Tiánzhōu

Tianzhou lay in the You River valley, at the centre of a powerful hereditary chieftaincy in western Guangxi. Its Cen rulers were related to the chiefs of Sicheng, Si'en and Zhen'an, whose branches governed districts across the surrounding uplands. The Tianzhou family’s authority brought it into both alliance and conflict with the Ming court. After the fall of the chieftain Cen Meng, Wang Yangming was sent to restore order in 1527 and argued for reinstating Cen rule. Lady Wa, Cen Meng’s wife, later helped govern on behalf of a young heir. In the 1550s she led troops from Guangxi against coastal raiders, carrying the reputation of Tianzhou’s soldiers far beyond their home.