Zhang Wen (Three Kingdoms)

Zhang Wen
Official of Eastern Wu
Born 193[1][2][3][4][5]
Died 230 (aged 37)[1][2][3][4][5]
Names
Traditional Chinese 張溫
Simplified Chinese 张温
Pinyin Zhāng Wēn
Wade–Giles Chang Wen
Courtesy name Huishu (Chinese: 惠恕; pinyin: Huìshù; Wade–Giles: Hui-shu)
This is a Chinese name; the family name is Zhang.

Zhang Wen (193–230),[2][3][4][5] courtesy name Huishu, was an official of the state of Eastern Wu in the Three Kingdoms period.

Family background and early career

Zhang Wen was from Wu County (吳縣), Wu Commandery (吳郡), which is in present-day Suzhou, Jiangsu. His father Zhang Yun (張允) was famous in Wu Commandery for valuing friendship and having a low regard for material wealth. Zhang Yun also served as an "Official in the East Bureau" (東曹掾) under the warlord Sun Quan,[6] who became the founding emperor of Eastern Wu later. At a young age, Zhang Wen was already known for his good moral conduct and for having a dignified appearance. When Sun Quan heard about him, he asked his subjects, "As of now, who is Zhang Wen comparable to?" Liu Ji (劉基), the Finance Minister (大司農), said, "He is comparable to Quan Cong." However, Gu Yong, the Ceremonies Minister (太常), had a different opinion, "Liu Ji doesn't know him well enough. No one is comparable to Zhang Wen as of now." Sun Quan said, "If it is so, Zhang Yun must be still alive." When Zhang Wen was summoned to the Wu court to meet Sun Quan and his subjects, he impressed them with his demeanour and his eloquent responses to their questions. As he was about to leave, Zhang Zhao held his hand and said, "I entrust my plans to you. You should understand what I mean." Zhang Wen was then appointed as a Consultant (議郎) and "Secretary in the Selection Bureau" (選曹尚書). He was promoted to "Crown Prince's Tutor" (太子太傅) later and was highly regarded by Sun Quan.[7]

Diplomatic mission to Shu

In the summer of 224,[2] when Zhang Wen was 31, he was appointed as "General of the Household Who Upholds Righteousness" (輔義中郎將) and sent on a diplomatic mission to Wu's ally state, Shu Han. Before he left, Sun Quan told him, "I actually didn't want to send you on this mission. I did so because I was worried that Zhuge Liang might misinterpret my dealings with the Caos. We shall work more closely together with Shu after eliminating the threat of the Shanyue. As an envoy, you have a mission to complete but you aren't restricted in speech." Zhang Wen replied, "I've never held great responsibilities in the court before, nor do I possess the ability to handle diplomatic affairs well. I'm afraid I can neither spread Wu's fame as well as Zhang Zhao did, nor make decisions as well as Zichan. However, Zhuge Liang is wise, discerning and good in long-term planning, so I believe he will definitely understand your intentions and the reasons behind your dealings with Wei. With the blessing of the imperial court, I believe it won't be difficult to understand what Zhuge Liang is looking out for. There is nothing to worry about."[3]

Upon arriving in Shu, Zhang Wen received a warm welcome and was invited to the imperial court to meet the Shu emperor, Liu Shan. He praised Liu Shan for having many talents in his imperial court, and compared him to the Shang dynasty ruler Wu Ding and King Cheng of the Zhou dynasty. He then explained that Wu actually wished to maintain friendly ties with Shu, but had to unwillingly submit to Wei because it lacked the military power to resist Wei. He also expressed his gratitude to the people of Shu for their hospitality. The Shu court was very impressed with him and regarded him highly.[8]

Shortly after he returned to Wu, Zhang Wen was sent to serve in the military garrison in Yuzhang Commandery (豫章郡) but did not do anything significant there.[9]

