Many friends are not quite sure whether the Tang Dynasty was conquered by Zhu Wen or Zhao Kuangyin. In fact, the Tang Dynasty fell at the hands of Zhu Wen, and after its downfall, it did not follow the Song Dynasty. There was also a period of five dynasties and ten states in between, and Zhu Wen was the first emperor of the Liang Dynasty during the five dynasties. Zhu Wen is a controversial figure in history. He once captured Chang’an and Luoyang, shaking the foundation of the Tang Dynasty. Later, he occupied Henan and became the largest separatist force at that time. Finally, he led a large army to enter the pass and seized the throne of Emperor Ai of Tang in the form of abdication. Finally, he built Liang and destroyed Tang. Let’s learn about Zhu Wen’s life below.
The most important quality that traditional Chinese people value is nothing more than four words: loyalty and filial piety. Between loyalty and filial piety, the most valued word by rulers is still loyalty, because the emperor is the ruler and the ruler is the father. Therefore, a person’s loyalty will be the most important criterion for judging them in later generations. The highest criterion for judging loyalty is that a person is “completely loyal”. With complete loyalty, it naturally gives the ruler great peace of mind. In the late Tang Dynasty, there was a person who obtained a name authenticated by the emperor – Zhu Quanzhong.
Zhu Quanzhong’s loyalty began with his rebellion. At that time, he was still called Zhu Wen. When he heard that the Yellow Nest army had risen in Shandong, as a citizen of the Tang Dynasty, his home was far away from the place where the Yellow Nest was causing trouble. However, Zhu Wen still fled across mountains and rivers to join this rebel army that made the Tang Emperor restless. After joining the Yellow Nest, Zhu Wen pounded the Yellow Dragon and entered the heart of the Tang Dynasty – Chang’an.
Zhu Wen was subsequently appointed as the commander of the southeast camp, Yu Hou, and set out from Chang’an to lead troops to resist the counterattack of Tang Dynasty officers and soldiers. Without any effort, Zhu Wen defeated various imperial suppression armies. When he returned to Chang’an to report, Huang Chao personally greeted him at the bridgehead and praised Zhu Wen’s loyalty to him. Zhu Wen, who was highly regarded, was assigned a large number of soldiers and horses, and was asked to go to war at will, only to expand the power of the Huang Chao army.
Zhu Wen, who could fully command the army, still had no intention of establishing his own mountain. He used the banner of Huang Chao and started from Danzhou, attacking all the way until he met the Tang Dynasty military governor Wang Chongrong, and was finally stopped. Wang Chongrong was one of the few capable generals in the court at that time. Zhu Wen fought against him several times, but they were repeatedly defeated. In the end, they were so embarrassed that they had to destroy their warships when they fled. The messengers sent to seek help from Huang Chao always returned empty handed because Huang Chao was also in a disadvantageous situation at that time. At this time, Zhu Wen simply surrendered to Wang Chongrong with his troops.
Zhu Wen’s surrender report was handed over to Emperor Xizong of Tang. The emperor was greatly inspired to see this troublesome demon voluntarily surrender, and he bestowed the name “Quanzhong” upon Zhu Wen to lead his original troops to attack Huang Chao. Zhu Quanzhong received the word “loyalty”, which did not disappoint Emperor Xizong of Tang. He knew Huang Chao well and had gone through more than forty battles, causing him unprecedented damage. Zhu Wen’s position in the court was also increasing day by day, but what increased with his status was his violent temperament.
Once, Zhu Wen and the military governor Li Keyong were drinking together. After Li Keyong got drunk, he said some unpleasant things to Zhu Wen, mocking him for having a rebellious background, but now he is being worshipped by the people and enjoying incense every day. During the banquet, Zhu Wen remained calm and composed. However, after Li Ke returned, Zhu Wen ordered soldiers to bring firewood and directly burn this court official alive in his own residence. Fortunately, it suddenly rained heavily, and Li Ke fled back to Chang’an by climbing over the wall under the cover of people around him. However, Zhu Wen killed all hundreds of soldiers from the imperial court around Li Keyong. Although Li Keyong accused Zhu Wen of his actions in front of the emperor, Tang Xizong was unwilling to punish Zhu Wen. He only comforted Li Keyong with good words, but did not hold Zhu Wen accountable.
it is said that; Whether to nurture or not is the fault of the father. As the ruler’s father, Tang Xizong’s indulgence towards Zhu Wen made him increasingly confident and fearless. After the death of Emperor Xizong of Tang, Emperor Zhaozong ascended the throne, and Zhu Wen was already a powerful minister holding a heavy army. At that time, only the eunuch forces in the palace could resist him. In the third year of Tianfu, Zhu Wen led troops into the palace and killed more than 700 eunuchs. The brutality of his methods left everyone stunned, and Emperor Zhaozong of Tang could only compromise and call Zhu Wen the “rebirth of the country”.
I originally thought that Zhu Wen was already powerful in the court and had no desires anymore, but his insatiable desires led him to show his fangs. Zhu Wen simply coveted the throne and sent people to kill more than thirty ministers, including the prime minister, who could not escape death. Then he killed the emperor, ending the fate of the Tang Dynasty. He established the Later Liang dynasty and became the founding emperor. After Zhu Wen became emperor, he was burdened with blood debts to the Tang Dynasty. The name Quan Zhong had become a great irony, so he changed his name back to Zhu Wen.
Zhu Wen’s dream of becoming an emperor has finally come true, but it is unreasonable for an unfaithful person to become someone who requires everyone to be loyal. Zhu Wen originally doted on his eldest son Zhu Youyu, but unfortunately his son died early. After becoming emperor, he was very worried about the selection of the crown prince because his biological sons were not very successful, and only his adopted son Zhu Youwen was deeply loved by Zhu Wen. However, having a child and having an adopted son was a way to attract trouble for himself? Sure enough, how could son Zhu Yougui tolerate his father passing on his family’s throne to outsiders? Zhu Wen thought his tyranny would make everyone afraid and had to obey all his decisions, but he never expected that his son would be even more vicious and cruel than himself. In the second year of the Qianhua reign, Zhu Yougui led troops into the palace and took advantage of Zhu Wen’s deep sleep to break into the sleeping hall. Zhu Wen did not have time to shout for protection, but was killed by his own son on the bed. Zhu Quanzhong, who had been loyal all his life, ended his life in the most unfaithful way.
