Zhang Liang

Timeline

1. c. -250–-218Han (state), Bolangsha · HenanZhang Liang came from Han aristocracy; after Qin destroyed Han he spent all his wealth seeking an assassin, and at Bolangsha attacked Qin Shi Huang with an iron mallet, striking the wrong carriage and being forced to flee. In exile he met the Old Man of the Yellow Stone and received the Taigong Art of War, laying the foundation for his later stratagems.
2. -209–-202Fengpei, Guanzhong, and the Xingyang line · ChinaZhang Liang joined Liu Bang, advising the taking of Wan, the surrender of Qin, and the pacification of Guanzhong, and at the Hongmen Banquet he mediated to save Liu Bang. During the Chu-Han War he urged Liu Bang to swallow small grievances, ally with Han Xin and Peng Yue, and secure Qi, creating the strategic conditions for the encirclement of Xiang Yu at Gaixia; he was praised for deciding victory a thousand li away from within his tent.
3. -202–-195Chang'an · ShaanxiAfter the Han dynasty was founded Zhang Liang took part in deliberating the enfeoffments and stabilizing the lords, and was granted the title Marquis of Liu. In Liu Bang's later years, when he wished to replace the crown prince, Zhang Liang indirectly defended Liu Ying's position by calling on the Four Elders of Mount Shang. Thereafter often ill, he kept to his doors and stayed out of politics, preserving himself and his family by his wisdom.
4. c. -195–-186Xiapi, Liu County · JiangsuIn his later years Zhang Liang followed Chisongzi, practicing daoyin and grain-avoidance techniques, keeping away from the center of power. After his death he was buried in Liu County with the posthumous name Wencheng. His peaceful end, unlike that of Han Xin and Xiao He, became an important case in comparative studies of the fates of early Han meritorious servants.