In 184 AD, the Eastern Han Empire under the rule of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty showed a trend of declining rivers, and the social situation of the people was not able to make a living, so that the huge Yellow Turban Army uprising spread in the land of the thirteen states of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The Yellow Turban Army uprising led by Zhang Jiao ushered in a major blow to the national strength of the Eastern Han Dynasty. However, the seemingly powerful Yellow Turban Army was exterminated under the organization of the Eastern Han Dynasty in only nine months, becoming the key to the turbulent times in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. So after planning for more than 10 years and gathering more than 300,000 people, why did the Yellow Turban Uprising fail in less than a year? What is the truth of this uprising? What is Zhang Jiao's real purpose? Let us explore the truth of this period of history together.
Background to the Yellow Turban Uprising
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Eastern Han Dynasty, which had been established for nearly 200 years, was already in a precarious situation. In the court of the Eastern Han Dynasty, eunuchs and relatives fought to the death for power, completely ignoring the survival and development of the common people.
In this turbulent era, a religious organization called "Taiping Dao" emerged among the people, founded by Zhang Jiao, a giant deer man. Zhang Jiao was studious and well-read since childhood, especially proficient in Taoist classics such as "Zhou Yi" and "Taiping Jing". He saw the ills of the society at that time and was determined to use the power of religion to change the hearts of the world.
Zhang Jiao's "Taiping Dao" emphasizes "the rule of law in heaven and the help of all sentient beings", and advocates equality and fraternity, valuing agriculture and suppressing business. They believe that "the sky is dead, and the yellow sky should stand", which means that the old era is over and a new prosperity is coming. This kind of thinking catered to the people's desire to change the status quo, and the followers of the "Taiping Dao" quickly spread throughout the Yellow River Valley.
However, the Eastern Han court was disturbed by the rapid development of the "Taiping Dao". At that time, the general He Jin made a statement to the emperor Emperor Han Ling, saying that Zhang Jiao "bewitched the public with evil words, and he must not be punished". Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty adopted He Jin's suggestion, ordered a ban on the activities of the "Taiping Dao", and sent troops to arrest Zhang Jiao.
When Zhang Jiao learned the news, he decided to raise an army to resist. He said to his disciples: "Today, the heavens have sent disasters, and the people are not able to make a living, this is the destiny of heaven, and it is beyond the power of man. I want to rebel against the army, support Huang Tian, and support justice, I don't know why you think so?" The disciples expressed their willingness to follow Zhang Jiao and fight bloodily.
In this way, Zhang Jiao's Taiping Road became the backbone of the Yellow Turban Army. They wrapped their heads in yellow cloth and waved the banner of "the sky is dead, the yellow sky should stand", and soon gathered hundreds of thousands of people. The main members of the Yellow Turban Army were bankrupt peasants, homeless people, handicraftsmen and other lower-class people who harbored strong resentment with the rule of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
In addition to the people, there is also some local support from the Yellow Turban Army. They saw the decline of the Eastern Han Dynasty and wanted to take the opportunity to expand their own power. For example, Zhang Mancheng of Nanyang, Bocai of Yingchuan and others led tens of thousands of families, guests, and tenants to respond to Zhang Jiao's call.
In this way, the ranks of the Yellow Turban Army grew rapidly, like a fire on the prairie fire, and quickly swept through the eight prefectures of Qing, Xu, You, Hebei, Yan, Henan, Jing, and Yang. They attacked cities and plundered land, killed officials, burned county governance, and even besieged Luoyang, the capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The imperial court was shocked, and the army that had been fighting for years was powerless to resist the surging attack of the Yellow Turban Army.
In this critical autumn, the Eastern Han court finally realized the seriousness of the situation. Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty issued an edict to seek talents, appointed the famous general Huangfu Song as the governor of the capital, and led the army to conquer the Yellow Turban. At the same time, the imperial court also canceled the ban on party restraint, granted amnesty to the world, and called on local heroes to organize militias to assist the officials and soldiers in exterminating the Yellow Turbans.
In this way, the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out. A war that changed the fate of the Eastern Han Dynasty kicked off in the Central Plains. The Yellow Turban Army, composed of peasants and landlords, waged a desperate struggle against the bureaucratic landlord class of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The outcome of this struggle will not only affect the survival of the Eastern Han Dynasty, but will also determine the direction of Chinese history.
The outbreak of the Yellow Turban Uprising
At the beginning of February 184 AD, Zhangjiao's Taiping Dao organization had spread across the eight prefectures of Qing, Xu, You, Hebei, Yan, Henan, Jing and Yang. He thought that the time was ripe, so he secretly sent his disciple Ma Yuanyi to Luoyang to find out the truth of the imperial court. Ma Yuanyi entered Luoyang, disguised himself as a merchant, and operated in the city for several months, discovering that the imperial court was corrupt and incompetent, and the armament was empty.
