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Zhang Jiao, a religious leader at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, founded the Way of Great Peace, which once inspired widespread faith among the people.

His name is closely associated with the Yellow Turban Rebellion. As the leader of the uprising, Zhang Jiao's fate was drastically altered as a result.

Zhang Jiao was a native of Julu. He was the leader of the Way of Peace and the Yellow Turban Rebellion during the late Eastern Han Dynasty. He styled himself the Great Teacher of Virtue and the General of Heaven.

Having obtained the "Taiping Qingling Book" from Taoist priests such as Yu Ji, he took it upon himself to save the world through religion. He used some of the religious concepts and socio-political ideas in the book to organize the masses and began spreading the Taoism around the beginning of Emperor Ling's Jianning era.

Zhang Jiao was born in Julu. He initially founded the Way of Peace by teaching his disciples magic and incantations. Later, he used talismanic water to treat patients and developed hundreds of thousands of believers in eight provinces including Qing, Xu, You, and Ji.

Subsequently, Zhang Jiao reorganized his followers and spread slogans throughout various regions, plotting an uprising. In the first year of Zhongping (184 AD), after the leader Ma Yuanyi was killed for plotting an uprising, Zhang Jiao launched an uprising with the slogan "The Blue Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise; in the year of Jiazi, great fortune will come to the world." He called himself "General of Heaven," and this uprising is historically known as the "Yellow Turban Rebellion," calling on 360,000 followers to rise up together.

However, Zhang Jiao was soon defeated by Lu Zhi, the General of the Northern Army, and forced to retreat to Guangzong (east of present-day Weixian County, Hebei Province), where he died of illness in the autumn and winter of the same year.

Zhang Jiao's main achievements were founding the Way of Great Peace and launching the Yellow Turban Rebellion. The Way of Great Peace, which he founded, is regarded as the formal beginning of Taoism and has profoundly influenced the development of Taoism in later generations.

The Yellow Turban Rebellion was the first peasant uprising in Chinese history launched in a religious form. It dealt a heavy blow to the ruling order of the Eastern Han Dynasty, created the situation of warlord separatism at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and ultimately led to the downfall of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Zhang Jiao was born in Julu and believed in Huang-Lao philosophy. He recruited many disciples by teaching magic and incantations, founded the Way of Great Peace, and called himself the Great Teacher of Virtue.

Zhang Jiao initially spread the Way of Great Peace in Wei Commandery. He used talismanic water and incantations to cure people's illnesses. Many patients recovered after drinking the talismanic water he had incantated and after kneeling and repenting, and they revered Zhang Jiao as a deity.

At the same time, Zhang Jiao also sent his disciples to travel around and spread his deeds and the ideals of the Way of Great Peace. In more than ten years, the number of believers expanded to hundreds of thousands, spread throughout Qingzhou, Xuzhou, Youzhou, Jizhou, Jingzhou, Yangzhou, Yanzhou and Yuzhou, and all obeyed Zhang Jiao's orders.

At the time, the officials in the prefecture and county did not see Zhang Jiao's intentions. Instead, they believed that Zhang Jiao was good at educating people, which made the people flock to him.

To facilitate the uprising, Zhang Jiao divided his followers into thirty-six factions, each faction being an army. He appointed a leader as the general of each faction, with larger factions commanding over ten thousand men and smaller factions having six or seven thousand men.

Zhang Jiao initially planned to start the uprising on March 5th of the first year of Zhongping. He spread the slogan "The Blue Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise; the year is Jiazi, great fortune for the world" in various places. He also had his followers mark the characters "Jiazi" with white clay on the walls of the capital Luoyang and the government offices of prefectures and counties as targets to be attacked after the uprising.

Zhang Jiao also instructed Ma Yuanyi, the leader of the Dafang tribe, to gather tens of thousands of believers from Jing and Yang provinces to Ye City, and sent him to Luoyang to contact the eunuchs Feng Xu and Xu Feng as inside agents. The two sides agreed to launch a rebellion simultaneously on March 5th.

Tang Zhou, a disciple of Zhang Jiao from Jinan, submitted a memorial denouncing their plot. Subsequently, Ma Yuanyi was arrested in Luoyang and executed by dismemberment.

Emperor Ling ordered the execution of more than a thousand of Zhang Jiao's followers inside and outside the palace, and ordered the arrest of Zhang Jiao and other leaders of the Way of Peace in various places.

In February of the first year of Zhongping (184 AD), Zhang Jiao, knowing that his plot had been exposed, killed someone to sacrifice to the heavens and proclaimed himself General of Heaven. His brother Zhang Bao proclaimed himself General of Earth and Zhang Liang proclaimed himself General of Man. The three of them commanded their 360,000 followers and launched an uprising on the same day.

Because the rebels wore yellow turbans as a mark, they were called "Yellow Turbans" by the people at the time. The Yellow Turban army burned government offices and looted the fortified villages where powerful landlords gathered. The prefectures and counties in various places could not resist and all fell. Many officials fled. In about ten days, the whole country rose up in response, and the capital was greatly shaken.

