Wang Dun

Biography

Family Background and Early Years

Wang Dun was born into the Langya Wang clan, the son of Investigating Censor Wang Ji and cousin of Minister of Education Wang Dao. The Langya Wang clan had been prominent since Cao Wei. In youth Wang Dun was handsome, free and uninhibited in temperament, skilled at judging character, well versed in the Zuo Tradition of the Spring and Autumn Annals, and especially fond of pure conversation. His clansman Wang Rong held him in high regard. The Book of Jin: Biography of Wang Dun describes him as open-browed and clear-eyed, relaxed in manner, perceptive in judgment, learned in the Zuo Tradition, uninterested in speaking of wealth or profit, and particularly fond of philosophical conversation, saying that few understood him except Wang Rong.

Wang Dun married Princess Xiangcheng, daughter of Emperor Wu of Jin Sima Yan; an annotation to A New Account of the Tales of the World instead calls her Princess Wuyang. He was appointed Commandant of the Imperial Consort and later served as Attendant to the Heir Apparent. As both an imperial in-law and a member of an elite clan, he began his Western Jin career smoothly.

In 299, Empress Jia Nanfeng deposed Crown Prince Sima Yu, sent him into confinement at Xuchang, and strictly forbade members of the Eastern Palace staff from seeing him off. Wang Dun nevertheless violated the order. Together with Jiang Tong, Pan Tao, Du Rui, Lu Yao, and others, he stood by the road and wept and bowed as the prince departed, an act praised by contemporary opinion. The men were arrested and imprisoned by Metropolitan Commandant Man Fen but were later released through the intervention of Henan Administrator Yue Guang and Sun Yan of the Department of State Affairs. The episode gave Wang Dun a reputation for loyalty, and he was transferred to the office of Palace Attendant.

Rise During the War of the Eight Princes

In 301, Prince Lun of Zhao usurped the throne. Wang Dun's uncle Wang Yan was then Inspector of Yanzhou, and Sima Lun sent Wang Dun to Yanzhou to reward and conciliate him. Soon afterward Prince Jiong of Qi issued a call for action throughout the empire and rose against Sima Lun. Wang Yan feared Sima Lun's military strength and initially hesitated, but Wang Dun pressed him to join the uprising. In the fourth month of that year Sima Lun was defeated and killed, Emperor Hui of Jin was restored, and Wang Dun was promoted for his contribution to Regular Mounted Attendant, General of the Left Guard, Grand Herald, and Palace Attendant.

In 307, through arrangements made by his clansman Minister of Education Wang Yan, Wang Dun was sent out as General Guangwu and Inspector of Qingzhou. Wang Yan intended such appointments to preserve an escape route for the family amid disorder, arguing that because the central realm was in chaos, regional governors had to possess both civil and military ability. He arranged for his younger brother Wang Cheng to serve as Inspector of Jingzhou and for Wang Dun to serve in Qingzhou. Wang Dun was soon recalled as Director of the Secretariat. With the realm in turmoil, he married off more than one hundred maidservants from Princess Xiangcheng's dowry to soldiers, distributed the wealth stored in his residence, and returned alone to Luoyang.

In 309, Prince Yue of Donghai entered court from Xingyang and appointed Wang Dun Inspector of Yangzhou. Pan Tao warned Prince Yue that establishing Chuzhong beyond the Yangzi would allow his powerful temperament to run unchecked and would amount to creating a rebel, but the warning was ignored. The appointment became the starting point of Wang Dun's later military dominance in Jiangdong.

Helping Establish the Eastern Jin

At the time, Sima Rui, Prince of Langya, held Jianye as General Who Pacifies the East, while Wang Dun's cousin Wang Dao served on his staff as military administrator and enjoyed his confidence. After arriving in Yangzhou, Wang Dun and Wang Dao helped Sima Rui build prestige among the southern elite. According to the Book of Jin: Biography of Wang Dao, Wang Dao told Wang Dun that although the Prince of Langya was benevolent, his public standing was still limited and that Wang Dun, whose military reputation was already established, should help strengthen him. During the third-month purification festival, Sima Rui attended the rites in full ceremonial display while Wang Dun, Wang Dao, and leading men followed on horseback. Southern notables including Ji Zhan and Gu Rong were alarmed by the spectacle and bowed by the roadside. Thereafter the Jiangdong elite gradually rallied to Sima Rui and formal ruler-minister relations took shape.

In 310 Wang Dun was summoned as a minister in the Department of State Affairs and set out north with General Jianwu Qian Hui. At Guangling, however, Qian Hui rebelled and attacked Wang Dun. Wang Dun fled back to Jianye and reported the rebellion to Sima Rui, who appointed him military adviser and libationer in his headquarters. Wang Dun consequently remained in Yangzhou.

In 311, after Yangzhou Inspector Liu Tao died, Wang Dun was again appointed Inspector of Yangzhou and General Guangwu, and soon promoted to General of the Left, given temporary imperial authority, and placed in command of punitive expeditions. That same year the Xiongnu Han state captured Luoyang and Emperor Huai of Jin, in the catastrophe known as the Disaster of Yongjia. Imperial clansmen and elite families fled south, Sima Rui emerged as their leader, and he began making appointments under assumed imperial authority. Hua Yi, Inspector of Jiangzhou, refused to accept his authority. Sima Rui ordered Wang Dun, Gan Zhuo of Liyang, and General Zhou Fang to campaign against Hua Yi, who was defeated and killed.

In 312, refugees from Ba and Shu rebelled in Xiangzhou and acclaimed Du Tao as their leader. The rebels moved north across Jingzhou and Jiangzhou. Wang Dun advanced to Yuzhang and ordered Wuchang Administrator Tao Kan and Yuzhang Administrator Zhou Fang to suppress Du Tao. Jingzhou Inspector Wang Cheng, dismissed after failures against the rebellion, stopped in Yuzhang on his way to Jiankang and visited Wang Dun. The two had long been at odds, and Wang Dun accused Wang Cheng of colluding with Du Tao and killed him.

