Zhang Liang (Tang Dynasty)
| Zhang Liang | |
|---|---|
| Chancellor of the Tang dynasty | |
| Born | (unknown) |
| Died | April 17, 646 |
| Names | |
| Traditional Chinese | 張亮 |
| Simplified Chinese | 张亮 |
| Pinyin | Zhāng Liàng |
| Wade–Giles | Chang Liang |
Zhang Liang (died April 17, 646) was a Chinese general and official who served as a chancellor late in the reign of Emperor Taizong in the Tang dynasty. He was eventually accused of using witchcraft – a major taboo in imperial China – and executed in 646.
It is not known when Zhang Liang was born. He was from Zheng Prefecture (鄭州, roughly modern Zhengzhou, Henan), and it was said that his family was not of a noble lineage. Early in his life, Zhang was a farmer, but was said to have great expectations. He was also said to be appearing to be honest and meek outwardly, but instead was treacherous inside. At the end of the Sui dynasty, the rebel ruler Li Mi conquered Zhang's home region, and Zhang followed him. Initially, he was not regarded highly by Li Mi, but after he revealed a treasonous plot to Li Mi, Li Mi believed him to be faithful, and so made him a general and had him serve under the general Xu Shiji.
In 618, Li Mi was defeated by the Sui general Wang Shichong, and he fled to Tang territory and surrendered to the Tang Empire. The parts of the territory formerly under Li Mi's control was still under Xu's control, and Xu, because Li Mi had already submitted to Tang, decided to submit to Tang as well — a decision that Zhang supported.
After the submission of Xu Shiji (who later would be bestowed the imperial clan name of Li and be known as Li Shiji) to Tang, Zhang Liang was made the governor of Zheng Prefecture. However, around the same time, Wang Shichong captured Zheng Prefecture, and Zhang had nowhere to go, and instead took up guerilla warfare in the region. Later, based on recommendations by Li Shiji and Fang Xuanling, the Tang prince Li Shimin (the second son of Emperor Gaozu) invited Zhang to serve on his staff, and Zhang eventually became a trusted advisor.
By 626, Li Shimin was locked in an intense rivalry with his elder brother, Li Jiancheng (the Crown Prince), and he considered actions to take. As Li Shimin contemplated the possibility that he might eventually need to seize Luoyang to serve as a basis of operations against Li Jiancheng, he sent Zhang to Luoyang, with several thousand men, to secretly plan for that possibility, and to distribute wealth to get people to join Li Shimin's cause. However, this was discovered by Li Shimin's younger brother, Li Yuanji (the Prince of Qi), who supported Li Jiancheng, and Li Yuanji accused Zhang of treason. Zhang was briefly put under arrest, but under interrogation refused to reveal Li Shimin's instructions to him, and with insufficient evidence against himself, he was released and allowed to return to Luoyang. Later that year, after Li Shimin ambushed Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji at Xuanwu Gate and killed them, he effectively forced Emperor Gaozu to create him crown prince and then yield the throne to him (as Emperor Taizong).
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