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Wang Yanzhang
Later Liang general known as Iron Spear Wang, who retook Desheng in 923 but was captured weeks later and killed after refusing to serve the Later Tang
At dusk on a hilltop, a large tent stands open with a table holding a map marked with small stones inside, a saddled horse tethered outside, and fire stands burning; campfires dot the river plain below, and one tiny sentry stands on the slope.
Also known as Zi Xianming · Wang Tieqiang · Zi Ziming
- Roles
- Commanders
Wang Yanzhang, courtesy name Xianming (Ziming in the New History of the Five Dynasties), came from Shouzhang in Yunzhou, joined Zhu Wen's army as a youth, and fought with an iron spear, which earned him the name Iron Spear Wang. During the long standoff between the Later Liang and the Jin across the Yellow River, Jin troops seized Yunzhou in 923, and the last Liang emperor made him commander of the northern front; he took the southern fort at Desheng in a surprise attack. Soon replaced by Duan Ning, he was left with a small force to hold Zhongdu, where the Later Tang army defeated, wounded and captured him. Emperor Zhuangzong admired his courage and tried to win him over, but Wang said he would not serve a second master and was put to death at sixty-one. Ouyang Xiu placed him among those who died for loyalty in the New History and recorded his saying that a leopard leaves its skin and a man leaves his name.
Life and times
Dates 863 CE–923 CE