In 315 Tao Kan finally suppressed Du Tao's rebellion. As overall military commander, Wang Dun was promoted to Grand General Who Pacifies the East, Commander Unequalled in Honor, military commander over Jiangzhou, Yangzhou, Jingzhou, Xiangzhou, Jiaozhou, and Guangzhou, and Inspector of Jiangzhou; he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Han'an and authorized to appoint officials below the rank of provincial inspector. His power expanded rapidly. When Tao Kan wished to return to Jingzhou and came to take leave, Wang Dun, jealous of his military achievements, detained him and transferred him to Guangzhou, placing his own cousin Wang Yi in charge of Jingzhou. Wang Dun even considered killing Tao Kan, but refrained because he feared Tao's in-law Zhou Fang.

Autocracy and Growing Rupture with the Throne

In 317 Sima Rui assumed the title Prince of Jin and established the Eastern Jin, formally taking the imperial title the following year as Emperor Yuan of Jin. Wang Dun had by then become Grand General Who Conquers the South and was further promoted to General-in-Chief, Palace Attendant, and Governor of Jiangzhou. Du Zeng continued to cause unrest in Jingzhou, and Wang Dun's officers Zhu Gui and Zhao You were both defeated in campaigns against him. Wang Dun submitted a memorial asking to be demoted and was stripped of the title Palace Attendant. He later asked to resign as Governor of Jiangzhou. Sima Rui appointed him Governor of Jingzhou as well, but Wang Dun repeatedly declined and was ultimately made Inspector of Jingzhou.

Sima Rui's regime in the south depended heavily on the support of northern and southern aristocratic clans, with the Langya Wang clan playing a decisive role. Wang Dao controlled court affairs and Wang Dun held external military power, while other Wang clansmen occupied important offices, giving rise to the phrase "the Wangs and the Simas share the realm." This alarmed Sima Rui. Wang Dun also became increasingly arbitrary, independently promoting the surrendered commander Du Hong and granting military rank to He Qin, who held a strategic position. To weaken Wang clan influence, Sima Rui favored trusted men such as Danyang Administrator Liu Wei and Secretariat Director Diao Xie and gradually distanced Wang Dao. Wang Dun deeply resented these developments, and mistrust grew between ruler and minister.

In 320, Liangzhou Inspector Zhou Fang died and Xiangzhou Inspector Gan Zhuo was transferred to Liangzhou. Wang Dun asked that his associate Chen Ban replace Gan Zhuo in Xiangzhou. Because Xiangzhou occupied a strategic position that could check Jingzhou, Sima Rui did not want it to fall under Wang Dun's control. Liu Wei likewise advised sending a trusted senior official, so the imperial clansman Sima Cheng was appointed Inspector of Xiangzhou. Wang Dun memorialized the throne about loyal ministers of antiquity who had been unjustly suspected, hoping to move Sima Rui, but the emperor became more wary of him while outwardly increasing his staff and ceremonial honors.

In 321, on Diao Xie's recommendation, Sima Rui restored dependent households in Yangzhou commanderies to commoner status for military service, and then sent Dai Yuan and Liu Wei to Hefei and Huaiyin. Their stated mission was defense against Later Zhao, but in practice they were positioned against Wang Dun. Wang Dun wrote to Liu Wei seeking reconciliation, but Liu rejected him, making Wang Dun still angrier. In the ninth month, Yuzhou Inspector Zu Ti died. Wang Dun concluded that no one remained capable of restraining him and resolved to rebel.

The Wang Dun Rebellion and Defeat

In the first month of 322, the first year of Yongchang, Wang Dun raised troops at Wuchang and advanced on Jiankang on the pretext of eliminating Liu Wei and Diao Xie. Sima Rui was enraged, ordered Liu Wei and others back to defend the capital, and personally put on armor and took position outside the city. Wang Dun advanced to Stone City, the military stronghold west of Jiankang, and followed Du Hong's advice to attack it first. The defender Zhou Zha opened the gates and surrendered. Wang Dun then defeated attacks by Dai Yuan, Liu Wei, Wang Dao, Zhou Yi, and others, while Liu Wei and Diao Xie fled north.

After occupying Stone City, Wang Dun refused to appear at court and instead kept his troops there while allowing soldiers to loot. Sima Rui was forced to seek peace. When Wang Dun met Wang Dao, he blamed him for not accepting an earlier proposal to replace the ruler with a young sovereign, claiming that the refusal had produced the present crisis. Wang Dao answered on principle and Wang Dun could not refute him. Wang Dun then appointed himself chancellor and Governor of Jiangzhou, was advanced to Duke of Wuchang Commandery, and killed Zhou Yi and Dai Yuan. Because Crown Prince Sima Shao was courageous and capable, Wang Dun tried to accuse him of being unfilial and remove him, but Wen Jiao strongly opposed the plan and blocked it. Wang Dun soon returned to Wuchang and controlled the court from afar. Later that year Sima Rui died in grief and anger, and Crown Prince Sima Shao succeeded as Emperor Ming of Jin.

In 323 Wang Dun plotted to usurp the throne and induced the court to summon him. Sima Shao issued a personal summons. When Wang Dun reached Gushu he claimed illness and refused to meet court envoys, and soon appointed himself Governor of Yangzhou. In 324 Wang Dun became seriously ill. His officers Qian Feng and Shen Chong secretly planned how to overturn the Eastern Jin after his death. Wang Dun appointed Wen Jiao Administrator of Danyang in an effort to watch the court, but Wen Jiao instead reported his plans to Sima Shao. The emperor ordered a campaign against Wang Dun and falsely announced that Wang Dun had already died in order to inspire the troops.

Too ill to command, Wang Dun appointed his elder brother Wang Han overall commander and ordered Qian Feng, Deng Yue, Zhou Fu, and others to lead fifty thousand troops by land and water against Jiankang. Wang Han's army was defeated at Yuecheng by Central Army Marshal Cao Hun, while Qian Feng and the others suffered repeated defeats at the hands of forces personally directed by Sima Shao. Wang Dun died in the army at age fifty-nine. His adopted son Wang Ying concealed the death, wrapping the body in a mat, coating it with wax, and burying it inside a building. Soon the forces of Wang Han, Shen Chong, and Qian Feng were all defeated and the rebellion collapsed. Wang Dun's grave was opened, his corpse exhumed and stripped, arranged in a kneeling posture for posthumous punishment, and his severed head displayed with those of Shen Chong and others at the Zhuque Bridge south of the city. Only later, on the recommendation of Secretariat Director Xi Jian, was his family permitted to bury him.

