Wang Hong
Encyclopedia
Wang Hong (379–432), courtesy name Xiuyuan (休元), formally Duke Wenzhao of Huarong (華容文昭公), was a high level official of the Chinese
dynasty Liu Song. He served during the administrations of Emperor Wu
(Liu Yu), Emperor Shao
, and Emperor Wen of Liu Song
, becoming prime minister during Emperor Wen's reign.
prime minister Wang Dao
. His father Wang Xun (王珣) served as prime minister during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu of Jin
, although he lost much of his power after Emperor Xiaowu's death. During Emperor An
's reign, when Emperor Xiaowu's brother and Emperor An's uncle Sima Daozi
the Prince of Kuaiji served as regent
, Wang Hong served on his staff, and, impressed with Wang Hong's suggestions, Sima Daozi wanted to promote him, but Wang Xun, believing his son to be too young for greater posts (Sima Daozi's regency lasted from 397 to 399, so Wang Hong would be only 18 to 20 by this point), declined on his son's behalf. Wang Xun had been very interested in financial matters and earned much money from investments, including loans to commoners, and after his death in 400, Wang Hong burned all of the promissory note
s to forgive those commoners' debts. During his three-year mourning period, Sima Daozi's son Sima Yuanxian
, who succeeded his father as regent, tried to have him come out of his mourning period and serve as a general, but he repeatedly declined invitations by both Sima Yuanxian and Sima Daozi. After the warlord Huan Xuan
defeated and killed Sima Yuanxian in 402 and arrested and exiled Sima Daozi, most of Sima Daozi's old associates did not dare to see him off at the dock of the capital Jiankang
, but Wang Hong arrived to do so, and was praised for his faithfulness.
After Huan Xuan seized the throne in 403 and established a new state of Chu, Liu Yu rose in rebellion in 404 to try to reestablish Jin, and Wang joined Liu Yu's army. After Huan Xuan was defeated and killed, Wang was created the Marquess of Huarong in recognition of his contributions. He later successively served as the governor of several commanderies, and he accompanied Liu Yu on his campaign against Later Qin
in 416. After Liu Yu took the important city Luoyang
, he sent Wang back to Jiankang to pressure Emperor An into granting him the nine bestowments
, surprising Liu Yu's chief assistant Liu Muzhi (劉穆之), who had been left in charge of the capital that he was not informed first. Liu Muzhi, in fear and anger, died. Initially, Liu Yu wanted to have Wang succeed Liu Muzhi, but at the recommendation of other officials had Xu Xianzhi
replace Liu Muzhi instead. Wang became the governor of the strategically important Pengcheng Commandery (彭城, roughly modern Xuzhou
, Jiangsu
) instead. While at that post, he wrote articles of impeachment against the official Xie Lingyun
, a talented poet who was however inattentive to his responsibilities, leading to Liu Yu's removal of Xie from his posts. In 418, Liu Yu made him the governor of Jiang Province (江州, modern Jiangxi
and Fujian
), and he was said to be a capable governor.
in 420, ending Jin and establishing Liu Song (as Emperor Wu), he created Wang Hong the Duke of Huarong. Wang briefly visited the capital Jiankang in 422, but then was returned to his post at Jiang Province, and he was not one of the officials whom Emperor Wu entrusted his son and crown prince
Liu Yifu to before he died later that year, and Wang did not appear to have increased authority after Liu Yifu took the throne as Emperor Shao. Rather, authority vested in the hands of Xu Xianzhi, Fu Liang
, and Xie Hui
.
In 424, Xu, Fu, Xie, dissatisfied with Emperor Shao's tendencies to trust people lacking virtues and believing him to be unfit to be emperor, resolved to depose him. Because they were apprehensive about the powerful armies that Tan Daoji
and Wang had, they summoned Tan and Wang to the capital and then informed them of the plot. They then sent soldiers into the palace to arrest Emperor Shao, after first persuading the imperial guards not to resist. Before Emperor Shao could get up from bed in the morning, the soldiers were already in his bedchamber, and he made a futile attempt to resist, but was captured. He was sent back to his old palace. The officials then, in the name of Emperor Shao's mother Empress Dowager Zhang
, declared Emperor Shao's faults and demoted him to Prince of Yingyang, offering the throne to his younger brother Liu Yilong the Prince of Yidu instead. Liu Yilong, after some hesitation, took the throne as Emperor Wen.
