Wang Ke (Tang Dynasty)
Encyclopedia
Wang Ke was a warlord late in the Chinese
dynasty Tang Dynasty
, who ruled Huguo Circuit (護國, headquartered in modern Yuncheng
, Shanxi
) as its military governor (Jiedushi
) from 895
(when he succeeded his uncle Wang Chongying
to 900
(when he was forced to surrender to Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng
, Henan
)).
, who would become a powerful warlord as the military governor of Huguo. As Wang Chongrong was sonless, he adopted Wang Ke as his own son. (Wang Ke's cousins Wang Gong
and Wang Yao (王瑤) would later accuse Wang Ke of not being actually Wang blood but a servant in origin, but that accusation did not appear reliable even in contemporary times.) After Wang Chongrong was assassinated by his officer Chang Shiru (常師儒) in 887
, then-reigning Emperor Xizong
commissioned another older brother of Wang Chongrong's, Wang Chongying
(Wang Gong's and Wang Yao's father), who was then the military governor of neighboring Shanguo Circuit (陝虢, headquartered in modern Sanmenxia
, Henan
) as the new military governor of Huguo, while making Wang Gong the acting military governor of Shanguo (and later, full military governor) and Wang Ke the commander of the armed forces (行軍司馬, Xingjun Sima) at Huguo.
In spring 895
, Wang Chongying died. The soldiers at Huguo supported Wang Ke to be the acting military governor. However, Wang Gong, then still the military governor of Shanguo (which had been renamed Baoyi at that point), and Wang Yao, then the prefect of Jiang Prefecture (絳州, in modern Yuncheng) objected, and they claimed that Wang Ke was not actually of Wang blood. At Wang Gong's and Wang Yao's urging, then-reigning Emperor Zhaozong
initially commissioned the chancellor Cui Yin
to be the military governor of Huguo. However, Li Keyong
the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan
, Shanxi
), whose daughter was contracted to marry Wang Ke, submitted a petition to Emperor Zhaozong supporting Wang Ke, and Emperor Zhaozong subsequently agreed to commission Wang Ke military governor. When Wang Gong's allies Li Maozhen
the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji
, Shaanxi
), Wang Xingyu
the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (靜難, headquartered in modern Xianyang
, Shaanxi
), and Han Jian
the military governor of Zhenguo Circuit (鎮國, headquartered in modern Weinan
, Shaanxi
) submitted a contrary proposal — to have Wang Gong made the military governor of Huguo and Wang Ke the military governor of Baoyi — Emperor Zhaozong rejected on the basis that he had already accepted Li Keyong's proposal.
Emperor Zhaozong's rejection of Li Maozhen's, Wang Xingyu's, and Han Jian's proposal brought a violent reaction from them, who marched on the imperial capital Chang'an
and killed the chancellors Li Xi
and Wei Zhaodu
; they subsequently forced Emperor Zhaozong to issue a new edict moving Wang Gong to Huguo, Wang Xingyu's brother Wang Xingyue (王行約) from Kuangguo Circuit (匡國, also headquartered in modern Weinan) to Baoyi, and Wang Ke to Kuangguo. Meanwhile, Wang Xingyue was attacking Huguo, and Wang Ke sought aid from Li Keyong. Li Keyong, denouncing Li Maozhen, Wang Xingyu, and Han for killing Li Xi and Wei, marched south. When Wang Yao tried to block his path, he captured Jiang Prefecture and executed Wang Yao, and subsequently arrived at Huguo to rendezvous with Wang Ke. He then proceeded toward Jingnan. By the end of the year, Wang Xingyu had been defeated and was killed by his own subordinates in flight; Li Maozhen and Han were forced to sue for peace. Emperor Zhaozong then officially commissioned Wang Ke military governor of Huguo.
, Emperor Zhaozong gave Wang Ke the honorary chancellor designation of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事).
In 897
, Wang Gong attacked Wang Ke. Wang Ke sought aid from Li Keyong, while Wang Gong sought aid from Li Keyong's archenemy Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit. The Xuanwu forces, commanded by Zhu's generals Zhang Cunjing (張存敬) and Yang Shihou, were initially successful against Huguo forces, but the Hedong relief forces, commanded by Li Keyong's nephew Li Sizhao
, then defeated Baoyi forces and lifted the siege against Huguo.
