In 907 AD, the Tang Dynasty fell, the world was in constant strife, and history entered a period of chaotic division. By 979, Emperor Taizong of Song destroyed the Northern Han Dynasty, ending the division of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. In these 70 years, 15 regimes emerged, which later generations called the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. The Five Dynasties refer to the Later Liang, Later Tang, Later Jin, Later Han and Later Zhou. The Ten Kingdoms refers to the Wu Tang Dynasty Wu Yue before and after Shu, the northern and southern Han Dynasties, Fujian and Ping Chu.
Does it feel particularly chaotic, even more chaotic than the Spring and Autumn Warring States, Wei and Jin Dynasties and southern periods. In order to sort out the history of this period, the Qing Dynasty historian Wu Renchen compiled a chronicle of history, called "Spring and Autumn of the Ten Kingdoms". This book adopts a lot of materials from miscellaneous histories, wild histories, and local histories, and makes useful supplements to the content of the main history. Previously, if people wanted to understand this history, they could only read the "History of the Five Dynasties of the Old and New". After the book came out, people had one more choice.
Wu Renchen was a native of Zhejiang and lived in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. He had a very good personal relationship with the scholar Gu Yanwu, and the "practical application of the world and the salvation of the Ming Dao" advocated by Gu Yanwu had a great influence on him. Wu Renchen believes that combing through a period of history is a good thing with immeasurable merit. Taking history as a mirror can make future generations make fewer mistakes.
In the preface to "Spring and Autumn of the Ten Kingdoms", he wrote that to study this period of history, we must first recognize the status of historical figures. For example, the "Honji" in the Ji Chuan body can only be used to record the words and deeds of the emperor. During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, whether the monarch was a thief or an emperor has always been controversial. Wu Renchen felt that he would admit it first and then study it.
In addition, he attaches great importance to geography and feudal towns. In order to supplement this information, he has read a wide range of books and strives to be informative and accurate. Unfortunately, he had a strong sense of legitimacy in his writing. He believed that the Southern Tang Dynasty in the Ten Kingdoms should inherit the Tang Dynasty and should be orthodox. As everyone knows, the Southern Tang Martyrs have nothing to do with the Li Tang Dynasty in terms of blood relations. As a historian, it is a pity that I have made such a low-level mistake.
Some people have also defended Wu Renchen, who lived in the early Qing Dynasty and was quite sensitive to the dispute over orthodoxy. When the Ming Dynasty had just fallen, he regarded himself as a "remnant of the late Ming Dynasty". The Spring and Autumn of the Ten Kingdoms is his early historiographical work, and it is normal that he has a strong orthodoxy. Of course, the slight flaws in white bi do not affect the historical value of the entire book.
The significance of "Spring and Autumn of the Ten Kingdoms" lies in filling the gap in historiography. This book can be read together with the "History of the New and Old Five Dynasties", which is convenient for understanding the overall history of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. To some extent, it makes up for the lack of content in the main history. Wu Renchen has a solid foundation in historiography, and when he cites wild history and miscellaneous history, he will also be examined. His goal was to compile a "history of faith" that could be passed down from generation to generation, and he did.
In modern times, this book has been included in the series of basic classics of historiography, re-proofread and misread, and has become a desk treasure for the study of the history of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.