Zhou,officially the Great Zhou,was a short-lived rebel state that existed in China during the Red Turban Rebellion,which took place in the final phase of the Yuan dynasty. It was established in 1354 by Zhang Shicheng,a local rebel leader in Jiangxi Province. Initially,it only controlled a small area around Gaoyou in central Jiangsu,but by 1355–1356,it had expanded its territory to include northern Zhejiang south of the Yangtze River. In 1356,Zhang relocated to Suzhou and surrendered to Yuan rule the following year,giving up his royal title.
In late 1353,Zhang Shicheng,the leader of the rebellious salt producers and smugglers in northern and central Jiangsu,gained control of Gaoyou,a prefecture-level city located 40km north of Yangzhou. He also controlled traffic on the Grand Canal.[1] Zhang declared himself King Cheng (誠王)[2] of the state of Zhou (大周;'Great Zhou') and began to establish his own state. He declared the era of Tianyou (天佑;'Sustained by Heaven') and distributed appropriate offices among his followers.[3]
In the summer of 1354,the Yuan garrison at Yangzhou,the most important center of the region,launched an attack on the new state,but their attempt was unsuccessful. In response,the Yuan government in Beijing offered amnesty and high ranks and titles. Despite these efforts,Zhang eventually ended the negotiations by killing the envoys. The government then resorted to force,sending an army led by the Yuan commander Toqto’a to Gaoyou. The siege began on 24 November 1354. Despite repeatedly crushing Zhang's troops outside the city and clearing the surrounding countryside of rebels,Toqto’a's command was stripped on 7 January 1355 by an imperial edict. This caused the army to disintegrate,with some soldiers joining bandits.[3] The Yuan government once again offered Zhang amnesty and a position,but he refused and instead occupied northern Jiangsu.[4]
The conquered territory was ravaged by epidemics and famine. Zhang Shicheng turned his focus towards the south,although he was hesitant due to the linguistic diversity of the region.[4] In late 1355,he dispatched his younger brother,Zhang Shide,to cross the Yangtze River.[a] Zhang Shide successfully captured the first major city,Changshu,in February 1356,followed by Suzhou,the central city of the region,in March.[4] In April 1356,Zhang Shicheng relocated to Suzhou.[5] Over the next few months,Zhang Shide's army advanced west beyond Changzhou and south into northern Zhejiang,but their attempt to attack Hangzhou was unsuccessful.[4] As a result,the state of Zhou emerged as a dominant regional power,bordered by Zhu Yuanzhang's territory to the west and the Yuan garrison in Hangzhou to the south,with both parties in a state of hostility.[4] In the north,Zhou's influence extended as far as Shandong.[6]
Under pressure from Zhu Yuanzhang and the growing Yuan forces in Hangzhou,Zhang Shicheng abdicated his royal title in late 1357 and submitted to the Yuan government. In return,he was granted the rank of grand marshal,and his officials were given provincial and local ranks and titles. Despite these changes,the de facto power structure remained unchanged,and Zhang Shicheng retained his independence.[7]
Notes
↑ Zhang Shicheng was not the only one who decided to occupy the wealthy regions south of the Yangtze River. At the same time, further west, Zhu Yuanzhang was also crossing the river.
Farmer, Edward L (1995). Zhu Yuanzhang and Early Ming Legislation: The Reordering of Chinese Society Following the Era of Mongol Rule. Leiden: Brill. ISBN9789004103917.
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