In 898
, Wang Ke went to Hedong's capital Taiyuan
to personally marry Li Keyong's daughter. During his absence from Huguo, Li Sizhao defended the circuit. Later in the year, Emperor Zhaozong bestowed the greater honorary chancellor title of Shizhong (侍中) on him. Later in 898, the Baoyi and Xuanwu forces again attacked Huguo; when Wang Ke sought aid from Hedong, Li Sizhao repelled the Baoyi and Xuanwu forces.
In late 901
, Emperor Zhaozong was briefly deposed by a group of powerful eunuchs led by Liu Jishu
. Wang Ke, when receiving the news, was incensed at the eunuchs, but before he could launch an army against them, Emperor Zhaozong was restored in a countercoup. Hearing of the emperor's restoration, Wang Ke was the first among military governors to submit tributes to the restored emperor, drawing imperial favor for him.
the military governor of Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou
, Jiangsu
) but was repelled by Yang, he persuaded Qian Liu
the military governor of Zhenhai (鎮海, headquartered in modern Hangzhou
, Zhejiang
) and Zhendong (鎮東, headquartered in modern Shaoxing
, Zhejiang
) Circuits, Zhong Chuan
the military governor of Zhennan Circuit (鎮南, headquartered in modern Nanchang
, Jiangxi
), Du Hong
the military governor of Wuchang Circuit (武昌, headquartered in modern Wuhan
, Hubei
), and Wang Shifan
the military governor of Pinglu Circuit (平盧, headquartered in modern Weifang
, Shandong
) to accuse Yang of aggression against them and request Emperor Zhaozong to appoint Zhu the commander of an operation against Yang. Wang Ke reacted by jointly submitting a petition with Li Keyong, Wang Rong
the military governor of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang
, Hebei
) and Wang Gao
the military governor of Yiwu Circuit (義武, headquartered in modern Baoding
, Hebei
) accusing Zhu of aggression against them and asking that Yang be appointed the commander of an operation against Zhu. This allowed Emperor Zhaozong to decline both petitions. Meanwhile, by 901
, Li Keyong had suffered defeats that caused his strength to wane, allowing Zhu to start reconsider another campaign to conquer Wang Ke's domain as a step in ultimately defeating Li Keyong. He stated to his generals:
Zhu then launched his attack, with he himself heading toward Huguo's capital Hezhong Municipality (河中), while sending Zhang Cunjing to attack Jin (晉州, in modern Linfen
, Shanxi
) and Jiang Prefectures to cut off any path of aid that Li Keyong might send. Jin and Jiang Prefectures were caught by surprise, and their prefects, Tao Jianzhao (陶建釗) and Zhang Hanyu (張漢瑜) quickly surrendered, allowing Zhu to cut off communications between Hezhong and Hedong Circuit. Meanwhile, Emperor Zhaozong, receiving words of the attack, tried to intervene by issuing an edict calling for peaceful resolution; Zhu ignored the edict. Li Keyong, receiving repeated calls for help from Wang Ke and Wang Ke's wife Lady Li but hearing that the Jin/Jiang path had been cut off, did not launch a relief force; instead, he suggested to Wang Ke that he abandon Huguo and flee to Chang'an. Wang Ke also sent request to Li Maozhen for aid, offering that, if Li Maozhen could repel Zhu, he would offer Huguo to Li Maozhen. Li Maozhen did not respond.
Unable to withstand Zhu's attack, Wang Ke tried to flee across the Yellow River
toward Chang'an, but it happened that the bridge across the Yellow River was unusable at that time due to ice damage. With the morale of his troops low, Wang Ke decided to surrender. Trying to appease the Huguo people, Zhu declined Wang Ke's offer of surrendering in a ceremony in which Wang Ke, as the defeated, would bare his upper body, bind his own hands, and bring sheep out of the city; rather, under Zhu's direction, Wang Ke exited the city in full formal clothing, and was referred to as "Master" by Zhu. (Zhu had previously honored Wang Chongrong as an uncle because Wang Chongrong had been the one accepting his allegiance to Tang when he turned against the agrarian rebel Huang Chao
and surrendered to Tang, and because Zhu's mother was surnamed Wang as well.)
