Zhang Hongfan

Who was Zhang Hongfan?

Zhang Hongfan was a Han Chinese general of the Mongol Empire in China. 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.

Although some later books and retellings claim that Zhang was a traitor who turned against the Song Dynasty, this is not historically accurate. Zhang had never been part of the Song Dynasty. Some historians claim that Zhang was related to Zhang Shijie, a Song general who was drowned in battle against the Mongols.

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.