Zhang Jingda (張敬達; died December 25, 936[1][2]), courtesy name Zhitong (志通), nickname Shengtie (生鐵, "raw iron"), was a Chinese military general and politician of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period Later Tang state.
His father Zhang Shen (張審) was known to be a ferocious warrior, and served as an officer under the major late-Tang dynasty warlord Li Keyong the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi), who carried the title of Prince of Jin.
After Li Cunxu subsequently successfully destroyed archrival Later Liang and took over its territory, Zhang Jingda was given an honorary minister title.
In the middle of Li Siyuan's Changxing era (930-933), Zhang became the commander of the cavalry and infantry soldiers at Hedong and was given the honorary title of acting Situ (司徒), as well as the prefect of Qin Prefecture (欽州, in modern Qinzhou, Guangxi) — an honorary post as well, as Qin was then under the rule of Southern Han.
[3] In 932, he was made the military governor (Jiedushi) of Zhangguo Circuit (彰國, headquartered in modern Shuozhou, Shanxi), and given the honorary title of acting Taibao.
(traditionally a hail for the emperor only) while he led his troops at Xin Prefecture (忻州, in modern Xinzhou) in defending against a potential Khitan attack.
[8] (Either at the same time or thereafter, his own military governorship was transferred from Wuning to Jianxiong Circuit (建雄, headquartered in modern Linfen, Shanxi).
Li Congke, in response, put Zhang in command of an army to attack Hedong, with Yang Guangyuan the military governor of Yiwu Circuit (義武, headquartered in modern Baoding, Hebei) serving as his deputy.
Zhang did, but due to weather issues, his offensive bulwarks had difficulty being completed, and while the situation in Hedong's capital Taiyuan was becoming desperate, with food supplies dwindling, the city did not fall.
If our energies have been drained such that there was nothing else to do, then other generals could cut off my head and surrender, and it would not be too late to do so.Yang thereafter tried to get An to join him in assassinating Zhang, but An did not have the heart to do so.