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Zhang Ci (died c. 386), originally named Gong Ci, was a Chinese military general of Former Qin during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. He was the adopted son of the warlord Zhang Ping and fought during his father's war against Former Qin in 358. After he was captured in battle, Zhang Ci served Qin's ruler Fu Jian, participating in his campaigns against Former Yan, Dai and the Jin dynasty until his presumed death in 386 while serving Fu Pi. He and Deng Qiang were known as the "Enemies of Ten Thousands (萬人敵)", a title previously held by the generals Guan Yu and Zhang Fei during the end of the Han dynasty. His name can be rendered as Zhang Hao.

Service under Zhang Ping

Early life and background

Zhang Ci was born into a family named Gong (弓) in Xuanshi county (泫氏; in modern-day Jincheng, Shanxi), Shangdang. He was said to be exceptionally strong, being able to move an ox while walking backwards and scaling walls, high or low. His adoptive father, Zhang Ping was the Inspector of Bingzhou during the time of Later Zhao but became an independent warlord following the state's swift decline in 351.

Zhang Ping had adopted Zhang Ci as his son due to his abilities and greatly appreciated him. However, on one occasion, Zhang Ci fell in love with one of Zhang Ping's concubine, and the two started an affair. Zhang Ping soon found out and severely reprimanded him for this. Zhang Ci felt shame and voluntarily castrated himself to become a eunuch in order to prevent himself from doing such a thing ever again.

War with Former Qin

By 357, Zhang Ping was the strongest warlord in northern China and was seeking to establish his state to compete with Former Qin and Former Yan. On the winter of that year, Ping rebelled against his vassal lord, Qin, and invaded their territory. Fu Jian led a campaign against the warlord and fought him at Fenshang the following year. There, Fu Jian sent out Deng Qiang to lead the vanguard and attack Zhang Ping. In response, Ping ordered Zhang Ci to fight back. Zhang Ci and Deng Qiang battled back and forth for ten days, but neither could take the upper hand.

After Fu Jian reached Tongbi (銅壁, in modern-day Tongchuan, Shaanxi) in March, Zhang Ping led his entire army against him. At Tongbi, Zhang Ci charged into the enemy formation four or five times, all while shouting. Fu Jian had to personally ask for someone to stop Zhang Ci and his charges. It was not until Fu Jian's general Lü Guang, who thrust his spear into Zhang Ci, that he could be stopped. Zhang Ci was brought before Fu Jian by Deng Qiang, and his capture rocked Zhang Ping's side so much that it caused his army to collapse.

The defeat forced Zhang Ping into offering his surrender to Former Qin. Zhang Ci was appointed as Fu Jian's General of the Household Gentlemen Rapid As Tigers. Fu Jian greatly favoured him, and Zhang Ci was often seen by Fu Jian's side. Though Zhang Ping was forgiven and given a post, he would surrender to Former Yan later the same year after being defeated by their forces, leaving Zhang Ci in Qin. Zhang Ping was finally killed by Qin forces in 361.

Service under Fu Jian and Fu Pi

Fu Liu, Fu Shuang, Fu Sou and Fu Wu's Rebellion

Under Fu Jian, Zhang Ci saw his first noted military activity during the rebellion of Fu Liu (苻柳), Fu Shuang (苻雙), Fu Sou (苻廋) and Fu Wu (苻武) in 368. He and Yang An were tasked in capturing Shancheng (陝城, in modern Sanmenxia, Henan) from Fu Sou but were told by Fu Jian to avoid engaging in battle but rather stock up on supplies until Fu Shuang and Fu Wu were defeated. After Shuang, Wu and also Liu were subdued, Zhang Ci and Yang An were joined by Deng Qiang and Wang Jian (王鑒) to spearhead the assault on the rebel's last stronghold. Fu Sou and Shancheng were captured at the end of the year, thus leaving Fu Jian victorious over the rebellion.

Conquest of Former Yan

In 370, Zhang Ci participated in Former Qin's conquest of Former Yan as a subordinate of Wang Meng. During the siege of Jincheng, Yang An struggled to capture the city from Murong Zhuang (慕容莊) until he was reinforced from Wang Meng. They dug tunnels under the city walls and had Zhang Ci to lead a hundred brave men to infiltrate the city. Zhang Ci did so, and after giving out a loud cry, they broke open the gate to allow the Qin soldiers to enter and capture Murong Zhuang. Later, when Murong Ping's army met face to face with Wang Meng's at the Battle of Luchuan, Zhang Ci, Deng Qiang and Xu Cheng led their troops head on and routed the numerically superior Yan soldiers. Qin would annex all of Yan that same year.

