Zhang Xun (Three Kingdoms)
Encyclopedia
Zhang Xun was a military general serving under the warlord Yuan Shu
during the late Han Dynasty
period of Chinese history
.
, Zhang's shop-owning father was able to pay for his education. He studied with several scholars until he joined the local military under Yuan Shu
. He started off as a foot soldier but quickly climbed through the ranks because of the prowess and bravery he showed on the battlefield.
When Yuan Shu declared himself emperor
and put Huainan and Shouchun
under martial law
, he named Zhang to be the Grand General of his armies. Zhang was one of the participants of the assault on provinces around Huai River, and he was later assigned the task of attacking Lü Bu
.
During the campaign against Lü Bu, Zhang was commanding the main army, while Yuan Shu personally led a separate unit to challenge Lu Bu, however, Yuan was mocked and soundly defeated by Lü Bu and the Taishan bandits. After the battle, Zhang Xun was demoted.
After the death of Yuan Shu, his forces began to disintegrate. Zhang and others, including Yang Hong, are believed to have desired to go south and submit to Sun Ce
, a former officer of Yuan Shu whom Zhang had been close friends with. Liu Xun, the prefect of Lujiang, however, desired to maintain an independent force and detained not only Zhang and Yang, but also Yuan Shu's entire orphaned family, including Yuan's son, Yuan Yao
. Sun Ce quickly advanced and defeated Liu without bloodshed, and having lost possession of the Yuan family, Liu fled north to serve Cao Cao
, taking Zhang Xun with him.
Yuan Shu
Yuan Shu was a warlord during the late Han Dynasty era of Chinese history. He rose to prominence following the collapse of the imperial court in 189. He was said to be a younger cousin of the warlord Yuan Shao, but was actually Yuan Shao's younger half-brother...
during the late Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
period of Chinese history
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
.
Biography
Born into a middle class family in HuainanHuainan
Huainan is a prefecture-level city with 2,334,000 inhabitants in central Anhui Province, People’s Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Hefei to the south, Lu’an to the southwest, Fuyang to the west, Bozhou to the northwest, Bengbu to the northeast and Chuzhou to the east.Its...
, Zhang's shop-owning father was able to pay for his education. He studied with several scholars until he joined the local military under Yuan Shu
Yuan Shu
Yuan Shu was a warlord during the late Han Dynasty era of Chinese history. He rose to prominence following the collapse of the imperial court in 189. He was said to be a younger cousin of the warlord Yuan Shao, but was actually Yuan Shao's younger half-brother...
. He started off as a foot soldier but quickly climbed through the ranks because of the prowess and bravery he showed on the battlefield.
When Yuan Shu declared himself emperor
Emperor of China
The Emperor of China refers to any sovereign of Imperial China reigning between the founding of Qin Dynasty of China, united by the King of Qin in 221 BCE, and the fall of Yuan Shikai's Empire of China in 1916. When referred to as the Son of Heaven , a title that predates the Qin unification, the...
and put Huainan and Shouchun
Shou County
Shou County is a county in Anhui Province, People's Republic of China, under the jurisdiction of Lu'an City. It has population is 1,280,000 and its area is 2986 square kilometers...
under martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
, he named Zhang to be the Grand General of his armies. Zhang was one of the participants of the assault on provinces around Huai River, and he was later assigned the task of attacking Lü Bu
Lü Bu
Lü Bu was a military general and later a minor warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. According to the Records of Three Kingdoms, Lü Bu was highly-skilled in horse-riding and archery, and was thus nicknamed "Flying General"...
.
During the campaign against Lü Bu, Zhang was commanding the main army, while Yuan Shu personally led a separate unit to challenge Lu Bu, however, Yuan was mocked and soundly defeated by Lü Bu and the Taishan bandits. After the battle, Zhang Xun was demoted.
After the death of Yuan Shu, his forces began to disintegrate. Zhang and others, including Yang Hong, are believed to have desired to go south and submit to Sun Ce
Sun Ce
Sun Ce was a military general and warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was the oldest of the children of Sun Jian who was killed during the Battle of Xiangyang when Sun Ce was only 16. Sun Ce then broke away from his father's overlord, Yuan Shu, and headed to...
, a former officer of Yuan Shu whom Zhang had been close friends with. Liu Xun, the prefect of Lujiang, however, desired to maintain an independent force and detained not only Zhang and Yang, but also Yuan Shu's entire orphaned family, including Yuan's son, Yuan Yao
Yuan Yao
Yuan Yao was a son of the warlord Yuan Shu during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. After Yuan Shu declared himself emperor, Yuan Yao became the crown prince. Following the death of Yuan Shu, he then relied on Liu Xun. When Sun Ce followed in his attack on Lujiang, he received his...
. Sun Ce quickly advanced and defeated Liu without bloodshed, and having lost possession of the Yuan family, Liu fled north to serve Cao Cao
Cao Cao
Cao Cao was a warlord and the penultimate chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during the dynasty's final years. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become the state of Cao Wei and was posthumously titled...
, taking Zhang Xun with him.