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Zhang Shicheng

Type Figure Region China Time 1321–1367 Also known as Zhang Jiusi、King of Zhou

Zhang Shicheng (1321–1367) was one of the regional warlords of the late Yuan, a salt smuggler from Taizhou who declared himself emperor at Gaoyou in …

Timeline

  1. 1321–1350Baiju Field, Taizhou (modern Dongtai, Jiangsu) · Dongtai CityBorn into a salt-field family in Taizhou, he began by smuggling private salt; in the 1340s, driven by the harsh Yuan salt laws, he gathered salt workers and local strongmen, forming a regional power in the Jianghuai area that laid the foundation for his later rebellion.
  2. 1351–1356Gaoyou · Gaoyou CityHe rose in revolt at Gaoyou in 1351, declared himself King of Zhou in 1353 under the state name Great Zhou, and successively took Xinghua, Taizhou and other places, becoming a major regional force in the Huaixi–Jianghuai area and forming a three-way contest with the Yuan dynasty and the later Zhu Yuanzhang.
  3. 1356–1367Suzhou · Suzhou CityIn 1356 he moved his capital to Suzhou, controlling the rich tax region of Jiangsu–Zhejiang; his administration was relatively lenient and he recruited literati, forming a three-way standoff with Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang. In 1367 Xu Da besieged Suzhou; when the city fell he was captured and the Great Zhou regime was extinguished.

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