Yuan Qin's rebellion

The next year, Fu Jian sent Zhang Ci and Wang Jian (王堅) to reinforce the rebelling Jin general Yuan Qin at Shouchun. Zhang Ci camped at Luojian (洛澗, in modern-day Huainan, Anhui) and sent 5,000 of his cavalry to Shiqiao (石橋), just north of the Fei River (淝水, presumably in Lu'an, Anhui, near the Huai River). The Jin commander, Huan Wen sent Huan Shiqian and Huan Yi to intercept Zhang's cavalry and dealt them a great defeat. Zhang Ci retreated to Shencheng (慎城, in modern-day Fuyang, Anhui) while Yuan Qin's troops scattered at the news of their reinforcements' defeat. Shouchun eventually fell to Jin and Yuan Qin was executed.

Conquest of Dai

In 376, Fu Jian invaded the Tuoba state of Dai after they attacked the Qin's ally, the Xiongnu chieftain Liu Weichen. Zhang Ci was one of the generals involved in the campaign. At the time of the conquest, Dai was troubled by internal strife between its king, Tuoba Shiyiqian and his nephew Tuoba Jin (拓拔斤), who jointly ruled the state with his uncle but was not happy with his restriction of power imposed on him. Tuoba Jin incited Shiyiqian's son, Tuoba Shijun (拓拔寔君), to assassinate his father along with his younger brothers, causing many of their concubines and subordinate to flee to Qin and inform them of the situation in Dai. Hearing this, Zhang Ci and Li Rou (李柔) quickly led their forces and capture Yunzhong. The fall of Yunzhong threw Dai into an even greater state of chaos, and Dai would be conquered shortly after. In 379, Zhang Ci was appointed the Inspector of Bingzhou.

Battle of Fei River

When Fu Jian invaded the Jin dynasty in 383, Zhang Ci assisted Fu Rui (苻叡) in repelling Huan Chong from Xiangyang. Zhang Ci's advance through the Xie Valley intimidated Huan Chong's general Yang Liang (楊亮) into retreating while Chui dealt with Chong himself. Following this, Fu Jian assigned Zhang Ci to Fu Rong, making him his vanguard general. He helped him capture Shouchun and later went south of the Fei River to defeat the Jin general, Xie Shi. However, faced with Xie Xuan's larger forces, Zhang Ci decided to retreat back north, setting up the Battle of Fei River. In the battle, the Qin forces were tricked into making a panicked and unorganized retreat, scattering the troops for the Jin soldiers led by Xie Xuan to easily dispatch. Qin lost the battle with heavy casualties, but in their retreat, Zhang Ci managed to repel Xie Shi from pursuing them.

Post-Fei River

Fu Jian returned to the north defeated. He ordered Zhang Ci to return to Bingzhou with only 5,000 Palace Guards to defend and maintain peace in the province. When Murong Chui, Murong Chong and Yao Chang rebelled against the state in 384, Fu Jian's prince Fu Pi asked for Zhang Ci to march out from Jinyang and reinforce him. However, Zhang could not do anything to help him due to his insufficient number of troops.

After Fu Jian was captured and killed by Yao Chang in 385, Zhang Ci and Wang Teng invited Fu Pi to their base in Jinyang. Fu Pi appointed Zhang Ci as Palace Attendant and Minister of Works. During this time, Zhang Ci was sought by the Xiongnu chieftain, Liu Toujuan (劉頭眷) to quell the rebelling Xianbei Bai (鮮卑皆) tribes. The two attacked their leader, Jiefu (絜佛) and routed him. In 386, Zhang Ci was appointed as Grand Commandant. Nothing else is recorded about Zhang Ci from this point on.

