Zhang Hongfan (張弘範 Zhāng Hóngfàn|w=Chang Hung-fan) (1238–1280) was a Chinese military general of the
Mongol Empire. As commander of the Mongol army and navy, he annihilated the
Southern Song by crushing the last Song resistance at the Battle of Yamen in 1279, where he is said to have captured 8000 enemy vessels. He is also known for capturing the Song loyalist
Wen Tianxiang (1236–1283).
Zhang was born in Dingxing, in present-day Hebei province. Dingxing had been part of the Liao empire and Jin empire and was part of the Mongol empire at the time of his birth. His father, Zhang Rou, led local forces defending against the Mongols in the dying days of the Jin Dynasty, but switched his allegiance to the Mongols in 1218 and was later ennobled by the Yuan Dynasty.
Although some later books and retellings claim that Zhang was a traitor who turned against the Song Dynasty, this is not historically accurate, since Zhang's place of birth had not been part of the Song empire and his family had served the Jin, then the Mongols. Some historians claim that Zhang was related to Zhang Shijie, the Song general who lost the Battle of Yamen against the Mongols before dying in a storm, as Zhang Shijie's family was also from present day Hebei under Jin rule.
Deng Guangjian, a fellow townsman of Wen Tianxiang, was tutor to Zhang Hongfan's family after he was rescued from attempting to drown himself at the Battle of Yamen. In his biography of Wen Tianxiang, Deng Guangjian describes Zhang Hongfan as courteous and friendly towards Wen after his capture. On his deathbed, Zhang had also pleaded with the Yuan Emperor Kublai Khan to spare the life of Wen Tianxiang. Aside from these descriptions in Wen's biography, Deng also wrote a preface to Zhang's various collected writings.
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張弘範（1238年 - 1280年），字
仲疇，
元朝將領，易州定興（
遼朝時期屬于南京道管轄，
金朝時期屬于中都路管轄，今屬河北）人。曾參加過襄樊之戰，後跟隨元帥伯顏南下征
宋，最後在厓山海戰中帶領元軍滅亡
南宋。
Read more...: 生平 張弘範墓誌銘
生平
元太宗六年正月十日（1234年2月9日），金朝滅亡。元太宗十年（1238年），張弘范出生，他是元朝汝南王張柔第九子，有武藝，能賦詩，擅使馬槊，身材魁梧，儀表堂堂。中統三年（1262年）為行軍總管，征討叛將李璮於濟南，至元六年（1269年）參與襄陽、樊城之戰。他曾築「一字城」分割襄樊的宋軍，隨後攻下樊城。駐守襄陽城的宋軍不久後也出降。
至元十三年正月十八日（1276年2月4日），元軍將領伯顏攻克南宋首都臨安（今浙江杭州），俘獲五歲的宋恭帝趙㬎和謝太后、全太后、眾官僚和太學生，押送到大都，趙㬎被元世祖忽必烈封為瀛國公。至元十四年（1277年）授予鎮國上將軍，任命為江東道宣慰使。至元十五年（1278年）任蒙古漢軍都元帥，南取閩廣；他使弟張弘正為前鋒，俘獲南宋丞相文天祥於五坡嶺（今廣東海豐北）。
宋朝益王趙昰、廣王趙昺南下逃難，張弘範奉命征討。後來宋端宗趙昰（時年十歲）病死于硇洲島（今廣東雷州灣上一島），弟弟趙昺繼承皇帝寶座，歷史上把趙昺稱為宋幼主。幼主在忠於他的大臣張世傑、陸秀夫下逃到厓山（今廣東江門新會）。
張弘範奉元世祖之命南下滅南宋，至元十六年二月六日（1279年3月19日），元軍和宋軍在厓山海域裡進行了舉世聞名的「厓山海戰」。張世傑據厓山天險，卻採以守勢，不敢主動出擊；張弘範封鎖海口，切斷了宋軍淡水的來源，宋軍被困，竟取海水解渴，紛紛嘔吐，臉部浮腫，將士疲憊不堪。元軍跳上宋船後，短兵相戰，結果宋軍全軍覆滅，張世傑和幼主的母親楊太后也在戰亂中相繼淹死。丞相陸秀夫背著趙昺跳海而死，嶺海悉平，南宋最後一支抵抗力量被擊潰，蒙古占領中國全境。
事後，弘範為了紀念自己的功勞，命人在石壁上刻了「鎮國大將軍張弘範滅宋於此」十二字。被後世文人所不齒，以其為漢種，卻反過來助外族攻滅華夏，而另仿碑體，在「鎮國大將軍張弘範滅宋於此」前面多加一個「宋」字，變成「宋鎮國大將軍張弘範滅宋於此」，以做羞辱。實際上張弘範家族世居遼、金，從未事宋，反而他在厓山海戰對敵的宋將張世傑根據《宋史》記載早年曾事蒙古（曾是張柔的部下）而後畏罪叛逃南宋。
至元十七年正月十日（1280年2月11日）病逝，終年四十三歲。
元世祖贈銀青榮祿大夫、平章政事，謚武烈。至大四年（1311年），元武宗加贈推忠效節翊運功臣、太師、開府儀同三司、上柱國、齊國公，改謚忠武。延祐六年（1319年），元仁宗加保大功臣，加封淮陽王，謚獻武。
張弘範墓誌銘
張弘範墓誌1949年于河北定興縣出土，初置易縣清真寺內，後移入清真寺隔壁回民小學。1984年3月由易縣博物館收藏。
元世祖至元十七年四月一日（1280年5月1日）立。李謙（1233-1311年）撰文書丹，李處巽篆蓋，石匠秦德刊刻，張弘范之子張珪（1264-1327年）立石。
墓誌為漢白玉質，志蓋已佚。志石長0.97米、寬0.84米、厚0.15米，志文首題為：「故鎮國上將軍江東道宣慰使蒙古漢軍都元帥張公墓誌銘並序」，一共57行，滿行50字，全文2440字，字體為楷書。
墓誌記載了張弘範在至元十五年（1278年）俘虜南宋丞相文天祥及文天祥不屈的情節，還詳細敘述了張弘範率元軍「破襄樊、下郢漢」直至「收福建、平岒南」等和南宋軍隊交戰直至統一全國的戰爭經過。這些記載對研究宋元戰爭史有極高的參考價值。
墓誌銘是研究張弘範生平及其家族歷史的第一手材料，可以和《元史·張弘範傳》相互對照。
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