Zhang Yi (died 3 March 264),

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theo ...

Bogong, was a military general of the state of

Shu Han Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu (; pinyin: ''shŭ'' <

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...

period of China. Born in the late

Eastern Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

, Zhang Yi was a 10th-generation descendant of

Zhang Liang Zhang Liang is the romanization of common names like 張良, 張亮 and 張梁. 張良 * Zhang Liang (Western Han) (died 189 BC), early Han dynasty strategist ** Zhang Liang, an animation character from the animated TV series ''The Legend of Qin'' ...

. He started his career as a scribe under the warlord

Liu Bei Liu Bei (, ; ; 161 – 10 June 223), courtesy name Xuande (), was a warlord in the late Eastern Han dynasty who founded the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period and became its first ruler. Although he was a distant relative of the ...

, who founded Shu later, and gradually rose to the positions of a

county prefect A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

and

commandery In the Middle Ages, a commandery (rarely commandry) was the smallest administrative division of the European landed properties of a military order. It was also the name of the house where the knights of the commandery lived.Anthony Luttrell and ...

administrator. In the early 230s, he served as an area commander tasked with maintaining the peace in Shu's southern commanderies. In 234, he led the Shu vanguard during the

Battle of Wuzhang Plains The Battle of Wuzhang Plains was fought between the contending states of Cao Wei and Shu Han in 234 AD during the Three Kingdoms period of China. The battle was the fifth and last of a series of Northern Expeditions led by Shu's chancellor, ...

against Shu's rival state

Wei Wei or WEI may refer to: States * Wey (state) (衛, 1040–209 BC), Wei in pinyin, but spelled Wey to distinguish from the bigger Wei of the Warring States * Wei (state) (魏, 403–225 BC), one of the seven major states of the Warring States per ...

. From 238 to 259, Zhang Yi steadily rose through the ranks to become one of Shu's top generals. During this time, although he strongly opposed the Shu general

Jiang Wei Jiang Wei (202 – 3 March 264), courtesy name Boyue, was a military general of the state of Shu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born in Ji County (present-day Gangu County, Gansu), Jiang Wei started his career as a military officer ...

's aggressive stance towards Wei, he still accompanied Jiang Wei on his military campaigns against Wei. In 263, he surrendered to Wei forces along with the Shu emperor

Liu Shan Liu Shan () (207–271), courtesy name Gongsi, was the second and last emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. As he ascended the throne at the age of 16, Liu Shan was entrusted to the care of the Chancellor Zhuge ...

when Wei launched a large-scale invasion of Shu. In the following year, Zhang Yi was killed by mutineers during a rebellion by the Wei general

Zhong Hui Zhong Hui (225 – 3 March 264), courtesy name Shiji, was a Chinese calligrapher, essayist, military general, and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the younger son of Zhang Changpu with Zhong Y ...

. Like Liao Hua and

Zong Yu Zong Yu (late 180s - 264), courtesy name Deyan, was a military general and diplomat of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Like Liao Hua and Zhang Yi, Zong was one of few officials who served the Shu-Han state throug ...

, Zhang was one of few officials who served the Shu-Han state throughout its entire existence.

Family background

Zhang Yi was born sometime in the late

in Wuyang County (武陽縣), Jianwei Commandery (犍為郡), which is present-day

Pengshan District Pengshan District () is a district of the city of Meishan, Sichuan Province, China. Climate References Districts of Sichuan Meishan {{Sichuan-geo-stub ...

, Meishan,

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of t ...

. He was a 10th-generation descendant of

, a strategist and statesman who served under Liu Bang (Emperor Gao), the founding emperor of the Han dynasty. His great-great-grandfather Zhang Hao (張晧) and great-grandfather Zhang Gang (張綱) served as the Minister of Works and Administrator of

Guangling Commandery Guangling Commandery ( zh, 廣陵郡) was a historical commandery of China from Han dynasty to Tang dynasty, located in present-day central Jiangsu province in central coastal China. It was named after Guangling, a historical name of Yangzhou. In e ...

respectively during the reign of

Emperor Shun Emperor Shun () was a legendary leader of ancient China, regarded by some sources as one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors being the last of the Five Emperors. Tradition holds that he lived sometime between 2294 and 2184 BC. Tradition a ...

of the Eastern Han dynasty.

Early career

In 214, after the warlord

seized control of

Yi Province Yizhou (益州), Yi Province or Yi Prefecture, was a '' zhou'' (province) of ancient China. Its capital city was Chengdu.de Crespigny, p. 256. During the Han dynasty, it included the commanderies Hanzhong, Ba, Guanghan, Shu, Wenshan, Jianwei, ...

