Wang Chucun

Wang Chucun (王處存) (831–895) was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who controlled Yiwu Circuit (義武, headquartered in modern Baoding, Hebei) in late Tang. He was one of the main contributors in Tang's eventual defeat of the agrarian rebel Huang Chao.

Wang Chucun was born in 831, during the reign of Emperor Wenzong. His family was from the Tang Dynasty capital Chang'an, and his ancestors had served as officers in the imperial Shence Armies for generations. His father Wang Zong (王宗) was not only a highly ranked general in the Shence Armies, but was also a skillful merchant. It was said that Wang Zong became so rich that he was able to be extravagant in his food and to have thousands of servants. Wang Chucun himself started his career as the commander at a Shence Army base, and he later became a general and a patrol commander. Yet later, he was made the overseer (制置使, Zizhishi) of the army at Ding Prefecture (定州, in modern Baoding, Hebei), then the capital of Yiwu Circuit.

In 879, Wang Chucun was made the military governor (Jiedushi) of Yiwu Circuit.

Around the new year 881, the major agrarian rebel Huang Chao captured Chang'an, forcing then-reigning Emperor Xizong to flee to Chengdu. Huang declared himself the emperor of a new state of Qi. Wang Chucun, upon hearing the news of Chang'an's fall, decided to head to Chang'an to aid the imperial cause even before Emperor Xizong sent any orders, and he also sent 2,000 men to Xingyuan (興元, in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi), where Emperor Xizong was at the time en route to Chengdu, to protect the emperor. He entered into an alliance with Wang Chongrong the military governor of Hezhong Circuit (河中, headquartered in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi), who had briefly submitted to Huang's Qi state but then reverted to Tang allegiance due to Huang's heavy tax and conscription burdens; they launched their armies and approached Chang'an, camping north of the Wei River.

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