Wang Lang (Cao Wei)
Wang Lang | |
|---|---|
| 王朗 | |
Minister of Works (司空) | |
| In office 11 December 220 – January or February 227 | |
| Monarch | Cao Pi |
| Succeeded by | Chen Qun |
| Grandee Secretary (御史大夫) (in Cao Pi's vassal kingdom) | |
| In office 6 April – 11 December 220 | |
| Monarch | Emperor Xian of Han |
| Chancellor | Cao Pi |
| Grand Judge (大理) (in Cao Cao's vassal kingdom) | |
| In office ?–? | |
| Monarch | Emperor Xian of Han |
| Chancellor | Cao Cao |
| Minister of Imperial Ancestral Ceremonies (奉常) (in Cao Cao's vassal kingdom) | |
| In office ?–? | |
| Monarch | Emperor Xian of Han |
| Chancellor | Cao Cao |
| Minister Steward (少府) (in Cao Cao's vassal kingdom) | |
| In office ?–? | |
| Monarch | Emperor Xian of Han |
| Chancellor | Cao Cao |
| Administrator of Kuaiji (會稽太守) | |
| In office 192–196 | |
| Monarch | Emperor Xian of Han |
| Succeeded by | Sun Ce |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Wang Yan (王嚴) Tancheng County, Shandong |
| Died | c.December 228[a] |
| Children |
|
| Occupation | Politician, warlord |
| Courtesy name | Jingxing (景興) |
| Posthumous name | Marquis Cheng (成侯) |
| Peerage | Marquis of Lanling (蘭陵侯) |
Wang Lang (
Early life and career
Wang Lang was from Tan County (郯縣),
As a warlord
During Wang Lang's tenure as Administrator of Kuaiji Commandery, Wang Lang banned the worship of Qin Shi Huang, a widespread custom among locals, believing that he was a ruler without virtue.[5] Wang also formed a secret alliance with the Shanyue tribes. When the warlord Sun Ce started his Jiangdong campaign, Wang Lang financed the Shanyue leader Yan Baihu to fight Sun Ce, but Yan Baihu and the other Shanyue clan leaders lost to Sun Ce; at the time, Liu Yao, another warlord in the Jiangdong region, had also lost to Sun Ce in battle. Yan Baihu had become the head of a loose confederation composed of bandits and local officials, including Wang Lang, and he again gathered soldiers numbering tens of thousands. Despite opposition from his adviser Yu Fan, Wang Lang directly joined Yan Baihu in military operations against Sun Ce's forces, but they were defeated.
Wang Lang then escaped to Dongye (東冶). There, he gained the support from the Chief of Houguan (侯官長) and attempted to rebuild his power[6] with support from Zhang Ya (張雅), a rebel leader with a strong army. They succeeded in killing Han Yan (韓晏), the Commandant of the Southern Region (南部都尉) appointed by Sun Ce, but were ultimately defeated by He Qi, a general under Sun Ce.
Wang Lang tried to go further south to
Service in Wei
Despite surrendering, Wang Lang entered into a self-imposed retirement from public life, refusing
In 226, when Cao Rui came to the throne, he promoted Wang Lang from a district marquis to a county marquis under the title "Marquis of Lanling", increasing his marquisate to 1,700 taxable households, from his previous 1,200.
Wang Lang was later sent to
, Cao Rui's mother. She had yet to be canonized as Empress at that point, so Wang Lang was given the tally and document that permitted him to do so, as well as the proper sacrificial animals for this. A special tomb was to be built for her as well. During his visit, he saw the populace was short on material; thus, he wrote to advise Cao Rui to be frugal, and to reduce the scale of the building of his extravagant palaces and ancestral temples. Wang Lang was later promoted to the position of Minister over the Masses.Late life and death
After Wang Lang objected to Cao Rui's palace-building project, he noticed that Cao Rui had a small imperial harem and wrote to Cao Rui stating that an emperor should have more concubines in order to continue the imperial bloodline with more offspring. This time, Cao Rui wholeheartedly agreed with Wang Lang and started expanding the size of his imperial harem. Wang's advice had a profound influence: Nine years after Wang Lang's death, Cao Rui even ordered beautiful married women all be formally seized unless their husbands were able to ransom them, and that they would be married to soldiers instead – except that the most beautiful among them would become his concubines. Despite protests from some officials, this decree was apparently carried out, much to the distress of his people.[citation needed]
Wang Lang later focused on academic works and had published several books that were well received at the time. He died in 228 and was given the posthumous title "Marquis Cheng" (成侯), literally meaning "marquis of establishment".[b] He was succeeded by his son Wang Su, who continued serving as an official in Wei.
