Qilu Salt Records

The novel is set in the Qianfu period of Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty (874-877), on the eve of the disintegration of the Tang Empire. One hundred and twenty years have passed since the Anshi Rebellion, and the three major chronic diseases are serious: the separatist rule of vassal towns, the dictatorship of eunuchs, and the empty treasury. Salt profits accounted for half of the treasury's revenue, and the price of salt soared from ten cents per dou to hundreds of cents during the Kaiyuan period. In the second year of Qianfu (875), Wang Xianzhi from Puzhou gathered a crowd to revolt in Changyuan, and his proclamation pointed out that "officials are corrupt, have heavy gifts, and are unfair in rewards and punishments." In June of the same year, Caozhou's Huang Chao led a crowd to respond, "turning to invade fifteen prefectures in Henan, and the crowd turned out to be tens of thousands." Qilu became the center of the storm - this land contributed half of the sea salt of the Tang Dynasty, and also contributed to the power to end the Tang Dynasty.