Biography
Family Background and Early Life
Wang Zongkan was originally named Tian Shikan, or Tian Shi in another source, and was born into a locally prominent family in Xuchang. The *Jiuguo Zhi* says that his original surname was Tian and his personal name Shi, while the *Zizhi Tongjian* calls him Tian Shikan of Xuchang. As a young man he was enrolled in the Zhongwu Army and served under Wang Jian, then a Zhongwu military officer.
In 885 the powerful eunuch Tian Lingzi forced Emperor Xizong of Tang to flee west. Wang Jian and Tian Shikan accompanied the imperial escort through Chencang. In 886 Tian Lingzi lost power and asked to become army supervisor in Western Sichuan, where he joined his brother Chen Jingxuan, the military governor. Wang Jian was likewise pushed out of the central court and later occupied Langzhou, styling himself defender of the prefecture. Tian Shikan joined his uprising there, was adopted by Wang Jian, and received the name Wang Zongkan.
Entry into Sichuan and the Wars for the Two Chuan
In 887 Chen Jingxuan, on Tian Lingzi's advice, invited Wang Jian to Chengdu but then reversed himself and barred his entry. Wang Jian had already reached Lutou Pass and, enraged, broke through it by force. He defeated Zhang Xu, prefect of Hanzhou, at Mianzhu, seized Hanzhou, then advanced to Xueshe Mountain, defeated Western Sichuan commander Gou Weili, and captured Deyang. Wang Zongkan took part throughout these operations, helping defeat Zhang Xu's force of more than ten thousand and defeating Gou Weili at Xueshe Mountain.
In 888 Wang Jian turned against Pengzhou, Qiongzhou, and other territories of Western Sichuan in an all-out struggle with Chen Jingxuan. Wang Zongkan repeatedly led assaults and accumulated military merit. At Huanzhai he defeated a 60,000-man force under the Western Sichuan commander Shan Xingzhang. In 891 Wang Jian finally entered Chengdu, took Western Sichuan, and became its military governor.
That same year Gu Yanlang, military governor of Eastern Sichuan, died and was succeeded by his brother Gu Yanhui. Yang Shouhou, prefect of Mianzhou, attacked Zizhou, and Gu Yanhui appealed to Wang Jian. Wang Jian sent Wang Zongkan, Hua Hong, Li Jian, and Wang Zongbi to relieve the city. Wang Zongkan broke seven camps of Yang Shouhou and drove back the Mianzhou army. Wang Jian already intended to annex Eastern Sichuan and secretly instructed his generals to seize Gu Yanhui when he held a victory banquet, but Wang Zongbi leaked the plan. The two Sichuan regimes thereafter became enemies.
Pacifying Pengzhou and Territorial Expansion
In 892 Wang Jian ordered Wang Zongkan, Wang Zongyu, Hua Hong, and Wang Zongyao to lead 50,000 troops against Yang Sheng, military governor of Weirong, and besiege Pengzhou. The siege dragged on. People outside the city fled into the hills while Western Sichuan troops plundered daily. A soldier of scholarly background named Wang Xiancheng believed Wang Zongkan's northern camp to be the most disciplined and approached him with seven proposals, including amnestying the people, forbidding plunder, establishing reception camps, and assigning officials specifically to pacification. Wang Zongkan transmitted the proposals to Wang Jian, who adopted them. People around Pengzhou returned, Yang Sheng became increasingly isolated, and the city eventually fell in 894; Yang Sheng was killed.
In 895, after Li Maozhen of Fengxiang broke with the Tang court and threatened the capital, Wang Jian used the pretext of aiding the emperor to send forces north against Shannan West Circuit, then under Li Maozhen's control. Wang Zongkan took Lizhou, captured and executed its prefect Li Jiyong, and soon became commander of the Jueyun Army.
In 897 Wang Jian launched a major attack on Eastern Sichuan. Wang Zongkan was appointed Supporting Commander for Opening the Gorges and, together with Wang Zongruan, moved along the gorge route against Zizhou. Leading 8,000 men, Wang Zongkan took Yuzhou and received the surrender of its prefect Mou Chonghou; Wang Zongruan took Luzhou, opening the gorge route. By the tenth month Wang Jian had annexed Eastern Sichuan and controlled both Sichuan regions.
In 898 Wang Zongkan became Training Commissioner of Baosheng Army at Meizhou and Acting Minister of Works. The next year he led three commands to capture Langzhou, then seized Bazhou, Pengzhou, and Bizhou, and was later transferred to Yuzhou. In 901, while commanding Longtai, he helped suppress the uprising stirred up by the Daoist Du Congfa among the people of Chang, Pu, and He prefectures. The *Jiuguo Zhi* dates this event to 902, and the source preserves both datings. In the ninth month of 901 he became Military Commissioner of Wuxin Circuit, Grand Master for Splendid Happiness, and Acting Minister of Education. The following year he received a chancellorial designation and was enfeoffed as Marquis of Langye Commandery.
