During the reign of Emperor Shun of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the imperial court was deeply corrupt. The Grand General Liang Ji colluded with the eunuchs Cao Jie and Cao Teng, running amok and breaking the law with impunity. Driven to the brink of survival, the common people had no choice but to rise up in rebellion, sparking widespread uprisings.
Imperial Advisor Zhou Ju submitted a memorial to Emperor Shun of Han, stating: "To eliminate bandits, we must first investigate local officials. Those who care for the people should be promoted, while corrupt officials should be investigated and punished."
Emperor Shun of the Han Dynasty found Zhou Ju's reasoning compelling, so he issued an imperial decree granting a general amnesty and dispatched eight officials, including Zhou Ju, Du Qiao, and Zhang Gang, to inspect various regions. Upon receiving their orders, Zhou Ju and Du Qiao promptly set out on their missions.
Among these eight officials, Zhang Gang from Wuyang (present-day Pengshan, Sichuan) was the youngest and lacked the restraint of his colleagues. As an imperial censor, he was blunt and impulsive, speaking his mind and acting on his whims without hesitation.
He argued that to reform governance, the first priority was to punish the high-ranking officials in the imperial court who broke the law; once those corrupt nobles were dealt with, local petty officials would not dare to act recklessly. Upon arriving at the Luoyang post station, he destroyed his carriage and buried its wheels in the ground, refusing to go any further.
Someone asked him, "What's wrong with you?" He fumed, "With wolves blocking the road, why bother chasing foxes?"
So he submitted a memorial impeaching General Liang Ji. At the time, Emperor Shun of Han favored Empress Liang, and the Liang family's relatives filled the court. They said, "Zhang Gang, this brat—does he think he has more than one head?"
Emperor Shun of Han knew that Zhang Gang was always upright and had the support of many ministers, so he set aside Zhang Gang's memorial and did not punish him. But Liang Ji harbored a deep grudge against Zhang Gang. Soon, an official report arrived from Guangling Commandery, stating that the great bandit Zhang Ying had tens of thousands of men under his command, causing chaos in the region and killing the provincial inspector, and requesting that the imperial court send troops to suppress them. Liang Ji then sought revenge by appointing Zhang Gang as the Grand Administrator of Guangling, sending him straight into Zhang Ying's lair to die.
When Zhang Gang arrived in Guangling, he took only a dozen attendants and went personally to meet Zhang Ying, declaring, "I am here to punish corrupt officials, not to make trouble for the people." Zhang Ying, a true hero himself, recognized a kindred spirit. Moved by Zhang Gang's words, the two became friends, vowing to work together to rid the land of its oppressors.
Zhang Gang instructed Zhang Ying to select the most capable leaders and appoint them according to their talents, while the remaining ten thousand or so men were allowed to return home and farm the land voluntarily. At the same time, Zhang Gang punished a group of corrupt officials, and Guangling was soon restored to peace and order.
Zhang Gang governed Guangling with great success, so Emperor Shun of Han wanted to promote him back to court. However, the powerful official Liang Ji blocked the move, while Zhang Ying and others submitted a joint petition begging Zhang Gang to stay. Torn between the two, Emperor Shun ultimately let him remain in Guangling.
A year later, Zhang Gang fell ill and died in Guangling at the young age of thirty-six.
Later, the idiom "Jackals Block the Path" came to be used to describe corrupt officials in power.
Source: *Book of the Later Han*, "Biography of Zhang Gang"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "豺狼当道" came to describe corrupt officials in power.