< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > succeeded to the throne</h1>
The year 888 AD was very auspicious for the Tang Dynasty, just like the numbers of this year.
On April 20 of that year, the supreme leader of the empire, the 27-year-old Emperor Li Ofe of Tang Dynasty, was hung up.
Although whenever the emperor died, the country would, as usual, "mourn the whole country." Tang Xianzong died, and everyone still had to look sad on the surface, but their hearts blossomed:
Because Emperor Tang Wasting was too bad.
The emperor sat on the dragon chair of the Tang Dynasty when he was 12 years old. As a bear child in his right age, Li Yan played all kinds of fancy tricks and had no concept of the emperor's own work.
He hated the ministers and liked to be with the eunuchs, calling his "nanny eunuch" Tian Lingzi "Father". The imperial government is naturally entrusted to the "father", as long as the little emperor is happy.
During Li Yan's tenure, the famous Yellow Nest Rebellion broke out.
This side just got the Yellow Nest, and over there Zhu Mei got up to do things again. So much so that in the last 8 years of his life, Li Yan spent 6 and a half years running outside.
The emperors are all mixed up like this, can the empire still be good?
Now that Li Yan has finally gone to see Li Yuan, Datang has ushered in a turnaround.
The new emperor's name was Li Ye, and he was the younger brother of Li Yan, known historically as Emperor Zhaozong of Tang.
Shi Zai, Li Ye is not only handsome and has a spirit, but also "attacks good literature, especially Confucianism", unlike Li Yan, who knows to play all day long, and knows how to play polo.
In terms of political literacy, the new emperor "honored the ministers" and knew to consult with the ministers in case of trouble, rather than running to the eunuchs.
The most important point is that the new emperor "weakened the mighty dynasty and the destiny of the country ... It is intended to restore the old business and command the world."
There are ideals, ambitions, and the level is forced to be higher than his brother in an instant.
In this way, in the midst of expectations and applause, with the establishment of a new emperor, Datang embarked on the fast track of national rejuvenation.
However, if Li Ye could travel into the future, he would know that in 1627, with the death of a carpenter Tianzi, the throne of the Ming Dynasty was passed to the younger brother of the carpenter Tianzi.
The same brother and brother, the same older brother faint, the younger brother diligent, and the same dynastic tragedy.
▲ Tang Zhaozong, known in history as his "divine majesty".
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > problems and solutions</h1>
In front of Tang Zhaozong were still two major problems of the empire:
1. The height of the temple, the eunuch has the final say;
Second, the distance between the rivers and lakes, the town of Fanzhen has the final say.
The drama of the eunuch dictatorship of the Tang Dynasty can be described as unprecedented.
Ever since Emperor Dezong of Tang made it an institution for eunuchs to take charge of the forbidden army, successive emperors of the Tang Dynasty have not been able to completely take back the power of the forbidden army from the hands of eunuchs.
When the eunuchs had military power, their courage naturally grew fat. In addition, the transmission of information between the emperor and the courtiers was also the responsibility of the eunuchs, so that the affairs of the emperor at home and abroad, and even the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, who came to be the eunuchs, were all headed by eunuchs:
Tang reigned eight times since Muzong, and was the seven princes of the eunuchs.
If the chancellor provokes the eunuch to be unhappy, kill. What if the emperor upset the eunuchs? Killing is also killing: "Li Jun kills the king and abolishes the king, and there is the same child's play." ”
In front of the eunuchs, the emperors of the middle and late Tang dynasties were weak.
▲ Stills: Tang Dynasty eunuchs.
On the other hand, the calamity of the feudal town also made the emperors feel sad.
Since the Anshi Rebellion, the territory of the Tang Dynasty has gradually become a number of feudal towns. At first, most of the clan towns were able to obey the command of the central government. However, later, with the subversion of the ruling order by war after war, especially after the Huangchao Rebellion, the new feudal town represented by the Huangchao general's peace and chaos merits slowly became a major problem for the Tang Emperor.
These clans dominate one side, constantly fight each other, and often use force to blackmail the emperor: if they don't give sugar to eat, they will make trouble, which makes people not have a headache.
▲ Map of the division of the town at the end of the Tang Dynasty.
Under the crisis, the new emperor began to act.
As the saying goes, "Out of the barrel of a gun comes the regime." "Since ancient times, political strife has always been the final say of who has a strong fist. As soon as he came to power, Tang Zhaozong could not wait to send people to recruit troops in the Gyeonggi area. This scene was unbelievable, and it even recruited 100,000 people.