His Family and Early Years

Wang Dun, courtesy name Chuzhong, was a man of Linyi in Langya, the elder cousin of the minister over the masses Wang Dao and son of the attendant censor Wang Ji. Wang Dun's brows and eyes were clear and open, his nature simple and free, he had discernment, was versed in the Zuo commentary, never spoke of gain, and above all loved pure conversation, which none of his time understood, only his clansman Wang Rong thinking him strange. He had from youth the look of a remarkable man, married the princess of Xiangcheng, daughter of Emperor Wu, was made commandant of the imperial son-in-law and a houseman of the heir apparent. When the heir apparent was moved to Xuchang a decree forbade the officers of the eastern palace to see him off, and Wang Dun with the horse-washer Jiang Tong and Pan Tao and the housemen Du Rui and Lu Yao, defying the prohibition, bowed to him from the roadside with tears, which the judgement of the time praised; and he was made a yellow-gate attendant. When the prince of Zhao, Sima Lun, usurped the throne, Wang Dun's uncle Wang Yan was inspector of Yanzhou, and Sima Lun sent Wang Dun to encourage him; and when the princes rose in arms and Wang Yan received the summons of the prince of Qi, Sima Jiong, and, fearing Sima Lun's strength, dared not obey, Wang Dun urged him to rise in support of the princes, whereby Wang Yan won merit. When Emperor Hui was restored Wang Dun was made cavalier attendant in ordinary, general of the left guard, grand herald and palace attendant. Wang Yan, though holding the weight of the chancellorship, gave no thought to governing the state but sought only to preserve himself, telling the prince of Donghai, Sima Yue, that China was already in disorder and must rely on the frontier lords, and that men of both civil and military gifts should be found for the posts; and so he made his brother Wang Cheng inspector of Jingzhou and his clansman Wang Dun inspector of Qingzhou. Wang Dun went out as general of martial majesty and inspector of Qingzhou, and in the early Yongjia period was recalled as overseer of the secretariat; and the realm being then in chaos, Wang Dun gave all of the princess's hundred odd maidservants to his officers and men and scattered the gold, silver and treasures among the crowd, returning to Luoyang in a single carriage. When the prince of Donghai, Sima Yue, came from Xingyang to court he made Wang Dun inspector of Yangzhou; and Pan Tao told Sima Yue that to plant Chuzhong beyond the river and let him indulge a strongman's heart was to show oneself the victim; but Sima Yue would not listen.

Helping Sima Rui to Settle Jiangdong

Wang Dun was deeply trusted by Sima Rui, and with Wang Dao he helped Sima Rui build his prestige in Jiangdong, so that Sima Rui gradually won the allegiance of the great clans there. When Sima Rui went out to hold Xiapi he asked Wang Dao to be his master of horse of the pacification of the east, and in military plans and secret counsels there was nothing he did not do; and when he moved his headquarters to Jiankang the men of Wu did not attach themselves to him, and after more than a month neither gentlemen nor commoners came, at which Wang Dao was troubled; and when Wang Dun came to court Wang Dao told him that the prince of Langya was generous in virtue but his name and standing were still light, and that his elder cousin's majesty was already established and he should do something to help. And at the spring purification in the third month, when Sima Rui went in person to see it, riding in a sedan chair with a stately escort, Wang Dun, Wang Dao and all the famous men rode as his followers; and the men of Wu, Ji Zhan and Gu Rong, the hopes of Jiangnan, secretly watched and seeing this were all in awe, and one after another bowed at the roadside. Sima Rui then sent Wang Dao himself to visit He Xun and Gu Rong, and both came at his summons, and from this Wu and Kuaiji went with the wind and the people turned their hearts to him, and from then they honoured him more and more and the rites of lord and subject were at last fixed. In the fourth year of Yongjia Wang Dun was summoned to be master of the secretariat and was to go north to Luoyang with the general of the martial host Qian Kuai; but Qian Kuai, coming to Guangling and hearing that Liu Cong was pressing Luoyang, was afraid and dared not advance, and Sima Rui pressing him with the term of service he plotted rebellion, secretly meaning to kill Wang Dun and so raise the matter; and Wang Dun, hearing of it, fled and told Sima Rui. When the inspector of Yangzhou, Liu Tao, died, Sima Rui again made Wang Dun inspector of Yangzhou with the title of general of martial majesty, and presently advanced him to general of the left, commander of the military affairs of the expedition and holder of the tally.

The Pacification of Hua Yi and Du Tao and His Command of Six Provinces

Presently Luoyang fell, and the master of works Xun Fan sent out a proclamation making Sima Rui leader of the league; and when Sima Rui by imperial authority changed the chief clerks and Hua Yi would not obey, he sent the general of the left Wang Dun to command Gan Zhuo, Zhou Fang, Song Dian and Zhao You against him; and Hua Yi's men broke and he fled to Ancheng and was pursued and beheaded. At that time the refugees of Ba and Shu, Ru Ban, Jian Shuo and others, several tens of thousands of households, were scattered through Jing and Xiang and were oppressed and wronged by the older inhabitants and nursed their resentment, and gathered to rise in arms and together made Du Tao their chief; and Du Tao styled himself shepherd of the two provinces of Liang and Yi, general who quells difficulty and inspector of Xiangzhou, broke the commanderies and counties, went south to break Lingling and east to raid Wuchang, and killed the grand administrators of Changsha Cui Fu, of Yidu Du Jian and of Shaoling Zheng Rong. When the Shu rebel Du Tao made his trouble the inspector of Jingzhou, Zhou Yi, fell back, and Wang Dun sent the grand administrator of Wuchang, Tao Kan, and of Yuzhang, Zhou Fang, against him, while Wang Dun advanced to Yuzhang to support the armies. When Tao Kan broke Du Tao, Wang Dun memorialised to make Tao Kan inspector of Jingzhou; and when Tao Kan was presently beaten by Du Tao's general Du Zeng, Wang Dun, because his dispositions had failed, degraded himself to general of martial majesty, which the emperor would not allow. In the third year of Jianxing, when Tao Kan had put down Du Tao's rebellion, Wang Dun as commander-in-chief was advanced to general of the eastern garrison of the first rank with the honours of the three excellencies, commander of the military affairs of the six provinces of Jiang, Yang, Jing, Xiang, Jiao and Guang and inspector of Jiangzhou, enfeoffed as marquis of Han'an, and from this time he made appointments himself, holding the provinces and commanderies as well.

