Wang Chucun () (831–895) was a general of the
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
, who controlled Yiwu Circuit (義武, headquartered in modern
Baoding
Baoding (), formerly known as Baozhou and Qingyuan, is a prefecture-level city in central Hebei province, approximately southwest of Beijing. As of the 2010 census, Baoding City had 11,194,382 inhabitants out of which 2,176,857 lived in the b ...
,
Hebei
Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, an ...
) in late Tang. He was one of the main contributors in Tang's eventual defeat of the agrarian rebel
Huang Chao
Huang Chao (835 – July 13, 884) was a Chinese smuggler, soldier, and rebel, and is most well known for being the leader of a major rebellion that severely weakened the Tang dynasty.
Huang was a Salt in Chinese history, salt smuggler before ...
.
Background
Wang Chucun was born in 831, during the reign of
Emperor Wenzong. His family was from the
Tang Dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
capital
Chang'an
Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin Shi ...
, and his ancestors had served as officers in the imperial
Shence Armies
The Shence Army () was a Tang dynasty (618–907) army unit established in 754 CE by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, and based in Chang'an, forming the core of the imperial guards responsible for protecting the emperor. The command of the Shence Army ...
for generations. His father Wang Zong () was not only a highly ranked general in the Shence Armies, but was also a skillful merchant. It was said that Wang Zong became so rich that he was able to be extravagant in his food and to have thousands of servants. Wang Chucun himself started his career as the commander at a Shence Army base, and he later became a general and a patrol commander.
['']Old Book of Tang
The ''Old Book of Tang'', or simply the ''Book of Tang'', is the first classic historical work about the Tang dynasty, comprising 200 chapters, and is one of the Twenty-Four Histories. Originally compiled during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...
'', vol. 182. Yet later, he was made the overseer (制置使, ''Zizhishi'') of the army at Ding Prefecture (定州, in modern
Baoding
Baoding (), formerly known as Baozhou and Qingyuan, is a prefecture-level city in central Hebei province, approximately southwest of Beijing. As of the 2010 census, Baoding City had 11,194,382 inhabitants out of which 2,176,857 lived in the b ...
,
Hebei
Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, an ...
), then the capital of Yiwu Circuit.
['']New Book of Tang
The ''New Book of Tang'', generally translated as the "New History of the Tang" or "New Tang History", is a work of official history covering the Tang dynasty in ten volumes and 225 chapters. The work was compiled by a team of scholars of the So ...
'', vol. 186.
As military governor of Yiwu Circuit
Before and during Huang Chao's rebellion
In 879, Wang Chucun was made the military governor (''
Jiedushi
The ''jiedushi'' (), or jiedu, was a title for regional military governors in China which was established in the Tang dynasty and abolished in the Yuan dynasty. The post of ''jiedushi'' has been translated as "military commissioner", "legate", ...
'') of Yiwu Circuit.
Around the new year 881, the major agrarian rebel
Huang Chao
Huang Chao (835 – July 13, 884) was a Chinese smuggler, soldier, and rebel, and is most well known for being the leader of a major rebellion that severely weakened the Tang dynasty.
Huang was a Salt in Chinese history, salt smuggler before ...
captured Chang'an, forcing then-reigning
Emperor Xizong to flee to
Chengdu
Chengdu (, ; Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively Romanization of Chi ...
. Huang declared himself the emperor of a new state of Qi. Wang Chucun, upon hearing the news of Chang'an's fall, decided to head to Chang'an to aid the imperial cause even before Emperor Xizong sent any orders, and he also sent 2,000 men to Xingyuan (興元, in modern
Hanzhong
Hanzhong (; abbreviation: Han) is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Shaanxi province, China, bordering the provinces of Sichuan to the south and Gansu to the west.
The founder of the Han dynasty, Liu Bang, was once enfeoffed as the ...
,
Shaanxi
Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...
