Wang Jun was one of the first chancellors of imperial China's short-lived Later Zhou during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. He started his career as a singer for those in power, and rose to high prominence due to his association first with military general Liu Zhiyuan, founder of the Later Han, and later Guo Wei, who founded Later Zhou. After becoming the Later Zhou chancellor, his excessive actions gradually created a lot of distrust in Guo, culminating in his precipitous political downfall right before his death.
Early life
Wang Jun was born in the last years of the Tang Dynasty to Wang Feng, director of a local army band in Anyang, Xiangzhou. Wang Jun's singing talents were obvious from a young age. As a preadolescent, he began serving the localLater Liangmilitary governorZhang Yun as a singer. In around 915, facing an imminent attack from the Jin army, Zhang fled Xiangzhou to return to the capitalKaifeng. Thereafter, the high-ranking Later Liang minister Zhao Yan became very impressed by Wang's singing at a banquet in Zhang's house, promoting Zhang to give the boy to him.
In 923, Later Liang was extinguished by the Jin army as Later Tang was established. Zhao Yan's family were all killed, and Wang Jun drifted among the common people until he served under Zhang Yanlang, the Later Tang fiscal commissioner, who did not value him.
Zhang Yanlang was killed in 934 when Shi Jingtang's army destroyed Later Tang and established the Later Jin. Wang Jun, along with many other former Zhang Yanlang attendants, became servants for general Liu Zhiyuan, who was named Later Jin's military governor of Hezhong.
Career under Later Han
When Liu Zhiyuan founded the Later Han in 947, Wang Jun was named commissioner of diplomatic accommodations and accompanied general Guo Congyi during the latter's suppression of Zhao Siwan's rebellion. Afterwards he was promoted all the way to commissioner of the northern court of palace armies and stationed at Ye to oversee military governor Guo Wei's army. When the Later Han emperor Liu Chengyou killed Guo Wei's entire family remaining in the capital Kaifeng, he also sent agents to assassinate both Guo and Wang Jun. When the plot failed, Guo and Wang rebelled and led the troops to attack Kaifeng. Once Liu was killed, Guo was in charge of the affairs of the state, and he asked the empress dowager to appoint Wang as the commissioner of military affairs. Guo had invited Liu Yun, a cousin of the late emperor, to the capital to ascend the throne, while he took his army northward to resist a Khitan-led Liao Dynasty invasion. Reaching Chanzhou, he was "forced" by his men, who wanted him to be the emperor, back to the capital. At this time Liu Yun had already reached Xuzhou, and to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, Wang Jun conspired with Wang Yin and sent a few commanders to Xuzhou to kill Liu Yun. Liu Yun was killed and Guo became the new emperor of the Later Zhou.
Career under Later Zhou
After Guo became the emperor, Wang Jun become right associate at the Secretariat and deputy director of the Chancellery and a chancellor. He also supervised work on the national history. Wang also requested replacing fellow chancellors Li Gu and Fan Zhi with Yan Kan and Chen Tong, but the emperor was reluctant to do so. As his proposal was ignored, Wang became agitated and offensive in his words. It was already noon and the emperor has had his meal but Wang would not have him leave. Seeing Feng Dao, the emperor complained in tears that Wang's bullying has become insufferable. Afterwards, Wang was banished to military adjutant of Shangzhou and died in exile. After Wang's banishment, Guo feared that Wang Jun might have falsified facts in his supervision of the national history so he instructed historians to read him the calendar of daily events.
