"Northland Gun King" Zhang Xiu
Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a comic strip of Zhan Wancheng
Cao Cao's army was defeated
Dianwei was killed
Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu (the pictures in this article are all data maps)
Longshan is beautiful
Gansu Daily special writer Tao Xinghua Jin Yindou
Zhang Xiu was a native of Zuli County, Wuwei County, Liangzhou (roughly present-day Jingyuan County, Gansu) at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, whose specific date of birth is unknown, and he was the nephew of Zhang Ji, a general of Dong Zhuo's old army at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and belonged to one of the group of heroes of the late Han Dynasty. After Zhang Xiu succeeded his uncle Zhang Ji as commander of the Western Liang Army, he briefly held the city of Wancheng (present-day Nanyang, Henan), during which time great warlords such as Liu Biao, Cao Cao, and Yuan Shao competed to win over Zhang Xiu's forces. Chen Shou of the Western Jin Dynasty specially established the "Biography of Zhang Xiu" in the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", which facilitated a more objective and comprehensive understanding of Zhang Xiu in later generations.
In his early years, Zhang Xiu studied under the martial arts master Tong Yuan, and because he learned the "Hundred Birds and Phoenix Gun" and shocked the world, he was called "The Gun King of the North Land" by later generations. The young Zhang Xiu followed his uncle Zhang Ji to fight in all directions for many years, and made great achievements in battle, which won the trust and support of his uncle Zhang Ji and the generals in the army. After Zhang Ji's death, Zhang Xiu successfully succeeded his uncle to the throne and allied with Liu Biao in Jingzhou. Forced by the power of Cao Cao's army to move south, at the suggestion of the strategist Jia Xu, Zhang Xiu led his army to surrender to Cao Cao. Cao Cao was contented and unselfish, and seized Zhang Xiu's aunt Zou Shi (邹氏), and prepared to completely control the Western Liang Army. When Zhang Xiu learned of this, he was furious and sent troops to raid Cao Ying, Cao Cao's eldest son Cao Ang, nephew Cao Anmin, and the general Dianwei died in the rebellion, and Cao Cao fled in a hurry after being injured. Subsequently, Zhang Xiu led the Western Liang army to unite with Liu Biao again, defending the city of Wancheng and shocking one side. Two years later, on the eve of the Battle of Guandu, under the mediation of the strategist Jia Xu, Cao Cao and Zhang Xiu abandoned their former suspicions, and Zhang Xiu once again submitted to Cao Cao, and made outstanding military achievements in the Battle of Guandu, and was promoted to the rank of general of the Qiang Dynasty. During the period of following Cao Cao in his conquest of Nanpi, Zhang Xiu led an army to defeat Yuan Tan and once again made great contributions and was rewarded by Cao Cao.
In the twelfth year of Jian'an (207), Zhang Xiu died on his way with Cao Cao on his journey to Wuhuan in the north of Liucheng, and was given the title of Marquis of Wuhuan. In the present-day Hongzuizi Village of Wulan Town, Jingyuan County, Gansu Province, there is the ruins of Zhang Xiu's cemetery, and according to the genealogical records of the Zhang clan of Hongzuizi Village, the descendants of Zhang Xiu are widely distributed in present-day Jingyuan County and its surrounding areas, and have been passed down from generation to generation.
The rise of Zhang Xiu's power
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the masses rose up, and the people of Jincheng Commandery (金城郡, west of present-day Lanzhou, Gansu and part of Qinghai) rebelled against the central government, and the Jincheng Commandery attacked Zuli County during this period and killed the governor Liu Jun. Zhang Xiu was holding a public office in Zuli County at the time, vowing to avenge Liu Jun, and then finally found the opportunity to kill Qi Sheng and participate in quelling the Liangzhou Rebellion. Zhang Xiu's move won himself a reputation of great affection and righteousness, and many chivalrous teenagers flocked to him, and Zhang Xiu gradually became a famous hero in Liangzhou.
Zhang Xiu's uncle Zhang Ji was an important general under Dong Zhuo, and Zhang Xiu often accompanied his uncle and won Zhang Ji's appreciation and trust. Zhang Xiu's personal talent is outstanding, brave and good at war, in the process of following his uncle Zhang Ji in the battle, he has made many military achievements, and has also won the wide recognition and support of the generals in the army. In the third year of Chuping (192), Dong Zhuo was killed by the general Lü Bu and others in Chang'an, and the Western Liang army was leaderless and faced the danger of being forcibly disbanded and sanctioned, Zhang Ji was ready to lead his army back to his hometown in Liangzhou, but the strategist Jia Xu advised him to counterattack Chang'an and change from passive to active. Therefore, Zhang Ji, together with Li Dai, Guo Feng, Fan Chou and others, jointly sent troops to attack Chang'an, and after Chang'an was captured, Zhang Ji was appointed as the general of Zhendong for his merits, and was awarded the title of Marquis of Pingyang, and then appointed as a general of the Hussars.
