It seems to me that important clues to understanding this song are contained in the last lines:
And only when the light of the lanterns behind the curtains goes out,
He adjusts the yellow armband on his sleeve.
And locking up your dugout, tight for the night,
He goes into the distance, knocking on the asphalt with a white stick.
First, the yellow band on the sleeve. In the territories occupied by Nazi Germany, armbands with a yellow six-pointed star were used to identify Jews. Apparently, the song is talking about just such a bandage, therefore, the hero of the song is a Jew, or has some direct relationship to the Jews. Secondly, a white stick, which is a hallmark of the blind and visually impaired.
So, the song is about a certain blind Jew. Who is he? To answer this question, you need to go back about two thousand years ago, at the time of the birth of Christianity. In the 1st-3rd centuries A.D. e. simultaneously with Christianity that has come down to us, Christian, near-Christian and not quite Christian sects arose, known today as the Gnostics. They were quite heterogeneous in their beliefs, and in particular, one of their beliefs was that our world, imperfect, full of evil, suffering, violence and injustice, was created by an imperfect creator. This creator was called Greek word"demiurge" or the name "Yaldabaoth", and the symbol of his imperfection and inferiority was just blindness. In addition, Ialdabaoth was identified with the Old Testament God, the God of the Jews, Yahweh, which in general was not without its logic, given how much was going on in Old Testament cruelty and violence, often initiated by God himself. Actually, it was about him, about Yaldabaoth, that the CCTV song was written. Do you feel the subtlety of the metaphor? Such Gnostic theodicy. God sees everything, or rather, has "technical capabilities" for this, but in fact he is blind. Therefore, this is what is happening in the world:
Somewhere three foreheads are beating the patient,
putting on a frill, painted like a clown.
Somewhere they bury the children of an exemplary orphanage,
But behind them the grandfather looks out of the telescope.
As an additional justification for my point of view, I will quote from another song of Miron, from which it becomes clear that he is clearly aware of who the Gnostics are:
Is hell waiting for me in the graveyard? Come on
Like bones. Was an agnostic
From anger he became like a gnostic.
Returning to the actual question. I won’t say for sure in which particular book it is written exactly about Yaldabaoth, as the blind creator of the Universe, but it is clearly necessary to dig in the direction of the Gnostic apocrypha. Unfortunately, not all of them have survived to this day, but something has. The good news is that in 1945 a major collection of Gnostic texts was discovered, called the Nag Hammadi Library.
It seems to me that important clues to understanding this song are contained in the last lines:
And only when the light of the lanterns behind the curtains goes out,
He adjusts the yellow armband on his sleeve.
And locking up your dugout, tight for the night,
He goes into the distance, knocking on the asphalt with a white stick.
First, the yellow band on the sleeve. In the territories occupied by Nazi Germany, armbands with a yellow six-pointed star were used to identify Jews. Apparently, the song is talking about just such a bandage, therefore, the hero of the song is a Jew, or has some direct relationship to the Jews. Secondly, a white stick, which is a hallmark of the blind and visually impaired.
So, the song is about a certain blind Jew. Who is he? To answer this question, you need to go back about two thousand years ago, at the time of the birth of Christianity. In the 1st-3rd centuries A.D. e. simultaneously with Christianity that has come down to us, Christian, near-Christian and not quite Christian sects arose, known today as the Gnostics. They were quite heterogeneous in their beliefs, and in particular, one of their beliefs was that our world, imperfect, full of evil, suffering, violence and injustice, was created by an imperfect creator. This creator was called the Greek word "demiurge" or the name "Yaldabaoth", and the symbol of his imperfection and inferiority was just blindness. In addition, Ialdabaoth was identified with the Old Testament God, the God of the Jews, Yahweh, which in general was not without its own logic, given how much cruelty and violence was done in the Old Testament, often initiated by God himself. Actually, it was about him, about Yaldabaoth, that the CCTV song was written. Do you feel the subtlety of the metaphor? Such Gnostic theodicy. God sees everything, or rather, has "technical capabilities" for this, but in fact he is blind. Therefore, this is what is happening in the world:
Somewhere three foreheads are beating the patient,
putting on a frill, painted like a clown.
