Zhang Xutuo,

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theobald ...

Guo, was one of the most celebrated generals during the

Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and layi ...

. He was best known for his achievements in suppressing rebellions and uprisings during Emperor Yang's reign.

In history

Zhang Xutuo originally served in the military under the command of Shi Wansui during the campaign against

Cuanman Cuanman () was an ethnic group in northern Yunnan, China. They came into power after assisting Zhuge Liang's Southern Campaign and dominated Yunnan during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. They were defeated by the Sui dynasty in 602 and ...

in 597. After this campaign, he was promoted to be a mid-ranked officer. In 604, Emperor Yang's younger brother

Yang Liang Yang Liang (楊諒) -- courtesy name Dezhang (德章), alternative name Jie (傑), nickname Yiqian (益錢) -- was an imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty. He was a son of Emperor Wen and his powerful wife Empress Dugu, who, dur ...

rebelled against the emperor seeking for the throne. Zhang Xutuo took part in the campaign against Yang Liang under the command of

Yang Su Yang Su (楊素; died August 31, 606), courtesy name Chudao (處道), formally Duke Jingwu of Chu (楚景武公), was a Chinese military general and politician of the Sui dynasty whose authority eventually became nearly as supreme as the emperor' ...

. he was promoted again after this battle. In 610, Zhang Xutuo became a local governor of Qi Prefecture. At that time, Sui dynasty was invading the

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled most ...

and there was no cereals left in the barns of Qi. Coincidentally, Qi Prefecture suffered from natural disasters during the same year. Zhang Xutuo thus ordered to hand out everything left in the storage to save people. His advisors warmed him that he had no authority to do this, but he did it anyway at the risk of being punished by the emperor. As a result, he obtained great reputation among people in Qi Prefecture, and the emperor was also very proud of what he did. In 611, led by Wang Bo, the first peasant uprising of Sui dynasty broke out in

Zouping Zouping () is a county-level city of Shandong province. Geography The city is located on the northern edge of the mountainous central portion of the province. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Binzhou, but is only w ...

region near Qi Prefecture. Zhang Xutuo led his troop to Zouping and drove out the peasant force. Wang Bo retreated to Lu Prefecture and then to Mountain Tai, but still, he was eventually defeated by Zhang Xutuo. Wang Bo ran to the north and was ambushed by Zhang Xutuo again near the

Yellow River The Yellow River or Huang He (Chinese: , Standard Beijing Mandarin, Mandarin: ''Huáng hé'' ) is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system in the world at th ...

. Wang Bo's uprising triggered massive peasant rebellions all around the Sui dynasty. He had to run further north. In 613, Wang Bo, allied with other peasant forces, such as Sun Xuanya and Hao Xiaode, went back and fought against Zhang Xutuo. Zhang Xutuo, allied with another Sui general

Zhou Fashang Zhou may refer to: Chinese history * King Zhou of Shang () (1105 BC–1046 BC), the last king of the Shang dynasty * Predynastic Zhou (), 11th-century BC precursor to the Zhou dynasty * Zhou dynasty () (1046 BC–256 BC), a dynasty of China ** West ...

, attacked the peasant alliance near

Zhangqiu Zhangqiu () is one of 10 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province, East China. The district has an area of 1721.29 square kilometers, 20 towns, 908 villages and the permanent resident population w ...

and seriously weakened the peasant force. Wang Bo, Sun Xuanya and Hao Xiaode fled away and eventually submitted to

Dou Jiande Dou Jiande (; 573 – 3 August 621) was a leader of the agrarian rebels who rose against the rule of Emperor Yang of Sui near the end of the Chinese Sui dynasty. Generally considered the kindest and most able of the agrarian rebel leaders ...

. After this battle, Zhang Xutuo was praised by the emperor for his bravery and intelligence. The emperor even ordered to have a copy of Zhang's portrayal hanging on the wall in his palace. After the battle at Zhangqiu, Zhang Xutuo continued fighting against rebellion forces. Major peasant rebels in

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...

region including Pei Changcai, Shi Zihe, Guo Fangyu, Zuo Xiaoyou, Lu Mingyue, Lyu Mingxing, Shuai Rentai and Huo Xiaohan ''

Book of Sui The ''Book of Sui'' (''Suí Shū'') is the official history of the Sui dynasty. It ranks among the official Twenty-Four Histories of imperial China. It was written by Yan Shigu, Kong Yingda, and Zhangsun Wuji, with Wei Zheng as the lead author. ...