(covering present-day

and

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a municipality in Southwest China. The official abbreviation of the city, "" (), was approved by the State Co ...

) from Liu Zhang and became the new provincial Governor, he employed Zhang Yi to serve as a scribe (書佐) in his office. Towards the end of the Jian'an era (196–220) of the

, Zhang Yi was nominated as a ''

xiaolian Xiaolian (; literally "filial and incorrupt"), was the standard of nominating civil officers started by Emperor Wu of Han in 134 BC. It lasted until its replacement by the imperial examination system during the Sui Dynasty. In Confucian philosophy ...

'' (civil service candidate) and subsequently appointed as the Chief of Jiangyang County (江陽縣; present-day

Luzhou Luzhou (; Sichuanese Pinyin: Nu2zou1; Luzhou dialect: ), formerly transliterated as Lu-chou or Luchow, is a prefecture-level city located in the southeast of Sichuan Province, China. The city, named Jiangyang until the Southern and Northern Dyna ...

, Sichuan). He was later reassigned to be the Prefect of Fuling County (涪陵縣; present-day Pengshui County, Chongqing), and subsequently promoted to the rank of

administrator. He consecutively served as the Administrator of Zitong (梓潼; around present-day

Zitong County Zitong County () is a county in the northeast of Sichuan Province, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Mianyang. It has an area of , and a population of in 2002. Its seat is from Chengdu Chengdu (, ; ...

, Sichuan), Guanghan (廣漢; around present-day Guanghan, Sichuan) and Shu (蜀; around present-day

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), alternatively romanized as Chengtu, is a sub-provincial city which serves as the capital of the Chinese provin ...

, Sichuan) commanderies. Zhang Yi served as a subordinate of

Zhao Yun Zhao Yun ( ) (died 229), courtesy name Zilong (), was a military general who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period of China. Originally a subordinate of the northern warlord Gongsun Zan, Zhao Yun later came ...

during the

Hanzhong Campaign The Hanzhong Campaign was a military campaign launched by the warlord Liu Bei to seize control of Hanzhong Commandery from his rival, Cao Cao. The campaign took place between 217 and 219 during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms period. Althou ...

where they scored a major victory against

Cao Cao Cao Cao () (; 155 – 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde (), was a Chinese statesman, warlord and poet. He was the penultimate grand chancellor of the Eastern Han dynasty, and he amassed immense power in the dynasty's final years. As one o ...

's forces at the

Battle of Han River The Battle of Han River was fought between the warlords Liu Bei and Cao Cao in 219 during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. The battle was the last major engagement in the Hanzhong Campaign, in which Liu Bei emerg ...

with many of the enemy soldiers being killed during their retreat.

As an area commander

In 231, the Shu government commissioned Zhang Yi as General of the Household Who Pacifies the South (綏南中郎將) and appointed him as the Area Commander of Laixiang to replace Li Hui, who went to serve in

Zhuge Liang Zhuge Liang ( zh, t=諸葛亮 / 诸葛亮) (181 – September 234), courtesy name Kongming, was a Chinese statesman and military strategist. He was chancellor and later regent of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. He is ...

's Northern Campaign in

Hanzhong Hanzhong (; abbreviation: Han) is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Shaanxi province, China, bordering the provinces of Sichuan to the south and Gansu to the west. The founder of the Han dynasty, Liu Bang, was once enfeoffed as ...

, (庲降都督), putting him in charge of maintaining the peace in Shu's southern lands (covering parts of present-day southern

Guizhou Guizhou (; Postal romanization, formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in the Southwest China, southwest region of the China, People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the pr ...

and

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the ...

). Zhang proved to be unpopular compared to his predecessor as he lacked the flexibility to adapt the Shu code of law to local conditions in his jurisdictions, he became very unpopular among the masses. In 233, when a local tribal chief Liu Zhou (劉胄) started a rebellion, Zhang Yi rallied his troops and prepared to attack the rebels. However, before Zhang Yi managed to quell the revolt, the Shu central government summoned him to the capital

. When his subordinates urged him to follow orders and go to Chengdu immediately, Zhang Yi refused and said: Zhang Yi then directed his troops to transport supplies to a staging area for the troops and kept them on high alert until his successor, Ma Zhong, arrived. Due to Zhang Yi's earlier efforts, Ma Zhong was able to successfully defeat Liu Zhou and suppress the revolt. Zhang Yi's actions earned him praise from

, the Imperial Chancellor of Shu.

