Zhang Shicheng
Encyclopedia
Zhang Shicheng （1321－1367）was one of the leaders of the Red Turban Rebellion
in the late Yuan Dynasty
China. Later he established the Kingdom of Dazhou
with reigning name Tianyou (天佑).
(大丰), Taizhou
prefecture, Jiangsu
Province. He came from a family of salt
shippers, and he himself started out in this trade in Northern Jiangsu, transporting both "legal" and "contraband" salt, as did his brothers Zhang Shiyi (张士義), Zhang Shide (张士德), and Zhang Shixin (张士信). By his generosity he earned the respect of other salt workers who made him their leaders when they rebelled against the oppressive government in 1353.
Zhang Sicheng with his brother soon conquered Taizhou, Xinghua and Gaoyou in 1353. In 1354 Zhang established Kingdom of Dazhou and declared himself as king with era name Tianyou (天佑). Soon afterward, on the same year Zhang controlled Yangzhou
, an important center of salt trade on the Grand Canal of China
, just north of the Yangtze.
In 1356 Zhang seized Suzhou
, the main hub of transportation and commerce of Jiangnan
(the "South of the Lower Yangtze" region), and made the city his capital. The lands he now controlled not only were one of the country's main granaries, but also produced over half of all salt in China. Zhang's regime was mostly patterned on the Yuan Dynasty
model, but made use of some of the earlier traditional Chinese terminology as well.
Around that time his main rival for domination in central China became Zhu Yuanzhang, who had just installed himself in Nanjing
. It is reported that after several defeats from troops loyal to Zhu in 1356-57, Zhang offered to pay tribute to Zhu in exchange for the recognition of his autonomy. Zhu, however, refused Zhang's offer, and in 1357 Zhang accepted a title from the Yuan government, and agreed to start shipping grain to the Yuan capital (Beijing) region by sea.
Zhang had significantly expanded his domain by 1363, when he declared himself the King of Wu
(吴王, Wu Wang), possibly following the example of his main rival, the Nanjing-based Zhu Yuanzhang, who had earlier (1361) made himself the Duke of Wu (吴公, Wu Gong). Not to be outdone, in 1364 Zhu promoted himself to a King (Wang) of Wu
as well.
It is speculated by modern historians that if Zhang had been more decisive and cooperated with another rival (and the western neighbor) of Zhu, Chen Youliang
, Zhang and Chen could have crushed Zhu's incipient Ming state. However, "indolent" Zhang was apparently content to merely control the lower Yangtze region; his two attempts to attack Zhu's territories were both defeated decisively.
After Zhu Yuanzhong's victory over Chen Youliang
and his son Chen Li
and taking full control of their former territories (by around 1365), Zhu was able to turn more of his fighting power against Zhang. Zhu's started with cutting off Zhang from any possible aid from the Yuan rulers in the north. This was accomplished by his taking Gaoyou on the Grand Canal of China
on April 24, 1366. In the same year (1366), Zhang lost his younger brother Zhang Shide, who was also an important general in his army, feared by Zhu's troops, when the younger Zhang fell from his horse and died. By late December 1366, Zhang's capital Suzhou was surrounded by Zhu's army.
The struggle between the two "Kings of Wu" came to the end on October 1, 1367, when Suzhou fell to Zhu Yuanzhang's troops after a 10-month siege.
Zhang tried to hang himself. but was discovered in the act, captured, and taken to Zhu's capital, Nanjing. What happened to Zhang there is not known for sure: according to various sources, he was either beaten to death or finally managed to hang himself successfully. Meanwhile Zhu incorporated a quarter million of Zhang's troops into his army, proclaimed himself the first emperor of the new Ming Dynasty
on the (Chinese) New Year Day of 1368 (January 20 or 23, 1368) and punished the surviving Zhang's supporters in Suzhou by extortionate taxes.
