生平

他的家族世代隸屬神策軍，其父叫王寮。族父王宗因經商而富比王侯，為京師巨富。唐朝末年黃巢之亂後，他堂兄義武節度使王處存據定州割據，唐昭宗乾寧二年（895年），王處存去世，其子王郜繼為節度使，親近李克用。王處直為後院中軍都知兵馬使。

光化三年（900年），朱溫進攻義武軍，王郜派王處直迎擊，王處直戰敗回軍兵變，王郜出逃投奔李克用。張存敬派兵攻城，王處直登城呼曰：「敝邑于朝廷未嘗不忠，于藩鄰未嘗失禮，不虞君之涉吾地，何也？」朱溫遣人報之曰：「何以附太原而弱鄰道？」王處直報曰：「吾兄與太原同時立勛王室，地又親鄰，修好往來，常道也。請從此改圖。」朱溫許之，仍歸罪于孔目吏梁問，出絹十萬匹，牛酒以犒汴州軍。存敬修盟而退。朱溫因此表授旄鉞，于光化四年（901年）五月，授節，檢校尚書左僕射、太原縣開國男。天複三年（903年）秋，加檢校司空，不久加司徒、中書門下平章事。

天祐元年，加太保，進太原郡王。天祐四年（907年）三月，朱溫稱帝，建立後梁，年號開平。王處直加太尉（或稱檢校太尉）兼侍中。開平三年（909年，天祐六年），加開府儀同三司、檢校太師兼中書令，進封北平王，福建節度使王審知封閩王，廣州節度使劉隱封南平王。後梁進攻成德節度使趙王王鎔，王處直恐懼唇亡齒寒，投靠晉王李存勖。

921年，王鎔被義子張文禮殺害，王處直沒有響應李存勖討伐，被李存勖猜忌。王處直就派自己的兒子新州（今河北涿鹿）團練使王鬱秘密聯絡耶律阿保機，背叛李存勖。定州將領不願聯絡契丹。小吏和昭訓勸其義子王都舉事，王都于是抓住王處直，囚于西宅，自為留後。王氏子孫及王處直部下都被王都殺戮殆盡。次年（922年）正月朔旦，王都于西宅拜訪王處直，王處直奮起揕其胸而呼曰：「逆賊！吾何負爾？」然而左右無兵，王處直遂欲咬其鼻，王都掣袖而走，王處直遂被殺。同光二年（924年）二月五日，葬曲陽縣敦信鄉仰盤山。

王處直墓

王處直墓位于河北省曲陽縣，墓中發現大量的壁畫和浮雕。壁畫面積為100平方米，保存較好，色彩鮮艷，內容豐富，包括人物、花鳥、山水、器物、天象圖等各類題材，其繪畫水平之高，題材之完備，在目前中國北方發現的五代時期墓葬中實為罕見。漢白玉浮雕為16塊，包括十二生肖、散樂圖、奉侍圖等，構思精巧，線條流暢，雕刻精美。內出土的彩繪浮雕武士石刻（上圖）于1994年被盜往海外，後于2001年被追回。

家庭

妻

• 博陵郡夫人崔氏，在王處直生前去世

• 豳國夫人費氏，在王處直生前去世

• 楚國夫人卜氏，在王處直生前去世

• 隴西齊國夫人

子

• 王鬱，新州團練使、特進、檢校太保

• 王都，實為養子，宣力起運功臣，起複雲麾將軍、檢校太尉兼侍中、上柱國、太原郡開國侯，食邑一千戶，王處直墓誌稱其系楚國夫人所生

• 王鄑，光祿大夫、檢校司徒、守左驍衛大將軍

• 王郇，光祿大夫、檢校司徒，早亡

• 王邠，金紫光祿大夫、檢校刑部尚書

• 王䢼，銀青光祿大夫、檢校左散騎常侍，早亡

• 王郴，檢校右散騎常侍，早亡

• 王{威阜}，檢校太子賓客、左千牛衛將軍

女

• 長女，早亡

• 次女，適幽州中軍使周紹弼，早亡

• 三女，適北京留守李存紀（未知與李存勖弟是否一人）

• 四女，剃度為尼

• 幼女

注釋

Background

Wang Chuzhi was born in 862, during the reign of Emperor Yizong of Tang. 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. He presumably followed his older brother Wang Chucun to Yiwu Circuit when Wang Chucun was made Yiwu's military governor in 879 by Emperor Yizong's son and successor Emperor Xizong and became a military officer there.

It was said that Wang Chuzhi favored sorcery, and he became friendly with the sorcerer Li Yingzhi (李應之). Li Yingzhi himself had obtained a boy named Liu Yunlang from Xingyi (陘邑, in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei) and adopted the boy as his own son, but seeing how Wang Chuzhi did not himself have son at that point, he gave the boy to Wang Chuzhi, stating, "this boy has a honored appearance." Wang Chuzhi adopted the boy and changed his name to Wang Du. While Wang Chuzhi later had a son named Wang Yu (王郁) by a concubine (not his wife), he did not favor Wang Yu, and instead favored Wang Du.

