Sui and Tang · Official

Wang Yanwen 王彥溫

Died AD 903

Passages: 4
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Wang Yanwen was an official.

Life and dates

Death

AD 903 斬之城下
Beheaded beneath the wall by Liang troops
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 22, passage 51

Attested activity

AD 903 副使王彥溫逾城而奔；斬之城下
Dated from the passage context · New History of the Five Dynasties 22, passages 47, 51

Career and standing

deputy 副使
Held
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 22, passage 47

Events and relationships

Fled over wall
AD 903 副使王彥溫逾城而奔 · Military · Deserter
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 22, passage 47

References in the histories

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 22Volume 22 Later Liang Biographies 2: Kang Huaiying, Liu Xun, Niu Cunjie, Zhang Guiba, Wang Zhongshi, Xu Huaiyu · 4 passages

外援不至，人心頗離，副使王彥溫逾城而奔，守陴者多逸。 Relief never came; morale frayed; deputy Wang Yanwen slipped over the wall and fled, and many defenders followed.

鄩乃遣人陽語彥溫曰：「副使勿多以人出，非吾素遣者，皆勿以行。」 Xun sent a man to Yanwen with a false message: “Deputy, do not let too many leave. Anyone not sent by me must stay.”

又下令城中曰：「吾遣從副使者得出，否者皆族。」 He also proclaimed in the city: “Only those the deputy escorts for me may leave; anyone else who flees loses his whole clan.”

已而梁兵聞之，果疑彥溫非實降者，斬之城下，由是城守益堅。 When Liang heard the story they decided Yanwen’s surrender was a trick and cut off his head beneath the wall; after that the defense hardened.