Zhang Er was from Liang. When he was young, he served as a retainer to Lord Xinling of Wei. Later, Zhang Er ran afoul of the law and fled to a place called Waihuang. In Waihuang, the daughter of a wealthy family was exceptionally beautiful, but she married an ordinary servant. After her husband died, she returned to her father's friend. Her father's friend knew Zhang Er from before and said to her, "If you want to find a good husband, then marry Zhang Er." She quickly asked her father's permission and married Zhang Er. At that time, Zhang Er was on the run, but her family looked after him well, so Zhang Er gathered a group of followers and gained considerable influence across a wide area. Later, he became the magistrate of Waihuang County in the State of Wei, and his reputation grew even further.
Chen Yu, also from the State of Liang, studied Confucianism and often went to Kuxing in the State of Zhao to further his education. In Waihuang, a wealthy man named Gong Chengshi married his daughter off to him. Gong Chengshi also knew that Chen Yu was not an ordinary person. Chen Yu had great respect for Zhang Er from a young age, and the two of them were like brothers.
After the Qin state destroyed the Liang state, Zhang Er lived in Waihuang. When Liu Bang was still a commoner, he often hung out with Zhang Er and stayed for several months. Several years after the Qin state took down the Wei state, it was already known that Zhang Er and Chen Yu were big shots in Wei, and a reward was offered for their capture, with a bounty of one thousand gold for Zhang Er and five hundred gold for Chen Yu. Zhang Er and Chen Yu changed their names and went to the Chen region together, becoming caretakers to make a living. The two lived together. Once, when the gatekeeper was about to whip Chen Yu, Chen Yu wanted to resist, but Zhang Er quickly held him down and took the whipping. After the gatekeeper left, Zhang Er pulled Chen Yu under a mulberry tree and rebuked him, saying, "Do you remember what I told you before? Now you want to fight with a gatekeeper over a petty squabble?" Chen Yu felt ashamed. Qin's most wanted posters were posted everywhere to find them, so they took advantage of their position as caretakers to spread the word on the sly and passed messages discreetly through the back alleys.
Chen Sheng rebelled in Qixian, attacking the Chen region with a huge army. Zhang Er and Chen Yu went to visit Chen Sheng. Chen Sheng's bodyguards had heard of Zhang Er and Chen Yu's reputation before but had never seen them, and they were very happy to meet them. Chen Sheng's fellow villagers, those prominent figures, advised him, "You're armored, you've got the weapons, lead soldiers to overthrow the tyrannical Qin, bring Chu back, keep it strong, and you've earned the crown! You're in charge of the whole army; you gotta be king! We hope you can crown yourself King of Chu!"
Chen Sheng asked the two people who advised him to declare himself king. These two people replied, "The Qin Dynasty is truly too brutal. They wipe out countries, smash their temples, sever their descendants, exhaust the strength of the people, and extort their wealth. General, you're fearless, facing the danger of death to eliminate the scourge of the brutal Qin for the world. If you crown yourself as soon as you arrive in Chen territory, people will think you're just doing it for yourself. Hold off on becoming king for now, quickly lead your troops westward, send people to support the descendants of the Six States, establish your own power, and increase the strength to resist the Qin Dynasty. More enemies means they're weaker; we unite, we're stronger. In this way, there will be no enemies in the field, no strongholds in the city, and we'll crush the Qin, grab Xianyang, and then the other princes will fall in line. After the princes lose their countries, they can be rebuilt, and we can influence them with benevolence, thus achieving imperial ambitions. Just crowning yourself in Chen? No one's gonna buy that!" However, Chen Sheng did not listen to them and eventually declared himself king.
