Zhang Wenli (張文禮) (died September 15, 921?), known as Wang Deming (王德明) during the time that he was an adoptive son of Wang Rong, was a Chinese military general and politician who initially served under the late Tang Dynasty warlord Liu Rengong and Liu Rengong's son Liu Shouwen, and later Wang Rong, the only prince of the early Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period state Zhao (also known as Chengde Circuit (成德)). Wang Rong favored him for his talent and adopted him as a son. However, in 921, he encouraged Wang Rong's guards to mutiny and slaughter the Wang clan. He then took over the Zhao lands. When Wang Rong's ally Li Cunxu the Prince of Jin attacked in response, he died in shock.
Prior to becoming Wang Rong's adoptive son
It is not known when Zhang Wenli was born, but it is known that he was originally from You Prefecture (幽州, in modern Beijing). At some point after Liu Rengong, then the military governor (Jiedushi) of Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered at You Prefecture) conquered neighboring Yichang Circuit (義昌, headquartered in modern Cangzhou, Hebei) and made his son Liu Shouwen the military governor of Yichang, he sent Zhang to Yichang to serve under Liu Shouwen. On an occasion when Liu Shouwen was at You Prefecture to see his father, Zhang took over Yichang's capital Cang Prefecture (滄州) and refused to let Liu Shouwen return. However, the people of Cang Prefecture then rose against him, causing him to flee to neighboring Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei). Wang Rong, who was then the military governor of Chengde, was impressed by Zhang's speech and Zhang's claims about knowing how to lead an army, so he adopted Zhang as a son and changed his name to Wang Deming, entrusting much of the Chengde military affairs to him.
As Wang Rong's adoptive son
In 910, Wang Rong, who had by that point been given the title of Prince of Zhao by Zhu Wen (who had taken over the throne from Tang) but who had subsequently come after Later Liang surprise attack, entered into an alliance with Later Liang's archenemy Li Cunxu the Prince of Jin; subsequently, in 911, Jin and Zhao forces defeated the Later Liang army and forced it to withdraw, saving Zhao. In gratitude, Wang Rong took 37 corps out of his army and put them under Wang Deming's command, sending him to accompany and assist Li Cunxu in his campaigns.
In 912, when Li Cunxu was set to launch a major attack against Liu Rengong's son and successor Liu Shouguang, who had claimed the title of Emperor of Yan, Wang Deming joined forces with Li Cunxu's major general Zhou Dewei, as well as Cheng Yan (程巖), who commanded an army from Jin's and Zhao's ally Yiwu Circuit (義武, headquartered in modern Baoding, Hebei), and they subsequently sieged You Prefecture. By the end of the year, however, Wang appeared to be no longer participating in the campaign, for he was recorded as taking 30,000 men to raid Later Liang's northern territory and capturing Zongcheng (宗城, in modern Xingtai, Hebei). However, the Later Liang general Yang Shihou counterattacked and defeated him, killing some 5,000 of his men.
In 913, while Zhou still had Liu Shouguang under siege at You, the new Later Liang emperor Zhu Zhen (Emperor Taizu's son) sent Yang and Liu Shouguang's brother Liu Shouqi (劉守奇, who had submitted to Later Liang) north to attack Zhao, apparently to divert Zhao's and Jin's attention from Liu Shouguang. When Wang Rong sought aid from Zhou, Zhou sent his officer Li Shaoheng (李紹衡) to join Wang Deming in resisting the Later Liang army. Subsequently, the Later Liang army left Chengde and headed for Yichang.