Wang Du () (died March 26, 929
['']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 ...
'', vol. 276.Academia Sinica
Academia Sinica (AS, la, 1=Academia Sinica, 3=Chinese Academy; ), headquartered in Nangang, Taipei, is the national academy of Taiwan. Founded in Nanking, the academy supports research activities in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from ...
br>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter
/ref>), né Liu Yunlang (), was a warlord during the early Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period
The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (), from 907 to 979, was an era of political upheaval and division in 10th-century Imperial China. Five dynastic states quickly succeeded one another in the Central Plain, and more than a dozen conc ...
of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
as 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 (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 ...
). He seized control of Yiwu from his adoptive father Wang Chuzhi Wang Chuzhi (王處直, Wade–Giles: Wang Chʻu-chih) (862–922), courtesy name Yunming (允明, Wade–Giles: Yün-ming), formally the Prince of Beiping (北平王, Wade–Giles: Prince of Pei-pʻing), was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty T ...
in a coup, and subsequently ruled it semi-independently as a vassal of Jin and Jin's successor state Later Tang
Tang, known in historiography as the Later Tang, was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China and the second of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in Chinese history.
The first three of the Later Tang's four e ...
. In 928, then-reigning Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang
Li Siyuan (李嗣源, later changed to Li Dan (李亶)) (10 October 867 – 15 December 933), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang (後唐明宗), was the second emperor of the Later Tang dynasty of China, reignin ...
, believing that Wang was about to openly rebel, ordered a general campaign against him, and, after a lengthy siege, Wang killed himself and his family by self-immolation as his capital was falling.
Background
It is not known exactly when Wang Du was born—although subsequent events cast a timeframe as to when his birth might have been, and it was clearly late in 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 ...
. He was initially born in a household in Xingyi (陘邑, 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 ...
), with the name of Liu Yunlang. At one point, he was taken by the sorcerer Li Yingzhi () and raised by Li as his child. At one point, Li became acquainted with Wang Chuzhi Wang Chuzhi (王處直, Wade–Giles: Wang Chʻu-chih) (862–922), courtesy name Yunming (允明, Wade–Giles: Yün-ming), formally the Prince of Beiping (北平王, Wade–Giles: Prince of Pei-pʻing), was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty T ...
—although it is not known whether Wang Chuzhi was then still an officer under his brother Wang Chucun
Wang Chucun () (831–895) was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who controlled Yiwu Circuit (義武, headquartered in modern Baoding, Hebei) in late Tang. He was one of the main contributors in Tang's eventual defeat of the agrarian ...
or Wang Chucun's son and successor 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 ...
, or whether he was already military governor after succeeding Wang Gao—and healed Wang Chuzhi of an illness. As a result, Wang Chuzhi believed that Li had supernatural powers and came to trust him. At that time, Wang Chuzhi did not yet have a son, and Li gave Liu Yunlang to him to be his child, stating to him, "This boy has an honored appearance." Wang agreed to take the boy as a son, renaming him Wang Du.['']Old History of the Five Dynasties
The ''Old History of the Five Dynasties'' (''Jiù Wǔdài Shǐ'') was an official history mainly focus on Five Dynasties era (907–960), which controlled much of northern China. And it also includes some history of other south states during the ...
'', vol. 54.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 271.]
Due to Wang Chuzhi's trust in Li, apparently after he became military governor in 900, he entrusted many military decisions to Li, causing resentment among his officers. There was a time when an army of neighboring 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 ...
) was passing through Yiwu, and Wang, concerned that Lulong forces might launch a surprise attack, mobilized his troops to prepare. The officers took this chance to surround his mansion and kill Li. They then also tried to force Wang to kill Wang Du as well. Wang Chuzhi insisted on not doing so, and the officers relented. The next day, Wang Chuzhi held a feast for them to comfort them, but secretly recorded the names of all who attended. Over the next 20 years, he gradually found excuses to kill them one by one.[
Wang Chuzhi did have biological sons later, but he did not favor them, instead favoring Wang Du, who as he grew, was good at flattering his father and treachery. He established a new army and put Wang Du in charge of it. Among Wang Chuzhi's biological sons, apparently the oldest one was Wang Yu (), born of a concubine. Unhappy that Wang Chuzhi did not favor him, he fled to ]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 ...