), where Emperor Xizong was at the time en route to Chengdu, to protect the emperor. He entered into an alliance with
Wang Chongrong Wang Chongrong (王重榮) (died July 6, 887Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 257.), formally the Prince of Langye (瑯琊王), was a warlord of the late Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who controlled Hezhong ...
the military governor of Hezhong Circuit (河中, headquartered in modern
Yuncheng, Shanxi
Yuncheng is the southernmost prefecture-level city in Shanxi province, People's Republic of China. It borders Linfen and Jincheng municipalities to the north and east, and Henan (Luoyang and Jiyuan to the east, Sanmenxia to the south) and Shaan ...
), who had briefly submitted to Huang's Qi state but then reverted to Tang allegiance due to Huang's heavy tax and conscription burdens; they launched their armies and approached Chang'an, camping north of the
Wei River
The Wei River () is a major river in west-central China's Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. It is the largest tributary of the Yellow River and very important in the early development of Chinese civilization.
The source of the Wei River is close to ...
.
[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 254.]
By summer 881, several Tang generals had congregated near Chang'an, preparing to recapture it. These include, in addition to Wang Chucun and Wang Chongrong, Tang Hongfu (), Cheng Zongchu (),
Tuoba Sigong, and
Zheng Tian
Zheng Tian (, 821?'' New Book of Tang'', vol. 185./825?'' Old Book of Tang'', vol. 178.–883?), courtesy name Taiwen (), formally Duke Wenzhao of Xingyang (), was a chancellor of late Tang Dynasty, serving two terms as chancellor during the r ...
. Huang, fearful of the Tang forces, abandoned Chang'an and fled; during their flight, the Chang'an residents tried to aid the Tang forces by throwing rocks and bricks at Qi forces. Cheng, Wang Chucun, and Tang Hongfu entered the city to the celebration of the residents. However, instead of comforting the residents, the soldiers began pillaging the city, and became bogged down with treasures they looted. The Qi forces, discovering this, counterattacked, and in the subsequent street battles, the Tang forces were crushed. Cheng and Tang Hongfu were killed, and Wang Chucun barely escaped. The Qi forces retook Chang'an and slaughtered the residents for their aiding of Tang forces during the battle. The Tang forces were subsequently unable to launch another attack to recapture Chang'an for some time.
[ Meanwhile, the ]Shatuo
The Shatuo, or the Shatuo Turks (; also transcribed as Sha-t'o, Sanskrit SartZuev Yu.A., ''"Horse Tamgas from Vassal Princedoms (Translation of Chinese composition "Tanghuyao" of 8-10th centuries)"'', Kazakh SSR Academy of Sciences, Alma-Ata, I ...
chieftain Li Keyong
Li Keyong () (October 24, 856 – February 24, 908) was a Chinese military general and politician of Shatuo ethnicity, and from January 896 a Prince of Jin (, ''Jin Wang''), which would become an independent state after the fall of the Tang dyn ...
, who had previously rebelled against Tang rule as well, was offering to resubmit to the imperial government and aid in the operations against Huang, but had also seized Xin () and Dai (代州, both in modern Xinzhou, Shanxi
Xinzhou, ancient name Xiurong (秀荣), is a prefecture-level city occupying the north-central section of Shanxi Province in the People's Republic of China, bordering Hebei to the east, Shaanxi to the west, and Inner Mongolia to the northwest ...
) Prefectures and pillaged the surrounding regions. Wang Chucun's and Li Keyong's families had intermarried for generations and were friendly to each other, so Emperor Xizong had Wang Chucun write Li Keyong in fall 882, rebuking him for the pillages and instructing him to await instructions if he were truly interested in aiding the imperial government.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 255.]
In 883, with Li Keyong arriving in Chang'an's vicinities, the Tang forces attacked Chang'an again, this time recapturing it for good. Huang fled east, and would eventually be killed in 884.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 256.] When the chancellor
Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
Wang Duo
Wang Duo () (died 884), courtesy name Zhaofan (), formally the Duke of Jin (), was a Chinese politician of the medieval Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Yizong and Emperor Yizong's son Emperor Xizong. After th ...
