Song, Liao, and Jin · Official and Rebel

Wang Wentong 王文統

Attested AD 1260 - c. AD 1270

Passages: 28
Chapters: 3
Histories: 1

Overview

Wang Wentong was an official and Rebel.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Courtesy name	Yidao	以道	Yidao

Life and dates

Death

Execution
Directly stated · History of Yuan 206, passages 101, 109

Attested activity

c. AD 1260 to c. AD 1270 世祖初年
Dated from the passage context · History of Yuan 191, passage 57
AD 1262 中統三年
Dated from the passage context · History of Yuan 206, passage 44
AD 1260 中統元年
Dated from the passage context · History of Yuan 206, passage 63
AD 1260 to AD 1264 中統初
Dated from the passage context · History of Yuan 199, passages 25-26

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Parent of Daughter of Wang Wentong (女)
daughter 女
Directly stated · History of Yuan 206, passage 59
Parent of Wang Rao (蕘)
son 子
Directly stated · History of Yuan 206, passage 82

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Grand Councillor 平章政事
Appointed
Directly stated · History of Yuan 206, passage 63
Grand Councillor 平章
Held
Directly stated · History of Yuan 191, passage 57
Held power
In power
Directly stated · History of Yuan 199, passage 26
Executed
Execution
Directly stated · History of Yuan 206, passage 109

Places and affiliations

Polity Yuan 元 · Relation Served
Directly stated · History of Yuan 206, passage 63
Polity Id yuan · Relation Served
Directly stated · History of Yuan 199, passage 26
At Yidu 益都
Directly stated · History of Yuan 206, passage 56

Works and attributed material

Jin history 金史
Relation Proposed supervisor
Directly stated · History of Yuan 206, passage 78
Speech · Speaker · Addressed to Shizu (世祖)
Directly stated · History of Yuan 206, passages 85, 90-91

Events and relationships

Appointed Xu Ji a Central Secretariat clerk
Appointment · Appointing official · With Xu Ji (許楫)
Directly stated · History of Yuan 191, passage 57
Corresponded with Li Tan
Political · Conspirator
Directly stated · History of Yuan 206, passages 82, 88
Relation Teacher of · Person Li Yanjian (彥簡)
Directly stated · History of Yuan 206, passage 59

Assessments and attributes

Assessment jealous and harsh · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · History of Yuan 206, passage 72
Assessment shaped Yuan institutions · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · History of Yuan 206, passage 114

References in the histories

Search passages

History

28 passages

History of Yuan, Chapter 191Volume 191 Biographies 78: Virtuous Officials 1 · 1 passage

楫至京師，平章王文統命為中書省掾，以不任簿書辭，改知印。 When Ji reached the capital, Grand Councillor Wang Wentong appointed him a clerk of the Central Secretariat, but citing his unsuitability for clerical work, he declined and was reassigned as seal-keeper.

History of Yuan, Chapter 199Volume 199 Biographies 86: Recluses · 1 passage

時王文統方用事，辭不就。 Wang Wentong was then in power at court; Ying declined and did not accept office.

History of Yuan, Chapter 206Volume 206 Biographies 93: Contrary Ministers · 26 passages

己酉，以璮故，戮中書平章王文統。 On the jiyou day, because of Tan's rebellion, Grand Councillor Wang Wentong of the Secretariat was executed.

王文統字以道，益都人也。 Wang Wentong, styled Yidao, was from Yidu.

璮與語，大喜，即留置幕府，命其子彥簡師事之，文統亦以女妻璮。 Tan was delighted at their talk, kept him in his headquarters, had his son Yanjian study under him, and Wentong gave his daughter to Tan in marriage.

由是軍旅之事，咸與諮決，歲上邊功，虛張敵勢，以固其位，用官物樹私恩，取宋漣、海二郡，皆文統謀也。 Thereafter all military matters went through him; each year he reported frontier victories, inflated enemy threats to secure his position, used public goods to buy private loyalty, and the capture of the Song prefectures Lian and Hai was his doing.

世祖在潛藩，訪問才智之士，素聞其名。 While Shizu was still heir apparent he sought men of talent and had long heard of Wentong.

及即位，厲精求治，有以文統為薦者，亟召用之。 When he took the throne and threw himself into reform, someone recommended Wentong and he was summoned at once.

乃立中書省，以緫內外百司之政，首擢文統為平章政事，委以更張庶務。 He established the Secretariat to govern all departments, made Wentong its first Grand Councillor, and charged him with overhauling administration.