Somewhere they bury the children of an exemplary orphanage,
But behind them the grandfather looks out of the telescope.
As an additional justification for my point of view, I will quote from another song of Miron, from which it becomes clear that he is clearly aware of who the Gnostics are:
Is hell waiting for me in the graveyard? Come on
Like bones. Was an agnostic
From anger he became like a gnostic.
Returning to the actual question. I won’t say for sure in which particular book it is written exactly about Yaldabaoth, as the blind creator of the Universe, but it is clearly necessary to dig in the direction of the Gnostic apocrypha. Unfortunately, not all of them have survived to this day, but something has. The good news is that in 1945 a major collection of Gnostic texts was discovered, called the Nag Hammadi Library.
In an environment of economic and political decline in China, a grand uprising of bankrupt free producers and dependent farmers, as well as slaves, broke out, known as the Yellow Turban Rebellion. The uprising broke out in 184 AD. e. It was headed by the Taoist preacher Zhang Zio, the founder of one of the secret Taoist sects.
The new doctrine declared itself as an opponent of the old order. Consolidated in the conditions of confrontation with the official ideology and focusing on those aspects of the spiritual life of the people that were discarded by Confucianism, religious Taoism at first acquired the character of a revolutionary movement, strong support of the rebellious lower classes and setting as its goal the violent overthrow of the existing order. Zhang Zio predicted that the unjust orders existing on earth would soon come to an end, that evil and violence, which he called the "Blue Sky", would perish, and a time of great happiness would come on earth, a new life, which he called the "Yellow Sky". Being under the constant yoke of numerous duties, the peasants made Taoism the banner of their revolutionary spirit. Companions of Zhang Jio infiltrated the capital and even the imperial palace, recruiting supporters. In the capital, regional and county towns- Everywhere people wrote with white clay on the gates and walls the hieroglyphs "chia-tzu" as a symbol calling for an uprising.
For ten years, members of the Zhang Zio sect were secretly active. The number of its supporters numbered in the tens of thousands. All of them were distributed among the military-territorial districts and were secretly trained in military affairs. Thus, Zhang Jio created 36 detachments. At the head of each of them was a military leader. Most large detachments numbered 10 thousand people each, small ones - 6-7 thousand each.
Long before the start of the armed uprising of Zhang Jio's detachments, the emperor was informed that "the whole empire had adopted the faith of Zhang Jio," but the authorities were afraid to arrest Zhang Jio, although they knew about his activities, apparently fearing mass demonstrations. According to some reports, almost two-thirds of the population was influenced by the teachings of the sect. Zhang Zio managed to change the day of the uprising in an amazingly short time, when it suddenly became clear that the traitor had given the authorities a plan of his actions.
The Yellow Turban Rebellion began in the 2nd month of 184 CE. e. At the time of the speech, the army of Zhang Zio numbered 360 thousand people, but less than ten days had passed, as the flames of the uprising blazed across the vast territory from Shandong to Sichuan. The number of rebels increased every day. The main areas of the uprising were the provinces of Hebei, Henan, Shandong and Hubei. Rebel detachments attacked cities, killed officials, burned government buildings, devastated warehouses, seized the property of the rich, flooded fields. Everywhere the rebels opened prisons, released prisoners, freed slaves. Officials and nobles fled in horror. The uprising of the "Yellow Turbans" undoubtedly had the character of a broad popular movement, it was attended by all sections of the exploited population.