In March of the first year of Zhongping (184 AD), Lu Zhi, the Northern General of the Central Army, was ordered to attack Zhang Jiao. Lu Zhi won a series of victories, killing more than 10,000 people and forcing Zhang Jiao and his men to retreat to Guangzong.

In order to capture Guangzong, Lu Zhi built large walls and dug trenches around the city, and even ordered the construction of siege ladders. Just when he was about to take Guangzong, Lu Zhi was framed by eunuchs, escorted back to the capital, and replaced by Dong Zhuo, the General of the Eastern Central Army.

However, Dong Zhuo was soon defeated by Zhang Jiao at Xiaquyang, and Emperor Ling then replaced him with Huangfu Song, the Left General of the Household, to lead an expedition against Zhang Jiao.

In August, shortly after Huangfu Song's arrival, Zhang Jiao died of illness. However, the Yellow Turban army in Guangzong, under the command of Zhang Liang, still resisted Huangfu Song for two months.

One day, Huangfu Song, unable to break through Zhang Liang's defenses after a prolonged siege, ordered his troops to close the camp and rest. That night, the Yellow Turban army became complacent, and Huangfu Song summoned his troops late at night. At cockcrow, they arrived at Zhang Liang's camp and launched a sudden attack.

As dusk fell, Huangfu Song had killed over 30,000 Yellow Turban soldiers, including Zhang Liang, and captured Guangzong. He then ordered Zhang Jiao's tomb to be dug up, his coffin opened, and his corpse mutilated. His head was then sent to Luoyang to report his victory.

The late Eastern Han Dynasty was a time of social upheaval, with the people suffering greatly. The corrupt government and internal and external troubles made the whole country teeter on the brink of collapse, so Zhang Jiao's early life did not seem particularly special.

He was born into an ordinary family; although not wealthy, they were wealthy enough to maintain a stable life. Being literate was not only a symbol of status, but also a stepping stone to entering the upper echelons of society.

The book's insights into curing all diseases and governing the country attracted Zhang Jiao's attention. He was not simply a religious believer; he gradually combined the principles in the book with his own ideas to form a unique Taoist philosophy.

In times of social chaos and widespread suffering, only the power of faith and religion can bring about change and stability.

His religious philosophy gradually took shape; he could not only cure diseases and save lives, but also win the trust of the people through talismanic water and various miraculous means. The concept of "peace throughout the world" began to emerge in Zhang Jiao's Taoist thought.

The corrupt regime of this era can no longer maintain the operation of the country. Only by overthrowing the existing system can true "peace" be achieved. The power of the people is the basis of his actions. He is not only a religious leader, but also a political thinker.

Unemployed farmers, bankrupt merchants, and seriously ill people flocked to him. Zhang Jiao quickly attracted a large number of believers by using his healing and life-saving methods. The loyalty and support of these believers became an important force for him to realize his grand ideals.

Zhang Jiao's healing methods clearly exceeded the scope of ordinary Taoist priests. His "talisman water" could cure plagues, which undoubtedly earned him a great reputation.

Thousands of people began to seek his medical help, and Zhang Jiao gradually established his own Taoist system: the Way of Great Peace.

Only a regime that eliminates corruption can achieve true "peace." In that era, Zhang Jiao brought hope to the people, offering them a power stronger than the imperial court to protect them. The number of followers of the Way of Peace continued to increase, and Zhang Jiao accumulated enormous social influence.

The influence of the Way of Great Peace was not limited to religion; Zhang Jiao gradually infiltrated other aspects of society. He began to criticize the corruption of the Eastern Han court and openly expressed his dissatisfaction with the current regime.

The existing system is no longer able to save this collapsing empire; a complete reform and change is necessary to achieve social revival.

Although outwardly he was a Taoist priest who healed the sick and saved lives, his thoughts and actions had begun to subtly infiltrate the political sphere. He encouraged his followers to not only focus on their personal health but also on social reform. Attracted by his ideals, many joined the Way of Peace, and Zhang Jiao's power began to grow.

Zhang Jiao's political ideals not only resonated within the religious community but also attracted the attention of the imperial court. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the government was corrupt, and social contradictions intensified.

Zhang Jiao's words and actions not only garnered the support of the people, but also posed a certain threat to the rulers of the time.

The imperial court began to closely monitor Zhang Jiao's every move, while he strengthened his ties with his followers, preparing for his own uprising.

Zhang Jiao's thought was not simply a religious belief. He gradually combined his religious ideas with the goal of social change and began to propose the ideal of "peace throughout the world".

He divided his followers into thirty-six factions, each of which was an army, with leaders commanding their respective troops. This organizational structure provided a strong foundation for his later uprising.

If we want to truly change this corrupt system, we must first have enough power, whether political or military. Zhang Jiao's followers are everywhere, and their loyalty is closely linked to Zhang Jiao's ideals.

