Generally speaking, famous generals are outstanding generals who are immortal and respected by future generations, but Zhang Hongfan is an exception. He was fearless and almost invincible all his life. He often defeated many with few, and finally destroyed the Southern Song regime. But in the eyes of future generations, Zhang Hongfan was a villain, and some even called him a traitor. So, what kind of person was Zhang Hongfan in history?
Zhang Hongfan was born in 1238 in Dingxing County. His family used to be farmers. At the end of the Jin Dynasty, due to Mongolia's continuous invasion to the south, Emperor Xuanzong of Jin moved the capital to Bianliang, which led to emptiness in the northern region. Zhang Hongfan's father, Zhang Rou, is a local strongman who organized a civilian armed force to defend his hometown. Later, Zhang Rou accepted the official position of the ruler, "add a title of generals in ancient times, stay in Zhongdu, and be the magistrate of Daxing and the marshal of local government".
People may think that the rulers are kind to Zhang Rou, but this is not the case. At that time, the rulers' rule in Hebei was paralyzed, and they just used a few empty titles to win over Zhang Rou to resist the Mongols. Later, Zhang Rou was defeated and captured, but he refused to surrender. The Mongols threatened Zhang Rou's parents and forced Zhang Rou to yield. Later, Zhang Rou was reused by the Mongols and became one of the important generals of the Han nationality, and was named Cai Guogong.
Zhang Hongfan, the ninth son of Zhang Rou, studied under Hao Jing, a famous scholar. Under the influence of family atmosphere, he became a man with both civil and military skills. When Zhang Hongfan was born, the Jin Dynasty had already perished, so he took part in the battle against the Southern Song Dynasty as a general. In the battle of Xiangyang, Zhang Hongfan took the lead. After the injury, he still insisted on fighting and broke through Fancheng. Later, Zhang Hongfan took part in the battle of Dingjiazhou, and defeated more than 100,000 people in the Southern Song Dynasty.
After the Battle of the Mountain, Zhang Hongfan was praised by Kublai Khan for his outstanding performance and was awarded the title of "Batulu". 1276, the southern song dynasty court surrendered, but there was a rebellion in Taizhou. Zhang Hongfan quickly breached Taizhou and put down the rebellion. At that time, the generals advocated the Holocaust, but Zhang Hongfan refused. "But it is a pleasure for the people of Taiwan Province to punish their defenders." 1278, Zhang Hongfan was appointed as the marshal of the Mongolian Han army, and led the troops south to deal with the remnants of the Southern Song Dynasty.
As a result, in the Battle of Yashan, Zhang Hongfan defeated many with fewer, and completely eliminated the remnants of the Southern Song Dynasty. However, this battle has made Zhang Hongfan bear the blame for thousands of years! Then, let's simply analyze the relationship between Zhang Hongfan and Song Dynasty. Zhang Hongfan's hometown is Yixing. Since 938, this area has been given to the Khitan by Shi Jingtang. 1 123, with the help of the rulers, the northern song dynasty recovered Yanyun, but two years later, the nomads went south, and this area became the territory of the rulers again.
300 years before Zhang Rou was born, his hometown was not the territory of the Central Plains Dynasty, and the Southern Song Dynasty was a very strange and distant dynasty for people here. Zhang Hongfan's father, Zhang Rou, still has deep feelings for the ruler. After he was captured, he once said, "Our country is a great boon.". The "country" here is obviously not the Southern Song Dynasty, but the ruler. Zhang Hongfan was reviled by later generations because he destroyed the Southern Song Dynasty as a Han Chinese. However, his family really has nothing to do with the Song Dynasty, let alone the feelings of the motherland.