Zhang Xiu was from Zuli County (), Wuwei Commandery (), which is in present-day
Jingyuan County,
Gansu. He was a distant nephew of
Zhang Ji, who served under the tyrannical warlord
Dong Zhuo. During the
Liang Province rebellion, Zhang Xiu was still a minor county official at Zuli. A rebel from Jincheng by the name of Qu Sheng (麴勝) had killed the Chief (長) of Zuli by the name of Liu Jun (劉雋); Zhang Xiu managed to kill Qu Sheng in return. This act won him the praise of many people in Zuli. After Dong Zhuo's death in May 192, his former subjects, including Zhang Ji, waged a coup and took over the imperial capital
Chang'an. For his part in the coup, Zhang Xiu was also promoted to General who Builds Loyalty () and enfeoffed as the Marquis of Xuanwei (). After Zhang Ji's death, Zhang Xiu took over command of his troops and occupied Wan (宛; or Wancheng (); in present-day
Nanyang,
Henan). He allied himself with
Liu Biao, the Governor of
Jing Province and a major warlord of the time. In 197, the warlord
Cao Cao, who controlled the Han central government, led his forces on campaigns against rival warlords. When he arrived at the banks of the Bai River (), Zhang Xiu promptly surrendered to him and was allowed to retain control over Wan. Cao Cao then took Zhang Ji's widow as a concubine, which angered Zhang Xiu. Cao Cao heard of Zhang Xiu's displeasure and plotted to kill him. However, the plan was leaked and Zhang Xiu waged a surprise attack against Cao Cao, leading to the
Battle of Wancheng. Cao Cao's personal bodyguard
Dian Wei died defending the front gate to the camp so that Cao Cao could escape through the back gate. In the hasty retreat, Cao Cao's eldest son,
Cao Ang, offered his own horse to his father, whose steed was felled by enemy arrows, and was killed by the pursuers. Cao Cao's nephew
Cao Anmin was also killed. Henceafter, Cao Cao had sent forces to attack Zhang Xiu for years without success. In 200, however, Zhang Xiu heeded the suggestion from his adviser,
Jia Xu, and surrendered to Cao Cao again. Cao Cao decided to put aside his past feud with Zhang Xiu and accept his surrender. He also proposed a marriage between his son
Cao Jun and Zhang Xiu's daughter. Around the time, Cao Cao was at war with the northern warlord Yuan Shao at the
Battle of Guandu. Having performed well during the conflict, Zhang Xiu was soon promoted to General who Defeats the
Qiang (). In 207, Zhang Xiu died at Liucheng (present-day
Chaoyang,
Liaoning) en route to join Cao Cao in
a northern campaign against the
Wuhuan tribes. The Han imperial court honoured him with the
posthumous title "Marquis Ding" (), literally meaning "steadfast marquis". ==See also==