Wang Lang (Cao Wei)

Wang Lang (; died December 228), courtesy name Jingxing (景興), was a Chinese politician and minor warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He served notably in the Han central government as Administrator of Kuaiji Commandery and in the later state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. He was also a maternal great-grandfather of Sima Yan, the founding emperor of the Jin dynasty, through his granddaughter Wang Yuanji's marriage with Sima Zhao.

Early life and career

Wang Lang was from Tan County (), Donghai Commandery (), which is around present-day Tancheng County, Shandong. His original given name was "Yan" () but he changed it to "Lang" () later. He started his career as a Palace Gentleman () due to his academic proficiency, particularly with the Chinese Classics. When his teacher Yang Ci () died in late 185, he left his post and went back to his home county to mourn him. Later, he served Tao Qian, the Governor of Xu Province, where he advised Tao Qian and several other warlords to pledge allegiance to Emperor Xian, citing the Spring and Autumn Annals. Tao Qian then sent an envoy to the Han central government in Chang'an to pledge allegiance to the Emperor, and in return received the appointment "General Calming the East". The Han central government also appointed Wang Lang as the Administrator of Kuaiji Commandery.

As a warlord

During Wang Lang's tenure as Administrator of Kuaiji Commandery, Wang Lang banned the worship of Qin Shi Huang, a widespread custom among locals, believing that he was a ruler without virtue. Wang also formed a secret alliance with the Shanyue tribes. When the warlord Sun Ce started his Jiangdong campaign, Wang Lang financed the Shanyue leader Yan Baihu to fight Sun Ce, but Yan Baihu and the other Shanyue clan leaders lost to Sun Ce; at the time, Liu Yao, another warlord in the Jiangdong region, had also lost to Sun Ce in battle. Yan Baihu had become the head of a loose confederation composed of bandits and local officials, including Wang Lang, and he again gathered soldiers numbering tens of thousands. Despite opposition from his adviser Yu Fan, Wang Lang directly joined Yan Baihu in military operations against Sun Ce's forces, but they were defeated.

Wang Lang then escaped to Dongye (). There, he gained the support from the Chief of Houguan () and attempted to rebuild his power with support from Zhang Ya (), a rebel leader with a strong army. They succeeded in killing Han Yan (), the Commandant of the Southern Region () appointed by Sun Ce, but were ultimately defeated by He Qi, a general under Sun Ce.

Wang Lang tried to go further south to Jiao Province to recuperate, but was caught up and defeated by Sun Ce. He then conducted a very humble speech to appease Sun Ce, who later accepted his surrender.

Service in Wei

Despite surrendering, Wang Lang entered into a self-imposed retirement from public life, refusing Zhang Zhao's request to serve Sun Ce. Eventually he was contacted by one of Cao Cao's spies and was asked to join Cao Cao in the new imperial capital, Xuchang, where the Han central government was based. Although he was initially hesitant, he became convinced after reading a letter from his old friend, Kong Rong, who praised Cao Cao and urged him to go to Xuchang. Thus, he travelled north and reached Xuchang about a year later. Cao Cao highly valued Wang Lang's talent and appointed him as Critical Grandee, and Advisor to the Army of the Excellency of Works. Wang Lang later served in key appointments in Cao Cao's vassal kingdom of Wei after the latter was enfeoffed as a vassal king by the threatened Emperor Xian, the last emperor of the Han dynasty. In 220, after Cao Cao's death, his son Cao Pi became king, promoting Wang Lang as Censorate Grandee and enfeoffed him as Marquis of Yueping Village. Later that winter, the Emperor was wrongfully forced to abdicate to Cao Pi, who established the state of Cao Wei to replace the Eastern Han dynasty(which was then re-established by Shu Han). After becoming the emperor, Cao Pi appointed Wang Lang as the Minister of Works and enfeoffed him as the Marquis of Anling Precinct. During Cao Pi's reign, Wang Lang made several suggestions regarding both military and civilian matters, such as security and the reduction of the state's employees and expenditures.

In 226, when Cao Rui came to the throne, he promoted Wang Lang from a district marquis to a county marquis under the title "Marquis of Lanling", increasing his marquisate to 1,700 taxable households, from his previous 1,200.

Wang Lang was later sent to Ye (in present-day Handan, Hebei) to visit the tomb of Empress Wenzhao, Cao Rui's mother. She had yet to be canonized as Empress at that point, so Wang Lang was given the tally and document that permitted him to do so, as well as the proper sacrificial animals for this. A special tomb was to be built for her as well. During his visit, he saw the populace was short on material; thus, he wrote to advise Cao Rui to be frugal, and to reduce the scale of the building of his extravagant palaces and ancestral temples.
Wang Lang was later promoted to the position of Minister over the Masses.

