Early life

Wang Ji was from Qucheng County (曲城縣), Donglai Commandery (東萊郡), which is located northwest of present-day Zhaoyuan, Shandong. He was born in 190 towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty. As he lost his father at a young age, he was raised by his uncle Wang Weng (王翁), who treated him well. In return, Wang Ji was very filial towards his uncle.

When Wang Ji turned 16, the local commandery office recruited him to serve as an assistant official. He quit later after realising that he was not interested in the job. He then went to Langya Commandery (琅邪郡; around present-day Linyi, Shandong) for further studies under the Confucian scholar Zheng Xuan.

As Wang Lings subordinate

Sometime between 220 and 226, the administrative office of Donglai Commandery nominated Wang Ji as a xiaolian (civil service candidate) to the central government of the Cao Wei state. Wang Ji was subsequently appointed him as a Gentleman Cadet (郎中). Around the time, Wang Ling, who had recently assumed office as the Inspector (刺史) of Qing Province, recruited Wang Ji to serve as an attendant officer (別駕) under him. Later, when Wang Ji was summoned to the imperial capital Luoyang to serve as a librarian (秘書郎), Wang Ling successfully sought permission from the central government to let Wang Ji remain in Qing Province.

Wang Lang, the Minister over the Masses, once asked Wang Ling to transfer Wang Ji to his office in Luoyang. When Wang Ling refused, Wang Lang wrote to the imperial court to accuse Wang Ling of holding back talents: "Street-level officials who have performed exceptionally well should be promoted to commandery level. Commandery-level officials who have shown good performance should be recommended to the central government. This practice originated from the ancient custom of nobles presenting local talents to their rulers. I have never heard of any regional official refusing to allow his subordinates to serve in the central government." Despite Wang Lang's accusation, Wang Ling refused to allow Wang Ji to leave. Throughout his tenure in Qing Province, much of Wang Ling's achievements were actually due to Wang Ji's efforts.

Service in the central government

Sometime between 230 and 235, Sima Yi, the General-in-Chief (大將軍) of Wei, summoned Wang Ji to serve under him. Wang Ling had no choice but to let Wang Ji leave. Before Wang Ji reached Sima Yi's office, however, he was quickly reassigned to be a Palace Writer Gentleman (中書侍郎).

During his reign from 226 to 239, the Wei emperor Cao Rui started lavish and extravagant palace-building projects. As these projects were labour intensive, they took a heavy toll on the common people, who were recruited as labourers for the projects. Wang Ji wrote a memorial to Cao Rui to advise him to stop the projects:

Wang Su was known for writing commentaries and annotations on Confucian texts, as well as for expressing his opinions on imperial protocol, etiquette and customs. His views deviated largely from those of the Confucian scholar Zheng Xuan. As Wang Ji studied and followed Zheng Xuan's teachings, he often challenged and disagreed with Wang Su.

Wang Ji was subsequently promoted to the position of Administrator (太守) of Anping Commandery (安平郡; around present-day Hengshui, Hebei). He resigned later because of official reasons.

As the Administrator of Anfeng

Sometime between 239 and 249, Cao Shuang, the General-in-Chief (大將軍) of Wei, summoned Wang Ji to serve as an Assistant Gentleman (從事中郎) under him. Wang Ji was later promoted to the position of Administrator (太守) of Anfeng Commandery (安豐郡; around present-day Lu'an, Anhui).

During his tenure, Wang Ji governed his jurisdiction strictly but fairly. He also performed some acts of kindness from time to time to win popular support from the masses. As Anfeng Commandery was located near the border between Wei and its rival state Eastern Wu, Wang Ji also set up and strengthened its defences to deter the enemy. He was subsequently given an additional appointment as General Who Attacks Rebels (討寇將軍).

Sometime between 245 and 252, there were reports of Eastern Wu forces mobilising and gathering at the Wu imperial capital, Jianye (present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu). The Wu forces also publicly revealed that they were preparing to attack Wei territories in Yang Province. Zhuge Dan, the Wei governor of Yang Province, sought Wang Ji's opinion on how to counter a Wu invasion. Wang Ji replied: As Wang Ji analysed correctly, Sun Quan did not launch any attack on Wei during this time.

When Cao Shuang was regent of Wei from 239 to 249, he monopolised power and practised cronyism, which resulted in political corruption and cultural decadence. Wang Ji wrote a text, "Shi Yao Lun" (時要論; "Essay on the Needs of the Time"), to express his views on contemporary politics. He then resigned from his post as the Administrator of Anfeng Commandery, using poor health as an excuse. He was soon recalled by the Wei government to serve as the Intendant of Henan (河南尹). However, before he assumed office, Cao Shuang was ousted from power in a coup d'état by his co-regent, Sima Yi, and executed along with the rest of his family and associates. As Wang Ji used to be a subordinate of Cao Shuang, he was implicated in the purge and removed from office.

