Discussion On The Road East Of The Founding Group

By the end of Tang Dynasty, the military group which was dominated by Shatuo, a part of Turk tribe, had occupied the region named Shanxi Plateau today and had formed Hedong Group. Originally, Hedong Group maintained dense tribal remnants so that soldiers played the prime role. They governed this region by combining politic and military. After the second governor, Li Cunxu (Later Tang Zhuang Zong), succeeded the from his father, on one side, he expanded the territory by force to be the basis of Later Tang Dynasty, and on the other side, he began to appoint those who usually named Fanzhen servants as the fundamental officials to grasp the authority of politic and military which resulted in the centralization of state power. After the establishment of Later Tang Dynasty, Li Cunxu imitated the political system of Tang Dynasty, which means the Neizhusishi (内诸司使) substituted the Waichao (外朝) in order to accord with the changeable relationship of soldiers and Fanzhen servants. As the authority had been obtained by Fanzhen servants, the leader of them, Guo Chongtao, began to be the focus of all the political conflict. Guo could balance different political groups, however, his death proclaimed the collapse of Li Cunxu’s rule. Li Siyuan (Later Tang Ming Zong), became the second emperor just after the turmoil in Tong Guang Forth Year (926). A lot of measures were taken to convert the Fanzhen system to the traditional state system consciously when Li Siyuan was the emperor, such as the re-establishment of central power department, reorganization of the lifeguard and the weakening of other Fanzhens. With the constant adjustment and accumulation by later governors, Fanzhen evolved in the state and disappeared.Later Tang Dynasty, including its former Hedong Fanzhen, experienced the total procedure from foundation to expiration. The dominant force, soldiers and Fanzhen servants, came from the bottom of Tang Dynasty’s society. This procedure can reflect their strong willing in participating the state’s political affairs. However, these people were rude soldiers and always lacked enough knowledge and consciousness so that they couldn’t find a proper way to normalize the flexure of society. That’s why Five Dynasties witnessed so many transitions of dynasties.