Zhang Jieran
Zhang Jieran (張介然; died 756) was the Defence Officer (防禦使) of Chenliu Commandery for the Tang during the An Lushan Rebellion.[3] In that capacity, he was the chief official of military affairs for its defence garrison[4] and had been specially appointed by Emperor Xuanzong to resist the deviant jiedushi in that area.[3] Unable to withstand the inexorable onslaught of Lushan and his elite Yeluohe forces, Jieran surrendered along with his troops on 11 January 756,[1][2][5] and they were all taken to Lushan's camp as prisoners-of-war.[3]
To his misfortune, Lushan had just received news of his eldest son Qingzong's execution at Chang'an. When Jieran was brought bound before Lushan, Lushan asked for his identity, to which Jieran announced his name, position, and orders to "pacify the rebellion". These words incited Lushan's rage. Already grieving over his son, he drew his great saber and commanded Jieran to look at him. The Tang officer dared not do so, but this merely aggravated Lushan even more. Lushan's advisor Yan Zhuang reminded him that prisoners-of-war must be spared, but the rebel commander swatted him aside and grabbed Jieran by his face with one hand to force him to stare into his eyes.[3]
By this point, Jieran had lost all composure. He trembled in fear as Lushan shouted at him, "I am coming to Chang'an to eradicate corruption... what crime is there? And for my son... what crime was there?!" Thusly, he was beheaded by Lushan in a frenzy. Lushan's vengeance not sated by this kill, he then proceeded to order the massacre of all the other Chenliu prisoners, which amounted to a death toll of nearly 10,000 men.[3]
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]
Zhang Jieran is a minor character in the manhua Assassin's Creed: Dynasty (2020) and a historical figure. His role in history was precisely the same as in the manhua, having been appointed as Defence Officer of Chenliu Commandery and then executed in a rage by An Lushan when the rebel jiedushi heard news of his eldest son's execution. This episode is recorded in the Zizhi Tongjian (1084), along with Lushan's baleful cry, "What crime have I, and for my son to be killed?!" (「我何罪，而殺我子！」) (Scroll 217, line 45). In "Record of Major Events in Tianbao Year 14", the timeline released with Volume 4: The Last Stand of Justice, lines from the Zizhi Tongjian such as these are included as excerpts. The date for the fall of Chenliu and Jieran's death in the Zizhi Tongjian—Tianbao 14, Month 12, Day of Gengyan or Day 5—is also used for the timeline in Dynasty, and this corresponds to 11 January 756.[2] However, the Old Book of Tang (945), another regular source used for Dynasty, instead states that these two events occurred on the Day of Xinmao or 12 January 756.[2][6]
Appearances[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – Record of Major Events in Tianbao Year 14
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 兩千年中西曆轉換 [Western Calendar Converter for Two Thousand Years] (in Chinese). Academia Sinica Center for Digital Cultures. Retrieved on 27 April 2022.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – Golden Turtles (Part 1)
- ↑ 防禦使 (in Chinese). Baidu Baike. Retrieved on 13 March 2022.
- ↑ Sima Guang (1084). 資治通鑑: 卷二百十七 [Zizhi Tongjian: Scroll 217] (in Chinese). Chinese Text Project. Retrieved on 27 April 2023.
- ↑ Liu Xiu (945). 舊唐書: 卷九 本紀第九 玄宗下 [Old Book of Tang: "Royal Annals 9 Xuanzong (Part 2/2)". Scroll 9, line 41] (in Chinese). Chinese Text Project. Retrieved on 27 April 2023.
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