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 Li Keyong gave him a daughter in marriage, eventually promoting him to be the military prefect (團練使, ''Tuanlianshi'') of Xin Prefecture (新州, in modern Zhangjiakou
Zhangjiakou (; ; ) also known as Kalgan and by several other names, is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hebei province in Northern China, bordering Beijing to the southeast, Inner Mongolia to the north and west, and Shanxi to the southw ...
, 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 ...
). As all of Wang Chuzhi's other sons were young, Wang Chuzhi made Wang Du the deputy military governor, and planned to pass the military governor office to him.[
As of 921, Tang had long fallen, and Wang Chuzhi's Yiwu Circuit was aligned with Li Keyong's son and successor ]Li Cunxu
Emperor Zhuangzong of Later Tang (), personal name Li Cunxu (), nickname Yazi (), stage name Li Tianxia (), was the ruling prince of the Former Jin dynasty (r. 908–923) and later became the founding emperor of the Later Tang dynasty (r. 923 ...
the Prince of Jin in a long-term war with Tang's successor state Later Liang. That year, another ally of theirs, Wang Rong the Prince of Zhao (also known as Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang)), was killed in a coup by his adoptive son Zhang Wenli Zhang Wenli (張文禮) (died September 15, 921? Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 271.), known as Wang Deming (王德明) during the time that he was an adoptive son of Wang Rong, was a Chinese military ...
(known as Wang Deming while Wang Rong's adoptive son), and Li declared a general campaign against Zhang. Wang Chuzhi, believing that over the late Tang decades, Yiwu and Chengde had been geographically reliant on each other for defense, and that if Li took control of Chengde directly, Yiwu would be isolated, opposed the campaign. Li, however, sent a response stating that because of Zhang's great crimes, he could not be spared. Wang, apprehensive of the consequences, decided to secretly contact Wang Yu, asking him to entice Khitan Empire
The Liao dynasty (; Khitan: ''Mos Jælud''; ), also known as the Khitan Empire (Khitan: ''Mos diau-d kitai huldʒi gur''), officially the Great Liao (), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed between 916 and 1125, ruled by the Yelü ...
's Emperor Taizu to invade, to divert Jin troops. Wang Yu agreed, but extracted a promise from Wang Chuzhi that he, not Wang Du, would become Wang Chuzhi's heir.[
The officers at Wang Chuzhi's own headquarters, however, did not want to invite Khitan troops, and Wang Du was also concerned that Wang Yu would take over his position. He thus secretly plotted with his secretary He Zhaoxun () to seize Wang Chuzhi. They took an opportunity to act when Wang Chuzhi welcomed Zhang's emissary to Yiwu and feasted with the emissary. As Wang Chuzhi was returning to headquarters after the feast, Wang Du had several hundred new army soldiers hidden around the mansion, and seized Wang Chuzhi. He put Wang Chuzhi under house arrest at his western mansion, and slaughtered Wang Chuzhi's male descendants and close associates. He declared himself acting military governor and reported what happened to Li Cunxu. Li Cunxu officially sanctioned him as acting military governor.][ (Only Wang Chuzhi's young son Wang Wei () escaped the slaughter and fled to Khitan.)][''New History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 39.]
