Lulin facts for kids
The Lulin (meaning 'green forest') was a big group of rebels in ancient China. They were one of two main groups who fought against the short-lived Xin dynasty led by Wang Mang. This rebellion happened in what is now southern Henan and northern Hubei provinces. The Lulin rebels joined forces with other groups. Together, they became strong enough to overthrow the Xin dynasty. This led to the Han dynasty being brought back, with a new emperor named Liu Xuan, also known as the Gengshi Emperor.
Many Lulin leaders became important people in the Gengshi Emperor's government. However, there were many disagreements and poor leadership within the new government. Because of this, the Gengshi Emperor's rule lasted only two years. This paved the way for another leader, Liu Xiu, to rise and start the Eastern Han dynasty. The name Lulin comes from the Lulin Mountains in modern Hubei. This was where the rebels had their main base for some time.
Contents
How the Lulin Rebellion Started
Famine and Early Leaders
Around 17 AD, a terrible famine hit the Jing Province. This area includes parts of modern Hubei, Hunan, and southern Henan. The famine was made much worse by corrupt and ineffective officials from the Xin dynasty. People were so hungry they had to eat wild plants, and even those were scarce. This suffering led to people fighting each other for food.
Two men, Wang Kuang and Wang Feng, from Xinshi (in modern Jingmen, Hubei), stepped up. They helped settle arguments among the starving people. Soon, they became leaders of these desperate peasants. They gathered people in the Lulin Hills, forming the Lulin Army. This army attacked rich landowners' homes to get food. They also took weapons from local soldiers.
The Army Grows
Many others joined the Lulin Army, including Ma Wu, Wang Chang, and Cheng Dan. Within a few months, about 7,000 to 8,000 men were part of their group. Their main base was at Lulin Mountain. Their plan was to attack and take food from villages far from big cities. This continued for several years, and their numbers grew to tens of thousands.
Wang Mang, the emperor, sent messages offering pardons to the rebels. He hoped this would make them stop fighting. When his messengers returned, some honestly reported that the rebels were forced to fight. They said harsh laws made it impossible for people to live, so they had to rebel to survive. But other messengers flattered Wang Mang. They told him the rebels were just evil people who needed to be killed. Wang Mang listened to those who flattered him and removed the honest messengers from their jobs. He did not try to make peace with the rebels. Instead, he decided to use force against them. In truth, the rebels only wanted to survive the famine and return to their farms. They never dared to attack big cities.
First Big Victory
In 21 AD, the governor of Jing Province gathered 20,000 soldiers to attack the Lulin rebels. A major battle took place at Yundu. The rebels won a huge victory, killing thousands of government soldiers. They also captured a lot of food and weapons. When the governor tried to escape, his path was briefly blocked by Ma Wu. However, Ma Wu let him go. The rebels did not want to anger the government more than they already had. Instead, the Lulin rebels moved around the area, taking supplies, and then returned to Lulin Mountain. By this time, they had grown to 50,000 men.
Lulin Forces Split Up
In 22 AD, the Lulin rebels faced a new challenge. A serious plague, a type of sickness, spread through their camps. At least 25,000 men died. This terrible event caused the large group to split into three smaller "forces."
- The Xiajiang Force was led by Wang Chang and Cheng Dan. They moved west towards Jingzhou, Hubei.
- The Xinshi Force was led by Wang Feng, Wang Kuang, Ma Wu, Zhu Wei, and Zhang Ang. They moved north towards Nanyang, Henan. This group was named after Xinshi, where the Wangs were from.
- Around this time, another rebel group appeared nearby. This was the Pinglin Force, led by Chen Mu and Liao Zhan. They were from Pinglin (in modern Suizhou, Hubei).
At this point, these rebel groups generally did not have big political goals. They were mostly focused on survival.
Joining Forces and New Goals
A Han Descendant Joins
The rebels soon gained a new purpose thanks to someone with big ambitions. Liu Yan was a distant relative of the old Han imperial family. He lived in his family's ancestral land in Chongling (in modern Xiangyang, Hubei). Liu Yan strongly disliked Wang Mang for taking over the Han throne. He had always wanted to start a rebellion to bring the Han dynasty back. His brother, Liu Xiu, was a calm and careful man. Liu Xiu was happy being a farmer.