Ma Yuanyi returned to Julu and reported the situation in Luoyang to Zhang Jiao. Zhang Jiao was overjoyed and thought that there was a good opportunity, so he immediately summoned the Qu Shuai of the 36 parties to discuss the specific matters of the incident in Julu. At the meeting, Zhang Jiao made a generous statement, calling on everyone to "fight against rebellion in Fengtian, support Huang Tian, and support justice". All the Qu Shuai unanimously expressed their willingness to follow Zhang Jiao and fight bloodily.
Zhang Jiao then drew up a specific plan for the uprising. He ordered Taiping Daoists in various places to hold a religious activity called "March Jiao" on the fifth day of the third lunar month, taking the opportunity to gather people and at the same time launch an armed uprising. In order to unify the command, Zhang Jiao divided all the rebel armies into 36 sides, and each side set up a Qu Shuai, which was led by Zhang Jiao's two younger brothers, Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao.
In order to boost morale, Zhang Jiao ordered all the rebels to wrap their heads with yellow cloth and play the banner of "the sky is dead, the yellow sky should stand", which was known as the "Yellow Turban Army" in history. At the same time, Zhang Jiao also formulated a set of strict military regulations, requiring soldiers to "not plunder people's property and not to commit adultery against women", and violators will not be pardoned.
Just as the Yellow Turbans were gaining momentum, an accident happened. Zhang Jiao's disciple Tang Zhou reported the plans for the uprising to the imperial court. The imperial court was shocked and immediately ordered all prefectures and counties to take strict precautions and hunt down Zhang Jiao and other leading elements. Seeing that the matter had been revealed, Zhang Jiao immediately made a decision and ordered an uprising in advance.
In March 184 AD, the Yellow Turban Army erupted like a thunderclap on the land of Bazhou. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army attacked the city and conquered the city, invincible. Langya and Beihai in Qingzhou, Donghai and Pengcheng in Xuzhou, Zhuojun and Zhongshan in Youzhou, Julu and Qinghe in Jizhou, Jinan and Taishan in Yanzhou, Chenliu and Runan in Yuzhou, Nanyang and Xiangyang in Jingzhou, Lujiang and Jianye in Yangzhou were all captured by the Yellow Turban Army.
The swift offensive of the Yellow Turban Army caught the imperial court by surprise. There was a panic in the city of Luoyang, and many dignitaries fled to Chang'an for refuge. Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty convened his ministers to discuss countermeasures, the general He Jin advocated the extermination of the Yellow Turbans, and Taiwei Tian Feng and others advocated appeasing the people's hearts and easing the contradictions. Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty adopted He Jin's suggestion and issued an edict to levy the Yellow Turban.
Three famous generals, Huangfu Song, Zhu Nong, and Lu Zhi, were ordered to go on the expedition. Huangfu Song led his army south to Yuzhou, and fought fiercely with the Yellow Turban Army in the area of Yangzhai (now Yuzhou, Henan) for several days, killing dozens of generals of the Yellow Turban Army and capturing more than 1,000 people. Zhu Nong led his army to attack the Yellow Turban Army in Xuzhou, broke the Yellow Turban in the East China Sea (now Dongying, Shandong), and killed Qu Shuai Saiwei and others. Lu Zhi led his army north to Youzhou, where he engaged in a fierce battle with Zhang Jiao's generals in the area of Zhuojun (present-day Baoding, Hebei).
Just when the official army was victorious, there was bad news from the giant deer in Zhang Jiao's base camp. It turned out that Zhang Jiao suddenly fell ill while commanding the operation and died. The news of Zhang Jiao's death took a big toll on the morale of the Yellow Turbans, and some of the timid soldiers and believers fled.
Although Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao inherited Zhang Jiao's mantle, they did not have as much prestige and appeal as Zhang Jiao after all. In addition, the Yellow Turban Army was originally a scattered sand, lacking unified command and strict organization, and at this time, it was even more leaderless and fighting on its own.
Seeing that the momentum of the Yellow Turban Army had declined, the imperial court ordered to mobilize local heroes in various states and counties, recruit village warriors, and cooperate with the official army to encircle and suppress the remaining Yellow Turbans. Under the military pressure and political collapse of the imperial court, the Yellow Turban Army gradually collapsed.
In October 184, Zhang Liang was defeated by Huangfu Song at Guangzong (present-day Wei County, Hebei) and died in battle soon after. In November, Zhang Bao was defeated by Lu Zhi at Xiaquyang (present-day Quyang, Hebei), captured and beheaded. At this point, the main force of the Yellow Turban Army in the Central Plains had been annihilated, and only some scattered troops were left to resist stubbornly.