What was the concept of a hundred thousand troops at that time?
In 907, Zhu Quanzhong and Li Ke engaged in a life-and-death battle in Luzhou. What was the number of troops sent by the Zhu family? Eighty thousand.
Therefore, from the perspective of the number of people alone, Zhaozong recruited 100,000 troops, which was already a fairly large scale at that time.
Although the recruits were still under the name of the forbidden army controlled by eunuchs, fortunately Tang Zhaozong still obtained the command of a part of the army.
With soldiers, there is confidence. Tang Zhaozong not only had the confidence, he also floated away, claiming to "win the world with martial arts."
The seeds of tragedy were sown.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > worshippers of force</h1>
It has been difficult to cut the domain since ancient times.
The former Han Jing Emperor cut the domain and led to the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms, but fortunately Zhou Yafu coordinated the war, and the rebellion was put down. Later, Emperor Jianwen of the Ming Dynasty cut the domain, Zhu Dijing was difficult to start, and the war lasted four years, but there was no more Yafu Jiangong, and the country and mountains changed hands.
It can be seen that if there is no comprehensive strategy and careful preparation, it is very easy to invite disasters if you rush to cut the domain.
▲ Zhou Yafu, a famous general of the Han Dynasty, was an example for countless famous generals in later generations.
However, Tang Zhaozong would not care about these messes. The army in his hands made him optimistic about pacifying the four sides.
In 889, tang zhaozong, who had just been on the throne for one year, introduced a high-profile plan to cut the domain. The first to be targeted was Sichuan, the Shu region that had become a refuge for the Tang Dynasty several times.
Strictly speaking, Sichuan at that time was not completely out of the control of the imperial court.
At that time, it was Tian Lingzi, the "grandfather" of Emperor Li of Tang, and Chen Jingxuan, the elder brother of Tian Lingzi, who was in charge of Sichuan.
At the beginning, Under the influence of "Father", Li Yan let Chen Jingxuan play polo with several other forbidden generals, and agreed that the winner would serve as the envoy of Xichuan Jiedushi.
Although Chen Jingxuan came from a humble background and had little reputation, he successfully stood out from the competition with his excellent polo skills and relationship with Tian Lingzi.
A polo match determines the ownership of a large member of the party. It's rare.
▲ Playing polo, the most popular aristocratic sport in the Tang Dynasty.
Later, Li Yan's relationship with "Father" Tian Lingzi broke down. After the transfer of power from Zhao and Zhao, Tang Zhaozong hated Tian Lingzi even more than his brother.
Brother Tian and Brother Chen saw that the new emperor had such an attitude, and in order to protect themselves, they refused to enter the country of the "Jianxichuan Army" sent by the imperial court.
Tang Zhaozong was not happy with the "Fanzhen Bao", and when he saw Sichuan's reaction, he immediately exploded. At this time, Tian Lingzi and Yizi Wang Jian turned against each other, and the two sides were holding each other in Chengdu. Thinking of the soldiers in his hand, Tang Zhaozong immediately responded to Wang Jianzhi's request and sent the new Xichuan Jiedu to lead Wei Zhaodu to fight with Wang Jian.
Wang Jian, this person may not be familiar to everyone. For him, just need to know one thing:
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, former Shu founding monarch.
▲Five generations and ten countries situation map.
After the imperial army entered Sichuan, the battle was fought for two years. Because Wei Zhaodu was not familiar with military affairs, the situation was gradually controlled by Wang Jian. Under the pressure of Wang Jian, Wei Zhaodu ran back to Chang'an alone, but the army was absorbed by Wang Jian.
Finally, with the assistance of the imperial court, Wang Jian captured Chengdu. After collecting the Tian and Chen brothers, Wang Jian sent troops to block the Sword Pavilion and cut off Sichuan's contact with the imperial court.
In this way, Tang Zhaozong came to power in the first battle, which ended with the loss of troops and land.
In the past, when Guanzhong was in danger, the Tang Emperor Shangke could still run west into Shu. Now that the Land of Shu has been lost, there will be no escape from Shu in the future when the Tang Dynasty is in trouble.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > rigid for self-use</h1>
In ancient and modern wars, two-front combat is recognized as very difficult. However, Tang Zhaozong did.
At the same time as the Battle of Shu, another battle of cutting the clan was also fiercely fought.
In 890, before the end of the Xichuan War, Zhu Quanzhong, Li Converse, and Helian Duo, three powerful clans, jointly signed a letter requesting the imperial court to send troops to fight against the "national troubles" with them.
