His family had controlled Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei, the later basis for the Zhao state) for generations, by the time of his birth.
That year, Chengde came under the attack of the major warlord Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan), Wang Rong sued for peace by offering a large tribute of colored silk to Zhu, and also offered Wang Zhaozuo and the sons or brothers of key Chengde officers as hostages to show his intent to submit to Zhu.
He thus had his attendants Du Tingyin (杜廷隱) and Ding Yanhui (丁延徽) seize Wushun's Shen (深州) and Ji (冀州, both in modern Hengshui, Hebei) Prefectures by trick and commissioned the major general Wang Jingren to prepare a full attack on the two circuits to seize them.
When Li Cunxu, against the advice of some of his generals, decided to aid Wang Rong, he dismissed Princess Puning's presence there (which the generals opposing the action cited as possibly showing that Wang Rong was intending trickery on Later Liang's behalf) as inconsequential.
[6] In 920, Wang Rong, who had become accustomed to luxurious living, alienated his army by spending too much time at his vacation home in the mountains west of Zhao's capital Zhen Prefecture (鎮州).