'':俄而贼庐明月众十余万，将寇河北，次祝阿，须陀邀击，杀数千人。贼吕明星、帅仁泰、霍小汉等众各万余，扰济北，须陀进军击走之。寻将兵拒东郡贼翟让，前后三十余战，每破走之。 were all defeated by Zhang Xutuo. Zhang Xutuo also discovered and promoted several talented warriors, including

Qin Shubao Qin Qiong (died 638), courtesy name Shubao, better known as Qin Shubao, was a Chinese general who lived in the early Tang dynasty of China. Along with Yuchi Gong, he continues to be worshipped in China as a door god. He is also known by his post ...

and

Luo Shixin Luo Shixin (c. 600–622) was a general during the transitional period between the Sui and Tang dynasties of China. History Luo Shixin was originally a young soldier under Zhang Xutuo, one of top generals of the Sui Dynasty during Emperor Y ...

, from his troops. In 614, Zhang Xutuo was appointed by the central court as the chief commander of Eastern China and the guard of Qi. In 616, Zhang Xutuo met his strongest opponent in the battlefield, the

Wagang Army Wagang Army ({{zh, s=瓦岗军, 611–618) was a key rebel army in the late Sui dynasty of China. The Wagang Army was primarily led by Zhai Rang before 617, and Li Mi after 617. To its greatest extent, it occupied major territories in the Henan ...

led by

Zhai Rang Zhai Rang (; died December 14, 617) was a key agrarian rebel leader near the end of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty. Believing prophecies that appeared to indicate that Li Mi would be emperor, he supported Li as leader and offered to serve under L ...

and Li Mi. During the Battle of Dahai Temple against Wagang Army, Zhang Xutuo was ambushed and surrounded by Wagang forces led by

Wang Bodang Wang Bodang was a general in Wagang Army which rebelled against the Sui dynasty. He is also a highly celebrated and praised figure in Chinese popular culture because of his bravery and loyalty. In history Wang Bodang was born in Yitang, a village ...

Shan Xiongxin Shan Xiongxin (? - 5 June 621) was a general, top warrior and peasant uprising leader during the transitional era between Sui and Tang dynasties. In history Shan Xiongxin was born in Caoxian, Shandong region. He possessed great physical stren ...

and

Xu Shiji Li Shiji (594?The ''Old Book of Tang'' indicated that Li Shiji was 75 at the time of his death, while the ''New Book of Tang'' indicated that Li Shiji was 85 at the time of his death. Compare ''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 67 with ''New Book of Tang ...

, near the city of

Xingyang Xingyang (), is a county-level city of Henan Province, South Central China, it is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Zhengzhou. It is situated 15 kilometers to the west of Zhengzhou city proper. The population of Xingyang is ...

. He managed to break the encirclement after a bloody battle, but he went back into the encirclement after realizing that some of his subordinates, such as Fan Hu and Tang Wanren, were still desperately fighting in the field. He charged at Wagang Army for several times trying to save his subordinates, but he failed and was eventually killed in the battle by Wagang Army. After the battle, his survived troops all cried for him, and the emperor was very sad after hearing this news. Zhang Xutuo was buried on the site of the battlefield. Later during

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 ...

, his grandsons relocated his grave to Lingbao in 711. His grave was discovered by archaeologists in 2009. According to the record on his tombstone, he was also good at writing and literature.

In popular cultures

Although Zhang Xutuo rarely appears in folk tales or dramas, his stories triggered the creation of the fictional person called Yang Lin, who was believed to be one of the best warriors of Sui dynasty, and was given the title of Prince of Backing (Kaoshan Wang) by the emperor.

Family

Notable ancestor: * Zhang Wen: a chancellor in

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

Great Grandfather: *Zhang Qing: A local governor of Hongnong in

Northern Wei Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei (), Tuoba Wei (), Yuan Wei () and Later Wei (), was founded by the Tuoba (Tabgach) clan of the Xianbei. The first of the Northern and Southern dynasties#Northern dynasties, Northern dynasties ...

dynasty Grandfather: *Zhang Si: a high-ranked official in the central court of

Western Wei Wei (), known in historiography as the Western Wei (), was an imperial dynasty of China that followed the disintegration of the Northern Wei. One of the Northern dynasties during the era of the Northern and Southern dynasties, it ruled the weste ...

dynasty Father: *Zhang Mou: a local governor of Ruzhou in

Northern Zhou Zhou (), known in historiography as the Northern Zhou (), was a Xianbei-led dynasty of China that lasted from 557 to 581. One of the Northern dynasties of China's Northern and Southern dynasties period, it succeeded the Western Wei dynasty and ...

dynasty Son: *Zhang Yuanbei: a lower-ranked general Grandsons: *Zhang Zhizhi *Zhang Zhixuan

References

{{reflist Transition from Sui to Tang Sui dynasty Sui dynasty people 565 births 616 deaths Chinese military personnel killed in action