Chapter 31 Section 5 Fanzhen in the Tang Dynasty

In the Tang Dynasty, since Emperor Ruizong's Jingyun period (710-712 A.D.), the Jiedu Envoy of Jinglue and Hexi Jiedu Envoy successively set up the guards of Youzhou and Jiedu Envoy, and the title of Jiedu Envoy began.In the twenty-first year of Emperor Xuanzong's Kaiyuan (733 A.D.), while dividing the world into 15 kingdoms, he also set up Jiedu envoys and Jinglue envoys on the border to appease the barbarians and strengthen border defense.A total of nine Jiedu envoys in Anxi, Beiting, Hexi, Shuofang, Hedong, Fanyang, Pinglu, Longyou, and Jiannan, as well as Jinglue envoys of five Lingnan prefectures ("Old Tang Book·Geography") were set up.Jiedu envoys and Jinglue Shi are originally the duties of Dianjun, but they are very powerful because they are given double banners and double festivals (the certificates to represent the imperial court) when they are dispatched. An Lushan, the chief culprit of the "Anshi Rebellion", took advantage of his opportunity to serve as the three envoys of Fan Yang, Hedong, and Pinglu, and brewed and launched a rebellion that shocked the government and the public with his ever-expanding military power.After Suzong Zhide (756-758 A.D.), the Central Plains used troops, and the governors were all in charge of military affairs, and "everyone who wants to attack a large county has a budget; if the bandits are quiet, it is easy to observe" ("Old Tang Dynasty") Book · Geography").After the first year of Qianyuan (758 A.D.), Jiedushi gradually took over the local military, civilian, financial and supervisory powers, and became the local military and political chief and the local emperor of the separatist party.According to "Old Tang Book Geographical Records", there were 47 Jiedu envoys, Jinglue envoys, and observation envoys in the middle Tang Dynasty.This is the 47 towns (that is, fan towns) mentioned in the "Yuanhe County Tuzhi" and "after Qianfu (874-879 A.D.), the world was chaotic and divided, and the ritual and music conquests were not from the court", the disaster of the fan towns, Accelerated the demise of the Tang Empire.