship with Yang Guang’s wife. Although they do not openly go into a fight, they both are aware that they do not like each other.

Sir Ulay

Sir Ulay is an instructor who served the Sui family as a tutor for many years, even before the Sui family got possession of the Chinese throne. He tutors the throne candidates beginning from their childhood to their reign in the dynasty. Early on in the Sui Dynasty’s past, Sir Ulay’s ancestors were exiled from the Turkic lands because of their disobedience to the head of their clan at that time. He has spent years researching the Turkic military system, cultural elements, and the throne system. Therefore he is well educated on Turks’ weaknesses and strengths because he holds a deadly grudge against them which he views as a way to revenge in memory of his ancestors.

Tang Side:

Li Shimin

Li Shimin is the possessor of the Taizong nickname, and he is also stated to be the greatest Tang emperor of all time. He is not only skilled at strategy and military, but he also knows the art of sending spies and gaining secret information. Unlike the other heads of families, he is known to be extremely bold which means he could give the order to kill all of his children or his wife without blinking an eye if he had the suspicion of betrayal. He is more aggressive compared to the Sui rulers, and this could result both positively and negatively.

Li Jiancheng

He is the oldest one among his siblings. He actually was the heir of the throne, this leaves everyone in the Tang family with the concern that Jiancheng might secretly want to end Shimin’s reign and possess the authority. In addition, Shimin and Jiancheng had great responsibilities in the power clashes against the Sui. They fought against enemies together. After the Tang gained power over the Sui, Prince Shimin (the Taizong) planned Jiancheng’s execution. Historically speaking, Jiancheng did not have any visible attempts to overthrow Shimin from the Taizong position however it is up to the delegate to decide whether they reclaim being the heir of the throne or not.

Li Cheng

Cheng is Taizong’s oldest son, Taizong Shimin favored Cheng in the later throne battles that he had with other candidates and heirs of the throne. He is quite fond of women and is easily distracted by women, he has a tendency to drink too much alcohol, and he is short-tempered when something happens against his will. Taizong Shimin was planning to give the throne to Cheng not because Cheng was the great candidate, but because Shimin wanted to continue his reign under the name of his son, from the shadows. Li Cheng does not really care about being the most powerful for the sake of ruling a state but as long as power makes him more valuable in women’s eyes, Cheng will do everything by all means to gain the power.

Princess Pingyang

Princess Pingyang is the sister of Jiancheng and Shimin. She had a special education focused on martial arts, strategy, and spying since she was a toddler. She is not married, and there were no rumors about her being in a relationship with anyone at all. According to Chinese resources, Princess Pingyang was an absolute supporter of Li Shimin and even planted the seeds of executing her older brother, Li Jiancheng in Shimin’s head.

Li Zhong

Li Zhong is Jiancheng’s son. Since he was a baby, Zhong was raised just like a brother of Li Cheng, however, this situation did not lead to absolute loyalty to Cheng or obedience to him although Cheng is backed up by Taizong himself. Li Zhong is the most responsible heir among young men in the Tang family. He has always been different from his peers during the special education programs they all had together. Everybody acknowledges Zhong’s presence of mind, although his father accepted the authority of Shimin in the past, Li Zhong is viewed as a person who does not give full responsibility to anyone unless he tests that person by his own means. Zhong is very collected, and he bravely states his opposition against Shimin, Pingyang, or Cheng if he does not agree with a point they make. Zhong sometimes wonders why Jiancheng gave away the throne to Shimin so easily, yet he does not like to dwell on past issues so he stopped asking the question to his father Jiancheng, in hopes he would learn somehow in the future since his father is not a stupid man at all and would have made a wise decision no matter what.

Lady Fuhua

Lady Fuhua is a strong, well-respected diplomat among Tangs, she was the mentor and second cousin of Li Zhong. When Zhong was a kid, Jiancheng noticed his special talents and contacted Lady Fuhua to request mentoring from her for his son. The diplomats and bright people of the Chinese Lands are mostly colleagues or old classmates at some time, this applies to Lady Fuhua and Sir Ulay as well. There was a great rivalry in the Chinese loyal academia between Lady Fuhua and Sir Ulay and some rumours it has still been going on over the years. Lady Fuhua is a way calmer person than Sir Ulay, and she finds the revenge ideology of Sir Ulay meaningless and irrational. She enjoys the time she spends with Li Zhong since there is not a great age gap in between and Zhong is not the greatest fan of shedding blood unlike most Tang teachings during that time would apply to others.