Wang Zongyan was the youngest son of founding emperor Wang Jian, but became his heir because his mother Consort Xu was Wang Jian's favorite concubine and was able to gain the support of the chancellor Zhang Ge.
25 Facts About Wang Zongyan
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Wang Zongyan Yan surrendered to the Later Tang army, but was later killed by Emperor Zhuangzong of Later Tang.
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Wang Zongyan was born in 899, during the reign of Emperor Zhaozong of Tang, as the youngest of the 11 sons of Wang Jian, who was then a major warlord late in the Tang dynasty as the military governor of its Xichuan Circuit, ruling over modern Sichuan and Chongqing.
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Wang Zongyan's mother was Lady Xu, a daughter of the official Xu Geng and a concubine of Wang Jian's, who became his favorite.
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In 910, Wang Jian created all of his sons to be imperial princes, and Wang Zongyan was created the Prince of Zheng.
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Wang Zongyan thus entered into an alliance with Tang Wenyi the overseer of the imperial stables and the chancellor Zhang Ge.
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Zhang falsely informed a number of high-level officials, including the senior general Wang Zongkan, that Wang Jian had settled on Wang Zongyan but wanted their public support.
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Wang Zongyan then drafted a petition to have Wang Zongyan made crown prince, and had Wang Zongkan and the others sign the petition.
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Wang Zongyan summoned the officials to the palace and, apparently still having reservations about Wang Zongyan, stated to them:.
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Shortly after, Wang Jian, after leaving an edict that put Wang Zongbi, the eunuch Song Guangsi, and other adoptive sons Wang Zongyao, Wang Zongwan, and Wang Zongkui in charge of assisting Wang Zongyan, died, and Wang Zongyan took the throne.
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Wang Zongyan Zongbi was corrupt and accepted many bribes, while Song Guangsi flattered both the emperor and him.
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Further, whenever Wang Zongyan Yan's trusted officials and generals violated laws, he would not issue punishment, such that laws lost their powers.
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Wang Zongyan Yan stripped him of his titles and imperially bestowed name and had another general, Sang Hongzhi the military governor of Wuding Circuit attack him.
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In 920, there was an incident when Wang Zongyan Yan went to offer sacrifices at the imperial temple dedicated to his father Wang Zongyan Jian; he had the ladies from the palace, as well as the officials, offer food sacrifices and dedicate music that were not in accordance with Confucian regulations.
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Later in 920, during a campaign against Qi, Wang Zongyan Yan decided to personally, with much fanfare, head to the frontline, despite contrary urging by official Duan Rong.
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Wang Zongyan Yan seized her, giving silk to her would-be husband as compensation, but the would-be husband became so saddened that he died.
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Wang Zongyan Yan was not completely oblivious to the possible Later Tang attack, as later in 924, he commissioned his adoptive brother Wang Zongyan Zong'e as the commander at a task force, placed at Yang Prefecture, and the general Lin Si'e to be the military governor of Zhaowu Circuit, to increase the preparedness.
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Around this time, Wang Zongyan Yan alienated the general by putting the eunuch Wang Zongyan Chengxiu in command of the elite Longwu Army.
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Further, by the end of 924, believing that there would be peace between Former Shu and Later Tang, Wang Zongyan Yan began to cut back on some of the army deployments that he had ordered.
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Further, at Wang Zongyan Chengxiu's urging, he made plans to visit Qin Prefecture, partly because he wanted to see Wang Zongyan Chengxiu's wife Lady Yan, with whom he was having an affair.
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Wang Zongyan paid no heed to advice to the contrary, including urging by Wang Zongbi and even Empress Dowager Xu not to undertake the trip.
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Wang Zongyan sent letters to Li Jiji and Guo, offering to surrender, and a letter in Wang Yan's name to Li Yan, offering to surrender as soon as Li Yan arrived.
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Li Yan thus went to Chengdu, where Wang Zongyan Yan met Li Yan and entrusted his mother and wife to Li Yan.
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Wang Zongyan Zongbi took the opportunity to carry out a general purge of officials that he had long despised, while claiming that both he and Wang Zongyan Yan had long wanted to submit but were stopped by these officials.
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Wang Zongyan Zongshou located Wang Zongyan Yan's and the bodies of 17 other members of the imperial household, and buried them properly.