Chen Yu went to advise King Chen again, saying, "Your Majesty, march your Liang and Chu armies west, aiming to break through the Hangu Pass, without yet recovering the territory of Hebei. I know Zhao inside and out – the people, the land. Let me take some crack troops north and grab Zhao." So, King Chen appointed his old friend, Wu Chen, a man from Chen, as the general, Shao Sao as the commander, and appointed Zhang Er and Chen Yu as his right-hand men, giving them three thousand soldiers to march north and attack Zhao territory.
The officers crossed the Yellow River from Baima, arrived at various counties, and said to the local heroes, "The Qin Dynasty has been running a tyrannical regime, using cruel punishments to harm the people for decades. There's slave labor for building the Great Wall in the north and guarding the borders in the south. The whole country's a mess, and the people are exhausted, stripped bare to supply military expenses. Money is running out, manpower is depleted, and the common people can't survive. On top of brutal laws and punishments, families can't even find peace. Chen Sheng's uprising set an example for the people, occupying the Chu region for two thousand miles with no place left unresponsive. Everyone's furious, and people are seething with rage, getting revenge. They killed county officials in their counties and prefects in their prefectures. A powerful Chu state has now been set up, with Chen Sheng as king, and Wu Guang and Zhou Wen leading a million troops to attack the Qin Dynasty from the west. At this time, anyone who doesn't make a name for themselves isn't a hero! Think about it! Everyone hates the Qin! They've suffered for too long. Let's use this chance to crush the tyrant, avenge our families, and grab some land! This is our shot at glory!" The heroes all agreed with him. So they recruited soldiers and bought horses, and obtained tens of thousands of people, making Wu Chen their leader, calling him Lord Wuxin. They captured ten cities of the Zhao kingdom, while the other cities held out and wouldn't surrender.
Next, they led the army to attack Fanyang in the northeast. Fanyang resident Kuai Tong said to the county magistrate of Fanyang, "I heard you’re about to die, so I came to pay my respects. But I’m also here to celebrate your unexpected continued existence." The county magistrate of Fanyang asked, "Why do you say you want to pay your respects to me?" Kuai Tong replied, "Qin law was brutal. You’ve spent a decade here in Fanyang, leaving a trail of mutilated bodies and ruined lives. Yet, those grieving families dare not assassinate you because they fear the laws of the Qin. Now the empire’s crumbling, and Qin law means nothing. Those whose families you’ve wronged will come for you to avenge their families and make a name for themselves. The lords have all turned against the Qin, and the army of Wuxin is about to arrive. Young men are itching to off you and switch sides. Get me to Wuxin, and you’ll be out of this mess!"
The magistrate of Fanyang County sent Kuai Tong to meet Prince Wu Xin. Kuai Tong said, "You must be planning to win battles before seizing land, taking cities and land without a fight. I think this method is not right. If you follow my plan, you can settle a thousand miles with a single letter. What do you think?" Prince Wu Xin asked, "What does this mean?" Kuai Tong explained, "The soldiers in Fanyang County are currently being prepared to resist, but they're cowardly and greedy for wealth and honor, so they all want to surrender first. They're scared you'll be like the Qin officials who wiped out those ten cities and do the same to them. But now the young people in Fanyang are about to kill the magistrate and use the cities to resist you. Why don't you let me take your seal and appoint the magistrate of Fanyang County? Once the magistrate receives your seal, he will offer the cities to you, and the young people will not dare to kill him. Then let the magistrate of Fanyang ride in a magnificent carriage to patrol the border of Yan and Zhao. Seeing him, the border folk will know Fanyang's already surrendered and be encouraged to follow suit. This is what I meant by taking over a thousand miles with just a decree." Prince Wu Xin adopted his plan and let Kuai Tong take the seal to appoint the magistrate of Fanyang County. News of this prompted over thirty Zhao cities to surrender without a fight.