After Wang Ke's surrender, Zhu commissioned Zhang as the acting military governor of Huguo, while relocating Wang Ke and his family to Xuanwu's capital Bian Prefecture (汴州). However, Zhu continued to be suspicious of Wang Ke due to Wang Ke's marriage to Li Keyong's daughter. He therefore sent Wang Ke on a journey to Chang'an to pay homage to the emperor, but sent assassins to kill Wang when he reached Zhenguo.
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 ruled Huguo Circuit (護國, headquartered in modern Yuncheng
Yuncheng
Yuncheng is the southernmost municipality in Shanxi province, China. It borders Linfen and Jincheng municipalities to the north and east, and Henan and Shaanxi provinces to the south and west....
, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
) as its 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...
) from 895
895
Year 895 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* The seven tribes of the Magyars settle in the Carpathian Basin under the leadership of Árpád...
(when he succeeded his uncle Wang Chongying
Wang Chongying
Wang Chongying was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who was known for his successive rules of Shanguo Circuit and Huguo Circuit as military governor .- Background :It is not known when Wang Chongying was born, and the official...
to 900
900
Year 900 was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* April 21 – Namwaran and his children, Lady Angkatan and Bukah, are granted pardon by the Datu of Tondo, as represented Jayadewa, Lord Minister of Pila, which released them of all their debts as inscribed in the...
(when he was forced to surrender to Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng
Kaifeng
Kaifeng , known previously by several names , is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, Central China. Nearly 5 million people live in the metropolitan area...
, 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...
)).
Background
It is not known when Wang Ke was born. His biological father Wang Chongjian (王重簡) was an older brother to Wang ChongrongWang Chongrong
Wang Chongrong , formally the Prince of Langye , was a warlord of the late Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who controlled Hezhong Circuit...
, who would become a powerful warlord as the military governor of Huguo. As Wang Chongrong was sonless, he adopted Wang Ke as his own son. (Wang Ke's cousins Wang Gong
Wang Gong
Wang Gong was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who controlled Baoyi Circuit from 887, when he succeeded his father Wang Chongying, to his death in 899.- Background :...
and Wang Yao (王瑤) would later accuse Wang Ke of not being actually Wang blood but a servant in origin, but that accusation did not appear reliable even in contemporary times.) After Wang Chongrong was assassinated by his officer Chang Shiru (常師儒) in 887
887
Year 887 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* The city of Toledo rises against the Umayyad leader....
, then-reigning Emperor Xizong
Emperor Xizong of Tang
Emperor Xizong of Tang , né Li Yan , later name changed to Li Xuan , was an emperor of the Tang dynasty of China. He reigned from 873 to 888. He was the fifth son of his predecessor Emperor Yizong and was the elder brother of his successor Emperor Zhaozong...
commissioned another older brother of Wang Chongrong's, Wang Chongying
Wang Chongying
Wang Chongying was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who was known for his successive rules of Shanguo Circuit and Huguo Circuit as military governor .- Background :It is not known when Wang Chongying was born, and the official...
(Wang Gong's and Wang Yao's father), who was then the military governor of neighboring Shanguo Circuit (陝虢, headquartered in modern Sanmenxia
Sanmenxia
-Administration:The prefecture-level city of Sanmenxia administers one district, two county-level cities and three counties.*Hubin District*Lingbao City*Yima City*Lushi County*Shan County*Mianchi County*Sanmenxia Development Zone...
, 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 new military governor of Huguo, while making Wang Gong the acting military governor of Shanguo (and later, full military governor) and Wang Ke the commander of the armed forces (行軍司馬, Xingjun Sima) at Huguo.
In spring 895
895
Year 895 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* The seven tribes of the Magyars settle in the Carpathian Basin under the leadership of Árpád...
, Wang Chongying died. The soldiers at Huguo supported Wang Ke to be the acting military governor. However, Wang Gong, then still the military governor of Shanguo (which had been renamed Baoyi at that point), and Wang Yao, then the prefect of Jiang Prefecture (絳州, in modern Yuncheng) objected, and they claimed that Wang Ke was not actually of Wang blood. At Wang Gong's and Wang Yao's urging, 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...
initially commissioned the chancellor Cui Yin
Cui Yin
Cui Yin , courtesy name Chuixiu , nickname Zilang , formally the Duke of Wei , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Zhaozong...
to be the military governor of Huguo. However, Li Keyong
Li Keyong
Li Keyong was a Shatuo military governor during the late Tang Dynasty and was key to developing a base of power for the Shatuo in what is today Shanxi Province in China...
the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan
Taiyuan
Taiyuan is the capital and largest city of Shanxi province in North China. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 4,201,591 inhabitants on 6959 km² whom 3,212,500 are urban on 1,460 km². The name of the city literally means "Great Plains", referring to the location where the Fen River...
, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
), whose daughter was contracted to marry Wang Ke, submitted a petition to Emperor Zhaozong supporting Wang Ke, and Emperor Zhaozong subsequently agreed to commission Wang Ke military governor. When Wang Gong's allies Li Maozhen
Li Maozhen
Li Maozhen , né 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...
the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji
Baoji
Baoji is a prefecture-level city in Shaanxi province, China.-Geography:The prefecture-level city of Baoji has a population of 3,716,731 according to the 2010 Chinese census, inhabiting an area of . The city itself has a population of approximately 800,000. Surrounded on three sides by hills,...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
), Wang Xingyu
Wang Xingyu
Wang Xingyu was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who controlled Jingnan Circuit from 887 to his death in 895...
the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (靜難, headquartered in modern Xianyang
Xianyang
Xianyang is a former capital of China in Shaanxi province, on the Wei River, a few kilometers upstream from Xi'an. It has an area of...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
), and Han Jian
Han Jian (Tang Dynasty)
Han Jian , courtesy name Zuoshi , was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who eventually became a subject of the succeeding Later Liang Dynasty...
the military governor of Zhenguo Circuit (鎮國, headquartered in modern Weinan
Weinan
Weinan is a Municipality in the province of Shaanxi, PRC. The Grand Historian Sima Qian was born in Weinan.-Administration:...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
) submitted a contrary proposal — to have Wang Gong made the military governor of Huguo and Wang Ke the military governor of Baoyi — Emperor Zhaozong rejected on the basis that he had already accepted Li Keyong's proposal.
Emperor Zhaozong's rejection of Li Maozhen's, Wang Xingyu's, and Han Jian's proposal brought a violent reaction from them, who marched on the imperial capital Chang'an
Chang'an
Chang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...
and killed the chancellors Li Xi
Li Xi
Li Xi or Li Qi , courtesy name Jingwang , nicknamed Li Shulou , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving briefly as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Zhaozong...
and Wei Zhaodu
Wei Zhaodu
Wei Zhaodu , courtesy name Zhengji , formally the Duke of Qi , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Xizong and Emperor Xizong's brother Emperor Zhaozong...
; they subsequently forced Emperor Zhaozong to issue a new edict moving Wang Gong to Huguo, Wang Xingyu's brother Wang Xingyue (王行約) from Kuangguo Circuit (匡國, also headquartered in modern Weinan) to Baoyi, and Wang Ke to Kuangguo. Meanwhile, Wang Xingyue was attacking Huguo, and Wang Ke sought aid from Li Keyong. Li Keyong, denouncing Li Maozhen, Wang Xingyu, and Han for killing Li Xi and Wei, marched south. When Wang Yao tried to block his path, he captured Jiang Prefecture and executed Wang Yao, and subsequently arrived at Huguo to rendezvous with Wang Ke. He then proceeded toward Jingnan. By the end of the year, Wang Xingyu had been defeated and was killed by his own subordinates in flight; Li Maozhen and Han were forced to sue for peace. Emperor Zhaozong then officially commissioned Wang Ke military governor of Huguo.
As military governor
In 896896
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 gave Wang Ke the honorary chancellor designation of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事).
In 897
897
Year 897 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* Emperor Uda of Japan is succeeded by Emperor Daigo....
, Wang Gong attacked Wang Ke. Wang Ke sought aid from Li Keyong, while Wang Gong sought aid from Li Keyong's archenemy Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit. The Xuanwu forces, commanded by Zhu's generals Zhang Cunjing (張存敬) and Yang Shihou, were initially successful against Huguo forces, but the Hedong relief forces, commanded by Li Keyong's nephew Li Sizhao
Li Sizhao
Li Sizhao , né Han , known at one point as Li Jintong , courtesy name Yiguang , formally the Prince of Longxi , was a major general under Li Keyong and Li Keyong's son and successor Li Cunxu, the princes of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Jin...
