Zhang Jing (Ming dynasty) facts for kids

Zhang Jing (died November 12, 1555) was an important Chinese official during the Ming dynasty. For a long time, he was known as Cai Jing. He worked his way up in the government, becoming a powerful leader called a 'supreme commander' in charge of many provinces. He helped stop rebellions by the Yao people and defended China from pirates called wokou. At his most powerful, he was in charge of the military in six different provinces, which was more than anyone else before him in the Ming dynasty. Even after winning a big battle against the pirates in 1555, he quickly lost his position. He upset powerful people like Yan Song and Zhao Wenhua, and was executed by the Jiajing Emperor later that same year.

Early Life and Career

Zhang Jing was born in Houguan county (which is now Fuzhou) in Fujian province. People said he was a very tall man. He took special government tests called the imperial examinations and passed with a high degree called jinshi in 1517. For almost 20 years, he used the name Cai Jing.

His first job in the government was as a leader in the city of Jiaxing in Zhejiang province, from 1521 to 1525. After that, he moved to the capital city of Beijing. There, the Jiajing Emperor liked his work. Zhang Jing quickly moved up in his career. He became a vice minister in charge of imperial horses, then a vice minister in charge of legal reviews. Later, he became a high-ranking inspector and then the main leader of Shandong province. After two years in Shandong, he was promoted in 1537 to be the 'supreme commander' of Guangdong and Guangxi provinces. This was a very important military role.

Leading in the Southwest

As the supreme commander of the southern provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi, Zhang Jing was responsible for dealing with conflicts on China's southwestern borders.

Stopping the Rattan Gorge Rebellion

In Guangxi, there had been problems for a long time with bandits and the native Yao people in a place called the Rattan Gorge. This area had many hidden ravines where thousands of people lived, and they would often raid nearby areas. Zhang Jing decided to stop these troubles. In 1539, he sent 51,000 soldiers to clear out the Yao people and bandits from the gorge. During this operation, his forces captured or defeated many people, and about 3,000 men and women surrendered. This action helped the Ming dynasty gain more control over the Rattan Gorge area. It also showed China's military strength to neighboring Vietnam.

Dealing with Vietnam

At this time, Vietnam was having its own problems. The Lê dynasty, which was allied with the Ming, was overthrown in 1527 by a new ruler named Mạc Đăng Dung. The Ming court in Beijing wanted to send an army to Vietnam to punish Mạc Đăng Dung and put the Lê family back in power.

Zhang Jing knew a lot about the situation on the ground. He wrote to the emperor, saying that his region did not have enough soldiers or supplies to support such a big war. The Jiajing Emperor listened to him and put off the invasion. However, the emperor brought up the idea again the next year.

Even though Zhang Jing didn't agree with the war, he had to follow orders. He tried to find a peaceful solution with Mạc Đăng Dung, while still making it look like a victory for the Ming. He advised the main commander of the Ming forces, Mao Bowen, to gather troops at the border but not to start a fight. Just having the Chinese army at the border was enough to make Mạc Đăng Dung agree to surrender. Zhang Jing worked with Mạc Đăng Dung to make sure his surrender letter was acceptable to the Ming court. In 1540, Mạc Đăng Dung officially surrendered to the Ming at a ceremony. The Ming then allowed him to rule northern Vietnam. This way, a major war was avoided.

After these successes, Zhang Jing continued to bring peace to other areas, including western Guangxi and Hainan Island. For his hard work, he was given the high rank of Minister of War. In 1544, he left his job to mourn the death of his father, which was a tradition in China.

Fighting the Wokou Pirates

Zhang Jing returned to government work in 1546, using his original family name, Zhang. He was appointed as supreme commander of Shaanxi province. However, this appointment was canceled because he was accused of mismanaging military money when he was in Guangdong.

In 1551, Zhang Jing was asked to become the Minister of Revenue in Nanjing, which was the secondary capital city. But he couldn't take the job because his mother passed away. After his period of mourning ended in 1553, he served as the Nanjing Minister of Revenue for two months. Then, he was transferred to become the Nanjing Minister of War.

Unlike other minister roles in Nanjing, the Nanjing Minister of War could lead soldiers and was expected to help defend the southern provinces. At this time, the eastern coast of China was being attacked by pirates known as the "wokou". Zhang Jing's new job was part of the Ming court's plan to fight these attacks.

A new 'supreme commander' position was created for the first time in this area. This new leader would oversee an amazing six coastal provinces: Shandong, the Southern Metropolitan Region, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi. Zhang Jing was given this powerful position on June 17, 1554. To focus on his military command, Zhang Jing asked to be relieved of his other duties, and his request was granted on November 8.

The Battle of Wangjiangjing

Zhang Jing planned to get rid of the pirates from their main base in Zhelin, southeast of Shanghai. He called for more soldiers from Shandong, Guangxi, and Huguang. Six thousand soldiers from Shandong arrived first, but they were badly defeated. Zhang Jing decided to wait for 11,000 more soldiers to arrive before attacking.

However, some people criticized Zhang Jing for being too slow. His critics also said he was arrogant and lived a very fancy lifestyle. They claimed he was not good at dealing with others, especially those who worked for him. He would even punish officers for small things, like giving him an angry look. Once, he even whipped a local official for criticizing him, which was unheard of at the time.

Zhang Jing also refused to work with Zhao Wenhua, an official sent by the emperor to check on his actions. Zhang Jing thought he was too important to listen to Zhao. But Zhao Wenhua was very influential because he was a close friend of Yan Song, a powerful official who controlled the imperial court. Zhao Wenhua had urged Zhang Jing to attack the pirates, but Zhang Jing refused to even discuss his plans. So, Zhao wrote a letter to the emperor, accusing Zhang Jing of purposely delaying the attack for his own benefit.

Zhang Jing's plan was to cut off supplies to the pirates at their base in Zhelin, forcing them to leave. When the pirates were forced out, Ming forces attacked them in the Battle of Wangjiangjing, north of Jiaxing, on May 10, 1555. Zhang Jing and his generals, Lu Tang and Yu Dayou, used the newly arrived soldiers to fight the pirates. They won a huge victory, defeating 1,900 pirates. This was the biggest Ming victory against the wokou pirates so far.

Despite this great win, Zhao Wenhua's accusations against Zhang Jing reached Beijing. Zhao's friend, Yan Song, convinced the emperor that Zhang Jing's victory proved he could have defeated the pirates earlier, and only attacked when he heard about Zhao's complaint. The emperor was furious and ordered Zhang Jing's arrest on June 5.

His Final Days

Yan Song's accusations against Zhang Jing were supported by other powerful officials, Xu Jie and Lü Ben. They were from the areas affected by pirates and knew the situation well. When Zhang Jing was brought to Beijing for investigation, he tried to bribe these officials with a lot of money, but none of them accepted it.

The Jiajing Emperor wanted to make an example of Zhang Jing for his supposed inaction. Despite Zhang Jing's pleas, the emperor sentenced him to death. He was executed on November 12, 1555, along with Yang Jisheng, who was known for criticizing Yan Song. Zhang Jing's position as supreme commander was seen as too powerful, so his successor's command was limited to only three provinces instead of six.

Later, many people felt sad about Zhang Jing's unfair end. He was executed even after winning a major battle. Many historians blamed his death on Yan Song and Zhao Wenhua, who became disliked figures in Chinese history. On July 5, 1600, the charges against Zhang Jing were cleared. His official titles were given back, and he was given a special honor name, Xiangmin.