Overview
Zhang Yanze was a general.
IdentityHistorical · Male
Life and dates
Death
AD 947 十二月丙寅
Cause Executed; heart cut out; corpse eaten by townspeople
· At northern market
北市 · Authority Yelü Deguang (耶律德光)
Attested activity
Works and attributed material
Events and relationships
Entered capital and accepted surrender
AD 947 十二月丙寅 · Military · Vanguard
Plundered capital and seized Lady Ding
AD 947 十二月丙寅 · Political · Actor
- Relation Rival of · Person Gao Xun (高勛)
Assessments and attributes
- Assessment one of the three men who completed Jin's calamity · Mode historian-judgment
References in the histories
No matching passages.
New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 52Volume 52 Miscellaneous Biographies 32: Du Zhongwei, Li Zhouzhen, Zhang Yanze · 20 passages
十二月丙寅，重威、守貞叛降契丹，彥澤亦降。
On the day bingyin of the twelfth month, Zhongwei and Shouzhen rebelled and surrendered to the Khitan. Yanze surrendered as well.
耶律德光犯闕，遣彥澤與傅住兒以二千騎先入京師，彥澤倍道疾驅，至河，銜枚夜渡。
Yelü Deguang marched on the capital and sent Yanze and Fuzhu'er with two thousand horsemen to enter the city first. Yanze pressed on by forced marches, reached the river, and crossed at night with gags in the soldiers' mouths.
彥澤自寬仁門傳德光與皇太后書入，乃滅火。
Yanze sent in from Kuanren Gate a letter from Deguang to the Empress Dowager, and only then was the fire put out.
大內都點檢康福全宿衛寬仁門，登樓覘賊，彥澤呼而下之，諸門皆啟。
Chief Inspector of the Inner Palace Kang Fuquan kept watch at Kuanren Gate, climbed a tower to spy on the enemy, and was summoned down by Yanze. All the gates were opened.
彥澤頓兵明德樓前，遣傅住兒入傳戎王宣語，帝脫黃袍，素服再拜受命。
Yanze halted his troops before Mingde Tower and sent Fuzhu'er in to transmit the Khitan emperor's proclamation. The emperor removed his yellow robe, put on plain dress, bowed twice, and accepted the command.
使人召彥澤，彥澤謝曰：「臣無面目見陛下。」
He sent someone to summon Yanze. Yanze declined, "Your subject has no face with which to see Your Majesty."
復使召之，彥澤笑而不答。
He sent again to summon him. Yanze smiled and did not reply.
彥澤遣控鶴指揮使李筠以兵監守，內外不通。
Yanze sent Crane-Control Commander Li Jun with troops to guard him. Inside and outside could not communicate.
帝與太后所上德光表章，皆先示彥澤乃敢遣。
Every memorial the emperor and Empress Dowager submitted to Deguang had to be shown to Yanze first before they dared send it.
德光渡河，帝欲郊迎，彥澤不聽，遣白德光，德光報曰：「天無二日，豈有兩天子相見於道路邪！」
Deguang crossed the river. The emperor wished to go out to the suburbs to welcome him. Yanze would not permit it and sent word to Deguang. Deguang replied, "Heaven has no two suns—how could two emperors meet on the road!"
初，彥澤至京師，李濤謂人曰：「吾禍至矣！
When Yanze first reached the capital, Li Tao said to others, "Disaster has come upon me!
濤見彥澤，為俚語以自投死，彥澤笑而厚待之。
Tao went to see Yanze and spoke in a vulgar saying as if offering himself to death. Yanze laughed and treated him generously.
彥澤自以有功於契丹，晝夜酣飲自娛，出入騎從常數百人，猶題其旗幟曰「赤心為主」。
Yanze considered himself to have merit toward the Khitan. Day and night he drank heavily for pleasure. When he went out he was followed by several hundred horsemen. He still inscribed his banners: "Red heart loyal to the lord."
軍士邏獲罪人，彥澤醉不能問，瞋目視之，出三手指，軍士即驅出斷其腰領。
When soldiers on patrol captured criminals, Yanze, too drunk to question them, glared and held up three fingers. The soldiers at once drove the victims out and cut through waist and neck.
皇子延煦母楚國夫人丁氏有色，彥澤使人求於皇太后，太后遲疑未與，即劫取之。
The mother of Prince Yanxu, Lady Ding of Chu, was beautiful. Yanze sent men to request her from the Empress Dowager. When the Empress Dowager hesitated, he seized her by force.
彥澤與閣門使高勛有隙，乘醉入其家，殺數人而去。
Yanze had a grudge with Gatekeeper Commissioner Gao Xun. Drunk, he entered his house, killed several people, and left.
耶律德光至京師，聞彥澤劫掠，怒，鎖之。
When Yelü Deguang reached the capital and heard Yanze had plundered, he was furious and put him in chains.
高勛亦自訴於德光，德光以其狀示百官及都人，問：「彥澤當誅否？」
Gao Xun also appealed to Deguang himself. Deguang showed his account to officials and townspeople and asked, "Should Yanze be executed?"
彥澤前所殺士大夫子孫，皆缞绖杖哭，隨而詬詈，以杖樸之，彥澤俯首無一言。
The sons and grandsons of the scholar-officials Yanze had killed all wore mourning hemp and wept with staves, followed along reviling him, and beat him with staves. Yanze bowed his head without a word.
視重威、彥澤之死，而晉人所以甘心者，可以知其憤疾怨怒於斯人者，非一日也。
Judging from the deaths of Zhongwei and Yanze and how the people of Jin were satisfied at heart, one can see that their fury and resentment toward these men had been building for a long time.