Zhang Chengye

Zhang Chengye (張承業) (846 – November 23, 922), né Kang (康), courtesy name Jiyuan (繼元), was an important eunuch official of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period state Jin (predecessor state to Later Tang). He served in the Tang Dynasty palace late during Tang, and eventually became an important advisor to Jin's princes Li Keyong and Li Cunxu (later Emperor Zhuangzong of Later Tang).

Zhang Chengye was born in 846, the year that Emperor Xuānzong of Tang took the throne. He was originally surnamed Kang, although it was not known whether he then carried the name of Chengye. He was from Tong Prefecture (同州, in modern Weinan, Shaanxi). He was castrated in his childhood, and he became an adoptive son of the eunuch Zhang Tai (張泰); he thus took the name of Zhang.

During the Guangqi era (885-888) of Emperor Xuānzong's grandson Emperor Xizong, Zhang Chengye became the overseer of Heyang Base (郃陽鎮, in modern Weinan), which was controlled by the eunuch-commanded Shence Armies. He was later recalled to the palace to be an attending eunuch. During the reign of Emperor Xizong's brother and successor Emperor Zhaozong, Zhang was frequently sent as an emissary to the major warlord Li Keyong the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi) and became friendly with Li Keyong. During Li Keyong's campaign against Wang Xingyu the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (靜難, headquartered in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi) and Li Maozhen the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi) in 895 after Wang and Li Maozhen had marched on the imperial capital Chang'an and killed the chancellors Li Xi and Wei Zhaodu despite Emperor Zhaozong's protestations, Emperor Zhaozong had Zhang serve as the eunuch monitor of Li Keyong's army. After Li Keyong's victory over Wang later in the year, Zhang was made the director of the imperial winery. Subsequently, in 896, when Li Maozhen marched on Chang'an again and Emperor Zhaozong contemplated fleeing to Hedong, he sent Zhang to Hedong Circuit to serve permanently as eunuch monitor and to request Li Keyong to launch an army to save the imperial government. However, Emperor Zhaozong subsequently chose to flee to Zhenguo Circuit (鎮國, headquartered in modern Weinan), then-ruled by the military governor Han Jian instead. While Emperor Zhaozong was at Zhenguo's capital Hua Prefecture (華州), Zhang received a title as a general of the Left Shence Army.

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