Downfall and death

Sun Quan was not only unhappy with Zhang Wen for praising the Shu government, but also jealous of his growing popularity. He feared that Zhang Wen would win over the hearts of the people and eventually take over his throne, so he thought of ways to depose Zhang. His opportunity arrived when Zhang Wen was implicated in an incident involving Ji Yan (曁豔), an Imperial Secretary (尚書). Ji Yan was recommended by Zhang Wen to serve in the Wu government and he gradually rose through the ranks to become an Imperial Secretary. Ji Yan was known for thinking highly of himself and for being very critical of others. He criticised his colleagues harshly and caused many officials to be demoted or dismissed. Over time, there was growing resentment towards Ji Yan, and scandalous rumours about him started spreading around. Ji Yan and another official Xu Biao[10] were accused of abusing their powers by promoting and demoting officials based on favouritism. Ji Yan and Xu Biao were both convicted and they committed suicide. Zhang Wen was implicated in the case because he maintained close friendships with Ji Yan and Xu Biao and frequently interacted with them. He was arrested and imprisoned.[11]

In the autumn of 224,[4] Sun Quan wrote an order listing out Zhang Wen's offences. It read,

"When I recruited Zhang Wen, I purposely left an appointment empty for him to fill, and hoped to entrust him with great responsibilities in the future. The way I treated him was so much better than how I treated some of my senior ministers. I never expected that he would turn out to be so evil, treacherous and malicious.

In the past, I harboured no prejudice against Ji Yan and his family even though I heard that they sided with evil people before, hence I still recruited and promoted them because I wanted to observe how Ji Yan would perform in office. Now, I have seen his true colours upon close inspection. He is Zhang Wen's close friend and he follows Zhang's lead. They praise each other and are very close to each other. They found fault with any official who was not part of their clique and came up with excuses to remove him from office.

When I placed Zhang Wen in charge of overseeing the three commanderies and leading the bureaucrats and battle-weary troops there, I feared that war would break out there so I ordered him to evacuate quickly. I even gave him a ceremonial ji to help him exert his authority.

When he was in Yuzhang, he wrote a memorial to me, requesting permission to attack the rebels and other troublemakers in the area. I trusted him, agreed to his request, and sent 5,000 troops from the imperial guards and jiefan (解煩) corps to help him. Later, when I heard that Cao Pi was personally leading his armies to attack the areas around the Huai and Si rivers, I issued an order ahead of time to Zhang Wen, ordering him to be ready to lead his troops to reinforce me in the event of an emergency. However, Zhang Wen gathered his troops and deployed them in the deep hills instead, and even refused to come to the frontline when I summoned him. It was so fortunate that Cao Pi withdrew his forces, or else the consequences could have been unimaginable.

There was one Yin Li, who was well versed in divination. I invited him to my court but Zhang Wen insisted on bringing him to Shu, introducing him to the Shu court and praising him there. After Yin Li returned to Wu, he was supposed to assume the appointment we had for him, but Zhang Wen let him work in the Imperial Secretariat instead. These arrangements were all done by Zhang Wen.

Zhang Wen also told Jia Yuan (賈原) that he wanted to promote him to be an Imperial Clerk (御史). He then approached Jiang Kang (蔣康) and told him that he would be replacing Jia Yuan. Zhang Wen abused the grace he has received from the imperial court by using it to form his own political clique. It is evident that he acted in bad faith and is capable of behaving in malicious ways.

I cannot bear to see him being executed in public, hence I allow him to return home and continue serving there as a low-ranking official. Oh Zhang Wen, you are so fortunate to be spared from death."[12]

The general Luo Tong wrote a long memorial to Sun Quan, speaking up for Zhang Wen and attempting to persuade Sun to pardon Zhang. Sun Quan did not accept his advice.[13]

Zhang Wen died of illness six years after he was deposed.[5]

Family

Zhang Wen had two younger brothers, Zhang Zhi (張祗) and Zhang Bai (張白), who were also known for being talented. They lost their offices along with their brother.[14] Zhang Bai married Lu Ji's daughter Lu Yusheng (陸鬱生).[15]

Zhang Wen also three sisters who were known for their good moral conduct. His second sister married Gu Yong's grandson Gu Cheng (顧承). After Gu Cheng's death, she was arranged to be married to a man whose family name was Ding (丁). She committed suicide on her wedding day by consuming poison. The Wu imperial court praised her for remaining loyal to her deceased husband. The people in her hometown drew a portrait of her to commemorate her.[16]

Appraisal

Once, there was a man called Yu Jun (虞俊) from Yuyao County (餘姚縣) who commented on Zhang Wen as such, "Zhang Huishu is talented but not wise, and flashy but not realistic. Judging from the growing resentment towards him, I foresee that he will meet his downfall one day." Zhuge Liang did not agree with Yu Jun's view initially, but later he praised Yu for having foresight when Yu's prediction came true. He also pondered over the causes of Zhang Wen's downfall for several days before concluding, "I know already. He was too clear when he made distinctions between integrity and corruption, and good and evil."[17]

