Zhang Xiong (張雄) (d. September 18, 893) was a Chinese military general and politician during the
Tang Dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
. He from 886 and on, controlled an army that initially roved in the lower
Yangtze River
The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest list of rivers of Asia, river in Asia, the list of rivers by length, third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in th ...
region and became a key player in the power struggles between various warlords for the control of Huainan (淮南, headquartered in modern
Yangzhou
Yangzhou, postal romanization Yangchow, is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province (Suzhong), East China. Sitting on the north bank of the Yangtze, it borders the provincial capital Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yan ...
,
Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...
) and Zhenhai (鎮海, headquartered in modern
Zhenjiang
Zhenjiang, alternately romanized as Chinkiang, is a prefecture-level city in Jiangsu Province, China. It lies on the southern bank of the Yangtze River near its intersection with the Grand Canal. It is opposite Yangzhou (to its north) and b ...
,
Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...
) Circuits. Zhang eventually settled in at Shangyuan (上元, in modern
Nanjing
Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...
,
Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...
) in 887 and controlled the area until his death in 893.
Background
Zhang Xiong was originally from Lianshui (漣水, in modern
Huai'an
Huai'an (), formerly called Huaiyin () until 2001, is a prefecture-level city in the central part of Jiangsu province in Eastern China. Huai'an is situated almost directly south of Lianyungang, southeast of Suqian, northwest of Yancheng, almos ...
,
Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...
), and he served as an officer at Ganhua Circuit (感化, headquartered in modern
Xuzhou
Xuzhou (徐州), also known as Pengcheng (彭城) in ancient times, is a major city in northwestern Jiangsu province, China. The city, with a recorded population of 9,083,790 at the 2020 census (3,135,660 of which lived in the built-up area ma ...
,
Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...
), which Lianshui belonged to. Once, when fellow officer
Feng Hongduo Feng Hongduo (馮弘鐸) was a warlord late in the Chinese Tang Dynasty, who controlled the Sheng Prefecture (昇州, in modern Nanjing, Jiangsu) region from 893 to 902.
Background
Feng Hongduo was originally from Lianshui (漣水, in modern Huai ...
, who was also from Lianshui, was accused of impropriety by circuit administrators, Zhang spoke on his behalf, and Zhang's doing so caused Ganhua's military governor (''
Jiedushi
The ''jiedushi'' (), or jiedu, was a title for regional military governors in China which was established in the Tang dynasty and abolished in the Yuan dynasty. The post of ''jiedushi'' has been translated as "military commissioner", "legate", ...
'')
Shi Pu
Shi Pu (時溥) (d. May 9, 893Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 259.), formally the Prince of Julu (鉅鹿王), was a warlord of the late Tang dynasty, who controlled Ganhua Circuit (感化, headquartered ...
to suspect both of them.
['']New Book of Tang
The ''New Book of Tang'', generally translated as the "New History of the Tang" or "New Tang History", is a work of official history covering the Tang dynasty in ten volumes and 225 chapters. The work was compiled by a team of scholars of the So ...
'', vol. 190. In 886, knowing that Shi suspected them, Zhang and Feng gathered 300 men and left Ganhua with them, crossing the
Yangtze River
The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest list of rivers of Asia, river in Asia, the list of rivers by length, third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in th ...
to attack Su Prefecture (蘇州, in modern
Suzhou
Suzhou (; ; Suzhounese: ''sou¹ tseu¹'' , Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Soochow, is a major city in southern Jiangsu province, East China. Suzhou is the largest city in Jiangsu, and a major economic center and focal point of trade ...
,
Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...
), which then belonged to Zhenhai Circuit. They captured it, and Zhang claimed the title of prefect. Eventually, he was able to gather an army reaching the size of 50,000, with 1,000 ships, and called his army Tiancheng Army ().
['']Zizhi Tongjian
''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynast ...
'', vol. 256.
Roving campaigns
Zhang Xiong's occupation of Su Prefecture drew the displeasure and apprehension of Zhenhai's military governor
Zhou Bao Zhou Bao () (814 – February 12, 888Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 257.), courtesy name Shanggui (), formally the Prince of Ru'nan (), was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who, for eight ...
. As Zhou had heard that Xu Yue (), an officer under Zhou's rival
Gao Pian
Gao Pian (; 821? – 24 September 887Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 257.), courtesy name Qianli (), formally the Prince of Bohai (), was a Chinese military general, poet, and politician of the Tang ...
the military governor of Huainan, had a strong army, he induced Xu to attack Su Prefecture, promising to give the prefecture to him if Xu were successful.
[ In summer 887, Xu attacked Zhang; Zhang was unable to withstand the attack, and he took his army east out to the ]East China Sea
The East China Sea is an arm of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. It covers an area of roughly . The sea’s northern extension between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula is the Yellow Sea, separated b ...
.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 257.] He sent his officer Zhao Hui () with part of the army and part of the fleet west on the Yangtze to take over Shangyuan, and Zhao was able to do so.[
Meanwhile, Huainan's capital Yang Prefecture () had become embroiled in internecine warfare, as the officer ]Bi Shiduo
Bi Shiduo (died March 2, 888 Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 257.) was a Chinese military officer and rebel of the late Tang dynasty. He initially was part of the agrarian rebellions of Wang Xianzhi ...
