From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Zhang Xiaozhong
Zhang Xiaozhong
Zhang Xiaozhong (張孝忠) (730 – April 30, 791[1]), né
Zhang Alao (張阿勞), formally Prince Zhenwu of Shang-
Service under Li Baochen and
gu (上谷貞武王), was a general of the Chinese Tang Dy- Li Weiyue
nasty, of Xi extraction. Initially he served the rebel state
While serving under Li Baochen, Zhang Alao was given
Yan, during the Anshi Rebellion, and later served the
a number of honorary positions, and a new name of
warlord Li Baochen. After Li Baochen’s death he joined
Xiaozhong (meaning "filially pious and faithful"). Li
the Imperial cause, giving the Imperial army a foothold
Baochen, believing Zhang to be faithful and brave, initial-
north of the Yellow River in spite of being surrounded by
ly trusted him greatly, and married his sister-in-law Lady
semi-independent warlord realms.
Meigu to Zhang. He also entrusted Zhang with the troops
from Yi Prefecture (易州, in modern Baoding, Hebei). In
Background 775, when Tian Chengsi, then the military governor of
Zhang Xiaozhong, initially known as Zhang Alao, was Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan,
born in 730, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong. He Hebei) wore out the patience of not only the imperial
was of Xi ethnicity. His great-grandfather Zhang Jing (張 government by annexing most of Zhaoyi Circuit (昭義,
靖) and grandfather Zhang Xun (張遜) were both chief- then headquartered in modern Anyang, Henan), killing Li
tains of the Yishihuo (乙失活) tribe. During Emperor Baochen’s brother Li Baozheng (李寶正), and being dis-
Xuanzong’s Tianbao era (742–756), Zhang Alao’s father respectful to Li Zhengji the military governor of Pinglu
Zhang Mi (張謐) led his tribal people in submitting to Circuit (平盧, headquartered in modern Weifang, Shan-
Tang rule and was given an honorary title as the minister dong), Emperor Xuanzong’s grandson Emperor Daizong
of vassal affairs.[2] commissioned a campaign against Tian. Tian preemp-
Zhang Alao himself was tall, brave, strong, and filially tively attacked Chengde’s Ji Prefecture (冀州, in modern
pious. In the region, he and Wang Monuogan (later Hengshui, Hebei). Li Baochen sent Zhang to defend
known as Wang Wujun) were known as the strongest against the attack with the Chengde elite troops, and
warriors. Near the end of the Tianbao era, as he was a ca- when Tian realized that the campaign was not going well
pable archer, he came to serve under the Tang general for him, he stated, "With Zhang Alao still present, I can-
An Lushan, and made contributions in defeating Tujue not take Ji Prefecture," and he withdrew.[2] Subsequent-
tribes.[2] ly, when Li Baochen was tricked by Tian into attacking
another general, Zhu Tao, the acting military governor of
Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing)
During Anshi Rebellion but was unable to seize Lulong Circuit, Li Baochen made
In 755, An Lushan rebelled at Fanyang (范陽, in modern Zhang the prefect of Yi Prefecture as precaution of a Zhu
Beijing), and Zhang Alao served as one of his forward counterattack.[4]
commanders, along with Tian Chengsi and Zhang Toward the end of Li Baochen’s life, he, who was rul-
Zhongzhi.[3] After An declared himself emperor of a new ing Chengde Circuit as his own domain semi-indepen-
state of Yan, Zhang Alao served as a general of the Yan dent from the Tang imperial government, wanted to pass
state, and later served under the later Yan emperor Shi his position to his son Li Weiyue, but believing Li Weiyue
Siming and Shi Siming’s son and successor Shi Chaoyi as to be weak in personality and might not be able to stand
well in their campaigns against Tang. After Yan ended up to some of the stronger officers, he found excuses
with Shi Chaoyi’s death in 763, Zhang Zhongzhi surren- to execute many of those officers. At one point, he sent
