In 698 ad, Emperor Tai Tsung, of the Tang dynsty, called upon the fighting monks of Shaolin to aid him in his war against General Wang-Shih-Chung, who CE gathered a large army in an attempt to oust the Tang emperor from the Imperial throne. Li Shimini, the Emperors son, was leading the army against Tang. Wang-Shih-Chung managed to capture the Tang Emperors son and inflicted great damage to tangs army.
Tang sent a message to Shaolin, asking for help to save his son. 13 monks were sent to answer their emperor’s plea, although in fact it may have been a much larger force (113 monks or some such). Even though the number of Shaolin monks sent was small (the enemy’s army numbered 10,000 men) the Shaolin were victorious, the enemy was beaten back and decimated. The Tang Emperors son was saved. In recognition of their great action Tai Tsung awarded the monks land, and bestowed upon the temple the title, ‘Number One’ temple in China.
Li Shimini succeeded upon his father death. Remembering how he was saved, a very strong bond was forged between the imperial court and Shaolin. This lead to regular interchange and training between high ranking soldiers and graduate Shaolin Warrior Monks saw further development of Shaolin Kung Fu and the integration of the secret imperial (Eagle) Kung Fu into Shaolin knowledge and skills which set the foundation to what later would become the Shaolin 72 Fists.
Tang sent a message to Shaolin, asking for help to save his son. 13 monks were sent to answer their emperor’s plea, although in fact it may have been a much larger force (113 monks or some such). Even though the number of Shaolin monks sent was small (the enemy’s army numbered 10,000 men) the Shaolin were victorious, the enemy was beaten back and decimated. The Tang Emperors son was saved. In recognition of their great action Tai Tsung awarded the monks land, and bestowed upon the temple the title, ‘Number One’ temple in China.
Li Shimini succeeded upon his father death. Remembering how he was saved, a very strong bond was forged between the imperial court and Shaolin. This lead to regular interchange and training between high ranking soldiers and graduate Shaolin Warrior Monks saw further development of Shaolin Kung Fu and the integration of the secret imperial (Eagle) Kung Fu into Shaolin knowledge and skills which set the foundation to what later would become the Shaolin 72 Fists.