Battles against Wei

Battle of Wuzhang Plains

In 234, Zhang Yi served as the Chief Controller of the Vanguard (前軍都督) when Zhuge Liang led Shu forces to attack Shu's rival state

for the fifth time since 228. Zhuge Liang also appointed him as the nominal Administrator of

Fufeng Commandery Fufeng ( zh, 扶風), also known as You Fufeng ( zh, 右扶風), was a historical region located in modern western Shaanxi. In early Han dynasty, the administrator of the capital Chang'an and its vicinities was known as ''You Neishi'' (右內史) ...

(扶風郡; around present-day

Xingping Xingping () is a city located in the center part of Shaanxi province, China. It has been a city since 1993, with a total area of 496 square kilometers and a population of 620,000. The annual average temperature is and its annual precipitation ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), N ...

), which was under Wei control. Following Zhuge Liang's death later that year during the

, Zhang Yi was appointed as Vanguard Army Commander (前領軍). He also received a peerage as a Secondary Marquis (關內侯) for his contributions during the battle, as well as for his earlier efforts in helping Ma Zhong suppress Liu Zhou's rebellion.

Guarding Jianwei

In 238, Zhang Yi was reassigned to the Shu capital

to serve as a Master of Writing (尚書) in the imperial secretariat. Within a short period of time, he was sent back to the frontline to serve as the Area Commander of Jianwei (建威; in present-day

Longnan Longnan () is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of Gansu province in China. It borders Sichuan on its south and Shaanxi on its east. As of the 2020 Chinese census, the population of the prefecture-level city was 2,855,555. Geography and ...

Gansu Gansu (, ; alternately romanized as Kansu) is a province in Northwest China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeast part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibe ...

) near the Wei–Shu border. In addition to his new appointment, he was granted acting imperial authority, promoted to Senior General Who Attacks the West (征西大將軍), and had his marquis rank increased from that of a Secondary Marquis to a Marquis of a Chief Village (都亭侯).

Battle of Didao

In 255, Zhang Yi returned to the Shu capital

for a discussion on Shu general

's plan to launch another invasion of Wei. During the discussion in the imperial court, Zhang Yi strongly objected to Jiang Wei's plan and pointed out that Shu lacked the resources to go to war and that the people were already tired of war. Jiang Wei ignored him and proceeded with his plan. He reassigned Zhang Yi to the position of Senior General Who Guards the South (鎮南大將軍) and ordered him to participate in the campaign. Jiang Wei attacked Wang Jing, the Wei governor of

Yong Province Yong Province or Yongzhou was the name of various regions and provinces in ancient China, usually around the Wei River or the imperial capital. Geographical region In the '' Book of Documents'', Yongzhou is mentioned as one of the legendary ...

, at Didao (狄道; present-day

Lintao County Lintao County ) is administratively under the control of Dingxi, Gansu province. History Until the 20th century, Lintao was known as Didao (). The Battle of Didao was fought in the area in 255 CE, during the Three Kingdoms era. In the 8th ce ...

) and inflicted a crushing defeat on the enemy. Tens of thousands of Wei soldiers fled after their defeat and drowned in the nearby

Tao River Tao River () is a right tributary of China's Yellow River. It starts in Xiqing Mountains () near the Gansu–Qinghai border, flows eastward across Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and then northward more or less along the border between ...

. At that point in time, Zhang Yi advised Jiang Wei: "It's time to stop. We shouldn't advance any further, or we'll risk losing everything we have gained so far." When Jiang Wei turned furious, Zhang Yi told him that advancing further would be equivalent to "adding legs to a snake." Jiang Wei did not heed Zhang Yi's warning and continued to besiege Wang Jing at Didao but failed to breach Didao's walls. Upon learning that Wei reinforcements led by Chen Tai were approaching Didao, Jiang Wei gave up on the fortress and retreated back to Zhongti (鐘堤; south of present-day

). Although Zhang Yi strongly disagreed with Jiang Wei's aggressive stance towards Wei and did not get along well with him, Jiang Wei still brought him along on his military campaigns against Wei. Zhang Yi also reluctantly participated in the campaigns. In 259, the Shu emperor

promoted Zhang Yi to the position of Left General of Chariots and Cavalry (左車騎將軍) and appointed him as the nominal Inspector of

Ji Province Ji Province, also known by its Chinese name Jizhou, was one of the Nine Provinces of ancient China. It is referenced in Chinese historical texts such as the '' Tribute of Yu'', ''Erya'' and '' Rites of Zhou''. Rites of Zhou,Offices of Summer (� ...