Zhang Shicheng tomb in Xietang, Suzhou is still standing today. After his death, memories of him was still made an impression in the heart of Suzhou peoples. Each dated July 30 (Zhang birthday), a local people celebrating with dragon's toys from the straw hanging at the door of their house and set fire with 94 stems appropriate with the nickname Zhang (九四, Jiusi which means 94). This celebration continues Communist rule lasted until the establishment of the People's Republic of China.
, some scholars surmise that Luo may have been a member of Zhang Shicheng's staff during the early days of Zhang's kingdom. Disappointed with Zhang after Zhang found an accommodation with the Mongol rulers. Luo turned to a literary career, writing his Romance of the Three Kingdoms
. However, the scant historical evidence has been interpreted in various way, with arguments having been put in favor of Luo's being on the side of other participants of that period's wars as well.
Red Turban Rebellion
The Red Turban Rebellion was an uprising much influenced by the White Lotus Society members that targeted the ruling Yuan Dynasty.- Causes :...
in the late Yuan Dynasty
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
China. Later he established the Kingdom of Dazhou
Kingdom of Dazhou
Kingdom of Great or Greater Zhou , was a state established in 1354 by Zhang Shicheng, one of the leaders of the Red Turban Rebellion. Kingdom of Dazhou lasted for only 13 years and had only one King....
with reigning name Tianyou (天佑).
Life
Zhang Shicheng was born in what's today the city of DafengDafeng
Dafeng ' a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Yancheng which is one of 13 prefecture-level cities in Jiangsu province. Dafeng is located in Jiangsu North Plain with a coastline of 112 km. In its history, Dafeng was one of the largest salt-making areas in China and now is famed for...
(大丰), Taizhou
Taizhou, Jiangsu
Taizhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu province of eastern China. Situated on the north bank of the Yangtze River, it borders Nantong to the east, Yancheng to the north and Yangzhou to the west....
prefecture, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
Province. He came from a family of salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
shippers, and he himself started out in this trade in Northern Jiangsu, transporting both "legal" and "contraband" salt, as did his brothers Zhang Shiyi (张士義), Zhang Shide (张士德), and Zhang Shixin (张士信). By his generosity he earned the respect of other salt workers who made him their leaders when they rebelled against the oppressive government in 1353.
Zhang Sicheng with his brother soon conquered Taizhou, Xinghua and Gaoyou in 1353. In 1354 Zhang established Kingdom of Dazhou and declared himself as king with era name Tianyou (天佑). Soon afterward, on the same year Zhang controlled Yangzhou
Yangzhou
Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across...
, an important center of salt trade on the Grand Canal of China
Grand Canal of China
The Grand Canal in China, also known as the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is the longest canal or artificial river in the world. Starting at Beijing, it passes through Tianjin and the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the city of Hangzhou...
, just north of the Yangtze.
In 1356 Zhang seized Suzhou
Suzhou
Suzhou , previously transliterated as Su-chou, Suchow, and Soochow, is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai Municipality. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part...
, the main hub of transportation and commerce of Jiangnan
Jiangnan
Jiangnan or Jiang Nan is a geographic area in China referring to lands immediately to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, including the southern part of the Yangtze Delta...
(the "South of the Lower Yangtze" region), and made the city his capital. The lands he now controlled not only were one of the country's main granaries, but also produced over half of all salt in China. Zhang's regime was mostly patterned on the Yuan Dynasty
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
model, but made use of some of the earlier traditional Chinese terminology as well.
Around that time his main rival for domination in central China became Zhu Yuanzhang, who had just installed himself in Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
. It is reported that after several defeats from troops loyal to Zhu in 1356-57, Zhang offered to pay tribute to Zhu in exchange for the recognition of his autonomy. Zhu, however, refused Zhang's offer, and in 1357 Zhang accepted a title from the Yuan government, and agreed to start shipping grain to the Yuan capital (Beijing) region by sea.
Zhang had significantly expanded his domain by 1363, when he declared himself the King of Wu
Wu (region)
Wu is a region in the Jiangnan area , surrounding Suzhou, in Jiangsu province and Zhejiang province of China. It is also the abbreviation of several kingdoms based in Wu. The two largest cities in the Wu region today are Shanghai and Hangzhou...