From the outbreak to the defeat of the Yellow Turban Uprising, it was only eight months before and after. This tremendous peasant uprising ended with a bang. Although the Yellow Turbans were ultimately defeated, their spirit of resistance and will to fight are forever engraved on the monuments of history, inspiring future generations to resist oppression and pursue light.
The swift failure of the Yellow Turban Uprising
In August 184, Zhang Jiao, the spiritual leader of the Yellow Turban Army, died of illness, which was undoubtedly a bolt from the blue. Zhang Jiao had a very high prestige during his lifetime, and was respected as the "Tiangong General" and was the spiritual pillar of the Yellow Turban Army. His death put the already loose Yellow Turban Army into a leaderless situation.
Although Zhang Jiao's two younger brothers, Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao, took over the command, they were far less appealing than Zhang Jiao. Coupled with the pressure of the officers and soldiers, the morale of the Yellow Turban Army fell to the bottom, and many timid soldiers and believers left the ranks and fled.
The Yellow Turban Army was originally a group of bankrupt peasants, homeless people, handicraftsmen and other lower-class people, lacking strict organization and unified discipline. When Zhang Jiao was alive, he relied on his personal charm and religious beliefs to unite these people. But after his death, the Yellow Turban Army was like scattered sand, and it was difficult to resist the attack of the official army.
In contrast, although the army of the Eastern Han Dynasty was corrupt, it was after all a regular army that fought all year round. They have a strict military establishment, rich combat experience, and sufficient military salaries. Famous generals such as Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, and Lu Zhi are also experienced in a hundred battles and are well versed in the way of using soldiers.
Although the Yellow Turban Army is huge, it is actually a plate of scattered sand. They lack unified command, and all walks of life are fighting on their own, and there are often contradictions between the left and the right. For example, after the Yellow Turban Army in the north captured Zhuo County, instead of taking advantage of the victory to pursue, they wantonly burned and looted in the city, causing public indignation. How can such an army stand up to a well-trained officer army?
In addition to its military inferiority, the Yellow Turban Army was also politically difficult to compete with the imperial court. Although the Eastern Han Dynasty regime was rotten, it had a foundation for hundreds of years of rule. The imperial court's well-developed bureaucratic system and tight control network were beyond the reach of the peasant army. In the countryside, the Yellow Turban Army could incite the peasants to rebel under the banner of "the sky is dead, the yellow sky should stand." But in the cities, these slogans are difficult to get a response.
The city was the foundation of the Eastern Han regime, with strong walls, ample supplies, and well-trained defenders. The Yellow Turbans lacked siege equipment and siege experience, making it difficult to conquer these strongholds. Whenever the Yellow Turban Army besieged a city, the officers and troops would organize a breakout. If the attack is not carried out for a long time, the Yellow Turban Army will have to retreat due to insufficient supplies.
The limitations of the peasant army were also reflected in their goals. Although the Yellow Turban Army played the slogan of "supporting the Yellow Sky and supporting justice," it did not have a clear vision of what kind of regime it would establish. They opposed the excesses of taxes and the exploitation and oppression of powerful landlords in the Eastern Han Dynasty, but they were unable to come up with a new national blueprint. This kind of ideological limitation has also affected their combat effectiveness.
In the end, religious overtones became the weakness of the Yellow Turbans. Zhang Jiao used the "Taiping Dao" to develop believers and preached the idea that "the sky is dead, and the yellow sky should stand", which initially attracted a large number of peasants to join. However, as the struggle deepened, religious overtones limited the development of the Yellow Turban Army.
Some superstitious peasants regarded Zhang Jiao as the "Heavenly General", believing that by following him they could avoid disaster and be saved. But when Zhang Jiao died, these people thought that the will of heaven had been determined, and they no longer had the courage to fight. Those peasants who did not believe in the "Taiping Dao" thought that the Yellow Turban Army was rebelling and did not want to join. Religious overtones instead divided the peasant camp.
Under internal and external troubles, the Yellow Turban Army finally found it difficult to continue. In October 184, Zhang Liang was defeated by Huangfu Song at Guangzong (present-day Wei County, Hebei) and died in battle soon after. In November, Zhang Bao was defeated by Lu Zhi at Xiaquyang (present-day Quyang, Hebei), captured and beheaded. At this point, the main force of the Yellow Turban Army in the Central Plains had been annihilated, and only some scattered troops were left to resist stubbornly.
From the outbreak to the defeat of the Yellow Turban Uprising, it was only eight months before and after. This vigorous peasant uprising came to an end. Although it failed to overthrow the Eastern Han Dynasty, it greatly weakened the imperial power and hastened the demise of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Since then, the warlords have been fighting each other, and the situation of the three kingdoms has gradually taken shape.