Who is the "national trouble"? —— Hedong Li Keyong.
However, this "national disaster" is not easy to deal with at all. When the Yellow Nest Rebellion was quelled, half of the credit could be counted as his. It was also because of his merits in quelling the chaos that Li Keyong was crowned king of Jin, granted Li Tang the status of a royal family, and divided Hedong for a long time.
Under the situation at that time, Li Keyong and Zhu Quanzhong were sworn enemies, and the two sides had been fighting endlessly. Later history everyone knows: Zhu Quanzhong was unable to completely defeat Li Keyong in his lifetime. Li Keyong's son, Li Cunxun, finally buried the world of the old Zhu family.
▲ After Emperor Zhuangzong of Tang Dynasty Li Cunxun, the old Li family is a fighting family.
Tang Zhaozong obviously could not predict the future, he only knew that he hated Li Keyong, just like Tian Lingzi, who hated Nishikawa. Therefore, when he saw that the three strong clans were going to support themselves and want to work together to destroy Li Keyong, he was thrilled.
The ministers of the DPRK and the Central Committee even objected, saying that persimmons should be picked first and pinched softly, and who would be bad to choose? Why challenge the nightmare difficulty when you come up?
However, Tang Zhaozong still decided to issue an edict to deprive Li Keyong of his official title and imperial status, and sent Zhang Jun to take the forbidden army to hedong.
Compared with the Battle of Xichuan, this war was a greater disaster for the Tang Dynasty.
The so-called "three strong clans" supported them, and in the end, the defeat of the defeat and the watching of the drama had almost no positive impact on the progress of the war. The army of Tianzi led by Zhang Jun kept advancing for the sake of military merit and territory, until it met Li Cunxiao in Hedong.
▲ Li Cunxiao, this person is even more fierce.
Shi Zai's official army "lost the first battle, and the commissioned troops collapsed in battle... The subordinates will be dispersed to the end". Not only were the soldiers damaged, but the face of the imperial court was also defeated in this battle.
You know, Tang Zhaozong is a very good-looking person.
Shortly after the Battle of Hedong, Li Maozhen, the King of Qi, who had divided Qi Prefecture, wrote a letter to Tang Zhaozong, in which he openly mocked the emperor:
Untried public opinion broadcasting, since then!
After you lost the battle and escaped from Chang'an, where can you escape?
Tang Zhaozong, who was already depressed in his heart, could not bear it any longer, and gave the prime minister Du Rangneng an order to prepare an army to attack Li Maozhen.
Du Zaixiang was shocked to hear this, thinking that the forbidden army had just been defeated in Hedong, and its combat effectiveness had not yet been restored, and if it fought with Li Maozhen, who was close at hand, it was easy to say that if he won, if he lost, it would not be as simple as the chaos of the Seven Kingdoms of the Western Han Dynasty.
In the face of Du Rangneng's advice, Tang Zhaozong was unmoved and said with a straight face:
I can't sit and be bullied!
In order to get out of this evil breath, Tang Zhaozong and Li Maozhen pinched each other.
It turned out to be another failure.
Sure enough, at Li Maozhen's request, Tang Zhaozong killed Du Rangneng with hatred, which calmed down the war.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > swing left and right</h1>
The war against the town ended with Tang Zhaozong's defeat of the family property.
Because the propaganda of cutting the domain was too high-profile at the beginning, and because he was in a bad relationship with Li Maozhen, who was close at hand, li Maozhen led an army to attack as soon as Tang Zhaozong recruited troops. The newly formed forbidden army did not train for a few days, and it was killed and scattered by the Qizhou soldiers who rushed to it.
However, under the situation at that time, although the power of the feudal town was very good and the power of the imperial court was very weak, it was not easy to destroy the Tang Dynasty.
Breaking the camel's back of datang, there is still the last straw:
The Curse of the Eunuchs.
Although, like previous emperors, they were all supported by eunuchs, Tang Zhaozong not only did not accept the eunuchs' affection, but was more eager to get rid of the eunuchs' control.
With such an emperor in the DPRK, the struggle between courtiers and eunuchs naturally became white-hot.
Tang Zhaozong's spearhead was first aimed at Yang Fugong, the eunuch who had established himself on the throne.
Because Yang Fugong had always regarded himself as a new emperor and was the nominal commander of the forbidden army, he flew in the middle of the dynasty, often arbitrarily ruling the government, and even had no courtesy in front of Tang Zhaozong.
