Zhang Yan () ( 180s–205), born Chu Yan, also known as Zhang Feiyan, was the leader of the Heishan bandits during 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 ...

of China. He rose from a local rebel to master of a confederation that could hold off the Han and was able to maintain authority in Changshan until he chose to surrender to Cao Cao, getting enfeoffment that remained with his family.

Life

Chu Yan was from Zhending County,

Changshan Commandery Changshan Commandery (常山郡), or Hengshan Commandery (恒山郡), was a historical commandery of China, located in present-day southern Hebei province. The commandery was established as Hengshan by the Qin state after it annexed the state of ...

, which is around present-day

Zhengding County Zhengding (), originally Zhending (), is a county in southwestern Hebei Province, North China, located approximately south of Beijing. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Shijiazhuang, the capital of the province, and h ...

Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and ...

. Because he was fast, agile, and brave, his men called him "Feiyan", meaning "Flying Swallow". He raised forces during the Yellow Turban revolt and pillaged Shanze then aligned with the bandit forces of Zhang Niujue () with Niujue as the superior commander. When the group raided

Julu Commandery Julu Commandery () was a historical commandery of China, located in modern-day southern Hebei. The commandery was established by Qin after it annexed Zhao in 222 BC. In early Western Han dynasty, it was part of the Zhao Kingdom. After the failed ...

in 185 and attacked Yingtao, Zhang Niujue was mortally wounded by an arrow. Before he died, Zhang ordered his men to obey Chu Yan as their new leader. Chu Yan thus changed his family name from "Chu" to "Zhang" to honour Zhang Niujue. Zhang Yan's confederation steadily grew in strength, until they were said to be one million strong. They became known as the Heishan bandits, and operated as a bandit confederacy in the

Taihang Mountains The Taihang Mountains () are a Chinese mountain range running down the eastern edge of the Loess Plateau in Shanxi, Henan and Hebei provinces. The range extends over from north to south and has an average elevation of . The principal peak is ...

which gave them access to Henei and the provinces of Bing, Ji, and Yan. All the commanderies north of the

Yellow River The Yellow River or Huang He (Chinese: , Mandarin: ''Huáng hé'' ) is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the sixth-longest river system in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Ha ...

were exposed to their attacks and while Lu Zhi was able to drive Zhang Yan forces away from the capital region of Henei, the Han could not suppress the rebellion. In order to pacify him, the government eventually appointed Zhang Yan "General of the Household Who Pacifies Disorder" and granted him the right to appoint officials in his territories, bringing the group within the administration. By the early 190s with the land in civil war, Zhang Yan had formed an alliance with the warlord

Gongsun Zan Gongsun Zan () (before 161 - April or May 199), courtesy name Bogui, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty. Life Little is known of Gongsun Zan's early life. He and Liu Bei stu ...

against their common opponent,

Yuan Shao Yuan Shao (, ; died 28 June 202), courtesy name Benchu (), was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil wars that occurred t ...

. In 193, the Heishan bandits had backed mutineers and local rivals of Yuan Shao to seize his capital of Ye and nearly captured Yuan Shao's family. Yuan Shao responded with force, allying with reinforcements from some of the

Wuhuan The Wuhuan (, < Eastern Han Chinese: *''ʔɑ-ɣuɑn'', <

and Xiuchuge tribes with the support of

Lü Bu Lü Bu () (died 7 February 199), courtesy name Fengxian, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of Imperial China. Originally a subordinate of a minor warlord Ding Yuan, he betr ...

, marching 250 kilometers (over 150 miles) through the Taihang Mountains, destroying the Heishan bandit camps as he went. The southern hills were overrun, but at Changshan, Zhang Yan had 20-30 thousand soldiers and several thousand cavalry, he fought for over ten days with Yuan Shao, Zhang Yan suffered major casualties and suffered the worst of the fighting but Yuan Shao's troops were exhausted and also withdrew. In 199, Zhang Yan responded to Gongsun Zan's request, via son Gongsun Xu, for help by marching along three routes in the

Battle of Yijing The Battle of Yijing was a military conflict which took place in northern China from 198 to 199 in the late Eastern Han dynasty. It was fought between Gongsun Zan, a warlord known as the "White Horse General", and Yuan Shao, a scion of the este ...

against Yuan Shao, but Gongsun Zan was defeated and killed before Zhang Yan arrived. In 204, Zhang Yan made contact with the warlord

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 ...

, who at the time was warring against Yuan Shao's sons,

Yuan Tan Yuan Tan (died 205), courtesy name Xiansi, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who was the eldest son of Yuan Shao, a warlord who occupied much of northern China during the late Eastern Han dynasty. After Yuan Shao's death, Y ...

and

Yuan Shang Yuan Shang (died December 207), courtesy name Xianfu, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was the third son and successor of the warlord Yuan Shao. In the 14th-centu ...

and besieging Ye. Cao Cao appointed him General Who Pacifies The North (). In the summer of 205, after Cao Cao drove the Yuan's to the Wuhuan, Zhang Yan brought his 100,000 followersSanguozhi vol.1 and surrendered, he was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Anguo Village (). After his death, his son Zhang Fang succeeded him as marquis; his family maintained their fief during the following decades.

Life

See also

References

Works cited

Further reading