Tang Zhou 唐周 was a follower of Zhang Jue 張角. He betrayed his masters’ plot to the Han, which forced Zhang Jue to launch his attack earlier than planned.
Biography[]
Tang Zhou was from Ji'nan commandery in Qing province.[1] It’s assumable that he joined Zhang Jue between the early 170’s and 184 AD.
In the spring of 184 AD he sent a message to the court of Han, informing them about his masters’ plot to overthrow the dynasty.[2] As a result, Yellow Turban Large Division leader Ma Yuanyi 馬元義, active around Luoyang, was captured and torn into pieces and thousands of Yellow Turban followers and sympathizers in Luoyang were executed.[3] Zhang Jue quickly found out about the betrayal and was forced to launch his attack earlier than planned.
We are not told what happened to Tang Zhou after his betrayal.
Notes[]
- The official biography of He Jin in History of the Later Han, chapter 69 says it was He Jin who discovered the plot of Ma Yuanyi and received a marquisate for it. Perhaps Tang Zhou’s letter had fallen in the hands of He Jin.
References[]
Sources[]
- de Crespigny, Rafe. A Biographical Dictionary of Later Han to the Three Kingdoms (23 - 220 AD). Leiden: BRILL, 2007.
- —. Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling. Canberra: National Library of Australia, 1989.
- Fan Ye 范曄 (398–445). Hou Han shu 後漢書 “History of the Later Han”.
- Sima Guang 司馬光 (1019–1086). Zizhi tongjian 資治通鑒 “Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government”.