Wang Rong (warlord)
[6] By that point, the Tang empire had fallen into a state of confusion, with the military governors of the circuits attacking each other and seizing each other's territory.
(Indeed, it was said that both Wang Rong and Luo Hongxin the military governor of Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei) viewed Hedong as a guard against expansion of imperial power and therefore refused to contribute troops and supplies to the war effort, contributing to Zhang's subsequent defeat by Li Keyong.
[11] In 895, Emperor Zhaozong bestowed on Wang the honorary chancellor title of Shizhong (侍中).
[12] In 897, when an attack by Li Maozhen the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi) forced Emperor Zhaozong to flee from Chang'an to Kuangguo Circuit (匡國, headquartered in modern Weinan, Shaanxi), then governed by Han Jian, Li Keyong wanted to start a campaign to aid the emperor, and therefore wrote Wang Rong and Wang Chucun's son and successor Wang Gao to request them to contribute to the campaign.
Later that year, Emperor Zhaozong gave Wang the honorary chancellor title of Zhongshu Ling (中書令).
[14] After Wang Rong agreed to become Zhu Quanzhong's vassal, another assistant of his, Zhang Ze (張澤), pointed out that Yiwu and Lulong remained affiliated with Hedong (as, despite the earlier formal break from Li Keyong, Liu Rengong and Li Keyong had assisted each other when under attack from Zhu), and that Chengde needed to continue to worry about a joint attack by all of those circuits.
Zhu was pleased, and he sent his general Zhang Cunjing (張存敬) north to attack Lulong and Yichang first, capturing Ying (瀛州), Jing (景州), and Mo (莫州) (all in modern Cangzhou) Prefectures.
However, after Zhang's path north toward You Prefecture was blocked by flooding, he attacked Yiwu to the west instead.
Soon thereafter, however, Du and Ding seized the controls of Shen and Ji Prefectures, respectively, slaughtered the remaining Wushun soldiers therein, and built up the defenses to wait for the arrival for the main Later Liang imperial forces commanded by the general Wang Jingren.
Wang ordered Shi to attack the Later Liang forces, but could not recapture the two prefectures quickly.
From this point on, Wushun (which then changed its name back to Chengde) and Yiwu renounced their loyalty to Later Liang and restored their use of the Tang dynasty era name of Tianyou (which Jin, as well as two other states that did not recognize Later Liang imperial authority (Qi and Wu), also used), and in effect became completely independent polities.
[19] Meanwhile, though, Later Liang's Emperor Taizu, believing reports from his astrologers that for Wang Jingren to quickly advance would bring ill fortune, briefly recalled Wang Jingren, reordering him to advance toward Zhen Prefecture only after receiving reports that Jin forces had arrived at Zhao's Zhao Prefecture (趙州, in modern Shijiazhuang).
Hearing of Wang Jingren's defeat, Du Tingyin and Ding Yanhui abandoned Shen and Ji, taking the mature adults of the two prefectures with them and slaughtering the remaining population.
Li Cunxu gave chase, going as far as briefly putting Weibo's capital Wei Prefecture (魏州) under siege, but, concerned that Liu Shouguang would attack him from the rear, withdrew and returned to Zhao.
[19] Subsequently, Liu Shouguang, hearing of Later Liang's defeat, was considering claiming imperial title himself.
Faced with this, the Later Liang emperor tried to keep Liu at least nominally a vassal by offering him the title of Caifangshi (采訪使).
He captured the Zhao city of Zaoqiang (棗強, in modern Hengshui) and slaughtered the population.
(During Li Cunxu's visit to Zhen Prefecture on the victory march, at Wang Rong's request, Li Cunxu briefly released Liu Shouguang and Liu Rengong from their stockades and allowed Wang Rong to hold a feast with them as guests.)
Li Cunxu accepted it, and subsequently began to organize an acting imperial government pursuant to Emperor Taizong's precedent while he was Prince of Qin.
[21] In summer 914, Wang Rong and Zhou jointly attacked Xing Prefecture, but after initial setbacks against Yang, withdrew.
[21] As the years went by, it was said that Wang Rong took the loyalty of the Zhao people for granted, and he lived luxuriously, building many manors and gardens for his enjoyment.
The expenditures increased greatly, and the people began to suffer under heavy tax burdens.
Wang agreed, and therefore decided to stay at the manor without stating when he would return to Zhen Prefecture.
Li Honggui thereafter had the officer Su Hanheng (蘇漢衡) take Wang Rong's guard soldiers into the manor to state their grievances.
Wang Zhaozuo, however, alienated the soldiers by being arrogant and harsh, including killing many of Li Honggui's associates.
At that time, Wang Rong happened to be making sacrifices in a Taoist ceremony, and two soldiers rushed in and cut off his head.
The officer Zhang Youshun (張友順) then went to Wang Deming's mansion, urging him to take over the circuit.
Li Cunxu's initial reaction was wanting to attack Zhang, but his staff members persuaded him to commission Zhang the acting military governor of Chengde to avoid having to fight wars on two fronts, so Li Cunxu initially did so.
Zhang Chujin initially was able to hold out against Jin forces, but by fall 922 Zhen Prefecture had fallen.
[8] (Wang Zhaohui had escaped the slaughter after being hidden and protected by some soldiers loyal to Wang Rong, but did not reveal his identity until years later, during the reign of Li Siyuan, who succeeded Li Cunxu; he married Fu's daughter and would eventually have a civil service career that lasted at least to the time of Later Zhou.