The historical significance of the Yellow Turban Uprising
Although the Yellow Turban Rebellion lasted only eight months before it failed, it has an indelible place in Chinese history. It opened the prelude to the warlord melee in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and became the prelude to the Three Kingdoms era. At the same time, it also provided valuable lessons for later peasant uprisings.
First, the Yellow Turban Rebellion greatly weakened the ruling base of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Before the uprising broke out, the rule of the Eastern Han Dynasty was already in turmoil. The eunuchs were autocratic, their relatives interfered in politics, and the court was corrupt and incompetent. But after all, the Eastern Han regime still has a foundation of several hundred years, and it cannot be overthrown in a short time.
However, the Yellow Turban Rebellion was like a thunderclap that woke the ruling class of the Eastern Han Dynasty from its dream. They realized that the power of the peasants was so strong that the slightest carelessness could overthrow the dynasty. As a result, the imperial court had to exert all its resources to suppress the uprising.
This nationwide war greatly damaged the vitality of the Eastern Han Dynasty. According to historical records, in the first month of the uprising alone, the imperial court lost hundreds of thousands of troops. In the subsequent conquests, countless soldiers died on the battlefield. These losses were undoubtedly worse for the already precarious Eastern Han Dynasty.
More importantly, the Yellow Turban Rebellion changed the political ecology of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Before the uprising, the imperial court was able to barely maintain a centralized situation. But in the aftermath of the uprising, local powers rose rapidly. Under the pretext of crusading against the Yellow Turbans, they recruited troops and expanded their strength. By the time the Yellow Turban Army was exterminated, these heroes had become the local overlords and no longer obeyed the orders of the central government.
In this way, the rule of the Eastern Han Dynasty gradually collapsed, and the situation of warlord melee gradually formed. Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Sun Quan and other heroes also stood out in this process and became the protagonists of the Three Kingdoms era. It can be said that without the Yellow Turban Uprising, there would have been no later Three Kingdoms.
Second, the Yellow Turban Rebellion also provided valuable lessons for later peasant uprisings. In China's long feudal society, peasant uprisings almost never stopped. From Chen Sheng and Wu Guang's "princes and generals, rather have a kind of hu" to Li Zicheng's "King Chuang came and did not pay for food", peasant rebellions again and again have written a magnificent chapter in Chinese history.
Unfortunately, the peasant movement before the Yellow Turban Uprising was mostly spontaneous, blind and scattered. They lack a clear political program, a strong organizational leadership, and the strength to contend with the ruling class. As a result, these uprisings were often short-lived and quickly suppressed.
Although the Yellow Turban Uprising also failed, it made great progress in terms of organization, mobilization, and struggle tactics. Zhang Jiao used the "Taiping Dao" to develop believers, establish prestige, and prepare a mass base for the uprising. After the uprising broke out, Zhang Jiao divided hundreds of thousands of people into 36 parties, set up a commander, and established a military command system. This kind of organized and disciplined combat was very rare in the peasant army at that time.
Although the system is still crude, it is a good start. The peasant uprisings that followed, such as the Huangchao Uprising and the Red Turban Army Uprising, all drew lessons from the Yellow Turban Army and made great progress in organizational leadership and military struggle. These advances laid the groundwork for the eventual overthrow of feudal rule.
Finally, the Yellow Turban Rebellion also provoked people to think about Zhang Jiao's true purpose. The conventional wisdom is that Zhang Jiao was just a superstitious religious leader who launched the uprising out of religious fanaticism. However, a growing number of historians are beginning to question this perception.
Some people pointed out that although Zhang Jiao used the "Taiping Dao" to gather people's hearts, his program slogans, such as "the sky is dead, the yellow sky should stand," had strong political overtones. This suggests that his ultimate goal is to establish a "peaceful" regime in the real world, rather than just pursuing happiness in the afterlife.
It was also noted that on the eve of the uprising, Zhang Jiao sent his disciples to Luoyang many times to spy on the reality of the imperial court. This cautious attitude is less like a fanatical believer and more like a calculating politician. Therefore, the true face of Zhang Jiao is probably much more complicated than we imagined.
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Of course, due to the lack of historical data, we have not been able to completely restore Zhang Jiao's true thoughts. But in any case, it is an indisputable fact that the Yellow Turban Rebellion caused a sensation among the people. Those peasants who suffered deeply pinned their yearning for a better life on Zhang Jiao. Even if the uprising failed, this yearning was not extinguished, but turned into a moving folk legend, which has been sung endlessly in the long river of history. The Yellow Turban Army came to an end, but their spirit of resistance was forever engraved on the monument of history. Those soldiers who fought bloodily for their ideals, those people who still yearn for the light in the midst of suffering, their figures have traveled through time and space, echoing with the people of later generations. This is the most valuable historical legacy of the Yellow Turban Uprising.