Emperor Zhaozong, on the way to Luoyang, makes a final attempt to seek aid from Li Keyong, as well as Yang Xingmi and Wang Jian the military governor of Xichuan Circuit, sending secret emissaries to them, but neither Li Keyong nor Wang Jian act on the call for aid.

(Yang does, but after making some exploratory attacks gives up on the campaign as well.)

After Emperor Zhaozong reaches Luoyang, all the imperial guards are Zhu's elite soldiers, and the emperor becomes isolated.

As a result of the forced movement of the emperor, the several remaining warlords who are not compliant to Zhu Quanzhong (Li Maozhen, Li Jihui, Li Keyong, Liu Rengong, Wang Jian, and Yang Xingmi, Zhao Kuangning, and Zhao Kuangning's brother Zhao Kuangming the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (headquartered in modern Jingzhou, Hubei, not the same circuit as Li Jihui's)) all issue declarations calling for the people to rise against Zhu and restore imperial power.

Zhu becomes apprehensive that while Emperor Zhaozong is under heavy guard, he would nevertheless try to act against Zhu's interests if Zhu left on a campaign, particularly when Zhu cannot get Emperor Zhaozong to agree to execute Li Yu (under the reasoning that Li Yu, albeit a child at the time, had wrongly occupied the throne during the eunuchs' coup against Emperor Zhaozong).

He comes to the belief that he should remove the adult emperor and replace the emperor with a more-easily-controlled child.

In fall 904, he has Zhu Yougong and Shi Shucong lead soldiers into the Luoyang palace and kill Emperor Zhaozong, and then blames the incident on Zhu Yougong and Shi, forcing them to commit suicide.

He has Li Zuo declared emperor (as Emperor Ai).

In 904, Zhu's wife Lady Zhang dies.

She is said to be a moderating influence and a wise advisor to Zhu, and it was said that after her death, his violent and licentious tendencies became uncontrolled.

Zhu also has all of the deceased emperor's sons (except Emperor Ai) killed shortly after Emperor Zhaozong's death, leaving, among the imperial household, only Emperor Ai and his mother (Emperor Zhaozong's wife) Empress Dowager He.

Further, …

Zhu launches a major attack on Liu Shouwen in 906, and Liu Rengong seeks aid from Li Keyong.

Li Keyong initially refuses to aid Liu, but after advice by his son Li Cunxu, who points out that if Zhu destroys the Lius, no one else can stand up against Zhu.

Li Keyong thus requisitions troops from Liu Rengong and attacks Lu Prefecture.

When he reaches Lu, Ding Hui, whom Zhu had given the command of Zhaoyi but who had mourned Emperor Zhaozong's death bitterly, surrenders, allowing Li Keyong to regain control of Zhaoyi, whose command he gives to Li Sizhao.

Hearing that Ding has surrendered Zhaoyi, Zhu gives up the campaign against Liu Shouwen and withdraws.

Zhu Quanzhong forces Emperor Ai to yield the throne to him in summer 907, ending the Tang Dynasty.

He establishes a new Later Liang Dynasty (as its Emperor Taizu).

Most Tang military governors at least nominally submit to him as emperor, with a few exceptions—Li Keyong, Yang Xingmi's son and successor Yang Wo (titled the Prince of Hongnong), Wang Jian (titled the Prince of Shu), and Li Maozhen (titled the Prince of Qi), all of whom initially continue to use the Tang era names to show refusal to submit to Later Liang.

(Wang, however, soon declares himself emperor of a new state of Shu (commonly known as Former Shu)).

In reality, Li Keyong's state of Jin is now an independent state, although when Wang writes him and suggests that he assume imperial title as well, he refuses, claiming continued loyalty to Tang.

Later in the year, he meets at Yun Prefecture with Yelü Abaoji, the ruler of the Khitan, and tries to enlist Yelü's aid in an alliance against Later Liang.

Yelü initially agrees, but later enters into relations with Later Liang.

The Qian family had been providing military leaders to the Tang Dynasty beginning in 887.

Qian Liu had been named Prince of Yue in 902, with the title of Prince of Wu added two years later.

When the Tang Dynasty falls in 907 and is replaced in the north by the Later Liang Dynasty, military leaders in the south form their own kingdoms.

Qian Liu uses his position to proclaim himself the King of Wuyue.

This signals the beginning of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, which will last until the founding of the Song Dynasty in 960.

Qi is a Chinese kingdom during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in China.

The Qi kingdom’s only ruler is Li Maozhen, who later submits to Later Tang Dynasty.

At its prime Qi overs parts of modern-day Gansu, Shaanxi, and Sichuan provinces, but eventually shrinks to only the immediate area around its capital Fengxiang in Shaanxi.

Its (After Li Maozhen's death in 924, his son Li Congyan will continue to govern Fengxiang until 926, when he is removed by the Later Tang's Emperor Zhuangzong, although he will serve two later stints as governor of Fengxiang.