Yuan Chao's Uprising

Yuan Chao's Uprising (762-763) was the largest peasant uprising in the middle of the Tang Dynasty. Yuan Chao, a petty official in Taizhou, was whipped because he was dissatisfied with the government's forced tax arrears in the Jianghuai area for eight years and sympathized with the victims. Therefore, he gathered a crowd in Tiantai Mountain to revolt in August 762, named "Baosheng", and tens of thousands of people gathered in ten days. The rebel army quickly captured the ten states east of the Yangtze River, including Taiwan, Yue, and Ming Dynasties, and had 200,000 troops, cutting off the Tang Dynasty's economic lifeline. In April 763, he was suppressed by the famous general Li Guangbi. Yuan Chao was defeated in Guanling, Taizhou and captured, and was escorted to Chang'an for execution. His younger brother Yuan Ying led the remaining 500 people to retreat to Zixi Cave in Ninghai. All of them starved to death and were martyred in what is known as the "Ghost Ming Pit" in history. This battle exposed the crisis of Tang court rule after the Anshi Rebellion, forcing the court to reduce or reduce taxes on the Jianghuai River and accelerate the reform of the two tax laws. Core points: The trigger: Yuan Chao, a subordinate official, was whipped for resisting exorbitant taxes; Outbreak: Taizhou was occupied in 762 and the "Baosheng" regime was established; Scale: Sweeping ten states in Jiangdong, with 200,000 troops; Ending: Li Guangbi suppressed, Yuan Chao was killed, and the remaining troops were martyred in Zixi Cave; Impact: Shake the foundation of Tang Dynasty's finance and taxation and promote tax reform.