Wang Jun (252 – 4 April 314[2]), courtesy name Pengzu, was a military general and warlord who lived during the Western Jin dynasty of China.
However among claims of imperial ambitions and corruption, he clashed not only with northern tribal powers but also his Jin dynasty rival Liu Kun the Inspector of Bingzhou, before his final defeat and death at the hands of Shi Le, who had previously won Wang Jun's trust.
Sima Ying was particularly frustrated at Wang Jun's actions and considered attacking him but decided not to due to more pressing issues.
Sima Ying appointed his trusted subordinate, He Yan (和演), as Inspector of Youzhou with orders to assassinate Wang Jun.
He Yan colluded with the Wuhuan Chanyu, Shen Deng (審登), and when the two travelled with Wang Jun to Qingquan (清泉; south of present-day Beijing), they agreed to have him killed there.
Wang Jun brought along Duan Wuwuchen and a Wuhuan chieftain, Jiezhu (羯朱), and allied with the Inspector of Bingzhou, Sima Teng.
Wang Jun later had Qi Hong lead his elite Xianbei and Wuhuan charging cavalry to serve in Sima Yue's vanguard.
In June 306, Qi Hong and others entered Chang'an, and Wang Jun's Xianbei troops sacked the city, leaving 20,000 dead in their wake.
[10] After Emperor Hui returned to Luoyang, Wang Jun became Grand General of Agile Cavalry, Commander over the eastern tribes and the military affairs of Hebei, and acting Inspector of Youzhou for his contributions.
Previously in 304, the Xiongnu nobleman, Liu Yuan, established his state of Han-Zhao and began a conquest of northern China.
In 308, the Han general, Shi Le, attacked Changshan (常山; around present-day Shijiazhuang, Hebei) but was defeated by Wang Jun.
The following year, Shi Le invaded Changshan again, but Wang Jun routed him at Mount Feilong (飛龍山, in present-day Xinzhou, Shanxi).
In 312, Han's city of Yuanxiang (苑鄕, in present-day Hebei and Beijing) surrendered to Wang Jun, prompting Shi Le to lay siege on it.
Later, Shi Le invaded Shangbai (上白; in present-day Guangzong County, Hebei) and killed Li Yun, so Wang Jun appointed Bao Sheng (薄盛) as the new Inspector of Qingzhou.
As Wang Jun's influence continued to diminish, the Wuhuan leaders, Shen Guang (審廣), Jian Shang (漸裳) and Hao Xi (郝襲), all secretly defected to Shi Le's side.
Wang Jun also began to neglect political affairs, leaving them in the hands of his corrupted officials such as Zao Song, Zhu Shuo (朱碩) and Tan Heng (貪橫).
At the advice of Zhang Bin, Shi Le pretended to appear weak, sending gifts and offering his surrender to Wang Jun through a letter in 313.
As Wang Jun needed a talented figure after losing most of his subordinates at the time, he was delighted by his surrender and accepted it doubtlessly.
When presented with an elk whisk by Wang Jun, Shi Le pretended to be afraid to grasp it and instead hung it on a wall to show his respect for him.
Before arriving at Jicheng, Shi Le killed You Tong's brother You Lun (游綸) when passing at Bairen (柏人; in present-day Xingtai, Hebei) to prevent the plan from leaking.
Shi Le responded by chastising Wang Jun for his disloyalty to the Jin imperial family and ignoring the plea of his subjects.
Shi Le even stated that Wang Jun had abundant food in his granary but refused to distribute it to those affected by natural disasters.
Apart from details of Hua Fang, the epitaph also contains information of Wang Jun and his life, casting them in a positive light that contrasts the presentation of him in historical records.