Red Eyebrows facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Red Eyebrows |
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The Red Eyebrows (Chinese: 赤眉; pinyin: Chìméi) were a group of rebels in ancient China. They got their name because they painted their eyebrows red! This group was one of the two main peasant rebellions against the short-lived Xin dynasty, led by Wang Mang. The other big rebellion was called the Lülin.
The Red Eyebrows rebellion started in the areas of modern Shandong and northern Jiangsu. Their actions weakened Wang Mang's government, which helped the Lülin leader, Liu Xuan (also known as the Gengshi Emperor), to take over. Liu Xuan then brought back a version of the Han dynasty. Later, the Red Eyebrows even took control from the Gengshi Emperor and put their own young emperor, Liu Penzi, on the throne. However, the Red Eyebrows leaders weren't very good at ruling, and people started to rebel against them. They had to retreat and try to go home. But when the army of Liu Xiu blocked their way, they surrendered to him. Liu Xiu had just started the Eastern Han dynasty.
Contents
Why the Rebellion Started
Around the year 17 CE, many people in China were struggling. The emperor, Wang Mang, was not a good ruler. He tried to change how land was owned, which caused a lot of problems. Also, a huge flood from the Yellow River hit the areas of modern Shandong and northern Jiangsu. People couldn't farm anymore and had no way to feed themselves. Because they were so desperate, many people started to rebel just to survive. There were many small rebellions happening everywhere. Let's look at two important examples.
Fan Chong's Group
Fan Chong (樊崇) started his own rebellion in 18 CE. He would later become a main leader of the Red Eyebrows. His group began in the Ju and Langya areas, which are near modern Rizhao. He used Mount Tai as his base and quickly gathered about 10,000 men. Soon, he joined forces with other rebel leaders like Pang An, Xu Xuan, Xie Lu, and Yang Yin. By working together, they became very strong and local governments couldn't stop them.
Mother Lü's Story
The story of Mother Lü is quite special. Her son was a minor official who was accused of a small mistake and was executed by a local leader. Mother Lü was a wealthy landowner. She sold all her property and used the money to gather poor young men. In 17 CE, she had thousands of followers. She attacked the county office and killed the leader to get revenge for her son. Mother Lü's success inspired many people across the country to rebel against Wang Mang. Her own group quickly grew to tens of thousands of soldiers. Sadly, she died from an illness in 18 CE. After her death, most of her followers joined Fan Chong's group.
How the Rebel Groups Grew Stronger
In 19 CE, Wang Mang made things worse for the rebels. One of his officials, Tian Kuang, suggested raising taxes. This only made the angry farmers even angrier. In 21 CE, Wang Mang sent his generals, Jing Shang and Wang Dang, to stop the rebellions. But their soldiers were not disciplined. They treated the people badly, which made more villagers join or help the rebels.
Tian Kuang, who had first made the rebels angry, did have some success against them. He suggested moving villagers into cities so the rebels would have to attack strong defenses. But Wang Mang had started to distrust Tian because of his successes. So, Wang Mang refused to support Tian and called him back to the capital, Chang'an. Around this time, Mother Lü died, and her followers joined Fan Chong's forces.
At this point, Fan Chong and the other rebel leaders weren't trying to become emperors. They were just fighting to survive. Their rules were simple: if you killed someone, you would die. If you hurt someone, you had to take care of them until they healed. Their leaders had simple titles like "county educator" or "sheriff," not grand titles like "general" or "prince."
Facing the Emperor's Army
By 22 CE, the emperor's forces led by Jing and Wang were in chaos. Fan Chong's rebels defeated them, and Fan killed Jing in battle. Wang Mang then sent two of his top generals, Wang Kuang and Lian Dan, with a huge army of over 100,000 men to fight the rebels.
Fan Chong and the other rebel leaders were worried. In big battles, it was hard to tell who was on their side. So, they told their men to paint their eyebrows red. This is how they got the name Chimei, which means "red eyebrows" in Chinese.
Even though Wang Kuang and Lian Dan were good generals, their soldiers were still not disciplined. People who suffered from their army would say:
- "I'd rather meet the Red Eyebrows than the Taishi (Wang Kuang's title). The Taishi is somewhat gentle, but Gengshi (Lian Dan's title) wants to kill me!"
In the winter of 22 CE, Wang and Lian had some small victories against a Red Eyebrows leader. But instead of letting their soldiers rest, Wang decided to attack another Red Eyebrows stronghold. Lian reluctantly followed him. At the battle of Chengchang, the tired imperial army was defeated by the Red Eyebrows and fell apart. Lian died in battle, and Wang fled without his troops. This defeat ended Wang Mang's serious attempts to stop the Red Eyebrows. His government then faced the Lülin rebellion, which eventually captured Chang'an in 23 CE, killed Wang Mang, and ended the Xin dynasty. The Gengshi Emperor then took the throne.
A Brief Peace and New Plans
After Wang Mang died, most of the empire accepted the Gengshi Emperor as the new Han emperor. The Gengshi Emperor set up his capital in Luoyang and sent people to convince the Red Eyebrows generals to join him. Fan Chong and about 20 other Red Eyebrows generals agreed. They went to Luoyang and were given titles. However, they weren't given any actual land or power. Seeing that their soldiers might leave, they went back to their base. A general of the Gengshi Emperor, Liu Lin, suggested flooding the Yellow River to destroy the Red Eyebrows, but Liu Xiu, another important general, refused.
