Li Zhengji
It was said that Wang Zhixing was a ferocious warrior while young, and he served as a soldier under Li Wei () the prefect of Xu Prefecture (徐州, in modern Xuzhou, Jiangsu). (Li Wei was the cousin of Li Zhengji, a warlord that then ruled Pinglu Circuit (平盧, headquartered in modern Tai'an, Shandong) "de facto" independently from the imperial government, and Xu Prefecture was a part of Pinglu.)