唐朝年间

张格生年不详。父张浚，唐僖宗、唐昭宗年间宰相。张格为张浚次子，年轻时有才，长相俊迈，狡猾有父风。官至太学博士，直弘文馆。

天佑元年（904年）初，唐昭宗被弑，其子继位的唐哀帝处在权势军阀宣武军节度使朱全忠的人身控制下。时张浚已致仕，居于长水县。朱全忠准备篡位，担心张浚可能鼓动其他军阀联合对抗他，命控制洛阳地区的下属佑国军节度使张全义害之。张全义派牙将杨麟率健卒装作盗贼，去长水屠杀张浚一家。永宁县吏叶彦素日得张浚厚待，闻讯跑去告诉张格：「相公不可免祸，郎君应该自己做打算。」张格与张浚相拥抱而哭泣，张浚说：「你留下则和我们一起死，你离开则我家还有后裔，你不要被我连累。」张格哭拜而去，叶彦率义士三十人送他渡汉江而回，张格改换姓名，由荆江上峡进入西川军军部成都。同时，杨麟围张浚家，杀其全家。张格的弟弟张播先前被唐昭宗赐姓名李俨，时任江、淮宣谕使出使淮南节度使杨行密，因而也躲过此劫。

前蜀年间

王建年间

天佑四年（907年），朱全忠迫唐哀帝禅位于他，代唐称帝，建立后梁，他就是后梁太祖皇帝。西川节度使王建和其他几位地方军阀拒绝认可新皇帝，但当王建与淮南节度使杨渥联合传檄却未能引发后梁封臣大规模起事后，王建决定自己称帝，九月，建立新政权蜀，史称前蜀。他尊敬逃到本国的原唐朝官员，待张格尤其有恩礼，登基当月即提拔为翰林学士。武成元年（908年）正月，有僧人挖出一只眼睛献上，王建命给一万僧人的饭食作为报答。张格反对：「小人无故自残，赦其罪已是幸事，不宜再奖赏败坏风俗。」王建同意了。二月，以户部侍郎为中书侍郎，加宰相衔同平章事，王建说：「不恃权、不行私，只有至公才能守宰相之事。」张格为相，多迎合王建之意；若有人胜过自己，都设计排挤。冗杂官舍人庾传昌谒见张格，不得见，庾传昌怒，回家起草启事约数千字，投于谒者而去。后来张格对朝士说：「庾舍人见示长笺，不可多得，然而我曾听闻他起草《角抵牒》词，动乃数幅。」意在讥讽其无体要之用。张格生母在张浚遇害时躲在民间，落发为尼，流浪于函、洛一带。王建闻之，秘密派人迎她入蜀，赐紫衣，加号慈福大师。

永平二年（912年）二月，蜀正与北面邻国岐交战，后梁太祖趁机派出以光禄卿卢玭为首的一组使者来蜀寻求交好，在书信中称王建为兄。但信上有一印章，写著「大梁入蜀之印」，张格指出这是待蜀如夷狄封臣的称呼形式。王建因而想杀了使团，张格指出这是梁草诏官员的错，不可坏了两国关系。从此王建愈发信任张格。三月，诏命张格编开国以来实录。

三年（913年）七月，蜀皇太子王元膺卷入与枢密使唐道袭的权力斗争，在武装对抗中杀死唐道袭，但不久自己也被部下卫士杀死。王建起初很为此哀恸，怀疑养子集王王宗翰未经他首肯就杀了王元膺，其左右也担心王建要大规模报复。张格呈上自己写的慰谕军民榜，读到「不行斧钺之诛，将误社稷之计」，王建认识到自己纵然爱王元膺，也不可以为此损害国家根基，于是下诏废王元膺为庶人。除手刃王元膺的人伏诛、王元膺的一些左右伏诛、流放外，没有产生对王元膺之死的报复。

十月，内枢密使潘炕屡次请求王建立新太子。王建因雅王王宗辂像自己，信王王宗杰最有才，想从中择一人而立。但其宠妃徐贤妃想让儿子郑王王宗衍为太子，派飞龙使唐文扆说服张格上表请立王宗衍。张格受唐文扆带来的徐贤妃所赠金百镒，心动，认为可以用计得逞。他作表称「衍才器英武，实堪社稷之托。」并在夜间给功臣王建养子城内外都指挥使兼中书令王宗侃等看表文，诈称受了密旨要功臣们公开支持王宗衍，功臣们信以为真，都署名。王建得表，虽然怀疑王宗衍年幼懦弱无能，仍以为是众官员的意思，于是立王宗衍为太子。唐文扆掌权，得张格依附，与司徒毛文锡等争权。天汉元年（917年）七月，因唐文扆陷害，毛文锡被贬。光天元年（918年）正月，王建已意识到张格在王宗衍被立为太子一事中扮演的角色，又见王宗衍与诸王斗鸡击球浪费时间，厌恶张格，但因徐贤妃保护，王建没有罢其相位。

