In July 209 BCE, a seemingly minor bureaucratic delay would ignite the flames of rebellion that ultimately consumed China’s first imperial dynasty. Nine hundred peasant conscripts bound for Yuyang (modern Miyun, Beijing) found themselves stranded by heavy rains at Daze Township in present-day Anhui province. Facing execution under Qin law for missing their deployment deadline, these desperate men made history by launching China’s first large-scale peasant uprising under the leadership of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang.

The Powder Keg of Qin Oppression

The Qin Dynasty’s brutal legal system created the tinder for rebellion. Under the second emperor Qin Er Shi’s rule, the regime’s draconian policies – particularly the law mandating death for missed deadlines – turned administrative failures into capital offenses. Chen Sheng, a hired farmhand from Yangcheng, and Wu Guang, a peasant from Yangxia, emerged as unlikely leaders among the conscripts.

These were not professional revolutionaries but ordinary men pushed to extraordinary action. As company commanders of the stranded soldiers, they recognized their hopeless position and chose rebellion over certain death. Their decision would echo through Chinese history as the first major challenge to centralized imperial authority.

Omens and Uprising

The leaders employed ingenious psychological tactics to legitimize their revolt. Secretly writing “Chen Sheng shall be king” on silk and stuffing it in a fish’s belly, they created supernatural omens when soldiers discovered the message. Wu Guang compounded this by imitating fox cries at night that seemed to prophesy “Great Chu shall rise, Chen Sheng shall be king.”

These theatrics tapped into popular superstitions and Han dynasty folk religion, effectively building momentum for their cause. After killing their Qin overseers, the rebels invoked two powerful symbolic figures: the wrongfully executed Prince Fusu (Qin Shi Huang’s eldest son) and the deceased Chu general Xiang Yan. This dual appeal cleverly combined anti-Qin sentiment with nostalgia for the conquered Chu state.

The Fire Spreads

The rebellion’s early successes were spectacular. Moving west from Daze Township, the peasant army swelled from hundreds to tens of thousands as they captured strategic counties across modern Henan and Anhui. By the time they reached Chen County (modern Huaiyang, Henan), their numbers had transformed them into a formidable force.

Chen Sheng’s declaration as “King of Rising Chu” (张楚王) formalized the challenge to Qin authority. The rebels launched a three-pronged offensive: Wu Guang attacked Yingyang, Wu Chen moved north into Zhao territory, and Zhou Shi pushed into Wei lands. Meanwhile, Zhou Wen led a separate force that grew to staggering proportions – 1,000 chariots and several hundred thousand men – reaching the outskirts of Xianyang itself.

The Revolt’s Fatal Fractures

The rebellion’s initial successes masked fatal weaknesses. As the movement grew, it attracted opportunistic former nobles from the conquered Warring States who sought to restore their old privileges. The scholar-advisors Zhang Er and Chen Yu even urged Chen Sheng to reinstate the six conquered kingdoms – advice he wisely rejected but couldn’t prevent others from following.

Regional commanders quickly declared themselves kings of former states – Wu Chen in Zhao, Han Guang in Yan, Tian Dan in Qi, and Wei Jiu in Wei. This fragmentation fatally weakened the rebellion’s cohesion just as the Qin counterattack gained momentum under general Zhang Han.

The Qin Counterattack and Legacy

Zhang Han’s makeshift army – composed largely of convicts from the Li Mountain tomb project – proved unexpectedly effective. After defeating Zhou Wen’s forces near Xianyang, the Qin general systematically crushed the rebellion. Internal betrayals compounded military defeats – Wu Guang was murdered by his own officer Tian Zang, while Chen Sheng ultimately fell to his charioteer’s treachery.

Though the rebellion lasted barely six months before its leaders’ deaths, its impact proved irreversible. The peasant uprising had exposed Qin’s vulnerability and inspired others – most notably Xiang Yu and Liu Bang, who would complete the dynasty’s overthrow. Chen Sheng’s daring challenge to the established order became the prototype for subsequent peasant revolts throughout Chinese history.

Echoes Through Chinese History

The Daze Township uprising established several enduring patterns in Chinese rebellions: the use of omens to legitimize revolt, the tension between peasant leaders and aristocratic allies, and the tendency for anti-dynastic movements to fracture along regional lines. Later revolts from the Yellow Turbans to the Taiping Rebellion would follow similar trajectories.

Chen Sheng’s famous declaration – “Are kings and nobles born to their station?” (王侯将相宁有种乎) – became a rallying cry for oppressed Chinese across millennia. Though the Qin Dynasty would limp on for several more years after his death, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang had struck the decisive blow that began its unraveling, proving that even the most powerful empires could be vulnerable to organized peasant resistance.

Modern historians view the uprising as both a specific reaction to Qin oppression and part of a broader cycle of Chinese peasant revolts. The rebellion’s mix of genuine grievance, millenarian symbolism, and pragmatic leadership would characterize popular uprisings for centuries to come, making Chen Sheng and Wu Guang’s brief rebellion one of history’s most influential failures.