In Luo Guanzhong's Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Wang Lang should be an impressive character, and the reason is because of the verbal sword between him and Zhuge Liang. During the Northern Expedition of Zhuge Liang, the Shu Han chancellor, Wang Lang, despite his seventy-six-year-old age, confronted Zhuge Liang at Mount Qi with Cao Zhen and others. Before the battle, he provoked a tongue battle with Zhuge Liang, but was refuted by Zhuge Liang's words, and fell off his horse in a moment of anger and died. It is known as "Marquis Wuxiang cursed Wang Lang".
Of course, this is different from the situation in the canonical history such as the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. For Wang Lang in the history, when Cao Pi succeeded to the throne, he moved to Yushi Dafu and was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Anlingting. After the establishment of Cao Wei, Wang Lang changed his position to Sikong and became the Marquis of Leping Township. After Cao Rui succeeded to the throne, Wang Lang Daihuaxin was made a Situ and made the Marquis of Lanling. In the second year of Taihe (228), Wang Lang died with the courtesy name "Cheng". For Wang Lang, who was in Cao Wei's official to Situ, he did not have the experience of direct confrontation with Zhuge Liang. So, the question is, Wang Lang was in Cao Wei to "Situ", how big an official position was this?
One
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, after Wang Lang arrived at Xudu, he was first appointed by Cao Cao as a counselor and participated in the military. In the eighteenth year of Jian'an (213), the State of Wei was established, and Wang Lang led the Wei Commandery Taishou as a military priest. In the first year of Yankang (220), Cao Pi (Emperor Wen of Wei) succeeded him as The Prince of Wei, and Wang Lang moved to the post of Imperial Grand Master and was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Anlingting. In the first year of Taihe (227), the Wei Ming Emperor Cao Rui ascended the throne, and Wang Lang was made the Marquis of Lanling and promoted to Situ.
Because he died a year later, he became Wang Lang's highest official position in Cao Wei. For the official position of Situ, it can be said that zhuge Liang's position as chancellor is not lost. Situ is an important official name in ancient history, evolved from the Zhou Li local official Situ.
The Book of Han and the Hundred Officials and Secretaries of State: "Xiang Guo, Xiang Xiang, all Qin officials... In the second year of Emperor Yuanshou's reign, he changed his name to Grand Situ. The Book of the Later Han Dynasty: "Situ, Gong Yiren." Note: In charge of people's affairs... The ancestor of the world is on the throne, for the Great Situ, Jianwu for two or seven years, to go to the 'great'. ”
In the second year of the Han Dynasty (1 BC), emperor YuanShou changed his name to Grand Situ, and in the Eastern Han Dynasty, he changed his name to Situ.
Two
From this, it is very obvious that during the Han Dynasty, Situ once replaced the chancellor as a person in charge of the administration of the dynasty. For example, Liu Xiu was called empress dowager, and Deng Yu was made the Grand Situ and the Marquis of Fu. For Deng Yu, it was the first of the twenty-eight generals of Yuntai, and this undoubtedly reflected the prominent position of Situ in the history of the Han Dynasty. In the Three Kingdoms period at the end of the Han Dynasty, Situ was called the Three Dukes together with Sikong and Taiwei. The Three Dukes are the combined names of the three most prestigious official positions in ancient times. During the Qin Dynasty, Tai Wei, Cheng Xiang, and Yu Shi Dafu were the three dukes.
During the Three Kingdoms period at the end of the Han Dynasty, the official positions of the Three Dukes changed, with Situ, Taiwei, and Sikong as the Three Dukes. Therefore, for Wang Lang, who held the position of Situ, he was naturally an extremely popular subject. Of course, in Cao Wei, there were still several official positions slightly higher than those held by Wang Lang, such as the three official positions of Great General, Grand Sima and Taifu, whose status was above that of Situ. At that time, Cao Wei took the great general, the great sima and the taifu as the upper dukes, and the status was still above the three dukes, such as Cao Zhen and Cao Xiu, who successively served as the great general and the great sima and sima and sima yi, and Sima Yi was the official to the taifu.
Three
However, no matter what, Wang Lang, as Cao Wei Situ, could already be called a courtier, that is, the official position of Situ, which was completely comparable to that of Xiang Xiang. In addition to the Great General, the Great Sima and the Taifu, Situ's status was naturally higher than that of other civil and military officials. Of course, this is only in terms of status, in terms of real power, Wang Lang's Situ was more inclined to a virtual position during the Wei and Jin dynasties, that is, his status was very high, but he did not hold much real power. Further, this is mainly to give some old ministers and meritorious officials promotion.
For example, before Wang Lang, as a strategist under Cao Cao, Hua Xin was promoted to Situ by the Wei Emperor Cao Pi after 220 AD. After Wang Lang, Zhong Hui was promoted to Situ by Sima Zhao for his military achievements in destroying Shu Han. Of course, for Zhong Hui, although Situ has a prominent official position, he is actually rising and falling, that is, indirectly seizing the military power of Zhong Hui. In the same way, after the Battle of Wei and Shu, Deng Ai was promoted to taiwei, which was also a prominent official position that favored false positions. Based on this, for Wang Lang, the official position of Situ is also an affirmation and reward for his many years of merit.
Four
Finally, compared with Wang Lang's situ, Zhuge Liang's position as chancellor in Shu Han was an official position with real power, that is, the power to run the government. Moreover, in the history of the Shu Han Dynasty, there was also a Situ, which was Xu Jing. In the twenty-third year of Jian'an (218), Liu Bei proclaimed himself the King of Hanzhong and appointed Xu Jing as the Prince of Hanzhong. In the first year of Zhang Wu's reign (221), Liu Bei declared himself emperor and appointed Xu Jing as a Situ, ranking third duke. For Xu Jing, there was a real existence in the Shu Han Dynasty, that is, it was very famous, but there was almost no real power. Of course, for Wang Lang, Cao Wei still has a certain right to speak. For example, Cao Pi often went out hunting and sometimes returned to the palace in the middle of the night. Wang Lang then went to the court to advise, and Cao Pi did not return to the palace in the middle of the night. For example, when the Battle of Yiling broke out between Shu Han and Eastern Wu, Wang Lang's opinion was valued by The Wei Emperor Cao Pi.
In addition, Wang Lang was knowledgeable and annotated Confucian classics, and was very famous in the historical stage of Wei and Jin. In December of the sixth year (246), the Wei court used Wang Lang's "Biography of Zhou Yi" as the content that those who studied "Yi" must be examined. That is, Wang Lang in the history of Zhengzheng, not only rose through the ranks of the Cao Wei court, but also a great Confucian with real talent and practical learning. Later generations referred to the ideas in Wang Lang's commentary as "Wang Xue". Wang Langzi Wang Su is the representative figure of "Wang Xue". Therefore, Chen Shou commented in the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms": "Wang Langwen is rich and wealthy, and he is sincere and handsome. Wei Shi Chu Zuo, Zhaodeng Sansi, Sheng Yifu! And this is undoubtedly an affirmation and appreciation of Wang Lang's talent.