23. The Peasant Rebels Who Made and Erased Emperors
Back in the imperial palace, Wang Mang, who had overthrown the Han and declared himself emperor of a new dynasty, turned out to be politically incompetent. In 19 AD, his response to the Red Eyebrows peasant revolt and other uprisings across China was to raise taxes. That only fueled and supercharged the various rebellions, which soon consolidated into a massive insurrection. The disparate rebel bands came together and united under the banner of the Red Eyebrows and the leadership of Fan Chong. In 23 AD, the Red Eyebrows played a key role in the defeat and overthrow of Wang Mang, and the downfall of his short-lived Xin Dynasty.
A member of the Han royal family named Liu Xuan seized the opportunity to reestablish the Han Dynasty and declare himself emperor. His rule did not sit well with the Red Eyebrows, however, so they rose in revolt once again and overthrew him. In his place, they appointed a child Han descendant on the throne as a puppet emperor, while they ruled China in his name. However, while the Red Eyebrows were militarily brilliant, they proved incompetent at governance, and their misrule soon led to widespread uprisings. Their puppet emperor was overthrown and replaced by another Han descendant, Liu Xiu. He forced the surrender of the Red Eyebrows and brought their movement to an end, then went on to found the Later Han Dynasty, which reigned for two centuries.