Qiu Fu's Uprising

Qiu Fu Uprising (859-860) - the beginning of the peasant uprising in eastern Zhejiang and the decline of the dynasty in the late Tang Dynasty​ 1. Background of the uprising​ Crisis in the late Tang Dynasty: During the reign of Emperor Yizong of the Tang Dynasty, eunuchs had exclusive power and local officials imposed excessive taxes; eastern Zhejiang suffered from drought for several years, the government did not reduce taxes, and farmers "sold their wives and children to pay for rent."​ The direct trigger: In 859 (the first year of Xiantong), Qiu Fu gathered a hundred people in Xiangshan to revolt and occupied Yan County. The people responded and the team quickly expanded to 30,000 people.​ 2. The course of the uprising​ Initial victory: The rebel army occupied Tangxing, Shangyu and other places and established political power. Qiu Fu called him "the military envoy known to the world", changed the name to "Luoping", and divided his troops to threaten Yuezhou and Mingzhou.​ Suppression by the Tang court: In 860, Emperor Yizong of the Tang Dynasty appointed Wang Shi as the observer envoy to eastern Zhejiang, and led elites from many towns and Tibetan and Uighur cavalry to encircle and suppress the army.​ Key battle: The siege of Shan County. Wang Shi built strong walls and cleared the fields to cut off grain roads. There were 83 fierce battles in three days; the rebel general Liu Xun surrendered.​ Final failure: In June 860, Qiu Fu broke out and was captured, taken to Chang'an and executed, and the rest of his tribe was massacred.​ 3. Characteristics and Impact​ Characteristics: The first civil uprising in the late Tang Dynasty, earlier than the uprisings of Pang Xun and Huang Chao; guerrilla warfare in the hills of eastern Zhejiang and no solid base.​ Impact: Exposing the crisis of Tang court rule and accelerating the collapse of the Tang Dynasty; Suppression consumes huge military expenditures, deepens the financial crisis, and aggravates the vicious cycle of taxation.