Under the conditions of the outbreak of an uprising at the imperial court, the struggle of political groups again intensified. The "scholars" blamed the eunuchs for everything and claimed that their abuse and cruelty were the main reasons for the uprising. The eunuchs and their adherents responded by accusing the "scholars" of treason. The emperor called state council, where it was decided to immediately send an army of 400 thousand people against the rebels. However, the government troops sent against the rebels suffered one defeat after another. Seeing the helplessness of the imperial court and realizing the danger of their position, the largest representatives of the ruling class, “ strong houses”And prominent commanders began to gather forces and fight the rebels on their own. Their troops acted with extreme cruelty, sparing neither children nor women, nor those who surrendered. For a long time, people's rumors preserved terrible memories of one of the bloodiest suppressors of the uprising - the largest representative of the "powerful houses" Huangfu Sun, who allegedly exterminated more than 2 million rebels.
Possessing knowledge of the art of war, the Han military leaders acted prudently and cautiously. They were well aware that they were dealing with people driven to despair and ready to fight to the last drop of blood. “If 10,000 people who have decided to sell their lives dearly are invincible, then 100,000 are even more invincible,” said one of the suppressors of the uprising. Therefore, they tried with all their might to prevent the insurgent detachments from uniting into large armies, realizing that the strength of the insurgents lies in their numbers, and not in the ability to fight. Fighting not for life, but for death in open battles, the rebels with difficulty withstood a long siege and defense and, despite the heroic struggle, could not resist an incomparably more experienced enemy militarily.
In the 6th month of 184, the elite forces of punishers were thrown against the army of Zhang Zio operating in Hebei. Zhang Zio fortified himself in one of the cities and successfully repulsed the attacks. opposed him strong army Huangfu Sun. When she approached the city, Zhang Zio suddenly died of illness, and his elder brother Zhang Liang took command instead. Despite desperate resistance, Zhang Liang's army suffered a complete defeat, the city was taken, Zhang Liang himself died in battle. According to legend, more than 30 thousand rebels died in this battle, more than 50 thousand drowned in the river and swamps during a disorderly flight. Huangfu Song threw all his strength against the troops led by Zhang Bao, Zhang Zio's younger brother. In a fierce battle, the rebels were again defeated, Zhang Bao was captured and executed.
Three brothers, leaders of the Yellow Turban Rebellion
The death of the three main leaders of the uprising weakened the forces of the rebels, but did not break their resistance. The rebels put forward new leaders and continued to fight hard. However, by the beginning of 185, detachments of representatives of the ruling class managed to destroy the main centers of the Yellow Turban uprising in central regions China. The largest rebel armies were broken separate detachments continued to operate in many parts of the country.
Only by 205 did the armies of the ruling class succeed in cracking down on the Yellow Turbans and other rebels. The bloody deed of suppressing the uprising was completed by the largest representative of the "strong houses" Cao Cao, known for his unparalleled cruelty, who defeated one of the last leaders of the "Yellow Turbans" - Yuan Tan in Shandong. Separate small detachments of the "Yellow Turbans" continued scattered operations in a number of areas until 208.
The Yellow Turban Movement and other uprisings of the late 2nd century AD revealed the complete failure of the Han Empire in protecting the interests of the ruling class. Having gathered large armies, the suppressors of the uprising, the heads of the "strong houses" and the Han commanders completely ceased to reckon with the emperor, who had lost all significance and authority. Having drowned the popular movement in blood, they began a fierce internecine struggle for power. Cao Cao, Sun Jian and Liu Bei, who took an active part in suppressing the uprisings, turned out to be the strongest in this struggle.
After many years of bloody wars with his rivals, Cao Cao took possession of the territory of Northern China, killed the Han emperor and founded the state of Wei. Sun Jian fortified himself in the southeast, creating the state of Wu. In Sichuan, the state of Shu was formed, headed by Liu Bei.
The uprisings dealt a crushing blow to the Han Empire, the internecine wars of pretenders to the throne completed its defeat. The Han empire was destroyed. China broke up into three independent kingdoms.
