Zhang GuoLiang
Encyclopedia
Zhang Guoliang born in Guangdong
, was a Field Marshal
for the Qing dynasty
. He was a scion
of a Meizhou
family who led Chinese
military operations. He raised the Green Standard Army
by 250,000 to fight against the Taiping Rebellion
in the second rout the Army Group Jiangnan
in 1860 and was defeated by Li Xiucheng
. Zhang served as a minister to the emperor
and a vice commander of Army Group Jiangnan until his death by suicide. Zeng Guofan
praised Zhang and said he was Jiangnan's "Great Wall of China."
began, Zhang accepted a SOS
order from Nanjing
, he and his 15,000 men were the first troops to arrive and save Nanjing.
) as a member of the Tiandihui
gang and was a bandit with Luo Dagang (羅大綱). He was said to have the habit of hiding a dagger in his boot.
, which had been occupied by Taiping for five years. The Emperor rewarded Zhang with the Imperial yellow jacket
and promoted him to First Class Senior General.
Pantheon
.
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
, was a Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
for the Qing dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
. He was a scion
Kinship
Kinship is a relationship between any entities that share a genealogical origin, through either biological, cultural, or historical descent. And descent groups, lineages, etc. are treated in their own subsections....
of a Meizhou
Meizhou
-Administration:The municipal government, Intermediate Court and CPC and PSB bureaux are housed in the district of Jiangnan , on the right bank of Meijiang River.A second district of Meizhou is Jiangbei , on the left bank...
family who led Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
military operations. He raised the Green Standard Army
Green Standard Army
Green Standard Army is the name of a category of military units under the control of the Qing Dynasty in China. It was made up mostly of ethnic Han soldiers and operated concurrently with the Manchu-Mongol-Han Eight Banner armies...
by 250,000 to fight against the Taiping Rebellion
Taiping Rebellion
The Taiping Rebellion was a widespread civil war in southern China from 1850 to 1864, led by heterodox Christian convert Hong Xiuquan, who, having received visions, maintained that he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ, against the ruling Manchu-led Qing Dynasty...
in the second rout the Army Group Jiangnan
Second rout the Army Group Jiangnan
The Second rout of the Jiangnan Army Group or the Jiangnan DaYing; was the deployment of the Qing government's Green Standard Army to crush the Taiping Rebellion...
in 1860 and was defeated by Li Xiucheng
Li Xiucheng
Li Xiucheng was an eminent military leader of the Taiping Rebellion, and known during his military tenure as the Loyal King . This title was given because a Qing general attempted to bribe him to kill Hong Xiuquan, but he refused and told Hong Xiuquan. His many victories also made Hong very happy...
. Zhang served as a minister to the emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
and a vice commander of Army Group Jiangnan until his death by suicide. Zeng Guofan
Zeng Guofan
Zeng Guofan was an eminent Han Chinese official, military general, and devout Confucian scholar of the late Qing Dynasty in China....
praised Zhang and said he was Jiangnan's "Great Wall of China."
Early life
When the Battle of Nanjing (1853)Battle of Nanjing (1853)
The Battle of Nanjing began after the fall of Wuhan on March 8, 1853, and ended with the fall of the capital city of Nanjing on March 19, 1853 to Taiping troops, a few days after the Qing Government had evacuated the city....
began, Zhang accepted a SOS
SOS
SOS is the commonly used description for the international Morse code distress signal...
order from Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
, he and his 15,000 men were the first troops to arrive and save Nanjing.
Nickname
Zhang Guoliang was nicknamed Big head sheep (gooseGoose
The word goose is the English name for a group of waterfowl, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than true geese, and ducks, which are smaller....
) as a member of the Tiandihui
Tiandihui
The Tiandihui is a fraternal organization that originated in China. The Hongmen grouping is today more or less synonymous with the whole Tiandihui concept, although the title "Hongmen" is also claimed by some criminal groups.As the Tiandihui spread through different counties and provinces, it...
gang and was a bandit with Luo Dagang (羅大綱). He was said to have the habit of hiding a dagger in his boot.
Recovery of Zhenjiang
In 1856, Zhang GuoLiang led his army in the recovery of ZhenjiangZhenjiang
Zhenjiang is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Jiangsu province in the eastern People's Republic of China . Sitting on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the west, Changzhou to the east, and Yangzhou across the river to the north.Once...
, which had been occupied by Taiping for five years. The Emperor rewarded Zhang with the Imperial yellow jacket
Imperial yellow jacket
The imperial yellow jacket was a symbol of high honour during China's Qing Dynasty. As yellow was a forbidden color, representing the Emperor, the jacket was given only to high-ranking officials and to the Emperor's body guards.-Wearing the jacket:...
and promoted him to First Class Senior General.
Death
In April 1860, Zhang was defeated and led his remaining 20,000 soldiers in retreat to Danyang. He left the city on horseback and is said to have committed suicide by his own sword. His body was not found immediately; it was eventually buried in the NanjingNanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
Pantheon
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
.
Awards
- Royal BATURU(ManchuManchu languageManchu is a Tungusic endangered language spoken in Northeast China; it used to be the language of the Manchu, though now most Manchus speak Mandarin Chinese and there are fewer than 70 native speakers of Manchu out of a total of nearly 10 million ethnic Manchus...
：the Brave) in 1853 - Imperial yellow jacketImperial yellow jacketThe imperial yellow jacket was a symbol of high honour during China's Qing Dynasty. As yellow was a forbidden color, representing the Emperor, the jacket was given only to high-ranking officials and to the Emperor's body guards.-Wearing the jacket:...
(黃馬褂) in 1857 - BaronBaronBaron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
Yiyong of the First Class, Order of successionOrder of successionAn order of succession is a formula or algorithm that determines who inherits an office upon the death, resignation, or removal of its current occupant.-Monarchies and nobility:...
勇毅一等男爵, 世襲)