Early years Wang Chucun was born in 831 during the reign of the
Tang emperor Wenzong. His family was from the capital
Chang'an (now
Xi'an in
Shaanxi), and his ancestors had served as officers in the imperial
Shence Armies for generations. His father Wang Zong (, ) was not only a highly ranked general in the Shence Armies but also a skillful merchant. It was said that he became so rich that he was able to be extravagant in his food and to have thousands of servants. Wang Chucun himself started his career as the commander at a Shence Army base, and he later became a general and a patrol commander. Wang Chucun was first made the overseer (, ) of the army at
Dingzhou, the capital of
Yiwu, and then named the area's military governor () in 879.
Huang Chao Rebellion Around the new year of 881, the major agrarian rebel
Huang Chao captured Chang'an, forcing the reigning emperor
Xizong to flee south to
Chengdu. Huang declared himself the emperor of a new state of Qi. Wang Chucun, upon hearing the news of Chang'an's fall, decided to head to Chang'an to aid the imperial cause even before Emperor Xizong sent any orders, and he also sent 2000 men to Xingyuan () in modern
Hanzhong,
Shaanxi, to protect the emperor as he was to Chengdu. Wang Chucun entered into an alliance with
Wang Chongrong, the military governor of Hezhong () in modern
Yuncheng,
Shanxi, who had briefly submitted to Huang's Qi state but then reverted to Tang allegiance due to Huang's heavy tax and conscription burdens. They marched their armies toward Chang'an, camping on the opposite northern side of the
Wei River. By the summer of 881, several Tang generals had congregated near Chang'an, preparing to recapture it. These included, in addition to Wang Chucun and Wang Chongrong, Tang Hongfu (), Cheng Zongchu (),
Tuoba Sigong, and
Zheng Tian. Huang, fearful of the Tang forces, abandoned Chang'an and fled. During their flight, the Chang'an residents tried to aid the Tang forces by throwing rocks and bricks at Qi forces. Wang Chucun, Cheng, and Tang entered the city to the celebration of the residents. However, instead of comforting the residents, the soldiers began pillaging the city and became bogged down with treasures they looted. The Qi forces, discovering this, counterattacked. In the subsequent street battles, the Tang forces were crushed. Cheng and Tang were killed, and Wang Chucun barely escaped. The Qi forces retook Chang'an and slaughtered the residents for their aiding of Tang forces during the battle. The Tang forces were subsequently unable to launch another attack to recapture Chang'an for some time. In 883, with Li Keyong near Chang'an, the Tang forces attacked it again, recapturing it for good. Huang fled east and would eventually be killed in 884. When the
chancellor Wang Duo, who oversaw the operations against Huang, subsequently honored the generals with achievements during the campaign, Li Keyong was honored for his battlefield accomplishments while Wang Chucun was honored for his quick reaction and loyalty to the emperor. Wang Chucun died in 895. The soldiers supported his son
Wang Gao to succeed him as the military governor of Yiwu. The reigning
Emperor ZhaozongEmperor Xizong's brothergave him the
posthumous name Zhongsu ("Faithful and Solemn"). == References ==