Main driving forces uprisings of the late II - early III century. n. e. there were dependent farmers, small free producers and slaves, petty officials and poor landowners also joined the rebels. Despite the huge scale of the Yellow Turban uprising and its lengthy preparation, the movement as a whole was spontaneous and poorly organized. The rebel detachments, as a rule, acted in isolation and were not soldered by strong military discipline. The rebels did not have a clear goal in front of them, they killed officials and representatives of the nobility, burned palaces, destroyed dams, seized the property of the rich and stopped there; in some cases, the leaders of the rebels, having seized power, declared themselves emperors. Lacking sufficient military experience and knowledge, the rebels could not consolidate their victories for a long time. All this determined the weakness and final defeat of the movement. But the significance of these uprisings and their influence on the further course of history were enormous.
WEAKENING OF THE MILITARY POWER OF THE HAN EMPIRE
From the 2nd century n. e. the military power of Han China began to weaken. Even during the Ban Chao wars, court dignitaries repeatedly insisted on stopping campaigns in East Turkestan. In 75 AD, at the time of Ban Chao's most intense struggle for the control of the Western Territory, he received an order to return to Luoyang. Ban Chao disobeyed the imperial order and acted completely independently for 14 years. Only in 89, after the major victories of Ban Chao, was military reinforcements sent to him and the emperor sanctioned his actions. After the death of Ban Chao in 102 AD. e. the Huns resumed their attacks on the Western Territory, and the Qiang tribes became more active. Ban Chao's son Ban Yong continued to fight in the Western Territory for some time, but his actions did not meet with any support at the court. The aggravation of class contradictions and the internal weakening of China forced the government to abandon further conquests. The Han Empire could no longer actively fight to strengthen its power in East Turkestan. Ban Yong, who had been successful in the Western Territory, was accused of abuse of authority, recalled to Luoyang, and thrown into prison.
In the middle of the II century. all territories of the Western Territory fell away from China. The "Great Silk Road" was again interrupted, trade along it ceased. The northern and northeastern borders of China began to be attacked by the Xianbei tribes, who occupied the former nomad camps of the Huns. The Han Empire barely had the strength to defend its borders.
ECONOMIC DECLINE. STRENGTHENING THE NATURALIZATION OF THE FARM
Throughout the 2nd century n. e. The Han Empire was in a state of deep economic and political decline.
Huge growth in the second century. n. e. concentration of land resulted in a sharp deterioration in the position of free producers. The farmers, driven to ruin, were forced to surrender themselves under the patronage of "strong houses", thus falling into personal dependence on their patron, but at this price receiving the right to use a piece of land. Sources provide information related to the end of the II century. n. e., about individual representatives of the "strong houses", under whose patronage there were several thousand Ke families. This practice led to an ever-increasing reduction in the number of taxable population of the state. If in the middle of the II century. n. e. according to the census in the empire, there were about 50 million people, then by the middle of the III century. n. e. the number of recorded population decreased to 7.5 million. Neither the extreme increase in mortality due to constant famines, uprisings and wars of the late II-early III century. AD, and also in connection with the terrible plague epidemic that engulfed China at that time, no great difficulties in accounting for the population in an environment of internal strife could lead to such a colossal population decline. Apparently, the main reason for this was that a huge number of the previously free population, subject to registration by the state, moved to the position of semi-free people, personally dependent on large owners, and could not be taken into account by state population censuses.
In connection with the increased need of the state to replenish the revenues of the treasury, caused by a significant reduction in the number of taxpayers, the tax burden increased.