, fearful that Gao's trusted sorcerer Lü Yongzhi
Lü Yongzhi (呂用之) (d. December 29, 887 Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 257.) was a Chinese magician, military general, and politician during the late medieval Tang Dynasty, who became trusted by ...
was about to kill him, mutinied and captured Yang Prefecture, taking Gao under his control. Zhang used this opportunity to approach it, stopping his army at Dongtang (東塘, in modern Yangzhou), near Yang Prefecture. Subsequently, war again erupted between Bi and his ally Qin Yan
Qin Yan () (died March 2, 888Academia Sinica
Academia Sinica (AS, la, 1=Academia Sinica, 3=Chinese Academy; ), headquartered in Nangang, Taipei, is the national academy of Taiwan. Founded in Nanking, the academy supports research activitie ...
the governor (觀察使, ''Guanchashi'') of Xuanshe Circuit (宣歙, headquartered in modern Xuancheng
Xuancheng () is a city in the southeast of Anhui province. Archeological digs suggest that the city has been settled for over 4,000 years, and has been under formal administration since the Qin dynasty. Located in the lower Yangtze River drainage ...
, Anhui
Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...
) (whom Bi offered the military governorship of Huainan to) and Yang Xingmi
Yang Xingmi (; 852''Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms''vol. 1 – December 24, 905Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 265.), né Yang Xingmin (楊行愍, name changed 886), courtesy name Huayuan ...
the prefect of Lu Prefecture (廬州, in modern Hefei
Hefei (; ) is the capital and largest city of Anhui Province, People's Republic of China. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, and cultural center of Anhui. Its population was 9,369,881 as of the 2020 census and its built-up ( ...
, Anhui
Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...
), who put Yang Prefecture under siege. Qin and Bi wanted Zhang's aid, as they were running low on food supplies, and they exchanged the wealths of the city for food supplies from Zhang. However, Zhang's army, after they received the wealths of the city, refused to engage in battle on Qin's and Bi's behalf. Thereafter, Yang Xingmi captured the city, and Qin and Bi fled. They initially tried to join Zhang, but Zhang refused to receive them, and they instead joined forces with Qin Zongheng (), the brother of Qin Zongquan
Qin Zongquan (; died April 1, 889) was a Chinese military general, monarch, politician, rebel, and warlord during the Tang Dynasty. He was later a claimant to the imperial throne, in competition with Emperor Xizong of Tang and, later, Emperor Xiz ...
, who had proclaimed himself emperor at Fengguo Circuit (奉國, headquartered in modern Zhumadian
Zhumadian (; postal: Chumatien) is a prefecture-level city in southern Henan province, China. It borders Xinyang to the south, Nanyang to the west, Pingdingshan to the northwest, Luohe to the north, Zhoukou to the northeast, and the province of An ...
, Henan
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...
). (Qin Zongheng was subsequently assassinated by his lieutenant Sun Ru, who then executed Qin Yan and Bi, defeated Yang Xingmi, and took over Yang Prefecture.)[
Meanwhile, with Zhou having himself lost control of Zhenhai Circuit in a mutiny,][ many of Zhou's soldiers fled to Zhao. Zhao thus became arrogant, and he rebuilt Tai Castle (), a major defense mechanism for ]Jiankang
Jiankang (), or Jianye (), as it was originally called, was capital city of the Eastern Wu (229–265 and 266–280 CE), the Jin dynasty (317–420 CE) and the Southern Dynasties (420–552), including the Chen dynasty (557–589 CE). Its walls ...
, the ancient capital of the Southern Dynasties
The Northern and Southern dynasties () was a period of political division in the history of China that lasted from 420 to 589, following the tumultuous era of the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Eastern Jin dynasty. It is sometimes considered as ...
, as his residence, and began to live luxuriously. He also stopped communicating with Zhang. When Zhang left Dongtang and advanced west on the Yangtze, Zhao further tried to stop him. In anger, Zhang attacked Shangyuan and captured it. Zhao fled but was killed by his own subordinates. Zhang killed all of Zhao's soldiers who surrendered, and settled in at Shangyuan.[
]
Control of Shangyuan
Meanwhile, Yang Xingmi had returned to Lu Prefecture and was plotting to attack Zhao Huang Zhao Huang (趙鍠) (died 889) was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who ruled Xuanshe Circuit (宣歙, headquartered in modern Xuancheng, Anhui) as its governor (觀察使, ''Guanchashi'') from 887 to his death at the hands of riv ...
the governor of Xuanshe (whom Qin Yan had left in charge of Xuanshe when he left to contend for control of Huainan). Yang persuaded Zhang Xiong and Sun Duan () the prefect of He Prefecture (和州, in modern Chaohu
Chaohu () is a county-level city of Anhui Province, People's Republic of China, it is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Hefei. Situated on the northeast and southeast shores of Lake Chao, from which the city was named, Ch ...
, Anhui
Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...
) to first attack Zhao, forcing Zhao to engage them. While Zhao was able to defeat Zhang and Sun, Yang then himself attacked Zhao and defeated him, eventually capturing his capital Xuan Prefecture () and taking over Xuanshe as its governor.[
In 890, then-reigning Emperor Zhaozong established a new Sheng Prefecture () at Shangyuan and made Zhang its prefect.][''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 258.] Zhang died in 893, and Feng Hongduo succeeded him as prefect.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 259.] It was said that Zhang's soldiers missed him for his leadership skills, and they built a temple to worship him.[
]
Notes and references
* ''New Book of Tang
The ''New Book of Tang'', generally translated as the "New History of the Tang" or "New Tang History", is a work of official history covering the Tang dynasty in ten volumes and 225 chapters. The work was compiled by a team of scholars of the So ...
'', vol. 190.
* ''Zizhi Tongjian
''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynast ...
'', vols. 256, 257, 258, 259.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang, Xiong
893 deaths
9th-century births
Politicians from Huai'an
Political office-holders in Jiangsu
Tang dynasty generals from Jiangsu
Tang dynasty politicians from Jiangsu