Zhang Xiu followed his uncle Zhang Ji and rose to the rank of general of Jianzhong with military merit and was given the title of Marquis of Xuanwei. In the first year of Jian'an (196), in order to solve the problem of insufficient supply of materials in the army, Zhang Ji led the army from Guanzhong into the Jingzhou territory controlled by Liu Biao, preparing to snatch grain and grass. After Zhang Jizhan's death, Zhang Xiu was ordered to take over his uncle's control of the Western Liang Army and reconcile with Liu of Jingzhou. After Zhang Xiu defected to Liu Biao, he was assigned to guard the area around Wancheng (about present-day Nanyang, Henan) to defend Liu Biao against warlord forces north of Jingzhou. Zhang Xiu provided military support to Liu Biao, and Liu Biao provided Zhang Xiu with territory and material support, and the two sides established a short-term alliance of mutual benefit and win-win results.
Zhang Xiu's rivalry with Cao Cao
In the second year of Jian'an (197), Cao Cao raised an army of 150,000 troops to march south, and the brigade was stationed at Shuishui, with Xiahou Huan as the vanguard, preparing to attack Wancheng in three ways. Cao's army was unstoppable, and Zhang Xiu, who was guarding Wancheng, knew that the number of soldiers and horses was limited and it was difficult to fight with the front, so in order to preserve his own strength, he accepted the advice of the strategist Jia Xu and led the crowd to surrender to Cao Cao. Cao Cao was initially suspicious of Zhang Xiu's sincerity in surrendering, but after many investigations, he finally concluded that Zhang Xiu was sincerely subservient to him, and since then he has relaxed his guard. Cao Cao was overwhelmed by the victory, and after learning of the beauty of Zhang Ji's wife (Zhang Xiu's aunt) Zou Shi, he forcibly accepted her as a concubine. After Zhang Xiu learned that his aunt was occupied, he felt humiliated and extremely angry, but he was intimidated by Cao Cao's power and had to choose to hide for the time being. Cao Cao learned that Zhang Xiu was dissatisfied with his forcible seizure of the Zou clan, and feared that Zhang Xiu would rebel, so he plotted against Zhang Xiu's forces to get rid of Zhang Xiu. However, Hu Che'er was loyal to Zhang Xiu and immediately informed Zhang Xiu of the news. Seeing that the situation was critical, Zhang Xiu preemptively attacked and led the army to raid Cao Cao's tent, and Cao's army was caught off guard, and the camp was in chaos. Cao Cao's eldest son Cao Ang and nephew Cao Anmin were killed by Zhang Xiu's army, and Cao Cao was also slightly wounded and fled in a hurry, and the general Dianwei led a small number of soldiers to the rear of the palace, and finally died in battle. This war was later known as the "Battle of Wancheng", and this fiasco made Cao Cao understand the power of the Western Liang Army led by Zhang Xiu, and from then on he was impressed by Zhang Xiu. After the Battle of Wancheng, Cao Cao was defeated and retreated to the north, and Zhang Xiu and Liu Biao allied themselves again.
In the third year of Jian'an (198), Cao Cao reorganized his armaments and marched south to zhang xiu, and cao's army surrounded the city of Rangcheng, which Zhang Xiu was defending, and Zhang Xiu's army was in danger. At this time, Cao Cao heard that Yuan Shao wanted to launch a surprise attack while Xu Du's defenses were empty, and he was worried that Emperor Xian of Han in Xu Du would be taken hostage by Yuan Shao, so he immediately decided to withdraw his troops from Yongcheng to save Xu Du. Zhang Xiu led his troops all the way to follow the Cao army to constantly harass it, trying his best to delay the speed of the Cao army's march while waiting for Liu Biao to send reinforcements. When Cao's army reached Anzhong (安村, roughly in present-day Dengzhou, Henan), northeast of Yongcheng, Liu Biao's Jingzhou army also arrived, so Zhang Xiujun and Liu Biao's army formed a pinch and encirclement of Cao's army, and the situation of Cao's army was extremely critical. However, Cao Cao used a disguise to break through, and the plan of secretly setting up an ambush was able to "put it to death and live later", and finally the combined forces of Zhang Xiu and Liu Biao were ambushed, thus turning defeat into victory, and the history of this war is called "The Battle of Anzhong". In the "Battle of Anzhong", although the Cao army won, at best it was able to relieve the embarrassment of being surrounded by pinch attacks and grasp the initiative of rapid retreat to the north, and Zhang Xiu and Liu Biao's army was actually not seriously defeated. During the retreat of the Cao army, Zhang Xiu took the advice of the strategist Jia Xu and personally led his troops to continue to pursue the Cao army, once again making Cao Cao suffer a small defeat.
