Editing Three Kingdoms (section)

===Yellow Turban Rebellion===
{{main|Yellow Turban Rebellion}}
[[File:Han provinces.jpg|thumb|Map of Chinese provinces on the eve of Three Kingdoms period, 189 AD]]
[[File:Yellow Turban Rebellion.jpg|thumb|Map showing the Yellow Turban Rebellion]]
The power of the Eastern [[Han dynasty]] had steadily declined owing to a variety of political and economic problems after the death of [[Emperor He of Han|Emperor He]] in 105 AD. A series of Han emperors ascended the throne while still youths, and ''[[de facto]]'' imperial power often rested with the emperors' older relatives. As these relatives occasionally were loath to give up their influence, emperors would, upon reaching maturity, be forced to rely on political alliances with senior officials and [[eunuch]]s to achieve control of the government. Political posturing and infighting between imperial relatives and eunuch officials were a constant problem in the Chinese government at the time.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Theobald |first1=Ulrich |date=28 June 2011 |title=The Yellow Turban Uprising |url=http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Terms/huangjin.html |access-date=7 March 2015 |website=Chinaknowledge}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=April 2024}} During the reigns of [[Emperor Huan]] ({{reign|146|168}}) and [[Emperor Ling of Han|Emperor Ling]] ({{reign|168|189}}), leading officials' dissatisfaction with the eunuchs' usurpation of power reached a peak, and many began to openly protest against them. The first and second protests met with failure, and the court eunuchs persuaded the emperor to execute many of the protesting scholars. Some local rulers seized the opportunity to exert despotic control over their lands and citizens, since many feared to speak out in the oppressive political climate. Emperors Huan and Ling's reigns were recorded as particularly dark periods of Han dynasty rule. In addition to political oppression and mismanagement, China experienced a number of natural disasters during this period, and local rebellions sprung up throughout the country.

In the third month of 184, [[Zhang Jiao]], leader of the Way of Supreme Peace, a [[Taoist]] movement, along with his two brothers Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao, led the movement's followers in a rebellion against the government that was called the [[Yellow Turban Rebellion]]. Their movement quickly attracted followers and soon numbered several hundred thousand and received support from many parts of China. They had 36 bases throughout China, with large bases having 10,000 or more followers and minor bases having 6,000 to 7,000, similar to Han armies. Their motto was: <blockquote>"The Grey Sky{{refn|group=lower-alpha|Referring to the Han dynasty government; the word 蒼, here glossed as ''grey'', is specifically the colour of an old person's hair, alluding to the decrepit state of the Han}} has perished, the Yellow Sky{{refn|group=lower-alpha|Referring to the Yellow Turban Rebellion}} will soon rise; in this year of ''[[Chinese calendar|jiazi]]'',{{refn|group=lower-alpha|''Jiazi'' is the first step of the sexagenary cycle, signifying a new beginning}} let there be prosperity in the world!"<br />({{lang|zh-hant|蒼天已死，黃天當立。歲在甲子，天下大吉。}}){{refn|group=lower-alpha|''[[Book of Han]]'' – ''Record of Emperor Xiaoling'' and the ''[[Zizhi Tongjian]]'' -''Guanghe Year 6'' record that Zhang Jiao declared himself Yellow Emperor and took their movement's name from a headscarf worn by followers [yellow signifying the Yellow Emperor and imperial authority].}}</blockquote> Emperor Ling dispatched generals [[Huangfu Song]], [[Lu Zhi (Han dynasty)|Lu Zhi]], and [[Zhu Jun (Han dynasty)|Zhu Jun]] to lead the Han armies against the rebels, and decreed that local governments had to supply soldiers to assist in their efforts. The Yellow Turbans were ultimately defeated and its surviving followers dispersed throughout China, but due to the turbulent situation throughout the empire, many were able to survive as bandits in mountainous areas, thus continuing their ability to contribute to the turmoil of the era.

With the widespread increase in bandits across the Chinese nation, the Han army had no way to repel each and every raiding party. In 188, Emperor Ling accepted a memorial from [[Liu Yan (Han dynasty warlord)|Liu Yan]] suggesting he grant direct administrative power over feudal provinces and direct command of regional military to local governors, as well as promoting them in rank and filling such positions with members of the Liu family or court officials. This move made [[Zhou (country subdivision)|provinces]] (''zhou'') official administrative units, and although they had power to combat rebellions, the later intra-governmental chaos allowed these local governors to easily rule independently of the central government. Liu Yan was also promoted as governor of [[Yi Province]] (roughly covering the [[Sichuan Basin]]). Soon after this move, Liu Yan severed all of his region's ties to the Han imperial court, and several other areas followed suit.