Five Dynasties · General

Zhang Yanze 張彥澤

Attested AD 923 - AD 946

Passages: 24
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Zhang Yanze was a general.

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 945 開運元年明年
Dated from the passage context · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passages 123, 128
AD 946 三年秋
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passages 129, 132
AD 942 出帝即位
Dated from the passage context · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 121
AD 923 to AD 933 數從莊宗、明宗戰伐
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passages 98, 101
AD 936 to AD 942 高祖時
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passages 102-103, 114-115

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Parent of Son of Zhang Yanze (張彥澤之子)
son 子
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passages 104-105

Origins and identity

Ethnicity Tujue 突厥 · Relation Ancestral
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 98

Career and standing

military governor of Zhangguo 彰國軍節度使
AD 945 開運元年明年 · Appointed
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 122
military governor of Zhenguo 鎮國軍節度使
AD 937 to AD 938 範延光反於鄴 · Appointed
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 103
general of the Right Martial Guard 右武衛大將軍
AD 936 to AD 942 高祖時 · Demoted
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 115
cavalry commander 騎將
AD 923 to AD 933 數從莊宗、明宗戰伐 · Held
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 101
commander of the right wing of the Imperial Guard 護聖右廂都指揮使
AD 936 to AD 942 高祖時 · Held
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 102
governor of Cao Prefecture 曹州刺史
AD 936 to AD 942 高祖時 · Held
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 102

Show 2 more source-backed claims

military governor of Zhangyi 彰義
AD 937 to AD 938 範延光反於鄴 · Transferred
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 103
reduction in rank and title 削階、降爵
AD 936 to AD 942 高祖時 · Demoted
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 119

Places and affiliations

Polity Later Jin 晉 · Relation Served
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passages 102, 121
Polity Later Tang 後唐 · Relation Served
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 101
At Taiyuan 太原
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 99
At Yin Mountains 陰山 · Relation Ancestral residence
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 99

Learning and skills

Skill archery 射 · Level skilled
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 101

Events and relationships

Fought for bridge
AD 946 三年秋 · Military · Vanguard · At Zhongdu Bridge 中渡橋
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 132
Routed
AD 945 開運元年明年 · Military · Commander · At Yangcheng 陽城
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passages 123, 128
Tortured and killed
AD 936 to AD 942 高祖時 · Legal · Perpetrator · With Zhang Shi (張式)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 114
Relation Connected by marriage to · Person Gaozu of Jin (晉高祖)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 102

Assessments and attributes

Assessment fierce, cruel, savage, brutal in office · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passages 100, 104
eyes yellow and glinting at night; gaze like a fierce beast
Physical description
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 100

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 98

References in the histories

Search passages

History

24 passages

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 52Volume 52 Miscellaneous Biographies 32: Du Zhongwei, Li Zhouzhen, Zhang Yanze · 24 passages

張彥澤，其先突厥部人也。 Zhang Yanze's ancestors were Tujue tribesmen.

彥澤為人驍悍殘忍，目睛黃而夜有光，顧視如猛獸。 Yanze was fierce, cruel, and savage. His eyes were yellow and glinted at night; when he turned his gaze he looked like a fierce beast.

子逃至齊州，州捕送京師，高祖以歸彥澤。 His son fled to Qizhou. The prefecture captured him and sent him to the capital, and Gaozu returned him to Yanze.

彥澤上章請殺之，其掌書記張式不肯為作章，屢諫止之。 Yanze memorialized asking to have him killed. His chief secretary Zhang Shi refused to draft the memorial and repeatedly urged him to stop.

彥澤怒，引弓射式，式走而免。 Yanze flew into a rage, drew his bow, and shot at Shi, who fled and escaped.

式素為彥澤所厚，多任以事，左右小人皆素嫉之，因共讒式，且迫之曰：「不速去，當及禍。」 Shi had long been favored by Yanze and entrusted with many duties. The petty men around Yanze had long envied him. They slandered him together and pressed him: "If you don't leave quickly, disaster will find you."

彥澤遣指揮使李興以二十騎追之，戒曰：「式不肯來，當取其頭以來！」 Yanze sent Commander Li Xing with twenty horsemen in pursuit and ordered: "If Shi won't come, bring back his head!"

彥澤遣司馬鄭元昭詣闕論請，期必得式，且曰：「彥澤若不得張式，患在不測。」 Yanze sent his aide Zheng Yuanzhao to court to argue his case, insisting he must have Shi, and saying, "If Yanze does not get Zhang Shi, there is no telling what calamity may follow."

彥澤得式，剖心、決口、斷手足而斬之。 Once Yanze had Shi in his hands, he cut out his heart, split open his mouth, severed his limbs, and beheaded him.

