Zheng Chang was a ruler of the Kingdom of Hán

Han (state)

Han was a kingdom during the Warring States Period in China, located in modern-day Shanxi and Henan. Not to be confused with South Korea which shares the same character....

 of the Eighteen Kingdoms during the Chu–Han contention period of Chinese history

History of China

Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...

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Zheng was initially the magistrate of Wu County during the Qin Dynasty

Qin Dynasty

The Qin Dynasty was the first imperial dynasty of China, lasting from 221 to 207 BC. The Qin state derived its name from its heartland of Qin, in modern-day Shaanxi. The strength of the Qin state was greatly increased by the legalist reforms of Shang Yang in the 4th century BC, during the Warring...

. He was an acquaintance of Xiang Yu

Xiang Yu

Xiang Yu was a prominent military leader and political figure during the late Qin Dynasty. His given name was Ji while his style name was Yu ....

, and followed the latter in rebelling against Qin around 209 BC. After the fall of Qin in 206 BC, Xiang divided the former Qin Empire into the Eighteen Kingdoms, and appointed Han Cheng

Han Cheng

Han Cheng , also known as Han Wang Cheng in some Chinese historical texts, was a ruler of the Kingdom of Hán of the Eighteen Kingdoms during the Chu–Han contention period of Chinese history.-Biography:...

 as the ruler of Hán. Months later, Xiang had Han Cheng killed and replaced with Zheng. Later that year, Hán Xin attacked the Hán kingdom with support from Liu Bang and defeated Zheng. Zheng surrendered and was replaced by Hán Xin.