dered to Tang, was bestowed the name Li Baochen, and Zhang Xiaozhong’s brother Zhang Xiaojie (張孝節) to Yi
became a Tang general — the military governor (Jiedushi) Prefecture to summon Zhang Xiaozhong back to the cir-
of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shi- cuit capital Heng Prefecture (恆州). Zhang Xiaozhong
jiazhuang, Hebei), and Zhang Alao served under Li told Zhang Xiaojie to respond to Li Baochen:[5]
Baochen.[2]
What crimes have those officers committed
that they were executed one by one? I, Zhang
Xiaozhong, fear death, and therefore will not
come, but I will also not rebel. This is just like
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Zhang Xiaozhong
how you, Lord, do not go to pay homage to the When his subordinates questioned this move, Zhang stat-
emperor. ed his reasons:[6]
Zhang Xiaojie protested that if he returned with this There are still many experienced officers at
message that Li Baochen would surely kill him, but Zhang Heng Prefecture, and we should not take them
Xiaozhong pointed out that if they went back together, lightly. If we pressure them, they will fight
they would both die, but if he did not go, Li Baochen to the death. If we relax our pressure, they
would not dare to act against Zhang Xiaojie — prediction will turn against each other. You, gentlemen,
that turned out to be correct. It was said that because should just sit and wait; as we wait here at
of this, Zhang Xiaozhong and Wang Wujun, whose son Yifeng, we can see Li Weiyue’s destruction.
Wang Shizhen was a son-in-law to Li Baochen, were the Further, Situ [(司徒, the honorary office that
only two senior Chengde officers who survived Li Zhu carried)] Zhu exaggerates in his words
Baochen’s executions.[5] and lacks common sense. It is easy to start an
Li Baochen died in 781, and Li Weiyue requested that undertaking with him, and difficult to com-
Emperor Daizong’s son and successor Emperor Dezong plete it.
allow him to succeed Li Baochen. Emperor Dezong re-
fused. As a result, Li Weiyue and his allies Tian Yue (Tian As Zhang predicted, Wang, once he returned to Heng
Chengsi’s nephew, who had succeeded Tian Chengsi in Prefecture, started an uprising and killed Li Weiyue and
779), Li Na (Li Zhengji’s son, who, similarly, was rejected surrendered. In the aftermaths of Li Weiyue’s death, Li
by Emperor Dezong as his father’s successor when Li Weiyue’s brother-in-law Yang Rongguo (楊榮國), who
Zhengji also died in 781), and Liang Chongyi, the military had been defending Shen Prefecture (深州, in modern
governor of Shannan East Circuit (山南東道, headquar- Hengshui, Hebei), surrendered to Zhu. With Li Weiyue
tered in modern Xiangfan, Hubei), prepared for war and Liang (who had been defeated by Li Xilie and com-
against the imperial government.[5] Zhu Tao, who was mitted suicide) defeated and the forces loyal to the impe-
then submissive to the imperial government, attacked rial government besieging Tian and Li Na, it was believed
Chengde from the north. When he reached Yi Prefecture, that the rebels would soon be destroyed and the empire
Zhang was defending against his attack, but Zhu sent his returned to unity.[6]
subordinate Cai Xiong (蔡雄) to convince Zhang that Li After the victory at Chengde, however, Emperor De-
Weiyue’s cause was hopeless and unjust. Persuaded by zong made a series of moves that simultaneously alien-
Zhu, Zhang submitted to the imperial government, and ated Zhu and Wang. He refused to give Shen Prefecture
Emperor Dezong gave Zhang the title of military gov- to Lulong, as Zhu had requested. Rather, he divided the
ernor of Chengde. Grateful to Zhu, Zhang had his son seven prefectures of Chengde into three smaller circuits,
Zhang Maohe (張貿和) marry Zhu’s daughter and formed making Zhang the military governor of a newly created
