Wang Chao (Tang Dynasty)
Encyclopedia
Wang Chao (April 10, 846- January 2, 898), courtesy name Xinchen (信臣), formally Duke Guangwu of Qin (秦廣武公), was a warlord of the Chinese
dynasty Tang Dynasty
, who controlled Fujian Circuit (福建, headquartered in modern Fuzhou
, Fujian
), eventually establishing the base of power for his family members to later establish the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period
state Min
.
, during the reign of Emperor Wuzong
. His fifth-generation ancestor Wang Ye (王曄) served as the magistrate of Gushi County (固始, in modern Xinyang
, Henan
), and because the people loved him, he settled his family in Gushi. The family subsequently became known for their family business. Wang Chao himself served as a government worker at the Gushi County government. His father's name was Wang Nin (王恁), and his mother was a Lady Dong. He had two younger brothers, Wang Shengui (王審邽) and Wang Shenzhi
.
, with the Tang state overrun by agrarian rebellions, Wang Xu
and his brother-in-law Liu Xingquan (劉行全), who were from Shou Prefecture (壽州, in modern Lu'an
, Anhui
), started a rebellion of their own and seized Shou, and then Guang (光州, in modern Xinyang), which Gushi County belonged to. Wang obtained a commission from the nearby warlord Qin Zongquan the military governor (Jiedushi
) of Fengguo Circuit (奉國, headquartered in modern Zhumadian
, Henan
) as the prefect of Guang Prefecture. He forced the local men to serve in his army, and among the men he took into his army were Wang Chao and his brothers Wang Shengui and Wang Shenzhi. He made Wang Chao his discipline officer and favored Wang Chao.
Later on, however, Qin turned against the Tang imperial government and was on the cusp of claiming imperial title himself. He ordered Wang Xu to pay taxes to him. When Wang Xu was unable to do so, he launched an army to attack Wang. Wang Xu, in fear, gathered 5,000 soldiers from Guang and Shou Prefectures and forced the people to cross the Yangtze River
to the south. By spring 885
, Wang had continued south and captured Ting (汀洲, in modern Longyan
, Fujian
) and Zhang (漳州, in modern Zhangzhou
, Fujian
) Prefectures, but was not able to hold either for long.
, Fujian
), which Zhang Prefecture belonged to, was rugged, he ordered that the old and the weak be abandoned. However, in violation of his order, Wang Chao and his brothers continued to take their mother Lady Dong with them. Wang Xu rebuked them and threatened to put Lady Dong to death. They begged for Lady Dong's life, offering to die in her stead. Other officers also spoke on their behalf, and Wang Xu relented.
Meanwhile, by this point, Wang Xu had also become extremely paranoid, as he had been warned by a sorcerer that there was qi
belonging to a king in his army, so he began to put to death anyone whom he considered to have talents surpassing his own — going as far as putting Liu Xingquan to death. The fact that Wang was willing to put someone as close to him as Liu to death terrified the other officers. When the army reached Na'an (南安, in modern Quanzhou
, Fujian
), Wang Chao persuaded Wang Xu's forward commander, who feared that he would be Wang Xu's next target, into turning against Wang Xu. The forward commander and Wang Chao thus laid an ambush for Wang Xu and, when he was caught off-guard, arrested him. Wang Chao initially wanted to support the forward commander to be the new leader, but the forward commander pointed out that it was Wang Chao's idea that allowed them to survive Wang Xu's cruelty, and so the army agreed to have Wang Chao become their leader.
Wang Chao initially wanted to take the army back north to their home in Guang Prefecture, but when they advanced to Sha (沙縣, in modern Sanming
, Fujian
), the locals, who were suffering under the heavy burdens of the local prefect (Liao Yanruo (廖彥若) the prefect of Quan Prefecture (泉州, in modern Quanzhou)), asked that Wang Chao save them from Liao. Wang Chao thus put Quan Prefecture under siege, capturing it in fall 886
. He put Liao to death and Wang Xu under house arrest. (Wang Xu subsequently committed suicide.) As then-governor (觀察使, Guanchashi) of Fujian Circuit, Chen Yan
, had a good reputation, Wang Chao decided not to go against Chen, and instead sent messengers to Fujian's capital Fu Prefecture (福州) to submit to Chen. Chen commissioned Wang Chao as the prefect of Quan Prefecture. It was said that Wang Chao governed Quan with intelligence, gathering the scattered people, alleviating the tax burden, rebuilding the army, and drew support from the people and the army.