Death

In 263, the Wei regent

Sima Zhao Sima Zhao () (211 – 6 September 265), courtesy name Zishang, was a Chinese military general, politician, and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Sima Zhao capably maintained control of Wei, which had been ...

ordered his generals

Deng Ai Deng Ai (197 – late March 264Vol.04 of ''Sanguozhi'' and vol.02 of ''Jin Shu'' both indicated that Deng Ai was arrested in the 1st month of the 1st year of the ''Xianxi'' era. The month corresponds to 15 Feb to 14 Mar 264 in the Julian calendar ...

and others to lead a large-scale invasion of Shu from three fronts. In response to the Wei invasion, the Shu generals Jiang Wei, Zhang Yi, Liao Hua,

Dong Jue Dong Jue ( 220s–260s), courtesy name Gongxi, was an official and military general of the state of Shu Han in the late Three Kingdoms period of China. He continued serving as an official in the state of Cao Wei, which conquered Shu Han in 263 ...

and others led their troops to resist the invaders. Zhang Yi and Dong Jue received orders to guard Yang'an Pass (陽安關; a.k.a. Yangping Pass 陽平關; in present-day Ningqiang County,

) and provide backup on the external perimeter. Zhang Yi later joined Jiang Wei and Liao Hua at the heavily fortified

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both human and animal migr ...

Jiange to resist the Wei army led by Zhong Hui. In the winter of 263, the Shu emperor

surrendered when the Wei army led by

showed up unexpectedly outside

after taking a detour across dangerous terrain. As a result of Liu Shan's surrender, the Shu state's existence came to an end and it became part of Wei. After learning of Liu Shan's surrender, Zhang Yi and the other Shu generals at Jiange formally surrendered to Zhong Hui at Fu County (涪縣; present-day

Mianyang Mianyang (; formerly known as Mienchow) is the second largest prefecture-level city of Sichuan province in Southwest China. Located in north-central Sichuan covering an area of consisting of Jiangyou, a county-level city, five counties, and thr ...

). Zhang Yi returned to Chengdu on 29 February 264 with Zhong Hui and the others. Over the next few days, with Jiang Wei's support, Zhong Hui plotted a rebellion against the Wei regent Sima Zhao. On 3 March, a mutiny broke out when some of Zhong Hui's officers who were unwilling to participate in the rebellion turned against their superior and killed him and Jiang Wei. Zhang Yi also lost his life during the chaos.

Family

Zhang Yi's son, Zhang Wei (張微), was known for being ambitious and studious since he was young. He served as the Administrator of Guanghan Commandery (廣漢郡; around present-day Guanghan,

) during the Jin dynasty.(華陽國志曰：翼子微，篤志好學，官至廣漢太守。) ''Huayang Guo Zhi'' annotation in ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 45.

Notes

References

* Chen, Shou (3rd century). ''

Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records or History of the Three Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese name as the Sanguo Zhi, is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty (c. 184–220 AD) and the Three Kingdoms period (220� ...

'' (''Sanguozhi''). *

Chang Qu Chang Qu () (c. 291 – c. 361 CE) was a 4th-century Chinese historian of the Cheng Han dynasty, who wrote the ''Chronicles of Huayang'' or ''Records of the States South of Mount Hua Mount Hua () is a mountain located near the city of Huayi ...

(4th century). ''

Chronicles of Huayang The ''Chronicles of Huayang'' or ''Huayang Guo Zhi'' () is the oldest extant gazetteer of a region of China. It was compiled by Chang Qu during the Jin Dynasty. It contains roughly 110,000 characters. Its contents comprise history, geography an ...

'' (''Huayang Guo Zhi''). * Fan, Ye (5th century). ''

Book of the Later Han The ''Book of the Later Han'', also known as the ''History of the Later Han'' and by its Chinese name ''Hou Hanshu'' (), is one of the Twenty-Four Histories and covers the history of the Han dynasty from 6 to 189 CE, a period known as the Lat ...

'' (''Houhanshu''). * Pei, Songzhi (5th century). ''

Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms () by Pei Songzhi (372-451) is an annotation completed in the 5th century of the 3rd century historical text ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', compiled by Chen Shou. After leaving his native land, Pei ...

'' (''Sanguozhi zhu''). * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang, Yi Year of birth unknown 264 deaths Shu Han generals Politicians from Meishan Shu Han politicians Han dynasty politicians from Sichuan Officials under Liu Bei Political office-holders in Sichuan Generals from Sichuan Three Kingdoms people killed in battle