a friendship with Zhu.[6] Hearing that Zhang Xiaozhong Yidingcang Circuit (易定滄, headquartered in modern
had turned against him, Li Weiyue slaughtered all of Baoding, soon renamed to Yiwu (義武)), consisting of
Zhang Xiaozhong’s brothers and sons still remaining at three prefectures, with his headquarters at Ding Prefec-
Heng Prefecture.[2] ture (定州),[7] while giving two prefectures each to Wang
and Kang Rizhi (康日知, another Chengde general who
had submitted to imperial authority during the cam-
As Jiedushi paign), with the lesser titles of military prefect (團練使,
In spring 782, Zhu Tao and Zhang Xiaozhong captured Tuanlianshi). Emperor Dezong, on paper, gave Lulong two
Shulu (束鹿, in modern Shijiazhuang). Li Weiyue, in fear, additional prefectures — De (德州, in modern Dezhou,
considered submitting to the imperial government and Shandong) and Di (棣州, in modern Binzhou, Shandong)
giving up Chengde, but after Tian Yue found out, he an- — both still then held by Li Na. Zhu was angered by Em-
grily demanded the death of Li Weiyue’s secretary Shao peror Dezong’s refusal to give him any part of Chengde
Zhen (邵真), who had recommended submission; Li territory (in particular, Shen Prefecture) and requiring
Weiyue killed Shao and sent an army, commanded by the him to capture two additional prefectures on his own,
Weibo officer Meng You (孟祐) and Wang Wujun, to try while Wang was angered that contrary to Emperor De-
to recapture Shulu. The joint Zhu and Zhang forces, how- zong’s implicit promises to give whomever killed Li
ever, defeated Li Weiyue’s forces — as Wang was appre- Weiyue Li Weiyue’s offices, he not only received a lesser
hensive that if he prevailed, Li Weiyue would be without title, but was in a position where he could easily be de-
apprehension and would kill him after his return, as Li stroyed. Tian Yue, who was then still under imperial at-
Weiyue had also been fearful of him. Zhu wanted to con- tack, thus persuaded Zhu and Wang to join him in an al-
tinue on to the capital of Chengde, Heng Prefecture, but liance to defend against imperial forces. Zhu and Wang
stopped his advances when, to his surprise, Zhang backed both agreed, although when Zhu further tried to per-
off and withdrew to Yifeng (義豐, in modern Baoding). suade Zhang to join the alliance as well, Zhang refused.
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Zhang Xiaozhong
As Zhu advanced south to meet Wang and to aid Tian, Deng, to Chang’an to personally receive Princess Yizhang
then, he left his cousin Liu Peng in charge of Lulong into the household, and Emperor Dezong welcomed Lady
Circuit, to defend against a potential attack by Zhang, Meigu in a grand ceremony.[2][11] In 789, for reasons un-
while Zhang prepared for defending against attacks from clear in history, Zhang attacked Wei Prefecture (蔚州,
Zhu and Wang. Subsequently, when Wang Wujun sent in modern Datong, Shanxi, not the same Wei Prefecture
Wang Shizhen to put Kang under siege at Zhao Prefecture as Weibo’s capital) and seized both people and livestock.
(趙州, in modern Shijiazhuang), the imperial general Li Emperor Dezong issued an edict condemning the attack,
Sheng, whose forces had been part of the forces fighting and Zhang withdrew after some 10 days.[12] As a result,
against Tian in the south, requested leave to advance Zhang was stripped of his honorary acting Sikong title. He
north to meet Zhang to relieve Zhao Prefecture, and Em- died in 791. He was posthumously created the Prince of
peror Dezong agreed. Once Li Sheng arrived at Zhao Pre- Shanggu and given a number of other posthumous hon-
fecture, Wang Shizhen lifted the siege and returned to ors.[2]
Heng Prefecture. In spring 783, Li Sheng and Zhang’s son
Zhang Shengyun (張昇雲) attacked Zhu’s officer Zheng
Jingji (鄭景濟) at Qingyuan (清苑, in modern Baoding).