Emperor Wen, angry that Xu, Fu, and Xie had, immediately after they deposed Emperor Shao, assassinated both Emperor Shao and another brother of his, Liu Yizhen (劉義真) the Prince of Luling, had Xu and Fu arrested and killed in 426, and declared Xie, then the governor of Jing Province (荊州, modern Hubei
) a renegade. Believing that neither Tan nor Wang was involved in the plot to depose and kill Emperor Shao (perhaps because Wang Hong's brother Wang Tanshou (王曇首) was a trusted advisor of his and presumably told him about Wang Hong's lack of involvement in the plot), he summoned them to the capital, and he made Wang Hong prime minister and the governor of the capital region Yang Province (揚州, modern Zhejiang
and southern Jiangsu
). Later that year, Tan, who was put in charge of the army, defeated Xie.
In 428, Wang Hong, believing that the powers that he and his brother Wang Tanshou possessed were too great and that this would bring jealousy and disaster, recommended to Emperor Wen that he recall his brother Liu Yikang
the Prince of Pengcheng to the capital to share the responsibility. Emperor Wen agreed, and Wang Hong then offered to resign. Emperor Wen did not accept his resignation but did transfer some of Wang Hong's responsibilities to Liu Yikang. However, Liu Yikang later grew increasingly impatient, complaining in particular that Wang Hong was frequently ill and cannot govern from his sickbed. Wang was able to placate Liu Yikang by transferring some of his staff members to Liu Yikang's staff. Wang Hong died in 432, and Liu Yikang took over the prime minister post officially thereafter.
Historians commented that Wang Hong was intelligent and open-minded, but was also often arrogant and frivolous, and this hurt his reputation. Consistent with what he did with his father's promissory notes, Wang left his household with relatively little property, and upon hearing this, Emperor Wen awarded his family a large grant.
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
dynasty Liu Song. He served during the administrations of Emperor Wu
Emperor Wu of Liu Song
Emperor Wu of Song , personal name Liu Yu , courtesy name Dexing , nickname Jinu , was the founding emperor of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song. He came from a humble background, but became prominent after leading a rebellion in 404 to overthrow Huan Xuan, who had usurped the Jin throne in 403...
(Liu Yu), Emperor Shao
Emperor Shao of Liu Song
Emperor Shao of Song , also known by his post-removal title Prince of Yingyang , personal name Liu Yifu , nickname Chebing , was an emperor of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song. He was the oldest son of the founding emperor, Emperor Wu, and became emperor after his father's death in 422...
, and Emperor Wen of Liu Song
Emperor Wen of Liu Song
Emperor Wen of Liu Song , personal name Liu Yilong , nickname Che'er , was an emperor of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song. He was the third son of the dynastic founder Emperor Wu . After his father's death in 422, Liu Yilong's eldest brother Liu Yifu took the throne as Emperor Shao...
, becoming prime minister during Emperor Wen's reign.
During Jin Dynasty
Wang Hong was a great-grandson of the famed JinJìn Dynasty (265-420)
The Jìn Dynasty , was a dynasty in Chinese history, lasting between the years 265 and 420 AD. There are two main divisions in the history of the Dynasty, the first being Western Jin and the second Eastern Jin...
prime minister Wang Dao
Wang Dao
Wang Dao , courtesy name Maohong , formally Duke Wenxian of Shixing , was a Jin Dynasty statesman who served important roles in the administrations of Emperor Yuan, Emperor Ming, and Emperor Cheng, including as Emperor Cheng's regent...
. His father Wang Xun (王珣) served as prime minister during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu of Jin
Emperor Xiaowu of Jin
Emperor Xiaowu of Jin , personal name Sima Yao , courtesy name Changming , was an emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty in China...
, although he lost much of his power after Emperor Xiaowu's death. During Emperor An
Emperor An of Jin
Emperor An of Jin , personal name Sima Dezong , was an emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty in China. He was described as so developmentally disabled that he was unable to speak, clothe himself, or be able to express whether he was hungry or full...