明年二月，世祖在開平，召行中書省事禡禡與文統，親率各路宣撫使俱赴闕。 The following second month, while Shizu was at Kaiping, he summoned Branch Secretariat chief Mamma and Wentong and had all circuit Pacification Commissioners come to court with him.

世祖自去秋親征叛王阿里不哥于北方，凡民間差發、宣課鹽鐵等事，一委文統等裁處。 Since the previous autumn Shizu had been campaigning north against the rebel prince Ariq Böke; all corvée, salt, iron, and related levies were left entirely to Wentong and his colleagues.

故召文統等至，責以成效，用游顯、鄭鼎、趙良弼、董文炳等為各路宣撫司，復以所議條格詔諭各路，俾遵行之。 He therefore summoned Wentong and demanded results, appointed You Xian, Zheng Ding, Zhao Liangbi, Dong Wenbing, and others as circuit Pacification Commissioners, and reissued the regulations for all circuits to follow.

文統為人忌刻，初立中書時，張文謙為左丞。 Wentong was jealous by nature; when the Secretariat was first set up Zhang Wenqian was Left Chancellor.

文謙素以安國利民自負，故凡講論建明，輒相可否，文統積不能平，思有以陷之，文謙竟以本職行大名等路宣撫司事而去。 Wenqian prided himself on serving state and people and constantly disputed Wentong's proposals; Wentong brooded until he found a way to remove him, and Wenqian was sent off to handle Pacification affairs in Daming and other circuits.

時姚樞、竇默、許衡，皆世祖所敬信者，文統諷世祖授樞為太子太師，默為太子太傅，衡為太子太保，外佯尊之，實不欲使朝夕備顧問於左右也。 Yao Shu, Dou Mo, and Xu Heng were men Shizu trusted; Wentong had him appoint them Grand Tutor, Grand Mentor, and Grand Guardian of the Heir—honors in name meant to keep them from daily counsel at court.

默嘗與王鶚及樞、衡俱侍世祖，面詆文統曰：「此人學術不正，必禍天下，不可處以相位。」 Mo once attended Shizu with Wang E, Yao Shu, and Xu Heng and denounced Wentong to his face: "This man's learning is unsound; he will ruin the realm and must not hold the chancellorship."

鶚嘗請以右丞相史天澤監修國史，左丞相耶律鑄監修遼史，文統監修金史。 Wang E once proposed that Right Chancellor Shi Tianze supervise the dynastic history, Left Chancellor Yelü Zhu the Liao history, and Wentong the Jin history.

及反書聞，人多言文統嘗遣子蕘與璮通音耗。 When news of the rebellion arrived, many said Wentong had sent his son Rao to exchange messages with Tan.

世祖召文統問之曰：「汝教璮為逆，積有歲年，舉世皆知之。 Shizu summoned Wentong and said, "You taught Tan to rebel; everyone has known it for years.

文統對曰：「臣亦忘之，容臣悉書以上。」 Wentong replied, "I have forgotten; let me write it all out and submit it."

會璮遣人持文統三書自洺水至，以書示之，文統始錯愕駭汗。 Just then Tan's messenger arrived from Ming River with three letters from Wentong; when they were shown him, Wentong turned pale and broke into a sweat.

文統對曰：「李璮久蓄反心，以臣居中，不敢即發，臣欲告陛下縛璮久矣，第緣陛下加兵北方，猶未靖也。 Wentong answered, "Li Tan long planned rebellion but dared not act while I was at court. I meant to tell Your Majesty to arrest him, but you were still campaigning in the north.

文統猶枝辭傍說，終不自言「臣罪當死」，乃命左右斥去，始出就縛。 Wentong still hedged and would not say, "Your subject's crime deserves death"; attendants were ordered to remove him, and only then did he go out to be bound.

猶召竇默、姚樞、王鶚、僧子聰及張柔等至，示以前書曰：「汝等謂文統當得何罪？」 He then summoned Dou Mo, Yao Shu, Wang E, the monk Zicong, Zhang Rou, and others, showed them the document, and asked, "What punishment does Wentong deserve?"

文統乃伏誅。 Wentong was then executed.

平章政事王文統，起由下列，擢置台司，倚付不為不深，待遇不為不厚，庶收成效，以底丕平。 Grand Councillor Wang Wentong rose from humble ranks to the highest office; the trust and favor shown him were abundant, in hopes he would bring great peace.

已於今月二十三日，將反臣王文統并其子蕘，正典刑訖。 On the twenty-third of this month the rebel Wang Wentong and his son Rao have been duly executed.

然文統雖以反誅，而元之立國，其規模法度，世謂出於文統之功為多云。 Yet though Wentong died a traitor, posterity largely credits him with shaping the Yuan state's institutions and scope.