Different from the popularity of the people, the historical materials of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms have indeed been marginalized from the official history. But marginalization doesn't mean that we don't pay attention to it. Of the twenty-four histories, only Tang Shi and History of the Five Dynasties were written twice in one dynasty, namely, New Tang Book and History of the Five Dynasties. The compilation of two historical books in a historical period shows that although marginalized, it still attaches great importance to it.
Marginalization and being valued, this contradictory situation, has been reflected in the history of the five dynasties. I think there are only the following reasons:
The survival time of 15 generations and 10 countries is very short.
If we count from 907, when Zhu Wen destroyed the Tang Dynasty, to 960, when Zhao Kuangyin became a yellow robe, there will be only 53 years in total. Even from 979, when the Northern Han Dynasty perished, it was only 72 years. This is nothing compared with the great division in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period or the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.
Moreover, this short-lived existence has an interesting feature, that is, the regime in the north has been replaced by lanterns, while the regime in the south is relatively stable. There has been a situation in which the south is divided and stable and the north is unified and turbulent. In this case, the interest in the relatively stable and independent southern regime will be greatly reduced, while the interest in the north will increase. Thus, the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, which existed for a short time, became a simple history of the Five Dynasties, and the Ten Kingdoms only became an auxiliary existence.
The Second, Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms are considered to be the continuation of the separatist regime in the buffer regions.
Although Zhu Wen destroyed the Tang Dynasty, the existence of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was actually a sequela of the separatist regime in the late Tang Dynasty. The protagonists of this era are mostly the beneficiaries of the separatist regime in the Tang Dynasty, such as Zhu Wen, who was called in the Tang Dynasty, and Shatuo Li Keyong, who was given the surname Li in the Tang Dynasty.
Since Huang Chao, these two enemies have been at loggerheads, and this feud lasted until the demise of the Tang Dynasty, and then the problem appeared in the Later Liang Dynasty and the Later Tang Dynasty.
In this case, for historians who are accustomed to biographical history, when compiling the History of the Tang Dynasty, a large number of stories of these people will be compiled. More importantly, these people's activities were mainly in the Tang Dynasty, which made them very embarrassed.
With the records of these people in the Tang Dynasty, if there are any records in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, they will be repeated. If you cut off the deeds of these people, the five generations will become very thin. Therefore, if we look at this period of history, we must study it with reference to the history of the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, the history of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms cannot exist alone, and even half of it may be in the history of the Tang Dynasty.
Not only the north, but also the countries in the south. In most countries, the prototype is the buffer region of the Tang Dynasty, and the ancestors of the emperors are officials of the Tang Dynasty. Their deeds are also very clear in the history of the Tang Dynasty. As a result, the history of these countries can not be completely independent, so we have to refer to Tang books.
This continuity makes people who study the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms more inclined to study the history of the Tang Dynasty, and systematically analyze this history through the separatist regime in the late Tang Dynasty. In this way, most experts in Tang Shi are also experts from five generations and ten countries, and experts from five generations and ten countries will also study Tang Shi. The Tang Dynasty is so charming. Under the aura of the Tang Dynasty, the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms looked bleak.
Third, the Song government was not interested in the Five Dynasties and Ten Countries.
For the song dynasty, it can be regarded as a mess of the country. Zhao Kuangyin's yellow robe was not persecuted, and his power was not taken back. He was still trusted by the emperor. On this premise, I felt it was a pity, so I issued a death-free card to Chai's descendants.
The Song government kept this injustice a secret. We can understand the rise and fall through research, but we must not spread it too much.
On the other hand, it is also worth noting that the national policy of the Song Dynasty was to weaken military commanders and buffer regions and make all power belong to the state. Under this basic national policy, the Song government was more concerned about how the country perished than how it prospered.
Therefore, the reason for the rise of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms is in the history of the Tang Dynasty, but the reason for its demise is in the history of the Five Dynasties. People just need to know that the final outcome of these separatist forces is not good. As for how to prosper, they don't need to care too much or think too much.
Therefore, under the joint action of many reasons, the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms became an embarrassing situation worthy of attention, but relatively marginalized. Later generations will not mention it.