When they arrived in Handan, Zhang Er and Chen Yu heard that Zhou Zhang's army had entered Hangu Pass and were stopped at Xidi; they also heard that other generals were expanding territory for King Chen, and many were killed because of slander. They resented King Chen for not using their strategies, not appointing them as generals, and only letting them be lieutenants. So they persuaded Wu Chen, saying, "When King Chen raised his troops in Qixian and declared himself king in Chen, it didn't necessarily mean he had to be king after the six states. General, with just three thousand men, you have captured dozens of cities in Zhao and occupied Hebei alone. You need to be king to win the people over. Furthermore, King Chen is unreliable and capricious, and you may find it difficult to avoid disaster. Better to back his brother, or failing that, a Zhao prince. General, do not miss the opportunity; time waits for no one!" Wu Chen followed their advice and proclaimed himself King of Zhao. He appointed Chen Yu as Grand General, Zhang Er as Right Prime Minister, and Shao Sao as Left Prime Minister.
Word reached King Chen, who was furious and wanted Wu Chen and his family eliminated, and sent troops to attack Zhao. King Chen's Prime Minister Fang Jun advised, "Killing Wu Chen and his family before Qin is destroyed will just create another Qin. It would be better to congratulate him and have him quickly lead troops west to attack Qin." King Chen thought he made sense and followed his advice, putting Wu Chen's family and others under house arrest in the palace and appointing Zhang Er's son Ao as Duke of Chengdu.
Chen Wang sent messengers to congratulate Zhao Wang and pressed Zhao to attack westward at Hangu Pass. Zhang Er and Chen Yu advised Zhao Wang that Chen Wang wasn't being sincere; it was all a trick. They suggested that instead of advancing west, Zhao should attack Yan and Dai to the north, take back Henan to the south, and boost its power. With the Yellow River to their south and Yan and Dai to the north, even if Chu beat Qin, they wouldn't easily take over Zhao. Zhao Wang saw their point and decided not to advance west, but to send Han Guang to attack Yan, Li Liang to attack Changshan, and Zhang Yan to attack Shangdang. After Han Guang attacked Yan, the Yan people made him their king. Zhao Wang, along with Zhang Er and Chen Yu, pushed north until they hit the Yan border. One day, Zhao Wang got caught by the Yan army while he was out on his own. The Yan general locked up Zhao Wang, hoping to split the land with Zhao before letting him go. Yan had killed all the messengers they'd sent before when those messengers asked for land. Zhang Er and Chen Yu were freaking out. At this time, an ordinary soldier from Zhao said to them in their residence, "I'll go talk to Yan and get Zhao Wang back." The people in the residence laughed at him, saying, "Dude, we sent over a dozen messengers, and they all got killed. How are *you* gonna get the king back?" However, the soldier went straight to the Yan army camp.
The Yan general saw this soldier and asked him, "Do you know why I am here?" The soldier said, "You are here to seize King Zhao." The Yan general said, "Do you know what kind of people Zhang Er and Chen Yu are?" The soldier said, "They are both capable men." The Yan general asked again, "Do you know what their purpose is?" The soldier said, "They want to take King Zhao prisoner." The soldier from the Zhao kingdom smiled and said, "You still don't know what these two really want. Wuchen, Zhang Er, and Chen Yu have captured dozens of cities in the Zhao kingdom; each of them wants to set themselves up as king. A subject and a monarch are not equals. Just because the situation has just stabilized, they dare not openly declare themselves kings, so they first made Wuchen the king to stabilize the hearts of the people of Zhao. Now that the land of Zhao has been pacified, these two also want to claim kingship in Zhao, but the time is not ripe. You have imprisoned King Zhao now; these two, on the surface, say they want to save King Zhao, but in reality, they want the Yan kingdom to kill King Zhao so that they can claim kingship themselves. Taking on Zhao would be a huge challenge for Yan, not to mention Zhang Er and Chen Yu, these two ambitious warlords flanking them. Pinning King Zhao's death on Yan would make conquering them a breeze." The Yan general felt that what he said made sense, so he released King Zhao, and this soldier also went back with King Zhao.
