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Wang Zongdi (王宗滌) (died 902), né Hua Hong (華洪), was an officer who, during the late years 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 ...
, served under Wang Jian, the eventual founder of the
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 ...
state
Former Shu Great Shu (Chinese: 大蜀, Pinyin: Dàshǔ) called in retrospect Former Shu (Chinese: 前蜀, Pinyin: Qiánshǔ) or occasionally Wang Shu (王蜀), was one of the Ten Kingdoms formed during the chaotic period between the rules of the Tang dynas ...
, who adopted him as a son. Because of his contributions to Wang Jian's cause, he, like few under Wang Jian's command, was given military governorships (''
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", ...
''). Wang Jian eventually became suspicious of his intentions and put him to death.


Background and initial service under Wang Jian

It is not known when Hua Hong was born, but it is known that he was originally from
Yingchuan Yingchuan Commandery ( zh, 潁川郡) was a Chinese commandery from the Warring States period to Tang dynasty, located in modern central Henan province. The name referred to the Ying River, which flowed through its territory. The commandery was es ...
(潁川, 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 ...
).''
Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms The ''Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese title ''Shiguo Chunqiu'' (), is a history of the Ten Kingdoms that existed in southern China after the fall of the Tang Dynasty and before the reunification of China ...
'' (十國春秋)
vol. 39
(As Wang Jian himself started his military career at Zhongwu Circuit (), which was headquartered at Yingchuan, Hua probably became Wang's follower while Wang served as an officer there.) The first reference in history to a campaign involving Hua was in 891, soon after Wang had taken control of Xichuan Circuit (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 ...
), with the assistance of his ally
Gu Yanlang Gu Yanlang (顧彥朗) (d. 891) was a warlord late in the History of China, Chinese Tang Dynasty, Tang dynasty who controlled Dongchuan Circuit (東川, headquartered in modern Mianyang, Sichuan) from 887 to his death in 891 as its military governo ...
the military governor of Dongchuan Circuit (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 ...
). That winter, after Gu Yanlang died and was succeeded by his brother
Gu Yanhui Gu Yanhui (顧彥暉) (d. November 16, 897Academia Sinica Chinese-Western Calendar Converter
,
Yang Shouliang Yang Shouliang (楊守亮) (d. 892), né Zi Liang (訾亮), was a warlord late in the Chinese Tang Dynasty, who controlled Shannan West Circuit (山南西道, headquartered in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi) from 887 to 892. He was initially an agrarian ...
the military governor of Shannan West Circuit (山南西道, headquartered 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 ...
), who had recently joined a campaign of resistance against
Emperor Zhaozong of Tang Emperor Zhaozong of Tang (March 31, 867 – September 22, 904), né Li Jie, name later changed to Li Min and again to Li Ye, was the penultimate emperor of the Tang dynasty of China. He reigned from 888 to 904 (although he was briefly deposed ...
headed by his adoptive uncle, the
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 ...
Yang Fugong Yang Fugong (楊復恭) (died 894), courtesy name Zike (子恪), formally the Duke of Wei (魏公), was a Chinese eunuch and military general during the Tang Dynasty, playing key roles in the imperial administrations of Emperor Xizong and Emperor ...
, attacked Dongchuan with the intent of seizing it from Gu Yanhui. Gu sought aid from Wang, and Wang sent Hua, along with the officer Li Jian () and his adoptive sons Wang Zongkan () and
Wang Zongbi Wang Zongbi () (died 28 December 925)''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 274. was a Chinese military general and politician of the Former Shu dynasty during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Born as Wei Hongfu (魏弘夫), he was a military comm ...
, to assist Gu against Yang Shouliang's forces. Wang Jian, however, secretly informed the Xichuan officers that he sent that, after they defeated Yang's forces, Gu would invite them to a feast, and that they should seize Gu at the feast so that he could take over Dongchuan without a campaign. After Wang Zongkan subsequently defeated Yang Shouliang's brother Yang Shouhou () to force Shannan West forces' retreat, however, Wang Zongbi leaked Wang Jian's instructions to Gu, and Gu took precautions and so was never seized by the Xichuan forces. In 892, when Wang Jian sent his nephew Wang Zongyu (), Wang Zongkan, and Hua to attack Yang Sheng () the military governor of Weirong Circuit (威戎, also headquartered in modern Chengdu) at Weirong's capital Peng Prefecture (), Yang Shouliang tried to come to Yang Sheng's aid by sending his officer Fu Zhao () to attack Xichuan's capital Chengdu. Wang Jian summoned Hua back to Chengdu to resist against Fu's attack. Hua led his forward troops personally and rushed back toward Chengdu, but pretended to have a much larger army by having his soldiers beat drums loudly. Fu, believing incorrectly that the Xichuan forces had all returned from Peng Prefecture, withdrew. Later in the year, when Wang Jian sent Hua to attack Yang Shouliang's forces at Lang Prefecture (閬州, in modern
Nanchong Nanchong (; Sichuanese: lan2cong1) is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of Sichuan province, China, with an area of . At the 2020 census it was home to 5,607,565 people, of whom 1,936,534 lived in the built-up (or 'metro') area made of th ...
,
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 ...
), Hua defeated Yang's forces there. In winter 895, Wang Jian began his campaign against Gu in earnest. As part of the operations at that time, Hua inflicted a great defeat against Dongchuan forces at Qiulin (楸林, modern location unknown), killing or capturing tens of thousands of Dongchuan soldiers.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 260. As Wang continued the campaign, Hua continued to be a major participant, and it was during the campaign, in 896, that Wang formally adopted him as a son (as Wang did with many officers), changing his name to Wang Zongdi.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 261.