The power of popular support and faith can break the existing system, but this must be achieved through force and revolution.

Under Zhang Jiao's guidance, the followers of the Way of Peace became not only religious believers but also a revolutionary force.

They believed in Zhang Jiao and the ideal of "peace throughout the world," and were even willing to give their lives for it.

The slogan "The Blue Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise; in the year of Jiazi, great fortune will come to the world" spread throughout the land. This was not merely a religious slogan; it embodied Zhang Jiao's political ideals and vision for the future.

His uprising was not only against the corruption of the imperial court, but also a challenge to social injustice. The Eastern Han regime could no longer bring any hope to the people; only by overthrowing this corrupt system could true "peace" be brought to the people.

Although his ideas spread widely among believers, they provoked a strong reaction from the imperial court.

The court officials began a thorough investigation into Zhang Jiao and intensified their crackdown on the Way of Peace.

Relying solely on the religious activities and relief efforts of the Way of Peace would not change the status quo. He needed to launch a massive uprising to thoroughly challenge the corrupt Eastern Han regime.

Zhang Jiao's followers had long since spread throughout the north and south of the country. To facilitate command and mobilization, Zhang Jiao divided these followers into thirty-six factions, each led by a chieftain, forming a massive force.

The chief commander led over ten thousand men, while the junior commanders managed troops of six to seven thousand. This rigorous organizational structure and hierarchical management improved the efficiency of the uprising.

Any revolution requires precise planning and timing. He began to spread the news of the uprising widely among his followers, instructing them to mark the characters "甲子" (Jiazi) on the walls with white clay as a signal for the uprising.

To ensure the smooth progress of the uprising, Zhang Jiao appointed his trusted confidant Ma Yuanyi to collect believers in Jing and Yang provinces and bring them to Ye City.

Zhang Jiao's plan was very clear: his followers would gather in Ye City from all over the country, and then launch a unified attack on Luoyang.

Zhang Jiao dispatched Ma Yuanyi to Luoyang to secretly contact certain eunuchs within the palace, preparing for a simultaneous uprising both inside and outside the palace on the "Jiazi Day".

Zhang Jiao's conspiracy was exposed by a man from Jinan named Tang Zhou. Tang Zhou reported Zhang Jiao's plan to the imperial court, and the news quickly reached the court. The court immediately took severe action and sent troops to suppress the plot.

Ma Yuanyi also failed to contact Luoyang. After being arrested, he was executed by dismemberment, a gruesome death. With the court's crackdown, Zhang Jiao's followers suffered an unprecedented blow.

Zhang Jiao did not give up. Even though his plan was thwarted, some of his followers still took action and secretly organized themselves to wait for an opportunity to re-emerge.

In 184 AD, the Yellow Turban Rebellion finally broke out. After repeated failures, Zhang Jiao's followers finally decided to stand up and directly confront the oppression of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The flames of the rebellion were not easily extinguished as usual, but spread rapidly and swept across the north and south of the Yangtze River.

Zhang Jiao's Yellow Turban Army achieved some victories in the early stages of the uprising. The call to arms for the uprising was widespread, and the support of the people allowed the Yellow Turban Army to expand rapidly, soon gathering an army of hundreds of thousands.

The slogan "The Blue Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise" became the battle cry of the Yellow Turban Army. This was not only a slogan against the Eastern Han regime, but also an incitement of public discontent.

Zhang Jiao's uprising quickly triggered severe social upheaval, plunging local governments into chaos and fueling rebellious sentiment among the people.

Zhang Jiao's health deteriorated, and long-term illness and fatigue gradually weakened him. However, he continued to inspire the Yellow Turban Army as a spiritual leader.

His younger brother, Zhang Liang, led the army to hold the line in the Guangzong area, resisting Huangfu Song's attack.

In order to suppress the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the imperial court mobilized a large number of troops, and Huangfu Song was dispatched as commander in an emergency campaign. This protracted battle almost became a microcosm of the entire history of the late Eastern Han Dynasty.

He adopted an encirclement tactic, trapping the Yellow Turban army in Guangzong.

After two months of protracted fighting, the Yellow Turban army was exhausted and its morale was declining. Huangfu Song finally ordered an attack, and the Yellow Turban army's defenses were breached.

The Yellow Turban Army's resistance became increasingly feeble. Zhang Liang was killed, Guangzong City was captured, and Zhang Jiao's uprising suffered a crushing defeat.

Zhang Jiao went from a Taoist priest to the leader of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Without that rebellion, Zhang Jiao might have become a figure with a high social status in the late Eastern Han Dynasty.

In that society, religious leaders held a much higher status than ordinary people. When people were suffering, people like Zhang Jiao who healed the sick and saved lives received a lot of support and respect.

Although Zhang Jiao's beliefs and ideals were realized through force, he still represented the aspirations of the vast majority of impoverished people of that era for a better life. (End of Chapter)