Around this time, rumors spread that the Liu family would return to power. Many men gathered around Liu Yan, asking him to lead them. He agreed. Liu Yan then combined his forces with the Lulin's Xinshi and Pinglin groups. Together, they captured and took supplies from several villages. In the winter of 22 AD, Liu Yan decided to attack Wancheng, the capital of Nanyang Commandery. His first attempt failed badly. He suffered a major loss against Zhen Fu, the governor of Nanyang. Liu Yan's sister, Liu Yuan, and brother, Liu Zhong, both died in the battle. Encouraged by this victory, Zhen Fu chased after the rebels, planning to crush them for good.
A Stronger Alliance
The Xinshi and Pinglin Forces became worried. They started thinking about leaving the alliance and running away. But then, the Xiajiang Force arrived nearby. Liu Yan managed to convince Wang Chang, who was respected by the other Xiajiang leaders, that Liu Yan was a skilled military leader. So, the Xiajiang Force joined the alliance. This convinced the Xinshi and Pinglin Forces to stay as well.
Under Liu Yan's command, the combined forces made a surprise attack on Zhen Fu's army from behind. They captured all of the government's extra food and weapons. On the Chinese New Year of 23 AD, Liu Yan's forces completely defeated Zhen Fu's army. Zhen Fu and his assistant were killed in battle. This victory greatly encouraged the Lulin leaders. They began to call themselves generals, take over cities, and set up their own government groups. They also spread messages attacking Wang Mang.
The Han Dynasty Returns with Gengshi Emperor
Choosing a New Emperor
After their big victory, more and more soldiers in the army wanted to choose a descendant of the Han imperial family to be emperor. The soldiers directly under Liu Yan and the Xiajiang leaders all supported Liu Yan. However, the leaders of the Xinshi and Pinglin Forces were jealous of Liu Yan's strict leadership. They also suspected him of wanting too much power. They wanted to support someone weaker.
They found a minor leader within the Pinglin Force named Liu Xuan. He was a distant cousin of Liu Yan and was calling himself "General Gengshi." The Xinshi and Pinglin leaders decided to support Liu Xuan to be emperor. Liu Yan, after some hesitation, agreed. He did not want to start a fight within the rebel forces. In the spring of 23 AD, Liu Xuan was declared emperor. Wang Kuang, Wang Feng, Zhu Wei, Liu Yan, and Chen Mu became the top officials in this new government.
The Battle of Kunyang
Wang Mang decided he had to crush this rebellion once and for all. He sent his cousin Wang Yi and his prime minister Wang Xun with a huge army of about 430,000 men. He planned to destroy the newly formed Han government. The Han forces were split into two groups. One group, led by Wang Feng, Wang Chang, and Liu Xiu, retreated to the small town of Kunyang (in modern Ye County, Henan) when the Xin forces arrived. The other group, led by Liu Yan, was still attacking Wancheng.
The rebels in Kunyang first wanted to scatter and run away. But Liu Xiu disagreed. He suggested they strongly defend Kunyang. Meanwhile, he would gather all other available troops from nearby areas and attack the Xin forces from the outside. After initially rejecting Liu Xiu's idea, the Kunyang rebels finally agreed.
Liu Xiu carried out his plan. When he returned to Kunyang, he started bothering the Xin forces who were surrounding the town. Wang Yi and Wang Xun were annoyed. They led 10,000 men to attack Liu Xiu. They ordered the rest of their troops not to move from their siege positions. When the battle started, the other Xin units were slow to help them after some small losses. Liu Xiu managed to kill Wang Xun in battle. Once this happened, the Han forces inside Kunyang burst out of the city and attacked the other Xin units. The much larger Xin army completely fell apart. Most of their soldiers ran away and went home, unable to be gathered again. Wang Yi had to retreat with only a few thousand men back to Luoyang. When news of the Battle of Kunyang spread, people everywhere else rose up. They often killed local government officials and claimed to be working for the new Han government. Within a month, almost the entire empire was no longer under Xin control.
Early Problems and Liu Yan's Death
Around the same time as the Battle of Kunyang, Liu Yan finally captured Wancheng. The Gengshi Emperor entered the city and made it his temporary capital.