As military governor
During Jin
Shortly after, Li Cunxu put Chengde's capital Zhen Prefecture () under siege. Wang Yu persuaded Liao's Emperor Taizu to aid the Chengde rebels, and Emperor Taizu agreed. In winter 921, he marched through Lulong, and then attacked Yiwu's capital Ding Prefecture (). Wang Du sought emergency aid from Li. Li headed for Ding to aid Wang Du.[
Meanwhile, in spring 922, while under attack, Wang Du went to visit Wang Chuzhi at his western mansion, apparently trying to maintain a resemblance of a father-son relationship. Wang Chuzhi, however, swung his fists at Wang Du's chest, cursing, "Rebellious bandit! When did I ever mistreat you?" As he was unarmed, he also tried to bite at Wang Du's nose. Wang Du barely escaped from Wang Chuzhi's grasp. Shortly after, Wang Chuzhi either died in anger][ or was killed by Wang Du.][
As Li's relief force approached Ding Prefecture, Emperor Taizu advanced to Xinle (新樂, in modern Shijiazhuang) to confront him. At a battle there, however, he was defeated by Li and forced wo withdraw, lifting the siege on Ding in the process. Wang Du went out of the city to personally welcome Li, and held a feast for him.][ He also asked to give his teenage daughter in marriage to Li's son ]Li Jiji
Li Jiji (李繼岌) (died May 28, 926''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 275.Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter), formally the Prince of Wei (魏王), nickname Hege (和哥), was an imperial prince of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kin ...
, which Li Cunxu agreed to. After this meeting, it was said that Li treated him well, and whatever requests he made were approved.[
]
During Emperor Zhuangzong's reign as emperor
In 923, Li Cunxu declared himself the emperor of a new Later Tang
Tang, known in historiography as the Later Tang, was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China and the second of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in Chinese history.
The first three of the Later Tang's four e ...
(as Emperor Zhuangzong), claiming to be the legitimate successor to Tang. He soon destroyed Later Liang and took over its territory. Wang Du continued to serve Emperor Zhuangzong. During Emperor Zhuangzong's reign, Wang continued to act as a semi-independent warlord, commissioning the prefects for the two subordinate prefectures (Qi () and Yi (), both in modern Baoding) by himself, not submitting census counts to the imperial government, and keeping the tax revenues for his own army without submitting them to the imperial government. In 925, when Emperor Zhuangzong visited Yedu (鄴都, in modern Handan
Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwest of Hebei province, China. The southernmost prefecture-level city of the province, it borders Xingtai on the north, and the provinces of Shanxi on the west, Henan on the south and Shando ...
, 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 ...
), Wang went to Yedu to pay homage to him, and Emperor Zhuangzong held grand feasts in his honor.[ (It was for the purpose of opening a polo field for Emperor Zhuangzong to welcome Wang at that Emperor Zhuangzong destroyed an altar that he had initially received the imperial title in 923—an act that the deputy defender of Yedu, Zhang Xian (), considered a sign of misfortune since it showed a lack of gratitude for the ]Mandate of Heaven
The Mandate of Heaven () is a Chinese political philosophy that was used in ancient and imperial China to legitimize the rule of the King or Emperor of China. According to this doctrine, heaven (天, ''Tian'') – which embodies the natural ...
.)[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 273.]
During Emperor Mingzong's reign
ngIn 926, Emperor Zhuangzong was killed in a mutiny at then-capital Luoyang
Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...
. Soon, his adoptive brother, the general Li Siyuan
Li Siyuan (李嗣源, later changed to Li Dan (李亶)) (10 October 867 – 15 December 933), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang (後唐明宗), was the second emperor of the Later Tang dynasty of China, reignin ...
, who had led a separate mutiny, arrived at Luoyang and claimed imperial title (as Emperor Mingzong).[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 275.] Emperor Mingzong bestowed the honorary 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 ...
title of ''Zhongshu Ling'' () on Wang Du,[ but was said to despise Wang because of what Wang had done to his father. Another source of the friction between the imperial government and Yiwu developed over the fact that Emperor Mingzong's chief of staff ]An Chonghui
An Chonghui (d. June 25, 931?''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 277. Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter) (, fl. 10th century) was the chief of staff (''Shumishi'') and chief advisor to Li Siyuan (Emperor Mingzong) (r. 926–933) of the Chi ...