After Li Liang captured Changshan, he returned to report. King Zhao sent Li Liang to attack Taiyuan. When he arrived at Shiyi, the Qin army had the Jing pass sealed shut, and Li Liang could not advance. At this time, a Qin general tricked Li Liang by pretending to be the Emperor and sent a letter to Li Liang; the letter was not sealed, and it said, "Li Liang, you used to work for me and received my appreciation. If you now betray Zhao and surrender to Qin, I will pardon your crimes and give you a high position." Li Liang received this letter and was torn, unsure whether to trust it.
So Li Liang returned to Handan to request reinforcements. Before reaching Handan, he met King Zhao's sister on the road, who was leading over a hundred riders out for a drink. Li Liang saw her from afar and thought it was King Zhao approaching, so he quickly knelt down by the side of the road to bow. King Zhao's sister, completely sloshed, didn't even recognize him and sent a soldier over to thank him. Mortified, surrounded by his low-ranking officers, Li Liang stood up feeling uneasy. One of his soldiers said, "Look, everyone's ditching Qin, right? Anyone with any guts is making themselves king. And Zhao's never respected you, and now his sister won't even give you the time of day! Let's go get her!" His subordinate's words lit a fire under him, and he sent men after the princess.
Later, Li Liang led his army to attack Handan. Handan was totally unprepared, and both Wu Chen and Shao Sao were killed. Zhao insiders tipped off Zhang Er and Chen Yu, letting them get away. Li Liang recruited these soldiers, gaining tens of thousands of troops. One of Zhang Er's contacts suggested, "You two are on the run, and clinging to Zhao is a dead end. Why not become kings yourselves? Justice is on your side – that's your ticket to success." Zhang Er found Zhao Xie, put him on the throne as King Zhao, and made Xindu the capital. Li Liang attacked Chen Yu, got his arse kicked, and ran back to Zhang Han.
Zhang Han led his troops to attack Handan, relocating the city's population to Hanoi and demolishing the city walls. Zhang Er and King Zhao Xie fled to Julu City, where Wang Li besieged Julu City with his forces. Chen Yu gathered troops from the Changshan area to the north and established a camp north of Julu City. Zhang Han's army camped in Jiyuan to the south of Julu City, constructing a supply route to the Yellow River to supply Wang Li with provisions. With ample food supplies, Wang Li's army fiercely attacked Julu City. The city was starved of food and men, prompting Zhang Er to send messenger after messenger pleading with Chen Yu for help. However, Chen Yu felt his forces were too few to defeat the Qin army and did not dare to come. After several months, Zhang Er grew angry and blamed Chen Yu, sending Zhang Yan and Chen Ze to reprimand him, saying, "What kind of friends are you? Now, with the King and Zhang Er in danger of dying at any moment, you refuse to bring your forces to help. If we're really brothers in arms, why not charge into the Qin camp and die together? At least some of us might survive!" Chen Yu replied, "Even if I went, it wouldn't save Zhao. We'd just be throwing our lives away. I'm not here to die with you; I want to avenge King Zhao and General Zhang. Dying now is like throwing meat to a tiger – what good would that do?" Zhang Yan and Chen Ze insisted, "This is desperate! We gotta die together to show we're true friends. Who knows what tomorrow brings?" Chen Yu finally agreed, saying, "What good would my death do? Fine, let's do as you say." So he sent five thousand men with them to scout the Qin lines, but they got wiped out.
At this time, Yan, Qi, and Chu all heard that Zhao was in danger and came to rescue. Zhang Ao also gathered the troops from Dai to the north, bringing over ten thousand soldiers and horses to support, all stationed outside Julu City, but none dared to attack the Qin army. Xiang Yu's army cut off the supply route of Zhang Han's food and supplies, and Wang Li's army were running low on supplies. Xiang Yu led all the armies across the Yellow River and ultimately defeated Zhang Han. Zhang Han retreated, and only then did the armies of various lords dare to attack and surround the Qin army in Julu, ultimately capturing Wang Li. She Jian committed suicide. Julu City was ultimately saved, all thanks to the efforts of the Chu army.
