Lulin

Lulin (Chinese: 绿林; pinyin: Lùlín, 'green forest') was one of two major agrarian rebellion movements against Wang Mang's short-lived Xin dynasty in the modern southern Henan and northern Hubei regions.

In 17 AD, the Jing Province (荊州, modern Hubei, Hunan, and southern Henan) was suffering a famine that was greatly exacerbated by the corruption and incompetence of Xin officials.

The victims of the famine were reduced to consuming wild plants, and even those were in short supply, causing the suffering people to attack each other.

[1] They were later joined by many others, including Ma Wu (馬武), Wang Chang (王常), and Cheng Dan (成丹).

Some, in order to flatter Wang Mang, told him that these were simply evil resistors who needed to be killed, or that this was a temporary phenomenon.

In reality, the rebels were forced into rebellion to survive, and they were hoping that eventually, when the famine was over, they could return home to farm.

[citation needed] In 22 AD, the Lulin rebels suddenly suffered a serious plague of an unspecified nature, and at least 25,000 men died.

Liu Yan, a descendant of a distant branch of the Han imperial clan, who lived in his ancestral territory of Chongling (舂陵, in modern Xiangyang, Hubei), had long been disgusted by Wang Mang's usurpation of the Han throne, and had long aspired to start a rebellion.

Around this time, there were prophecies being spread about that the Lius would return to power, and many men gathered about Liu Yan, requesting that he lead them.

Encouraged by the victory, the Lulin leaders began to claim for themselves the title of generals, seize cities, create governmental organizations, and send out propaganda attacking Wang Mang.

However, the leaders of the Xinshi and Pinglin Forces were deeply jealous and suspicious of Liu's strict discipline, and wanted to instead support someone weak.

The Han forces were at this point in two groups—one led by Wang Feng, Wang Chang, and Liu Xiu, which, in response to the arrival of the Xin forces, withdrew to the small town of Kunyang (昆陽, in modern Ye County, Henan) and one led by Liu Yan, which was besieging Wancheng.

Liu Xiu carried out his action, and when he returned to Kunyang, he began harassing the besieging Xin forces from the outside.

He then issued edicts to the entire empire, promising to allow Xin local officials who submitted to him to keep their posts.

For a brief period, nearly the entire empire showed at least nominal submission—even including the powerful Chimei (Red Eyebrows) general Fan Chong (樊崇), who, indeed, went to stay in Luoyang under promises of titles and honors.

The people of Chang'an had previously been offended by the Gengshi Emperor's officials (the former Lulin leaders), who did not appreciate their rising up against Wang Mang but in fact considered them traitors.

By the end of AD 24, Liu Xiu, who had been sent by the Gengshi Emperor to pacify the region north of the Yellow River, was de facto independent, while the Chimei were approaching and readying for an attack on Chang'an.

Feeling trapped, a number of the Gengshi Emperor's generals conspired to kidnap him and flee back to their home region of Nanyang.

These conspirators included Zhang Ang, Liao Zhan, Hu Yin (胡殷), Shentu Jian (申屠建), and the warlord Wei Xiao (隗囂).

Most Lulin leaders eventually became lost in obscurity, but some who were initially friendly with Liu Xiu joined him and became officials in his government.