Zhang Yong (1465–1529) was a Chinese eunuch who held a position of influence in the government of the Zhengde Emperor, emperor of the Ming dynasty, from 1506 to 1521. He was part of a group of eunuchs known as the "Eight Tigers" who had served the Zhengde Emperor since his childhood. When the Zhengde Emperor ascended to the throne in 1505, the "Tigers" were given promotions and gained significant power within the Forbidden City. Zhang Yong specifically commanded the artillery of the Beijing garrison. However, after the Zhengde Emperor's death, Zhang Yong lost his positions and titles and was relocated to Nanjing.
Zhang Yong | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 張永 | |||||||
| Eunuch Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial | |||||||
| In office 1510–1512 | |||||||
| Preceded by | Liu Jin | ||||||
| Succeeded by | Xiao Jing | ||||||
| Personal details | |||||||
| Born | 1465 Baoding, Hebei | ||||||
| Died | 1529 | ||||||
| Relatives |
| ||||||
| Occupation | Eunuch | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 張永 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 张永 | ||||||
| |||||||
Biography
editZhang Yong was from Baoding, a city in the northern Chinese province of Hebei.[1] He served as a eunuch under Zhu Houzhao, the young son of the Hongzhi Emperor and the crown prince. In 1505, the Hongzhi Emperor died and Zhu Houzhao ascended to the throne as the Zhengde Emperor. Unlike his father, the Zhengde Emperor favored the eunuchs he had grown up with, particularly the group known as the "Eight Tigers", which included Zhang Yong, over civil officials. The most influential member of the "Tigers" was Liu Jin.
Zhang Yong was appointed as the director of the palace carpentry workshops and in 1506, he was also given command of the Artillery Camp (Shenjiying) in the Beijing garrison.[1][a]
In May 1510, Zhu Zhifan, Prince of Anhua, led a rebellion in Shaanxi in opposition to Liu Jin's reforms. The rebellion, known as the Prince of Anhua rebellion, was quickly suppressed by local troops within eighteen days.[2] During this time, Zhang Yong was sent with an army of 30,000[1] to quell the rebellion, and the emperor also dispatched Yang Yiqing, an official familiar with the local area, to assist in the situation. While working together to resolve the conflict, Yang Yiqing convinced Zhang Yong that he was in danger of being overthrown by Liu Jin in another coup.[2]
Upon his return to Beijing, Zhang Yong was hailed as a national hero and personally welcomed by the emperor at Dong'an Gate.[1] He joined forces with the other six "Tigers" and on 13 September 1510, they accused Liu Jin of plotting against the emperor. Despite the emperor's initial reluctance to believe in Liu Jin's betrayal, he eventually succumbed to their persuasion. The following day, Liu Jin was transferred to Nanjing and his property was confiscated. When the emperor saw the weapons and vast treasures that Liu had accumulated, he ordered his execution.[3] However, Zhang Yong's own reputation soon came under scrutiny as he was accused of accepting bribes. As a result, he was stripped of all his ranks and titles.[4]
In 1514, as relations with the Mongols on the northern border deteriorated, the emperor once again promoted him. He was reinstated as the leader of the palace carpentry workshops and was also appointed as commander-in-chief in Datong and Xuanfu. Under Zhong Yong's leadership, the Mongols were successfully pushed beyond the borders.[4]
However, after the Zhengde Emperor's death in 1521, the new Jiajing Emperor stripped Zhang Yong of his rank and transferred him to Nanjing.[4]
Notes
edit- ^ At the same time, the remaining "Eight Tigers" took command of the Three Great Camps: Liu Jin was given command of the infantry in the Five Armies Camp (Wujunying) and Wei Bin was given command of the cavalry in the Three Thousand Camp (Sanqianying). Each of these three eunuch-commanders was assisted by one hundred eunuchs.[1]
References
editCitations
edit- ^ a b c d e Tsai (1996), p. 65.
- ^ a b Geiss (1998), p. 410.
- ^ Geiss (1998), p. 411.
- ^ a b c Tsai (1996), p. 66.
Works cited
edit- Tsai, Shih-shan Henry (1996). Eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty (SUNY series in Chinese local studies ed.). New York: State University of New York Press. ISBN 0791426874.
- Geiss, James (1998). "The Cheng-te reign, 1506-1521". In Twitchett, Denis C; Fairbank, John K (eds.). The Cambridge History of China. Volume 7, The Ming Dynasty 1368-1644, Part 1. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 403–439. ISBN 0521243327.