Chen Shou, who wrote Zhang Wen's biography in the Records of the Three Kingdoms, appraised Zhang as such, "Zhang Wen was talented and good-looking, but he lacked wisdom and caution. That resulted in him getting into trouble."[18]

Pei Songzhi, who annotated Zhang Wen's biography, remarked that Zhang Wen's downfall was due to his widespread fame, which incurred Sun Quan's jealousy. Zhang Wen's fame was attested by Luo Tong's memorial to Sun Quan, in which Luo mentioned that "Zhang Wen had no equal".[19]

In fiction

Zhang Wen appeared in chapter 86 of the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which romanticises the events before and during the Three Kingdoms period. Sun Quan ordered him to accompany Deng Zhi back to Shu after Deng successfully negotiated for peace between Wu and Shu and renewed the Wu–Shu alliance. Zhang Wen met the Shu emperor Liu Shan. Before he left, Liu Shan prepared a farewell banquet for him and ordered Zhuge Liang and the Shu ministers to see him off. During the feast, Zhang Wen had a debate with the Shu official Qin Mi. Qin Mi replied Zhang Wen's questions tactfully, but Zhang was unable to respond to Qin's question. He told Zhuge Liang later that he was very impressed that Shu had such talents.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Zhang Wen's biography mentioned that he was 32 years old (by East Asian age reckoning) when he went to Shu on a diplomatic mission. Sun Quan's biography confirmed that Zhang Wen went in the summer of 224. By calculation, Zhang Wen's birth year should be around 193. Sun Quan's biography mentioned that Zhang Wen was spared from execution in the autumn of 224, while Zhang's biography stated that he died six years after that. By calculation, Zhang Wen's death year should be around 230.
  2. 1 2 3 4 (三年夏，遣輔義中郎將張溫聘于蜀。) Sanguozhi vol. 47.
  3. 1 2 3 4 (時年三十二，以輔義中郎將使蜀。權謂溫曰：「卿不宜遠出，恐諸葛孔明不知吾所以與曹氏通意，以故屈卿行。若山越都除，便欲大搆於蜀。行人之義，受命不受辭也。」溫對曰：「臣入無腹心之規，出無專對之用，懼無張老延譽之功，又無子產陳事之效。然諸葛亮達見計數，必知神慮屈申之宜，加受朝廷天覆之惠，推亮之心，必無疑貳。」) Sanguozhi vol. 57.
  4. 1 2 3 4 (秋八月，赦死罪。) Sanguozhi vol. 47.
  5. 1 2 3 4 (後六年，溫病卒。) Sanguozhi vol. 57.
  6. ↑ (張溫字惠恕，吳郡吳人也。父允，以輕財重士，名顯州郡，為孫權東曹掾，卒。) Sanguozhi vol. 57.
