Zang Tu (died 202 BC) was a warlord who lived during the late

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first Dynasties in Chinese history, dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin (state), ...

and early

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 ...

of China.

Biography

Zang Tu was originally a military general serving under

Han Guang Han Guang (died 206 BC) was the ruler of the Kingdom of Liaodong () of the Eighteen Kingdoms during the Chu–Han Contention, an interregnum between the Qin and Han dynasties of China. Han Guang was initially a minor official serving in the ...

, the king of the

Yan state Yan (; Old Chinese pronunciation: ''*'') was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. Its capital was Ji (later known as Yanjing and now Beijing). During the Warring States period, the court was also moved to another capital at Xiadu ...

. Around 207 BC, when rebellions broke out all over China to overthrow the

, Zang Tu was sent to lead an army to assist rebel forces from the insurgent Zhao state, which were under attack by a Qin army led by Zhang Han. Following the defeat of Qin forces at the

Battle of Julu The Battle of Julu (Chinese: 钜鹿之戰) was fought in Julu (in present-day Pingxiang County, Xingtai, Hebei, China) in 207 BC primarily between forces of the Qin dynasty and the insurgent state of Chu. The Qin commander was Zhang Han, wh ...

, Zang Tu joined a coalition rebel army under the command of

Xiang Yu Xiang Yu (, –202 BC), born Xiang Ji (), was the Hegemon-King (Chinese: 霸王, ''Bà Wáng'') of Western Chu during the Chu–Han Contention period (206–202 BC) of China. A noble of the Chu state, Xiang Yu rebelled against the Qin dynas ...

of the

Chu state Chu, or Ch'u in Wade–Giles romanization, (, Hanyu Pinyin: Chǔ, Old Chinese: ''*s-r̥aʔ'') was a Zhou dynasty vassal state. Their first ruler was King Wu of Chu in the early 8th century BCE. Chu was located in the south of the Zhou he ...

, and followed Xiang Yu as they fought their way to the Qin capital

Xianyang Xianyang () is a prefecture-level city in central Shaanxi province, situated on the Wei River a few kilometers upstream (west) from the provincial capital of Xi'an. Once the capital of the Qin dynasty, it is now integrated into the Xi'an metrop ...

. In 206 BC, after the fall of the Qin dynasty, Xiang Yu divided the former Qin Empire into the

Eighteen Kingdoms The historiographical term "Eighteen Kingdoms" ( zh, t=十八國), also translated to as "Eighteen States", refers to the eighteen ''fengjian'' states in China created by military leader Xiang Yu in 206 BCE, after the collapse of the Qin dynasty.� ...

and appointed Zang Tu as the King of Yan (). Part of the former Yan kingdom was granted to Han Guang, who was appointed by Xiang Yu as the King of Liaodong. Zang Tu then returned to the Yan kingdom and attempted to force Han Guang to move to his allocated kingdom in the

Liaodong Peninsula The Liaodong Peninsula (also Liaotung Peninsula, ) is a peninsula in southern Liaoning province in Northeast China, and makes up the southwestern coastal half of the Liaodong region. It is located between the mouths of the Daliao River (the ...

, but the latter refused to comply. As a result, Zang Tu attacked Han Guang and killed him at Wuzhong, thereby becoming king of a united Yan kingdom. In 204 BC, after his victory against the Zhao kingdom at the

Battle of Jingxing The Battle of Jingxing (), also known as the Battle of Tao River (), was fought in October 205 BC between the army of Han, commanded by Han Xin, and a Zhao army. The Zhao were led by Prince Zhao Xie () of Zhao and Chen Yu (), also known as the Lor ...

Han Xin Han Xin (; 231/230–196 BC) was a Chinese military general and politician who served Liu Bang during the Chu–Han Contention and contributed greatly to the founding of the Han dynasty. Han Xin was named as one of the "Three Heroes of the ear ...

followed Li Zuoche's advice and sent a messenger to Zang Tu, asking him to pledge allegiance to

Liu Bang Emperor Gaozu of Han (256 – 1 June 195 BC), born Liu Bang () with courtesy name Ji (季), was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning in 202–195 BC. His temple name was "Taizu" while his posthumous name was Emper ...

, the King of

Han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

. Zang Tu agreed. In 202 BC, Liu Bang defeated Xiang Yu and unified China under his rule, proclaiming himself

Emperor of China ''Huangdi'' (), translated into English as Emperor, was the superlative title held by monarchs of China who ruled various imperial regimes in Chinese history. In traditional Chinese political theory, the emperor was considered the Son of Heave ...

and establishing the Han dynasty. Zang Tu became a vassal of the Han Empire and retained his kingly title and territories. Later that year, Zang Tu rebelled against the Han Empire, invading and capturing territory in the Dai kingdom. Liu Bang personally led an army to suppress the rebellion. Zang Tu was defeated in battle and captured. He refused to surrender and was executed by Liu Bang.

Descendants

Zang Tu had a son called Zang Yan (), who escaped to join 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 ...

after his father died. Zang Tu's granddaughter, Zang Er (), married Wang Zhong, and had a daughter called Wang Zhi. Wang Zhi became the second wife of Emperor Jing, the fourth emperor of the Han dynasty, and the mother of the future Emperor Wu.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zang, Tu Han dynasty generals Chinese princes 202 BC deaths Chu–Han contention people Year of birth unknown Qin dynasty people Han dynasty politicians