五月，王建病重垂死，将王宗衍托付给以养子马步都指挥使王宗弼为首的官员们。但唐文扆想掌权，因而在王建病势加重时，派所统领的禁兵守宫门不让官员们入见。但他的部下内皇城使潘在迎出卖了他，使得王宗弼等官员破门而入。唐文扆被贬，并在六月王建死后不久被杀。一说王建对之前王宗杰暴死生疑，于是徐贤妃和张格私下派尚食给王建送鸡烧饼，王建中毒而崩。王宗衍继位。不久，王宗衍改名王衍。

王衍年间

王衍初登基，张格仍以太傅、门下侍郎、同平章事为宰相，但因长期依附唐文扆而不安。蜀人以他为王建山陵使，他面有难色。有人劝他称病辞职，但被其党羽礼部尚书杨玢以有援立大功不需要担忧为由劝止。但很快张格与杨玢都被贬。张格被贬为茂州刺史，诏书责之曰：「送丧辞命，不忠；丧母匿丧，不孝。」吏部侍郎许寂、户部侍郎潘峤都因党附张格被贬；张格再贬维州司户。因内枢密使庾凝绩劾奏，张格又被罢官流放合水镇。庾凝绩又令茂州刺史顾承郾寻张格罪过。王宗侃妻张氏因和张格同姓，欲保全他，对顾母说：「警告你儿子，不要替他人报仇，他日他人将归罪于你。」顾承郾从之。庾凝绩怒，在公事中寻隙归罪顾承郾，而张格的性命得以保全。

但乾德六年（924年）十二月，张格又在右仆射任上被任为兼中书侍郎、同平章事，再度拜相。张格最初获罪时，中书吏王鲁柔落井下石，张格于是趁机报复，寻事杖杀了他。时任中书侍郎、同平章事的许寂对他人说：「张公才高而识浅，杀了一个王鲁柔，让他人担心自己的安危了！这是取祸之端。」但实际上，王鲁柔之死并未引起反响。张格受封赵国公。在相位，无所作为。

后唐年间

后唐庄宗灭梁兼并其地后，蜀于咸康元年（925年）被庄宗子魏王李继岌和枢密使郭崇韬统领的军队所灭。很多蜀官员被迫迁到唐都城洛阳。同光四年（926年）正月，李继岌遣凤翔节度使李继曮、客省使李严部送王衍、前蜀宗族及宰相王锴、张格、庾传素、许寂、翰林学士李昊等及将佐家族数千人向东到都城洛阳。三月，到长安。庄宗正要东征平定兵变，担心王氏族党生变，遣中使向延嗣带诏书前去杀王衍，诏书称「王衍一行，并从杀戮。」诏书已盖玉玺，枢密使张居翰将「行」字改为「家」字，前蜀百官才幸免于难。天成元年（926年）六月他们到洛阳时，庄宗已死于兵变，养兄后唐明宗继位。张格在这些官员之中。他感念叶彦救命之恩，寻访，叶彦已死，于是给叶家送去大礼。

唐明宗宣原蜀官员宰相王锴、张格、庾传素及御史中丞牛希济，各赐一韵，让他们试作蜀主降唐诗五十六字，王锴等都言及王衍僭号、荒淫、失国，只有牛希济不谤故主。明宗起初授张格太子宾客荣衔，当时并无皇太子。宰相任圜爱其才，奏为自己的副手三司副使，二年（927年）五月，张格卒于位，朝廷为之废朝。

张格有文章，明于吏事，时人很称赞他。

作品

张格词残句为董康本《宋朝事实类苑》所录。现存一首《寄禅月大师》：

龙华咫尺断来音，日夕空驰咏德心。

禅月字清师号别，寿春诗古帝恩深。

画成罗汉惊三界，书似张颠直万金。

莫倚名高忘故旧，晓晴闲步一相寻。

评价

• 《十国春秋》论曰：张格援立宠嗣，深结宫闱，于大臣有慙德焉。……呜呼！择相顾可不慎邪！

注释及参考文献

During Tang Dynasty

It is not known when Zhang Ge was born. His father Zhang Jun was a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Xizong of Tang and Emperor Xizong's brother and successor Emperor Zhaozong. He was Zhang Jun's second son, and was said to be intelligent and handsome in his youth, and wily as his father was regarded to be.