By 900, Wang Chuzhi was serving as an officer under Wang Chucun's son and successor Wang Gao, when Yiwu came under the attack of Zhang Cunjing, a general under the major warlord Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan). Wang Gao put Wang Chuzhi in command of the Yiwu army to resist Zhang's attack. However, he did not listen to Wang Chuzhi's counsel of not engaging the Xuanwu forces immediately, but rather wearing out the Xuanwu forces before actually engaging them. Rather, he listened to the secretary Liang Wen (梁汶), who advocated an immediate engagement against the Xuanwu troops, and therefore ordered Wang Chuzhi to carry out that plan. Zhang defeated Wang Chuzhi and inflicted heavy casualties. Wang Chuzhi barely escaped back to Yiwu's capital Ding Prefecture (定州). Wang Gao panicked and fled to the territory of Yiwu's ally Li Keyong the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi). (Already upset over how his father did not love him, Wang Yu accompanied Wang Gong on this flight, and subsequently married Li Keyong's daughter.) The Yiwu soldiers supported Wang Chuzhi to take over the circuit. He subsequently negotiated a peace with Zhu, promising to submit to Zhu from this point on and no longer be allied with Li Keyong and also giving Zhu a tribute of silk. Zhu thus withdrew, and at his request Wang Chuzhi was commissioned by then-reigning Emperor Zhaozong (Emperor Xizong's brother and successor) as the new military governor of Yiwu.

As military governor

During Tang Dynasty

In 901, Zhu Quanzhong launched a major five-pronged attack on Li Keyong, intending to finally capture Hedong's capital Taiyuan Municipality. As Zhu's ally, Wang Chuzhi commanded the Yiwu troops that served as one of the five prongs of the attack. Zhu's and his allies's forces put Taiyuan under siege, but were eventually forced to withdraw due to rains and illnesses. In 904, Emperor Zhaozong, who by that point was under Zhu's physical control, gave Wang the title of Taibao (太保, one of the Three Excellencies) and created him the Prince of Taiyuan.

After Tang Dynasty

In 907, Zhu Quanzhong had Emperor Zhaozong's son and successor Emperor Ai yield the throne to him, ending Tang Dynasty and starting a new Later Liang with him as its Emperor Taizu. Emperor Taizu bestowed the honorary chancellor title of Shizhong (侍中) on Wang Chuzhi, and created him the Prince of Beiping.

After the establishment of the new dynasty, Wang Chuzhi's Yiwu Circuit and neighboring Wushun Circuit (武順, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei), which was governed by Wang Rong the Prince of Zhao, continued to, as they did during Tang Dynasty, refuse to submit taxes to the imperial government, but was often offering tributes to Emperor Taizu. Despite this, however, Emperor Taizu believed that they would eventually turn against him, and therefore considered to forcibly seize them under direct control. In 910, he had his attendants Du Tingyin (杜廷隱) and Ding Yanhui (丁延徽) forcibly seize Wushun's Shen (深州) and Ji (冀州, both in modern Hengshui, Hebei) by trick, and then prepared to have his general Wang Jingren attack Wushun's capital Zhen Prefecture. In response, Wang Rong broke away from Later Liang (effectively become the ruler of an independent Zhao state while changing the name of his circuit from Wushun back to its Tang name of Chengde) and sought emergency aid from Li Keyong's son and successor Li Cunxu the Prince of Jin, as well as Liu Shouguang the military governor of Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing), who carried the title of Prince of Yan. Knowing that Yiwu would be the next target if Zhao fell, Wang Chuzhi also sent an emissary to Taiyuan, offering to support Li Cunxu as the common leader. Liu refused to render help, but Li Cunxu responded, first sending a detachment under his general Zhou Dewei and then leading the main Jin army himself to aid Wang Rong. During the subsequent campaign between combined Jin/Zhao forces and Later Liang forces, Wang Chuzhi also contributed an army to fight on the Jin/Zhao side, and together, they crushed the Later Liang forces under Wang Jingren in spring 911. From this point, Chengde and Yiwu were Jin allies, and resumed the use of the Tang Dynasty era name Tianyou (as Jin and its allies ostensibly sought the reestablishment of Tang). After Wang Jingren fled, Li Cunxu gave chase, going as far as briefly putting Wei Prefecture (魏州, in modern Handan, Hebei) under siege, but, concerned that Liu would attack him from the rear, withdrew and returned to Zhao.