wanted to show imperial strength and was not as willing to allow Yiwu to retain its revenues. Further, due to the incessant Khitan attacks, the Later Tang imperial government was often sending armies to the region of Lulong and Yiwu, and Wang feared that they actually intended to attack him. Both sides became suspicious of each other.[
Wang became apprehensive that Emperor Mingzong might try to move him from Yiwu to another circuit, and therefore consulted He Zhaoxun;][ He Zhaoxun suggested finding ways to alienate other military governors so that he could protect himself.][ Wang therefore tried a number of ways to ally with other military governors—including trying to enter a marriage alliance with ]Zhao Dejun Zhao Dejun () (died 937), né Zhao Xingshi (), known as Li Shaobin () during the reign of Li Cunxu, formally the Prince of Beiping (), was a general of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period state Later Tang (and Later Tang's predecesso ...
the military governor of Lulong; asking to become blood brother
Blood brother can refer to two or more men not related by birth who have sworn loyalty to each other. This is in modern times usually done in a ceremony, known as a blood oath, where each person makes a small cut, usually on a finger, hand or ...
s with Wang Jianli the military governor of Chengde, who had an enmity with An; sending secret letters encased in wax to the military governors of Pinglu (平盧, headquartered in modern Weifang
Weifang () is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The city borders Dongying to the northwest, Zibo to the west, Linyi to the southwest, Rizhao to the south, Qingdao to the east, and looks out to the L ...
, 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 ...
) (Huo Yanwei Huo Yanwei () (872-928'' History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 64.), known as Li Shaozhen () from 924 to 926, courtesy name Zizhong (), formally Duke Zhongwu of Jin (), was a general of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period states La ...
), Zhongwu (忠武, headquartered in modern Xuchang
Xuchang (; postal: Hsuchang) is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province of China, province in Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the northwest, Kaifeng to the northeast, Zhoukou to the east, Luohe to the s ...
, Henan
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...
) (Fang Zhiwen (), Zhaoyi (昭義, headquartered in modern Changzhi
Changzhi () is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of Shanxi Province, China, bordering the provinces of Hebei and Henan to the northeast and east, respectively. Historically, the city was one of the 36 administrative areas (see Administrat ...
, 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 ...
) (Mao Zhang (), Xichuan (西川, headquartered in modern 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 ...
, Sichuan
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...
) (Meng Zhixiang
Meng Zhixiang (; 10 May 874–7 September 934, courtesy name Baoyin, ;''New History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 64. formally Emperor Gaozu of (Later) Shu ) was a general of the Later Tang who went on to found the independent state of Later Sh ...
), and Dongchuan (東川, headquartered in modern Mianyang
Mianyang (; formerly known as Mienchow) is the second largest prefecture-level city of Sichuan province in Southwest China. Located in north-central Sichuan covering an area of consisting of Jiangyou, a county-level city, five counties, and thre ...
, Sichuan
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...
) (Dong Zhang Dong Zhang () (died June 10, 932''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 277.Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter) was a Chinese military general and politician of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period Later Liang and Later Tang state ...
), trying to alienate them from the imperial government; and trying to entice the general Wang Yanqiu
Wang Yanqiu () (869?''New History of the Five Dynasties'', :zh:s:新五代史/卷46, vol. 46./873?''Old History of the Five Dynasties, History of the Five Dynasties'', :zh:s:舊五代史/卷64, vol. 64.-930?/932?Wang Yanqiu's biography in the ''His ...
the military governor of Guide Circuit (歸德, headquartered in modern Shangqiu
Shangqiu (), alternately romanized as Shangkiu, is a city in eastern Henan province, Central China. It borders Kaifeng to the northwest, Zhoukou to the southwest, and the provinces of Shandong and Anhui to the northeast and southeast respectively ...
, Henan
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...