(吴王, Wu Wang), possibly following the example of his main rival, the Nanjing-based Zhu Yuanzhang, who had earlier (1361) made himself the Duke of Wu (吴公, Wu Gong). Not to be outdone, in 1364 Zhu promoted himself to a King (Wang) of Wu
as well.
It is speculated by modern historians that if Zhang had been more decisive and cooperated with another rival (and the western neighbor) of Zhu, Chen Youliang
Chen Youliang
Chen Youliang was the founder of the insurgent state of Dahan in the late Yuan Dynasty period of Chinese history.-Biography:...
, Zhang and Chen could have crushed Zhu's incipient Ming state. However, "indolent" Zhang was apparently content to merely control the lower Yangtze region; his two attempts to attack Zhu's territories were both defeated decisively.
After Zhu Yuanzhong's victory over Chen Youliang
Chen Youliang
Chen Youliang was the founder of the insurgent state of Dahan in the late Yuan Dynasty period of Chinese history.-Biography:...
and his son Chen Li
Chen Li
Chen Li , was the second and the last emperor of Dahan regime in late Yuan Dynasty in China. He reigned for two years from 1363 - 1364 before forced to surrender to Zhu Yuanzhang. He was then created Marquis Guide. In 1372, he was sent to Korea and died there...
and taking full control of their former territories (by around 1365), Zhu was able to turn more of his fighting power against Zhang. Zhu's started with cutting off Zhang from any possible aid from the Yuan rulers in the north. This was accomplished by his taking Gaoyou on the Grand Canal of China
Grand Canal of China
The Grand Canal in China, also known as the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is the longest canal or artificial river in the world. Starting at Beijing, it passes through Tianjin and the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the city of Hangzhou...
on April 24, 1366. In the same year (1366), Zhang lost his younger brother Zhang Shide, who was also an important general in his army, feared by Zhu's troops, when the younger Zhang fell from his horse and died. By late December 1366, Zhang's capital Suzhou was surrounded by Zhu's army.
The struggle between the two "Kings of Wu" came to the end on October 1, 1367, when Suzhou fell to Zhu Yuanzhang's troops after a 10-month siege.
Zhang tried to hang himself. but was discovered in the act, captured, and taken to Zhu's capital, Nanjing. What happened to Zhang there is not known for sure: according to various sources, he was either beaten to death or finally managed to hang himself successfully. Meanwhile Zhu incorporated a quarter million of Zhang's troops into his army, proclaimed himself the first emperor of the new Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
on the (Chinese) New Year Day of 1368 (January 20 or 23, 1368) and punished the surviving Zhang's supporters in Suzhou by extortionate taxes.
Zhang Shicheng tomb in Xietang, Suzhou is still standing today. After his death, memories of him was still made an impression in the heart of Suzhou peoples. Each dated July 30 (Zhang birthday), a local people celebrating with dragon's toys from the straw hanging at the door of their house and set fire with 94 stems appropriate with the nickname Zhang (九四, Jiusi which means 94). This celebration continues Communist rule lasted until the establishment of the People's Republic of China.
Luo Guanzhong and Zhang Shicheng
Although very little reliable information exists about the life of the famous novelist Luo GuanzhongLuo Guanzhong
Luo Ben , better known by his style name Luo Guanzhong , was a Chinese writer of the early Ming Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was also known as Huhai Sanren...
, some scholars surmise that Luo may have been a member of Zhang Shicheng's staff during the early days of Zhang's kingdom. Disappointed with Zhang after Zhang found an accommodation with the Mongol rulers. Luo turned to a literary career, writing his Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Romance of the Three Kingdoms, written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century, is a Chinese historical novel based on the events in the turbulent years near the end of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history, starting in 169 and ending with the reunification of the land in...
. However, the scant historical evidence has been interpreted in various way, with arguments having been put in favor of Luo's being on the side of other participants of that period's wars as well.