Chen Sheng
Encyclopedia
Chen Sheng also known in some sources as Chen She (陳涉), was the leader of the first rebellion, known as Daze Village Uprising, against the Qin Dynasty
during the reign of Qin Er Shi
.
, Henan
). In 209 BC, he was a military captain along with Wu Guang
when the two of them were ordered to lead 900 soldiers to Yuyang (in present-day Beijing
) to help defend the northern border against Xiongnu
. Due to storms, it became clear that they could not get to Yuyang by the deadline, and according to law, if soldiers could not get to their posts on time, they would be executed. Chen and Wu, believing that they were doomed, led their soldiers to start a rebellion. They announced that Fusu
, the crown prince
of Qin, who had wrongly been forced to commit suicide, and Xiang Yan, a general of Chu
, had not died and were joining their cause. They also declared the reestablishment of Chu.
Using 900 men to resist an empire seemed to be a suicidal move, but the people, who had felt deeply oppressed by the Qin regime, joined Chen and Wu's cause quickly. More than 20,000 men joined. Soon, there were people asking Chen to declare himself the King of Chu. Against the advice of Zhang Er and Chen Yu, Chen Sheng declared himself as such, rather than, as according to their advice, seek out a descendant of Chu's royal house to be the king.
, Henan
), then commissioned various generals to advance in all directions to conquer Qin territory. Among these were Wu Guang, whom he created acting King of Chu and Zhou Wen, whom he ordered to head west toward Qin proper; his friend Wu Chen, whom he ordered to head north toward the old territory of Zhao
; and Zhou Fu
, whom he ordered to head northeast toward the old territory of Wei
. However, none of these generals returned. After initial defeats Qin forces regrouped under general Zhang Han. Wu Guang was assassinated by generals under him; Zhou Wen was defeated by Qin forces; Wu Chen was initially successful but then declared himself the King of Zhao
and became independent of Chu; and Zhou Fu supported a descendant of the royal house of Wei to be the King of Wei, also independent of Chu. A major reason why Wu Chen and the generals who assassinated Wu Guang broke away was that Chen was paranoid as a king: generals were executed at any sign of infidelity, even by rumors. Chen's ruthlessness and constant defeats in battle made it harder and harder for him to gather followers. Chen was greatly weakened, and as he suffered losses at the hands of Qin's army, he led an expeditory force himself to try to gather reinforcements, but he was assassinated by his guard Zhuang Jia in winter 209 BC-208 BC. His rebellion ended just 6 months after it started.
Chen was often idealized by versions of history promulgated by Chinese
historians as a great leader of the peasants against intolerable oppression of the Qin nobility and bourgeois. However, that perception is not reality. Chen's decisions, while motivated by his desire to overthrow Qin, was also often motivated by self-interest and self-aggrandization. He also failed to take in good advice and overly estimated himself. As the Song Dynasty
historian Sima Guang
wrote in the Zizhi Tongjian
:
While Chinese historians may quibble with Sima Guang's characterization of Chen, it appears to be quite correct. He claimed the title of king only months after the start of his rebellion, without a sufficient foundation, and once he did he effectively became stuck in Chenqiu and could not firmly hold territories that were conquered, because the people in the territories did not view him with great affection. While he had his role in the downfall of Qin, he should not be viewed as a hero.
.
The pattern of an impostor and his general, founded by Chen Sheng, was closely followed by Han Shantong
and Liu Futong in the end of Yuan Dynasty
.
Qin Dynasty
The Qin Dynasty was the first imperial dynasty of China, lasting from 221 to 207 BC. The Qin state derived its name from its heartland of Qin, in modern-day Shaanxi. The strength of the Qin state was greatly increased by the legalist reforms of Shang Yang in the 4th century BC, during the Warring...
during the reign of Qin Er Shi
Qin Er Shi
Qin Er Shi , literally Second Emperor of Qin Dynasty, personal name Huhai, was emperor of the Qin Dynasty in China from 210 BC until 207 BC.-Name:...
.
