Sui and Tang · Rebel

Huang Chao 黃巢

Attested AD 875

Passages: 4
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Huang Chao was a rebel.

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 875 是時（乾符二年之後）
Dated from the passage context · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passages 18-19

Events and relationships

Forces heard the Baibaili ruse, mistook the place name for a distance, and hurried past without attacking Lin'an
Military · Rebel commander · At Baibaili 八百里
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passages 23-24
Raided eastern Zhejiang with several thousand followers and reached Lin'an
AD 875 是時（乾符二年之後） · Military · Rebel commander · At Lin'an 臨安
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passage 19

Source notes

By the time of the Lin'an raid his followers already numbered several thousand.
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passage 19

References in the histories

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 67Volume 67: Hereditary House of Wuyue · 4 passages

是時，黃巢眾已數千，攻掠浙東，至臨安，镠曰：「今鎮兵少而賊兵多，難以力禦，宜出奇兵邀之。」 By then Huang Chao's followers already numbered in the thousands. They raided eastern Zhejiang and reached Lin'an. Qian Liu said, "Our garrison is too small to meet their numbers head-on. We should lay an ambush with a strike force."

乃與勁卒二十人伏山谷中，巢先鋒度險皆單騎，镠伏弩射殺其將，巢兵亂，镠引勁卒蹂之，斬首數百級。 He took twenty picked men and hid in a mountain valley. Huang Chao's vanguard, traversing the difficult pass, rode singly. Qian Liu's ambush crossbows killed their leader; the rebels broke ranks, and he charged with his picked men, cutting down hundreds.

巢眾至，聞媼語，不知其地名，曰：「向十餘卒不可敵，況八百里乎！」 When Huang Chao's forces arrived and heard the old woman's words, not knowing Baibaili was a place name, they said, "We could barely handle a dozen men just now—how could we face eight hundred li of them!"

都統高駢聞巢不敢犯臨安，壯之，召董昌與镠俱至廣陵。 Gao Piao, the overall commander, heard that Huang Chao had not dared to attack Lin'an and was impressed. He summoned Dong Chang and Qian Liu to Guangling together.