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Kaiping · Qianhua · Reign 907—912
He started his career by surrendering to the Tang Dynasty under the Huang Chao tribe, annexing the Central Plains, regicide and usurping the Tang Dynasty, starting the Five Dynasties, and was eventually killed by his own son.
Zhu Wen was a native of Dangshan, Songzhou. His father was a rural school teacher who died young. He worked with his mother as a servant in Liu Chong's family in Xiao County. He was known as a fierce rogue. During the Qianfu period of Xizong in Tang Dynasty, he and his brother Zhu Cun joined the Huang Chao army, made many military exploits, and followed Huang Chao into Chang'an. In 882, he defended Tongzhou but was unable to seek help, so he killed the supervisors and surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. He was given the name Quanzhong. The following year, he was appointed as the Xuanwu Jiedu envoy, with Bianzhou as his base.
In the next twenty years or so, he successively leveled Qin Zongquan, Shi Pu, Zhu Xuan, Zhu Jin and other vassal towns, and fought fierce battles with Li Keyong in Hedong for many years, gradually occupying the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. In 903, he captured Tang Zhaozong from Fengxiang Li Maozhen and executed all the eunuchs. The following year, he forced Zhaozong to move the capital to Luoyang, and then killed him and established the young Emperor Ai. In 905, he killed more than 30 courtiers in Baimayi. In 907, he accessioned following abdication and proclaimed himself emperor. His country was named Liang, and his name was changed to Huang. Tang dynasty was destroyed.
After proclaiming himself emperor, he was defeated by Li Cunxu in Luzhou and Baixiang, and his struggle for hegemony in the north was frustrated. In his later years, he was debauched and cruel, and he was jealous of the meritorious officials. He also wanted to pass the throne to his adopted son Zhu Youwen. In June 912, his biological son King Ying Zhu Yougui led his troops into the palace and killed him. Zhu Wen ended the Tang dynasty that existed in name only, and also started the chaos of five generations of military usurpation.
Zhu Wen came from a rough background, and relied on his strategy and force to become the overlord of the Central Plains from the Huang Chao tribe, ending the Tang dynasty that existed in name only. According to the "Old History of the Five Dynasties", he reclaimed wasteland within his jurisdiction, encouraged farming and mulberry farming, and reduced rent and taxes, which restored the economy of the Central Plains. However, he was treacherous, murderous, regicide and ministers, and was dissolute in his later years, and eventually his father and son killed each other. Old history regarded him as the leader of usurpers, and the style of usurpation by warriors he created lasted throughout the Five Dynasties.
MilitaryJoin the Huang Chao Army
During the reign of Xizong and Qianfu in the Tang Dynasty, there was a famine in Guandong, and Wang Xianzhi and Huang Chao started to rebel one after another. Zhu Wen and his brother Zhu Cun joined Huang Chao's army, fought bravely, and gradually became generals. In 880, they followed Huang Chao into Chang'an.
PoliticsSurrendered to the Tang Dynasty and given the name Quanzhong
Zhu Wen served as Huang Chao's defense envoy to Tongzhou and was repeatedly attacked by Wang Chongrong, the military governor of Tanghezhong. His memorial to Huang Chao for help was suppressed by General Meng Kai. He then killed the supervisors sent by Huang Chao and surrendered to Tang Dynasty. Tang Xizong granted him an official position and the name Quanzhong.
PoliticsLeaving the town of Bianzhou
The Tang court appointed Zhu Quanzhong as the Xuanwu Jiedu envoy and stationed in Bianzhou in July. After that, he took Bianzhou as his base to participate in the encirclement and suppression of Huang Chao. Huang Chao was defeated the following year. Bianzhou is located at the heart of the canal and became his base camp for annexing the Central Plains in the future.
MilitaryChanges in Shangyuanyi
Hedong Jiedushi Li Keyong passed by Bianzhou after pursuing Huang Chao. Zhu Quanzhong hosted a banquet in Shangyuan Post and sent troops to besiege him at night to kill him. Li Keyong escaped from the city under the protection of his subordinates. From then on, the two families became feuding, and Liang and Jin fought for decades.
MilitaryDefeat Qin Zongquan
After Qin Zongquan of Caizhou proclaimed himself emperor, he went out everywhere to loot and plunder, burning and killing everyone in his path. In 887, Zhu Quanzhong defeated his main force outside Bianzhou City. In 889, Qin Zongquan was captured and sent to Bianzhou by his generals, and was transferred to Chang'an and beheaded. Zhu Quanzhong's reputation was greatly enhanced.
MilitaryMerge Xu Yanyun
Zhu Quanzhong successively attacked and destroyed Shi Pu, the governor of Guanghua, and Zhu Xuan, the governor of Tianping. Zhu Jin, the governor of Taining, was defeated and fled to Huainan. Today, the eastern part of Shandong and the northern part of Jiangsu belong to him. He became the most powerful vassal town in the Central Plains.
MilitaryQingkou's defeat
Zhu Quanzhong sent Pang Shigu and Ge Congzhou to attack Yang Xingmi in Huainan in two groups. Pang Shigu camped in a low-lying area in Qingkou, but was defeated and killed by the Huainan Army when the Huai River flooded the camp. Ge Congzhou was also forced to retreat. After that, Zhu Quanzhong was unable to move south, and the trend of separatist rule in the south gradually took shape.
