pjbooks Chapter 68 Zhang Huaishen's Difficult Path to Requesting a Title
Chapter 68 Zhang Huaishen's Difficult Path to Requesting a Title
During the reign of Emperor Xizong of Tang
At this time, Emperor Xizong of Tang, Li Xuan, had just ascended the throne and was in the playful period of his youth. He held the small light screen in his hand and studied it carefully, not understanding why a person could be put inside.
At this moment, his "father" Tian Lingzi shook his head, indicating that he should hand over the small light screen to him.
Li Xuan looked down at the court hall, which was full of people, all with their heads down, but there were still a few people with furrowed brows and struggling expressions.
Not long after, Li Xuan complied with Tian Lingzi's request and handed over the small light screen to him.
Just before it was handed to Tian Lingzi, the small screen suddenly erupted with a deafening sound and began flashing incessantly: Omen! The calamity of national subjugation!
Li Xuan was dumbfounded. What did this mean? Didn't his father say that the Tang Dynasty was at peace and prosperous?
Or was Father also deceived by his ministers?
……
Lin Ke continued, "In 879 AD, the sixth year of the Qianfu era of the Tang Dynasty, under the command of Zhang Huaishen, the Guiyi Army achieved a great victory, and the banner of the Tang Dynasty was once again raised atop Liangzhou City. The lost prefectures of the Hexi Corridor returned to the Tang Dynasty."
"Having successfully recovered the Hexi Corridor, Zhang Huaishen mustered his courage and once again petitioned the court to promote him to the rank of Jiedushi (military governor)."
"However, the ideal was far from reality. His first step was met with opposition from Li Xuan. The Tang court continued its policy towards Zhang Yichao, jointly governing Liangzhou with Zhang Huaishen."
"This situation changed after only two years because Kang Tongxin, who was in charge of the western border defense, was killed in battle against the feudal lords."
"This gave the imperial court a reason, a reason, to suppress the Guiyi Army's influence in Hexi."
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: ……
A Ming Dynasty soldier: The Tang Dynasty emperor is still inhuman!
Liu Zhuzhu (Big Han): The country is about to perish! A foolish emperor is on the scene!
"Therefore, the imperial court promoted the person it had sent to oversee the entire Hexi region, forcing the Guiyi Army to withdraw from Liang, Gan, and Su prefectures."
"At this point, I really want to curse a few times. Are you brainless? Could your military strength from the late Tang Dynasty have held these few prefectures? Instead of guarding against the vassal states of those prefectures, you're targeting your own people, knowing they're loyal, you're just relentlessly exploiting them?"
Lin Ke took a few deep breaths and blurted out a sentence that made the heart of the Tang Dynasty emperor watching the live broadcast soar.
"Forget it, the Tang Dynasty doesn't have many more years left to live in, especially for the aristocratic families!"
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: ? ? ?
To all Emperors of the Tang Dynasty: !!!
Judy, the Grand General Who Conquers the North: The moment a foolish emperor takes the stage, you know the country is not far from its demise!
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: ……
"Not long after, the Tang court, having acquired the land, lost Liangzhou again, and the Uyghurs reoccupied it."
All Emperors of the Tang Dynasty: ……
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: The late Tang Dynasty is just too pathetic. It was only recently handed over to him and it's already gone again!
"As the external environment changed again, new conflicts arose within the Guiyi Army."
"In the same year, 881 AD, Huang Chao's army captured Chang'an. Zhang Huaiquan and Zhang Huaiding, sons of Zhang Yichao, fled back to Dunhuang. However, within the Guiyi Army, Zhang Huaishen, despite paying a heavy price, still failed to obtain the appointment of military governor, which led to considerable skepticism. This split the Guiyi Army into two factions—Zhang Huaishen and Zhang Yichao's sons."
"Under such pressure, Zhang Huaishen desperately wanted the Tang court's approval and sent three groups of people to Chang'an to request it. However, when they arrived, a coup had occurred within the capital, the emperor had fled, and he had no time to attend to this request."
"The delegation stranded in the interior split into two factions, but this did not affect Emperor Xizong's policy of suppressing Hexi, which led to a further decline in Zhang Huaishen's prestige within the Guiyi Army."
A scion of a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: I have to say, Zhang Huaishen is in a bit of a predicament... This isn't bullying an honest person!
A spoiled brat from the Ming Dynasty: Speaking of which, isn't this Emperor Xizong of Tang the one who was proficient in all forms of entertainment except for being the emperor?
A scion of a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: That's right, it's him!
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: I'm so angry! Who chose this damn successor?!
……
In 888 AD, Emperor Xizong of Tang, Li Xuan, died after a series of escapes, and Emperor Zhaozong of Tang succeeded him.
"Faced with the uncontrollable situation in Hexi, Emperor Zhaozong of Tang finally decided to change his strategy, dividing the Hexi Corridor in two, with Zhang Huaishen appointed as the military governor of Shazhou in the west."
"After more than twenty years, the Tang court finally granted Zhang Huaishen the official position of military governor."
"However, by sheer chance, Zhang Yichao's son, Zhang Huaiding, was also promoted, thus elevating the authority of Zhang Huaiding's lineage. Therefore, the two factions within the Guiyi Army are on the verge of conflict."
"At the same time, Zhang Huaishen's legitimate sons were also promoted, which caused dissatisfaction among his two illegitimate sons, Zhang Yansi and Zhang Yansi, who then joined Zhang Huaiding's ranks and became his enemies."
"The defection of these two men triggered a tragedy. In 890 AD, Zhang Yansi and Zhang Yansi launched a coup, and Zhang Huaishen, his wife Chen, and their six sons were all killed."
"On the other side, Zhang Huaiding was elected and took control of the Guiyi Army. In order to maintain the legitimacy of his rise to power, Zhang Huaiding subsequently executed Zhang Yansi and Zhang Yansi, who had murdered their father to seize power."
"Zhang Huaishen, a renowned general who rebuilt the empire, ultimately met a tragic end due to internal strife. It is truly lamentable!"
A soldier from the Ming Dynasty: Damn, isn't this a blatant attempt to sow discord? Those two ingrates!
A scion of a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: People's hearts are scattered. Even if the government were to seal off the country early, things might still turn out the same way!
A butcher in the Song Dynasty: This sounds really frustrating!