, then defeated Baoyi forces and lifted the siege against Huguo.
In 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....
, Wang Ke went to Hedong's capital Taiyuan
Taiyuan
Taiyuan is the capital and largest city of Shanxi province in North China. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 4,201,591 inhabitants on 6959 km² whom 3,212,500 are urban on 1,460 km². The name of the city literally means "Great Plains", referring to the location where the Fen River...
to personally marry Li Keyong's daughter. During his absence from Huguo, Li Sizhao defended the circuit. Later in the year, Emperor Zhaozong bestowed the greater honorary chancellor title of Shizhong (侍中) on him. Later in 898, the Baoyi and Xuanwu forces again attacked Huguo; when Wang Ke sought aid from Hedong, Li Sizhao repelled the Baoyi and Xuanwu forces.
In late 901
901
Year 901 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.- Africa :* Abu 'Abdullah al-Shi'i leads the rebellion of the Kutama Berbers against the Aghlabid emirate in Ifriqiya ....
, Emperor Zhaozong was briefly deposed by a group of powerful eunuchs led by Liu Jishu
Liu Jishu
Liu Jishu was an eunuch late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who, as a powerful commander of the Shence Armies, briefly deposed Emperor Zhaozong in 900 and replaced Emperor Zhaozong with Emperor Zhaozong's son Li Yu, but was soon killed in a countercoup, allowing Emperor Zhaozong to return to...
. Wang Ke, when receiving the news, was incensed at the eunuchs, but before he could launch an army against them, Emperor Zhaozong was restored in a countercoup. Hearing of the emperor's restoration, Wang Ke was the first among military governors to submit tributes to the restored emperor, drawing imperial favor for him.
Defeat and death
Meanwhile, though, the bad blood between Wang Ke and Zhu Quanzhong continued to develop. In particular, after Zhu made a major attack on Yang XingmiYang Xingmi
Yang Xingmi , né Yang Xingmin , courtesy name Huayuan , formally Prince Wuzhong of Wu , later posthumously honored King Xiaowu of Wu then Emperor Wu of Wu with the temple name of Taizu , was a military governor of...
the military governor of Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou
Yangzhou
Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
) but was repelled by Yang, he persuaded Qian Liu
Qian Liu
Qian Liu , courtesy name Jumei , nickname Poliu , formally King Wusu of Wuyue with the temple name of Taizu , was founder and first king of the Kingdom of Wuyue during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, ruling over roughly modern Zhejiang on the east coast of China.- Background :Qian...
the military governor of Zhenhai (鎮海, headquartered in modern Hangzhou
Hangzhou
Hangzhou , formerly transliterated as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. Governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2010, its entire administrative division or prefecture had a registered population of 8.7 million people...
, 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...
) and Zhendong (鎮東, 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...
) Circuits, Zhong Chuan
Zhong Chuan
Zhong Chuan , formally the Prince of Nanping , was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who controlled a large portion of Zhennan Circuit as its military governor for over 20 years.- Background and seizure of Jiangxi :It is not known when Zhong Chuan was...
the military governor of Zhennan Circuit (鎮南, headquartered in modern Nanchang
Nanchang
Nanchang is the capital of Jiangxi Province in southeastern China. It is located in the north-central portion of the province. As it is bounded on the west by the Jiuling Mountains, and on the east by Poyang Lake, it is famous for its scenery, rich history and cultural sites...
, Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
), Du Hong
Du Hong
Du Hong was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who controlled Wuchang Circuit from 886 to 905...
the military governor of Wuchang Circuit (武昌, headquartered in modern Wuhan
Wuhan
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...
, Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
), and Wang Shifan
Wang Shifan
Wang Shifan was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who ruled Pinglu Circuit from 889 to 905...
the military governor of Pinglu Circuit (平盧, headquartered in modern Weifang
Weifang
Weifang is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It borders Dongying to the northwest, Zibo to the west, Linyi to the southwest, Rizhao to the south, Qingdao to the east, and looks out to the Laizhou Bay to the north.-History:Weifang is a historical city...
, Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
) to accuse Yang of aggression against them and request Emperor Zhaozong to appoint Zhu the commander of an operation against Yang. Wang Ke reacted by jointly submitting a petition with Li Keyong, Wang Rong
Wang Rong
Wang Rong , style name Junchong , was a politician of the Jin Dynasty period of Chinese history.Wang Rong served under Jin as the 3rd East General. Wang Rong participated during the final conquest of Eastern Wu, where he led his army as far as to that of Wuchang...
the military governor of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang
Shijiazhuang
Shijiazhuang is the capital and largest city of North China's Hebei province. Administratively a prefecture-level city, it is about south of Beijing...
, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
) and Wang Gao
Wang Gao
Wang Gao was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who controlled Yiwu Circuit after succeeding his father Wang Chucun in 895 until his defeat in 900.- Background and governance of Yiwu :...
the military governor of Yiwu Circuit (義武, headquartered in modern Baoding
Baoding
-Administrative divisions:Baoding prefecture-level city consists of 3 municipal districts, 4 county-level cities, 18 counties:-Demographics:The Baoding urban area has a population of around 1,006,000 . The population of the Baoding administrative area is 10,890,000. The considerable majority are...
, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
) accusing Zhu of aggression against them and asking that Yang be appointed the commander of an operation against Zhu. This allowed Emperor Zhaozong to decline both petitions. Meanwhile, by 901
901
Year 901 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.- Africa :* Abu 'Abdullah al-Shi'i leads the rebellion of the Kutama Berbers against the Aghlabid emirate in Ifriqiya ....
, Li Keyong had suffered defeats that caused his strength to wane, allowing Zhu to start reconsider another campaign to conquer Wang Ke's domain as a step in ultimately defeating Li Keyong. He stated to his generals:
Zhu then launched his attack, with he himself heading toward Huguo's capital Hezhong Municipality (河中), while sending Zhang Cunjing to attack Jin (晉州, in modern Linfen
Linfen
-Administrative divisions:The prefecture-level city of Linfen is divided in one district, two cities and fourteen counties. The information here presented uses the metric system and data from 2010 Census.-Pollution:...
, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
) and Jiang Prefectures to cut off any path of aid that Li Keyong might send. Jin and Jiang Prefectures were caught by surprise, and their prefects, Tao Jianzhao (陶建釗) and Zhang Hanyu (張漢瑜) quickly surrendered, allowing Zhu to cut off communications between Hezhong and Hedong Circuit. Meanwhile, Emperor Zhaozong, receiving words of the attack, tried to intervene by issuing an edict calling for peaceful resolution; Zhu ignored the edict. Li Keyong, receiving repeated calls for help from Wang Ke and Wang Ke's wife Lady Li but hearing that the Jin/Jiang path had been cut off, did not launch a relief force; instead, he suggested to Wang Ke that he abandon Huguo and flee to Chang'an. Wang Ke also sent request to Li Maozhen for aid, offering that, if Li Maozhen could repel Zhu, he would offer Huguo to Li Maozhen. Li Maozhen did not respond.
Unable to withstand Zhu's attack, Wang Ke tried to flee across the Yellow River
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...
toward Chang'an, but it happened that the bridge across the Yellow River was unusable at that time due to ice damage. With the morale of his troops low, Wang Ke decided to surrender. Trying to appease the Huguo people, Zhu declined Wang Ke's offer of surrendering in a ceremony in which Wang Ke, as the defeated, would bare his upper body, bind his own hands, and bring sheep out of the city; rather, under Zhu's direction, Wang Ke exited the city in full formal clothing, and was referred to as "Master" by Zhu. (Zhu had previously honored Wang Chongrong as an uncle because Wang Chongrong had been the one accepting his allegiance to Tang when he turned against the agrarian rebel Huang Chao
Huang Chao
Huang Chao was the leader of the Huang Chao Rebellion , known in mainland China as the Huang Chao Revolution in China that seriously weakened the once mighty Tang Dynasty of China...
and surrendered to Tang, and because Zhu's mother was surnamed Wang as well.)
After Wang Ke's surrender, Zhu commissioned Zhang as the acting military governor of Huguo, while relocating Wang Ke and his family to Xuanwu's capital Bian Prefecture (汴州). However, Zhu continued to be suspicious of Wang Ke due to Wang Ke's marriage to Li Keyong's daughter. He therefore sent Wang Ke on a journey to Chang'an to pay homage to the emperor, but sent assassins to kill Wang when he reached Zhenguo.