Start of the rebellion
Chen was born in Yangcheng (in present-day DengfengDengfeng
Dengfeng is a county-level city in Zhengzhou, Henan province. In ancient times, it was known as Yangcheng .Dengfeng has an area of 1220 square kilometers and a population of 630,000....
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
). In 209 BC, he was a military captain along with Wu Guang
Wu Guang
Wu Guang was a leader of the first rebellion against Qin Dynasty during the reign of Qin Er Shi, following the death of Qin Shi Huang. Less is known about him than Chen Sheng.-Biography:Wu was born in Yangxia...
when the two of them were ordered to lead 900 soldiers to Yuyang (in present-day Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
) to help defend the northern border against Xiongnu
Xiongnu
The Xiongnu were ancient nomadic-based people that formed a state or confederation north of the agriculture-based empire of the Han Dynasty. Most of the information on the Xiongnu comes from Chinese sources...
. Due to storms, it became clear that they could not get to Yuyang by the deadline, and according to law, if soldiers could not get to their posts on time, they would be executed. Chen and Wu, believing that they were doomed, led their soldiers to start a rebellion. They announced that Fusu
Fusu
Fusu was the first son of the First Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, and hence the heir apparent. He believed that society would be impeccably run if everyone shared perfect knowledge ....
, the crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
of Qin, who had wrongly been forced to commit suicide, and Xiang Yan, a general of Chu
Chu (state)
The State of Chu was a Zhou Dynasty vassal state in present-day central and southern China during the Spring and Autumn period and Warring States Period . Its ruling house had the surname Nai , and clan name Yan , later evolved to surname Mi , and clan name Xiong...
, had not died and were joining their cause. They also declared the reestablishment of Chu.
Using 900 men to resist an empire seemed to be a suicidal move, but the people, who had felt deeply oppressed by the Qin regime, joined Chen and Wu's cause quickly. More than 20,000 men joined. Soon, there were people asking Chen to declare himself the King of Chu. Against the advice of Zhang Er and Chen Yu, Chen Sheng declared himself as such, rather than, as according to their advice, seek out a descendant of Chu's royal house to be the king.
Downfall and death
Chen, setting his capital at Chenqiu (in present-day ZhoukouZhoukou
Zhoukou is a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan province, People's Republic of China. It borders Zhumadian to the southeast, Xuchang and Luohe to the west, Kaifeng to the northwest, Shangqiu to the northeast, and the province of Anhui on all other sides....
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
), then commissioned various generals to advance in all directions to conquer Qin territory. Among these were Wu Guang, whom he created acting King of Chu and Zhou Wen, whom he ordered to head west toward Qin proper; his friend Wu Chen, whom he ordered to head north toward the old territory of Zhao
Zhao (state)
Zhao was a significant Chinese state during the Warring States Period, along with six others...
; and Zhou Fu
Zhou Fu
Zhou Fu may refer to different figures in Chinese history.*Zhou Fu was a general during the 3rd-century-BC Daze Village Uprising who betrayed Chen Sheng in favor of Wei....
, whom he ordered to head northeast toward the old territory of Wei
Wei (state)
The State of Wei was a Zhou Dynasty vassal state during the Warring States Period of Chinese history. Its territory lay between the states of Qin and Qi and included parts of modern day Henan, Hebei, Shanxi and Shandong...
. However, none of these generals returned. After initial defeats Qin forces regrouped under general Zhang Han. Wu Guang was assassinated by generals under him; Zhou Wen was defeated by Qin forces; Wu Chen was initially successful but then declared himself the King of Zhao
Zhao (state)
Zhao was a significant Chinese state during the Warring States Period, along with six others...
and became independent of Chu; and Zhou Fu supported a descendant of the royal house of Wei to be the King of Wei, also independent of Chu. A major reason why Wu Chen and the generals who assassinated Wu Guang broke away was that Chen was paranoid as a king: generals were executed at any sign of infidelity, even by rumors. Chen's ruthlessness and constant defeats in battle made it harder and harder for him to gather followers. Chen was greatly weakened, and as he suffered losses at the hands of Qin's army, he led an expeditory force himself to try to gather reinforcements, but he was assassinated by his guard Zhuang Jia in winter 209 BC-208 BC. His rebellion ended just 6 months after it started.