All this made Tang Zhaozong extremely unhappy.
In order to oppose Yang Fugong, Tang Zhaozong first co-opted Yang Fugong's adopted son, yang Shouli, the commander of the brave forbidden army, and gave him a generous reward, and gave him the name Li Shunjie, and then promoted him to an official position, creating a confrontation with Yang Fugong and weakening Yang Fugong's strength.
Immediately afterward, Tang Zhaozong found an opportunity to cut Yang Fugong's power and remove him from office. Yang Fugong was furious and led his sons to raise an army to rebel. Tang Zhaozong led his army to meet the battle. The two sides fought in Chang'an.
Result of the battle: Tang Zhaozong won.
This is a rare victory for the emperor in the struggle against eunuchs since the Middle Tang Dynasty!
In 900, the eunuchs Liu Jishu and Wang Zhongxian launched a coup d'état. They set up the crown prince, deposed Tang Zhaozong, and imprisoned him. However, in only two months, Tang Zhaozong's courtiers successfully quelled the coup and Tang Zhaozong was restored.
He won again.
It is reasonable to say that according to the development of this situation, the curse of eunuchs in the Tang Dynasty can be completely lifted under the leadership of Tang Zhaozong. But inexplicably, Tang Zhaozong stopped. He did not seem interested in eradicating the eunuch clique altogether.
On the one hand, there were angry courtiers, who wanted to kill the eunuchs and then quickly, and on the other hand, there was a group of eunuchs who felt lost, trembling about their own life and death.
Both sides need the emperor to come out and stand on the stage, what kind of trouble is it going to make?
But Tang Zhaozong just didn't take a stand.
Since the emperor could not control the situation between the two factions, the two factions had to find their own backers.
The eunuchs found Emperor Zhaozong's nemesis Li Maozhen, and later Li Maozhen simply sent troops to take Tang Zhaozong captive to Fengxiang.
The courtiers watched the emperor being taken captive, which line of action? The hatred for the eunuch became more and more gritted, so he found Li Maozhen's nemesis, Zhu Quanzhong.
The battle in the court finally brought in the power of the clan town.
Under the shadow of the sword and light, the fate of Datang was in danger.
▲ Zhu Quanzhong: His name is the greatest irony of the Tang Dynasty.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > the fall of the Tang Dynasty</h1>
In 903, under the siege of Zhu Quanzhong, Li Maozhen's Fengxiang could not hold out.
At that time, it was freezing cold, there was a shortage of firewood and food in Fengxiang City, many people froze and starved to death every day, and the phenomenon of eating human flesh was also very common:
Human flesh is worth a hundred dollars per kilogram, dog meat is worth five hundred dollars, and this meat is used every day to serve the imperial meal.
Li Maozhen gave up. He handed over Tang Zhaozong to Zhu Quanzhong in exchange for a chance to survive.
Subsequently, Zhu Quanzhong returned to Chang'an with Tang Zhaozong. There, all the eunuchs in the palace were killed. The curse of eunuchs who had plagued the Tang Dynasty for nearly a hundred years ended in this way.
In 189 AD, in order to serve as the Tenth Constant Attendant, Yuan Shao and He Jin proposed to invite Dong Zhuo to lead an army into Beijing. And the Ten Constant Attendants, Dong Zhuo was also in chaos in the government. The Eastern Han Dynasty is about to be wooden.
History is so similar. Now, the shovel for digging the graves of the Tang Empire was handed over to Zhu Quanzhong.
In 904, Zhu Quanzhong forced Emperor Zhaozong of Tang to move the capital to Luoyang. When the car passed through Huazhou, the people shouted long live. At this time, Tang Zhaozong seemed to have foreseen an ominous fate, and even cried:
Don't shout long live, you will no longer be the Lord of Ru!
Sure enough, in the same year that the capital was moved to Luoyang, Li Ye of Tang Zhaozong was killed by Zhu Quanzhong.
Compared with Tang Yizong and Tang Yizong, Tang Zhaozong can be called a diligent emperor, with the ambition to restore the former prestige of the Tang Dynasty, and he did put his dreams into action. However, 16 years of hard work has ended like this.
In 905, Zhu Quanzhong killed all the Tang court dignitaries at the White Horse Station by the Yellow River and threw his body on the Yellow River, known in history as the "White Horse Change". At this point, the Tang court had already existed in name only.
In 907, Zhu Wen accepted the "Zen throne" of the Tang Emperor Li Yu and destroyed Tang Jianliang.
Datang, that's it.