PoliticsHolding the emperor hostage
The eunuch Han Quanhui kidnapped Tang Zhaozong and defected to Fengxiang Li Maozhen. Zhu Quanzhong led his army to besiege Fengxiang for more than a year. The city ran out of food, and Li Maozhen was forced to kill Han Quanzhen and others and hand over Zhaozong. Zhu Quanzhong and chief minister Cui Yin immediately killed hundreds of eunuchs and took control of the central Tang dynasty.
PoliticsMoved the capital to Luoyang and killed Zhaozong
In the first month of the first month, Zhu Quanzhong forced Zhaozong to move the capital to Luoyang, demolished the palaces and residences in Chang'an, and transported the wood eastward along the Wei River and the Yellow River, leaving Chang'an in ruins. In August, he sent people to kill Zhaozong and established 13-year-old Li Zhu as emperor, namely Emperor Ai of Tang Dynasty.
Lasting legacyChang'an never became the capital of a unified dynasty, and China's political center moved eastward.
PoliticsThe disaster of Baimayi
Instigated by his confidant Li Zhen, Zhu Quanzhong killed more than 30 court officials including chief minister Pei Shu in Baimayi, Huazhou, and threw their bodies into the Yellow River. Li Zhen repeatedly failed to win the imperial examination, saying that these people claimed to be a clear stream and should "throw it into the Yellow River to turn it into a turbid stream."
MilitaryKill Wei Bo Ya Bing
Luo Shaowei, the governor of Wei Bo, suffered from the arrogance of the Ya soldiers, so he used Zhu Quanzhong's troops to kill eight thousand families of the Ya soldiers. Wei Bo weakened from then on, and Luo Shaowei regretted it and sighed: "We can't make a mistake by combining the six states and forty-three counties."
Lasting legacyThe idiom "making a big mistake" comes from Luo Shaowei's exclamation.
PoliticsUsurping Tang Jianliang
In April, Zhu Quanzhong forced Emperor Aiabdication of the Tang Dynasty to ascend the throne of emperor in Bianzhou, and his country was named Liang. He changed his name to Kaiping in Yuan Dynasty and his name was Huang. He promoted Bianzhou to Kaifeng, built it as the eastern capital, and Luoyang as the western capital. The following year, Emperor Ai was poisoned.
MilitaryThe defeat of Luzhou Jiazhai
Liang Jun built a stronghold and besieged Luzhou for nearly a year. After Li Keyong's death, his son Li Cunxu personally led the reinforcements to make a surprise attack in the fog and destroyed the Jiazhai. Zhu Wen sighed and said, "You should be like Li Yazi when you give birth to a son. He can use it well to survive! He should be like my son, who has the ears of a dolphin and a dog!"
MilitaryBattle of Baixiang
Zhu Wen sent troops to plot Chengde, but Wang Rong, the Chengde Jiedushi envoy, and Wang Chuzhi, the Yiwu Jiedushi envoy, turned to Jin for help. In the first month of the first month, Liang general Wang Jingren was defeated by Li Cunxu in Baixiang. All his elite troops were lost, and all the towns in Hebei Province turned to Jin.
PoliticsKilled by quilt
Zhu Wen was seriously ill and planned to pass the throne to his adopted son King Bo Zhu Youwen, and appointed his biological son King Ying Zhu Yougui to be the governor of Laizhou. In June, Zhu Yougui led his Ya soldiers into the palace at night and assassinated Zhu Wen. He was sixty-one years old.
Zhu Wen's wife came from a wealthy family in Songzhou. She was wise and strategic. Zhu Wen obeyed her and often refrained from killing because of her advice. He died of illness in 904, before Zhu Wen could proclaim himself emperor.
Feng Yi, a native of Tongzhou, defected to Zhu Wen in his early years and was in charge of secrets for more than 30 years. Zhu Wen's military and political plans were more than his own. When Hou Liang died, he was unwilling to serve Later Tang and hanged himself.
He failed to pass the imperial examination after repeated examinations. He hated the officials and encouraged Zhu Wen to cause disaster in Baimayi, and also participated in the murder of Zhaozong. After the death of Hou Liang, he surrendered to Later Tang and was still executed by the Li Cunxu tribe.
He was originally a general of the Huang Chao tribe. He followed Zhu Wen to surrender to the Tang Dynasty and repeatedly defeated Li Keyong, Zhu Xuan and others. At that time, there was a saying that "there is a kudzu in Shandong, don't tease him if you have nothing to do". After the establishment of the Later Liang Dynasty, he retired due to illness.
The leader of Shatuo, he served in suppressing the Huang Chao and was awarded the title of King of Jin. After the Shangyuanyi Incident, he became a feuder with Zhu Wen and refused to recognize Hou Liang throughout his life. His son Li Cunxu eventually destroyed Liang.
A native of Hefei in Luzhou, he occupied Huainan. In 897, he defeated the Liang army at Qingkou, preventing Zhu Wen from going south and laying the foundation of the state of Wu.