As the Inspector of Jing Province

Within the same year (249) after his removal from office, Wang Ji was summoned back to serve as a Master of Writing (尚書) in the imperial secretariat. In the following year, he was promoted to Inspector (刺史) of Jing Province and appointed as General Who Spreads Vehemence (揚烈將軍). Shortly after he assumed office, the Wei government ordered him to join the Wei general Wang Chang on a campaign against Eastern Wu.

During the battle, Wang Ji led an army to attack Wu forces led by Bu Xie at Yiling County (夷陵縣; in present-day Yichang, Hubei). Bu Xie and his men retreated behind the city walls, shut the gates and refused to engage Wang Ji in battle. Wang Ji then ordered his troops to pretend to prepare to attack the city, while secretly sending them to capture the Wu army's granary at Xiongfu (雄父). They managed to seize over 300,000 hu of grain and capture a Wu general, Tan Zheng (譚正). Thousands of Wu civilians surrendered to the Wei forces; Wang Ji made arrangements for them to be resettled in Yiling County. The Wei government awarded Wang Ji the title of a Secondary Marquis (關內侯) to honour him for his achievements.

Wang Ji wrote to Wang Chang and managed to convince him to relocate his base of operations to Jiangxia Commandery (江夏郡; around present-day Yunmeng County, Hubei), so that it was nearer to the Wei–Wu border at Xiakou (夏口; in present-day Wuhan, Hubei). After that, the Wu forces did not dare to readily cross the river to attack Wei territory as they did before.

During his tenure as the Inspector of Jing Province, Wang Jing governed his jurisdiction justly and fairly, maintained good discipline within the army and agricultural sector, and built many schools to promote education. He earned much praise from the residents of Jing Province.

Around the time, the Wei government wanted to launch a military campaign against Eastern Wu, so they ordered Wang Ji to come up with a strategy. Wang Ji said: The campaign was thus aborted.

When Sima Shi succeeded his father Sima Yi as the regent of Wei in 251, Wang Ji wrote to him: Sima Shi accepted Wang Ji's advice.

In 254, after Sima Shi deposed the Wei emperor Cao Fang and replaced him with Cao Mao, Wang Ji was elevated from the status of a secondary marquis to a village marquis under the title "Marquis of Changle Village" (常樂亭侯).

Suppressing Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qins rebellion

In 255, the Wei generals Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin started a rebellion in Shouchun (壽春; around present-day Shou County, Anhui), the capital of Huainan Commandery (淮南郡), which was called the Chu State (楚國) at the time. Wang Ji was appointed as acting Army Supervisor (監軍), granted acting imperial authority, and put in command of the Wei forces stationed in Xuchang. Sima Shi, the Wei regent, led troops from Luoyang, the Wei imperial capital, to suppress the rebellion and met Wang Ji at Xuchang.

When Sima Shi asked him what he thought of Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin's actions, Wang Ji replied: "The local officials in Huainan aren't responsible for starting the rebellion. Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin forced them to rebel by threatening to kill them if they didn't. They will collapse when imperial forces show up. It won't be long before we see Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin's dead bodies being hung at the gates." Sima Shi agreed.

Sima Shi put Wang Ji in command of the vanguard force. At the time, many Wei officials believed that Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin were powerful and difficult to defeat, so the Wei imperial court ordered Wang Ji to hold his position and refrain from engaging the rebels in battle. Wang Ji disagreed: Wang Ji then repeatedly sought permission to attack the rebels. When approval was finally granted, Wang Ji led his troops towards the Yin River (濦水), where he sought permission to attack the rebels:

Sima Shi wanted to wait until all the mobilised Wei forces had arrived before launching an attack on Shouchun, so he denied Wang Ji permission to attack first. Wang Ji then said: "When a general is out in the field, he doesn't always have to follow his lord's orders. If the rebels occupy territory, they make a gain. If we occupy territory, we make a gain. This is what it means to seize territory. I am referring to Nandun." Sima Shi approved and sent Wang Ji to occupy Nandun (南頓; west of present-day Xiangcheng, Henan). When Guanqiu Jian heard about it, he also led his forces towards Nandun. After travelling about 10 li, he heard that Wang Ji had already beat him to it and occupied Nandun, so he retreated back to Xiang County (項縣; present-day Shenqiu County, Henan).