The Second Rebellion and Its End
Marching on Chang'an
By late 24 CE, the Red Eyebrows army was strong, but their soldiers were tired of fighting and wanted to go home. Fan Chong and the other leaders realized they needed a bigger goal to keep their army together. So, they decided to attack the Gengshi Emperor's government, which had moved to Chang'an. The Red Eyebrows split into two armies, both heading for Chang'an.
In the spring of 25 CE, the two armies met and defeated a major general of the Gengshi Emperor. By this time, the Red Eyebrows had grown to about 300,000 men. The Gengshi Emperor's generals wanted to leave Chang'an and go back to their home areas, but the emperor refused.
Around this time, the Red Eyebrows leaders thought about finding a descendant of an old Han prince named Liu Zhang. Many of their soldiers came from Liu Zhang's former kingdom, and he was seen as a hero. They found three of Liu Zhang's male relatives in their army. They drew lots, and a 15-year-old boy named Liu Penzi was chosen to be their new emperor. However, the new "emperor" had no real power and continued to work as a cattle herder in the army.
In the autumn of 25 CE, the Red Eyebrows captured Chang'an. The Gengshi Emperor fled with only a few loyal supporters. He soon surrendered and was given a new title.
Losing Support
When Emperor Penzi was put on the throne in Chang'an, people in the Guanzhong Plain (modern central Shaanxi) at first welcomed the Red Eyebrows. But they were surprised when the Red Eyebrows soldiers kept robbing them on the way to Chang'an. The local people soon started defending their own areas again. They also began to hope for help from Liu Xiu, who had declared himself emperor and started the Eastern Han dynasty. Liu Xiu's general, Deng Yu, was nearby but wasn't attacking the Red Eyebrows. Liu Xiu was happy to let the Red Eyebrows wear themselves out.
The people of Chang'an, living under Red Eyebrows rule, started to wish the Gengshi Emperor would return. In response, the Red Eyebrows general Xie Lu, who was in charge of the Gengshi Emperor, ended his life. Liu Gong, Liu Penzi's older brother, hid the Gengshi Emperor's body to prepare it for burial later.
In 26 CE, Liu Gong saw how dangerous the situation was for his brother, Emperor Penzi. He decided to try and fix things or get his brother out of this risky position. At a big imperial meeting, Liu Gong spoke first and asked if Emperor Penzi could give up the throne. Emperor Penzi jumped off the throne, took off his imperial seal, and cried as he spoke:
- "Now there is an emperor, but everyone still acts like robbers. The people hate us and don't trust us. This is because you chose the wrong emperor. Please give me back my normal life. But if you want to kill me to avoid blame, then I must die."
Fan Chong and the other leaders felt ashamed. They bowed down to Emperor Penzi, apologizing for their mistakes. They made him get back on the throne and put the imperial seal back on him. For weeks after this, the generals stopped their soldiers from doing bad things. People praised Emperor Penzi as a kind and brilliant emperor. However, the lawlessness soon returned. Food supplies ran out completely. The Red Eyebrows forces burned many palaces and buildings in Chang'an and robbed the city. Then, they marched west.
Retreat and Collapse
In the autumn of 26 CE, the Red Eyebrows attacked the territory of a local leader named Wei Xiao, but Wei pushed them back. At this time, a sudden cold snap hit, and many soldiers froze to death. They headed back east and re-entered Chang'an. They fought several battles with Deng Yu's forces and, even though they were weaker, they defeated Deng's army. These wars caused a severe famine in the region, affecting everyone, including the Red Eyebrows and Deng's soldiers.
The Red Eyebrows, without food, finally left Chang'an and headed east. Liu Xiu set up two armies to block their path. His generals, Deng Yu and Feng Yi, continued to fight the Red Eyebrows. In the spring of 27 CE, the Red Eyebrows won a big victory against both Deng and Feng. Their generals showed great skill in battle. They pretended to be defeated and retreated, leaving what looked like food supplies. Deng's hungry soldiers tried to take the food, but it was only a thin layer of beans with dirt underneath! The Red Eyebrows had tricked them, limiting Deng's forces to a small area. Then, they attacked and defeated them.
However, this was the last victory for the Red Eyebrows. About a month later, they suffered a major defeat from Feng Yi. Feng confused the Red Eyebrows by also coloring his troops' eyebrows red. The remaining Red Eyebrows forces retreated east. Liu Xiu himself led his troops to wait for them. When the Red Eyebrows arrived, they were surprised to see Liu Xiu's huge army. So, they decided to surrender. After Liu Xiu promised not to execute Emperor Penzi, the Red Eyebrows emperor and generals gave up.
What Happened Next
The Red Eyebrows generals and their families were settled in Liu Xiu's capital, Luoyang. They were given money and land, but no official jobs. Eventually, Fan Chong and Pang An planned to rebel again, but their plans were discovered, and they were executed. Yang Yin and Xu Xuan went back to their homes and lived out their lives. Xie Lu was killed by Liu Gong to get revenge for the Gengshi Emperor. Liu Xiu understood Liu Gong's feelings and pardoned him.
Liu Xiu made the former Emperor Penzi an assistant to his uncle, Liu Liang. Later, Liu Penzi became ill and went blind. So, Liu Xiu gave him a large area of farmland. Liu Penzi lived the rest of his life comfortably from the money he earned from renting out the farms.
Images for kids
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Painted statues of ancient Chinese soldiers and cavalry from a tomb.
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A map showing where the Red Eyebrows and Lülin rebellions happened in the Xin dynasty.
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A mural from an ancient tomb showing chariots and cavalry.
