flstandardbreds Chapter 69 The Tang Dynasty in Turmoil
Chapter 69 The Tang Dynasty in Turmoil
"However, Zhang Huaiding, who succeeded the Guiyi Army, certainly didn't know that his actions indirectly opened Pandora's box of power struggles within the Guiyi Army."
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: What a ridiculous name this is!
Two years later, Zhang Huaiding fell seriously ill. He summoned Su Xun, the greatest contributor to his rise to power in the Guiyi Army, to his bedside and instructed him: "The Zhang family has suffered greatly during this period of chaos and loss. You are the only one I can entrust with my affairs. I hope you will take good care of my young child and continue to drive out the barbarians and restore the old territory of Hexi."
"In 892 AD, Zhang Huaiding passed away. Upon learning of this, the Tang court discussed who should succeed him. After much deliberation, the Tang court chose Su Xun, who was related to the Zhang family by marriage, to succeed him as the military governor of Guiyi Army."
"Although this decision can temporarily maintain the stability of Hebei, there are still many people in the Guiyi Army who are dissatisfied with it. Even if Suo Xun puts Zhang Huaiding's son Zhang Chengfeng in the position of deputy envoy of the Guiyi Army, it will not quell the anger of the Zhang family."
"Over time, Suo Xun spent as much of his time in office as he did in trepidation. He even dared not call himself a military governor, preferring to be addressed as Minister, General, or something similar."
A Ming Dynasty soldier: He's had a tough time too, caught in the middle...
"But some things can't be avoided by backing down or compromising."
"In 894 AD, Zhang Yichao's fourteenth daughter, Zhang, rallied her father's former followers in Dunhuang and, together with surrounding tribes, murdered Suo Xun."
A Ming Dynasty soldier: It's over! It's over!
A scion of a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: Chaos is about to break out again!
"After the coup, Zhang Chengfeng was supported, and to celebrate the victory, she erected a stele in the Mogao Grottoes in the name of her deceased husband, Li Mingzhen, entitled 'Record of the Merits of the Li Clan of Longxi, a Descendant of the Great Tang Dynasty.'"
"From this inscription, future generations learned that Li's four sons, who had played a crucial role in his enthronement, were each given positions in the two prefectures of Guazhou and Shazhou. From then on, the military and political power of the Guiyi Army was completely in the hands of the Li brothers."
A spoiled young master from the Song Dynasty: Hey, isn't this called "misattributing a name to another person"?
A spoiled young master from the Ming Dynasty: Hahahaha, I'm dying of laughter!
A Ming Dynasty soldier: I must say, that's a very vivid description!
……
"It seems that no one takes Zhang Chengfeng seriously; they probably think of him as nothing more than a pawn to be manipulated at will in their power struggles and for personal gain."
"For Zhang Chengfeng, the most important thing right now is to lie low. Before long, he will have a good opportunity."
"Power is addictive once you get your hands on it. No matter how high-sounding Zhang's words were back then, the Li brothers are now gradually letting their guard down, arbitrarily using the military governor's seal on documents, which has led to the dissatisfaction of the two powerful clans of Guazhou and Shazhou."
"In 896 AD, Zhang Chengfeng, with the support of the Zhang family of Qinghe and other powerful clans in Guazhou and Shazhou, launched a coup. The Guiyi Army rallied to his cause, and the Li regime collapsed instantly, becoming utterly insignificant."
Judy, the General Who Conquers the North: It seems that the Guiyi Army still favors the Zhang family.
"While the Guiyi Army was embroiled in internal strife, the Uyghurs were not spared either, gradually growing stronger. In 898, when they paid tribute to the Tang court, Emperor Zhaozong of Tang agreed to marry a princess to them."
"A year later, the Uyghurs moved westward, their influence reaching Suzhou. Zhang Chengfeng, fearing a threat from the Uyghurs to Guazhou and Shazhou, established six military garrisons southeast of Guazhou to prevent Uyghur invasion."
"A year later (August 900 AD), the Tang court issued an edict bestowing upon Zhang Chengfeng the title of Military Governor of the Guiyi Army. However, only three months after this edict was issued, a palace coup broke out in the Tang court."
"The reason for this was that Emperor Zhaozong of Tang and Chancellor Cui Yin discussed executing the eunuchs. However, the eunuch leader (Lieutenant of the Left Army of the Shence Army), Liu Jishu, out of fear, launched a direct attack, leading several thousand imperial guards into the Daming Palace and imprisoning the emperor in the Shaoyang Courtyard."
A spoiled young master from the Ming Dynasty: I'm really surprised that eunuchs actually control the military!
A spoiled young master from the Tang Dynasty: Hmph, don't you guys have Wang Zhen too!
A scion of a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: I suddenly realized that the harm caused by eunuchs was still a common occurrence in all dynasties!
A Ming Dynasty soldier: You know what, it's true!
……
"After the emperor was imprisoned, the eunuchs forged an imperial edict ordering Crown Prince Li Yu to succeed to the throne, and honored Emperor Zhaozong as the Retired Emperor. It must be said that the Tang Dynasty had the most coups of any dynasty in Chinese history."
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: ……
All Emperors of the Tang Dynasty: ……
"Shortly afterward, Cui Yin, who was not being given important responsibilities, seized the opportunity to instigate Sun Dezhao, a general of the Shence Army who was dissatisfied with the eunuchs, to launch a coup and kill Liu Jishu."
"Emperor Zhaozong of Tang was restored to the throne, but the military power of the Shence Army remained in the hands of another eunuch, Han Quanhui."
"So not long after, Emperor Zhaozong of Tang conspired with Cui Yin to kill the eunuchs again. I said, 'Your secret plot is not kept secret from others,' and Han Quanhui found out again. To protect himself, he sought help from Li Maozhen, the military governor of Fengxiang."
"Cui Yin realized their plot had been exposed, and seeing that Li Maozhen was about to control Chang'an, he hurriedly went to Zhu Wen, the military governor of Xuanwu, to request him to send troops."
"Cui Yin probably never imagined that Zhu Wen had long wanted to control the court, and that his letter played right into Zhu Wen's hands, giving him a reason to send troops to Chang'an."
"Upon learning of this, Han Ruhui hastily took Emperor Zhaozong of Tang hostage and fled towards Fengxiang."
"Subsequently, the already precarious Tang Dynasty was plunged into chaos once again."