Wang Shichong (567-621) was a general of the Sui dynasty who rose in rebellion against the Sui and declared himself Emperor of Zheng in Henan, northern Jiangsu, and northern Anhui in 619. He and his ally Dou Jiande were defeated by the Tang at the Battle of Hulao in 621, and he was assassinated while in exile.
Biography[]
Wang Shichong was born in 567 AD to a family of Turkic ancestry, and he studied military strategies as a youth. In 610, he became supervisor of Emperor Yang of Sui's palace at Jiangdu, and he brought favor from the emperor through flattery and improving the palace's appearance. In 613 AD, he crushed Liu Yuanjin's agrarian uprising south of the Yangtze River, and Emperor Yang bestowed even greater favor upon him, recognizing him as a great general.
In 614, he defeated Meng Rang's rebellion, and, in 616, he was named Governor of Jiangdu after helping to defeat the Gokturks, with his role in the victory being exaggerated by the Emperor. From 617 to 618, he defeated the rebel general Li Mi and seized his territory after Emperor Yang was killed in a coup.
Wang then became regent of Sui, and he had Yang Tong name him Emperor of Zheng from his base in Henan, northern Jiangsu, and northern Anhui. He went to war with Emperor Gaozu of Tang, whose military strength overwhelmed him. Wang Shichong sought the aid of Prince of Xia Dou Jiande, but the two armies were defeated at the Battle of Hulao in 621.
While Dou Jiande was executed, Wang Shichong was sentenced to be exiled, only to be assassinated by the son of a man whom Wang had executed. His family was then massacred for plotting an anti-Tang rebellion.