in a battle. Qin would also die after trying to rise up a heavy stone lion statue in a very old age (see below). Archetype In the real historical records, Luo Yi really had a son called Luo Cheng. However, other than his name, no more things Luo Cheng did were recorded. The novel Shuo Tang also glorified Luo Yi. In the novel, Luo Yi showed his loyalty. However, in reality, Luo Yi switched his position between Sui and Tang Dynasties and among many warlords for several times. Also, to glorify Luo Yi and Luo Cheng, this novel defamed Su Dingfang (苏定方), who was a loyal military genius in the history but a traitor in the novel. Luo Cheng's stories in this novel were mostly based on stories of Luo Shixin (罗士信) in the history. Luo Shixin was a young general in late Sui and early Tang dynasty. He started his career as a cavalry guard, and then he took part in Wagang Fort. At last he joined Tang Dynasty's force and helped Li Yuan and Li Shimin with unifying the country. He was also killed during a battle against Liu Heita, like Luo Cheng did in the novel. One thing needs to be clarified: in some versions of the novel, there is also a character called Luo Shixin. However, that character is totally different from Luo Shixin in the history. That is just a different role in the novel. Yang Lin In the novel Yang Lin (杨林) was a member in royal family of Sui Dynasty. He was the cousin of Yang Jian, the founder of Sui. His weapon was a long stick called Qiulongbang (literally, the stick to seal dragons). Before the establishment of Sui Dynasty, Yang Lin was a general in Northern Zhou Dynasty, a major kingdom ruled by Yuwen family during Southern and Northern Dynasties era. He took part in the war that Northern Zhou Dynasty annexed Northern Qi Dynasty, another major kingdom in the same era. During the war, Yang Lin won a lot of battles, including the battle of Jizhou (济州) during which he killed the Northern Qi's general Qin Yi (秦彝), the father of Qin Shubao (see below). After his cousin Yang Jian took the place of Yuwen family and founded the Sui Dynasty, Yang Lin got a highest title of nobility. He was always loyal to Sui Dynasty even at the very