In the long history of the Tang Dynasty, there is a period of time that is often ignored and even regarded as wild history. However, when you dig deeper into this history, you will find that the truth is far more bizarre and shocking than the wild history. This period of history took place between 902 and 904 AD, and the fate of the Tang Dynasty changed dramatically in just two years.
The protagonists of the story are the Tang Emperor Zhaozong and the warlord Zhu Wen. Zhu Wen was originally just a local warlord, but he was ambitious and dreamed of one day being able to control the entire Tang Dynasty. He saw that Zhaozong was a weak and incompetent emperor and decided to use this opportunity to realize his ambitions.
First, Zhu Wen defeated another powerful warlord, Li Maozhen, through military prowess, and consolidated his rule in the Fengxiang region. He then proceeded to liquidate the power of the eunuchs and weaken the power of the emperor. Zhaozong could do nothing about it, and could only watch as his power was taken away little by little.
Subsequently, Zhu Wen forced Zhaozong to move the capital to Luoyang, nominally to avoid war, but in fact to bring the emperor under his control. In Luoyang, Zhu Wen began a mass killing, and all those who opposed him were brutally killed. Zhaozong was terrified by this, but he had become a loner and could not resist Zhu Wen's atrocities.
In the process, Zhaozong experienced the transformation from emperor to prisoner. He used to be a high monarch, but now he has been reduced to a puppet of Juwen. He lives in fear every day, not knowing what his fate will be.
In the end, Zhu Wen decided to depose Zhaozong and establish himself as emperor. The decision did not come as a surprise, as Zhu Wen's ambitions were already clear. But what is shocking is that while deposing Zhaozong, Zhu Wen also brutally killed Zhaozong's entire family, even the young children.
If this story is not a real history, I am afraid that it will be regarded as an absurd wild history. But this is the case, and the history of the Tang Dynasty is to its demise in such power struggles and brutal killings.
Juwen's story teaches us that power is a double-edged sword, it can give you everything, but it can also make you lose everything. Those who are ambitious tend to do whatever it takes to pursue power, but in the end they may end up shooting themselves in the foot.
The story of Zhaozong tells us that a person's fate is often in the hands of others. As an emperor, Zhaozong was supposed to have supreme power, but in fact he became someone else's puppet. His tragedy is the epitome of the entire tragedy of the Tang Dynasty.
This history is a story of power, ambition and humanity. It tells us that history is not just some cold facts and figures, but also vivid characters and their fates.