From the beginning of the II century. the sources incessantly tell of natural disasters, epidemics, crop failures and chronic famine in all regions of the country. Special officials were sent to various regions of the empire to establish the number of people in extreme poverty, vagrancy and starvation. Officials reported that the people had "cramped fields" and many were unable to feed themselves, that in some famine-stricken areas there was almost not a single family left. By the middle of the II century. severe famine swept all the central regions of the empire. Product prices Agriculture rose inordinately. “People turned into cannibals, and the bones from the dead were scattered throughout the country,” reports the History of the Younger Han Dynasty. The area of arable land was drastically reduced. Trade has stalled. The decline of commodity-money relations began. The huge estates of the feudal lords and the growing nobility of the "strong houses", where all the necessary agricultural products and handicrafts were produced, gradually turned into closed economic units, little connected with the market, but interested in the development of trade. From the end of the 1st to the beginning of the 2nd c. n. e. various statesmen persistently suggested that all taxes be calculated in grain and silk, which they proposed to make the only medium of exchange. At the beginning of the III century. n. e. such measures were temporarily implemented. So, in 204, a decree was issued on the collection of all taxes in kind, and somewhat later, in the early 20s of the 3rd century, money was abolished by an imperial decree and grain and silk began to be used as a medium of exchange.
EXAMINATION OF THE CLASS STRUGGLE
Suffering from increased requisitions and duties and cruel oppression of officials, driven to despair, people abandoned their occupations, left their native places and fled to forests and mountains, turning into homeless vagrants. Unrest and food riots broke out all over the class country. They were scattered and had a local character. The rebels organized into detachments, attacked the cities and burned them, killed the rich and officials. Regional and district troops were sent against them. Rebel detachments avoided engaging with them in battle and dispersed at the news of the approach of government troops. As soon as the troops left, the rebel detachments gathered again. From the beginning of the reign of An-di (107-125) to the first year of the reign of Ling-di (168-189), sources record more than 70 local uprisings.
CONTRADICTIONS IN THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE RULING CLASS
Contradictions also intensified among the ruling class. Two political groups fought at the court: "eunuchs" and "scientists". "Scholars", most of whom were government officials, Confucian by education, expressed the interests of small and medium landowners. They were interested in strengthening the central government and strengthening the bureaucracy. The relatively small farms of the “scientists” could not withstand the competition of the “strong houses”, the strengthening of which threatened their well-being. Behind the eunuchs, apparently, were representatives of the "strong houses". As their economic power increased, so did their political power. Separating "strong houses", which also had their own private armies, opposed themselves to the central government and sought to weaken the state apparatus and the power of the emperor.
In the II century. n. e. harem eunuchs began to play an exceptionally large role at court. A group of eunuchs put forward young emperors to the throne, who completely fell under their influence. With the support of the emperors, the eunuchs appointed their henchmen to the highest government posts. Their relatives became major officials in the regions and districts. Engaged in extortion and bribery, they amassed huge wealth. The unrestrained arbitrariness of the clique of eunuchs resulted in severe corruption and decay of the state apparatus. A group of "scientists" submitted numerous reports to the emperor about the abuses of the eunuchs and demanded an investigation of their cases. By the middle of the II century. n. e. the situation in the court became particularly tense. In 169 AD e. "scientists" tried to carry out a coup d'état and elevate their protege to the throne. The plot was exposed. Many of the "scientists" were executed, a thousand people were thrown into prison along with the empress who supported them. The grouping of eunuchs intensified even more and seized all the major government posts. The emperor became a toy in their hands.
THE YELLOW STRAP REBELLION AND OTHER UPRISINGS OF THE ENDIICENTURY AD
In an environment of economic and political decline in the country, a grand revolt of ruined free producers and dependent farmers, as well as slaves, broke out, known as the Yellow Turban Rebellion. The uprising broke out in 184 AD. e. It was headed by the Taoist preacher Zhang Zio, the founder of one of the secret Taoist sects. Zhang Zio began to preach his doctrine long before the uprising. He had many followers. Zhang Zio became especially popular during the plague in Shandong, when he became widely known as a doctor. Patients flocked to him from all regions of Northern China. At this time, he began to vigorously preach his teaching "Tai Ping Dao" ("The Path to Great Equality"), which promised the onset of a new, happy life. Zhang Zio predicted that the unjust orders existing on earth would soon come to an end, that evil and violence, which he called the "Blue Sky", would perish, and a time of great happiness would come on earth, a new life, which he called the "Yellow Sky". In his sermons, Zhang Zio called for the overthrow of the "Blue Sky", and everyone understood that it was about the destruction of the hated Han dynasty. Followers of Zhang Jio preached his teaching wherever a lot of people accumulated - in cities and villages, in mines and workshops, at irrigation works. Companions of Zhang Jio infiltrated the capital and even the imperial palace, recruiting supporters.
