Preface
In Chinese history, there are many remarkable figures, and Wang Rong is undoubtedly one of them. His life was full of ups and downs and was full of legends. As a gifted teenager, he maneuvered between Liang and Jin, surviving with extraordinary wisdom and courage.
However, as he grew older, his life gradually moved towards mediocrity and depravity in his later years. In the end, he was brutally killed for his pursuit of comfort, ending this legendary life.
The story of Wang Rong is not only the rise and fall of a person, but also the epitome of an era in Chinese history. What kind of life is this? Let's walk into the legendary story of Wang Rong to explore how he groped his way forward in the troubled times, and how he finally couldn't escape the fate of sinking?
Family inheritance - young Wang Rong
In the late Tang Dynasty rivers and lakes, located in the middle of Hebei, the Chengde army festival made Wang Rong stand out. His family history dates back to the Anshi Rebellion, when his ancestors were Uighurs who served as cavalry generals in Zhenzhou (present-day Zhengding, Hebei).
Relying on the power and prestige accumulated by his family's long-term operation in the Heshuo area, Wang Rong successfully took over the position of the Jiedu envoy of the Chengde Army at the age of ten. This talented and intelligent heir to power began to survive in the troubled times and became a different kind of legend in the late Tang Dynasty.
He has to face external military pressure, but also need to carefully maneuver in the midst of power, constantly seeking space for survival. As a feudal town that has been stable for half a century, Chengdejun has always been the confidant of the imperial court.
Wang Rong's grandfather, Wang Jingchong, is a typical example, he was favored by Emperor Wenzong at that time during his reign, and also married Princess Shou'an, the daughter of Wenzong, and the family status can be described as ascending. When Wang Jingchong was in charge of the Chengde army, he was also ordered to go south many times to participate in the suppression of civil strife, showing loyalty and bravery, and won the trust of the imperial court.
It was this prestige and strength accumulated by the family in Hebei that laid a solid foundation for Wang Rong, who was only ten years old, to ascend the throne. In the face of troubled times, his life path seemed to be smooth sailing, but soon many obstacles appeared.
The way to survive - to deal with the focus of attention
Assassinated by Lee Converse
In 893 AD, when Wang Rong was only 17 years old, he was confronted with a jaw-dropping assassination plot. At that time, Youzhou Jiedu made Li Congwei send troops to the Chengde army many times to support Wang Rong against the two major forces of Liang and Jin from the south. Undoubtedly, Li Congwei's support for Wang Rong is indispensable, and Wang Rong is naturally grateful to him.
However, on an occasion to receive Li Congwei, Wang Rong not only did not receive the respect he deserved, but was abducted by Li Congwei's men. In the face of the sudden crisis, the young Wang Rong did not panic at all, but responded calmly, sincerely expressed his gratitude to Li Congwei, and was willing to give way on the spot.
Just as the two of them were walking back to the palace side by side, suddenly heavy rain and thunder and lightning fell, and a mysterious figure with a burly figure and strange appearance appeared. This person was a "Kunlun slave" named "Mo Junhe", he saw Wang Rong's situation, and rushed forward with great righteousness and awe-inspiring to knock down Li Congwei's men, picked up Wang Rong and fled quickly.
This assassination made Wang Rong understand the key to survival - to be good at using resources from all sides, and to respond to crises with flexibility and resourcefulness. The family's traditional influence in Hebei is important, but at the same time, it needs the support of external forces. As a result, Wang Rong began to cautiously seek a balance between the two major forces of Liang and Jin.
Survive in Liang Jin
With the rise of the two new warlords, Zhu Wen and Li Keyong, it was clear that the status of the Hebei feudal towns was gradually declining. The Chengde army, which is in the middle of the two major forces, is facing the dilemma of being caught in the middle and suffering from a double threat. Wang Rong had to go between the Liang and Jin families to seek self-preservation.
