Wang Shou'en (王守恩)

Overview

Wang Shou'en was an official and Military Officer.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Courtesy name	Baoxin	保信	Baoxin

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 948 to AD 949 乾祐初
Dated from the passage context · Old History of the Five Dynasties 125, passages 46-51
AD 950 乾祐末
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 125, passage 53
AD 946 to AD 947 開運末
Dated from the passage context · Old History of the Five Dynasties 125, passages 29-32

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Wang Jianli (王建立)
father 父 · paternal line
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 125, passage 27
Kin of Zhang Cong'en (張從恩)
relation by marriage 婚家 · Marriage
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 125, passage 31

Career and standing

Defender of the Western Capital 西京留守
AD 948 乾祐初 · Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 125, passage 47
Military governor of Yongxing 永興軍節度使
AD 948 乾祐初 · Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 125, passage 46
Military governor of Zhaoyi 昭義軍節度使
AD 947 漢祖即以守恩為 · Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 125, passage 44
Acting inspector 巡檢使
AD 947 開運末 · Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 125, passage 31
Co-equal chief councilor 同平章事
Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 125, passage 45
Prefect of Huai and Wei 懷、衛二州刺史
Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 125, passage 28

Show 4 more source-backed claims

Court attendant (nominal) 奉朝請
Held
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 125, passage 52
Guard general (various guards) 諸衛將軍
Held
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 125, passage 28
Military governor transferred to Binning 移鎮邠寧
Transferred
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 125, passage 45
Suffered
AD 949 太祖回自河中 · Replaced · replaced by Bai Wenke; repaid extorted goods
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 125, passages 50-51

Places and affiliations

Polity Later Han 後漢 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 125, passages 32, 44-45
Polity Later Jin 後晉 · Relation Served
Strongly inferred · Old History of the Five Dynasties 125, passages 28-29
At Taiyuan 太原
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 125, passage 26

Works and attributed material

AD 950 乾祐末
Speech · Speaker · With Young Han emperor (漢少帝) · shouted that the emperor had only just woken up
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 125, passage 53

Events and relationships

Extorted
Personal · Actor · At Luoyang 洛都 · posed as congratulatory guest at wealthy man's banquet and took white gold
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 125, passage 49
Killed envoy
AD 947 開運末 · Military · Actor · killed Khitan envoy and surrendered circuit; Tongjian/Song History variant accounts · Mode named-source-report Source Work Zizhi Tongjian 通鑒
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 125, passage 36
Surrendered
AD 947 開運末 · Political · Actor · At Luzhou 潞 · With Founder of Later Han (漢祖) · surrendered Luzhou to Han founder and seized Cong'en's property
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 125, passage 32

Assessments and attributes

Assessment greedy and vulgar; practiced extortion even on the disabled · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 125, passage 48
Assessment speech crude and vulgar · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 125, passage 54

References in the histories

Search passages

History

20 passages

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 125Volume 125 Book of Later Zhou 27: Biographies 5: Lie Chuanwu, Zhao Hui, Wang Shou'en, Kong Zhijun, Wang Jihong, Feng Hui, Gao Yunquan, Zhe Congruan, Wang Rao, Sun Fangjian · 20 passages

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王守恩，字保信，太原人。 Wang Shou'en, whose style was Baoxin, was a native of Taiyuan.

守恩以門蔭，幼為內職，遷懷、衛二州刺史，後歷諸衛將軍。 Shou'en entered government through his family's privilege, served in the inner palace from youth, became prefect of Huai and Wei in turn, and later held a series of posts as guard general.

開運末，契丹陷中原，守恩時因假告歸於潞。 Near the end of the Kaiyun reign the Khitans overran the Central Plains. Shou'en happened to be on leave and had returned to Luzhou.

以守恩婚家，甚倚信之，乃移牒守恩，請權為巡檢使。 Shou'en was a relation by marriage, and Cong'en trusted him deeply. He therefore sent a dispatch asking Shou'en to serve as acting inspector.

從恩既去，守恩以潞城歸於漢祖，仍盡取從恩之家財。 Once Cong'en had left, Shou'en surrendered Luzhou to the Han founder and also seized all of Cong'en's family property.

〈（《通鑒》云：從恩以副使趙行遷知留後，牒守恩權巡檢使，與高防佐之。 (The 《Zizhi Tongjian》 records: Cong'en left his deputy Zhao Xingqian in charge as acting regent, appointed Shou'en acting inspector by dispatch, and had Gao Fang assist him.

高防與守恩謀，遣指揮使李萬超白晝率眾大噪，斬趙行遷，推守恩權知昭義留後。 Gao Fang plotted with Shou'en and sent the commander Li Wanchao to lead the troops in a loud uprising in broad daylight, execute Zhao Xingqian, and proclaim Shou'en acting regent of Zhaoyi.

守恩殺契丹使者，舉鎮來降。 Shou'en killed the Khitan envoy and surrendered the entire circuit.

《宋史·李萬超傳》云：張從恩將棄城歸契丹，會前驍衛將軍王守恩服喪私第，從恩即委以後事遁去。 The 《Song History · Biography of Li Wanchao》 states: Zhang Cong'en was about to abandon the city and submit to the Khitans. Wang Shou'en, formerly a general of the Valiant Guard, happened to be observing mourning at his home, and Cong'en entrusted him with affairs and fled.

及契丹使至，專領郡務，守恩遂無所預，萬超奮然謂其部下曰：「我輩垂餌虎口，茍延旦夕之命，今欲殺使保其城，非止逃生，亦足建勛業，汝曹能乎？」 When the Khitan envoy arrived and took sole charge of the prefecture, Shou'en was left with no role. Wanchao roused his men and said, "We dangle as bait in the tiger's jaws, barely clinging to life from one day to the next. If we kill the envoy and hold this city, we will not only save ourselves but win real merit. Can you do it?"

遂率所部大噪入府署，殺其使，推守恩為帥，列狀以聞。 He then led his troops in a clamorous charge into the government offices, killed the envoy, proclaimed Shou'en commander, and submitted a formal report to the throne.