, Chen Yan fell seriously ill. He sent messengers to summon Wang Chao to Fu Prefecture, intending to transfer the governorship to him. Before Wang could head to Fu Prefecture, however, Chen died. Chen's brother-in-law, the officer Fan Hui (范暉), persuaded the soldiers to support him as acting governor and mobilized troops to resist Wang.
Fan, however, grew extravagant and arrogant, losing the support of the soldiers. In 892
, Wang Chao commissioned his cousin Wang Yanfu (王彥復) as the commander and Wang Shenzhi as Wang Yanfu's deputy, to take an army to attack Fu Prefecture. It was said that the common Han
people supported him by supplying food for the army, and the local non-Han supported him by supplying soldiers and ships.
Wang Yanfu's and Wang Shenzhi's siege of Fu Prefecture, however, became bogged down due to the strong defenses that Fu Prefecture had, and Fan sought aid from Dong Chang
the military governor of Weisheng Circuit (威勝, headquartered in modern Shaoxing
, Zhejiang
), who was also related by marriage to Chen. Dong sent an army south to aid Fan. Wang Yanfu and Wang Shenzhi, hearing that Dong's army was about to arrive, reported to Wang Chao and requested to withdraw. Wang Chao refused. When they requested that he come to the front to oversee the attack, he responded:
Wang Yanfu and Wang Shenzhi, fearful of the rebuke, intensified their attacks. By summer 893, the food supply in Fu Prefecture ran out. Fan abandoned it and fled, and the Weisheng army, still on the way, hearing that Fan had fled, returned to Weisheng. Fan was killed by his soldiers in flight. Wang entered Fu Prefecture and claimed the title of acting governor. He buried Chen with great honors, and he gave a daughter in marriage to Chen's son Chen Yanhui (陳延晦). Subsequently, two prefectures that had held out against Chen, Ting and Jian (建州, in modern Nanping
, Fujian
), also submitted to him. Some 20 groups of bandits also either submitted or were destroyed by him, pacifying the circuit. Then-reigning Emperor Zhaozong
subsequently made Wang the governor in late 893. It was said that Wang encouraged farming, set fair tax rates, fostered friendly relations with the nearby circuits, and allowed the people to rest. In 896
, Emperor Zhaozong made Fujian Circuit into Weiwu Circuit (威武) and gave Wang the greater title of military governor.
, instead of trying to transfer the military governorship to one of his four sons (Wang Yanxing (王延興), Wang Yanhong (王延虹), Wang Yanfeng (王延豐), Wang Yanxiu (王延休)), he entrusted the administration of the circuit to Wang Shenzhi. He died around new year 898
. After his death, Wang Shenzhi offered the military governorship to Wang Shengui, who was then serving as the prefect of Quan Prefecture, because Wang Shengui was older, but Wang Shengui declined on the basis that Wang Shenzhi had greater accomplishments. Wang Shenzhi subsequently claimed the title of acting military governor, and Emperor Zhaozong confirmed him as military governor. Wang Shenzhi would eventually receive the title of Prince of Min from Emperor Taizu of Later Liang (whose Later Liang Dynasty
succeeded Tang), and Wang Shenzhi's son Wang Yanjun would eventually claim the title of emperor of an independent state of Min
, which would stand until 946
.
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
dynasty Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
, who controlled Fujian Circuit (福建, headquartered in modern Fuzhou
Fuzhou
Fuzhou is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute the Mindong linguistic and cultural area....
, Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
), eventually establishing the base of power for his family members to later establish the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was between 907–960/979 AD and an era of political upheaval in China, between the fall of the Tang Dynasty and the founding of the Song Dynasty. During this period, five dynasties quickly succeeded one another in the north, and more than 12 independent states were...
state Min
Min (Ten Kingdoms)
Min was one of the Ten Kingdoms which was in existence between the years of 909 and 945. It existed in a mountainous region of modern day Fujian province of China and had a history of quasi-independent rule. Its capital was Fuzhou 福州. It was founded by Wang Shenzhi .-Founding:Wang Shenzhi’s older...
.
Background
Wang Chao was born in 846846
Year 846 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Nominoe occupies Nantes and Rennes, he makes raids in Anjou and threatens Bayeux...