However, the first major problem within the Gengshi Emperor's government happened then. The Gengshi Emperor and the officials who used to be leaders of the Xinshi and Pinglin Forces were afraid of Liu Yan's abilities. They knew that many of Liu Yan's followers were angry that he was not made emperor. One of them, Liu Ji, was very critical of the Gengshi Emperor. The Gengshi Emperor arrested Liu Ji and wanted to execute him. Liu Yan tried to speak up for Liu Ji. The Gengshi Emperor used this chance to execute Liu Yan as well. However, feeling ashamed of what he had done, he spared Liu Yan's brother, Liu Xiu. In fact, he made Liu Xiu the Marquess of Wuxin.
End of Wang Mang and Move to Chang'an
The Gengshi Emperor then sent two armies. One, led by Wang Kuang, aimed for Luoyang. The other, led by Shentu Jian and Li Song, aimed directly for Chang'an, the capital. People along the way joined and welcomed the Han forces. Shentu and Li quickly reached the edge of Chang'an. Inside Chang'an, young men also rose up and stormed Weiyang Palace, the main imperial palace. Wang Mang died during the fighting at the palace.
After Wang Mang's death, the Gengshi Emperor moved his capital from Wancheng to Luoyang. He then sent out messages across the empire. He promised that Xin local officials who surrendered to him could keep their jobs. For a short time, almost the entire empire seemed to accept his rule. Even the powerful Chimei (Red Eyebrows) general Fan Chong came to Luoyang, promised titles and honors. However, this policy was not always followed, and local governors soon became worried about losing their power. Fan Chong, in particular, left the capital and returned to his troops.
In 24 AD, the Gengshi Emperor moved his capital again, back to the old Western Han capital of Chang'an. The people of Chang'an had been upset with the Gengshi Emperor's officials (the former Lulin leaders). These officials did not appreciate the people rising up against Wang Mang and instead called them traitors. Once the Gengshi Emperor was back in the capital, he issued a general pardon, which calmed things down for a while. At this time, Chang'an was mostly still standing, except for Weiyang Palace, which had been burned.
However, the Gengshi Emperor's shyness quickly caused problems. When imperial officials gathered for a formal meeting, the Gengshi Emperor, who had never seen such serious events, panicked. Later, when generals gave him reports, he asked questions like, "How much did you take today?" This kind of behavior made people lose trust in his government.
Eventually, the Gengshi Emperor's poor leadership, along with the poor leadership of the officials he appointed (mostly Lulin leaders), caused people in distant regions to lose loyalty. By the end of 24 AD, Liu Xiu, who had been sent by the Gengshi Emperor to calm the region north of the Yellow River, was basically independent. Meanwhile, the Chimei rebels were getting closer and preparing to attack Chang'an.
Fall of the Gengshi Emperor's Government
In the summer of 25 AD, Liu Xiu officially broke away from the Gengshi Emperor. This happened after their generals fought over control of the Henei and Luoyang regions. Liu Xiu declared himself emperor, starting what historians call the Eastern Han dynasty. Soon after, his general Deng Yu also captured the modern Shanxi area, further weakening the Gengshi Emperor.
Feeling trapped, some of the Gengshi Emperor's generals planned to kidnap him and escape back to their home region of Nanyang. These plotters included Zhang Ang, Liao Zhan, Hu Yin, Shentu Jian, and the warlord Wei Xiao. Their plan was discovered, and most were executed. But Zhang Ang took control of most of Chang'an, forcing the Gengshi Emperor to flee, just as the Chimei forces were getting close. The Gengshi Emperor then made another mistake. He wrongly suspected Wang Kuang, Chen Mu, and Cheng Dan of plotting with Zhang Ang. He tricked Chen and Cheng and had them executed. In response, Wang Kuang joined Zhang Ang.
Generals who were still loyal to the Gengshi Emperor eventually managed to force Zhang Ang out of the capital. But by then, the situation was hopeless. Zhang Ang and his allies surrendered to the Chimei rebels. Working with them, they attacked Chang'an again, and the city quickly fell. The Gengshi Emperor fled, followed by only a few loyal supporters. In the winter of 25 AD, he surrendered to the Chimei, and was eventually killed. Most Lulin leaders faded into history. However, some who were friendly with Liu Xiu joined him and became officials in his new government. They were generally not given very important positions in his new dynasty.
Historians call the Gengshi Emperor's rule the Xuan Han, after his personal name Liu Xuan. This helps tell it apart from the many other dynasties named "Han" in Chinese history. The Eastern Han dynasty, started by Emperor Guangwu, is usually seen as the true return of the Han dynasty.
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