For ten years, members of the Zhang Zio sect were secretly active. The number of its supporters numbered in the tens of thousands. All of them were distributed among the military-territorial districts and were secretly trained in military affairs. Thus, Zhang Jio created 36 detachments. At the head of each of them was a military leader. The largest detachments numbered 10 thousand people each, the small ones - 6-7 thousand each. According to the plan outlined by Zhang Jio, the uprising was to begin in the first year of a new sixty-year cycle - the year of "chia-tzu", which fell on 184 AD. e. Zhang Jio pointed out in his sermons that it was in the year of "Jia Tzu" that the "Yellow Sky" should replace the "Blue Sky". As this deadline approached, the situation in the country became more and more tense. According to the History of the Younger Han Dynasty, “malicious rumors” spread everywhere: “The blue sky has come to an end, the Yellow sky must reign; in the year of chia-tzu, great happiness will come in the Celestial Empire. In the capital, regional and county cities, everywhere people wrote with white clay on the gates and walls the hieroglyphs "chia-tzu" as a symbol calling for an uprising.
It was decided to start the uprising on the 5th day of the 3rd month of 184, Ma Yuan-yi, one of Zhang Jio's closest assistants, was sent to Luoyang to finally agree with Zhav Jio's associates in the capital on the date of the speech. All the activities of Zhang Zio's associates were kept in the deepest secrecy, but as the sect's sphere of action expanded, the number of its followers increased and the time for the uprising approached, rumors began to creep about the impending performance. Just at the time when Ma Yuan-yi was operating in the capital, the emperor received a denunciation, which listed the names of the main leaders of the movement and announced the day of the uprising. Ma Yuan-yi was captured and executed. Executions of supporters of Zhang Jio began in the capital.
Upon learning of this, Zhang Jio gave the signal for immediate action, without waiting for the agreed time. He ordered all the rebels to tie their heads with yellow scarves (as a distinctive sign), hence the name "Yellow Bands". The rebels were led by Zhang Jio and his brothers Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao as top military leaders.
The Yellow Turban Rebellion began in the 2nd month of 184 CE. e. At the time of the speech, the army of Zhang Zio numbered 360 thousand people, but less than ten days had passed, as the flames of the uprising blazed across the vast territory from Shandong to Sichuan. The number of rebels increased every day. The main areas of the uprising were the provinces of Hebei, Henan, Shandong and Hubei. Rebel detachments attacked cities, killed officials, burned government buildings, devastated warehouses, seized the property of the rich, flooded fields. Everywhere the rebels opened prisons, released prisoners, freed slaves. Officials and nobles fled in horror.
Under the conditions of the outbreak of an uprising at the imperial court, the struggle of political groups again intensified. The "scholars" blamed the eunuchs for everything and claimed that their abuse and cruelty were the main reasons for the uprising. The eunuchs and their adherents responded by accusing the "scholars" of treason. The emperor convened a state council, at which it was decided to immediately send an army of 400 thousand people against the rebels. However, the government troops sent against the rebels suffered one defeat after another. Seeing the helplessness of the imperial court and realizing the danger of their position, the largest representatives of the ruling class, "strong houses" and prominent generals began to gather forces and fight the rebels on their own. Their troops acted with extreme cruelty, sparing neither children nor women, nor those who surrendered. For a long time, people's rumors preserved terrible memories of one of the bloodiest suppressors of the uprising - the largest representative of the "powerful houses" Huangfu Sun, who allegedly exterminated more than 2 million rebels.
