Background

It is not known when Zhang Gongsu was born. He was from Lulong Circuit's capital Fanyang (范陽). As of the middle of Emperor Yizong's Xiantong era (860-874), Zhang Gonsu served as an officer in the Lulong army under the military governor Zhang Yunshen, eventually reaching the position of prefect of Ping Prefecture (平州, in modern Qinhuangdao, Hebei).

Zhang Yunshen died in 872. Emperor Yizong initially commissioned Zhang Yunshen's son Zhang Jianhui as acting military governor. Zhang Gongsu, however, took his army from Ping Prefecture and headed for Lulong's capital prefecture You Prefecture (幽州), to attend Zhang Yunshen's funeral. As the Lulong army soldiers respected Zhang Gongsu, Zhang Jianhui feared that Zhang Gongsu was ready to attack him, and therefore fled to the imperial capital Chang'an. Emperor Yizong then made Zhang Gongsu acting military governor, and later in the year made him full military governor.

As military governor

In 873, when Emperor Yizong died and was succeeded by his son Emperor Xizong, Emperor Xizong bestowed on several military governors, including Zhang Gongsu, the honorific chancellor title Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi.

It was said that Zhang Gongsu was violent and harsh as a military governor, and as his eyes showed much sclera, the people of the circuit referred to him as the "White-Eyed Chancellor." In 875, the ethnically-Tujue officer Li Maoxun considered rebelling against him. At the time, the people of the circuit much respected the senior officer Chen Gongyan, who was serving as the commander at Naxiang Base (納降軍, in modern Beijing). Li secretly assassinated Chen and took over his army, and then headed toward You Prefecture, claiming to be Chen's forward commander. Zhang Gongsu engaged him and was defeated, and thereafter fled to Chang'an. (Only after Li then entered You Prefecture did the people realize that he was not Chen, but felt compelled to support him anyway.) Emperor Xizong subsequently demoted Zhang to be the census officer at Fu Prefecture (復州, in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi). That was the last reference in history to Zhang's career, and it is not known when he died.

Notes and references

• Old Book of Tang, vol. 180.

• New Book of Tang, vol. 212.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 252.

背景

張公素生年不詳。他來自幽州軍部范陽，為曾任幽州節度使的張仲武的從弟。回鶻宰相赤心一族向東威脅漁陽，張仲武與張公素率部下勁卒三萬大破之，收其侯王貴族千餘人，收降三萬餘人，獲牛馬橐駝旃牆帳幕等不可勝計。唐懿宗咸通年間（860年-874年），張公素在幽州節度使張允伸手下為列將，最後官至平州（在今河北秦皇島）刺史。

咸通十三年（872年）二月，張允伸去世。唐懿宗最初任其子張簡會為留後。張公素率平州軍向盧龍軍部幽州行進，參加張允伸的葬禮。由于盧龍軍士素來敬張公素威望，張簡會害怕他是來攻打自己的，也知道制不住他，三月，逃到了長安。張公素得軍中推舉，自稱留後。四月，唐懿宗就任張公素為留後，六月又任他為全權的節度使。

任節度使

十四年（873年）二月，因振武節度使李國昌作亂殺害雲州防禦使段文楚，懿宗詔河東節度使崔彥昭與張公素率師討之，無功。七月，唐懿宗駕崩，子唐僖宗繼位，九月加張公素同中書門下平章事的宰相頭銜。

張公素任節度使後，性情變為殘暴粗魯，常以眼白示人，故被稱作「白眼相公」，軍士開始不再依附他。乾符二年（875年），回鶻阿布思軍官李茂勳計劃反叛他。當時，幽州軍人很信服納降軍使陳貢言。李茂勳將陳貢言襲殺後，奪其軍權，進軍幽州，自稱是陳貢言的先鋒部隊。張公素迎戰，兵敗，逃到長安。當李茂勳進入幽州，人們才知道這不是陳貢言，但也只能支持李茂勳了。

僖宗貶張公素為複州（在今陝西漢中）司戶參軍。這是關于張公素的最後的記載。

評價

• 《舊唐書》

　• 史臣曰：（幽州）二百餘年，自相崇樹，雖朝廷有時命帥，而土人多務逐君。習苦忘非，尾大不掉，非一朝一夕之故也。……如朱克融、楊志誠、史元忠、張公素、李可舉、李全忠，以不仁得之，靡更曩志。或尋為篡奪，或僅傳子孫，咸非令終，蓋其宜也。

　• 贊曰：……余因篡得，不仁何逃？

注釋