In 907 AD, Zhu Wen usurped the Tang Dynasty and established Liang Dynasty, making Bianzhou the capital. The once glorious Tang Dynasty finally became ashes of history. Since then, the Central Plains has fallen into a chaotic era of "five dynasties and ten kingdoms": the Later Liang, the Later Tang, the Later Jin, the Later Han, and the Later Zhou came to power one after another. The founding of the country was short-lived but wars continued; in the south and Hedong, Fengxiang and other places, the ten kingdoms of Wu, Southern Tang, Wuyue, Fujian, Chu, Southern Han, Nanping, Qian Shu, Hou Shu, and Northern Han were divided, either in a corner of peace, or competing in the Central Plains.
This was an era of broken etiquette and broken music. Separation of vassal towns led to long-term malpractices. Military generals supported their own troops. It was not uncommon for fathers and sons to kill each other and brothers to turn against each other. This was an era of heroes and tyrants. Shatuo cavalry traversed the Central Plains, literati fled the chaos and moved south, children from poor families rose to power with military merit, and aristocratic families were ups and downs in the flames of war. Human lives are like a piece of grass, cities and towns have changed hands many times, people have been displaced, and the fertile land of the Central Plains has become a battlefield. However, the fire of unity is still quietly gestating in the ashes of troubled times, waiting for a disruptor to ignite the prairie fire.
