家世

張雄是漣水人，在漣水所屬的感化軍為偏將。一次，他同樣來自漣水的同僚馮弘鐸被小吏所辱，他為馮辯護，結果卻使感化軍節度使時溥對他們都產生了疑心。光啟二年（886年）十月，張、馮得知受到時溥懷疑，聚集了三百人，離開感化，渡過長江，攻鎮海軍治下的蘇州，據之，張雄自稱刺史。最後他聚集到一支規模為五萬、戰艦一千多艘的軍隊，自號為天成軍。

遊蕩行軍

張雄占據蘇州，引起鎮海軍節度使周寶不快、不安。周寶得知與自己敵對的高駢的部下六合鎮遏使徐約有一支精銳的軍隊，引誘徐約攻蘇州，許諾事成後將蘇州給他。光啟三年（887年）四月，徐約攻張雄；張雄無力支當，率眾逃入東海。他派別將趙暉率部分軍隊和艦隊沿長江西進占據上元，趙暉得手了。張雄以上元為西州，自負其才，欲治台城為府，旌旗衣服僭擬于王者。

與此同時，淮南軍部揚州陷入自相殘殺的戰鬥中：左廂都知兵馬使畢師鐸擔心高駢寵信的術士呂用之要殺他而兵變奪取了揚州，控制了高駢。同月，張雄趁機接近揚州，在揚州附近的東塘停住。高駢部下左莫邪都虞候申及投奔張雄。隨後，戰事再度在畢師鐸、被他授以淮南節度權的盟友宣歙觀察使秦彥與圍困揚州的廬州刺史楊行密之間爆發。八月，秦彥、畢師鐸因食物短缺，希望得到張雄強兵的援助，授張雄僕射告身，出城中金玉珠繒換取張雄富餘的糧食，一條通犀帶換米五升，一錦衾換糠五升，二斤銀子換米一斗。但張雄軍得到城中的財物而變富後，拒絕加入秦、畢一方作戰，顧自離去，不久更反而秘密幫助楊行密。十一月，楊行密破城，秦、畢出逃。他們最初試圖投靠張雄，被張雄拒絕，轉而加入在奉國軍自稱皇帝的秦宗權的弟弟秦宗衡的軍隊。後秦宗衡為副將孫儒所殺，孫儒誅殺秦彥、畢師鐸，敗楊行密，奪揚州。

此時，周寶已在一場兵變中失去對鎮海軍的控制權，部下很多士兵逃奔趙暉，趙暉部下達到數萬人。趙暉因而變得驕傲，建台城為居所，開始過奢侈的生活，也和張雄斷絕了聯繫。閏十一月，當張雄離開東塘沿長江西進時，趙暉更想阻止他。張雄怒攻上元並將其攻陷。趙暉逃走，被部下所殺。張雄坑殺趙暉的所有降卒，在上元安居。

控制上元

同時，楊行密已回到廬州，謀攻秦彥離開宣歙以圖控制淮南時委任留守的現任宣歙觀察使趙鍠，文德元年（888年）八月，他說服張雄和和州刺史孫端先對趙鍠發動進攻，迫使趙鍠迎戰。趙鍠擊敗張、孫的同時，楊行密親自攻敗趙鍠，最終攻陷其軍部宣州，以觀察使身份接管了宣歙。

唐昭宗于大順元年（890年）在上元設置昇州，任張雄為刺史。景福二年（893年）八月，張雄卒，馮弘鐸自稱代刺史。張雄善于馭眾，士兵因而懷念他，為他立廟。

注釋及參考文獻

Background

Zhang Xiong was originally from Lianshui (漣水, in modern Huai'an, Jiangsu), and he served as an officer at Ganhua Circuit (感化, headquartered in modern Xuzhou, Jiangsu), which Lianshui belonged to. Once, when fellow officer Feng Hongduo, who was also from Lianshui, was accused of impropriety by circuit administrators, Zhang spoke on his behalf, and Zhang's doing so caused Ganhua's military governor (Jiedushi) Shi Pu to suspect both of them. In 886, knowing that Shi suspected them, Zhang and Feng gathered 300 men and left Ganhua with them, crossing the Yangtze River to attack Su Prefecture (蘇州, in modern Suzhou, Jiangsu), which then belonged to Zhenhai Circuit. They captured it, and Zhang claimed the title of prefect. Eventually, he was able to gather an army reaching the size of 50,000, with 1,000 ships, and called his army Tiancheng Army.