The Killing of Wang Cheng and the Suppression of Tao Kan

Wang Cheng, having been dismissed for his failure in the campaign, was going to Jiankang and passed through Yuzhang to visit Wang Dun. Wang Dun was not on good terms with Wang Cheng and killed him on the charge of corresponding with Du Tao: Wang Cheng had long had a great name, standing above Wang Dun, and gentlemen and commoners alike admired him, and he was moreover of strength beyond other men and had always been feared by Wang Dun, and Wang Cheng still slighted him as of old, at which Wang Dun grew the more angry and invited him to lodge with him, secretly meaning to kill him; and he asked him how it was that he corresponded with Du Tao, and had the strong man Lu Rong strangle him. Presently Tao Kan, meaning to return to his post at Jingzhou, came to take leave of Wang Dun, and Wang Dun, grudging his military merit, took the chance to detain him and transfer him to be inspector of Guangzhou, making his younger cousin Wang Yi inspector of Jingzhou; and Wang Dun, thinking that Zheng Pan acted by Tao Kan's will, put on armour and took up a spear to kill Tao Kan, going out and back several times without deciding; and Tao Kan said gravely that the commissioner was of heroic decisiveness and should decide the realm's affairs, and asked why he could not decide here, and rose and went to the privy; and the military adviser Mei Tao and the chief secretary Chen Ban told Wang Dun that Zhou Fang was Tao Kan's connexion by marriage, as the right hand to the left, and asked how one could cut off another's left hand and the right not answer; and Wang Dun's mind turned. Early in Jianwu he was again made general of the southern expedition with his staff as before; and when the restoration was accomplished he was made palace attendant, grand general and shepherd of Jiangzhou. He sent his officer Zhu Gui and Zhao You against Du Zeng, who killed them, and Wang Dun degraded himself, was deprived of the palace attendance and declined the shepherdship; and presently when the shepherdship of Jingzhou was added he memorialised earnestly declining it and the emperor would not allow it, and he firmly declined it again and was allowed to be inspector.

The Breach with Emperor Yuan

Sima Rui was able to found his state in Jiangnan because he had the support of the great clans of north and south, among whom the Wang of Langya played the decisive part, so that after the founding of Eastern Jin their power was at its height: Wang Dao held the government within and Wang Dun the troops without, and the sons of the Wang held the key posts, so that men said that Wang and Ma shared the realm; but this also roused Sima Rui's dread. At the same time Wang Dun grew visibly self-willed, as in raising the surrendered general Du Hong of himself and making He Qin, who held a strong position, a general of his own accord, at which Sima Rui was the more disgusted; and to weaken the influence of the Wang of Langya he employed his confidants Liu Kui, governor of Danyang, and Diao Xie, master of the secretariat, and drew away by degrees from Wang Dao, at which Wang Dun too was much displeased, and the breach between lord and minister grew. Du Tao's general Du Hong went south to Guangzhou and asked to attack the bandits of Guilin to prove himself, and Wang Dun allowed it; Tao Kan holding him so that he could not advance, Du Hong surrendered to the grand administrator of Lingling, Yin Feng, who sent him to Wang Dun, and Wang Dun made him a general and favoured him; and when He Qin of Nankang, who held a strong place and had gathered several thousand partisans, was made a general of the fourth rank by Wang Dun, the traces of his self-will grew clear. Xiangzhou holding a vital position and always serving to check Jingzhou, Sima Rui would not let it come under Wang Dun's control, and Liu Kui advised him to send a trusted great minister to hold it against Wang Dun; and Sima Rui made the imperial kinsman the prince of Qiaoyang, Sima Cheng, inspector of Xiangzhou. Wang Dun memorialised again setting out how the loyal ministers of every age had been suspected by their sovereigns and estranged by petty men, hoping to move Sima Rui; but Sima Rui dreaded him the more, though outwardly he added to his staff and gave him feathered banners, drums and pipers, raising his treatment. In the seventh month of the fourth year of Taixing Sima Rui made the master of the secretariat Dai Ruosi general of the western expedition and commander of the military affairs of the six provinces of Si, Yan, Yu, Bing, Ji and Yong and inspector of Sizhou, to hold Hefei, and the governor of Danyang, Liu Kui, general of the northern garrison and commander of the military affairs of the four provinces of Qing, Xu, You and Ping and inspector of Qingzhou, to hold Huaiyin; and the emperor made Liu Kui general of the northern garrison and Dai Ruosi general of the western expedition and freed all the slaves of Yangzhou as soldiers, outwardly to punish the barbarians and in truth to defend against Wang Dun. Wang Dun hated this greatly and wrote to Liu Kui that he had lately received the emperor's regard and that the great enemy was not yet destroyed and the central plains were seething, and that he wished with such men as Liu Kui to strain every sinew for the royal house and calm the realm together; and Liu Kui answered that fish forget one another in the rivers and lakes and men forget one another in the arts of the Way, and that to exhaust the strength of arm and limb and render it in loyalty and firmness was his own resolve; and Wang Dun, receiving the letter, was much angered.