Subsequently, Liu, hearing of Later Liang's defeat, was considering claiming imperial title himself. He sent messengers to Wang Rong and Wang Chuzhi, suggesting that they should honor him as Shangfu (尚父, meaning "imperial father," a highly honorary title that was rarely bestowed and only on highly honored senior officials). When Wang Rong informed this to Li Cunxu, Li Cunxu, pursuant to suggestions that his generals made that making Liu more arrogant would cause him to push himself into doom, signed a joint declaration with Wang Rong, Wang Chuzhi, as well as three other military governors under Li Cunxu (Li Cunxu's cousin Li Sizhao, Zhou, and Song Yao (宋瑤)) honoring Liu as Shangfu. Faced with this, the Later Liang emperor tried to keep Liu at least nominally a vassal by offering him the title of Caifangshi (采訪使). Liu thereafter nevertheless declared himself the Emperor of Yan.

In winter 911, Liu attacked Yiwu Circuit. Wang Chuzhi sought aid from Jin. Li Cunxu sent Zhou to rendezvous with the Zhao officer Wang Deming (Wang Rong's adoptive son) and the Yiwu officer Cheng Yan (程巖), to attack Yan. By late 912, with Li Cunxu himself also sieging Yan's capital You Prefecture (幽州), the city fell. Liu fled but was captured in spring 913, ending Yan. Li Cunxu took Liu and his father Liu Rengong (whom Liu Shouguang had overthrown and replaced) captive, and was set to return to Taiyuan with them, when both Wang Chuzhi and Wang Rong requested that he took his victory march through Yiwu and Chengde. Li Cunxu agreed, and when he visited Yiwu, Wang Chuzhi and he went to worship at the temple of Mount Heng together. (After the victory tour, Li Cunxu took Liu Shouguang and Liu Rengong back to Taiyuan and executed them.) Thereafter, Wang Chuzhi and Wang Rong submitted a joint petition offering the title of Shangshu Ling (尚書令)—which no Tang official had dared to use since the early Tang emperor Emperor Taizong carried that title while he was still the Prince of Qin under his father Emperor Gaozu)—to Li Cunxu. Li Cunxu accepted, and thereafter began to organize a provisional government under Emperor Taizong's precedent.

In 918, Li Cunxu, who had taken Tianxiong Circuit (天雄, headquartered at Wei Prefecture) at that point, prepared a major operation intending to capture Later Liang's capital Daliang. Wang Chuzhi sent some 10,000 soldiers to contribute to Li Cunxu's campaign, which, however, ended with a mutually-destructive battle at Huliu Slope (胡柳陂, in modern Heze, Shandong), with both Jin and Later Liang forces suffering two-thirds casualties and Jin forces forced to withdraw.

Overthrow and death

In 921, Wang Rong was killed in a mutiny, and the mutineers supported Wang Deming to take over Chengde. Wang Deming accepted, and changed his name back to his birth name of Zhang Wenli. Li Cunxu, after initially pretending to accept Zhang's offer of allegiance, declared a general campaign against Zhang to avenge Wang Rong. Wang Chuzhi, however, had misgivings, believing that if Li Cunxu took direct control of Chengde, Yiwu would be taken over as well, and therefore suggested to Li Cunxu that he accept Zhang's submission. Li Cunxu refused.

Concerned, Wang Chuzhi contacted his son Wang Yu—who was then serving as the military prefect (團練使, Tuanlianshi) of Xin Prefecture (新州, in modern Zhangjiakou, Hebei) under Li Cunxu. He requested that Wang Yu secretly instigate an incursion by Khitan's Emperor Taizu. Wang Yu agreed, and also requested to be made his heir, and Wang Chuzhi agreed.

However, most of Wang Chuzhi's staff members were apprehensive about inducing a Khitan incursion. Further, Wang Du, who was then Wang Chuzhi's deputy military governor and who was considered his heir, was fearful of being displaced by Wang Yu. Wang Du and the secretary He Zhaoxun (和昭訓) therefore plotted to arrest Wang Chuzhi. They acted after a feast that Wang Chuzhi held for Zhang's emissary to Yiwu, seizing Wang Chuzhi and put him and his wife and concubines under house arrest. Wang Du thereafter slaughtered all of Wang Chuzhi's male biological descendants at Ding Prefecture, as well as Wang Chuzhi's close associates. He claimed the title of acting military governor and reported what occurred to Li Cunxu. Li Cunxu thereafter approved of his takeover from Wang Chuzhi. (Wang Chuzhi's younger son Wang Wei (王威) did escape and flee to Khitan territory, and Wang Wei would subsequently serve under Khitan's Emperor Taizu and his son Emperor Taizong.)

In spring 922, Wang Du visited Wang Chuzhi at his mansion, apparently trying to maintain a pretense of father-son relationship. Wang Chuzhi, though unarmed, hit his chest with a fist and tried to bite off his nose, stating, "Rebellious bandit! When did I ever mistreat you?" Wang Du barely escaped from Wang Chuzhi's grasp. Shortly after, Wang Chuzhi either died in anger or was killed by Wang Du.

Personal information

• Father

　• Wang Zong (王宗)

• Children

　• Wang Yu (王郁)

　• Wang Wei (王威)

• Adoptive Child

　• Wang Du (王都), né Liu Yunlang