's reign, when Emperor Xiaowu's brother and Emperor An's uncle Sima Daozi
Sima Daozi
Sima Daozi , formally Prince Wenxiao of Kuaiji , was a regent during the reign of his nephew Emperor An of Jin, being the younger brother of Emperor Xiaowu.-Early life:...
the Prince of Kuaiji served as regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
, Wang Hong served on his staff, and, impressed with Wang Hong's suggestions, Sima Daozi wanted to promote him, but Wang Xun, believing his son to be too young for greater posts (Sima Daozi's regency lasted from 397 to 399, so Wang Hong would be only 18 to 20 by this point), declined on his son's behalf. Wang Xun had been very interested in financial matters and earned much money from investments, including loans to commoners, and after his death in 400, Wang Hong burned all of the promissory note
Promissory note
A promissory note is a negotiable instrument, wherein one party makes an unconditional promise in writing to pay a determinate sum of money to the other , either at a fixed or determinable future time or on demand of the payee, under specific terms.Referred to as a note payable in accounting, or...
s to forgive those commoners' debts. During his three-year mourning period, Sima Daozi's son Sima Yuanxian
Sima Yuanxian
Sima Yuanxian , formally Heir Apparent Zhong of Kuaiji , was briefly a regent of Jin Dynasty , during the reign of his developmentally-disabled cousin Emperor An....
, who succeeded his father as regent, tried to have him come out of his mourning period and serve as a general, but he repeatedly declined invitations by both Sima Yuanxian and Sima Daozi. After the warlord Huan Xuan
Huan Xuan
Huan Xuan , courtesy name Jingdao , nickname Lingbao , formally Emperor Wudao of Chu , was a Jin Dynasty warlord who briefly took over the imperial throne from Emperor An of Jin and declared his own state of Chu in 403, but was defeated by an uprising led by the general Liu Yu in 404 and killed...
defeated and killed Sima Yuanxian in 402 and arrested and exiled Sima Daozi, most of Sima Daozi's old associates did not dare to see him off at the dock of the capital Jiankang
Jiankang
Jiankang was the capital city of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and Southern Dynasties. Its walls are extant ruins in the modern municipal region of Nanjing.-History:...
, but Wang Hong arrived to do so, and was praised for his faithfulness.
After Huan Xuan seized the throne in 403 and established a new state of Chu, Liu Yu rose in rebellion in 404 to try to reestablish Jin, and Wang joined Liu Yu's army. After Huan Xuan was defeated and killed, Wang was created the Marquess of Huarong in recognition of his contributions. He later successively served as the governor of several commanderies, and he accompanied Liu Yu on his campaign against Later Qin
Later Qin
The Later Qin was a state of Qiang ethnicity of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin Dynasty in China. Note that the Later Qin is entirely distinct from the ancient Qin Dynasty, the Former Qin, and the Western Qin....
in 416. After Liu Yu took the important city Luoyang
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...
, he sent Wang back to Jiankang to pressure Emperor An into granting him the nine bestowments
Nine bestowments
The nine bestowments were awards given by Chinese emperors to extraordinary officials, ostensibly to reward them for their accomplishments. The nine bestowments were awards given by Chinese emperors to extraordinary officials, ostensibly to reward them for their accomplishments. The nine...
, surprising Liu Yu's chief assistant Liu Muzhi (劉穆之), who had been left in charge of the capital that he was not informed first. Liu Muzhi, in fear and anger, died. Initially, Liu Yu wanted to have Wang succeed Liu Muzhi, but at the recommendation of other officials had Xu Xianzhi
Xu Xianzhi
Xu Xianzhi , courtesy name Zongwen , was a high level official of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song, who, along with his colleagues Fu Liang and Xie Hui, deposed Emperor Shao after the death of Emperor Wu due to their belief that Emperor Shao was not fit to be emperor...
replace Liu Muzhi instead. Wang became the governor of the strategically important Pengcheng Commandery (彭城, roughly modern Xuzhou
Xuzhou
Xuzhou , otherwise known as Pengcheng in ancient times, is a major city in and the fourth largest prefecture-level city of Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
) instead. While at that post, he wrote articles of impeachment against the official Xie Lingyun
Xie Lingyun
Xie Lingyun , also known as the Duke of Kangle , was one of the foremost Chinese poets of the Southern and Northern Dynasties.-Biography:...
, a talented poet who was however inattentive to his responsibilities, leading to Liu Yu's removal of Xie from his posts. In 418, Liu Yu made him the governor of Jiang Province (江州, modern Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
and Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
), and he was said to be a capable governor.