His First Rising and Entry into Jiankang

Zhou Fang and Zu Ti, whom Wang Dun most feared, had now both died, and Wang Dun, thinking that none could threaten him in arms, resolved to march on the capital. In the first year of Yongchang Wang Dun led his host inward in the name of punishing Liu Kui, memorialising to set out Liu Kui's crimes and saying that if Liu Kui's head were hung up in the morning the armies would withdraw in the evening; and Wang Dun's partisan, Shen Chong of Wuxing, rose in support. Coming to Wuhu, Wang Dun memorialised again against Diao Xie; and Sima Rui in great anger decreed that Wang Dun was a great traitor, declaring that he would himself lead the six armies against him, and urgently summoned Liu Kui and Dai Yuan to guard Jiankang. At the beginning of his rising Wang Dun had sent envoys to Liangzhou and Xiangzhou asking Gan Zhuo and Sima Cheng to come east with him; and Gan Zhuo promised but never sent troops, watching between the court and Wang Dun, while Sima Cheng imprisoned the envoy and rose at Changsha in denunciation of Wang Dun, killing Wang Dun's brother-in-law, the grand administrator of Xiangdong, Zheng Dan. Wang Dun then sent Yue Daorong to persuade Gan Zhuo to send troops for him, and Yue Daorong, who was himself displeased at Wang Dun's rebellion, turned against him and advised Gan Zhuo instead to attack Wuchang; and Sima Cheng, inspector of Xiangzhou, sent his master of records Deng Qian to Liangzhou to urge Gan Zhuo to rise for the court, and Gan Zhuo after much hesitation resolved at last to support the court and sent out a proclamation against Wang Dun. Wuchang was shaken, and Wang Dun hastened to send envoys to seek peace with Gan Zhuo and ask him to withdraw his troops to Liangzhou; and Gan Zhuo hesitated again, and having just come to Zhukou stayed there for weeks without advancing. Liu Kui soon returned to Jiankang with Dai Yuan and with Diao Xie went into the palace to ask Sima Rui to put to death the members of the Wang of Langya remaining in the capital, which Sima Rui refused. When Wang Dun rose, Liu Kui advised the emperor to kill all the Wang, and men feared for them; and Wang Dao with more than twenty of his clansmen and their sons and grandsons went each morning to the tribunal to await guilt, and the emperor, because Wang Dao's loyalty had long been proven, restored his court dress and summoned him; and Wang Dao bowed his head and excused himself, saying that traitorous ministers and rebellious sons were found in every age, and who would have thought that in this day they would come out of his own clan; and the emperor, barefoot, took his hand and said that he was entrusting him with the charge of a hundred li and asked what such words meant. Sima Rui then ordered Wang Yi to dissuade Wang Dun, but Wang Yi could not only not restrain him but was kept by Wang Dun to aid his plans. Wang Dun wished to attack Jincheng first to strike Liu Kui, but Du Hong held that Zhou Zha was harsh and ungrateful and had no hold on his men, and advised taking Shitou first; and Wang Dun attacked Shitou, and Zhou Zha opened the gate and surrendered. Sima Rui hastily ordered Liu Kui and Dai Yuan to retake Shitou, but they were all beaten back; and when the six armies were beaten and the Ming emperor wished to lead the officers and men to fight, mounting his chariot to go out, the household secretary Wen Jiao remonstrated firmly and cut the traces with his sword, and he desisted. Liu Kui and Diao Xie with their beaten troops returned to the palace, and Sima Rui gave the two men horses and men and let them flee the capital to seek their own way; and Diao Xie, having come only as far as Jiangcheng, was killed by someone who sent his head to Wang Dun, and Liu Kui fled north. The "wicked ministers" being now cleared away, Wang Dun nevertheless kept his troops at Shitou and not only did not come to the palace to see Sima Rui but let his soldiers plunder within and without, so that Jiankang was in chaos and the officials and guards in the palace scattered and fled, leaving only two palace attendants with the emperor; and the emperor took off his armour and put on his court dress, and said that if they wanted his place they had only to speak, and that he would go back to Langya of himself, and asked why the people should be so distressed. Zhou Yi and Dai Ruosi were both arrested and killed on the stone outside the south gate of Shitou; and Wang Dun, having got his way, asked Wang Dao whether Zhou Yi and Dai Ruosi, the hopes of north and south, should not without doubt rise to the three excellencies, and Wang Dao gave no answer; and he asked whether if not the three excellencies they should be made presidents, and again no answer; and Wang Dun said that if not, they should simply be killed. Wang Dun then asked for the imperial standard of the Zouyu to halt Gan Zhuo's army; and Gan Zhuo, hearing that Zhou Yi and Dai Ruosi had been killed, wept and said that if he went straight to Wuchang Wang Dun, being pressed, would certainly seize the Son of Heaven and so cut off the hopes of the realm, and that it was better to return to Xiangyang and think again; and he ordered his army back. The commandant Qin Kang advised him to divide his troops and take Wang Dun and cut the Pengze, and Yue Daorong too urged him day and night to come down, but Gan Zhuo would not, and being by nature first mild and suddenly obstinate he went straight back to Xiangyang.