Around the time, Deng Ai, the Inspector of Yan Province, was stationed with his troops at Yuejia (樂嘉; present-day Xiangcheng, Henan). When Wang Ji learnt that Guanqiu Jian had sent Wen Qin to lead a force to attack Deng Ai at Yuejia, he took advantage of the situation to attack and seize Xiang County from the rebels. After the rebellion was suppressed, Wang Ji was promoted to General Who Guards the South (鎮南將軍) and put in charge of supervising military operations in Yu Province. He was also appointed as acting Inspector of Yu Province and promoted from a village marquis to a district marquis under the title "Marquis of Anle District" (安樂鄉侯). He wrote a memorial to the Wei imperial court, requesting to give away 200 taxable households from his marquisate to his cousin, Wang Qiao (王喬), as an expression of gratitude to his late uncle Wang Weng (王翁; Wang Qiao's father) for raising him when he was young. The imperial court approved his special request and enfeoffed Wang Qiao as a Secondary Marquis (關內侯).

Suppressing Zhuge Dans rebellion

When the Wei general Zhuge Dan started a rebellion in Shouchun (壽春; around present-day Shou County, Anhui) in 257, Wang Ji was appointed acting General Who Guards the East (鎮東將軍) in addition to his existing appointment as General Who Guards the South (鎮南將軍). He was also put in charge of military operations in Yang and Yu provinces. At the time, the Wei imperial forces stationed at Xiang County (項縣; present-day Shenqiu County, Henan) did not dare to attack the rebels because they knew the rebels were seasoned soldiers. The Wei imperial court ordered Wang Ji to supervise the construction of defences and fortifications, and ignored his requests to attack the rebels.

Wei's rival state, Eastern Wu, sent Zhu Yi to lead Wu forces to Shouchun to support Zhuge Dan. The Wu forces made camp at Ancheng County (安城縣; southwest of present-day Pingyu County, Henan).

Wang Ji followed orders and led his troops to occupy the hills in the north. He told his officers: "The fortifications are already very solid and the troops have assembled here. We only need to maintain our defences and wait for the enemy to show up. If we continue to deploy our troops to guard strategic locations, we will only become even more scattered. When that happens, even the most intelligent people can't think of any solution to the problem." He then wrote a report to the Wei imperial court: The imperial court approved.

Sima Zhao, the General-in-Chief (大將軍) of Wei, led imperial forces to Qiutou (丘頭; southeast of present-day Shenqiu County, Henan) and deployed them around the city to form a defence perimeter. At the time, Wang Ji commanded the 26 units stationed at the southeast of the city. Sima Zhao sent a messenger to meet Wang Ji and order him to hold his position and refrain from engaging the rebels in battle. Before long, the city ran out of supplies while the rebels increased the intensity of their attacks. Wang Ji continued to put up a firm defence and hold his ground. When the opportunity came, he launched a counterattack and defeated the rebels.

After suppressing Zhuge Dan's rebellion, Wang Ji wrote a letter to Sima Zhao:

Sima Zhao wanted to ask Tang Zi and the Wu defectors to serve as guides in leading Wei forces deep into Wu territory to launch an attack. However, Wang Ji advised him against it: Sima Zhao thus called off the attack on Wu.

After pacifying the Huainan region, Wang Ji was reassigned from his position as General Who Guards the South (鎮南將軍) to General Who Attacks the East (征東將軍), and put in charge of military affairs in Yang Province. He was also elevated from the status of a district marquis to a county marquis under the title "Marquis of Dongwu" (東武侯). He wrote a memorial to the imperial court to decline the promotion, and gave the credit for suppressing the rebellion to all his subordinates. Seven chief clerks and army majors under him were thus awarded marquis titles.

When Wang Ji's mother died in 258, the Wei imperial court issued an edict ordering news of her death to be kept secret. The remains of Wang Ji's father, Wang Bao (王豹), were excavated and transferred to Luoyang for reburial together with Wang Ji's mother. The imperial court also posthumously appointed Wang Bao as the Administrator of Beihai Commandery.

As General Who Attacks the South

In 259, Wang Ji was reassigned from his position as General Who Attacks the East (征東將軍) to General Who Attacks the South (征南將軍), and put in charge of supervising military operations in Jing Province. In the following year, the Wei government added 1,000 taxable households to his marquisate, bringing the total number up to 5,700. Two of Wang Ji's sons were enfeoffed as a village marquis and a secondary marquis respectively.