During Emperor Wu's and Emperor Shao's reigns
After Liu Yu seized the throne from Emperor Gong of JinEmperor Gong of Jin
Emperor Gong of Jin was last emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty in China. He became emperor in 419 after his developmentally disabled brother Emperor An was killed by the regent Liu Yu, and during his brief reign, actual power was in Liu Yu's hands. In 420, under pressure from Liu Yu, he...
in 420, ending Jin and establishing Liu Song (as Emperor Wu), he created Wang Hong the Duke of Huarong. Wang briefly visited the capital Jiankang in 422, but then was returned to his post at Jiang Province, and he was not one of the officials whom Emperor Wu entrusted his son and crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
Liu Yifu to before he died later that year, and Wang did not appear to have increased authority after Liu Yifu took the throne as Emperor Shao. Rather, authority vested in the hands of Xu Xianzhi, Fu Liang
Fu Liang
Fu Liang , courtesy name Jiyou , was a high level official of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song, who, along with his colleagues Xu Xianzhi and Xie Hui, deposed Emperor Shao after the death of Emperor Wu due to their belief that Emperor Shao was not fit to be emperor...
, and Xie Hui
Xie Hui
Xie Hui , courtesy name Xuanming , was a high level general of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song, who, along with his colleagues Xu Xianzhi and Fu Liang, deposed Emperor Shao after the death of Emperor Wu due to their belief that Emperor Shao was not fit to be emperor...
.
In 424, Xu, Fu, Xie, dissatisfied with Emperor Shao's tendencies to trust people lacking virtues and believing him to be unfit to be emperor, resolved to depose him. Because they were apprehensive about the powerful armies that Tan Daoji
Tan Daoji
Tan Daoji was a high level general of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song. He was one of the most respected generals during the Southern and Northern Dynasties era...
and Wang had, they summoned Tan and Wang to the capital and then informed them of the plot. They then sent soldiers into the palace to arrest Emperor Shao, after first persuading the imperial guards not to resist. Before Emperor Shao could get up from bed in the morning, the soldiers were already in his bedchamber, and he made a futile attempt to resist, but was captured. He was sent back to his old palace. The officials then, in the name of Emperor Shao's mother Empress Dowager Zhang
Empress Dowager Zhang
Empress Dowager Zhang was an empress dowager of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song. She was the mother of Emperor Shao and a concubine of Emperor Wu ....
, declared Emperor Shao's faults and demoted him to Prince of Yingyang, offering the throne to his younger brother Liu Yilong the Prince of Yidu instead. Liu Yilong, after some hesitation, took the throne as Emperor Wen.
During Emperor Wen's reign
Emperor Wen tried to pacify the officials who made him emperor by giving them greater titles and fiefs, and he tried to create Wang the Duke of Jian'an (a commandery, as opposed to the county that he was the duke of), but Wang insisted on refusing both that title and greater offices that Emperor Wen conferred on him.Emperor Wen, angry that Xu, Fu, and Xie had, immediately after they deposed Emperor Shao, assassinated both Emperor Shao and another brother of his, Liu Yizhen (劉義真) the Prince of Luling, had Xu and Fu arrested and killed in 426, and declared Xie, then the governor of Jing Province (荊州, modern Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
) a renegade. Believing that neither Tan nor Wang was involved in the plot to depose and kill Emperor Shao (perhaps because Wang Hong's brother Wang Tanshou (王曇首) was a trusted advisor of his and presumably told him about Wang Hong's lack of involvement in the plot), he summoned them to the capital, and he made Wang Hong prime minister and the governor of the capital region Yang Province (揚州, modern Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
and southern Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
). Later that year, Tan, who was put in charge of the army, defeated Xie.
In 428, Wang Hong, believing that the powers that he and his brother Wang Tanshou possessed were too great and that this would bring jealousy and disaster, recommended to Emperor Wen that he recall his brother Liu Yikang
Liu Yikang
Liu Yikang , nickname Chezi , was an imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song. He was a son of Emperor Wu , and served as prime minister during the reign of his brother Emperor Wen...
the Prince of Pengcheng to the capital to share the responsibility. Emperor Wen agreed, and Wang Hong then offered to resign. Emperor Wen did not accept his resignation but did transfer some of Wang Hong's responsibilities to Liu Yikang. However, Liu Yikang later grew increasingly impatient, complaining in particular that Wang Hong was frequently ill and cannot govern from his sickbed. Wang was able to placate Liu Yikang by transferring some of his staff members to Liu Yikang's staff. Wang Hong died in 432, and Liu Yikang took over the prime minister post officially thereafter.
Historians commented that Wang Hong was intelligent and open-minded, but was also often arrogant and frivolous, and this hurt his reputation. Consistent with what he did with his father's promissory notes, Wang left his household with relatively little property, and upon hearing this, Emperor Wen awarded his family a large grant.