Tang China goes to town on its neighbors over the course of the mid-7th century. First, the Western Regions of central Asia will feel the full force of a reunited Middle Kingdom, culminating in the collapse and Chinese annexation of the whole Western Turkic Khannate, putting Chinese borders (briefly) right up against Persia. Then, Emperor Gaozong will commit himself to completing what his father begun: the final destruction of Goguryeo. but this time he'll enlist the aid of South Korean Silla to carve out a toehold on the peninsula to give himself a better shot at success. But when a Japanese war-fleet responds to North Korean pleas for aid, it will be a showdown on the high seas for which Asian power will control the Korean Peninsula. Time Period Covered: 649-673 CE Major Historical Figures: Tang: Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi) Empress Wu Zhao General Su Dingfang "The Turk Destroyer" General Li Shiji Western Türkic Kaghanate (Onoq): Dielishi Kaghan Shabulou Khan (Ashina Holu) Grousset, René. Empire of the Steppes: A History of Central Asia Karam Skaff. Jonathan. Sui-Tang China and Its Turko-Mongol Relations Ō no Yasumaro, Prince Toneri. Nihon Shoki. Sima, Guang. Zizhi Tongjian Twitchett, Denis (ed.), Weschler, Howard. The Cambridge History of China, vol. 3 Unger, J.M. "The Role of Contact in the Origins of the Japanese and Korean Languages." Yi, Pae-yong. Women in Korean History