, who oversaw the operations against Huang, subsequently honored the generals with achievements during the campaign, Li Keyong was honored the most for his battlefield accomplishments, but Wang Chucun was honored the most for his quick reaction and loyalty to the emperor.[
]
After Huang Chao's rebellion
To reward him for his achievements, Li Keyong was made the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan
Taiyuan (; ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; also known as (), ()) is the capital and largest city of Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China. Taiyuan is the political, economic, cultural and international exchange center of Shanxi Province. ...
, Shanxi
Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...
), and he subsequently used Hedong as his base to continually expand his power.[ Wang Chucun remained obedient to the imperial government, but was also allied with Li Keyong, taking a daughter of Li Keyong's to be the wife of his son Wang Ye (). Wang Chucun's neighboring military governors Wang Rong the military governor of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern ]Shijiazhuang
Shijiazhuang (; ; Mandarin: ), formerly known as Shimen and romanized as Shihkiachwang, is the capital and most populous city of China’s North China's Hebei Province. Administratively a prefecture-level city, it is about southwest of Beijin ...
, Hebei
Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, an ...
) and Li Keju
Li Keju (李可舉; died 885 CE) was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang dynasty, who controlled Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing) from 876 to 885.
Background
It is not known when Li Keju was born. His father Li M ...
the military governor of Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
), however, feared Li Keyong's expansion and alliance with Wang Chucun, and therefore decided to destroy Wang Chucun and divide Yiwu among themselves. In spring 885, they launched the attack, and persuaded Helian Duo Helian Duo (赫連鐸) (died 894) was an ethnically-Tuyuhun warlord in late Tang Dynasty. He had a long-running enmity with the Shatuo chieftain Li Keyong, and was killed by Li Keyong in 894.
Background and initial campaign against Li Keyong
Lit ...
the military governor of Datong Circuit (大同, headquartered in modern Datong
Datong is a prefecture-level city in northern Shanxi Province in the People's Republic of China. It is located in the Datong Basin at an elevation of and borders Inner Mongolia to the north and west and Hebei to the east. As of the 2020 cens ...
, Shanxi
Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...
) to attack Li Keyong to stop him from coming to Wang Chucun's aid.[
Helian's attack, however, did not stop Li Keyong from coming to Wang Chucun's aid, and he repelled the Chengde attack. Meanwhile, though, Li Keju's general ]Li Quanzhong
Li Quanzhong () (d. 886) was a warlord late in the History of China, Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who controlled Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing) from 885, when he overthrew the prior military governor (''Jiedushi'') Li Kej ...
captured one of Yiwu's two prefectures, Yi Prefecture (易州, in modern Baoding). The Lulong forces, however, became arrogant after they captured Yi Prefecture. Wang Chucun sent 3,000 soldiers disguised as sheep (by wearing sheepskin) and had them come out at night. The Lulong soldiers thought that they were in fact sheep, and came out to pillage them. Wang Chucun then surprised them with his attack, defeating them and recapturing Yi Prefecture, forcing Li Quanzhong to flee. (Li Quanzhong, fearing punishment from Li Keju, subsequently mutinied and attacked Li Keju, forcing Li Keju to commit suicide. Li Quanzhong then took over Lulong.)[
Around the same time, though, Wang Chongrong and the powerful ]eunuch
A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function.
The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium ...
Tian Lingzi Tian Lingzi (田令孜) (died 893), courtesy name Zhongze (仲則), formally the Duke of Jin (晉公), was a powerful eunuch during the reign of Emperor Xizong of Tang. During most of Emperor Xizong's reign, he had a stranglehold on power due to hi ...
, who dominated Emperor Xizong's court (which had returned to Chang'an by this point), got into a major dispute over control of salt ponds at Hezhong Circuit. Tian tried to retaliate against Wang Chongrong by having Emperor Xizong issue an edict transferring Wang Chongrong to Taining Circuit (泰寧, in modern Jining
Jining () is a prefecture-level city in southwestern Shandong province. It borders Heze to the southwest, Zaozhuang to the southeast, Tai'an to the northeast, and the provinces of Henan and Jiangsu to the northwest and south respectively. Jining ...