Founding of Former Shu and Service at Court
After the Tang dynasty fell in 907, Wang Jian proclaimed himself emperor at Chengdu and founded Former Shu. For his founding service, Wang Zongkan was promoted to Grand Protector, Palace Attendant, and commander of the capital forces. In 908 he was transferred to Wude Circuit, though the *Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms* gives the following year. He received an honorific title for founding and protecting the dynasty, was advanced to the Three Ducal Offices and Defender-in-chief, and made Duke of Langye Commandery. The next year he was further made Acting Grand Preceptor, Acting Grand Tutor, and concurrent Secretariat Director and advanced to Duke of Qi.
In 911 Li Maozhen of Qi broke relations with Former Shu and increased troops along the frontier. Wang Zongkan asked to attack and was appointed supreme commander of the northern field army over Wang Zongyou, Wang Zonghe, Tang Daoxi, and others. The Shu force reportedly numbered 120,000 infantry and cavalry, its banners stretching for hundreds of li. At Qingniling in the eighth month, however, Wang Zongkan was badly defeated by Qi commanders Liu Zhijun and Li Jichong and withdrew to Xixian, headquarters of Anyuan Army, where he was besieged. He later joined relief commanders in defeating the Qi army at Fukou and killed Li Yanchen. In the tenth month Wang Jian personally brought reinforcements to Lizhou. Wang Zongkan sent Lin Si'e by a small path to Nixi to seek help, and Wang Jian ordered Wang Zongbi to relieve Anyuan. Wang Zongbi defeated Liu Zhijun at Xiegu. In the eleventh month Wang Zongkan's troops saw the relief banners, sallied out with drums and shouts, and attacked in coordination with the reinforcements. They routed the Qi army, captured twenty-one camps, and killed Li Yanzhi and other commanders. The retreating Qi forces were again struck by Tang Daoxi's ambush at Xiegu. Afterward Wang Jian reprimanded Wang Zongkan as “reckless and rash,” leaving him greatly frightened.
In the seventh month of 913 Crown Prince Wang Yuanying attacked and killed the military commissioner Tang Daoxi. Wang Jian urgently summoned Wang Zongkan, Wang Zonghe, and others to suppress the revolt. Wang Zongkan formed troops at the West Ball-Ground Gate and, with Wang Zongan and other armies, attacked the rebels. Dozens were killed and the remainder dispersed. Xu Yao was killed, while the crown prince and Chang Qian fled to Longyue Pool and were later killed. In the tenth month Wang Jian planned to appoint a new crown prince. His favored consort Xu, mother of his youngest son Wang Zongyan, induced envoy Tang Wenyi to persuade Chancellor Zhang Ge to petition for Wang Zongyan. Zhang Ge showed a prepared memorial to Wang Zongkan and other veteran officers at night and falsely claimed it reflected a secret imperial command. They all signed. A physiognomist, seeking to satisfy the emperor's wishes, also claimed the Prince of Zheng had the noblest features. Wang Jian doubted that the young and weak Wang Zongyan was capable of ruling, but, believing that the ministers genuinely wanted him, agreed.
In the eleventh month of 915 a fire broke out in the Shu palace and treasures stored in the Hundred-Foot Tower were destroyed. The *Zizhi Tongjian* dates the event to the preceding year. Wang Zongkan, then commander of the armies and concurrent Secretariat Director, led guards toward the palace to fight the fire, but Wang Jian closed the gates and refused entry. The next morning, while the fire was still burning, Wang Jian went out through Yixing Gate to meet the ministers, ordered officials to gather the ancestral tablets from the imperial temple and patrol the capital, then reentered the palace and again closed the gates. Wang Zongkan was advanced to Prince of Le'an in the twelfth month.
In 917 he was made commander of the northeastern front, and in the second month of 918 he became supreme commander of the eastern and western armies. In the fifth month Wang Jian became seriously ill and the inner-court envoy Tang Wenyi plotted disorder but failed. Wang Jian died in the sixth month and Wang Zongyan succeeded him, changing his name to Wang Yan.
Later Years and Posthumous Honors
After Wang Yan's accession, Wang Zongkan was advanced to Prince of Le'an in the seventh month and to Prince of Wei in the intercalary sixth month of 920. He died of illness on the thirteenth day of the seventh lunar month in 923, aged sixty-six by East Asian reckoning. Wang Yan suspended court for seven days, and he and the empress dowager and senior consort personally attended the mourning. Wang Zongkan was posthumously granted the title Shangfu, the governorships of Liang, Yong, and Qin, and the posthumous name Jingwu.