Zhang Jingda facts for kids
Zhang Jingda (張敬達; died December 25, 936) was a brave military general and politician during a time in Chinese history called the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. He served the Later Tang state. His nickname was Shengtie, which means "raw iron," showing how tough he was!
Towards the end of the Later Tang, a general named Shi Jingtang started a rebellion against the emperor, Li Congke. Zhang Jingda led the Later Tang army to fight against Shi. However, Shi Jingtang teamed up with Emperor Taizong of Liao from the Khitan Empire, and together they defeated Zhang Jingda's army. Sadly, Zhang's second-in-command, Yang Guangyuan, then killed him and surrendered. This event led to the end of the Later Tang state.
Early Life and Military Start
We don't know exactly when Zhang Jingda was born, but his family came from a place called Dai Prefecture, which is in modern-day Xinzhou, Shanxi. His father, Zhang Shen, was a very fierce warrior. Zhang Shen served as an officer under a powerful leader named Li Keyong, who was known as the Prince of Jin.
After Li Keyong passed away, his son, Li Cunxu, took over. Zhang Shen continued to serve under Li Cunxu. In 923, Li Cunxu declared himself the emperor of a new state called Later Tang. Soon after, Zhang Shen died while serving in the army, possibly in battle.
By this time, Zhang Jingda was already famous for his amazing skills in riding horses and archery. Emperor Li Cunxu heard about his talents and called him to the capital. He gave Zhang Jingda his father's old position in the army. After the Later Tang successfully defeated their rival, Later Liang, Zhang Jingda was given an important honorary title.
Serving Under Emperor Li Siyuan
In 926, Emperor Li Cunxu was killed during a rebellion in the capital city of Luoyang. His adopted brother, Li Siyuan, then became the new emperor. Zhang Jingda continued to serve faithfully in the imperial army.
During Li Siyuan's reign, Zhang Jingda rose through the ranks. He became the commander of both cavalry (horseback soldiers) and infantry (foot soldiers) in the Hedong region. He also received several honorary titles, showing his growing importance.
In 932, he was made the military governor of Zhangguo Circuit. A year later, in 933, he became the military governor of Datong Circuit. At that time, soldiers from the Khitan Empire often tried to bring their herds into Later Tang lands to graze. Zhang Jingda made sure there were enough soldiers guarding the border. Because of his strong defenses, the Khitan forces did not dare to enter Datong territory. People living in the border areas felt safe and relied on him for protection.
The Final Battle and Legacy
By 935, Li Congke, who was Li Siyuan's adopted son, had become the emperor. That year, an event happened that made Emperor Li Congke suspicious. His brother-in-law, Shi Jingtang, was a military governor and commander of the northern armies. While leading his troops, some soldiers cheered him with a phrase usually reserved only for the emperor: "May you live 10,000 years!" Even though Shi Jingtang punished the soldiers, Emperor Li Congke became very worried about Shi's loyalty.
To keep an eye on Shi Jingtang, Emperor Li Congke appointed Zhang Jingda as the deputy commander of the northern armies. Zhang was stationed at Dai Prefecture, with the goal of dividing Shi's military power.
In the spring of 936, Shi Jingtang asked to be moved to a different command. He wanted to see how Emperor Li Congke would react. Believing Shi would rebel anyway, Li Congke ordered Shi to move and told Zhang Jingda to "escort" him, which was a way to pressure him. Shi Jingtang then rebelled, claiming Li Congke wasn't the rightful emperor.
Emperor Li Congke immediately put Zhang Jingda in charge of a large army to attack Shi Jingtang's base at Hedong. Yang Guangyuan served as Zhang's deputy. Zhang quickly surrounded Taiyuan, Shi's capital, and began a long siege.
Shi Jingtang had already secured a promise of help from Emperor Taizong of Liao of the Khitan Empire. When Emperor Li Congke heard this, he ordered Zhang to attack Taiyuan even harder. Zhang did, but bad weather made it difficult to complete his siege equipment. Although the people inside Taiyuan were running out of food, the city did not fall.
In the fall of 936, Emperor Taizong arrived with the Khitan army. They quickly attacked Zhang Jingda's Later Tang forces. The Khitan soldiers pretended to be weak and retreated, leading Zhang's army into a trap. The Khitan then charged, cutting the Later Tang army in half. Many soldiers were killed. Zhang Jingda managed to retreat with the remaining half of his army to Jin'an Base, near Taiyuan. The Khitan and Shi Jingtang's armies then surrounded them.
Zhang's army was trapped for several months. His generals, Gao Xingzhou and Fu Yanqing, tried many times to break through the enemy lines, but they failed. Their food supplies ran out, and the situation became desperate. However, Zhang Jingda refused to surrender. He believed that other Later Tang generals would eventually come to rescue them.
When Yang Guangyuan and another general, An Shenqi, urged him to surrender, Zhang Jingda said:
I have received great kindness from both Emperor Mingzong (Li Siyuan) and the current emperor. Being the main commander and suffering this defeat is already a big mistake. How can I surrender to the enemy? Help will arrive soon, and we should wait for them. If we truly run out of options, then other generals can cut off my head and surrender; it would not be too late then.
Yang Guangyuan then tried to convince An Shenqi to help him kill Zhang, but An couldn't bring himself to do it. Gao Xingzhou realized that Yang was planning to kill Zhang and tried to stay close to protect him. But Zhang Jingda became suspicious of Gao's closeness, so Gao had to keep his distance.
One morning, when the generals were meeting, Yang Guangyuan arrived before the others. He then killed Zhang Jingda. Yang cut off Zhang's head and surrendered the army to Emperor Taizong. Emperor Taizong had always respected Zhang Jingda for his good reputation and loyalty. He ordered Zhang to be buried with honor.
