What if the saviors of a dying empire were the same warriors who would later rule its ruins? That is precisely the story of the Shatuo Turks: a small tribe of exiled nomads who became the most powerful dynasty-makers in medieval China.

Join Khan's Den as we follow the legendary Shatuo leader, Li Keyong, and his fierce cavalry. We uncover their obscure origins on the frontiers of the steppe, their early alliance with the Tang Dynasty, and their pivotal role in crushing the apocalyptic Huang Chao Rebellion, the uprising that brought China to its knees. But the story doesn't end there. We explore how the Shatuo transformed from loyal saviors into ambitious warlords, picking apart the empire they once protected to forge their own powerful dynasties in the chaotic era that followed.

The Shatuo Turks are some of the lesser-known Turkic peoples, yet their meaning for Turkic, Chinese and overall Asian history cannot be overstated.

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