Wang Lang faction 王朗

Wang Lang was a man of Donghai Commandery; through his mastery of the classics he became a Gentleman of the Palace, and Tao Qian, Inspector of Xu Province, recommended him as Abundant Talent. When the Son of Heaven was in Chang'an and armies had risen east of the passes, Wang Lang, then Tao Qian's Attendant Officer, together with the Attendant Officer with Separate Carriage Zhao Yu and others, persuaded Tao Qian to send an envoy, saying that to win the trust of the lords one must exert oneself for the royal house. When Tao Qian had Zhao Yu carry a memorial to Chang'an, the Son of Heaven, commending his intent, made Tao Qian General Who Pacifies the East, Zhao Yu Administrator of Guangling, and Wang Lang Administrator of Kuaiji. Records, Wei 13 §44–45

When Sun Ce crossed the river and overran the land, Liu Yao abandoned his army and fled, and the administrators of the various commanderies also abandoned their cities and ran. Wang Lang's Officer of Merit Yu Fan, who happened to be in mourning for his father, advised him that since he could not hold out by force he had better withdraw. Wang Lang, saying that as an official of the Han he must defend his city, did not take this advice, and raised troops to fight Sun Ce. Records, Wu 1 §30Records, Wei 13 §45Records, Wu 12 §2

According to the Biography of Sun Jing, when Sun Ce advanced on Kuaiji, Wang Lang held him off at Guling, and Sun Ce crossed the water to fight several times without success. Sun Jing said that since Wang Lang was defending his city behind natural barriers, it would be hard to take quickly, and proposed going to Zhadu, a key point on the road some tens of li to the south, to seize the interior. Sun Ce issued a false order that, since the rain had muddied the water and many soldiers had stomach pains from drinking it, jars should be prepared to clear the water; at dusk he set out the jars and lit fires to deceive Wang Lang, then by night entered the Zhadu road and attacked the camp at Gaoqian. Records, Wu 6 §2–3

Wang Lang, greatly alarmed, sent the former Administrator of Danyang Zhou Xin and others to fight, but Sun Ce defeated and beheaded Zhou Xin and the others and at last pacified Kuaiji. The defeated Wang Lang crossed the sea to Dongye, and Yu Fan, following to guard him, reached Houguan in the eastern district and persuaded the Chief of Houguan, who had shut the city gates, to take them in. Wang Lang told Yu Fan, who had an aged mother, that he should go home. Records, Wu 6 §4Records, Wei 13 §45Records, Wu 12 §2–3

When Sun Ce pursued again and crushed him, Wang Lang submitted to Sun Ce. Sun Ce, regarding him as a deeply learned and refined scholar, only reproached him and did him no harm. Sun Ce crossed the Zhe River, occupied Kuaiji, massacred Dongye and then defeated Yan Baihu and others, and himself took on the post of Administrator of Kuaiji. Though wandering in poverty, Wang Lang took in and looked after his relatives and old friends, and later, when Cao Cao memorialized to summon him, he drifted about the rivers and seas from Qu'e and arrived only after several years, becoming Grandee Remonstrant. Records, Wei 13 §46–47Records, Wu 1 §31

In the assessment of Records of Wei 13, Chen Shou counted Wang Lang, widely read and richly learned, together with Zhong Yao and Hua Xin as outstanding men of their age, and wrote that when Wei first founded its state they rose to the Three Excellencies. There is no separate assessment of his defense of Kuaiji. Records, Wei 13 §99