Zhang Xiu's collaboration with Cao Cao
In the fourth year of Jian'an (199), the Battle of Guandu between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao for supremacy in the north was on the verge of breaking out, and both Cao Cao and Yuan Shao valued Zhang Xiu's power and wanted to draw Zhang Xiu's forces to their side. Cao Cao co-opted Zhang Xiu in order to make Zhang Xiu's forces act as a barrier to the south, in order to prevent Liu Biao from joining forces with Yuan Shao in the rear to attack Cao Jun. Yuan Shao co-opted Zhang Xiu in order to get Zhang Xiu to launch an attack on the Cao army in the south, in order to echo the war in the north. Where do we go from here? Zhang Xiu was caught in a dilemma. The strategist Jia Xu suggested that Zhang Xiu reject Yuan Shao and turn to Cao Cao for three reasons: First, Cao Cao blackmailed the Son of Heaven to make the princes grasp the moral orthodox discourse and follow Cao Cao. Secondly, Yuan Shao's superficial power is strong but his strength is small, while Zhang Xiu's influence is limited, and he will certainly not be valued after following Yuan Shao; Cao Cao's superficial power is weak, and Zhang Xiu's surrender will inevitably make Cao Cao extremely happy, and naturally he will be doubly cherished. Third, Cao Cao's ambitions are ambitious, broad-minded, and thirsty for talents, and he will inevitably give up his personal grudges and release his previous suspicions to show his posture to the world. Zhang Xiu eventually took Jia Xu's advice and once again turned to Cao Cao.
Although he decided to surrender to Cao Cao, Zhang Xiu was still worried that Cao Cao would harm him, after all, he had launched a rebellion and killed Cao Cao's eldest son Cao Ang, nephew Cao Anmin, and ai general Dianwei. However, Cao Cao's performance flattered Zhang Xiu, and Cao Cao seemed to have completely forgotten the hatred and humiliation of the previous "Battle of Wancheng" and "Battle of Anzhong", and showed a high degree of enthusiasm and warm welcome for Zhang Xiu's submission. After seeing Zhang Xiu, Cao Cao showed more affinity than before, not only setting up a banquet to entertain Zhang Xiu, discussing the state with Zhang Xiu, and crowning Zhang Xiu as a general of Yang Wu, and also forming a relationship with Zhang Xiu.
In the fifth year of Jian'an (200), the Battle of Guandu, which established Cao Cao's hegemony in the north, broke out, and Zhang Xiu was grateful to Cao Cao, firmly guarding the rear base of Cao Cao's army, making great military achievements, and making great contributions during the campaign, so he was promoted by Cao Cao to the rank of general of the Broken Qiang. The Battle of Guandu was a famous and important battle in Chinese history, which prompted Cao Cao to complete the unification of the north and Cao Cao to become a veritable hegemon of the north. Of course, we cannot exaggerate Zhang Xiu's role in the Battle of Guandu, but Zhang Xiu's refusal to win Yuan Shao's solicitation before the war and his choice to surrender to Cao Cao undoubtedly had a certain degree of influence on the progress and final outcome of the battle, and his role and contribution in the Battle of Guandu should not be underestimated.
In the tenth year of Jian'an (205), Zhang Xiu followed Cao Cao to attack Yuan Tan's army in Nanpi, and was rewarded by Cao Cao with 2,000 households for his merits. Since the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, on the one hand, warlords and warlords have caused heavy casualties among soldiers and civilians, and on the other hand, social chaos has led to the displacement of a large number of people, so the number of household registration population directly controlled by the government has declined rapidly. In this social situation, there were only a few generals in Cao Cao's camp who had received more than a thousand households for their merits, but Zhang Xiu made an exception and was given two thousand households, which was a rare and valuable treatment at that time, which showed Cao Cao's appreciation and high recognition of Zhang Xiu's personal ability and contributions.
In the twelfth year of Jian'an (207), Zhang Xiu followed Cao Cao to Liucheng to conquer Wuhuan, but unfortunately died on the way. After Zhang Xiu's death, he was made the Marquis of Ding, and his son Zhang Quan succeeded to the throne. The history books do not know the specific cause of Zhang Xiu's death, the usual theory is that Zhang Xiu suddenly fell ill and died on the way to follow Cao Cao to Wuhuan; another theory is that Cao Pi always held a grudge against Zhang Xiu because of the death of his eldest brother Cao Ang, and during a banquet, Cao Pi humiliated Zhang Xiu in public through wine, and Zhang Xiu committed suicide because he could not withstand the mental pressure. Zhang Xiu was forced to commit suicide by Cao Pi is only a statement, and there is no conclusive evidence at present. However, in the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an (219), Zhang Xiu's son Zhang Quan was killed by Cao Pi by Cao Pi because he was involved in the Wei Irony Conspiracy, but it is well documented, which cannot rule out the possibility of Cao Pi's personal vendetta. Even so, Zhang Xiu had a period of intimate cooperation with Cao Cao in his later years, which is also an undeniable historical fact.
