Wang Jun (206 – 28 January 286''gengzi'' day of the 12th month of the 6th year of the ''Taikang'' era, per Emperor Wu's biography in ''Book of Jin''),

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 Theob ...

Shizhi, was a military general who lived during the late

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 Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...

period and early

Western Jin dynasty Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

of China.

Life

Wang Jun was from Hu County (湖縣), Hongnong Commandery (弘農郡), which is located west of present-day Lingbao,

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 ...

. He was born in a family of government officials. He was known for his good looks, and for being well-read and ambitious. He started his career as an Assistant Officer (從事) in the office of

Hedong Commandery Hedong Commandery () was a historical region in the Qin and Han dynasties of ancient China. Hedong was located to the east of the Yellow River in Shanxi (around present-day Yuncheng). History Hedong Commandery was established by the Qin state ...

(河東郡; around present-day

Xia County Xia County or Xiaxian () is a county in the southwest of Shanxi province, People's Republic of China, bordering Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is o ...

, Shanxi). Yang Ji (羊暨), a nephew of the Jin dynasty general

Yang Hu Yang Hu (羊祜, 221 – 27 December 278), courtesy name Shuzi, was Chinese military general and politician who lived during the Jin dynasty of China. His advocacy for plans to conquer the rival state of Eastern Wu finally persuaded Emperor Wu ...

, once told his uncle to be wary of Wang Jun because he was extravagant and unbridled in his ways. However, Yang Hu recognised Wang Jun as a rare talent and regarded him highly. In 272, after Wang Jun was appointed as the Administrator (太守) of Guanghan Commandery (廣漢郡; around present-day

Guanghan Guanghan ( zh, s=广汉, t=廣漢, p=Guǎnghàn; formerly known as Hanchow) is a county-level city under the administration of Deyang in Sichuan province, southwest China, and only from Chengdu. The predominant industries are tourism, pharmaceut ...

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 ...

), Yang Hu further recommended him to be the Inspector (刺史) of

Yi Province Yizhou (益州), Yi Province or Yi Prefecture, was a '' zhou'' (province) of ancient China. Its capital city was Chengdu.de Crespigny, p. 256. During the Han dynasty, it included the commanderies Hanzhong, Ba, Guanghan, Shu, Wenshan, Jianwei, ...

(covering present-day Sichuan and Chongqing). During this time, Emperor Wu ordered him to supervise the construction of large battleships, each decorated with images of ferocious beasts and capable of holding 2,000 or more soldiers. The battleships were meant for use in a campaign against the Jin dynasty's rival state, Eastern Wu. In 279, Wang Jun wrote a memorial to Emperor Wu, requesting that he order a military campaign against Eastern Wu. The emperor agreed, appointed Wang Jun as Prancing Dragon General (龍驤將軍) and ordered him to lead troops from Yi Province's capital,

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), alternatively romanized as Chengtu, is a sub-provincial city which serves as the capital of the Chinese pro ...

, to invade Eastern Wu. Wang Jun and his army conquered strategic locations in Wu territory such as Xiling (西陵; in present-day

Yichang Yichang (), alternatively romanized as Ichang, is a prefecture-level city located in western Hubei province, China. It is the third largest city in the province after the capital, Wuhan and the prefecture-level city Xiangyang, by urban populati ...

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The ...

), Xiakou (夏口; present-day

Hankou Hankou, alternately romanized as Hankow (), was one of the three towns (the other two were Wuchang and Hanyang) merged to become modern-day Wuhan city, the capital of the Hubei province, China. It stands north of the Han and Yangtze Rivers whe ...

, Hubei) and Wuchang (武昌; present-day

Ezhou Ezhou () is a prefecture-level city in eastern Hubei Province, China. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 1,079,353, of which 695,697 lived in the core Echeng District. The Ezhou - Huanggang built-up (''or metro'') area was home ...

, Hubei). When the Jin invasion forces reached the Wu capital Jianye, the last Wu emperor

Sun Hao Sun Hao (243 – January or February 284), courtesy name Yuanzong, originally named Sun Pengzu with the courtesy name Haozong, was the fourth and last emperor of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the son ...

surrendered, thus bringing an end to the conquest of Wu. Although Wang Jun had made great achievements in the campaign, another general Wang Hun (王渾) slandered him in front of Emperor Wu, so he did not receive due recognition for his contributions. When Wang Jun wanted to seek redress for his grievances, his subordinate Fan Tong (范通) advised him against it, saying that it would be unwise to do so. Later, the official Li Mi (李密) spoke up for Wang Jun in front of Emperor Wu, who realised that he had treated Wang Jun unfairly earlier on. Emperor Wu then promoted Wang Jun to Senior General Who Guards the Army (鎮軍大將軍) and gave him an additional appointment as a Regular Mounted Attendant (散騎常侍). He also enfeoffed Wang Jun as the Marquis of Xiangyang (襄陽侯). Wang Jun became more arrogant and extravagant in his lifestyle as he entered old age. In 285, he was reassigned to be Senior General Who Pacifies the Army (撫軍大將軍). However, he died in January 286 and was buried at Mount Baigu (柏谷山) near present-day

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 Adminis ...

, Shanxi. Emperor Wu honoured him with the

posthumous title 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 o ...

"Marquis Wu" (武侯).

Family

Wang Jun married

Xu Miao Xu Miao (172–249), courtesy name Jingshan, was an official of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He started his career in the late Eastern Han dynasty under the warlord Cao Cao, who was the ''de facto'' head ...

's daughter. He had at least two sons: Wang Ju (王矩) and Wang Chang (王暢). Wang Ju inherited his father's peerage as the Marquis of Xiangyang, while Wang Chang served as a Mounted Gentleman (散騎郎) in the Jin government. Wang Chang's son, Wang Cui (王粹), married a Jin dynasty princess, Princess Yingchuan (潁川公主), and served as the Administrator of

Wei Commandery Wei Commandery ( zh, 魏郡) was a historical commandery of China, located in modern southern Hebei and northern Henan. The commandery was created during Emperor Gaozu of Han's reign, with its seat at Ye. In late Western Han, it administered 18 ...

(魏郡太守).

References

* Fang, Xuanling (ed.) (648). ''

Book of Jin The ''Book of Jin'' is an official Chinese historical text covering the history of the Jin dynasty from 266 to 420. It was compiled in 648 by a number of officials commissioned by the imperial court of the Tang dynasty, with chancellor Fang ...

'' (''Jin Shu''). {{DEFAULTSORT:Wang, Jun 206 births 285 deaths Jin dynasty (266–420) generals People of Cao Wei Jin dynasty (266–420) politicians Political office-holders in Chongqing Political office-holders in Sichuan

Life

Family

See also

References