Dong and Meng jointly rebelled against Li Siyuan and were successful military, forcing the imperial government to eventually move into a reconciliatory posture.
It is not known when or where Dong Zhang was born, but it was known that he, along with later prominent political figures Gao Jixing and Kong Xun, served as servant boys under the merchant Li Rang (李讓) of Bian Prefecture (汴州, in modern Kaifeng, Henan).
Pei Yue (裴約), the prefect of Ze Prefecture (澤州, in modern Jincheng, Shanxi), which belonged to Anyi, refused to abide by this decision, and instead remained faithful to Later Tang.
Zhu sent Dong Zhang to attack Ze, later sending the major general Wang Yanzhang to reinforce his troops.
[3] Later in the year, Dong was part of the ambitious plan drafted by the Later Liang major general Duan Ning to launch a four-prong attack on Later Tang to try to reverse years of Later Liang losses to Later Tang's predecessor state Jin:[5] Before Duan could launch the plan, however, Li Cunxu crossed the Yellow River and joined Li Siyuan, and then defeated Wang and Zhang.
[5] After Later Liang's fall, Dong Zhang (as did virtually all other Later Liang-commissioned regional governors) went to Daliang to pay homage to the Later Tang emperor.
However, subsequently, it was Dong, not Li Shaochen, who received Li Cunxu's order to carry out the execution against Zhu Lingde (朱令德) the military governor of Wuxin Circuit (武信, headquartered in modern Suining, Sichuan), the son of Guo's ally Zhu Youqian, who was also put to death when Guo was killed.
One of the generals who had previously rebelled against him, his adoptive brother Li Siyuan, quickly arrived at Luoyang and claimed imperial title.
[8] Dong Zhang was apparently initially submissive to Li Siyuan, and was granted the honorific title of acting Taifu (太傅), and in 927 was given the honorary chancellor designation of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事).
However, upon Li's arrival at Xichuan, Meng executed him, and Zhu, in fear that the same thing would happen to him, found an excuse to return to Luoyang.
Still, later in 926, when the imperial government declared a general campaign against Gao Jixing, the recalcitrant military governor of Jingnan Circuit (荊南, headquartered in modern Jingzhou, Hubei, not the same circuit that Dong himself had served at), Dong was at least nominally put in charge of the army that would attack Jingnan from the west (down the Yangtze River), which appeared to be actually commanded by Xifang Ye (西方鄴).
[9] As a result of his apprehension of both Meng and Dong, An began to carve out their territory and establishing circuits over those prefectures that he carved out that he considered faithful to the imperial government, with Xia Luqi (夏魯奇), who had been the deputy commander of the operations against Jingnan, made the military governor of Wuxin,[9][10] Li Renju made the military governor of a new Baoning Circuit (保寧, headquartered in modern Langzhong, Sichuan), carved out of Dongchuan and Xichuan's neighboring Shannan West Circuit (山南西道, headquartered in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi),[9][11] and An's brother-in-law Wu Qianyu (武虔裕) the prefect of Mian Prefecture (綿州, in modern Mianyang), in the heart of Dongchuan itself.
)[8] Further, there were rumors that An was ready to have Mian and nearby Long Prefecture (龍州, also in modern Mianyang) carved out of Dongchuan as a separate circuit.
)[1] Dong Zhang and Meng Zhixiang subsequently submitted a joint petition, expressing their apprehensions about the imperial government's establishing of circuits and stationing of troops near them.
)[12] When An thereafter, in fall 930, sent the officer Xun Xian'ai (荀咸乂) to reinforce Baoning's capital Lang Prefecture (閬州), Dong publicly declared his rebellion, and he and Meng joined their forces to prepare to attack Baoning, Wuxin, and Zhaowu (昭武, headquartered in modern Guangyuan, Sichuan) Circuits, which were loyal to the imperial government.
Meng's general Li Renhan, at the same time, put Xia under siege at Wuxin's capital Sui Prefecture (遂州).
In winter 930, Shi, finding Jianmen Pass not guarded well, sent a small detachment to launch a surprise attack against it and captured it, causing much alarm for both Dong and Meng.
[1] By this time, though, An's political enemies were launching accusations against him—specifically, that he provoked Dongchuan and Xichuan into rebelling and led the imperial government into a draining war.
However, after An's departure from Luoyang, even one of An's allies, Zhu Hongzhao the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi) accused him of planning to take over Shi's army, and with Shi himself arguing against the campaign, Li Siyuan ordered An's retirement, and made peace overtures to Dongchuan and Xichuan.
Shi further thought the campaign against Dongchuan and Xichuan was hopeless when, in spring 931, Sui fell, and Xia Luqi committed suicide.