pjbooks Chapter 65 Zhang Yichao
Chapter 65 Zhang Yichao
A wave of indescribable helplessness washed over Lin Ke. A bitter smile appeared on her lips as she continued, "In 808 AD, Anxi and Hexi were completely annexed by Tibet, and hundreds of thousands of Tang Dynasty survivors were enslaved by the Tibetans."
"Among them, able-bodied men were kept as slaves, while the elderly, weak, women and children were abandoned by the roadside to die. Moreover, the descendants of the Tang people were enslaved from birth."
“Those Tang Dynasty survivors would gaze towards Chang’an during festivals such as the Lantern Festival, and kowtow with tears in their eyes. Perhaps they had hoped time and again that the Tang Dynasty would send an army to rescue them and bring them home.”
"Many years later, on this former Tang Dynasty land long since occupied by the Tibetan Empire, a Tang Dynasty envoy finally arrived."
"Among these Tang loyalists were veterans who had remained after the fall of the Western Regions. The first thing they said when they stopped the envoy and knelt before him was, 'Is the Emperor still well? We all teach our descendants not to forget the Tang Dynasty, and we beg the Tang Dynasty not to forget us either. When will our Tang reinforcements arrive?'"
"Listen to this, I'm really about to cry. They're still thinking about their emperor! They're still hoping for reinforcements from the Tang Dynasty!"
"Isn't this waiting, constantly torn between hope and helplessness, also a form of despair?"
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: It is the Tang Dynasty that has failed these people!
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (Li Longji): It's my fault, I never thought it would turn out like this!
General Judy, the Northern Expeditionary Army: Yes, it's all your fault!
.........
"The story I am about to tell is not well recorded in official history. It was only recently discovered by later generations in the Dunhuang manuscripts, a record that had long been lost to history."
"The main characters of the story are the Guiyi Army of the Tang Dynasty, a rebel army active in the Hexi Corridor."
"Generally speaking, rebel armies rebel against the tyranny of the imperial court and oppose the central dynasty. However, this army is fighting under the banner of the Tang Dynasty and wants to return to the Tang Dynasty from enemy-occupied territory."
"As we mentioned earlier, the Tibetan Empire occupied Dunhuang, and in order to assimilate the Han people, they began to implement a series of policies, such as forcing the Han people to learn the Tibetan script and language, etc."
"This policy lasted for decades, and then one day, the Han people began to wear Tang-style clothing and speak a Central Plains Mandarin that they were no longer fluent in. This change was all because the city, which had been isolated for decades, rose up again."
"The leader of the uprising was named Zhang Yichao. He was born in 799 AD, eighteen years after the fall of Shazhou City."
"Because his father was Han Chinese, he heard from his father since childhood about the glory of the Tang Dynasty and the prosperity of its capital, Chang'an."
"However, Zhang Yichao did not know what the Tang Dynasty was like in the past; he only knew how the people of the Tang Dynasty were humiliated and oppressed under the rule of the Tibetan Empire."
"So he made up his mind that since the Tang army wouldn't come, he would lead the remaining people of the Tang Dynasty to Chang'an to see the prosperous Chang'an!"
"Finally, in 842 AD, the Tibetan Empire began to disintegrate. At this time, Zhang Yichao, serving as the governor of Shazhou, stood on the city wall of Shazhou, gazing into the distance towards Chang'an. He was filled with immense excitement; he had been waiting for this day for decades."
"Because Zhang Yichao's family was a prominent clan in Dunhuang at the time, and the Tibetan Empire appointed many Han Chinese leaders for easier administration, Zhang Yichao became the governor of Shazhou. Furthermore, his righteous character earned him considerable prestige among the Han Chinese."
"Therefore, when he secretly sent people to win over Han heroes in various places, they responded with overwhelming support."
One night, groups of Han Chinese, clad in armor, gathered in Shazhou City. Zhang Yichao knew the time was right, so in the dead of night in April 848 AD, he shouted to the Han Chinese in the city: "Kill all the Tibetans in the city, and we will return to the Tang Dynasty together!"
"Overnight, Shazhou was liberated, and after many years, the banner bearing the character 'Tang' was once again raised atop Shazhou's city walls."
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: Good lad! Well done!
During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang
Upon hearing this, Li Chen looked surprised. He knew that the Anxi Army had been isolated for many years during the reign of Emperor Dezong of Tang, but after their communication was cut off, there was no news of them.
But he never expected that many years later there would be a team that wanted to return to the Tang Dynasty, and at this moment his heart was filled with great enthusiasm.
But how could he possibly contact them? Perhaps they could slow down the decline of the Tang Dynasty!