In the beginning, Wang's strategy was to make as many overtures as possible to the two powerful warlords. For example, when Li Keyong conquered Xingzhou, Wang Rong often supplied grain and grass; Later, when the Liang army attacked Zhending, he also sent the eloquent judge Zhou Shi to skillfully deal with Zhu Wen. Through this technique, Wang Rong temporarily avoided a direct attack on Chengde's army.
But this trade-off strategy is ultimately not sustainable. When Li Keyong was still eyeing Wang Rong after the victory, Wang Rong's efforts could not achieve any tangible results. As someone put it, such an approach is "useless" in front of the ambitious Shatuo man Li Keyong.
After that, Wang Rong could only rely on external forces to barely maintain the position of the German army. Fortunately, he found Li Congwei, the envoy of Youzhou Jiedu, as a backer. Beginning in 892, whenever the Liang army came to attack, Wang Rong would hurriedly ask Li Congwei for help, and Li Congwei never refused. In this way, through the regular assistance of Li Congwei, the Cheng German army was able to temporarily get out of danger.
But this dependency is also fraught with pitfalls. As mentioned earlier, the young Wang Rong eventually encountered a conspiracy from Li Congwei. This benefactor had his eyes on him and tried to seize control of the German army. Fortunately, Wang Rong was able to get out of danger thanks to his resourceful response.
After this incident, Wang Rong became more cautious about the Liang and Jin forces, and no longer dared to rely too much on any party. He began to try to maintain a delicate balance between the two groups. For example, when there was a conflict with Zhu Wen, Wang Rong once again skillfully resolved it, and even the two families established a kinship through a marriage alliance.
However, this balancing act is ultimately a stopgap measure. After all, the German army is caught between two major forces, and it can neither confront either side, nor can it maintain security for a long time. Wang Rong knew that as long as one side of the force occupied an overwhelming advantage, it would inevitably pose a direct existential threat to himself.
Turning to the back of Tang, the crisis reappeared
In fact, Wang Rong's hunch soon became a reality. In 910 AD, Zhu Wen of Later Liang finally crushed his opponent Wei Bo's army and began to march northward, apparently intending to annex the Cheng German army.
Zhu Wen once again asked Wang Rong to completely surrender to him. However, this time, Cheng Dejun's old friend Li Congwei has fallen into civil strife and can no longer continue to help. Wang Rong had no choice but to pin his hopes on Li Cunqiao in the Later Tang Dynasty.
Wang Rong anxiously asked Li Cunmiao for help, and the young monarch of the Later Tang Dynasty naturally would not miss the opportunity to annex the German army. He personally led a large army to the north and won a great victory with the Liang army in the Battle of Baixiang. This battle not only consolidated the position of the Later Tang Dynasty in Hebei, but also completely changed the fate of Wang Rong.
From then on, Wang Rong became more dependent on the Later Tang Dynasty. Li Cunmiao had great respect for him, and even promised to marry his daughter to Wang Rong's youngest son, which undoubtedly showed his cherishment of Wang Rong. More importantly, the strong protection of the Later Tang Dynasty made the Cheng German army no longer suffer from the threat from the Liang army, and it was safe and sound.
For Wang Rong, this is undoubtedly a relatively stable situation. However, it is also unknown whether such a comfortable situation can continue forever. After all, there was still a dark tide between the Later Tang Dynasty and the various feudal towns that were reorganized. As long as one is not careful, Wang Rong will face an unpredictable crisis again.
Crazy Old Years: Missing Wisdom
Power corrupts, deaf and degenerate
However, it turned out that Wang Rong could not escape the spell of chaos in the end. On the surface, under the protection of the Later Tang Dynasty, the Cheng German army once gained rare peace. But at the same time, Wang Rong himself began to gradually sink into the quagmire of power corrosion.
According to historical records, Wang Rong, who was over forty years old, gradually became "benevolent but not martial, and did not dare to be the first soldier". He began to stay away from the military, leaving most of the government affairs to the eunuchs. This once brilliant boy has slowly degenerated to the point where he only knows how to covet pleasure.