Sometime between 17 April and 16 May 261, Hu Lie (胡烈), the Administrator of Xiangyang, reported that the Eastern Wu military officers Deng You (鄧由) and Li Guang (李光) were planning to lead 18 units to defect to Wei, and had already sent their subordinates Zhang Wu (張吳) and Deng Sheng (鄧生) across the border. Upon receiving the news, Sima Zhao and the Wei imperial court ordered Wang Ji to mobilise the military units in all of Jing Province's commanderies, including Xiangyang, in preparation for a large-scale invasion of Eastern Wu with the aid of the defectors.

When Wang Ji heard about it, he suspected that Deng You and Li Guang were pretending to defect to Wei, so he wrote an urgent report to the central government: "We should check and confirm first. We should not rush into mobilising troops and sending them deep into enemy territory." He then wrote a follow-up report:

Sima Zhao also found Deng You and Li Guang suspicious after receiving Wang Ji's two reports within such a short span of time. He immediately ordered the mobilised troops to stop at their current positions and await further orders. Wang Ji wrote again to Sima Zhao: Sima Zhao immediately put the troops on high alert. He then wrote a letter to Wang Ji: "Many of those who work with me are simply sycophants hoping to gain my favour through flattery. Only a few dare to speak up and be candid towards me. You are known for your loyalty and love. You have often given me good advice. I shall heed your advice again." As Wang Ji suspected, Deng You and Li Guang were indeed pretending to defect to Wei as they did not show up as promised.

Death

Wang Ji died on 9 June 261 at the age of 72 (by East Asian age reckoning). The Wei government posthumously appointed him as Minister of Works (司空) and awarded him the posthumous title "Marquis Jing" (景侯) along with the peerage "Marquis of Dongwu" (東武侯), which he declined in 258.

Fragments of Wang Ji's tombstone were discovered in Luoyang during the Qianlong era (1735–1795) of the Qing dynasty. The inscriptions are recorded in volume 56 of the Quan Sanguo Wen (全三國文) compiled by Yan Kejun (嚴可均) in the 19th century.

Family

Wang Ji's son, Wang Hui (王徽), inherited his father's peerage and became the next Marquis of Dongwu (東武侯), but died early. Sometime between 264 and 265, just before the Jin dynasty (266–420) replaced the Cao Wei state, the Cao Wei regime established a five-rank nobility system and made Wang Yi (王廙), a grandson of Wang Ji, the new Marquis of Dongwu. A new marquisate was created using the excess households from the Dongwu marquisate, and awarded to one of Wang Yi's sons under the title of a secondary marquis.

Wang Ji had a daughter, Wang Can (王粲), whose courtesy name was Nüyi (女儀). She married Sima Rong (司馬肜) in 264, became his princess consort in 266 when he was enfeoffed as the Prince of Liang (梁王) by the Jin dynasty, and died in 284. A tombstone was erected for her in 288 near Suiyang County (睢陽縣; present-day Suiyang District, Shangqiu, Henan).

In 266, after the Jin dynasty replaced the Cao Wei state, the Jin imperial court issued an edict as follows:

生平

早年生活

王基生於漢獻帝初平元年（190年）。年少時父親王豹就已死去，與叔父王翁同住，王翁對王基十分好，而王基亦十分孝順。十七歲時郡府徵召王基任官吏，但王基覺得不是自己的興趣，於是辭任官職，到琅邪游學，被王修賞識。

安定州郡

曹魏黃初年間，察孝廉，任郎中。當時青州刺史王淩徵求王基為別駕，王基在任內協助王淩管理青州，治績不俗，因此後來王基被朝廷徵召為秘書郎，王淩都請求王基回到自己手下；而司徒王朗闢命王基時，王淩又不放王基到朝廷上任。及後升任中書侍郎，正始二年（241年），與陶丘一、孟觀、孫邕三人共薦管寧。

後任安平太守。大將軍曹爽請他任從事中郎，出任安豐太守，因為安豐郡與東吳接壤，王基處事清白嚴明，甚得人心，而且高調設下防備，令東吳不敢進攻安豐。後因功加討寇將軍。247年，東吳聚兵於建業，聲言要攻揚州，但王基認為這只不過是孫權虛張聲勢，想安定吳國內部。東吳最終都沒有攻魏。

治理荊州

249年，被徵命為河南尹，但未上任就遇上高平陵之變，曹爽被司馬懿起兵誅殺，王基因為曾經任曹爽官屬而被罷免。但不久又被任為尚書，出任荊州刺史，加揚烈將軍，於251年末隨征南將軍王昶攻打東吳。王基攻擊駐夷陵的步協，步協閉門自守，王基作勢要攻城，但暗裏分兵攻取雄父，奪去三十多萬斛米糧，又虜東吳安北將軍譚正，納降數千人。王基將降民遷移，並設下夷陵縣；王基因而獲賜爵關內侯。後來又上表，將荊州治所遷到江夏，向夏口施壓，令到東吳不敢輕言渡江伐魏。而王基在荊州亦崇明制度，整治軍事和農耕，又建學校，南方人民都稱讚他。後來朝廷預備要攻伐東吳，詢問王基如何進攻，王基卻認為時機未到，現在出兵不會有甚麼成果，建議先好好備戰。朝廷於是就決議不攻東吳。

