Wang Shizhen (王士真) (759–809), formally Prince Jingxiang of Qinghe (清河景襄王), was a general of the Chinese Tang dynasty who served as a military governor (jiedushi) of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei) and ruled it in a de facto independent manner from the imperial regime.
Thereafter, Li Weiyue and the rulers of three other allied circuits—Li Na, whom Emperor Dezong similarly refused to allow to inherit his father Li Zhengji's position as military governor of Pinglu Circuit (平盧, headquartered in modern Tai'an, Shandong) upon the latter's death the same year; Tian Yue, the military governor of Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei); and Liang Chongyi, the military governor of Shannan East Circuit (山南東道, headquartered in modern Xiangfan, Hubei) prepared for war against the imperial government.
Meanwhile, Zhu Tao, the acting military governor of Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing) attacked Li Weiyue from the north and was quickly able to persuade two key Chengde officers, Zhang Xiaozhong, the prefect of Yi Prefecture (易州, in modern Shijiazhuang) and Kang Rizhi (康日知) the prefect of Zhao Prefecture (趙州, in modern Shijiazhuang), to turn their respective prefectures against Li Weiyue.
Wang Wujun was glad to leave Heng Prefecture, and once he exited the city, initially wanted to flee to Zhang.
He made a surprise attack against Heng Prefecture, and Wang Shizhen and Xie opened the city gates to welcome him.
[1][3] After the insurrection was quelled, Emperor Dezong divided Chengde's seven prefectures into three smaller circuits: Zhang Xiaozhong received three prefectures and the title of military governor of the newly created Yidingcang Circuit (易定滄, headquartered in modern Baoding, Hebei, later renamed Yiwu Circuit (義武)), while Wang Wujun and Kang Rizhi received two prefectures each with the lesser titles of military prefect (團練使, Tuanlianshi), of Hengji (恆冀) and Shenzhao (深趙, both headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang).
This displeased both Zhu Tao and Wang—as Zhu had wanted Emperor Dezong to give him Shen Prefecture (深州, in modern Hengshui, Hebei), which went to Kang instead (Emperor Dezong gave Zhu two prefectures on paper, De (德州, in modern Dezhou, Shandong) and Di (棣州, in modern Binzhou, Shandong), both then still held by Li Na), and Wang believed that Emperor Dezong had reneged on the promise to reward him with the positions that Li Weiyue had wanted.
At the suggestion of Zhu's staff member Li Ziqian (李子千) and Wang's staff member Zheng Ru (鄭濡), they decided to each claim a princely title to show independence from imperial authority, but keep Tang's era name in order not to completely break from Tang.
[6] It was said that Wang Shizhen, while serving his father in the campaigns, suffered much difficulty, and that after he became military governor, he was interested in being restful and peaceful.