Tang dynasty
Zhu Wen, originally a salt smuggler who had served under the rebel Huang Chao, surrendered to Tang forces. By helping to defeat Huang, he was granted a series of rapid military promotions. In 907 the Tang dynasty was ended when Zhu Wen, now a military governor, deposed the last emperor of Tang, Emperor Ai of Tang, and took the throne for himself (known posthumously as Emperor Taizu of Later Liang). He established the Later Liang, which inaugurated the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. A year later Zhu Wen had the deposed Emperor Ai poisoned to death.
Wang Zhang
In 936, during the reign of Later Tang's last emperor Li Congke (Li Cunxu's adoptive nephew), the officer Zhang Lingzhao (張令昭) mutinied at Tianxiong, expelled the military governor Liu Yanhao, and claimed the title of acting military governor. Wang served as the public works officer (in addition to being the treasurer) under Zhang during Zhang's mutiny. Soon, Li Congke sent the general Fan Yanguang to suppress Zhang's mutiny, and Fan quickly captured Tianxiong's capital Wei Prefecture (魏州) and executed Zhang. He also sought to find and execute Zhang's followers. As Bai Wenke was friendly with Fan's deputy Li Zhou (李周), Bai asked Li Zhou to save Wang. Li Zhou thus located and hid Wang, and had him delivered to Li Zhou's mansion at the capital Luoyang in secret and continued to hide him there.