He from 886 and on, controlled an army that initially roved in the lower Yangtze River region and became a key player in the power struggles between various warlords for the control of Huainan (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu) and Zhenhai (鎮海, headquartered in modern Zhenjiang, Jiangsu) Circuits.
[1] In 886, knowing that Shi suspected them, Zhang and Feng gathered 300 men and left Ganhua with them, crossing the Yangtze River to attack Su Prefecture (蘇州, in modern Suzhou, Jiangsu), which then belonged to Zhenhai Circuit.
[2] Zhang Xiong's occupation of Su Prefecture drew the displeasure and apprehension of Zhenhai's military governor Zhou Bao.
Subsequently, war again erupted between Bi and his ally Qin Yan the governor (觀察使, Guanchashi) of Xuanshe Circuit (宣歙, headquartered in modern Xuancheng, Anhui) (whom Bi offered the military governorship of Huainan to) and Yang Xingmi the prefect of Lu Prefecture (廬州, in modern Hefei, Anhui), who put Yang Prefecture under siege.
Zhao thus became arrogant, and he rebuilt Tai Castle (臺城), a major defense mechanism for Jiankang, the ancient capital of the Southern Dynasties, as his residence, and began to live luxuriously.
[3] In 890, then-reigning Emperor Zhaozong established a new Sheng Prefecture (昇州) at Shangyuan and made Zhang its prefect.