After adoption by Wang Jian

With Wang Jian's forces capturing Dongchuan's prefectures one by one and eventually putting Dongchuan's capital Zi Prefecture () under siege, Gu Yanhui committed suicide with his family members in summer 897. Wang Jian took over Dongchuan and made Wang Zongdi the acting military governor. (Emperor Zhaozong initially tried to make the imperial official Liu Chongwang () the new military governor of Dongchuan, but recalled Liu upon hearing that Wang Jian already made Wang Zongdi the acting military governor; he also confirmed Wang Zongdi as acting military governor.) Meanwhile, Wang Zongdi, believing that Dongchuan's territories were too vast to be effectively governed as one circuit, suggested that five prefectures be carved out of Dongchuan and be made into a circuit of their own; subsequently, Wang Jian suggested it to the imperial government, which approved of the proposal, so five prefectures were carved out into a new Wuxin Circuit (), with its capital at Sui Prefecture (遂州, in modern
Suining Suining (; Sichuanese Pinyin: Xu4nin2; Sichuanese pronunciation: ; ) is a prefecture-level city of eastern Sichuan province in Southwest China. In 2002, Suining had a population of 658,798. Geography and climate Suining is located in the cent ...
,
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 ...
). In winter 898, Emperor Zhaozong officially commissioned Wang Zongdi as the military governor of Dongchuan. In 900, Wang Zongdi was given 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 ...
designation of ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' (). In 901, Wang Zongdi offered to resign on account of illness, and Wang Jian sent Wang Zongyu to replace him.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 262. Later in 901, after 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 ...
Han Quanhui Han Quanhui (韓全誨) (died February 6, 903''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 263.Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter) was a eunuch late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. The struggles by the eunuchs, led by him, against the chancellor ...
forced then-reigning
Emperor Zhaozong of Tang Emperor Zhaozong of Tang (March 31, 867 – September 22, 904), né Li Jie, name later changed to Li Min and again to Li Ye, was the penultimate emperor of the Tang dynasty of China. He reigned from 888 to 904 (although he was briefly deposed ...
to leave
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 ...
to go to the territory of Han's ally
Li Maozhen Li Maozhen (; 856 – May 17, 924), born Song Wentong (), courtesy name Zhengchen (), formally Prince Zhongjing of Qin (), was the only ruler of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period state Qi (901–924). He had become a powerful wa ...
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 ...
),
Zhu Quanzhong Emperor Taizu of Later Liang (), personal name Zhu Quanzhong () (December 5, 852 – July 18, 912), né Zhu Wen (), name later changed to Zhu Huang (), nickname Zhu San (朱三, literally, "the third Zhu"), was a Chinese military general, mona ...
the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern
Kaifeng Kaifeng () is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, China. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and is best known for having been the Chinese capital during the Nort ...
,
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 ...
), whom Emperor Zhaozong's
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 ...
Cui Yin Cui Yin (崔胤) (854'' New Book of Tang'', vol. 223, part 2.-February 1, 904''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 264. Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter), courtesy name Chuixiu (垂休), nickname Zilang (緇郎), formally the Duke of Wei ( ...
had just summoned in order to carry out Cui's plot of slaughtering the eunuchs (and whose plot Han was reacting to), attacked Fengxiang to try to recapture the emperor. Both Li and Zhu sought aid from Wang Jian. Wang Jian tried to play both sides by outwardly agreeing with Zhu and rebuking Li, but sent secret messengers to Fengxiang to encourage Li to hold out — while sending Wang Zongdi and another adoptive son, Wang Zongji, north to attack Shannan West Circuit, which Li possessed at the time. In 902, after a siege in which Wang Zongdi and his soldiers scaled the walls of Shannan West's capital Xingyuan (), Li's adoptive son Li Jimi () the military governor of Shannan West surrendered it, allowing Wang Jian to take it under possession.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 263.


