Zhang Ye (Later Shu)


Zhang Ye , né Zhang Zhiye, was a general and official of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period states Later Tang and Later Shu, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Later Shu's second emperor Meng Chang.

During Later Tang

It is not known when Zhang Ye was born. But he was said to be from Junyi. His early career was not well-documented in history, but it is known that he was an officer in the Later Tang army that conquered Former Shu in 925. When in 926 after the conquest, the Later Tang commander of that invasion army, Li Jiji the Prince of Wei was prepared to depart Chengdu and return to Later Tang's capital Luoyang, he left a detachment, commanded by the officers Li Renhan, Pan Rensi, Zhao Tingyin, Zhang Ye, Wu Zhang and Li Tinghou, at Chengdu to await the arrival of the new Later Tang-commissioned military governor of Xichuan Circuit, Meng Zhixiang, to arrive. Zhang Ye was subsequently involved in suppressing the remaining popular uprisings against Meng in the region, and was commissioned the prefect of Jian Prefecture.
By 930, the relationships that Meng Zhixiang and Dong Zhang the military governor of neighboring Dongchuan Circuit with the imperial government, with Li Cunxu's adoptive brother Li Siyuan as emperor, had become very strained, and it appeared that war between the imperial government and these two circuits would erupt at any time. At that juncture, there was a time when Li Renhan and Zhang Ye invited Meng to a feast. This led to a rumor, of which a Buddhist nun informed Meng, that the two of them were intending to assassinate Meng at the feast. Meng investigated, found no proof of the assassination plot, and eventually discovered that the rumors were being spread by the officers Du Yanchang and Wang Xingben. He put Du and Wang to death by cutting them in halves at the waist. He then proceeded to attend the feast at Li's house without any guards accompanying him. Li, in gratitude for this show of trust, knelt down to him and cried, stating, "This old soldier can only die to repay your grace." It was said that this incident led the generals to have greater attachment to Meng.
In the fall of 930, Meng and Dong formally rose against the imperial government. Meng sent Li to command the army against the imperially-held Wuxin Circuit, with Zhao Tingyin serving as his deputy and Zhang serving as his forward commander. Li shortly after put Wuxin's capital Sui Prefecture under siege, with the imperial general Xia Luqi the military governor of Wuxin defending. In spring 931, Sui Prefecture fell to Li; Xia committed suicide. For Zhang's accomplishments during the Sui siege, Meng made him the acting military governor of Ningjiang Circuit, and subsequently, even after he had a temporary rapprochement with the Later Tang imperial government, Meng issued an order on his own making Zhang the full military governor of Ningjiang, which Li Siyuan subsequently confirmed.

During Later Shu

In 934, Meng Zhixiang declared himself the emperor of a new state of Later Shu, independent of Later Tang, which was then ruled by Li Siyuan's son and successor Li Conghou. He made Zhang Ye one of the commanders of his imperial guards, but still carrying the title of military governor of Ningjiang.
Meng died later in the year, and was succeeded by his son Meng Chang. Upon Meng Chang's succession, he believed that the arrogance that Li Renhan displayed showed treasonous intentions, and he had Li put to death. As Zhang was then an imperial guard commander and Meng Chang feared that he would rebel as a result, he made Zhang a chancellor to comfort him. When, shortly after, Li Conghou's adoptive brother Li Congke overthrew Li Conghou and became Later Tang's emperor, the Later Tang general Zhang Qianzhao the military governor of Shannan West Circuit, who was one of the generals Li Conghou had previously sent against Li Congke, surrendered his Shannan West Circuit to Later Shu the military governor of Wuding Circuit ), it was Zhang that Meng sent to accept their surrender, take over the two circuits for Later Shu, and return the surrendered general to Chengdu.
Zhang's military governorship was apparently later moved from Ningjiang to Wuxin Circuit, for he was referred to by that title in 938. At that time, he was given the additional titles of Zuo Pushe and Zhongshu Shilang, while his Wuxin governorship was given to fellow chancellor Wang Chuhui. He was later given the honorary title of Sikong. In 940, when his senior chancellor colleague Zhao Jiliang proposed that the responsibilities for overseeing the three financial agencies be divided between Zhao himself as well as Wu Zhaoyi and Zhang, Meng put Zhao in charge of taxation, Wu in charge of salt and iron monopolies, and Zhang in charge of the treasury.
By 948, Zhang, who had long been chancellor, was by reputation known as arrogant and wasteful, and he had seized many people's properties, drawing resentment. He was also protecting fugitives and putting people who owed him money in jail. His son Zhang Jizhao was a swordsman and had gone with the Buddhist monk Guixin to recruit capable swordsmen to serve under him as well, drawing greater suspicion. Sun Hanshao, who was then an imperial guard commander and who had previous conflicts with Zhang Ye, thus submitted an accusation to Meng that Zhang Ye and Zhang Jizhao were plotting treason. The imperial scholar Li Hao and the officer An Siqian concurred in these accusations. Meng thus put Zhang Ye and Zhang Jizhao to death. Meng then issued an edict publicizing Zhang Ye's crimes and confiscating his assets.