The history of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms is the same as that of the Sixteen Kingdoms of the Eastern Jin Dynasty: there are many regimes, the life of the state is short-lived, the changes are frequent, the nationalities are diverse, and the complexity is difficult to understand! The main point is in two aspects, combing through its origins!
The First, Fifth Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms undertook the Tang Dynasty and the rise of the Khitan of the Northern Liao.
The history of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms led to the destruction of Tang Jianliang by Zhu Wen in 907 AD. In the north, five regimes centered on the Yellow River Valley appeared successively: Liang (907-923), Tang (923-936), Jin (936-947 AD), Han (947-951 AD), and Zhou (951-960 AD), known as the Five Dynasties.
With the fall of the unified Li Tang Central Dynasty, the feudal towns outside the north supported their own armies, or were called kings or emperors. After a period of power struggle and dissipation, ten relatively stable local separatist regimes were formed, including Former Shu, Later Shu, Southern Wu (Yang Wu), Southern Tang, Wuyue, Minguo, Southern Chu (Machu), Southern Han, Nanping (Jingnan), and Northern Han (in the north), which are known in history as the Ten Kingdoms. The basic characteristics of the ten-nation regime: juxtaposition.
In fact, there was also the Dali State (937-1253) in the southwest region, with the Bai as the main political power, which lasted for more than three hundred years and was destroyed by the Mongol army. Friends who are familiar with the "Legend of the Archery Hero", the bridge section of the Southern Emperor Duan Zhengchun originates from this section of history.
At this time, the Liao Dynasty (907-1125), which arose in the northeast, was a dynasty established by the Khitans in Chinese history, and the regime ruled the area north of the Great Wall, and the country was strong, often invading the northern border of the Five Dynasties regime from the south, becoming one of the central problems in the history of the Five Dynasties.
In the northwestern region of Ganqingning, the Founder of the Western Xia Regime, the Dangxiang Clan, also began to rise.
Second, a few difficult questions
The "Sixteen States of The Clouds" problem
Youyun Sixteen Prefectures (also known as Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures) refer to Youzhou (present-day Beijing), Shunzhou (present-day Shunyi, Beijing), Ruzhou (present-day Yanqing, Beijing), Tanzhou (present-day Miyun, Beijing), Jizhou (present-day JinjiXian County), Zhuozhou (present-day Zhuozhou, Hebei), Yingzhou (present-day Hejian, Hebei), Mozhou (present-day Renqiubei, Hebei), Xinzhou (present-day Zhuolu, Hebei), Yanzhou (present-day Huailai, Hebei), Wuzhou (present-day Xuanhua, Hebei), Weizhou (present-day Weixian, Hebei), Yingzhou (present-day Ying county, Shanxi), Huanzhou (present-day eastern Shuozhou, Shanxi), Shuo Prefecture (朔州, in present-day ShuoZhou, Shanxi) and Yunzhou (present-day Datong, Shanxi).
After the second regime of the Fifth Dynasty, Tang Hedong Jiedu caused Shi Jingyao to rebel, and suffering from insufficient troops, sent people to ask the Khitan Emperor Yelü Deguang for help, promising to cede Youyun Sixteen Prefectures to the Khitans. After Shi Jingyao's success, he established the Later Jin regime, and really ceded youyun Sixteen Prefectures to the Khitans, and also paid 300,000 cloth to the Khitans every year.
Since then, the north has no longer been able to prevent the Khitan from going south, which has also become the central problem of the later Song and Liao wars.
The "child emperor" problem
In that year, in order to raise an army and claim the title of emperor, Shi Jingyao not only promised to cede youyun sixteen prefectures to the Khitans, but also promised to be the son emperor of Yelü Deguang (ten years younger than Shi Jingyao). This matter has always been criticized by historians. From the perspective of the Five Dynasties of the Northern Song Dynasty, Shi Jingyao was really a scum, insignificant. But Shi Jingyao was a Shatuo (Turkic branch) and did not have a strong Confucian view of loyalty and righteousness. In the north, where the martial customs and steppe peoples are mixed,
"Emperor" is not too embarrassing a humble title. Remember what An Lushan called Yang Guifei? you! An Lushan Yang Guifei was sixteen years old!
The "Post-Tang" problem
The Later Tang Dynasty (923-936) was a feudal dynasty established by the Shatuo tribe during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, with its capital at Luoyang (present-day Luoyang, Henan), and the second and fourth emperors, which lasted for 14 years.
Later Tang Dynasty founder, Emperor Zhuangzong Li Cunxun (xù) (885–926), whose original surname was Zhu Xie (朱邪), was a native of Jincheng County, Ying prefecture (present-day Ying County, Shanxi), and a member of the Shatuo clan. His grandfather Zhu Xie chixin was credited with suppressing Pang Xun's mutiny, and was given the surname of Li by the Tang Emperor and compiled into the genealogy of the clan. His father, Li Keyong, was made the King of Jin and divided Hedong. Later Li Cunxun (後李存勖) took over the throne and raised an army to compete with Later Liang for territory, destroying Later Liang and establishing Later Tang.
According to the Chinese etiquette system, Yi Di used my Huaxia etiquette to treat it with Zhu Xia. Although Li Cunxun is a Shatuo person, good at riding and shooting, bold and skimpy, open-minded, but he loves to read "Spring and Autumn", slightly understands small words, and is good at musical rhythms.
The "Later Han" was also a regime established by the Shatuo people!
The founder of the Later Han Dynasty was Liu Zhiyuan of the Later Jin Dynasty. Liu Zhiyuan is a Shatuo native, from a poor family, with the surname Liu. In his early years, he was a partial general under Emperor Mingzong of Tang, and because he saved Shi Jingyao's life in the war, he became a close associate of Shi Jingyao.
When the Later Jin Dynasty fell, Liu Zhiyuan sent people to pay tribute to the Khitan Emperor Yelü Deguang, who called him a son and gave him a wooden crutch, equivalent to several staffs given to important ministers by the Central Plains Dynasty.
Another emperor was born!
Five generations, three political founders are Shatuo people! What do those who write the history think? For details, look at the "History of the New Five Dynasties" compiled by Ouyang Xiu!
Representative of the Ten Kingdoms
Li Yu , the ruler of the Southern Tang Dynasty during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, reigned from 961 to 975, the character Chongguang, the initial name of Congjia, the number of Zhong Yin, Lianfeng resident. A native of Pengcheng (present-day Xuzhou, Jiangsu). The sixth son of Li Jing of the Southern Tang Dynasty, he succeeded to the throne in the second year of Song Jianlong (961), and was known as Li Hou lord. In the eighth year of Kaibao, the state broke down to the Song Dynasty, captured him in Beijing, and was given the title of Right Qianniu Wei General and Marquis of Disobedience. Later, he was poisoned by Emperor Taizong of Song. Although Li Yu did not understand politics, his artistic talent was extraordinary. Fine calligraphy, good painting, tonal rhythm, poetry and literature have a certain degree of achievement, especially the achievement of words is the highest. Ancient masterpieces such as "Yu Meiren", "LangTaosha", "Dark Night Cry" and so on. It is known as the "Emperor of Ancient Words".
King Qian of Wusu (852-932 AD), with beautiful characters, was a great beauty. A native of Lin'an, Qiantang (present-day northern Lin'an County, Zhejiang Province), he was an envoy to the late Tang Dynasty and the founder of the State of WuYue. Reigned from 902 to 932, counting 31 years. During Qian's reign, Wuyue became a relatively stable and economically prosperous region among the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. Because Qian Wei paid attention to and cared about water conservancy, the two Zhejiang people called him the "Sea Dragon King".