Chen was often idealized by versions of history promulgated by Chinese
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
historians as a great leader of the peasants against intolerable oppression of the Qin nobility and bourgeois. However, that perception is not reality. Chen's decisions, while motivated by his desire to overthrow Qin, was also often motivated by self-interest and self-aggrandization. He also failed to take in good advice and overly estimated himself. As the Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
historian Sima Guang
Sima Guang
Sīmǎ Guāng was a Chinese historian, scholar, and high chancellor of the Song Dynasty, jinshi 1038.-Life, profession, and works:...
wrote in the Zizhi Tongjian
Zizhi Tongjian
The Zizhi Tongjian was a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084, under the form of a chronicles. In 1065 CE, Emperor Yingzong of Song ordered the great historian Sima Guang to lead with other scholars such as his chief assistants Liu Shu, Liu Ban and Fan Zuyu, the...
:
- When Chen Sheng first became the King of Chu, his relatives and friends all arrived to join him, as did his father-in-law. But when his father-in-law arrived, Chen treated him as an ordinary guest and only made a slight bow and did not kneel to him. His father-in-law became angry and stated, "You are leading a rebellion and falsely claiming the title of a king, but you are arrogant toward your elders: You surely cannot last." He turned to leave without further discussion, and even though Chen knelt to ask for his forgiveness, he ignored Chen. Later, when there were more and more relatives and friends arriving, they were discussing the stories when Chen was young. Someone suggested, "The old friends and guests of Your Royal Highness are foolish and often liked to talk in vain; they will damage your image and hurt your reputation." Chen executed a good number of his old friends, and therefore his friends began to leave him and not follow him. Chen made Zhu Fang to be his examination minister and Hu Wu to be the head of his guard, to be in charge of intelligence and security. When the generals conquered cities and returned, the two of them often criticized and nit-picked on the commands issued by those generals or their acts; often, if they felt the commands or the acts were not lawful, they would arrest the generals. Chen considered those who are strict to be the most faithful ones. The ones that Chen did not like were either given over to courts martial or personally punished by Chen. The generals had no affection for Chen, and this led to his downfall. (初，陳涉既為王，其故人皆往依之。妻之父亦往焉，陳王以眾賓待之，長揖不拜。妻之父怒曰：「怙亂僭號，而傲長者，不能久矣！」不辭而去。陳王跪謝，遂不為顧。客出入愈益發舒，言陳王故情。或說陳王曰：「客愚無知，顓妄言，輕威。」陳王斬之。諸故人皆自引去，由是無親陳王者。陳王以硃防為中正，胡武為司過，主司群臣。諸將徇地至，令之不是，輒系而罪之。以苛察為忠，其所不善者，弗下吏，輒自治之。諸將以其故不親附，此其所以敗也。)
While Chinese historians may quibble with Sima Guang's characterization of Chen, it appears to be quite correct. He claimed the title of king only months after the start of his rebellion, without a sufficient foundation, and once he did he effectively became stuck in Chenqiu and could not firmly hold territories that were conquered, because the people in the territories did not view him with great affection. While he had his role in the downfall of Qin, he should not be viewed as a hero.
Miscellaneous
Chen Sheng appears to be the person who coined the Chinese proverb, "How can a little songbird understand the ambitions of a grand swan!" (燕雀安知鴻鵠志), a saying that figures prominently in Chapter 4 of the classic novel Romance of the Three KingdomsRomance of the Three Kingdoms
Romance of the Three Kingdoms, written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century, is a Chinese historical novel based on the events in the turbulent years near the end of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history, starting in 169 and ending with the reunification of the land in...
.
The pattern of an impostor and his general, founded by Chen Sheng, was closely followed by Han Shantong
Han Shantong
Han Shantong Yingzhou, Henan, 14 c. - one of the early Red turban rebellion leaders. He claimed to be the descendant of Song Huizong , the last emperor of the Northern Song dynasty, thus opposing himself to the ruling Yuan regime....
and Liu Futong in the end of Yuan Dynasty
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
.