Sun Ru
It is not known when Zhang Hao was born, but it is known that he was from Cai Prefecture (蔡州, in modern Zhumadian, Henan). At one point, he served as a soldier under Qin Zongquan, who was at one point a Tang Dynasty-commissioned military governor ("Jiedushi") of Fengguo Circuit (奉國, headquartered at Cai Prefecture) but who later declared himself to be emperor of a new state. Zhang, while serving under Qin, was known for his ferocity in battle, and he was later assigned to serve under Qin's general Sun Ru when Qin sent his brother Qin Zongheng () and Sun to try to capture Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu) in 887, which was then in a state of confusion after battles between Qin Yan and Bi Shiduo on one side and Yang Xingmi and Lü Yongzhi on the other for control of the circuit. (Sun soon killed Qin Zongheng and took over his army.) During a battle where Yang's army prevailed over Sun's, Zhang surrendered to Yang.