Zhang Ye

Zhang Ye (張業) (died 24 August 948 ), né Zhang Zhiye (張知業), was a general and official of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period states Later Tang and Later Shu, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Later Shu's second emperor Meng Chang.

During Later Tang It is not known when Zhang Ye was born. But he was said to be from Junyi (浚儀, in modern Kaifeng, Henan). His early career was not well-documented in history, but it is known that he was an officer in the Later Tang army that conquered Former Shu in 925. When in 926 after the conquest, the Later Tang commander of that invasion army, Li Jiji the Prince of Wei (the son of then-Later Tang emperor Li Cunxu) was prepared to depart Chengdu (the capital of the destroyed Former Shu state) and return to Later Tang's capital Luoyang, he left a detachment, commanded by the officers Li Renhan, Pan Rensi , Zhao Tingyin, Zhang Ye, Wu Zhang and Li Tinghou , at Chengdu to await the arrival of the new Later Tang-commissioned military governor of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered at Chengdu), Meng Zhixiang, to arrive. (Apparently, then, when Meng subsequently arrived to take office, Li and those other officers came under his command.) Zhang Ye was subsequently involved in suppressing the remaining popular uprisings against Meng in the region, and was commissioned the prefect of Jian Prefecture (簡州, in modern Ziyang, Sichuan).

In the fall of 930, Meng and Dong formally rose against the imperial government. Meng sent Li to command the army against the imperially-held Wuxin Circuit (武信, headquartered in modern Suining, Sichuan), with Zhao Tingyin serving as his deputy and Zhang serving as his forward commander. Li shortly after put Wuxin's capital Sui Prefecture under siege, with the imperial general Xia Luqi the military governor of Wuxin defending. In spring 931, Sui Prefecture fell to Li; Xia committed suicide. He made Zhang Ye one of the commanders of his imperial guards, but still carrying the title of military governor of Ningjiang.

Zhang's military governorship was apparently later moved from Ningjiang to Wuxin Circuit, for he was referred to by that title (in addition to his chancellor title) in 938. At that time, he was given the additional titles of Zuo Pushe (左僕射, one of the heads of the executive bureau of government (尚書省, Shangshu Sheng) and Zhongshu Shilang (中書侍郎, deputy head of the legislative bureau , while his Wuxin governorship was given to fellow chancellor Wang Chuhui. He was later given the honorary title of Sikong (司空, one of the Three Excellencies).

By 948, Zhang, who had long been chancellor, was by reputation known as arrogant and wasteful, and he had seized many people's properties, drawing resentment. He was also protecting fugitives and putting people who owed him money in jail. His son Zhang Jizhao was a swordsman and had gone with the Buddhist monk Guixin to recruit capable swordsmen to serve under him as well, drawing greater suspicion. Sun Hanshao, who was then an imperial guard commander and who had previous conflicts with Zhang Ye, thus submitted an accusation to Meng that Zhang Ye and Zhang Jizhao were plotting treason. The imperial scholar Li Hao and the officer An Siqian concurred in these accusations. Meng thus put Zhang Ye and Zhang Jizhao to death. Meng then issued an edict publicizing Zhang Ye's crimes and confiscating his assets.

Notes and references

Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms, vol. 51. Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 274, 277, 279, 281, 282, 288.