), who was then commanding the imperial defense against Khitan incursions. When Wang Yanqiu refused his overtures, he tried to bribe Wang Yanqiu's subordinates into assassinating Wang Yanqiu. The attempt failed, and Wang Yanqiu reported this to Emperor Mingzong, accusing Wang Du of rebellion.[
In summer 928, Emperor Mingzong ordered a general campaign against Wang Du, putting Wang Yanqiu in overall command of the operations, assisted by An Shentong () and Zhang Qianzhao (). Wang Yanqiu quickly advanced to Ding Prefecture and put it under siege, but the Khitan general, the Xi chieftain Tunei () quickly arrived to aid Wang Du. They attacked Wang Yanqiu, but Wang Yanqiu repelled their attack, forcing them to withdraw within the Ding city walls. Wang Yanqiu then captured Ding's western city. However, the main city's walls were secure and difficult to attack, so Wang Yanqiu relaxed his attack, while building a temporary Yiwu headquarters (as Emperor Mingzong put him temporarily in charge of Yiwu), collecting the taxes from the three prefectures (Ding, Qi, and Yi) to supply his troops.][
Shortly after, another Khitan army arrived, and Wang Yanqiu and ]Zhang Yanlang Zhang Yanlang () (died January 14, 937?''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 280. Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter) was an official of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period states Later Liang and Later Tang. He had his most po ...
withdrew some distance away from Ding. Wang Du and Tunei took the opportunity to chase them to Quyang (曲陽, in modern Baoding), but fell into a trap laid by Wang Yanqiu and were defeated with heavy casualties, forcing them to flee back to Ding. Wang Yanqiu also defeated another subsequent wave of Khitan reinforcements, and then put Ding under siege again. With Khitan forces discouraged by their defeat at Wang Yanqiu's hands, Ding's situation became difficult. As a desperate measure, Wang welcomed one Li Jitao ()—a commoner boy that Emperor Zhuangzong had taken on one of his campaigns and adopted as his own son, but whom Emperor Mingzong had sent out of the palace when he took the throne—to Ding, and had him put on the emperor's yellow robe and sit on the city wall, stating to Wang Yanqiu, "This is the son of Emperor Zhuangzong, who is now to be emperor. You, Lord, had received the graces from the deceased emperor. How can you not think of him?" Wang Yanqiu, however, pointed out that this was a useless trick, and did not relent on his attack.[
However, Wang Du was, for months, effective at holding Ding's defenses. He also kept close watch on his officers, and any officer who were about to defect to the imperial forces would be killed. Emperor Mingzong sent messengers to push Wang Yanqiu into attacking more directly, but Wang Yanqiu showed the secureness of the defenses to the imperial messengers, and insisted that it was better to keep the city under siege and then wait for it to collapse on its own. Emperor Mingzong agreed. In spring 929, Wang Du and Tunei tried to fight their way out of the siege, but could not. Shortly after, Wang Du's officer Ma Rangneng () opened up the city gates to let the imperial forces in. Wang Du and his family committed suicide by fire.][ Wang Du had maintained an extensive collection of books, which he collected by sending messengers to buy up rare books at the time that Zhang Wenli's son ]Zhang Chujin Zhang Chujin () (died 922) was a ruler of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei, also known as Zhao) early in the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. His father Zhang Wenli had taken over the circuit after ...
was defeated at Chengde, and when Later Liang was conquered. In his suicide, the book collection was also destroyed. Four of his sons and one of his brothers (presumably from the Liu line) were captured (along with Tunei) and presented to Emperor Mingzong.[
]
Notes and references
* ''Old History of the Five Dynasties
The ''Old History of the Five Dynasties'' (''Jiù Wǔdài Shǐ'') was an official history mainly focus on Five Dynasties era (907–960), which controlled much of northern China. And it also includes some history of other south states during the ...
'', vol. 54.
* ''New History of the Five Dynasties
The ''Historical Records of the Five Dynasties'' (''Wudai Shiji'') is a Chinese history book on the Five Dynasties period (907–960), written by the Song dynasty official Ouyang Xiu in private. It was drafted during Ouyang's exile from 1036 to ...
'', vol. 39.
* ''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. 271
__NOTOC__
Year 271 ( CCLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelianus and Bassus (or, less frequently, year 1024 '' ...
, 273, 276
__NOTOC__
Year 276 ( CCLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Tacitus and Aemilianus (or, less frequently, year 1029 ...
.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wang, Du
9th-century births
929 deaths
Politicians from Shijiazhuang
Jin (Later Tang precursor) jiedushi of Yiwu Circuit
Later Tang jiedushi of Yiwu Circuit
Suicides in Later Tang
Suicides by self-immolation
Generals from Hebei