22 Facts About Wang Shenzhi

Wang Shenzhi was born in 862, during the reign of Emperor Yizong.

Wang Shenzhi hailed from a long line of illustrious administrators and military officers feted by historians.

Wang Shenzhi's father's name was Wang Nin, and his mother was a Lady Dong.

Wang Shenzhi had two older brothers, Wang Chao and Wang Shengui.

Wang Shenzhi Xu forced the men of Guang Prefecture to join his army, and he made Wang Shenzhi Chao, who had previously been a government worker at the Gushi County government, his discipline officer.

When Wang Shenzhi Xu was unable to do so, he launched an army to attack Wang Shenzhi.

Wang Shenzhi Xu rebuked them and threatened to put Lady Dong to death.

The fact that Wang Shenzhi was willing to put someone as close to him as Liu to death terrified the other officers.

Chen sent an order to Wang Shenzhi Chao, summoning him to the circuit capital Fu Prefecture, intending to entrust the matters of the circuit to him.

Wang Shenzhi entered Fu Prefecture and claimed the title of acting governor.

Wang Shenzhi thus claimed the title of acting military governor of Weiwu and submitted a report of what occurred to then-ruling Emperor Zhaozong, who commissioned him as acting military governor and later in the year made him full military governor.

Wang Shenzhi was later successively given the honorary titles of acting Sikong and acting Situ.

In 902, Wang Shenzhi built an outer wall for Fu Prefecture.

Wang Shenzhi recognized the new emperor, and was given the greater chancellor title of Shizhong.

Meanwhile, in 909, after Wang Shenzhi felt slighted by Zhang Zhiyuan, the emissary from Hongnong, Wang decapitated Zhang and broke off diplomatic relations with Hongnong.

In 916, Wang Shenzhi gave a daughter to Qian Chuanxiang, the son of Qian Liu, the prince of Min's neighbor to the north, Wuyue, in marriage.

Also in 916, Wang Shenzhi began to make lead coins, and thereafter, lead coins were circulated along with the traditional copper coins.

In 917, Wang Shenzhi took Liu Hua, a niece of Liu Yan, the emperor of Min's southwestern neighbor Yue, whose title was Princess of Qingyuan, as the wife of his second son Wang Yanjun.

Apparently sometime after Wang Shengui's death, Wang Shenzhi allowed Wang Shengui's son Wang Yanbin to take over governance of Quan Prefecture, and later bestowed on him the title of military governor of Pinglu Circuit.

When Wang Shenzhi discovered this conspiracyin 920, he had Haoyuan and his associates executed and removed Wang Yanbin from his posts, sending him back to his mansion.

Subsequently, emissaries were exchanged between Min and Later Tang, and Wang Shenzhi recognized Emperor Zhuangzong's suzerainty.

In 925, Wang Shenzhi grew ill, and he put his oldest son Wang Yanhan, then the deputy military governor of Weiwu, in charge of the affairs of the state.