His Return to Wuchang and the Slaughter of the Zhou

Xie Kun tried to persuade Wang Dun to go to court to see the Son of Heaven and dispel the estrangement between lord and minister, but Wang Dun, fearing some change if he went to court, went away without attending, and going back to hold Wuchang directed the government from afar; and he told Xie Kun that to kill several hundred more such men would do the times no harm at all. Presently Wei Yi broke Xiangzhou and took Sima Cheng and sent him in a prison cart to Wuchang, and Wang Dun had the inspector of Jingzhou, Wang Yi, kill him on the way, and at the same time had the grand administrator of Xiangyang, Zhou Lü, and others secretly carry out his will and murder Gan Zhuo in his bed, sending his head to Wang Dun. In the fourth month of the first year of Yongchang Wang Dun's general Shen Chong took Wu and Wei Yi took Xiangzhou, and the internal historian of Wu Zhang Mao and the inspector of Xiangzhou, the prince of Qiaoyang Sima Cheng, were both killed. Wang Dun returned to camp at Wuchang, killing many loyal men and raising his kin, making his brother Wang Han general of the guards, commander of the military affairs south of the Mian, protector of the southern barbarians and inspector of Jingzhou, and the grand administrator of Yiyang, Ren Yin, commander of the military affairs north of the river and general of the household of the south, while Wang Dun himself commanded Ning and Yi. At that time Wang Dun, because Sima Shao was brave and full of devices, wished to depose him on a charge of unfiliality, but was strongly opposed by Wen Jiao and the other great ministers and did not succeed: Wang Dun assembled the hundred officials and asked Wen Jiao by what virtue the heir apparent was famed, with a fierce voice and countenance, determined to make him speak, and Wen Jiao answered that to search out what is deep and reach far is not for a narrow measure to gauge, and that judged by the rites he could be called filial, and all thought him right, and Wang Dun's plan was stopped. When Emperor Yuan died, in the first year of Taining, Wang Dun hinted that the court should summon him, and the Ming emperor summoned him with his own hand, and sent the concurrent grand master of ceremonies Ying Zhan to confer on him the yellow battle-axe, twenty sword-bearing braves, the right not to be named in memorials, not to hasten in the court and to wear his sword and shoes in the hall. Thereafter Wang Dun's power grew yet greater, so that the tribute of the four quarters mostly entered his own house and the generals, chancellors, governors and inspectors all came from his door; he controlled the key provinces of Yang, Jiang, Jing and Xu, transferring Wang Han to be general of the eastern expedition and commander of the military affairs of the country west of the Yang, and making his younger cousins Wang Shu inspector of Jingzhou, Wang Bin of Jiangzhou and Wang Sui of Xuzhou. Wang Dun took Shen Chong and Qian Feng as his chief counsellors, and Zhuge Yao, Deng Yue, Zhou Fu, Li Heng and Xie Yong as his claws and teeth; and Shen Chong and the rest were all fierce, dangerous, arrogant and self-indulgent, driving one another on and killing on their own account, and they raised great barracks and offices, seizing men's fields and houses, opening ancient graves and plundering the markets and roads, so that officers and commoners fell apart, and all knew that ruin was coming. Wang Dun deeply begrudged the Zhou, whose family had five marquises all holding rank, than whom no men of Wu were more honoured; and when Wang Dun fell ill Qian Feng, because the Zhou clan was strong, advised him to settle them first, that his descendants might be safe and the state preserved, and Wang Dun agreed. There was then a Daoist, Li Tuo, who deluded the crowd with sorcery, saying he was eight hundred years old and so called Li Eight Hundred, and his disciple Li Hong kept followers on Mount Qian, saying that by the prophecy he should be king; and Wang Dun had the grand administrator of Lujiang, Li Heng, accuse Zhou Zha and his nephews of plotting with Li Tuo. Zhou Yan being then Wang Dun's military adviser, he was killed in the camp together with Li Tuo and Li Hong, and Wang Dun sent his adviser He Luan to Shen Chong to kill all the sons of Zhou Zha's brothers, and then marched on Kuaiji and attacked Zhou Zha, who did not know of it and, hearing suddenly that troops had come, led several hundred of his men out against them and was scattered and killed. Wang Dun, further begrudging Zhou Zha, killed him and destroyed his whole clan; the household commanders Ran Zeng and Gongcheng Xiong, being confidants of Emperor Yuan, he also killed; and because the guards were still many he memorialised that they should serve two turns in three.

His Second Rising and Death

In the sixth month of the second year of Taining Wang Dun made his left master of horse Wen Jiao governor of Danyang, meaning thereby to watch the court's movements, but Wen Jiao reported all Wang Dun's plans to Sima Shao. Wang Dun then rose again while ill: being too gravely ill to lead troops himself, he made Wang Han commander-in-chief, and with Qian Feng, Deng Yue and Zhou Fu led fifty thousand men toward Jiankang, hinting to Qian Feng and the rest that they should kill Sima Shao when the city fell; for Qian Feng and the others asked what should be done with the Son of Heaven on the day of success, and Wang Dun said that he had not yet sacrificed in the southern suburb and how could he be called Son of Heaven, and that they should simply spend their strength and protect the prince of Donghai and the lady Pei. Wang Han and Qian Feng advanced by water and land and soon came to Jiankang, camping on the southern bank of the Qinhuai, while Wen Jiao moved to the north bank and, the guards being few and the frontier troops summoned not yet come, burned the Zhuque bridge to break their edge; and the emperor was angry, and Wen Jiao said that the guards were few and the levies not yet arrived, and that if the rebels burst through the state would be endangered, and asked why the emperor should grudge one bridge. The minister over the masses Wang Dao wrote to Wang Han that he should quickly take the great decision and seize Qian Feng alone, so that the realm should be at peace and house and state be blessed; and Wang Han made no answer. In the seventh month of the second year of Taining the Ming emperor led the six armies in person and camped at the southern imperial hall, and on the night of the day guiyou he called for brave men and sent the general Duan Xiu and the master of horse of the central army Cao Hun with a thousand armoured men across the water to fall on them unprepared; and at dawn they fought at Yuecheng and broke them utterly, beheading their van commander He Kang; and Wang Dun died of rage and grief. The emperor sent Cao Hun and others against Wang Han at Yuecheng, and Wang Han's army was beaten, and Wang Dun, hearing of it, said in anger that his brother was an old maid and the house was ruined, and told his military adviser Lü Bao that he must exert himself, and raising himself with effort he lay down again for weakness, and died that day at his headquarters in Gushu at fifty-nine. He charged at the end that Wang Ying should take the throne and then arrange his funeral, but Wang Ying kept his death secret, wrapped the body in a mat, coated it with white wax and buried it in the hall of the headquarters, and then drank and revelled with Zhuge Yao and the rest. Liu Xia and Su Jun and the other frontier troops then came one after another to Jiankang, and Shen Chong and Qian Feng, thinking that the northern troops newly arrived were unfit to fight, led their men across the Qinhuai to strike them while unprepared; and though they once came as far as outside the Xuanyang gate they were at last driven back. Qian Feng and Shen Chong were killed one after another and their heads sent to the capital; and Sima Shao had Wang Dun's body dug up, burned his robes and cap, and had him beheaded in the posture of kneeling, after which the heads of Wang Dun, Shen Chong and the rest were hung together on the Zhuque bridge in the south of the city, at which all who saw it rejoiced.

Major Activities

Helping Establish the Eastern Jin

Wang Dun and Wang Dao were key figures in the establishment of the Eastern Jin. During the Yongjia era, Wang Dun served as Inspector of Yangzhou and, together with Wang Dao, helped Sima Rui secure a base in Jiangdong. Wang Dun used his prestige to help attract the southern elite, led troops against the disobedient Jiangzhou Inspector Hua Yi, and participated in suppressing Du Tao's rebellion, making substantial contributions to the creation and stabilization of the new regime. In 315, as overall commander against Du Tao, he was promoted to Grand General Who Pacifies the East, military commander over six provinces, and Inspector of Jiangzhou and was enfeoffed as Marquis of Han'an, becoming the most powerful military figure of the early Eastern Jin. The political pattern expressed in the phrase "the Wangs and the Simas share the realm" took shape in this context.