策謀助主

嘉平四年（252年），司馬師任大將軍掌政，王基上書勸戒司馬師，又推薦許允、傅嘏、袁侃和崔贊等人輔助司馬師。司馬師聽從。正元元年（254年），曹芳被廢，曹髦繼位，王基封為常樂亭侯。次年，毌丘儉和文欽在壽春叛變，司馬師親征，以王基為行監軍、假節，統許昌軍，與司馬師一同進攻。當時司馬師令各人固守而不與毌丘儉等人作戰，王基認為純粹固守不足以平定叛軍，應先進駐南頓，因其城堅固而有足夠儲糧，可穩定當地民心。但司馬師想等所有軍隊聚集才進攻，王基於是自行進攻與毌丘儉爭奪南頓，最終先毌丘儉一步進駐南頓。後來文欽中了鄧艾誘敵之計，兵敗逃走，毌丘儉懼怕逃走，王基進攻，最終平定叛亂。戰後因功升任鎮南將軍，都督豫州諸軍事，領豫州刺史，進封安樂鄉侯。

甘露二年（257年），諸葛誕在壽春叛變，王基以本官行鎮東將軍，都督揚、豫諸軍事，領兵討伐。當時因為諸葛誕兵強，下令王基固守。後來吳將朱異領兵支援諸葛誕，王基受詔要遷到北山防守，但王基則認為這樣會令人心不安，有損形勢，上書勸阻，司馬昭聽從。後來諸軍兵圍壽春，城中糧盡，諸葛誕軍晝夜突圍，王基領兵迎擊，大破對方。最終協助平定叛亂。司馬昭在平亂後打算乘勢輕兵進攻東吳，招引剛投降的吳將唐咨在東吳的家屬，試圖一舉令東吳覆亡。但王基則認為魏軍糧草不繼，叛亂的影響還未消除，而且勝利後人人都輕敵，容易失敗。當時已獲得空前勝果，不應再進圖。司馬昭聽從。戰後任命王基為征東將軍，都督揚州諸軍事，進封東武侯。甘露四年（259年），轉任征南將軍，鎮新野都督荊州諸軍事。曹奐繼位後增邑，又先後賜二個兒子亭侯和關內侯。

識破陰謀

景元二年（261年），襄陽太守胡烈報告吳將鄧由等想投降曹魏，司馬昭下令分派王基手下諸軍，令胡烈領萬人接應鄧由。王基認為鄧由可能是詐降，只是想引誘兵眾。於是立刻趕去勸止司馬昭，並陳說可疑之處。司馬昭於是不派兵接應，後來鄧由始終都沒有歸降。同年四月廿四日，王基逝世，年72歲。追贈司空，諡景侯。

性格特徵

• 王基是東漢末學者鄭玄的再傳弟子。明帝時，散騎常侍王肅著作經傳解說和議定朝儀，都改易鄭玄的版本，王基因而與王肅抗衡，堅持要跟從鄭玄的原意。可見他除了有學識，亦非常敢於去爭辯抗衡，維護師承之學說。

• 王基亦十分孝義，叔父王翁對他有恩，在平定毌丘儉之亂後，王基在獲封賞之餘，亦上疏要求分自己二百食邑給王翁之子王喬，並賜他關內侯，用以報恩。

• 王基很善待部屬，不獨攬功勳，如平定諸葛誕後，他將功勞歸功於屬官而拒絕所賜的封賞，於是手下長史、司馬等七人都獲封侯。

逸聞

《三國志·方技傳》載，管輅去見王基為其算命。

家庭

父輩

• 王豹，王基年少時就已死。258年，王基母親死後，將王豹的墓移到洛陽與王基母親合葬，並追贈他為北海太守。

• 王翁，王基叔父，王豹死後養育王基。

後代

• 王徽，王基之子，王基死後繼嗣，但早死。

• 王沖，王基子，入晉任治書侍御史。

• 王振，王基子，安陽令，有次子王恢

• 王粲，字女儀，王基三女，入晉後任梁王司馬肜的王妃。

• 王廙，王基之孫，咸熙年間朝廷改五等爵，因著王基的功勳改封王廙，又以原東武侯國餘邑賜王基一子為關內侯。

注釋