In Romance of the Three Kingdoms
In the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Wang Lang died at the age of 76 in 228. Despite his age, he led a group of soldiers and set up camp to do battle with Zhuge Liang. In the novel, Cao Zhen was defeated by Zhuge Liang. Cao Zhen called for his subordinates to help, and Wang Lang decided to try to persuade him to surrender (even though Guo Huai was sceptical that it would succeed) and engaged Zhuge Liang in a debate, but was soundly defeated. Zhuge Liang among other things scolded him as a dog and a traitor, from the shock of which he fell off his horse and died on the spot. There is no record of this in history, and instead, it is said that he merely sent a letter to Zhuge Liang recommending that he surrender. The letter was ignored.
Legacy
A famous story of Wang Lang was recorded in A New Account of the Tales of the World:
Both Hua Xin and Wang Lang were fleeing in a boat. One person hoped to board, but Hua Xin was hesitant. Wang Lang said:" Fortunately the boat is still spacious. Why not?" Later, the bandits pursuing them approached, and Wang wanted to abandon the person whom they took along. Hua Xin said: "This is why I was originally hesitant. Now that we have accepted his entrustment of himself, can we abandon him because of emergency?" Therefore they carried and saved him as before. This is how people determined who is better between Hua and Wang.
— Volume 1. Virtuous Conduct, A New Account of the Tales of the World [10]
See also
Notes
- ^ a b Cao Rui's biography in the Sanguozhi recorded that Wang Lang died in the 11th month of the 2nd year of the Taihe era of Cao Rui's reign.[1] This month corresponds to 14 December 228 to 12 January 229 in the Gregorian calendar.
- ^ A person who helped to establish a regime or gave comfort to the civilians could be given the posthumous name "Cheng." Wang Lang qualified for the first provision due to his contributions to the establishment of the Cao Wei regime. The rules of assigning posthumous names are detailed in the Lost Book of Zhou.[9]
References
- ^ ([太和二年]十一月，司徒王朗薨。) Sanguozhi vol. 3.
- ^ de Crespigny (2007), p. 823.
- ^ (魏略曰：朗本名嚴，后改為朗。) Weilue annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 13.
- ^ Yang Ci was Yang Xiu's grandfather and Minister of Works at the time of his death. According to Emperor Ling's biography in Book of the Later Han, Yang Ci died on the gengyin day of the 10th month of the 2nd year of the Zhong'ping era. However, there was no gengyin day in that month, which corresponds to 10 Nov to 9 Dec 185 in the Julian calendar.
- Sanguozhi vol. 13 by Pei Songzhi.
- ^ (時王朗奔東冶，侯官長商升為朗起兵。) Sanguozhi vol. 60.
- ^ ((王郎)欲走交州，為兵所逼，遂詣軍降。) Xiandi Chunqiu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 13.
- ^ (魏國初建，以軍祭酒領魏郡太守，遷少府、奉常、大理。) Sanguozhi vol. 13.
- ^ (安民立政曰成。) Yizhoushu.
- ^ 華歆、王朗俱乘船避難，有一人欲依附，歆輒難之。朗曰：「幸尚寬，何為不可？」後賊追至，王欲舍所攜人。歆曰：「本所以疑，正為此耳。既已納其自託，寧可以急相棄邪？」遂攜拯如初。世以此定華、王之優劣。
- Chen, Shou (3rd century). Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi).
- ISBN 978-90-04-15605-0.
- Luo, Guanzhong (14th century). Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguo Yanyi).
- Pei, Songzhi (5th century). Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi zhu).