By the time of around the new year 904, Emperor Zhaozong had been assassinated, and his son and successor Emperor Ai was under the physical control of the powerful warlord Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan), and Zhang Jun had retired to his vacation estate at Changshui (长水, in modern Luoyang, Henan). Zhu was preparing to seize the throne and was apprehensive that Zhang Jun might encourage the other warlords into a coordinated resistance movement against him. He ordered his ally Zhang Quanyi, who controlled the Luoyang region, to act against Zhang Jun. Zhang Quanyi sent his officer Yang Lin (杨麟) to Changshui dressed as bandits, ready to slaughter Zhang Jun and his household and blame the incident on banditry. A deputy sheriff at Yongning County (永宁, in modern Luoyang as well), Ye Yan (叶彦), whom Zhang Jun had treated well before, found out about this, and went to meet Zhang Ge, stating, "The Lord Chancellor cannot escape this disaster, but you, master, should make a different plan!" Zhang Jun then stated to Zhang Ge, "If you remain here, you will just die with us. If you flee, the family seeds can continue." Zhang Ge, after a tearful farewell, left with Ye, who took 30 men sworn to protect Zhang Ge, and escorted him as far as the Han River, and Zhang Ge subsequently fled to Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan). Meanwhile, Yang's men arrived, surrounded Zhang Jun's vacation estate, and slaughtered the entire household. (Zhang Ge's younger brother Zhang Bo, whom Emperor Zhaozong had earlier granted the imperial family name of Li and given a new name of Yan, was serving as Emperor Zhaozong's emissary to Yang Xingmi the military governor of Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu), and therefore also escaped this fate.)

During Former Shu

During Wang Jians reign

In 907, Zhu Quanzhong had Emperor Ai yield the throne to him, ending Tang Dynasty and starting a new Later Liang with him as its Emperor Taizu. Wang Jian the military governor of Xichuan, along with several other regional governors, refused to recognize the new Later Liang emperor, but after a joint declaration by Wang and Yang Wo the military governor of Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu) failed to caused a mass uprising by Later Liang subjects, Wang decided to declare himself emperor of a new state of Shu (known in history as Former Shu). He respected the Tang officials who fled to his realm, and Zhang Ge was among those people that he treated well. As of 908, Zhang was serving as an imperial scholar (翰林学士, Hanlin Xueshi) when there was a Buddhist monk who gauged one eyeball out and offered to Wang as a sign of his devotion. Wang was initially touched and was ready to award food enough to feed 10,000 monks. Zhang urged against it, pointing out that mutilating oneself was not something that should be rewarded for. Wang agreed. Shortly after, Zhang, who was also by that point referred to as the deputy minister of census (户部侍郎, Hubu Shilang), was made Zhongshu Shilang (中书侍郎, deputy head of the legislative bureau of government (中书省, Zhongshu Sheng)) and a chancellor with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中书门下平章事). It was said that while Zhang served as chancellor, he flattered and agreed with Wang, and found ways to eliminate people who were more talented than he was.

In 912, when Former Shu was engaged in a war with its northern neighbor Qi, Later Liang's Emperor Taizu, hoping to exploit the situation, sent a group of emissaries, headed by the official Lu Ci (卢玼), to Former Shu, hoping to establish friendly relations, and his letter to Wang went as far as addressing Wang as "older brother." However, one of the seals on the letter bore the text, "From the Great Liang to Shu," and Zhang pointed out that this was a form of address that treated Shu as a vassal. Wang, in reaction, wanted to kill the emissaries, but Zhang persuaded him not to, pointing out that this was the fault of the Later Liang officials who drafted the text, and should not be blamed against the emissaries or cause disruption of the relationship. Thereafter, Wang treated Zhang with even greater respect.

In 913, Former Shu's then-crown prince Wang Yuanying, who was locked in a power struggle against the director of palace communications Tang Daoxi, killed Tang in an armed confrontation, but shortly after was himself killed by his own soldiers. Wang Jian initially mourned Wang Yuanying deeply and suspected his adoptive son, the general Wang Zonghan (王宗翰), of killing Wang Yuanying without first receiving his approval, and there were fears that Wang Jian would carry out wide-scale reprisals. However, at that time, Zhang, who was drafting Wang Jian's declaration to the people regarding the incident, submitted his draft, and the draft contained language that read, "Without carrying out the execution by the axe, the imperial shrine would be severely harmed." Wang Jian realized that despite his love for Wang Yuanying, he could not let it damage the state's foundations, and therefore ordered that Wang Yuanying be posthumously demoted to commoner rank; no reprisals occurred for Wang Yuanying's death besides the execution of the actual killer and some executions or exiles of Wang Yuanying's staff members.

