#120 - Tang 32: A Thousand Cuts

The rebel-general and usurper-emperor Huang Chao will wear out his welcome in Chang’an, and meet his doom in the Valley of Tigers and Wolves… but his reign of terror over the capital will only be the first act of its terrible, drawn out fate – a fate that will mirror the Tang Dynasty’s as a whole. Emperor Xizong, already put to flight once, will return to the capital – only to swiftly find himself on the run yet again as China’s general and governors alike realize that they are no longer servants of the dynasty, but masters of their own domains… if they can hold them. Time Period Covered: 882-888 CE (“The Era of Radiant Beginnings”) Major Historical Figures: Emperor Xizong of Tang (Li Yan) [r. 873-888] Prince Li Jie (Emperor Zhaozong) Chief Eunuch Tian Lingzi [d. 893] Chen Jingxuan, Governor of Sichuan General Zheng Tian, Commander of the Northwest General Li Keyong, “The One-Eyed Dragon”, Khan of the Shatuo Turks Huang Chao, Rebel Usurper [d. 884] Governor-General Zhu Mei, Rebel Warlord, would-be-usurper [d. 887] Li Yun, Prince of Xiang, would-be-puppet-monarch [d. 887]