Wang Bodang was a general in

Wagang Army Wagang Army ( zh, s=瓦岗军, 611–618) was a key rebel army in the late Sui dynasty of China.Prosperity in Sui and Tang Dynasties - Page 33 The Wagang Army was primarily led by Zhai Rang before 617, and Li Mi (Sui dynasty), Li Mi after 617. To ...

which rebelled against the

Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty ( ) was a short-lived Dynasties of China, Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 581 to 618. The re-unification of China proper under the Sui brought the Northern and Southern dynasties era to a close, ending a prolonged peri ...

. He is also a highly celebrated and praised figure in Chinese popular culture because of his bravery and loyalty.

In history

Wang Bodang was born in Yitang, a village in Hejin of

Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...

. When the

began to dissolve during

Emperor Yang Emperor Yang of Sui (隋煬帝, 569 – 11 April 618), personal name Yang Guang (), alternative name Ying (), Xianbei name Amo (), was the second emperor of the Sui dynasty of China. Emperor Yang's original name was Yang Ying, but he was rena ...

's reign, Wang Bodang led a small-scaled peasant uprising in Jiyang (near the county of Lankao today). Later, Wang Bodang and his peasant force joined

, one of the most powerful peasant rebellion armies at that time. Wang was promoted to be a top general in Wagang. During the internal authority shift of Wagang Army in 617, Wang Bodang supported Li Mi and helped Li Mi to murder

Zhai Rang Zhai Rang (; died December 14, 617) was a key agrarian rebel leader near the end of the Chinese Sui dynasty. Believing prophecies that appeared to indicate that Li Mi would be emperor, he supported Li as leader and offered to serve under Li, but ...

, the previous leader of Wagang Army. Since then, Wang Bodang was one of the closest followers to Li Mi. In 618, when Li Mi was leading the main force of Wagang Army to attack warlord

Wang Shichong Wang Shichong (; 567– August 621), courtesy name Xingman (行滿), was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician during the Sui dynasty who deposed Sui's last emperor Yang Tong and briefly ruled as the emperor of a succeeding state ...

, Wang Bodang was the general to guard the fort of Jinyong, the headquarter of Wagang Army. Li Mi was defeated by Wang Shichong during the war and many other generals of Wagang Army, including

Pei Xingyan Pei Xingyan was a general during the Sui dynasty who was known for his superior fighting skills on the battlefield. He was also a highly celebrated warrior in popular culture and traditional Chinese dramas. In history Pei Xingyan was the son of ...

Luo Shixin Luo Shixin (c. 600–622) was a general during the transitional period between the Sui and Tang dynasties of China. History Luo Shixin was originally a young soldier under Zhang Xutuo, one of top generals of the Sui dynasty during Emperor Ya ...

Cheng Yaojin Cheng Zhijie (589 – 26 February 665), courtesy name Yizhen, better known by his original name Cheng Yaojin, was a Chinese general who served under the emperors Gaozu, Taizong and Gaozong in the early Tang dynasty. His portrait was on displa ...

Shan Xiongxin Shan Xiongxin (? – 5 June 621) was a general, top warrior and peasant uprising leader during the transitional era between the Sui and Tang dynasties. In history Shan Xiongxin was born in Caoxian, Shandong region. He possessed great physical ...

and

Qin Shubao Qin Qiong (died 638), courtesy name Shubao, better known as Qin Shubao, was a Chinese general who lived in the early Tang dynasty of China. Along with Yuchi Gong, he continues to be worshipped in China as a door god. He is also known by his po ...

, surrendered to Wang Shichong. Wang Bodang decided to stay with Li Mi. When Li Mi was trying to suicide, Wang stopped him. He suggested that Li Mi should go west and submit to the newly established

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

. Li Mi took his advice. Wang Bodang also promised that he would always be a follower to Li Mi no matter what happened. In 619, Li Mi planned to break away from Tang dynasty and establish his own regime again. Wang Bodang thought that they had no chance to succeed, so he argued with Li Mi. However, Li Mi still determined to continue with his plan. On 20 January 619, when they were heading towards Xiangcheng to meet their previous ally Zhang Shanxiang, Li Mi and Wang Bodang were ambushed by Tang's army led by Sheng Yanshi (the general of Tang guarding Xiongzhou) at Xiong'er Mountain near

Luoyang Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...

. Both Li Mi and Wang Bodang were killed.''

New Book of Tang The ''New Book of Tang'', generally translated as the "New History of the Tang" or "New Tang History", is a work of official history covering the Tang dynasty in ten volumes and 225 chapters. The work was compiled by a team of scholars of the So ...

'': 熊州副将盛彦师率步骑伏陆浑县南邢公岘之下，密兵度，横出击，斩之，年三十七，伯当俱死，传首京师。

In popular culture

In folk tales about Wagang Army, Wang Bodang's stories are generally very close to the real history. However, in addition to real stories, he is also said to be one of the best archers at his time. In some versions of the legend, Wang Bodang likes wearing white clothes, and thus has a nickname of ''The Bowman in White''. Ironically, in those legends, Wang Bodang was killed by arrows at Xiong'er Mountain, although there is no clear document indicating how exactly he was killed by Sheng Yanshi in real history.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bodang, Wang 619 deaths Sui dynasty generals Transition from Sui to Tang