  7. ↑ (溫少脩節操，容貌奇偉。權聞之，以問公卿曰：「溫當今與誰為比？」大司農劉基曰：「可與全琮為輩。」太常顧雍曰：「基未詳其為人也。溫當今無輩。」權曰：「如是，張允不死也。」徵到延見，文辭占對，觀者傾竦，權改容加禮。罷出，張昭執其手曰：「老夫託意，君宜明之。」拜議郎、選曹尚書，徙太子太傅，甚見信重。) Sanguozhi vol. 57.
  8. ↑ (溫至蜀，詣闕拜章曰：「昔高宗以諒闇昌殷祚於再興，成王以幼沖隆周德於太平，功冒溥天，聲貫罔極。今陛下以聦明之姿，等契往古，總百揆於良佐，參列精之炳燿，遐邇望風，莫不欣賴。吳國勤任旅力，清澄江滸，願與有道平一宇內，委心協規，有如河水，軍事興煩，使役乏少，是以忍鄙倍之羞，使下臣溫通致情好。陛下敦崇禮義，未便恥忽。臣自入遠境，及即近郊，頻蒙勞來，恩詔輒加，以榮自懼，悚怛若驚。謹奉所齎函書一封。」蜀甚貴其才。) Sanguozhi vol. 57.
  9. ↑ (還，頃之，使入豫章部伍出兵，事業未究。) Sanguozhi vol. 57.
  10. ↑ Xu Biao (徐彪)'s courtesy name was "Zhongyu" (仲虞) and he was from Guangling Commandery (廣陵郡). He served as a "Gentleman in the Selection Bureau" (選曹郎). (吳錄曰：彪字仲虞，廣陵人也。) Wu Lu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 57.
  11. ↑ (權旣陰銜溫稱美蜀政，又嫌其聲名大盛，衆庶炫惑，恐終不為己用，思有以中傷之，會曁豔事起，遂因此發舉。豔字子休，亦吳郡人也，溫引致之，以為選曹郎，至尚書。豔性狷厲，好為清議，見時郎署混濁淆雜，多非其人，欲臧否區別，賢愚異貫。彈射百僚，覈選三署，率皆貶高就下，降損數等，其守故者十未能一，其居位貪鄙，志節汙卑者，皆以為軍吏，置營府以處之。而怨憤之聲積，浸潤之譖行矣。競言豔及選曹郎徐彪，專用私情，愛憎不由公理，豔、彪皆坐自殺。溫宿與豔、彪同意，數交書疏，聞問往還，即罪溫。) Sanguozhi vol. 57.
  12. ↑ (權幽之有司，下令曰：「昔令召張溫，虛己待之，旣至顯授，有過舊臣，何圖凶醜，專挾異心。昔曁豔父兄，附于惡逆，寡人無忌，故進而任之，欲觀豔何如。察其中間，形態果見。而溫與之結連死生，豔所進退，皆溫所為頭角，更相表裏，共為腹背，非溫之黨，即就疵瑕，為之生論。又前任溫董督三郡，指撝吏客及殘餘兵，時恐有事，欲令速歸，故授棨戟，獎以威柄。乃便到豫章，表討宿惡，寡人信受其言，特以繞帳、帳下、解煩兵五千人付之。後聞曹丕自出淮、泗，故豫勑溫有急便出，而溫悉內諸將，布於深山，被命不至。賴丕自退，不然，已往豈可深計。又殷禮者，本占候召，而溫先後乞將到蜀，扇揚異國，為之譚論。又禮之還，當親本職，而令守尚書戶曹郎，如此署置，在溫而已。又溫語賈原，當薦卿作御史，語蔣康，當用卿代賈原，專衒賈國恩，為己形勢。揆其姧心，無所不為。不忍暴於巿朝，今斥還本郡，以給厮吏。嗚呼溫也，免罪為幸！」) Sanguozhi vol. 57.
  13. ↑ (將軍駱統表理溫曰：「 ... 」權終不納。) Sanguozhi vol. 57.
  14. ↑ (二弟祗、白，亦有才名，與溫俱廢。) Sanguozhi vol. 57.
  15. ↑ (績於鬱林所生女，名曰鬱生，適張溫弟白。) Annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 57.
  16. ↑ (文士傳曰：溫姊妹三人皆有節行，為溫事，已嫁者皆見錄奪。其中妹先適顧承，官以許嫁丁氏，成婚有日，遂飲藥而死。吳朝嘉歎，鄉人圖畫，為之贊頌云。) Wenshi Zhuan annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 57.
  17. ↑ (會稽典錄曰：餘姚虞俊歎曰：「張惠恕才多智少，華而不實，怨之所聚，有覆家之禍，吾見其兆矣。」諸葛亮聞俊憂溫，意未之信，及溫放黜，亮乃歎俊之有先見。亮初聞溫敗，未知其故，思之數日，曰：「吾已得之矣，其人於清濁太明，善惡太分。」) Kuaiji Dianlu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 57.
  18. ↑ (評曰： ... 張溫才藻俊茂，而智防未備，用致艱患。) Sanguozhi vol. 57.
  19. ↑ (臣松之以為莊周云「名者公器也，不可以多取」，張溫之廢，豈其取名之多乎！多之為弊，古賢旣知之矣。是以遠見之士，退藏於密，不使名浮於德，不以華傷其實，旣不能被褐韞寶，杜廉逃譽，使才映一世，聲蓋人上，沖用之道，庸可暫替！溫則反之，能無敗乎？權旣疾溫名盛，而駱統方驟言其美，至云「卓躒冠羣，煒曄曜世，世人未有及之者也」。斯何異燎之方盛，又撝膏以熾之哉！) Pei Songzhi's annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 57.
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