References

1. (秦人稱鄧羌、張蚝皆萬人敵。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 100
2. (蚝多力趫捷，能曳牛卻走；城無高下，皆可超越。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 100
3. (又《前秦錄》曰：張蚝〈音刺。〉本姓弓，上黨泫氏人也。膂力過人，能却曳牛走，張平愛而子之。淫于平妾，知而責之。蚝慚，割陰以自誓，遂爲閹人。堅甚寵之，常侍左右，終爲名將。所在有殊功，稱鄧羌、張蚝「萬人敵」也。) Taiping Yulan, Volume 386
4. ^ (秦王堅自將討張平，以鄧羌為前鋒督護，帥騎五千，軍於汾上；平使養子蚝御之。蚝多力趫捷，能曳牛卻走；城無高下，皆可超越。與羌相持旬餘，莫能相勝。三月，堅至銅壁，平盡眾出戰，蚝單馬大呼，出入秦陳者四、五。堅募人生致之，鷹揚將軍呂光刺蚝，中之，鄧羌擒蚝以獻，平眾大潰。平懼，請降。堅拜平右將軍，以蚝為虎賁中郎將。蚝，本姓弓，上黨人也，堅寵待甚厚，常置左右。秦人稱鄧羌、張蚝皆萬人敵。光，婆樓之子也。堅徙張平部民三千餘戶於長安。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 100
5. (張平襲燕平陽，殺段剛、韓苞；又攻雁門，殺太守單男。既而為秦所攻，平復謝罪於燕以求救。燕人以平反覆，弗救也，平遂為秦所滅。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 101
6. (春，正月，秦王堅遣後將軍楊成世、左將軍毛嵩分討上邽、安定，輔國將軍王猛、建節將軍鄧羌攻蒲阪、前將軍楊安、廣武將軍張蚝攻陝城。堅命蒲、陝之軍皆距城三十裡，堅壁勿戰，俟秦、雍已平，然後並力取之。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 101
7. (秦楊安攻晉陽，晉陽兵多糧足，久之未下。王猛留屯騎校尉苟長戍壺關，引兵助安攻晉陽。為地道，使虎牙將軍張蚝帥壯士數百潛入城中，大呼斬關，納秦兵。辛巳，猛、安入晉陽，執燕并州刺史東海王莊。太傅評畏猛，不敢進，屯於潞川。冬，十月，辛亥，猛留將軍武都毛當戍晉陽，進兵潞川，與慕容評相持。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 102
8. (於是大飲帳中，與張眊、徐成等跨馬運矛，馳入評軍，出入數四，傍若無人，攀旗斬將，殺傷甚重，戰及日中，燕師敗績。) Annals of the Sixteen Kingdoms, Volume 4
9. (苻堅乃使其將王鑒、張蠔等率兵以救瑾，屯洛澗，先遣精騎五千次於肥水北。溫遣桓伊及弟子石虔等逆擊，大破之，瑾眾遂潰，生擒之，並其宗族數十人及硃輔送於京都而斬之，所侍養乞活數百人悉坑之，以妻子為賞。) Book of Jin, Volume 98
10. (遂殺諸弟，並弒什翼犍。是夜，諸子婦及部人奔告秦軍，秦李柔、張蚝勒兵趨雲中；部眾逃潰，國中大亂。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 104
11. (時張蠔敗謝石于肥南，謝玄、謝琰勒卒數萬，陣以待之。蠔乃退，列陣逼肥水。) Book of Jin, Volume 114
12. (於是玄與琰、伊等以精銳八千涉渡肥水。石軍距張蠔，小退。) Book of Jin, Volume 79
13. (秦長樂公丕遣光祚及參軍封孚召驃騎將軍張蚝、并州刺史王騰於晉陽以自救，蚝、騰以眾少不能赴。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 105
14. (為慕容垂圍逼，丕乃去鄴，率男女六萬餘口進如潞川。堅驃騎將軍張蚝、并州刺史王騰迎丕入據晉陽。堅既為姚萇所殺，太祖九年，丕乃僭稱尊號，改年太安。) Book of Northern Wei, Volume 95
15. (秦主丕以都督中外諸軍事、司徒、錄尚書事王永爲左丞相、太尉，東海王纂爲大司馬，司空張蚝爲太尉，尚書令咸陽徐義爲司空，司隸校尉王騰爲驃騎大將軍、儀同三司。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 106

• Fang, Xuanling (ed.) (648). Book of Jin (Jin Shu).
• Sima, Guang (1084). Zizhi Tongjian.
• Cui, Hong (501-522). Spring and Autumn Annals of the Sixteen Kingdoms (Shiliuguo Chunqiu)

• Former Qin generals
• Chinese eunuchs
• 380s deaths