, during the reign of Emperor Wuzong
Emperor Wuzong of Tang
Emperor Wuzong of Tang , né Li Chan , later changed to Li Yan just before his death, was an emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, reigning from 840 to 846. Emperor Wuzong is mainly known in modern times for the religious persecution that occurred during his reign...
. His fifth-generation ancestor Wang Ye (王曄) served as the magistrate of Gushi County (固始, in modern Xinyang
Xinyang
Xinyang is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Henan province, People's Republic of China, the southernmost such administrative division in the province.-Recent history:...
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
), and because the people loved him, he settled his family in Gushi. The family subsequently became known for their family business. Wang Chao himself served as a government worker at the Gushi County government. His father's name was Wang Nin (王恁), and his mother was a Lady Dong. He had two younger brothers, Wang Shengui (王審邽) and Wang Shenzhi
Wang Shenzhi
Wang Shenzhi , courtesy name Xintong or Xiangqing , formally Prince Zhongyi of Min and later further posthumously honored as Emperor Taizu of Min , was the founder of Min on the southeast coast of China during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period of Chinese history...
.
Service under Wang Xu
In 881881
Year 881 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Charles the Fat is crowned Western Emperor.* Battle of Saucourt-en-Vimeu: Louis III of France routs Norman pirates....
, with the Tang state overrun by agrarian rebellions, Wang Xu
Wang Xu
Wang Xu is a female Chinese freestyle wrestler who competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, winning a gold medal in the 72 kg weight class.She was replaced at the 2008 Beijing Olympics by Wang Jiao, who went on to win the gold medal....
and his brother-in-law Liu Xingquan (劉行全), who were from Shou Prefecture (壽州, in modern Lu'an
Lu'an
Lu'an , is a prefecture-level city in western Anhui Province, People's Republic of China, with a population of 5,612,590 inhabitants at 2010 census. Its built up area is home to 1,482,729 inhabitants spread out on 2 urban districts...
, Anhui
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
), started a rebellion of their own and seized Shou, and then Guang (光州, in modern Xinyang), which Gushi County belonged to. Wang obtained a commission from the nearby warlord Qin Zongquan the military governor (Jiedushi
Jiedushi
The Jiedushi were regional military governors in China during the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. Originally set up to counter external threats, the jiedushi were given enormous power, including the ability to maintain their own armies, collect taxes, and pass their...
) of Fengguo Circuit (奉國, headquartered in modern Zhumadian
Zhumadian
Zhumadian is a prefecture-level city in southern Henan province, People's Republic of China. It borders Xinyang to the south, Nanyang to the west, Pingdingshan to the northwest, Luohe to the north, Zhoukou to the northeast, and the province of Anhui to the east.Its population is 7,230,744 at the...
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
) as the prefect of Guang Prefecture. He forced the local men to serve in his army, and among the men he took into his army were Wang Chao and his brothers Wang Shengui and Wang Shenzhi. He made Wang Chao his discipline officer and favored Wang Chao.
Later on, however, Qin turned against the Tang imperial government and was on the cusp of claiming imperial title himself. He ordered Wang Xu to pay taxes to him. When Wang Xu was unable to do so, he launched an army to attack Wang. Wang Xu, in fear, gathered 5,000 soldiers from Guang and Shou Prefectures and forced the people to cross the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
to the south. By spring 885
885
Year 885 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* The Vikings besiege Paris.* Godfrith, the Sea King is killed in Lobith...
, Wang had continued south and captured Ting (汀洲, in modern Longyan
Longyan
Longyan is a prefecture-level city in southwestern Fujian province, China.-Geography:It is situated in the upper reaches of the Jiulong and Tingjiang rivers...
, Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
) and Zhang (漳州, in modern Zhangzhou
Zhangzhou
Zhangzhou is a prefecture-level city in southern Fujian province, People's Republic of China. Located on the banks of the Jiulong River , Zhangzhou borders the cities of Xiamen and Quanzhou to the northeast, Longyan City to the northwest and the province of Guangdong to the southwest.Zhangzhou...
, Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
) Prefectures, but was not able to hold either for long.
Overthrow of Wang Xu and takeover of Quan Prefecture
By the time that Wang Xu reached Zhang Prefecture, his army was running low on food. As the terrain in Fujian Circuit (福建, headquartered in modern FuzhouFuzhou
Fuzhou is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute the Mindong linguistic and cultural area....
, Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
), which Zhang Prefecture belonged to, was rugged, he ordered that the old and the weak be abandoned. However, in violation of his order, Wang Chao and his brothers continued to take their mother Lady Dong with them. Wang Xu rebuked them and threatened to put Lady Dong to death. They begged for Lady Dong's life, offering to die in her stead. Other officers also spoke on their behalf, and Wang Xu relented.
Meanwhile, by this point, Wang Xu had also become extremely paranoid, as he had been warned by a sorcerer that there was qi
Qi
In traditional Chinese culture, qì is an active principle forming part of any living thing. Qi is frequently translated as life energy, lifeforce, or energy flow. Qi is the central underlying principle in traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts...
belonging to a king in his army, so he began to put to death anyone whom he considered to have talents surpassing his own — going as far as putting Liu Xingquan to death. The fact that Wang was willing to put someone as close to him as Liu to death terrified the other officers. When the army reached Na'an (南安, in modern Quanzhou
Quanzhou
Quanzhou is a prefecture-level city in Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It borders all other prefecture-level cities in Fujian but two and faces the Taiwan Strait...
, Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
), Wang Chao persuaded Wang Xu's forward commander, who feared that he would be Wang Xu's next target, into turning against Wang Xu. The forward commander and Wang Chao thus laid an ambush for Wang Xu and, when he was caught off-guard, arrested him. Wang Chao initially wanted to support the forward commander to be the new leader, but the forward commander pointed out that it was Wang Chao's idea that allowed them to survive Wang Xu's cruelty, and so the army agreed to have Wang Chao become their leader.
Wang Chao initially wanted to take the army back north to their home in Guang Prefecture, but when they advanced to Sha (沙縣, in modern Sanming
Sanming
Sanming ) is a prefecture-level city in western Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It borders Nanping City to the north, Fuzhou City to the east, Quanzhou City to the southeast, Longyan City to the south, and the province of Jiangxi to the west...
, Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
), the locals, who were suffering under the heavy burdens of the local prefect (Liao Yanruo (廖彥若) the prefect of Quan Prefecture (泉州, in modern Quanzhou)), asked that Wang Chao save them from Liao. Wang Chao thus put Quan Prefecture under siege, capturing it in fall 886
886
Year 886 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :...
. He put Liao to death and Wang Xu under house arrest. (Wang Xu subsequently committed suicide.) As then-governor (觀察使, Guanchashi) of Fujian Circuit, Chen Yan
Chen Yan (Tang Dynasty)
Chen Yan was a warlord of the late Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as the governor of Fujian Circuit .- Rise to power and governance of Fujian :...
, had a good reputation, Wang Chao decided not to go against Chen, and instead sent messengers to Fujian's capital Fu Prefecture (福州) to submit to Chen. Chen commissioned Wang Chao as the prefect of Quan Prefecture. It was said that Wang Chao governed Quan with intelligence, gathering the scattered people, alleviating the tax burden, rebuilding the army, and drew support from the people and the army.
Takeover of the rest of Fujian Circuit
In 891891
Year 891 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Arnulf of Carinthia defeats the Normans at the Battle of Leuven....
, Chen Yan fell seriously ill. He sent messengers to summon Wang Chao to Fu Prefecture, intending to transfer the governorship to him. Before Wang could head to Fu Prefecture, however, Chen died. Chen's brother-in-law, the officer Fan Hui (范暉), persuaded the soldiers to support him as acting governor and mobilized troops to resist Wang.
Fan, however, grew extravagant and arrogant, losing the support of the soldiers. In 892
892
Year 892 was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Poppo of Thuringia, count of the march in Thuringia, is deposed by the German Carolingian king Arnulf of Carinthia....
, Wang Chao commissioned his cousin Wang Yanfu (王彥復) as the commander and Wang Shenzhi as Wang Yanfu's deputy, to take an army to attack Fu Prefecture. It was said that the common Han
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
people supported him by supplying food for the army, and the local non-Han supported him by supplying soldiers and ships.
