Zi Zhi Tong Jian

Chapter 54
In the fifth year of Qianfu (878 A.D.), Zeng Yuanyu went to the court, claiming that he defeated the bandit army led by Wang Xianzhi in Huangmei, killed more than [-] bandit soldiers, chased Wang Xianzhi all the way, beheaded him, and now sent his head to the After hearing the news, most of Wang Xianzhi's party members in the capital broke up and left.

At that time, Huang Chao was leading an army to attack Bozhou for a long time, and Shang Rang led Wang Xianzhi's remaining troops to join him, so they joined forces to attack the city, and everyone unanimously elected Huang Chao as the leader of the alliance, known as "General Chongtian", changed his year name to Wang Ba, and set up a bureaucratic administration .Then Huang Chao led the rebels to capture Yizhou and Puzhou.However, he was defeated many times by Tang Dynasty officials and troops, so Huang Chao wrote a letter of surrender to Tang Tianping Jiedu envoy Zhang Jian, asking him to petition the court on his behalf.After Tang Xizong received the memorial, he immediately issued an edict to appoint Huang Chao as the general of the right guard, and ordered Huang Chao to lead his troops to Yunzhou to disarm.Huang Chao didn't obey the order and didn't go to Yunzhou at all.

On November 880th, the first year of Guangming ([-] A.D.), Huang Chao's army captured Luoyang, the eastern capital. Tang Dongdu stayed behind and Liu Yunzhang led a hundred officials to greet him; Huang Chao's army was able to enter the city and greet the people in the city. Everything here is business as usual, and people's lives are as stable as before.Liu Yunzhang is the great-grandson of Liu Nai.Tian Lingzi submitted a request to enlist thousands of Chang'anfang residents to fill the Left and Right Shence Army.

[Original text]

Xinsi, the thieves rushed to attack Tongguan, and Chengfan tried his best to reject it. Since Yin and Shen, they closed the pass and threw stones to hit it.There is a natural moat outside the pass, and the bandits drove more than a thousand people into it, dug soil to fill it, and in a short while, it was leveled, and they led their troops to pass.At night, all the closed buildings were set on fire.Chengfan divided his troops into 800 people, so that Wang Shihui would guard the forbidden pit. By the end of the day, the thieves had already entered.On the day of Renwu, the thieves attacked Tongguan, and all the soldiers in the pass were defeated.When I arrived at Yehuquan, I met two thousand reinforcements from Fengtian, and Cheng Fan said, "It's too late for you to come!" Boye and Fengxiang returned to Weiqiao. However, I am anti-frozen and hungry!" Then they plundered them, and even led the thieves to the village to interest Chang'an.

When Tian Lingzi heard that Huang Chao had entered the customs, he was afraid that the emperor would blame him, so he blamed him and demoted him, so he recommended Hui and Che as prime ministers.It was the evening, and he died with drinking medicine, Che, and Hugh's follower.

Hundreds of officials retreated from the court, and when they heard that the rebellious soldiers had entered the city, Bulu fled and hid. Tian Lingzi commanded five hundred Fengdi soldiers to go out from the Jinguang Gate, but the four kings Fu, Mu, Ze, Shou and their concubines followed, and none of the officials knew about it. .Mercedes-Benz is running day and night, and there are many officials who can't keep up.After the car drove away, the sergeant and the citizens competed to enter the treasury to steal gold and silk.

At noon, Huang Chao's vanguard deposited firewood in Chang'an, and Jin Wu's general Zhang Zhifang and dozens of civil and military personnel welcomed the nest to Bashang.The nest rides on the golden shoulders, and all the disciples are sent out, about red silk, beautiful clothes, soldiers to follow, armored horses like streams, stuffed with luggage, thousands of miles in an endless stream.

【Translation】

On the second day of December, Huang Chao's army launched a fierce attack on Tongguan, and Zhang Chengfan tried his best to fight against Huang Chao's army.Fighting from morning to night, the bows and arrows of the Guanguan army had no arrows to shoot, so they had to throw stones at the Huangchao army. There was a trench outside Tongguan. The Huangchao army drove more than a thousand local people into the trench and asked them to dig the earth The trench was filled.It didn't take long for the trench to be filled, and Huang Chao's army crossed the trench immediately.At night, they set fire to the closed building and burned it to the ground.Zhang Chengfan then allocated 800 troops and handed them over to Wang Shihui to lead the 2000 people to guard the forbidden pit. When Wang Shihui led the army to the forbidden pit, Huang Chao's army had already passed there.On the morning of the third day of junior high school, the Huang Chao army split up and attacked Tongguan, causing all the Tang Dynasty defenders on the pass to collapse. When [-] Fengtian reinforcements came one after another, Zhang Chengfan said to them: "You are late!" So these rescue officers and soldiers had to retreat.The troops of Boye Town and Fengxiang Town retreated to Weiqiao. They saw that the new soldiers recruited by Tian Lingzi were all wearing new clothes and furs. , We fought fiercely to the death, but we ended up freezing and starving!" Then they robbed the new army one after another, and acted as guides for Huang Chao's army, marching all the way to Chang'an.

When Tian Lingzi learned that Huang Chao had entered the customs with his army, he was afraid that the emperor would pursue his crimes, so he blamed all the crimes on Lu Xie, then demoted him, and recommended Wang Hui and Pei Che as prime ministers.That evening, Lu committed suicide by taking poison.Pei Che is Pei Xiu's nephew.