Wang Rong often travels around the area under his jurisdiction, pursuing a leisurely and comfortable life. He likes to search for immortal Taoist priests everywhere, and sometimes he is too lazy to climb the mountain by himself, so he asks the palace maid to drag him up with silk. Every time he went out, Wang Rong always brought a large number of entourage, which disturbed the officials and the people.
What's even more outrageous is that Wang Rong sank to the point of having an affair with a eunuch in his later years. It is recorded in the history books that there was a eunuch named Shi Ximeng who was deeply favored by him and dined and slept with him.
It was under such a dull and mediocre rule that the military strength and morale of the Chengde army were also greatly inferior to before, and they became gradually weak. It is truly sad that a young man who was once thought to be gifted and intelligent should be reduced to a mediocre person who indulges in pleasure under the corruption of power.
Wang Rong's loss of control and helplessness about his own situation, I am afraid that even he himself did not expect it. Throughout his life, it is inevitable that people will sigh that he was born in sorrow and died in the land of peace.
The ultimate tragedy: the failure to turn evil into good fortune
The pro-soldiers mutinied, and the tragedy ended
In Wang Rong's later years, the crisis finally came unexpectedly. In the winter of 921, Wang Rong, who was nearly fifty years old, went out on a safari again, and this time he could never return safely.
At that time, Wang Rong's personal soldiers were very dissatisfied with his indulgent life, especially when he handed over all the administrative power to the favored eunuch Shi Ximeng. Some people persuaded Wang Rong, pointing out that he spent the power of the military as a resource for personal amusement, and the city was empty, and I was afraid that a crisis would be imminent.
Wang Rong seemed to have finally realized the seriousness of the problem and hurried to return to the royal city. But at this time, he was once again dissuaded by his close confidant Shi Ximeng and refused to return home immediately. Finally, the pro-army generals finally couldn't bear it anymore and led their troops to rush into Wang Rong's palace, killing Shi Ximeng on the spot and cutting off Wang Rong's head.
In this way, a once talented and intelligent teenager eventually became a tragic figure who was killed by his cronies. Wang Rong's body was burned, and his family suffered countless casualties. The glory of the family came to an end, and his only youngest son, Wang Zhaozhi, had to cut his hair and become a monk and leave his homeland.
Perhaps it is a cycle of fate, the mysterious "Kunlun slave" Mo Junhe, who had saved Wang Rong before, finally died heroically in this incident. Whether he also anticipated Wang Rong's tragic fate and chose to make a sacrifice at the last moment is unknown.
Later, when Li Cunmiao learned of Wang Rong's death, he personally searched for his remains and gave him a grand burial. He cherishes the memory of his former ally, as if he were also grieving his own incompetence.
However, in any case, this regrettable ending finally wiped out Wang Rong's wisdom and wisdom to survive in the troubled times. He once relied on his cleverness to fight left and right in the Liang-Jin dispute, and finally found a stable place. But in the end, the corruption of power completely consumed him, and even his son was not spared.
Wang Rong's life once again proves that troubled times are ruthless, and the temptation of power often blinds human nature and drives him to the road of self-destruction. Perhaps this is the price a genius must pay in exchange for a brief period of glory.
epilogue
A talented and intelligent teenager sticks to family traditions, wanders between power, and finally falls victim to the corruption of power, which is really an embarrassing tragedy of life.
But if we take a closer look, we may find that Wang Rong's fate is not an isolated case, but a microcosm. In this era of turmoil and strife, how many people like him are trying to find a way to survive, but they are inevitably caught in the whirlpool of power.
The story of Wang Rong allows us to see the subtle connection between wisdom and tragic fate in troubled times. His ultimate defeat could not erase the courage and wisdom that he had sought to survive in the chaos.
On the contrary, it is through such microcosms that we can more clearly understand that the individual struggles in troubled times have never been forgotten by history.