Tang Dynasty

Yang-ti (605 to 617 AD) reigned as the last Sui emperor. He undertook numerous public works projects that required tremendous manpower. In northern Shansi alone, he used more than 1 million men to repair and rebuild a long section of the Great Wall. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese laborers were forced to dredge canals, build lavish palaces, and construct roads. Then, with his people warn exhausted from the massive public works projects, Yang-ti launched three massive assaults against the Koguryo Kingdom of North Korea. The results were disastrous as the Chinese were met by strong resistance.