Wang Huan (王環) | 24 Histories

Overview

The translated histories identify Wang Huan as an attendant, general, military officer, and soldier. This record brings together 16 passages from 3 chapters across 2 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Wang Huan	王環	Wang Huan
Given	Huan	環
Alternate	Wang Huan	王環	Wang Huan
Personal name	Wang Huan	王環	Wáng Huán

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · xinwudaishi:032:s0111, xinwudaishi:050:s0126

Roles

Attendant
General
Military Officer
Soldier

Life and dates

Death

Place: Sizhou / 泗州 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 明年又幸淮南 · Western Interval: Start: AD 956 · End: AD 958
Explicit · xinwudaishi:050:s0102

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 世宗時 · Western Interval: Start: AD 954 · End: AD 959
Explicit event contextual date · xinwudaishi:032:s0111
Source Date: Text: 周世宗即位，明年 · Western Year: AD 955
Explicit · xinwudaishi:050:s0129
Source Date: Text: 晉開運之亂 · Western Interval: Start: AD 944 · End: AD 946
Explicit · xinwudaishi:050:s0128
Source Date: Text: 知祥僭號于蜀 · Western Year: AD 934
Explicit event contextual date · xinwudaishi:050:s0127
Source Date: Text: 顯德二年 · Western Year: AD 955
Explicit event contextual date · jiuwudaishi:115:s0177

Career and standing

Label: charioteer / 御者
Explicit · xinwudaishi:050:s0127
Label: Grand General / 大將軍 · Action: appointed
Explicit · xinwudaishi:032:s0111
Label: military commissioner of Feng / 鳳州節度使 · Action: appointed
Explicit · xinwudaishi:050:s0128
Label: Right Valiant Cavalry general / 右驍衛將軍 · Action: appointed
Explicit · xinwudaishi:050:s0095
Description: appointed Great General of the Right Brave Guard after release / 獲釋後授右驍衛大將軍 · Western Year: AD 955
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:115:s0194, jiuwudaishi:115:s0197
Description: military commissioner of Fengxiang under the rival regime / 偽鳳翔節度使 · Western Year: AD 955
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:115:s0177, jiuwudaishi:115:s0193
Status: captive · Action: entered
Explicit · xinwudaishi:050:s0094
Description: captured, escorted to court, released, and given saddle, horse, and clothing / 被擒送闕後獲釋並賜鞍馬衣服 · Western Year: AD 955
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:115:s0177, jiuwudaishi:115:s0193, jiuwudaishi:115:s0194

Places and affiliations

Polity: Later Shu / 蜀 · Relation: served
Explicit · xinwudaishi:050:s0127, xinwudaishi:050:s0128
Polity: Later Zhou / 周 · Relation: served
Explicit · xinwudaishi:050:s0095
Polity: Shu / 蜀 · Relation: served
Explicit · xinwudaishi:032:s0111
Place: Zhending in Zhen / 鎮州真定
Explicit · xinwudaishi:050:s0126

Events and relationships

Kind: military · Role: defender · Action: held-out · Place: Feng / 鳳州
Explicit · xinwudaishi:050:s0093, xinwudaishi:050:s0094
Kind: military · Role: defender · Action: held-Qin-for-Shu-then-surrendered · Place: Qin Prefecture / 秦州
Explicit · xinwudaishi:032:s0111
Relation: served · Person Id: Meng Zhixiang (孟知祥)
Explicit · xinwudaishi:050:s0127
Relation: assisted · Person Id: Hou Zhang (侯章)
Explicit · xinwudaishi:050:s0096

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: loyal to whom he served · Provenance: Mode: named-speech · Speaker Person Id: Shizong (世宗)
Explicit · xinwudaishi:050:s0094
Assessment: loyalty sighed over by Shizong but rewarded thinly · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · xinwudaishi:032:s0111, xinwudaishi:032:s0112

Source notes

Historicity: historical
Explicit · xinwudaishi:032:s0111

References in the histories

Open any source group to read the Chinese and English passage in context.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 115Volume 115 Book of Later Zhou 17: Shizong Annals 2 · 2 passages

Open chapter

癸丑，西南面行營都部署王景奏，收復鳳州，獲偽命節度使王環。 On guichou southwestern field army commander Wang Jing reported recovering Fengzhou and capturing bogus commissioner Wang Huan.