Wow, King Zhao and Zhang Er escaped from Julu together, and then began to thank the various lords. Zhang Er found Chen Yu and grilled him for not sending troops to rescue Zhao, and also pressed him relentlessly about what happened to Zhang Yan and Chen Ze. Chen Yu blew up, saying, "Zhang Yan and Chen Ze insisted I fight to the death. I sent five thousand men to probe the Qin army first, and the whole army was annihilated; none returned!" Zhang Er didn't believe it at all, suspecting that Chen Yu deliberately killed them, and kept pressing him. Chen Yu got even angrier, saying, "I didn't realize you expected so much from me! Do you think I would sacrifice my soldiers to save myself?" With that, Chen Yu took off his seal and handed it to Zhang Er. Zhang Er was stunned and didn't dare to accept it. Chen Yu stood up and said he needed to relieve himself. At this time, a guest said to Zhang Er, "I heard that 'a gift like this doesn't come along every day. You should take it!' Now General Chen is giving you the seal; not accepting it is not auspicious! Hurry up and take it!" Only then did Zhang Er take the seal and incorporate Chen Yu's army. When Chen Yu returned and saw that Zhang Er hadn't returned the seal to him, he stopped arguing and left directly. Zhang Er successfully incorporated Chen Yu's troops. As for Chen Yu, he only took a few trusted followers to fish and hunt in the marshes by the river. That's how Chen Yu and Zhang Er went their separate ways.
King Zhao Xie returned to his capital at Xindu. Zhang Er followed Xiang Yu and the other lords into the pass. In February, the first year of the Han Dynasty, Xiang Yu enfeoffed the lords. Zhang Er was renowned; many spoke on his behalf, and Xiang Yu himself had heard of his abilities, so he awarded him Zhao territory, naming him King of Changshan, with his capital in Xindu. Xindu was later renamed Xiangguo.
Many of Chen Yu's followers went to Xiang Yu and said, "Chen Yu and Zhang Er have both made great contributions to Zhao!" Because Chen Yu did not follow him into the pass, Xiang Yu, upon hearing that he was in Nanpi, granted him three cities surrounding Nanpi, and then moved King Zhao Xie to Dai as the King of Dai.
Zhang Er was enfeoffed as a prince, and Chen Yu became more and more angry, saying, "My and Zhang Er's contributions are equally great, but now Zhang Er is a king, while I am just a marquis. This is clearly an act of unfairness by Xiang Yu!" Later, Prince Tian Rong of Qi rebelled against Chu, and Chen Yu sent Xia Shuo to persuade Tian Rong, saying, "Xiang Yu has become the overlord of the world, but he is very unfair, giving all the good places to those generals who are close to him, and giving the bad places to the original lords. King Zhao has been relegated to Dai! I hope your Majesty will lend me troops to defend Nanpi against Chu." Tian Rong wanted to develop his power in Zhao to counter Chu, so he sent troops to help Chen Yu. Chen Yu took the opportunity to gather the forces of the three counties and launched a surprise attack on King Changshan Zhang Er.
Zhang Er was routed, fleeing for his life, thinking he had nowhere to go. He said, "I had a relationship with King Han before, and Xiang Yu is too powerful. If I seek refuge with King Han, perhaps I can then assess the situation in Chu." Gan Gong said, "As King Han advanced on Guanzhong, a conjunction of five stars appeared in the Eastern Well constellation. The Eastern Well Star represents the territory of Qin. The first to arrive there will definitely become the hegemon. Although Chu is now very powerful, they will eventually submit to King Han." Therefore, Zhang Er fled to King Han. At that time, King Han was pacifying the Three Qins and besieging Zhang Han in Feiqiu. Zhang Er went to see King Han, who received him with open arms.
