During Emperor Gaozongs reign

It is not known when Wang Xiaojie was born, but it is known that his family was from the vicinity of Tang dynasty's capital Chang'an. He was said to have had a successful military career during the reign of Emperor Gaozong. In 678, he served under the general Liu Shenli, the assistant to the chancellor Li Jingxuan in a campaign against Tibet. Li's army suffered a great defeat at the hands of the Tibetan general Gar Trinring Tsendro ("Lun Qinling" (论钦陵) in Chinese), and both Liu and Wang were captured by Trinring. When Wang was presented to the Mangsong Mangtsen, the king of Tibet, Mangsong Mangtsen was surprised by Wang's appearance and stated, "Your appearance is like my father's," and began to weep. As a result, he spared Wang and treated him well, finally returning him to Tang. After returning to Tang, Wang continued to serve as a general.

During Wu Zetians reign

As of 692, Emperor Gaozong's wife Wu Zetian was reigning. At that time, the general Tang Xiujing, who was then the commandant at Xi Prefecture (西州, roughly modern Turfan Prefecture, Xinjiang), was requested that an army be launched to recover four garrisons that had fallen to Tibet in 670 -- Qiuzi, Yutian, Shule, and Suiye. Because Wang had lived in Tibet for some time, he was considered knowledgeable about Tibet, and Wu Zetian commissioned him to command the army against Tibet, assisted by the general Ashina Zhongjie (阿史那忠节). In winter 692, Wang defeated Tibetan forces and recaptured the four garrisons.

In 694, Wang again achieved victories near Qinghai Lake against Tibetan general Gar Tsenyen Gungton ("Bolun Zanren" (勃论赞刃) in Chinese) and Western Turks' Shixing Khan Ashina Tuizi (阿史那俀子). He was soon made the minister of defense (夏官尚书, Xiaguan Shangshu) and given the designation Tong Fengge Luantai Sanpin (同凤阁鸾台三品). While serving as chancellor, he was also then commissioned to command an army against Eastern Turks, formally under the command of Wu Zetian's lover Huaiyi, but did not appear to actually engage the Eastern Turks' forces. He was again commissioned to attack Eastern Turks' in 695, but when Tibet attacked later that year, he was commissioned to attack Tibet instead. In 696, when he and fellow chancellor Lou Shide engaged Tibetan forces, however, they were defeated by Gar Trinring Tsendro and Trinring's brother Gar Tsenba ("Lun Zanpo" (论赞婆) in Chinese). Lou was demoted, while Wang was reduced to commoner rank.

Later that year, however, there was a major Khitan rebellion under Li Jinzhong, who died later that year and was succeeded by his brother-in-law Sun Wanrong. In 697, with Khitan forces penetrating deep into Zhou territory, Wu Zetian commissioned Wang to be the acting commander of an army against Khitan, assisted by Su Honghui (苏宏晖), commanding some 170,000 men. In spring 697, Wang engaged Sun at Dongxia Rocky Valley (东硖石谷, near modern Tangshan, Hebei). Wang himself commanded the forward troops and had initial successes, but as he fought near a cliff, Khitan forces counterattacked, and Su Honghui fled. Wang fell off the cliff and died, and the army suffered heavy losses. Wang's secretary Zhang Shuo reported back to Wu Zetian in Luoyang (now capital) and stated, "Wang Xiaojie was brave and willing to fight to the death. He faithfully served the empire, fought into enemy territory, and fought many with few. But he had no backup, and so he was defeated." Wu Zetian posthumously honored Wang as the minister of defense and created him the Duke of Geng. She also ordered that Su Honghui be put to death, although before her emissaries arrived, Su had won other battles, and was spared the death penalty. Wang's son Wang Wuze (王无择) later served as a general during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong.

Notes and references

• Old Book of Tang, vol. 97.

• New Book of Tang, vol. 111.https://web.archive.org/web/20071011093344/http://ef.cdpa.nsysu.edu.tw/ccw/02/ntan15.htm

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 205, 206.

生平

王孝杰早年事迹不详，家住京师长安附近（雍州，后来的京兆府）的新丰县。年轻时以军功晋级。唐高宗仪凤二年（677年）他随负责西征吐蕃的宰相李敬玄的副手工部尚书刘审礼在大非川被吐蕃大将论钦陵打败，二人都做了俘虏，不久刘审礼伤重去世。吐蕃赞普赤都松赞看见王孝杰，说王孝杰长得像他死去的父亲，于是痛哭，所以他把王孝杰放回了唐朝，为右鹰扬卫将军。

长寿元年（692年），西州（今新疆吐鲁番）都督唐休璟请求武周女皇武则天，收复自670年以后，两次陷于吐蕃的安西四镇龟兹、于阗、疏勒、碎叶。因为王孝杰曾经长期住在吐蕃，知道吐蕃的内情，于是武则天以王孝杰为武威道总管，与阿史那忠节征讨吐蕃。当年冬天，王孝杰击败吐蕃，收复安西四镇。

694年，王孝杰在青海湖附近，打败吐蕃大将勃论赞刃和吐蕃拥立的西突厥十姓可汗阿史那俀子。因此王孝杰官拜夏官尚书、同凤阁鸾台三品，封清源县男。之后他在武则天情夫薛怀义的率领下，为瀚海道行军总管，攻打后突厥，但是未遇突厥军，无功而返。695年，为朔方道行军总管再击突厥。次年，吐蕃入侵临洮，他作为肃边道行军大总管，以娄师德为副手，出击吐蕃，交战于素罗汗山（今洮州附近），败于论钦陵、论赞婆兄弟。娄师德贬为原州员外司马，王孝杰免为庶人。

万岁通天元年（696年）五月，契丹李尽忠反叛，李尽忠死后，他的妻兄孙万荣继续领导叛军。697年，契丹军队深入河北，武则天以王孝杰以白衣（庶人身份）起复为清边道行军总管，苏宏晖为副，率军17万讨伐契丹。697年三月十二，王孝杰、苏宏晖进入东硖石谷（今河北唐山附近）遭遇契丹军。因为峡谷狭窄，王孝杰率领先锋精兵与契丹力战，追击到悬崖边。契丹大军围击，率领后军的苏宏晖逃走。王孝杰以少敌多，全军覆没，王孝杰跳崖而死。王孝杰的管记张说逃回洛阳报告：「孝杰忠勇敢死，乃诚奉国，深入寇境，以少御众，但为后援不至，所以致败。孝杰乃心国家，敢深入，以少当众，虽败，功可录也。」武则天遣使斩苏宏晖以示惩处。使者未至幽州，苏宏晖已经立功赎罪，最终免于诛杀。于是追赠王孝杰为夏官尚书，封耿国公。拜其子王无择为朝散大夫，后来成为唐玄宗时期的左骁卫将军，以恩例赠王孝杰特进。

注释

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