Ming · General

Zhang Yu 張玉

First attested AD 1399; died AD 1400

Passages: 5
Chapters: 2
Histories: 1

Overview

Zhang Yu was a general.

Life and dates

Death

AD 1400 建文二年
Killed in battle · At Dongchang 東昌
Directly stated · History of Ming 5, passage 100
AD 1400 建文二年十二月
Beheaded in battle · At Dongchang 東昌
Directly stated · History of Ming 4, passage 116

Attested activity

AD 1400 建文二年十二月
Directly stated · History of Ming 4, passage 116
AD 1399 建文元年
Dated from the passage context · History of Ming 5, passage 21

Key source chapters

Places and affiliations

Ming 明
Relation Served
Strongly inferred · History of Ming 4, passage 116

References in the histories

History of Ming, Chapter 4Volume 4 Annals 4: Emperor Gongming · 1 passage

斬其將張玉。 The Yan general Zhang Yu was killed in the fighting.

History of Ming, Chapter 5Volume 5 Annals 5: Chengzu 1 · 4 passages

王密與僧道衍謀，令指揮張玉、朱能潛納勇士八百人入府守衞。 The Prince plotted in secret with the monk Daoyan and had Zhang Yu and Zhu Neng slip eight hundred picked warriors into the palace to guard it.

壬戌，王至真定，與張玉、譚淵等夾擊炳文軍，大破之，獲其副將李堅、甯忠及都督顧成等，斬首三萬級。 On renxu he came to Zhending and, with Zhang Yu and Tan Yuan, caught Geng Bingwen in a pincer, broke him completely, and took his deputies Li Jian and Ning Zhong and the regional commander Gu Cheng; thirty thousand heads were counted.

張玉將中軍，郑亨、何寿副之； Zhang Yu led the center, with Zheng Heng and He Shou as deputies;

會平安軍至，合圍數重，王大敗，溃圍以免，亡數萬人，張玉戰死。 Ping An came up and ringed him in layer after layer; the Prince suffered a crushing defeat, hacked his way out, left tens of thousands dead on the field, and Zhang Yu fell fighting.