Roving campaigns

Zhang Xiong's occupation of Su Prefecture drew the displeasure and apprehension of Zhenhai's military governor Zhou Bao. As Zhou had heard that Xu Yue (徐約), an officer under Zhou's rival Gao Pian the military governor of Huainan, had a strong army, he induced Xu to attack Su Prefecture, promising to give the prefecture to him if Xu were successful. In summer 887, Xu attacked Zhang; Zhang was unable to withstand the attack, and he took his army east out to the East China Sea. He sent his officer Zhao Hui with part of the army and part of the fleet west on the Yangtze to take over Shangyuan, and Zhao was able to do so.

Meanwhile, Huainan's capital Yang Prefecture (揚州) had become embroiled in internecine warfare, as the officer Bi Shiduo, fearful that Gao's trusted sorcerer Lü Yongzhi was about to kill him, mutinied and captured Yang Prefecture, taking Gao under his control. Zhang used this opportunity to approach it, stopping his army at Dongtang (東塘, in modern Yangzhou), near Yang Prefecture. Subsequently, war again erupted between Bi and his ally Qin Yan the governor (觀察使, Guanchashi) of Xuanshe Circuit (宣歙, headquartered in modern Xuancheng, Anhui) (whom Bi offered the military governorship of Huainan to) and Yang Xingmi the prefect of Lu Prefecture (廬州, in modern Hefei, Anhui), who put Yang Prefecture under siege. Qin and Bi wanted Zhang's aid, as they were running low on food supplies, and they exchanged the wealths of the city for food supplies from Zhang. However, Zhang's army, after they received the wealths of the city, refused to engage in battle on Qin's and Bi's behalf. Thereafter, Yang Xingmi captured the city, and Qin and Bi fled. They initially tried to join Zhang, but Zhang refused to receive them, and they instead joined forces with Qin Zongheng (秦宗衡), the brother of Qin Zongquan, who had proclaimed himself emperor at Fengguo Circuit (奉國, headquartered in modern Zhumadian, Henan). (Qin Zongheng was subsequently assassinated by his lieutenant Sun Ru, who then executed Qin Yan and Bi, defeated Yang Xingmi, and took over Yang Prefecture.)

Meanwhile, with Zhou having himself lost control of Zhenhai Circuit in a mutiny, many of Zhou's soldiers fled to Zhao. Zhao thus became arrogant, and he rebuilt Tai Castle (臺城), a major defense mechanism for Jiankang, the ancient capital of the Southern Dynasties, as his residence, and began to live luxuriously. He also stopped communicating with Zhang. When Zhang left Dongtang and advanced west on the Yangtze, Zhao further tried to stop him. In anger, Zhang attacked Shangyuan and captured it. Zhao fled but was killed by his own subordinates. Zhang killed all of Zhao's soldiers who surrendered, and settled in at Shangyuan.

Control of Shangyuan

Meanwhile, Yang Xingmi had returned to Lu Prefecture and was plotting to attack Zhao Huang the governor of Xuanshe (whom Qin Yan had left in charge of Xuanshe when he left to contend for control of Huainan). Yang persuaded Zhang Xiong and Sun Duan the prefect of He Prefecture (和州, in modern Chaohu, Anhui) to first attack Zhao, forcing Zhao to engage them. While Zhao was able to defeat Zhang and Sun, Yang then himself attacked Zhao and defeated him, eventually capturing his capital Xuan Prefecture (宣州) and taking over Xuanshe as its governor.

In 890, then-reigning Emperor Zhaozong established a new Sheng Prefecture (昇州) at Shangyuan and made Zhang its prefect. Zhang died in 893, and Feng Hongduo succeeded him as prefect. It was said that Zhang's soldiers missed him for his leadership skills, and they built a temple to worship him.

Notes and references

• New Book of Tang, vol. 190.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 256, 257, 258, 259.