Launching the Wang Dun Rebellion

The Wang Dun Rebellion was the Eastern Jin's first major case of a powerful minister openly challenging the throne. In 322 Wang Dun raised troops from Wuchang on the pretext of eliminating Liu Wei, entered Jiankang, and seized control of government. He appointed himself chancellor, killed Zhou Yi and Dai Yuan, tried unsuccessfully to depose Crown Prince Sima Shao, and then returned to Wuchang to control the court from a distance. In 324, while seriously ill, he launched another attack on Jiankang under his elder brother Wang Han. The army was defeated. Wang Dun died in camp, and his corpse was later desecrated and his severed head displayed. Although the rebellion failed, it began a prolonged pattern of conflict between powerful aristocratic ministers and imperial authority under the Eastern Jin.

Eliminating Rivals

Wang Dun killed or displaced a number of political and military rivals during his rise and rebellion. In 312 he killed Jingzhou Inspector Wang Cheng on the accusation of colluding with Du Tao. In 315 he detained the successful commander Tao Kan and transferred him to Guangzhou. After entering Jiankang in 322 he killed Zhou Yi and Dai Yuan and secretly ordered Xiangyang Administrator Zhou Lü to kill Xiangzhou Inspector Gan Zhuo; Xiangzhou Inspector Sima Cheng had already been captured and killed by his forces. After Wang Dun's rebellion was suppressed, his followers Shen Chong, Qian Feng, and others were also executed.

Calligraphy

Wang Dun was skilled in calligraphy. Zhang Huaiguan's Tang Evaluation of Calligraphy ranked his hand in the third class. The Xuanhe Calligraphy Catalogue stated that he inherited family skill in calligraphy and that his brush force was vigorous. Volume two of the Chunhua Pavilion Model Calligraphies preserves his cursive "Wax Festival Letter," which the source describes as full-bodied and composed while containing an underlying vigor.

Anecdotes and Character

Historical accounts describe Wang Dun as open-browed, uninhibited, perceptive in judging people, learned in the Zuo Tradition, uninterested in wealth, and fond of pure conversation. He also loved music and once performed on a drum before an audience with precise rhythm and complete self-possession, impressing those present with his bold manner.

Shi Chong was famous for luxurious living. His latrine was attended by more than ten beautiful maidservants and supplied with scented powders and agarwood liquid; guests changed clothes after using it. Many were embarrassed to undress in front of the attendants, but Wang Dun remained completely at ease. He did not know that dried dates there were intended to plug the nose and ate them as fruit, and he mixed cleansing beans into clean water and drank them, calling them "dry rice," causing the maidservants to laugh behind their hands.

The source also portrays Wang Dun as cold and ruthless. At a banquet given by Wang Kai, a female musician made an error while playing the flute and Wang Kai had her killed immediately. The other guests were horrified, but Wang Dun remained calm. On another occasion Wang Kai ordered a beauty to press guests to drink and threatened to kill her if any guest refused. Wang Dao forced himself to drink to spare her, while Wang Dun refused and watched as she was dragged away to be killed.

Wang Dun was also said to have lived licentiously and to have kept dozens of concubines and maidservants. When someone remonstrated with him, he replied that the matter was easy and immediately dismissed dozens of women, surprising contemporaries. After killing Zhou Yi, Wang Dun was once playing the board game chupu and, seeing a piece knocked back, thought of the decline of the Zhou family and wept.

His Calligraphy

Wang Dun was skilled in calligraphy, and Zhang Huaiguan in his estimation of calligraphers of the Tang ranked him in the third class; and the catalogue of the Xuanhe collection says that Wang Dun first learned calligraphy as a family tradition and that his brush was virile and strong, as when he faced Emperor Wu and beat the drum, shaking his sleeves and raising his gown with no one about him. The second volume of the Chunhua imperial calligraphy models contains Wang Dun's cursive tablet of the Warden of the Wax Festival, which in its full flesh and ample manner hides a virile posture and is of no small skill. The same catalogue says that Wang Dun's nature was simple and free and that he loved mad cursive, and that from his first offices he took his stand on his martial fame, so that when he held the tally and campaigned he relied on his merit and gave rein to arrogance.

Anecdotes

In his youth Wang Dun had a countryman's name and spoke with a Chu accent; and when Emperor Wu called the worthies of the time to speak of feats and arts, all knew much and Wang Dun alone knew nothing of them and looked much displeased, and said of himself that he knew how to beat the drum; and the emperor had a drum brought him, and he rose from his seat, shook his sleeves and struck it hard, the notes apt and swift, his spirit haughty and high, as if no one were there, and all the company sighed at his heroic dash. When Wang Dun first married the princess and went to the privy he saw a lacquered box full of dried dates, which were meant to stop the nose against the stench, and taking them for sweetmeats set out in the privy he ate them up; and when he came out maids brought a golden basin of water and a glass bowl of washing beans for him to wash his hands, and he took them for dry food and poured the beans into the water and drank it, at which the maids all covered their mouths and laughed. Shi Chong was famed for his luxury, and his privy had always more than a dozen beautiful maids in attendance with fragrant powders and aloes-wood water, and those who used it changed into new clothes, and many guests were ashamed to undress before the maids, but Wang Dun took off his old clothes and put on the new with a haughty look, and the maids said among themselves that this guest would surely be able to play the robber. At Shi Chong's feasts, by one account Wang Kai's, he would set beauties to hand round the wine and had it proclaimed that if a guest did not drain his cup the beauty would be killed; and once when Wang Dun was a guest he would not drink, and Shi Chong killed three beauties, and Wang Dun's countenance was unchanged; and when Wang Dao reproached him he said that it was the man's own household he was killing and what had it to do with him. Wang Dun was once so given to women that he kept several dozen maids and concubines in his house, and when someone remonstrated he opened the back door and drove them all out on the road, letting them go where they would, at which his contemporaries marvelled. Pan Tao, seeing Wang Dun as a youth, said that his wasp eyes were already showing though his jackal voice was not yet heard, and that he would surely eat men and would surely be eaten by them. When someone visited the grand commandant Wang Yan and found Wang Rong, Wang Dun and Wang Dao sitting there, and in another room saw Wang Dun's younger brothers Wang Xu and Wang Cheng, he said when he got home that in that day's visit to the grand commandant's house his eyes had met nothing but fine jade. In his early years at Luoyang Wang Dun had been on terms with Zhou Yi, and whenever he saw Zhou Yi he was so ill at ease that he must cover his face with his fan; but after crossing to Jiangdong he could no longer do so, and he sighed and asked whether he had advanced and Bo Ren gone back. Whenever he had drunk Wang Dun would chant the lines about the old steed in the stable whose aim is a thousand li, and the stout heart of the hero in his last years that will not be still, beating time on his spittoon with a ruyi sceptre until its mouth was all chipped.