After Chen Yu defeated Zhang Er, he recovered the land of Zhao and welcomed the King of Zhao back to Dai territory, and reinstated him as King of Zhao. The King of Zhao was grateful to Chen Yu and appointed him as the King of Dai. With Zhao newly pacified, and feeling his age, Chen Yu delayed going to Dai to take up his kingship; instead, he stayed in Zhao to assist the King of Zhao and appointed Xia Shuo as the Prime Minister to govern Dai.
In the second year of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang launched an expedition to Chu and sent envoys to Zhao, hoping to cooperate with Zhao. Chen Yu said, "I only went along with Liu Bang after he offed Zhang Er." So Liu Bang had everyone who'd known Zhang Er bumped off and sent his head to Chen Yu. Only then did Chen Yu send troops to assist the Han army. Later, the Han army got its butt kicked at Pengcheng. Chen Yu heard that Zhang Er was still alive, so he flipped on the Han.
In the third year of the Han Dynasty, Han Xin pacified Wei territory and sent Zhang Er to lead troops with him. They smashed the Zhao army at Jingxing, then whacked Chen Yu by the Zhi River and chased down King Zhao to Xiangguo, where they finished him off. The Han King reinstated Zhang Er as the King of Zhao. In the fifth year of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Er passed away and was posthumously named King Jing. His son, Ao, succeeded him as the King of Zhao. Princess Lu Yuan, the eldest daughter of Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang, became the queen of King Ao of Zhao.
In the year 200 BC, Liu Bang passed through Zhao, and Zhao's King Liu Ruyi was practically kissing Liu Bang's feet, serving him dinner himself that night and acting like a total doormat – more like a son-in-law than a king! But Liu Bang just sat there, legs sprawled, grumbling and cursing, treating the king like dirt.
The Prime Minister Guan Gao and Zhao Wu of the Zhao Kingdom, both in their sixties, used to be subordinates of Zhang Er. They were quick to anger. Guan Gao was furious as soon as he heard Liu Bang's attitude, and he shouted at King Zhao, "Our king's a spineless wimp!" Then he said to King Zhao, "Every big name's in on this revolt. Right now, you're kissing up to Liu Bang, but he doesn't give you the time of day. Let me kill the guy!" When Zhang Ao heard this, he was so anxious that he bit his own finger, causing blood to flow, and said, "You're way off base! Our country was destroyed before, and we owe everything to Liu Bang! He saved our bacon! Please don't speak like this again!" Guan Gao, Zhao Wu, and a dozen other ministers looked at each other and felt that Guan Gao was wrong. They said, "The king ain't no ingrate. Furthermore, we'd sooner die than lose face. We resent Liu Bang insulting our king, so we want to kill him. It ain't your fault, Your Highness! If we succeed, the credit goes to you; if we fail, we will bear the responsibility ourselves."
In 199 BC, Liu Bang returned from Dongyuan and passed through the Zhao Kingdom again. Guan Gao and the others waited by the wall of Bairén County, hoping to get Liu Bang alone. When Liu Bang passed by, he wanted to stay here for the night but felt uneasy and asked, "What is the name of this county?" "Bairén," they replied. Liu Bang frowned and said, "Sounds like 'forced to submit' to me!" Upon hearing this name, he got outta there fast.
In the ninth year of the Han Dynasty, Guan Gao's enemies learned of his plans and reported them to the emperor. The emperor then ordered the arrest of Prince Zhao and Guan Gao. More than ten people attempted suicide, but only Guan Gao angrily exclaimed, "Who told you to do this? The prince isn't rebelling, so why are you arresting him? If you all die, who will prove that the prince did not rebel?" He was then carted off with Prince Zhao to Chang'an. The emperor ordered the extermination of all Zhao officials and guests who supported Prince Zhao. Guan Gao, Meng Shu, and more than ten other guests were shaved, shackled, enslaved, and sent to Chang'an.