Late life and death

After Wang Lang objected to Cao Rui's palace-building project, he noticed that Cao Rui had a small imperial harem and wrote to Cao Rui stating that an emperor should have more concubines in order to continue the imperial bloodline with more offspring. This time, Cao Rui wholeheartedly agreed with Wang Lang and started expanding the size of his imperial harem. Wang's advice had a profound influence: Nine years after Wang Lang's death, Cao Rui even ordered beautiful married women all be formally seized unless their husbands were able to ransom them, and that they would be married to soldiers instead – except that the most beautiful among them would become his concubines. Despite protests from some officials (including Zhang Mao), this decree was apparently carried out, much to the distress of his people.(《魏略》曰：...太子舍人张茂以吴、蜀数动，诸将出征，而帝盛兴宫室，留意于玩饰，赐与无度，帑藏空竭；又录夺士女前已嫁为吏民妻者，还以配士，既听以生口自赎，又简选其有姿首者内之掖庭，乃上书谏曰：“臣伏见诏书，诸士女嫁非士者，一切录夺，以配战士，斯诚权时之宜，然非大化之善者也。臣请论之。陛下，天之子也，百姓吏民，亦陛下之子也。礼，赐君子小人不同日，所以殊贵贱也。吏属君子，士为小人，今夺彼以与此，亦无以异于夺兄之妻妻弟也，于父母之恩偏矣。又诏书听得以生口年纪、颜色与妻相当者自代，故富者则倾家尽产，贫者举假贷贳，贵买生口以赎其妻；县官以配士为名而实内之掖庭，其丑恶者乃出与士。得妇者未必有懽心，而失妻者必有忧色，或穷或愁，皆不得志。夫君有天下而不得万姓之懽心者，鲜不危殆。且军师在外数千万人，一日之费非徒千金，举天下之赋以奉此役，犹将不给，况复有宫庭非员无录之女，椒房母后之家赏赐横兴，内外交引，其费半军。昔汉武帝好神仙，信方士，掘地为海，封土为山，赖是时天下为一，莫敢与争者耳。自衰乱以来，四五十载，马不舍鞍，士不释甲，每一交战，血流丹野，创痍号痛之声于今未已。犹彊寇在疆，图危魏室。陛下不兢兢业业，念崇节约，思所以安天下者，而乃奢靡是务，中尚方纯作玩弄之物，炫燿后园，建承露之盘，斯诚快耳目之观，然亦足以骋寇仇之心矣。惜乎，舍尧舜之节俭，而为汉武之侈事，臣窃为陛下不取也。愿陛下沛然下诏，万几之事有无益而有损者悉除去之，以所除无益之费，厚赐将士父母妻子之饥寒者，问民所疾而除其所恶，实仓廪，缮甲兵，恪恭以临天下。如是，吴贼面缚，蜀虏舆榇，不待诛而自服，太平之路可计日而待也。陛下可无劳神思于海表，军师高枕，战士备员。今群公皆结舌，而臣所以不敢不献瞽言者，臣昔上要言，散骑奏臣书，以听谏篇为善，诏曰：‘是也’，擢臣为太子舍人；且臣作书讥为人臣不能谏诤，今有可谏之事而臣不谏，此为作书虚妄而不能言也。臣年五十，常恐至死无以报国，是以投躯没身，冒昧以闻，惟陛下裁察。”书通，上顾左右曰：“张茂恃乡里故也。”以事付散骑而已。茂字彦林，沛人。) ''Weilǜe'' annotation in ''Sanguozhi'', vol.03.

Wang Lang later focused on academic works and had published several books that were well received at the time. He died in 228 and was given the posthumous title "Marquis Cheng" (), literally meaning "marquis of establishment". He was succeeded by his son Wang Su, who continued serving as an official in Wei.

In ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms''

In the 14th-century historical novel '' Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', Wang Lang died at the age of 76 in 228. Despite his age, he led a group of soldiers and set up camp to do battle with Zhuge Liang. In the novel, Cao Zhen was defeated by Zhuge Liang. Cao Zhen called for his subordinates to help, and Wang Lang decided to try to persuade him to surrender (even though Guo Huai was sceptical that it would succeed) and engaged Zhuge Liang in a debate, but was soundly defeated. Zhuge Liang among other things scolded him as a dog and a traitor, from the shock of which he fell off his horse and died on the spot. There is no record of this in history, and instead, it is said that he merely sent a letter to Zhuge Liang recommending that he surrender. The letter was ignored.

Legacy

A famous story of Wang Lang was recorded in '' A New Account of the Tales of the World'':

See also

* Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms

Notes

References

* Chen, Shou (3rd century). ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'' (''Sanguozhi'').
*
* Luo, Guanzhong (14th century). '' Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' (''Sanguo Yanyi'').
* Pei, Songzhi (5th century). '' Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms'' (''Sanguozhi zhu'').

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wang, Lang
Year of birth unknown
228 deaths
Cao Wei government officials
Han dynasty warlords
Government officials under Cao Cao
Political office-holders in Zhejiang
Politicians from Linyi