Shortly after Wang Yuanying's death, the official Pan Kang urged Wang Jian to create a new crown prince. Wang Jian initially considered Wang Zonglu (王宗辂) the Prince of Ya, whom he considered to most like himself, and Wang Zongjie (王宗杰) the Prince of Xin, whom he considered to be most talented. However, Wang Jian's favorite concubine Consort Xu wanted to have her son Wang Zongyan the Prince of Zheng, who was Wang Jian's youngest son, become crown prince, and she had Tang Wenyi (唐文扆) the overseer of imperial stables persuade Zhang to support Wang Zongyan. Zhang drafted a petition supporting Wang Zongyan, and then met with a number of generals with great accomplishments, falsely informing them that it was Wang Jian's wishes that they publicly support Wang Zongyan; those generals, believing Zhang, signed the petition. After Wang Jian received the petition, he, despite his doubts about Wang Zongyan's youth and lack of ability, believed that this was actually the wishes of the officials and created Wang Zongyan crown prince. Later, after Wang Jian realized Zhang's role in Wang Zongyan's becoming crown prince and saw that Wang Zongyan was wasting time in cockfighting and polo with the other princes, became angry at Zhang. However, with Consort Xu protecting Zhang, Wang Jian never removed Zhang from his post.

In 918, Wang Jian grew deathly ill, and he entrusted Wang Zongyan to a group of officials led by his adoptive son, the general Wang Zongbi. However, Tang Wenyi wanted to hold onto power, and therefore, when Wang Jian grew even sicker, used the imperial guard soldiers he commanded to prevent the officials from entering the palace to see Wang Jian. However, his associate Pang Zaiying (潘在迎) betrayed him and allowed Wang Zongbi and the other officials inside the palace to take charge. Tang was exiled and, as soon as Wang Jian died, executed. Wang Zongyan took the throne. (Shortly after, Wang Zongyan changed his name to Wang Yan.)

During Wang Yans reign

Zhang Ge remained chancellor in the immediate aftermaths of Wang Yan's ascension to the throne, but was fearful of what would happen to him due to his long-term association with Tang Wenyi. He considered resigning his post first himself, but was dissuaded from doing so by his associate Yang Fen (杨玢) the minister of rites. However, shortly after, both Zhang and Yang were demoted, and Zhang was initially made the prefect of Mao Prefecture (茂州, in modern Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan), then further demoted to be the census officer at Wei Prefecture (维州, in modern Ngawa as well). Upon further accusations by the director of palace communications, Yu Ningji, Zhang was then further removed from all offices and exiled to Heshui Base (合水镇, in Mao Prefecture). Yu further directed the prefect of Mao, Gu Chengyan (顾城郾) to guard Zhang carefully and submit further accusations against him. The wife of the prominent general Wang Zongkan (王宗侃, also adoptive son of Wang Jian's), however, was also named Zhang and wanted to protect him, and therefore persuaded Gu, through Gu's mother, not to do so, leading to Yu later finding excuses to punish Gu, but allowing Zhang's life to be saved.

By 924, however, Zhang had returned to the Former Shu imperial government to serve as You Pushe (右仆射, one of the heads of the executive bureau (尚书省, Shangshu Sheng)). That year, he was again made Zhongshu Shilang and chancellor. He took vengeance on an administrator at the legislative bureau, Wang Lurou (王鲁柔), who had joined in the accusations against him in 918, and had Wang caned to death. (This led his associate Xu Ji (许寂) to comment, "Lord Zhang is talented but unwise. His killing of Wang Lurou will cause other people to feel insecure. This is a way to bring disaster." However, no actual repercussions of Wang Lurou's death appeared to have occurred.)

During Later Tang

In 925, Former Shu fell to an invasion by Later Tang (whose emperor, Emperor Zhuangzong, had earlier destroyed Later Liang and taken over its territory), commanded by Emperor Zhuangzong's son Li Jiji the Prince of Wei and his chief of staff Guo Chongtao. A number of Former Shu officials were forcibly moved to the Later Tang capital Luoyang — although, by the time they reached Luoyang in 926, Emperor Zhuangzong himself had been killed in a mutiny and was succeeded by his adoptive brother Emperor Mingzong. Zhang Ge was among the officials moved to Luoyang. Remembering how Ye Yan had saved his life, he tried to find Ye to show gratitude. Ye had died by that point, so he gave a large gift to Ye's family.

Emperor Mingzong initially gave Zhang the honorary title of advisor to the Crown Prince — even though there was no crown prince at that time. The chancellor Ren Huan was impressed by Zhang's abilities, and therefore had Zhang made his deputy in his role as the director of the three financial agencies (i.e., the directorate of taxation, the directorate of budget, and the director of salt and iron monopolies). However, Zhang died shortly after.

Notes and references

• History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 71.

• Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms (十国春秋), vol. 41.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 264, 266, 268, 270, 273.