courtesy name
A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theobald ...
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty and wa ...
period of China. He initially participated in battles against Wei's rival state
but was defeated and captured. Later, he rejoined Wei and was reassigned to the western front to fight against Wei's other rival state,
Shu Han
Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu (; pinyin: ''shŭ'' <
. He was killed in battle against Shu forces.
Life
Wang Shuang initially served as a lower ranking officer under Chang Diao (常雕), a subordinate of the Wei general
Cao Ren
Cao Ren () (168 – 6 May 223), courtesy name Zixiao, was a military general serving during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China under the warlord Cao Cao, who was also his older second cousin. He continued serving in the state of Cao Wei – f ...
. When Cao Ren led an expedition force several tens of thousands strong, composed of infantry, cavalry and marines to attack the Wu general
Zhu Huan
Zhu Huan (177–238), courtesy name Xiumu, was a military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Although he started his career early under the warlord Sun Quan, he did not receive any important responsibil ...
, Chang Diao was tasked with launching a sneak attack on the island Zhongzhou, where the family members of the Wu soldiers lived. Wang Shuang followed Chang Diao into battle and they landed on Zhongzhou unopposed. At the time, Zhu Huan was busy fighting the main Wei army, so he left his subordinates to deal with Wang Shuang and Chang Diao after instructing them to set an ambush for the enemy. As planned, Wang Shuang and Chang Diao fell into the ambush. When they ran back to the shore, they only found out their ships had already been taken and their retreat route sealed. Chang Diao fought to the death, while Wang Shuang was captured by the Wu forces. About 1,000 Wei soldiers died in this single battle while the rest of the detachment surrendered.(桓部兵將攻取油船,或别擊雕等,桓等身自拒泰,燒營而退,遂梟雕,生虜雙,送武昌,臨陳斬溺,死者千馀。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 56.
Wang Shuang was late released and sent back to Wei (possibly around the same time
Yu Jin
Yu Jin (died 221), courtesy name Wenze, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He joined Cao Cao in 192 around the start of the civil wars leading to the collapse of the dyna ...
was released). Like
Niu Jin
Niu Jin () ( 208–238) was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He continued serving in the state of Cao Wei, founded by Cao Cao's successor Cao Pi, during the Three Kingdoms period ...
, another former subordinate of Cao Ren, he was reassigned to the western front to fight against Wei's other rival state,
Shu Han
Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu (; pinyin: ''shŭ'' <
. On the western front, Wang Shuang served as a subordinate the Wei general
Cao Zhen
Cao Zhen (died April or May 231), courtesy name Zidan, was a military general of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was an adopted son of Cao Cao, a warlord who rose to power in the late Eastern Han dynasty and l ...
, who was in charge of resisting
invasions
An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...
led by Shu's regent
Zhuge Liang
Zhuge Liang ( zh, t=諸葛亮 / 诸葛亮) (181 – September 234), courtesy name Kongming, was a Chinese statesman and military strategist. He was chancellor and later regent of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. He is r ...
. During the
Siege of Chencang
The siege of Chencang was a battle fought between the states of Shu Han and Cao Wei between December 228 to early 229 during the Three Kingdoms period in China. It was the second of the Northern Expeditions led by Shu-Han's chancellor-regent ...
, the Wei officer
Hao Zhao
Hao Zhao ( 220–229), courtesy name Bodao, was a military general of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He is best known for his victory at the siege of Chencang in 229 when he led a successful defence of Chencang ...
and his 1,000 troops successfully held their position at Chencang against the Shu invaders until Wei reinforcements showed up. As Zhuge Liang and the Shu army retreated, Wang Shuang thought that it was a good opportunity to drive back the enemy so he led his troops in pursuit but fell into an ambush and was killed.
In ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms''
Wang Shuang appears as a minor character in the 14th-century historical novel ''
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD and ...
'', which romanticises the events before and during the
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty and wa ...
period. In the novel, he is famous for his skill in using the
meteor hammer
The meteor hammer (), often referred to simply as meteor (), is an ancient Chinese weapon, consisting at its most basic level of two weights connected by a rope or chain. One of the flexible or "soft" weapons, it is referred to by many differen ...
. During the
Siege of Chencang
The siege of Chencang was a battle fought between the states of Shu Han and Cao Wei between December 228 to early 229 during the Three Kingdoms period in China. It was the second of the Northern Expeditions led by Shu-Han's chancellor-regent ...
, he leads the vanguard force of the Wei army led by
Cao Zhen
Cao Zhen (died April or May 231), courtesy name Zidan, was a military general of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was an adopted son of Cao Cao, a warlord who rose to power in the late Eastern Han dynasty and l ...
and engages the Shu forces in battle. He severely injures the Shu general
Zhang Ni
Zhang Ni (died 254), courtesy name Boqi, rendered also as Zhang Yi, was a military general of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Famous for his courage and generosity, Zhang Ni made his name known while rescuing a m ...
, but fails to finish him off because the Shu generals
Liao Hua
Liao Hua (late 180s - 264), courtesy name Yuanjian, originally named Liao Chun, was a military general of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Like Zhang Yi and Zong Yu, Liao was one of few officials who served the Sh ...
and Wang Ping show up and save Zhang Ni. Wang Shuang eventually meets his end at the hands of the Shu general
Wei Yan
Wei Yan () (died October 234), courtesy name Wenchang, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Originally a subordinate of the warlord Liu Bei in the late Eastern Han dy ...
in a fire attack near
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 ...
.
See also
*
Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms
The following are lists of people significant to the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) of Chinese history. Their names in Mandarin pinyin are sorted in alphabetical order.
Fictional characters in the 14th-century historical novel ''Romance of ...
Records of the Three Kingdoms
The ''Records or History of the Three Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese name as the Sanguo Zhi, is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty (c. 184–220 AD) and the Three Kingdoms period (220– ...
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD and ...
Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms
Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms () by Pei Songzhi (372-451) is an annotation completed in the 5th century of the 3rd century historical text ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', compiled by Chen Shou. After leaving his native land, Pei ...