Wang continued to advance east, and in fall 551, he joined forces with Chen Baxian, who had advanced north from Guang Province (廣州, modern Guangdong). Wang and Chen, by Xiao Yi's orders, stopped at Xunyang (尋陽, in modern Jiujiang, Jiangxi) to wait for the rest of the troops. Xiao Yi also made Wang the governor of Jiang Province. When Wang heard the news that Hou had killed Xiao Gang, who had succeeded Emperor Wu after Emperor Wu's death in summer 549 (as Emperor Jianwen), he submitted a petition to Xiao Yi, asking Xiao Yi to take the throne, but Xiao Yi did not accept it. (In winter 551, Hou further deposed Emperor Wu's great-grandson Xiao Dong and declared himself the Emperor of Han.)