Zhang Shicheng

Zhang Shicheng (; 1321－1367), born Zhang Jiusi , was one of the leaders of the Red Turban Rebellion in the late Yuan dynasty of China.

Early life Zhang Shicheng 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 , Zhang Shide , and Zhang Shixin . By his generosity he earned the respect of other salt workers who made him their leader when they rebelled against the oppressive government in 1353.

Since the 1340s, the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty began to face numerous crises. The Yellow River flooded constantly, and other natural disasters also occurred. At the same time, the Yuan dynasty required considerable military expenditure to maintain its vast empire. This was solved mostly through additional taxation that fell mainly on the Han Chinese population which constituted the lowest two castes in the four castes of the Yuan dynasty. From this chaos, leaders rose up in many places throughout the empire. Zhang Shicheng, who was a salt shipper from Jiangsu province rebelled against the Yuan dynasty in 1353. Zhang with his brother soon conquered Taizhou, Xinghua and Gaoyou in 1353.

Regional rule In 1354, Zhang declared the establishment of the state of Zhou and declared himself King Cheng (誠王) with the era name "Tianyou" . 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.

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.

Fall and legacy 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. 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. Meanwhile, Zhu incorporated a quarter million of Zhang's troops into his army,