辛卯，西南面行營都部署王景，差人部送所獲偽鳳翔節度使王環至闕。 On xinmao southwestern field army commander Wang Jing sent men to escort captured bogus Fengxiang commissioner Wang Huan to court.

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 32Volume 32 Biographies of Martyrs to Virtue 12: Wang Yanzhang · 1 passage

Open chapter

當世宗時，王環為蜀守秦州，攻之久不下，其力屈而降，世宗頗嗟其忠，然止於為大將軍。 Under Shizong, Wang Huan held Qin Prefecture for Shu. The siege wore on without result; when his strength gave out he surrendered. Shizong sighed at his loyalty, yet made him only a Grand General.

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 50Volume 50 Miscellaneous Biographies 30: Wang Jun, Wang Yin, Liu Ci, Wang Huan, Zhe Congruan · 13 passages

Open chapter

初，昶遣其秦州節度使高處儔以兵援環，未至，聞堂倉兵敗，亦潰歸，處儔判官趙比閉城不內，處儔遂奔成都，比乃以城降，成、階二州相繼亦降，獨環堅守百餘日，然後克之。 Chang sent Gao Chuchou from Qin to aid Huan. Chuchou heard Tangcang had fallen and fled. His aide Zhao Bi shut him out; Chuchou ran to Chengdu and Bi surrendered. Cheng and Jie followed; only Huan held a hundred-odd days before the city fell.

世宗召見環，嘆曰：「三州已降，環獨堅守，吾數以書招之，而環不答，至於力屈就擒，雖不能死，亦忠其所事也，用之可勸事君者。」 Shizong called Huan in and sighed: "Three prefectures yielded; Huan alone held. I wrote again and again; he never answered. Broken, he was taken—he could not die, yet he was loyal. Use him to teach service."

乃拜環右驍衛將軍。 He made Huan Right Valiant Cavalry general.

是時，周師已征淮，即以環佐侯章為攻取賊城水砦副部署。 Zhou was already on the Huai. Huan was made Hou Zhang’s deputy for seizing rebel river forts.

明年，世宗再征淮，使環將水戰卒數千，自蔡河以入淮。 Next year Shizong marched on the Huai again and sent Huan with thousands of river troops in from the Cai.

環居軍中，未嘗有戰功。 Huan served in the ranks but never won battle merit.

蜀卒與環俱擒者，世宗不殺，悉以從軍，後多南奔於景，世宗待環益不疑。 Shu men captured with Huan, Shizong spared and kept in the ranks. Many later fled south to Jing, yet Shizong trusted Huan all the more.

已而景將許文縝、邊鎬等皆被擒，世宗悉以為將軍，與環等列第京師，歲時賜與甚厚。 Soon Li Jing’s generals Xu Wenzhen, Bian Hao, and the rest were taken. Shizong made them all generals, lodged them with Huan and the others in capital estates, and lavished seasonal gifts on them.

明年又幸淮南，又以環從，遇疾，卒於泗州。 The next year Shizong marched on Huainan again with Huan in his train; he fell ill and died at Sizhou.

王環，鎮州真定人也。 Wang Huan came from Zhending in Zhen.

以勇力事孟知祥為御者，及知祥僭號于蜀，使典衞兵。 By strength he served Meng Zhixiang as charioteer. When Zhixiang seized the title in Shu, he put Huan in charge of the guard.

晉開運之亂，秦、鳳、階、成入于蜀，孟昶以環為鳳州節度使。 In the Kaiyun turmoil, Qin, Feng, Jie, and Cheng fell to Shu. Meng Chang made Huan commissioner of Feng.

周世宗即位，明年，遣王景、向訓攻秦、鳳州，數為環所敗，大臣皆請罷兵。 Shizong took the throne and the next year sent Wang Jing and Xiang Xun against Qin and Feng. Huan beat them again and again, and the ministers all urged withdrawal.