Zhang Yang () (died 198),

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 Theo ...

Zhishu, was a Chinese politician and warlord who lived during the late

Eastern Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

of China. Originally from

Yunzhong Commandery Yunzhong Commandery ( zh, 雲中郡) was a historical commandery of China. Its territories were located between the Great Wall and Yin Mountains, and correspond to part of modern-day Hohhot, Baotou and Ulanqab prefectures in Inner Mongolia. The ...

(雲中郡; northern

Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-leve ...

) in the north, he eventually became the ''de facto'' ruler of Henei Commandery (河內郡; northern Henan). Although threatened by powerful warlords such as

Cao Cao Cao Cao () (; 155 – 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde (), was a Chinese statesman, warlord and poet. He was the penultimate grand chancellor of the Eastern Han dynasty, and he amassed immense power in the dynasty's final years. As one o ...

and

Yuan Shao Yuan Shao (, ; died 28 June 202), courtesy name Benchu (), was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil wars that occurred t ...

, Zhang Yang still provided refuge for

Emperor Xian of Han Emperor Xian of Han (2 April 181 – 21 April 234), personal name Liu Xie (劉協), courtesy name Bohe, was the 14th and last emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty in China. He reigned from 28 September 189 until 11 December 220. Liu Xie was a s ...

numerous times, eventually attaining the rank of Grand Marshal (大司馬).

Early life

Zhang Yang was known for his bravery, and originally served a mid-level post in his native Bing Province (present-day

). Under the direction of the governor Ding Yuan, Zhang Yang served under the eunuch

Jian Shuo Jian Shuo (died 189) was the leader of the eunuch faction in the imperial court during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Along with Zhang Rang, Jian Shuo eventually became a leading member of the Ten Attendants, who became the most powerful ...

. With the death of Jian Shuo and the rise of the general

He Jin He Jin () (died 22 September 189), courtesy name Suigao, was a Chinese military general and politician. He was the military Grand Marshal and regent of the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was an elder half-brother of Empress He, the emp ...

, Zhang Yang was sent to fight bandits in Shangdang Commandery (上黨郡; in southwestern

Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and ...

As a warlord

With He Jin's death and the rise of

Dong Zhuo Dong Zhuo () (died 22 May 192), courtesy name Zhongying, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. At the end of the reign of the Eastern Han, Dong Zhuo was a general and powerful minist ...

, Zhang Yang attempted to seize Shangdang Commandery for himself, but was unable to do so. When Yuan Shao called for a campaign against Dong Zhuo, Zhang Yang went to join him but was not given significant duties. In 191, the

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 20 ...

leader Yufuluo revolted and sought Zhang Yang's support; Zhang Yang's refusal resulted in his kidnapping. Yuan Shao's forces eventually defeated Yufuluo and Zhang Yang was freed. After his release, Zhang Yang was appointed by Dong Zhuo as the Administrator of Henei Commandery. In 192, Zhang Yang took in his friend and Dong Zhuo's assassin

Lü Bu Lü Bu () (died 7 February 199), courtesy name Fengxian, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of Imperial China. Originally a subordinate of a minor warlord Ding Yuan, he betr ...

, who was wanted by Dong Zhuo's successor Li Jue. Lü Bu left for Yuan Shao not long after, only to return in 193. In 194, Lü Bu asked Zhang Yang if he was planning to betray Lü Bu to Li Jue. As Zhang Yang's generals were all bribed by Li Jue, Zhang Yang openly admitted his intention of betraying Lü Bu, while secretly protecting him from Li Jue. Nevertheless, Lü Bu again left Zhang Yang for Zhang Miao not long after. In 195, the general Dong Cheng brought Emperor Xian to Henei Commandery in an attempt to avoid the forces of Li Jue and Guo Si. Zhang Yang's hospitality earned him the appointment of General Who Pacifies the State (安國將軍) and the peerage "Marquis of Jinyang". Over the course of the year, Zhang Yang recommended Emperor Xian return to the capital

Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyan ...

, but this was rejected by the emperor's entourage. Finally, in 196, Zhang Yang escorted Emperor Xian back to Luoyang, and also oversaw the reconstruction of the imperial palace (which was burnt down by Dong Zhuo in 191). Unlike most other warlords, who kept the emperor for political benefit, Zhang Yang returned to Henei Commandery after the completion of his mission. For his deeds he was promoted to Grand Marshal. In 198, as Cao Cao was preparing to campaign against Lü Bu, Zhang Yang made preparations to assist the latter. These preparations were cut short, however, after he was assassinated by his subordinate Yang Chou (楊醜), who then attempted to surrender to Cao Cao only to be killed by Sui Gu (眭固), who then surrendered to Yuan Shao. The ''Yingxiong Ji'' (英雄記) states that Zhang Yang was "of mild and merciful temperament, and under him there were no harsh punishments."

References

{{reflist * Chen, Shou (3rd century). ''

Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records or History of the Three Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese name as the Sanguo Zhi, is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty (c. 184–220 AD) and the Three Kingdoms period (220� ...

'' (''Sanguozhi''). * Fan, Ye (5th century). ''

Book of the Later Han The ''Book of the Later Han'', also known as the ''History of the Later Han'' and by its Chinese name ''Hou Hanshu'' (), is one of the Twenty-Four Histories and covers the history of the Han dynasty from 6 to 189 CE, a period known as the Lat ...

'' (''Houhanshu''). * Pei, Songzhi (5th century). ''

Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms () by Pei Songzhi (372-451) is an annotation completed in the 5th century of the 3rd century historical text ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', compiled by Chen Shou. After leaving his native land, Pei ...

'' (''Sanguozhi zhu''). 2nd-century births 198 deaths Assassinated Chinese politicians Han dynasty politicians from Shanxi Han dynasty warlords People from North China

Early life

As a warlord

See also

References