The independence and dependence of Zhang Xiu's forces
Zhang Xiu's power was undoubtedly a relatively strong warlord force during the Three Kingdoms period of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and it was also one of the longest-standing local warlord forces. Liu Biao, Cao Cao, Yuan Shao and other great warlords all valued Zhang Xiu's power, and all wanted to increase their own strength and tried their best to win him over. Liu Biao and Zhang Xiu were divided into two, Cao Cao and Zhang Xiu were divided into two, and even fierce wars and conflicts broke out between each other, but Liu Biao and Cao Cao could release their previous suspicions, re-accept Zhang Xiu and treat him with kindness, which showed that Zhang Xiu's personal ability was outstanding and the strength of the forces he controlled. Yuan Shao, as a major warlord in Hebei, had a large number of soldiers and strong forces, and still tried his best to win Zhang Xiu over, although there was no substantial cooperative relationship between Yuan and Zhang, but it can also be seen from the independence and importance of Zhang Xiu's forces.
On the eve of the outbreak of the Battle of Guandu, which laid the unified pattern of the north, Zhang Xiu adopted the advice of the counselor Jia Xu and finally submitted to Cao Cao, which proved to be a very wise choice made by Zhang Xiu. Cao Cao and Zhang Xiu once had a feud against each other, but Cao Cao did not care about his previous suspicions, respected Zhang Xiu, who had submitted to him, and entrusted him with a heavy responsibility. Zhang Xiu was also doubly grateful to Cao Cao, and in order to eliminate Cao Cao's hatred and gain Cao Cao's complete trust, he was bound to do his best and was willing to serve Cao Cao. On the eve of the Battle of Guandu, Yuan Shao wanted to win over Zhang Xiu's forces that occupied the Nanyang region for his own use, and then sent Liu Bei deep into the Nanyang region to unite with Zhang Xiu to contain Cao Cao's forces in the south, thus plunging the Cao army into an embarrassing situation of fighting on both the north and the south. However, Zhang Xiu finally chose to submit to Cao Cao, which was undoubtedly a charcoal in the snow for Cao Cao, on the one hand, it eliminated Cao Cao's worries, on the other hand, it injected a fresh force into Cao Cao's forces, which greatly promoted the formation of Cao Cao's final victory pattern in the Battle of Guandu. From this point of view, Zhang Xiu's forces had a certain degree of independence before the Battle of Guandu, and for Cao Jun, Zhang Xiu's forces played an important role in the process of the Battle of Guandu.
Although Zhang Xiu's forces played an important role in the warlord division and chaos pattern during the Three Kingdoms period of the Eastern Han Dynasty, they were a powerful force that major warlords competed for and won over, and they themselves had a certain degree of independence. However, there is no doubt that Zhang Xiu's forces have never been able to become an independent warlord faction on one side of the divide, and always have to rely on a more powerful warlord force to obtain material support and foothold. Zhang Xiu changed his master several times in his life, first following his uncle Zhang Ji to fight Liu Biao, after losing the battle, he defected to Liu Biao, and soon turned his back on Liu Biao to join Cao Cao, and then launched a rebellion to defect to Liu Biao again, and a year later chose to submit to Cao Cao. In just four years from the first year of Jian'an (196) to the fourth year of Jian'an (199), Zhang Xiu changed hands four times. Zhang Xiu's biggest advantage was that he inherited a Western Liang army from his uncle Zhang Ji, who could fight a good war, and the biggest shortcoming was that he did not have a royal orthodox power background, nor did he have a prominent family background of the Three Dukes and Nine Qings, so that he could never have a territory that really belonged to him. In order to maintain the survival and development of this force from liangzhou's hometown under his control, Zhang Xiu could only rely on his own wisdom and courage to maneuver between the major warlord forces. On the surface, Zhang Xiu seems to have no ambitions and is willing to live a life under the fence, but in fact, this precisely reflects That Zhang Xiu has talents beyond ordinary people. Although Zhang Xiushu changed hands, he also changed four times between the first year of Jian'an (196) and the fourth year of Jian'an (199), which seemed to be wavering, but in fact he was considering the overall situation, judging the situation, weighing the pros and cons, and waiting for the opportunity. On the eve of the outbreak of the Battle of Guandu, Zhang Xiu seized the historical opportunity and eventually submitted to Cao Cao, and since then he has closely followed Cao Cao, with outstanding merits, prominent surnames and fame, and further developed and expanded his own strength.