When Guan Gao arrived in Chang'an and was interrogated in prison, he said, "Only a few of us were involved in this matter; the prince truly did not know." The officials beat him mercilessly, leaving him a wreck, but he still did not say anything else. Empress Lu repeatedly pleaded for leniency, reminding the emperor that Zhang Ao was her nephew's husband. The emperor angrily replied, "If Zhang Ao ruled the empire, would his daughter be any worse off?" He did not listen to Empress Lu's advice. The court reported on Guan Gao, and the emperor said, "That's one tough dude! Find someone who knows him and have them talk to him quietly." Xie Gong, a high-ranking official, said, "I know a young man in my territory who knows him well. He's known for his integrity and loyalty to Zhao." The emperor then sent Xie Gong with the royal seal to interrogate Guan Gao in prison.
Lord Xie arrived in prison. Guan Gao looked up. "Lord Xie?" he asked. Lord Xie was as kind and amiable as usual, talking to Guan Gao and asking if Prince Zhang really had plans to rebel. Guan Gao replied, "Who doesn't love their parents and wives? My entire clan faces execution; would I sacrifice my loved ones for the king? I only wanted to prove the Prince's innocence; it was we who acted." He explained in detail what had happened, as well as the situation that Prince Zhao was unaware of. Upon his return, Lord Xie reported the truth to the Emperor, who then pardoned Prince Zhao.
The Emperor admired Guan Gao's unwavering loyalty, so he had Lord Xie inform Guan Gao of the situation, saying, "Prince Zhao has been released." At the same time, Guan Gao was let off. Guan Gao joyfully exclaimed, "Has my king really been released?" Lord Xie replied, "Yes. The Emperor values you highly, so he has pardoned you." Guan Gao said, "The reason I would rather die than say another word was to prove that Prince Zhang did not rebel. Now that the king has been released, my duty is complete; I have no regrets even if I die. Moreover, as a subject, if I have the crime of plotting to rebel and kill the monarch, how can I face the Emperor again? Even if the Emperor does not kill me, can I still have a clear conscience?" With that, Guan Gao sighed deeply and died. At that time, his reputation spread throughout the world.
After Zhang Ao was released from prison because he married Princess Lu Yuan, he was appointed as Marquis Xuanping. All the powerful people who entered the pass with Zhang Ao became princes or county governors. During the reigns of Emperors Xiaohui, Gao Hou, Wen, and Jing, the descendants of Zhang Ao's guests all became high officials.
Zhang Ao died in the sixth year of Empress Gao's reign, and his son Zhang Yan inherited the title of King Lu Yuan. Because his mother was the daughter of Empress Lü, she made him King Lu Yuan. However, King Yuan was young and had few brothers, so Empress Lü also conferred titles of marquis on Zhang Ao's two other sons by different concubines: one named Shou was appointed Marquis of Lechang, and one named Chi was appointed Marquis of Xindu. After Empress Gao's death, the Lü clan ran riot, and the ministers executed them, stripping King Lu Yuan, Marquis Lechang, and Marquis Xindu of their titles. Emperor Xiaowen ascended the throne and restored Zhang Yan, the former King Lu Yuan, as Marquis of Nangong, continuing the Zhang family's titles.
Sima Qian said: Zhang Er and Chen Yu are both famous virtuous men in history. Their guests and servants were all talented individuals, and in the countries they resided in, none were not promoted to high positions. However, when Zhang Er and Chen Yu first supported each other, they trusted each other and were ready to go to the ends of the earth for each other. But when they gained power in the country and began to grab for power and prestige, they eventually turned against each other. This shows that their initial admiration and promotion of each other was only for personal gain, and their later betrayal was also due to self-interest! Their relationship was clearly all about power and self-interest, wasn't it? Although their reputation was high and they had many guests, they were nothing like Tai Bo and Yanling Jizi!