Sons
This, however, drew a response from Zhu, who left Tian’s • Zhang Maozhao (张茂昭), né Zhang Shengyun
capital Wei Prefecture (魏州) and arrived at Qingyuan • Zhang Maozong
to battle Li Sheng. He defeated Li Sheng, forcing Zhang • Zhang Maohe
Shengyun and Li Sheng, who grew ill after the defeat,
back to Yiwu’s capital Ding Prefecture (定州).[8]
In fall 783, troops from Jingyuan Circuit (涇原, head-
Notes and references
quartered in modern Pingliang, Gansu), then at Chang’an [1] http://www.sinica.edu.tw/ftms-bin/kiwi1/
to wait for deployment to the eastern battlefield, mu- luso.sh?lstype=2&dyna=%AD%F0&king=%BCw%A9v&reign=%ADs%
tinied when Emperor Dezong did not give them sufficient [2] ^ Book of Tang, vol. 141.
rewards, forcing Emperor Dezong to flee to Fengtian (奉 [3] Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 217.
天, in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi). They supported Zhu [4] Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 225.
Tao’s brother Zhu Ci as their leader, and Zhu Ci soon de- [5] ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 226.
clared himself the emperor of a new state of Qin and [6] ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 227.
put Fengtian under siege.[8] Li Sheng, upon his recovery [7] However, Cang Prefecture (滄州, in modern
later in the year, wanted to head immediately toward Cangzhou, Hebei), which was part of Zhang’s
Fengtian to aid Emperor Dezong, but as Yiwu Circuit was circuit, was soon carved out and made into its own
wedged between Zhu Tao’s and Wang’s territory, Zhang circuit, since the communication lines between
Xiaozhong feared that he would be attacked and so tried Ding and Cang Prefectures went through Zhu’s
to keep Li Sheng at Yiwu. Only after Li Sheng bribed territory and were difficult to maintain. See Zizhi
Zhang’s subordinates with jade and also kept his son Li Tongjian, vol. 231.
Ping (李憑) at Yiwu (to be married to Zhang’s daughter) [8] ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 228.
did Zhang agree to let Li Sheng depart, and he further [9] Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 229.
had Yang Rongguo, who had become his subordinate, [10] New Book of Tang, vol. 148.
accompany Li Sheng to aid Emperor Dezong. In spring [11] However, Zhang Maozong and Princess Yizhang
784, after Emperor Dezong tried to quell various rebel- did not actually marry until 797, after both Zhang
lions by issuing a general pardon, he gave Zhang the Xiaozhong and Lady Meigu had died. See Zizhi
honorary chancellor designation of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Tongjian, vol. 235.
Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事).[9] [12] Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 233.
In 786, after the realm had become relatively peaceful • Book of Tang, vol. 141.
and submissive to Emperor Dezong’s authority again, • New Book of Tang, vol. 148.
there was a famine for the region north of the Yellow Riv- • Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 217, 225, 226, 227, 228, 229, 231,
er. In the aftermaths of the war, there was little food stor- 233.
age, and many people starved to death. During this time, Persondata
Zhang reduced his own diet and ate just dried beans. It Name Zhang, Xiaozhong
was said that the people appreciated his frugality and
Alternative names
considered him a model of goodness.[10] In 787, Emperor
Dezong gave him the honorary title of acting Sikong (司 Short description Chinese general
空, one of the Three Excellencies), and offered to let his Date of birth 730
son Zhang Maozong (張茂宗) marry Emperor Dezong’s Place of birth
daughter Princess Yizhang. Zhang sent his wife Lady
Date of death 791
Meigu, who was by this time carrying the title of Lady of
3
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Zhang Xiaozhong
Place of death
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zhang_Xiaozhong&oldid=463570011"
Categories:
• 730 births
• 791 deaths
• Tang Dynasty nonimperial princes
• Tang Dynasty jiedushi of Chengde Circuit
• Tang Dynasty jiedushi of Yiwu Circuit
• Yan (Anshi)
This page was last modified on 1 December 2011 at 22:17. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-
ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of use for details. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of
the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.Contact us
Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers
4