Name Zhang Yuxian | ||
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Zhang Yuxian (張遇賢) (died 943?), with the self-claimed title of "King of the Eight Kingdoms of Middle Heaven" (中天八國王), was an agrarian/religious rebel leader of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, who first rose against Southern Han and whose forces eventually battled and were defeated by the armies of Southern Han's northern neighbor Southern Tang. After his defeat, his general Li Tai (李台) arrested him and delivered him to the Southern Tang army to be executed.
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Rebellion against Southern Han
Little is known about Zhang Yuxian's background. What is known that he served as a minor official at the county government of Boluo County (博羅, in modern Huizhou, Guangdong) when, in an incident not well-explained in the written history, a god was said to have descended to the household at Keshan Township (刻杉鎮) in Boluo County, and the god, which was not visible to humans but was speaking out loud, was making many prophecies about the future. Zhang went to pray to the god and he remained there, serving the god fervently.
As of 942, Southern Han was ruled by the emperor Liu Bin. There were many groups of bandits in Xun Prefecture (循州, in modern Huizhou). The bandits, who were disorganized but wanted greater organization, went to pray to the god. The god responded, "Zhang Yuxian should be your lord." The bandit leaders thereafter supported Zhang to lead the overall movement, and he took the title of "King of the Eight Kingdoms of Middle Heaven" and established a government. His army attacked the coastal region and took much of the territory. However, it was said that he himself was young and lacked strategies. He took reports from the generals but had little direction for them.
Liu Bin reacted by sending his brothers Liu Hongchang the Prince of Yue and Liu Honggao the Prince of Xun to command an army against Zhang. However, Zhang's army defeated them and surrounded them. Only through the efforts of the officer Chen Daoxiang (陳道庠) were the two princes able to escape. Most of Southern Han's eastern prefectures fell to Zhang, including Xun. However, in summer 943, the Han general Wan Jingxin (萬景忻) defeated Zhang's army at Xun.
Campaign against Southern Tang
After the defeat by Wan Jingxin, Zhang Yuxian prayed to the god to ask what to do next. The god replied, "Capture Qian Prefecture [(虔州, in modern Ganzhou, Jiangxi, then ruled by Southern Tang)], and you will accomplish great things. Zhang thereafter led his followers over the Nan Mountains and headed for Qian. Southern Tang's military governor of Baisheng Circuit (百勝, headquartered at Qian), Jia Kuanghao (賈匡浩), did not anticipate this happening and was not prepared. Zhang, whose followers were said to be over 100,000 by this point, captured many counties of Qian Prefecture and defeated its army, such that Jia was forced to close its gates to defend it. Zhang set up his headquarters at Baiyun Cave (白雲洞, in modern Ganzhou) and built a palace and government buildings; from there, he sent his army out to raid the surroundings.
The Southern Tang emperor Li Jing sent the officer Yan En (嚴恩) to lead an army against Zhang, with the official Bian Hao serving as Yan's army monitor. Bian, under the advice of his strategist Bai Changyu (白昌裕), was successful against Zhang. Zhang again prayed to the god, but the god no longer answered, causing much panic among his followers. Under Bai's advice, Bian opened up a road through the forest and attacked Zhang from the rear. Zhang abandoned his army and fled to his general Li Tai. Li, realizing that the god was no longer speaking to Zhang, instead arrested Zhang and surrendered him to the Southern Tang army. Zhang was taken to Southern Tang's capital Jinling and executed there.