高祖遣王周代彥澤，以為右武衛大將軍。 Gaozu sent Wang Zhou to replace Yanze and demoted Yanze to general of the Right Martial Guard.

周奏彥澤所為不法者二十六條，並述涇人殘敝之狀，式父鐸詣闕訴冤，諫議大夫鄭受益、曹國珍，尚書刑部郎中李濤、張麟，員外郎麻麟、王禧伏閣上疏，論彥澤殺式之冤，皆不省。 Zhou memorialized twenty-six illegal acts by Yanze and described how the people of Jing had been ruined. Shi's father Duo came to court to plead his grievance. Remonstrance officials Zheng Shouyi and Cao Guozhen, Directors of the Ministry of Justice Li Tao and Zhang Lin, and Assistant Directors Ma Lin and Wang Xi submitted memorials at the palace gate denouncing the injustice of Yanze's killing of Shi. None received attention.

濤見高祖切諫，高祖曰：「彥澤功臣，吾嘗許其不死。」 Tao saw Gaozu and remonstrated forcefully. Gaozu said, "Yanze is a meritorious minister. I once promised he would not die."

濤厲聲曰：「彥澤罪若可容，延光鐵券何在！」 Tao said loudly, "If Yanze's crime can be forgiven, where is Yanguang's iron certificate!"

高祖怒，起去，濤隨之諫不已，高祖不得已，召式父鐸、弟守貞、子希範等，皆拜以官，為蠲涇州民稅，免其雜役一年，下詔罪己，然彥澤止削階、降爵而已。 Gaozu was angry, rose, and left. Tao followed and kept remonstrating. Gaozu had no choice. He summoned Shi's father Duo, brother Shouzhen, son Xifan, and the others and invested them all with offices. He remitted the taxes of the people of Jing Prefecture and exempted them from corvée for one year, and issued an edict blaming himself. Yet Yanze was merely reduced in rank and demoted in title.

出帝時，彥澤為左龍武軍大將軍，遷右武衛上將軍，又遷右神武統軍。 Under the Deposed Emperor, Yanze served as general of the Left Dragon Martial Guard, was promoted to senior general of the Right Martial Guard, and then to commander of the Right Divine Martial Guard.

自契丹與晉戰河北，彥澤在兵間，數立戰功，拜彰國軍節度使。 From the time the Khitan fought Jin in Hebei, Yanze served in the field and repeatedly distinguished himself in battle. He was appointed military governor of Zhangguo.

彥澤以問諸將，諸將皆曰：「今虜乘上風，而吾居其下，宜待風回乃可戰。」 Yanze consulted the generals. All said, "The enemy has the wind and we are below them. We should wait for the wind to shift before we fight."

彥澤以為然。 Yanze agreed.

諸將皆去，偏將藥元福獨留，謂彥澤曰：「今軍中饑渴已甚，若待風回，吾屬為虜矣！ All the generals left. Only subordinate general Yao Yuanfu remained and said to Yanze, "Hunger and thirst in the army are extreme. If we wait for the wind to shift, we will all become captives!

彥澤即拔拒馬力戰，契丹奔北二十餘里，追至衛村，又大敗之，契丹遁去。 Yanze at once pulled up the abatis and fought hard. The Khitan fled north more than twenty li. Pursuit reached Weicun and routed them again. The Khitan fled.

開運三年秋，杜重威為都招討使，李守貞兵馬都監，彥澤馬軍都排陣使。 In the autumn of the third year of Kaiyun, Du Zhongwei was overall campaign commander, Li Shouzhen was overall supervisor of horse and foot, and Yanze was chief array officer of the cavalry.

彥澤往來鎮、定之間，敗契丹於泰州，斬首二千級。 Yanze ranged between Zhen and Ding, defeated the Khitan at Taizhou, and took two thousand heads.

重威、守貞攻瀛州不克，退及武強，聞契丹空國入寇，惶惑不知所之，而彥澤適至，言虜可破之狀，乃與重威等西趨鎮州。 Zhongwei and Shouzhen failed to take Yingzhou, withdrew to Wuqiang, and heard the Khitan had emptied their state to invade. Panicked and unsure where to go, they were joined by Yanze, who argued the enemy could be beaten. They then hurried west with Zhongwei toward Zhenzhou.

彥澤為先鋒，至中渡橋，已為虜所據，彥澤猶力戰爭橋，燒其半，虜小敗卻，乃夾河而寨。 Yanze served as vanguard. At Zhongdu Bridge, already held by the enemy, he still fought hard for it, burned half the bridge, and drove the enemy back in a small defeat. Both sides then encamped facing each other across the river.