Death

Wang Jian initially commissioned Wang Zongdi as the military governor of Shannan West, but Wang Zongji and several other generals, jealous of Wang Zongdi, submitted false accusations against Wang Zongdi. Wang Jian, who was already apprehensive of Wang Zongdi because Wang Zongdi's bravery impressed the soldiers, further was apprehensive that his own headquarters, which were painted red, were referred to by the people as the "Red Paint Tower" (畫紅樓, ''Hua Hong Lou''). Wang Jian thus recalled Wang Zongdi to Chengdu and rebuked him over the accusations that Wang Zongji and the others laid against him. Wang Zongdi responded, "The Three Shus i.e., Xichuan, Dongchuan, and Shannan West)have been pacified, while the Prince i.e., Wang Jian, who had been created the Prince of Shu by Emperor Zhaozong)listens to false accusations. It is time to kill those with accomplishments." Wang Jian subsequently had his close associate
Tang Daoxi Tang Daoxi (唐道襲) (died August 21, 913''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 268.Academia Sinica Chinese-We ...
get Wang Zongdi drunk, and then strangle him to death. It was said that when the people heard of Wang Zongdi's death, the merchants stopped their trades, and the soldiers in the barracks all cried. After Wang Jian established his own state of
Former Shu Great Shu (Chinese: 大蜀, Pinyin: Dàshǔ) called in retrospect Former Shu (Chinese: 前蜀, Pinyin: Qiánshǔ) or occasionally Wang Shu (王蜀), was one of the Ten Kingdoms formed during the chaotic period between the rules of the Tang dynas ...
in 907 as its emperor, he issued an edict in which, while continuing to blame Wang Zongdi for having improper ambitions, also recounted his accomplishments and posthumously restored his offices.


Notes and references

* ''
Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms The ''Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese title ''Shiguo Chunqiu'' (), is a history of the Ten Kingdoms that existed in southern China after the fall of the Tang Dynasty and before the reunification of China ...
'' ()
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.
258 Year 258 ( CCLVIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Tuscus and Bassus (or, less frequently, year 1011 ''Ab urbe condit ...
, 259, 260,
261 __NOTOC__ Year 261 ( CCLXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gallienus and Taurus (or, less frequently, year 1014 ''A ...
,
262 __NOTOC__ Year 262 (Roman numerals, CCLXII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gallienus and Faustianus (or, less fre ...
,
263 __NOTOC__ Year 263 ( CCLXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Albinus and Dexter (or, less frequently, year 1016 ' ...
. {{DEFAULTSORT:Wang, Zongdi 9th-century births 902 deaths Politicians from Xuchang Tang dynasty jiedushi of Dongchuan Circuit Tang dynasty jiedushi of Shannan West Circuit Executed Tang dynasty people People executed by the Tang dynasty People executed by strangulation 10th-century executions Executed people from Henan Tang dynasty generals from Henan Tang dynasty politicians from Henan 10th-century Chinese adoptees 9th-century Chinese adoptees