Personal Relations

• Wang Ji (father): Investigating Censor
• Wang Dao (cousin): Eastern Jin chancellor; Wang Dao controlled court government while Wang Dun held military power
• Wang Yi (cousin): succeeded to control of Jingzhou
• Wang Leng (cousin): assassinated after warning Wang Dun against his ambitions
• Wang Han (elder brother): overall commander during the Wang Dun Rebellion; defeated and killed
• Wang Ying (adopted son): concealed Wang Dun's death and was later killed after defeat
• Wang Yunzhi (nephew): overheard Wang Dun and Qian Feng plotting and informed the court
• Princess Xiangcheng (wife): daughter of Emperor Wu of Jin Sima Yan
• Wang Yan (clansman): Western Jin Minister of Education who arranged Wang Dun's appointment to Qingzhou
• Wang Rong (clansman): admired Wang Dun's talent
• Wang Cheng: Inspector of Jingzhou, killed by Wang Dun
• Tao Kan: famous general who suppressed Du Tao but was transferred to Guangzhou because Wang Dun feared his military achievements
• Zhou Fang: famous general whose in-law relationship with Tao Kan deterred Wang Dun from killing Tao Kan
• Gan Zhuo: Inspector of Xiangzhou; vacillated during the rebellion and was later killed
• Sima Cheng: Prince of Qiao and Inspector of Xiangzhou; captured and killed by Wang Dun's forces
• Wen Jiao: appointed Administrator of Danyang by Wang Dun but later reported his rebellion to the court
• Qian Feng and Shen Chong: Wang Dun's chief plotters, later killed after defeat
• Sima Rui (Emperor Yuan of Jin): Wang Dun helped establish him as emperor; the ruler-minister relationship later broke down
• Sima Shao (Emperor Ming of Jin): Wang Dun tried to depose him; Sima Shao later ordered the campaign against Wang Dun
• Sima Yue (Prince of Donghai): appointed Wang Dun Inspector of Yangzhou
• Sima Lun (Prince of Zhao): after usurping the throne, sent Wang Dun to conciliate Wang Yan
• Liu Wei: trusted minister of Sima Rui and one of the targets Wang Dun cited as justification for rebellion
• Diao Xie: trusted minister of Sima Rui and another stated target of Wang Dun's rebellion
• Dai Yuan: killed by Wang Dun
• Zhou Yi: killed by Wang Dun

Historical Assessment

Eastern Jin / Contemporary

• The historians of the Book of Jin credited Wang Dun with helping create the Eastern Jin, noting his early reputation, authority, and role in assisting the restoration, while condemning his autocracy and rebellion.
• Wang Dao rebuked Wang Dun to his face, saying that rebellious ministers had existed in every age but that he had never expected one to emerge from within their own clan.
• Wen Jiao reported Wang Dun's rebellion and accused him of concealing disastrous intentions and coveting the imperial throne.
• After Wang Dun's death, Emperor Ming Sima Shao had his corpse desecrated and his head displayed as a warning.

Northern and Southern Dynasties to Sui and Tang

• Liu Yiqing's Southern Song A New Account of the Tales of the World preserves numerous anecdotes about Wang Dun, portraying a man who combined boldness and grandeur with cruelty.
• The Tang-compiled Book of Jin placed Wang Dun among rebels, accusing him of harboring disloyal ambition despite the weight of his achievements, while also acknowledging that in youth he was regarded as an extraordinary man.
• Fang Xuanling and the other Tang compilers wrote that Wang Dun, with his bold talent, rose in an age of disorder and established achievements south of the Yangzi, but that his concealed rebellious intentions ultimately brought disaster upon himself.

Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Periods

• Sima Guang's Northern Song Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance records the Wang Dun Rebellion in detail and treats it as a representative crisis of Eastern Jin aristocratic politics, criticizing Wang Dun for dominating the court and aspiring to the throne.
• Hong Mai's Southern Song Rongzhai Essays argued that Sima Rui's suspicion and distancing of the Wang clan helped provoke the crisis and suggested that some aspects of Wang Dun's rebellion could be understood in that context.
• Wang Fuzhi's Commentaries on Reading the Comprehensive Mirror, written around the Ming-Qing transition, argued that rebellion was not Wang Dun's original intention and that mutual suspicion drove him toward evil, treating ruler-minister mistrust as an important cause of the uprising.

Modern and Contemporary Views

• Chen Yinke's lectures on Wei-Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties history interpret the Wang Dun Rebellion as an inevitable conflict over the balance between imperial power and aristocratic clan power under the Eastern Jin, with Wang Dun representing a faction of the Langya Wang clan willing to use military force to defend family status.
• Tian Yuqing's Aristocratic Clan Politics of the Eastern Jin analyzes the rebellion as a key event in the formation of Eastern Jin aristocratic politics. Wang Dun used Jingzhou's military strength to challenge imperial and court authority at Jiankang; although he failed, the overall aristocratic political order did not disappear.
• Zhou Yiliang's Notes on the History of the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties discusses Wang Dun's killing of Zhou Yi and connects his violent and erratic behavior with his earlier experiences and tensions within the Langya Wang clan.