Background and seizure of Pinglu

It is not known when Wang Jingwu was born, but it is known that he was from Qing Prefecture (青州, in modern Weifang, Shandong, the capital of Pinglu Circuit) and that he served as an officer under An Shiru (安師儒) the military governor of Pinglu. In 881 or 882, there was an agrarian rebellion in the region of Qing and Di (棣州, in modern Binzhou, Shandong) Prefectures, and An sent him to suppress it. After he returned to Qing, he expelled An and claimed the title of acting military governor. Thereafter, turning away from his allegiance to the then-reigning Tang emperor Emperor Xizong, he sought and received a commission from Huang Chao, who had several months earlier captured the Tang imperial capital Chang'an, forced Emperor Xizong to flee to Chengdu, and declared his own state of Qi as its emperor.

Wanting to turn Wang Jingwu's allegiance back to Tang, the Tang chancellor Wang Duo, who was in charge of the operations against Huang, sent the imperial official Zhang Jun to try to persuade Wang Jingwu and bestow the commission of acting military governor. When Zhang arrived at Pinglu, Wang Jingwu initially refused to meet him. When Wang eventually met with Zhang, Zhang rebuked him, and further used a speech to turn the soldiers' opinions toward loyalty to Tang. The soldiers' opinions affected Wang, and Wang decided to accept the Tang commission and sent troops to aid Wang Duo's campaign. Wang Duo subsequently made him military governor. After Tang forces recaptured Chang'an, Wang Jingwu was given the honorary chancellor designation of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi and the honorary title of acting Taiwei (太尉, one of the Three Excellencies).

Death and succession

Wang Jingwu died in 889 and was succeeded by his 15-year-old son Wang Shifan. Initially, his subordinate Zhang Chan refused to accept Wang Shifan as Wang Jingwu's successor, and the imperial government also tried to make the senior general Cui Anqian the new military governor. By 890, however, Wang Shifan had defeated Zhang and Zhang's ally Lu Hong (盧弘), and Cui fled back to Chang'an, allowing Wang Shifan to take control.

Notes and references

• New Book of Tang, vol. 187.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 255, 258.

背景、奪取平盧

王敬武生年不詳，是平盧軍部青州人，在節度使安師儒帳下為偏校。中和元年（881年）或二年（882年），弘霸郎起事青州、棣州，安師儒命王敬武鎮壓。王敬武回到青州後為行營將，二年九月，驅逐安師儒，被軍中立為留後。十月，王敬武被任為留後。他不想向唐僖宗效忠，轉而投靠數月前攻占長安迫使僖宗逃往成都、自稱大齊皇帝的黃巢。王敬武軍威方振，朝廷屢次下詔征他勤王，他都不應。負責對黃巢作戰的宰相兼充天下行營都統王鐸希望王敬武反正，派諫議大夫都統判官張濬前去說服，並授王敬武為留後。王敬武最初拒見張濬，但最終還是見了。張濬斥責王敬武不識君臣禮數，王敬武愕然謝罪。張濬宣詔，軍士默然，張濬又將將佐們召集到球場以諭之，使王敬武所部士兵的立場轉向效忠唐朝。王敬武被軍心所影響，接受了朝廷的任命，派牙將曹存實、軍候朱瑄等助王鐸作戰。後來召還曹存實，曹存實行經天平軍軍部鄆州，占據之。王鐸隨後承制授王敬武節度使。唐軍收複長安後，王敬武被授予同中書門下平章事的宰相榮銜和檢校太尉榮銜。王敬武等藩鎮自擅兵賦，不修職貢，賞罰由己出，更仗著有驅逐黃巢之功，朝廷不能制，只能姑息。

光啟二年（886年），汴州節度使朱全忠派大將朱珍去淄州募兵，朱珍、李唐賓在乾封敗淄州軍于白草口，大校葛從周俘獲其驍將鞏約。王敬武以青州軍步騎二萬列三寨于金嶺驛，又被汴軍連破，軍隊被殲，將領楊昭范等五人及軍器戎馬都被朱珍所獲。朱珍、監軍劉捍、霍存又攻博昌，俘獲其精兵三萬、馬千匹及相當數量的鎧甲。

去世和身後

王敬武后又為檢校司空。龍紀元年（889年），王敬武去世，青州三軍推其15歲的兒子王師範權知兵馬事。部將棣州刺史張蟾拒絕承認王師範為繼任者，朝廷也想派太子少師、東都留守、檢校侍中崔安潛繼任平盧節度觀察等使。但大順元年（890年）王師範擊敗了張蟾及其盟友都指揮使盧弘，崔安潛逃回長安，使王師範仍然控制了平盧。

注釋