Journey to the West 81 Cases: Chronicles of the Western Kings (Sifang Pavilion)

In the year 629 AD, during the autumn of the third year of the Zhenguan era, Xuanzang embarked on his journey to the West, secretly crossing the borders of the desert and entering the Western Regions. At this time, the Western Regions were on the eve of a great upheaval not seen in four hundred years. That same year, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, launched a war to annihilate the Eastern Turkic Khaganate. That year, the Khagan of the Western Turks, Tong Yabghu, was torn between war and peace. That year, the states of the Western Regions contended for dominance over the Silk Road amidst the smoke and flames of war. That year, the ancient Persian Empire collapsed in its war against Byzant...