Wang Shichong - As Sui Regent

As Sui Regent

Upon hearing of Yuan Wendu's and Lu Chu's deaths, Li Mi broke off of peaceful relations with Yang Tong's regime. However, Li had a low opinion of Wang Shichong, and therefore took few precautions against an attack from Wang. At that time, Li's army lacked clothes, while Wang's army lacked food. Again his initial judgment, Li was persuaded by his secretary Bing Yuanzhen (邴元真), who could benefit from the transactions, to trade food to Wang for clothes. As a result, the people of Luoyang stopped surrendering to Li, and while Li then stopped the transactions, the damage was done. Meanwhile, Li's army was worn out and heavily damaged by wars with Yuwen Huaji's Xiaoguo Army as well. While he had earlier received the submission of Wang's family members—including Wang's brother Wang Shiwei (王世偉) and sons Wang Xuanying (王玄應), Wang Xuanshu (王玄恕), and Wang Xuanqiong (王玄瓊) -- he did not take particular use of them, but only detained them at the city of Yanshi (偃師, in modern Luoyang) with hopes to use them in the future to get Wang Shichong to surrender.

Wang took this opportunity to launch a major attack on Li in fall 618. He first defeated Li himself (after convincing his army that the spirit of the Duke of Zhou had predicted a victory) and, finding someone whose appearance was similar to Li, used him to declare that Li had been captured, further raising his army's morale. He then attacked and captured Yanshi, not only taking his family members but also the family members of many of Li's generals. He then made another assault on Li—which Li reacted slowly to and could not counter. Bing and Shan Xiongxin (單雄信) surrendered to Wang. Li, after initially considering fleeing to join forces with his general Xu Shiji -- a friend of Zhai Rang's, ultimately decided to flee west instead to Tang territory to submit to Emperor Gaozu of Tang. After Li left the region, most of Li's territory surrendered to Yang Tong's regime, as did the major rebel general Zhu Can. (Xu, however, did not, and the area under his control submitted to Tang as well.) The major rebel leader Dou Jiande, who had claimed the title of Prince of Xia, also nominally submitted to Yang Tong.

Wang was given the honorific office of Taiwei (太尉), and he began to gather officials with good reputations onto his staff. Wang encouraged people to offer suggestions, putting three wooden signs before his headquarters, requesting for three types of people to volunteer or to provide suggestions:

1. Those who were knowledgeable, who could be responsible for major projects;
2. Those who had bravery or tactics, who could be successful on the battlefield;
3. Those who suffered from wrong, who needed someone to listen to their petitions.

However, it was said that Wang, although he welcomed these suggestions and petitions, actually did not act on them, and that while he used kind words to comfort even the lowest of soldiers, he did little in actions to benefit them. In spring 619, Wang's subordinates Dugu Wudu (獨孤武都), Dugu Wudu's cousin Dugu Ji, Yang Gongshen (楊恭慎), Sun Shixiao (孫師孝), Liu Xiaoyuan (劉孝元), Li Jian (李儉), and Cui Xiaoren (崔孝仁) plotted to surrender Luoyang to Tang troops, but were discovered, and they were all executed.

Meanwhile, during a feast in Yang Tong's palace, Wang suffered from a severe case of food poisoning, and he believed that he was poisoned, and thereafter refused to see Yang Tong again. When Yang Tong, fearing his fate, tried to receive divine blessing by having the palace treasures given to the poor, Wang put soldiers around the palace to stop it. In late spring 619, Wang had Yang Tong create him the Prince of Zheng and grant him the nine bestowments -- both ultimate steps before taking the throne. He also had his subordinates openly discuss in public how it would be proper for him to take the throne. In summer 619, he had Duan Da and Yun Dingxing (雲定興) enter the palace to persuade Yang Tong to yield the throne to him, and further sent messengers to Yang Tong to say:

Now the empire is not peaceful and needs an older emperor to rule over it. When it is pacified, I will return the throne to you, as I had sworn before.

He then had an edict issued in Yang Tong's name, yielding the throne to him, ending Sui and establishing a new state of Zheng.