Background

It is not known when Wang Chongying was born, and the official histories differ as to where his family was from — according to the Old Book of Tang, Hezhong Municipality (河中, in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi), and according to the New Book of Tang, Taiyuan Municipality. His father Wang Zong (王縱) was a successful military officer who reached the position of prefect of Yan Prefecture (鹽州, in modern Yulin, Shaanxi). Because of his father's contributions, both Wang Chongying and his younger brother Wang Chongrong served in the military as well, and both were known for their fierce fighting ability. Wang Chongying had at least one other brother, Wang Chongjian (王重簡), who was older than Wang Chongrong and Wang Chongying.

Early career

At one point, Wang Chongying served as the prefect of Fen Prefecture (汾州, in modern Linfen, Shanxi). By 882 — by which point Wang Chongrong had taken over Hezhong Circuit (河中, headquartered at Hezhong Municipality) as its military governor and by which time the imperial capital Chang'an had fallen to the major agrarian rebel Huang Chao, forcing then-reigning Emperor Xizong to flee to Chengdu — Wang Chongying was serving as the governor (觀察使, Guanchashi) of Shanguo Circuit. That year, when Emperor Xizong put the chancellor Wang Duo in command of the operations against Huang (who had declared himself emperor of a new state of Qi), Wang Chongying was put in charge of supplying Wang Duo's army. After Tang forces defeated Qi forces in 883 and forced Huang to abandon Chang'an, Shanguo was made into a circuit that had a military governor, and Wang Chongying was made its military governor. In 885, Emperor Xizong bestowed the honorary chancellor designation of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi on him.

At Huguo Circuit

By 887, Wang Chongrong had grown harsh in his governance of Hezhong Circuit — which by that point had been renamed Huguo Circuit. When he humiliated the officer Chang Xingru (常行儒), Chang started a mutiny and killed him. Chang then requested that Wang Chongying succeed Wang Chongrong, a request that Emperor Xizong granted. Emperor Xizong also made Wang Chongying's son Wang Gong the acting military governor of Shanguo. After Wang Chongying arrived in Huguo and took office, he arrested Chang and put Chang to death.

In 888, faced with the repeated pillaging by Li Hanzhi the military governor of Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Jiaozuo, Henan), Wang Chongying persuaded Li's ally Zhang Quanyi the mayor of Henan Municipality (河南, i.e., the Luoyang region) to turn against Li; Zhang ambushed Li's headquarters at Heyang Circuit's capital Heyang successfully, forcing Li to flee, and thereafter took over the circuit. In 891, Emperor Xizong's brother and successor Emperor Zhaozong bestowed the greater honorary chancellor title of Zhongshu Ling (中書令) on Wang Chongying.

Wang Chongying died in 895. The soldiers supported Wang Chongrong's adoptive son Wang Ke — who was the biological son of Wang Chongjian's and therefore biological nephew to both Wang Chongrong and Wang Chongying — to succeed him, but Wang Gong, who had by that point become military governor of Shanguo, which had been renamed Baoyi (保義), also wished to have Huguo, leading to a succession struggle between them. Emperor Zhaozong, with Li Keyong the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi), who was also Wang Ke's father-in-law, backing Wang Ke's claim, made Wang Ke military governor of Huguo.

Notes and references

• Old Book of Tang, vol. 182.

• New Book of Tang, vol. 187.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 254, 255, 256, 257, 258, 260.

家世

王重盈是太原府人。父王縱，官至鹽州防禦使。因父有功，王重盈與弟王重榮得其蔭補，歷任軍職。兄弟倆都以驍雄毅武聞名軍中。王重盈、王重榮分別是王縱的第三和第四子，上有兄長王重章、王重簡，下有幼弟王重益。

早期仕途

王重盈約乾符年間曾任汾州刺史。廣明元年（880年）四月，李琢受任充蔚朔等州諸道行營都招討使，討伐沙陀叛軍，王重盈兵馬歸李琢統屬。二年（881年），民變首領黃巢的軍隊渡過淮河之際，僖宗提拔王重盈為陝虢觀察使。後來京城長安落入黃巢之手，迫使唐僖宗逃到成都。黃巢稱帝，建國號齊。時王重榮任河中節度使。中和二年（882年）正月，僖宗任宰相王鐸充諸道行營都都統，作為討伐黃巢的總帥，任王重盈為王鐸的東面都供軍使。這年，王重盈奏授盧質為芮城令。次年，唐軍敗齊軍，迫黃巢棄長安後，陝虢軍被升為節度使，王重盈被任為節度使。光啟元年（885年），僖宗加王重盈宰相銜同中書門下平章事。王重盈曾在陝虢節度使任上加檢校左僕射。

就任護國軍

後來河中節度使改名護國節度使。王重榮在護國軍期間，為政日益嚴酷。光啟三年（887年），他處罰了牙將常行儒，六月，常行儒兵變殺王重榮，推立王重盈為兵馬留後，河東節度使李克用也上表請求以王重盈繼任。僖宗下詔任命王重盈繼任，又任王重盈子王珙權知陝虢留後。王重盈就任護國軍後，捕殺常行儒及其黨羽，安撫軍民。

河陽節度使李罕之持續劫掠地方，文德元年（888年）二月，全力攻絳州，絳州刺史王友遇以城降，李罕之又攻擊晉州，王重盈求援于宣武軍節度使朱全忠，李罕之解圍而退。王重盈使反間計使得李罕之盟友河南尹張居言背叛李罕之。當年春，李罕之全力攻晉州，張居言夜襲河陽，俘李罕之一家，迫李罕之出奔，自己占領了河陽。大順元年（890年）十二月，唐昭宗討伐李克用兵敗，晉州、絳州都被河東軍攻取，河東軍劫掠河中，赤地千里。昭宗尋求和解，左僕射韋昭度上表贊成，並建議也對王重盈等進行諭旨慰勉，獲准。二年（891年）八月，唐昭宗加王重盈加檢校太傅及更大的宰相銜兼中書令。景福元年（892年）正月，護國軍治下五郡聯屬請求為王重盈建生祠。五月，都押衙錄事參軍又奏請立碑紀功。于是司空圖奉令作《太尉琅琊王公河中生祠碑》。

乾寧二年（895年）正月，王重盈卒，其時官爵為河中節度使、檢校太師、中書令、河中尹、上柱國、琅邪郡王。其兄王重簡子王珂為王重榮養子，時任護國軍行軍司馬，護國軍士兵擁戴他為知留後事。當時陝虢軍已改名保義軍，時任保義軍節度使的王珙也想領護國軍，從而引發了王珂、王珙的繼承之爭。因王珂准岳父李克用支持王珂，昭宗任王珂為護國軍節度使。此舉導致支持王珙繼任的鳳翔節度使李茂貞、靜難節度使王行瑜和鎮國軍節度使韓建不滿，導致了當年五月的三帥逼宮事件。

家庭

父母

• 父：王縱

• 母：石氏，燕國太夫人

子

• 長子王瓘，晉州刺史，光啟二年之前卒

• 次子王珙

• 三子王瑤，檢校僕射，絳州刺史

• 王瓚

• 養子王殷，本名蔣殷

注釋及參考文獻