, Shandong
Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region.
Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...
), Qi Kerang
Qi Kerang () was a general of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, who was part of Tang's resistance against the major agrarian rebel Huang Chao, as the military governor (''Jiedushi'') of Taining Circuit (泰寧, headquartered in modern Jining, Shandong). ...
the military governor of Taining to Yiwu, and Wang Chucun to Hezhong. Wang Chucun submitted an objection, pointing out that the Lulong/Chengde attack had just recently been repelled and that he should not leave Yiwu at that time, and further defending Wang Chongrong, arguing that Wang Chongrong had great accomplishments against Huang and should not be transferred easily. Tian ignored Wang Chucun's objections and ordered him to report to Hezhong. Wang Chucun made a token attempt to do so, advancing to Jin Prefecture (晉州, in modern Linfen
Linfen is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Shanxi province, China, bordering Shaanxi province to the west. It is situated along the banks of the Fen River. It has an area of and according to the 2020 Census, a population of 3,976,4 ...
, Shanxi
Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...
), but after meeting resistance from Wang Chongrong's subordinate, Ji Junwu () the prefect of Jin, he returned to Yiwu. He appeared to make no subsequently attempt to side with either side when Wang Chongrong and Li Keyong subsequently engaged and defeated the forces under Tian and his allies Zhu Mei Zhu Mei () (died January 7, 887 Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 256.) was a warlord of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. Disillusioned with Emperor Xizong and the powerful eunuch Tian Lingzi, he tried ...
the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (靜難, headquartered in modern Xianyang
Xianyang () is a prefecture-level city in central Shaanxi province, situated on the Wei River a few kilometers upstream (west) from the provincial capital of Xi'an. Once the capital of the Qin dynasty, it is now integrated into the Xi'an metrop ...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...
) and Li Changfu Li Changfu (李昌符) (d. July 24, 887Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 19, part 2) was a warlord of the late Tang dynasty, who ruled Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi) f ...
the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji
() is a prefecture-level city in western Shaanxi province, People's Republic of China. Since the early 1990s, Baoji has been the second largest city in Shaanxi.
Geography
The prefecture-level city of Baoji had a population of 3,321,853 accordin ...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...
), causing Emperor Xizong to flee again, to Xingyuan, nor was there any sign that he was involved in Zhu's subsequent failed attempt to make Emperor Xizong's distant relative Li Yun the Prince of Xiang emperor.[
In 892, Li Keyong and Wang Chucun attacked Wang Rong, but were repelled.
In 895, Wang Chucun died. The soldiers supported his son ]Wang Gao Wang Gao () was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who controlled Yiwu Circuit (義武, headquartered in modern Baoding, Hebei) after succeeding his father Wang Chucun in 895 until his defeat in 900.
Background and governance of ...
to succeed him.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 260.] Then-reigning Emperor Zhaozong (Emperor Xizong's brother) gave him the posthumous name
A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments or ...
of ''Zhongsu'' (忠肅, "faithful and solemn").[
]
References
* ''Old Book of Tang
The ''Old Book of Tang'', or simply the ''Book of Tang'', is the first classic historical work about the Tang dynasty, comprising 200 chapters, and is one of the Twenty-Four Histories. Originally compiled during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...
'', vol. 182.
* ''New Book of Tang
The ''New Book of Tang'', generally translated as the "New History of the Tang" or "New Tang History", is a work of official history covering the Tang dynasty in ten volumes and 225 chapters. The work was compiled by a team of scholars of the So ...
'', vol. 186.
* ''Zizhi Tongjian
''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynast ...
'', vols. 253, 254, 255, 256, 259, 260.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wang, Chucun
831 births
895 deaths
Tang dynasty jiedushi of Yiwu Circuit
Tang dynasty jiedushi of Hezhong Circuit
Politicians from Xi'an
Tang dynasty generals from Shaanxi
Tang dynasty politicians from Shaanxi