Zhang Shicheng

One of the warlords at the end of the Yuan Dynasty in China. He was originally a salt broker at Baihuang, one of the salt factories in Taizhou (Tai County, Jiangsu Province). In 1353, he took advantage of a dispute between the officials and the salt workers in charge of the salt factory and the salt workers, gathered the salt workers together and started a rebellion, occupying Taizhou and then Gaoyou, and thus became known as "King Cheng." He later surrendered to the Yuan Dynasty for a time, but in 1356 he occupied Suzhou (Jiangsu Province), the center of the Yangtze River Delta, and established his base there, calling himself "King Wu." At one time, his power became a wealthy and powerful government that stretched from Jiangsu Province to Zhejiang Province, but he became arrogant with his wealth and politics became lax. He was defeated in a conflict with Zhu Yuanzhang (the founder of the Ming Dynasty), who was based in Nanjing at the time, and was captured by the Ming army in 67, where he committed suicide.

[Noriko Taniguchi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、元(げん)末群雄の1人。泰(たい)州（江蘇(こうそ)省泰県）の製塩場の一つ白駒(はっく)場に籍を置く塩の仲買人の出身。1353年、塩場管理の官吏や豪戸(ごうこ)と、塩丁(えんてい)との間に争いが起こったのに乗じ、塩丁を集めて乱を起こし、泰州ついで高郵(こうゆう)を占領、これによって「誠王」と称した。のち一時、元朝に下ったが、56年には揚子江(ようすこう)デルタ地帯の中心蘇州(そしゅう)（江蘇省）を占領し、ここに本拠を構えて「呉王」を自称した。彼の勢力は一時、江蘇省から浙江(せっこう)省一帯に及ぶ富強政権となったが、富におごり、政治が弛緩(しかん)した。当時南京(ナンキン)を本拠としていた朱元璋(しゅげんしょう)（明(みん)の太祖）との抗争に敗れ、67年明軍に捕らえられて自殺した。

［谷口規矩雄］

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