After the civil and military officials withdrew from the court, they heard that Huang Chao's army had entered Chang'an City, and they all ran away.Tian Lingzi led 500 soldiers from the Shence Army to guard Emperor Xizong from Jinguangmen and escaped from the city. Only the four kings, including King Fu, King Mu, King Ze, and King Shou, and several concubines were able to escape with Luanjia. None of the civil and military officials knew about it. This matter, so there is no way to know the whereabouts of the emperor.Tang Xizong and his party traveled day and night, and almost none of the accompanying officials could keep up.After receiving the news that Tang Xizong's chariot had left, the sergeants in Chang'an City and the people in Fangshi began to rush into the royal treasury to steal gold and silk.

Towards evening, Chai Cun, the vanguard of Huang Chao's army, had already led his troops into Chang'an City. General Zhang Zhifang of Tang Jinwu led dozens of civil and military officials to Bashang to meet Huang Chao.I saw Huang Chao sitting in a sedan chair decorated with gold, all his subordinates were disheveled, wearing red silk brocade clothes, followed behind with weapons in their hands, cavalry in armor marched forward like flowing water, and the roads along the way were filled with baggage vehicles. Stretching for thousands of miles from beginning to end, there is an endless stream.

[Original text]

The people gathered together on the road, and Shang let the calendar say: "The king of Huang raised his troops for the common people. It's not like Li's family doesn't love Ru Cao, but you don't have to worry about living in peace." If you are not rich enough, if you see the poor, you will often give it to them.For several days, each of them went out to plunder, burn shops, kill people all over the street, and the nest cannot be banned.He especially hates officials, and kills all who win.

Geng Yin and Huang Chao killed all Tang clans in Chang'an.Xinmao, the nest begins to enter the palace.In Renchen, the emperor's nest is located in the Hanyuan Hall, painted with soap and silk as clothes, and beat hundreds of war drums to replace the joy of gold and stone.Climb the Danfeng Tower and issue a letter of pardon.The name of the country was Daqi, and it was changed to Yuan Jintong.It is called the title of Guangming, who went to the lower body of the Tang Dynasty and wrote the Sun and Moon of the Huang family, thinking that he was Fu Rui.Tang officials above the third rank have ceased to serve, and those below the fourth rank remain the same.Take his wife Cao as the queen.Shang Rang was Taiwei and Zhongshuling, Zhao Zhang was also serving as Zhongzhong, Cui Jiao and Yang Xigu were in the same order, Meng Kai and Gai Hong were the left and right servants who shot and knew the left and right military, and Fei Chuangu was the privy envoy.Dr. Taichang Pi Rixiu is a Bachelor of Hanlin.He, the son of Bin, was the observer of eastern Zhejiang at that time, and he was in Chang'an.

【Translation】

For a while, the soldiers and civilians in Chang'an gathered together to watch, and Shang Rang preached to the soldiers and civilians one by one: "Our Huang Wang raised troops for the benefit of the people! It's not like Emperor Li of the Tang Dynasty who didn't care for you. You can live and work in peace and contentment, don't have the slightest Panic." Huang Chao lived in Tian Lingzi's mansion, and his men had been thieves for a long time, and suddenly became rich, and when they saw poor people, they would often step forward to give money.But within a few days, they came out to loot wantonly, burned the city everywhere, killed people casually, and dead bodies were scattered all over the streets. Huang Chao couldn't stop them at all.Huang Chao's subordinates especially hated the officials of the Tang Dynasty. As long as they were caught by them, they would be killed.

On December [-]th, Huang Chao exterminated all Tang clans who remained in Chang'an, leaving no one behind.On the twelfth, Huang Chao moved to the Forbidden Palace.On the thirteenth, Huang Chao ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor in the Hanyuan Hall. He made the emperor's dress and beat hundreds of war drums instead of gold and stone music as a great gift for enthronement.Huang Chao boarded the Danfeng Tower and issued a letter of pardon: the name of the country was changed to Daqi, and the name of the year was changed to Jintong.It is claimed that the reign name "Guangming" of the current dynasty is the word "Tang" and the lower part is removed to leave "Guang". Sun and Moon thought that this was Fu Rui who was about to proclaim himself emperor.Huang Chao issued an edict, all officials above the third rank in the Tang Dynasty were suspended, and officials below the fourth rank remained in their official positions.And canonized his wife Cao as the queen.Let Shangrang serve as Taiwei and Zhongshuling, Zhao Zhang concurrently serves as servant, Cui Jiao and Yang Xigu are both ministers of Tongping Zhangshi, Meng Kai and Gai Hong serve as the left and right servants and know the left and right military respectively, and Fei Chuangu serves as the privy secretary Make a job.He also served as Dr. Taichang Pi Rixiu as a Bachelor of Hanlin.Cui Bing was the son of Cui Bing. At that time, he was resigned from his post as an observation envoy to eastern Zhejiang and lived in Chang'an. After being captured by Huang Chao, he was appointed prime minister.

[Comment and Analysis]

After the Anshi Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty went downhill, the society was in chaos, and the emperor and noble bureaucrats lived a life of luxury and corruption.The people living in dire straits could no longer survive, so they had to stand up and resist.At that time, the Qiu Fu, Pang Xun and Huang Chao uprisings broke out one after another, among which the Huang Chao uprising was the largest, longest and most influential. "The westerly wind is rustling and the yard is full of plants, but the stamens are cold and fragrant, and the butterflies are hard to come. If I were the Qing Emperor in his year, I will repay the peach blossoms together." These are Huang Chao's early poems, from which we can see his soaring arrogance and magnanimity Big heart.From the uprising to the failure of Huang Chao's death, he fought from north to south for ten years, almost all over the country, which dealt a heavy blow to the decadent rule of the Tang Dynasty and accelerated the demise of the Tang Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)