Zhang Zongyu (died 1868) was a commander of the

Nian Rebellion The Nian Rebellion () was an insurrection against the Qing dynasty in northern China from 1851 to 1868, contemporaneously with the Taiping Rebellion (1850–1864) in southern China. The rebellion was suppressed, but the population and economic ...

. He was the nephew of Nian leader

Zhang Lexing Zhang Lexing (, 1810 – 1863) was a Chinese guerrilla leader during the Nian Rebellion in China. Zhang was originally a landlord and a member of a powerful lineage involved in salt-smuggling. In 1852 he was chosen to lead the Nian, and in 1856 ...

who was killed by Qing forces in battle in 1863. Taking over command after his uncle's death, Qing commander

Sengge Rinchen Sengge Rinchen (1811 – 18 May 1865) or Senggelinqin () was a Mongols, Mongol nobleman and general who served under the Qing dynasty during the reigns of the Daoguang Emperor, Daoguang, Xianfeng Emperor, Xianfeng and Tongzhi Emperor, Tongzhi emper ...

pursued Zhang's forces to the city of

Caozhou Caozhou or Cao Prefecture () was a '' zhou'' (prefecture) in imperial China centering on modern Heze or Cao County in Shandong, China. It existed (intermittently) from the 6th century to 1913. Geography Under the Sui, Cao Prefecture included Yua ...

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

. However Senge Rinchen was killed in early 1865, allowing Nian troops to retreat to northern

Anhui Anhui is an inland Provinces of China, province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiang ...

.Elleman, 61 In October 1866 Zhang returned to Shandong with reinforcements, among them former Taiping rebels. At this point the Nian army became a full-name army. The Nian domains were split into the Eastern Nian, led by former Taiping King

Lai Wenguang Lai Wenguang (賴文光, 1827–1868) was an eminent Chinese military leader of the Taiping Rebellion and Nian Rebellion, and known during his military tenure as the King of Zun (遵王) ("obey God"). He served under Hong Xiuquan's Taiping Adminis ...

and Western Nian, led by Zhang Zongyu. After the surrender and death of Lai, Western Nian moved into Shanxi and southern

Zhili Zhili, alternately romanized as Chihli, was a northern administrative region of China since the 14th century that lasted through the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty until 1911, when the region was dissolved, converted to a province, and renamed ...

, advancing as far as the edge of

Tianjin Tianjin is a direct-administered municipality in North China, northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the National Central City, nine national central cities, with a total population of 13,866,009 inhabitants at the time of the ...

. Qing General

Zuo Zongtang Zuo Zongtang (左宗棠, Xiang Chinese: ; Wade-Giles spelling: Tso Tsung-t'ang; November 10, 1812 – September 5, 1885), sometimes referred to as General Tso, was a Chinese statesman and army officer of the late Qing dynasty. Born in Xian ...

led a blockade that trapped the Western Nian between the Tuxie and

Yellow River The Yellow River, also known as Huanghe, is the second-longest river in China and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system on Earth, with an estimated length of and a Drainage basin, watershed of . Beginning in the Bayan H ...

s and the Grand Canal. On August 16, 1868, Zhang Zongyu committed suicide by drowned himself in a river in

References

Year of birth missing 1868 deaths Nian Rebellion Suicides by drowning in China {{China-mil-bio-stub