Wang Yanfu's and Wang Shenzhi's siege of Fu Prefecture, however, became bogged down due to the strong defenses that Fu Prefecture had, and Fan sought aid from Dong Chang
Dong Chang
Dong Chang was a warlord of the late Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. He began his career as the leader of a local militia at Hang Prefecture and gradually increased in power to control most of modern Zhejiang...
the military governor of Weisheng Circuit (威勝, headquartered in modern Shaoxing
Shaoxing
Shaoxing is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. Located on the south bank of the Qiantang River estuary, it borders Ningbo to the east, Taizhou to the southeast, Jinhua to the southwest, and Hangzhou to the west. It was once known as "越"...
, Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
), who was also related by marriage to Chen. Dong sent an army south to aid Fan. Wang Yanfu and Wang Shenzhi, hearing that Dong's army was about to arrive, reported to Wang Chao and requested to withdraw. Wang Chao refused. When they requested that he come to the front to oversee the attack, he responded:
Wang Yanfu and Wang Shenzhi, fearful of the rebuke, intensified their attacks. By summer 893, the food supply in Fu Prefecture ran out. Fan abandoned it and fled, and the Weisheng army, still on the way, hearing that Fan had fled, returned to Weisheng. Fan was killed by his soldiers in flight. Wang entered Fu Prefecture and claimed the title of acting governor. He buried Chen with great honors, and he gave a daughter in marriage to Chen's son Chen Yanhui (陳延晦). Subsequently, two prefectures that had held out against Chen, Ting and Jian (建州, in modern Nanping
Nanping
Nanping is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It borders Ningde City to the east, Sanming City to the south, and the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangxi to the north and west respectively...
, Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
), also submitted to him. Some 20 groups of bandits also either submitted or were destroyed by him, pacifying the circuit. Then-reigning Emperor Zhaozong
Emperor Zhaozong of Tang
Emperor Zhaozong of Tang , né Li Jie , name later changed to Li Min , yet later name changed to Li Ye , was the penultimate emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China. He reigned from 888 to 904...
subsequently made Wang the governor in late 893. It was said that Wang encouraged farming, set fair tax rates, fostered friendly relations with the nearby circuits, and allowed the people to rest. In 896
896
Year 896 was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Decisive Bulgarian victory over Magyars in the Battle of Southern Buh....
, Emperor Zhaozong made Fujian Circuit into Weiwu Circuit (威武) and gave Wang the greater title of military governor.
Death and succession
While Wang Chao served as military governor, Wang Shenzhi served as deputy military governor. It was said that when Wang Shenzhi had faults, Wang Chao would batter him, but Wang Shenzhi would not show any resentment to the treatment. When Wang Chao grew seriously ill in 897897
Year 897 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* Emperor Uda of Japan is succeeded by Emperor Daigo....
, instead of trying to transfer the military governorship to one of his four sons (Wang Yanxing (王延興), Wang Yanhong (王延虹), Wang Yanfeng (王延豐), Wang Yanxiu (王延休)), he entrusted the administration of the circuit to Wang Shenzhi. He died around new year 898
898
Year 898 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* A Magyar army headed by Álmos besieges Kiev.* Magyar tribes found the state of Szekesfehervar in Hungary....
. After his death, Wang Shenzhi offered the military governorship to Wang Shengui, who was then serving as the prefect of Quan Prefecture, because Wang Shengui was older, but Wang Shengui declined on the basis that Wang Shenzhi had greater accomplishments. Wang Shenzhi subsequently claimed the title of acting military governor, and Emperor Zhaozong confirmed him as military governor. Wang Shenzhi would eventually receive the title of Prince of Min from Emperor Taizu of Later Liang (whose Later Liang Dynasty
Later Liang Dynasty
The Later Liang was one of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period in China. It was founded by Zhu Wen, posthumously known as Taizu of Later Liang, after he forced the last emperor of the Tang dynasty to abdicate in his favour...
succeeded Tang), and Wang Shenzhi's son Wang Yanjun would eventually claim the title of emperor of an independent state of Min
Min (Ten Kingdoms)
Min was one of the Ten Kingdoms which was in existence between the years of 909 and 945. It existed in a mountainous region of modern day Fujian province of China and had a history of quasi-independent rule. Its capital was Fuzhou 福州. It was founded by Wang Shenzhi .-Founding:Wang Shenzhi’s older...
, which would stand until 946
946
Year 946 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.- Religion :* May 10 – Pope Agapitus II succeeds Pope Marinus II as the 129th pope.- Deaths :...
.