He was initially a logistics director who rose to prominence for his role in Zhang Chang's rebellion, in which he defeated the rebels' top commander, Shi Bing.
He was talented at a young age and became an official in the same year as a fellow commandery native, Tao Kan.[2] Eventually, he was nominated as Filial and Incorrupt and became a Granary Clerk of the Masters of Writing.
To resolve this crisis, Chen Min suggested to the court that they transport the abundance of food from southern China to the capital.
[3] In 303, a Man official named Zhang Chang started a rebellion in Jingzhou, which later spread to Jiangzhou, Xuzhou, Yangzhou and Yuzhou.
The Inspector of Jingzhou, Liu Hong, defeated him and forced him into hiding, but Zhang Chang's general, Shi Bing, still had a sizeable army under his command.
Chen Min was in Shouchun at the time, and he reassured Liu Zhun that morale in Shi Bing's army was low.
Coincidentally, while Chen Min was in Liyang, the Regular Attendant to the Prince of Wu, Gan Zhuo, arrived from Luoyang.
He also claimed he received an imperial edict that granted him control over the territory from the Yangzi to the Mian (沔水) and Han rivers, where he would welcome the emperor from the north.
The Jin army then defeated Chen Min's general, Qian Duan (錢端), at Zhangqi (長岐; in present-day Jiangxia District, Hubei).
He failed to attract local talents to his administration, and even those who accepted him at first, like Gu Rong and Zhou Qi, were worried that they would suffer from associating with Chen Min.
[12] That year, Jin's Interior Minister of Lujiang, Hua Tan (華譚), wrote letters to Gu Rong and others urging them to revolt against Chen Min.
The conspirators informed the Jin general, Liu Zhun, of their plot, so he coordinated an attack on Liyang while they worked from the inside.
After destroying the bridge and gathering the boats, Gan Zhuo advanced toward Jiankang with Gu Rong and Zhou Qi.
They were so unwilling to fight that when Gu Rong waved a white feather fan signalling them to disperse, they willingly scattered and fled.
[14] As his army collapsed, Chen Min rode on a horse alone to flee north, but the Jin soldiers caught up with him and captured him at Jiangcheng (江乘; in present-day Xianlin University City, Jiangsu).