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In the 14th year of the Dazhong Xiantong era, in the year 873 AD, Emperor Yizong of the Tang Dynasty passed away, and the empire welcomed its new emperor, Emperor Xizong Li Xu, who was only 12 years old at the time. At that time, it had only been a few months since Wang Xianzhi, a private salt merchant, led his troops in rebellion against the Tang Dynasty. Another private salt merchant, Huang Chao, also harbored resentment towards the Tang Dynasty and would soon rise up in revolt. Meanwhile, Li Kuaiyue, the King of Jin, was still just a minor military officer on the border, and the 13th General had yet to make a name for himself. Zhu Wen, the future Emperor Taizu of Later Liang, was working as a swineherd on a landlord''s estate, while Wang Jian, the future Emperor Gaozu of Former Shu, was slaughtering donkeys. Xu Wen, the future King Xuan of Wu, was smuggling private salt, and Qian Liu, the future King Taizu of Wuyue, was a salt merchant''s thug. Ma Yin, the future Prince Wumu of Chu, was working as a carpenter, and Gao Jixing, the future King Wuxin of Nanping, was serving as a minor servant in a merchant''s household. The three brothers Wang Chong, Wang Shifan, and Wang Shenzhi, who would later become known as the "Three Kings of Min", were still just low-ranking officials in the county government. Li Maozhen, the future Prince of Qi, was a mere soldier in the Chengde Army, while Yang Xingmi, the future King Wu of Wu, was hiding out in Luzhou as a bandit. At that time, the Khitan people, who would later bully and oppress the Han Chinese for centuries to come, were still nomadic tribesmen on the grasslands. The Dali Kingdom, which would later dominate the southwest, had yet to be established, and the Tangut people of Western Xia, who would one day become a powerful force in the northwest, were still serving as vassals of the Tang Dynasty. It was at this time that Li Xu inadvertently stumbled into this twilight world of the Tang Empire.