Possessing knowledge of the art of war, the Han military leaders acted prudently and cautiously. They were well aware that they were dealing with people driven to despair and ready to fight to the last drop of blood. “If 10,000 people who have decided to sell their lives dearly are invincible, then 100,000 are all the more invincible,” said one of the suppressors of the uprising. Therefore, they tried with all their might to prevent the insurgent detachments from uniting into large armies, realizing that the strength of the insurgents lies in their numbers, and not in the ability to fight. Fighting not for life, but for death in open battles, the rebels with difficulty withstood a long siege and defense and, despite the heroic struggle, could not resist an incomparably more experienced enemy militarily.
In the 6th month of 184, the elite forces of punishers were thrown against the army of Zhang Zio operating in Hebei. Zhang Zio fortified himself in one of the cities and successfully repulsed the attacks. Huangfu Song's strong army came up against him. When she approached the city, Zhang Zio suddenly died of illness, and his elder brother Zhang Liang took command instead. Despite desperate resistance, Zhang Liang's army suffered a complete defeat, the city was taken, Zhang Liang himself died in battle. According to legend, more than 30 thousand rebels died in this battle, more than 50 thousand drowned in the river and swamps during a disorderly flight. Huangfu Song threw all his strength against the troops led by Zhang Bao, Zhang Zio's younger brother. In a fierce battle, the rebels were again defeated, Zhang Bao was captured and executed.
The death of the three main leaders of the uprising weakened the forces of the rebels, but did not break their resistance. The rebels put forward new leaders and continued to fight hard. However, by the beginning of 185, detachments of representatives of the ruling class managed to destroy the main centers of the Yellow Turban uprising in the central regions of China. The largest rebel armies were defeated, separate detachments continued to operate in many parts of the country.
As soon as the Yellow Turban rebellion broke out, a wave of uprisings unrelated to Zhang Zio's sect broke out across the country. So, in 184 AD. e. large uprisings broke out in Guangdong and Sichuan. At the same time, uprisings arose among the tribes subordinate to China. The largest of them broke out in the north-west of the empire. It began in 184 AD. e. in the Kukunor region and was led by Bei-gun, Bo-yu and other leaders from the "small Yuezhi" tribe. The uprising was immediately supported by the tribes of the Southern Ordos and the upper Yellow River basin. The rebel troops successfully repulsed the attacks of the suppression squads and threatened even the Chanani. Huangfu Song's army was heavily defeated by them. The rebels fortified themselves in Jincheng and for four years controlled the entire northwestern Liang region and the Weihe river basin. Only in 189 was this uprising crushed.
For 20 years, in various regions of the empire, along with the Yellow Turban detachments, scattered rebel detachments operated under various names. Thus, sources report about the rebel detachments of the "Black Mountain", "White Wave", "Yellow Dragon", "Great Spill", etc. The leaders of these detachments are mostly known to us only by their nicknames, such as "Zhang on a white horse ”, “Liu-stone”, “Tso-whiskered”, “Head of the slaves”, “Zhang-swallow”, “Li-big eyes”, “Poor worm”, “Scribe”, etc. In large detachments there were 20-30 thousand rebels each, in small ones - 6-7 thousand each. The most powerful were the Black Mountain detachments, numbering up to a million people.
Only by 205 did the armies of the ruling class succeed in cracking down on the Yellow Turbans and other rebels. The bloody deed of suppressing the uprising was completed by Cao Cao, known for his unparalleled cruelty, the largest representative of the “strong houses”, who defeated one of the last leaders of the “Yellow Turbans” in Shandong, Yuan Tan. Separate small detachments of the "Yellow Turbans" continued scattered operations in a number of areas until 208. The fall of the Empire of the Younger Han. The division of China into three kingdoms
The Yellow Turban Movement and other uprisings of the late 2nd century AD revealed the complete failure of the Han Empire in protecting the interests of the ruling class. Having gathered large armies, the suppressors of the uprising, the heads of the "strong houses" and the Han commanders completely ceased to reckon with the emperor, who had lost all significance and authority. Having drowned the popular movement in blood, they began a fierce internecine struggle for power. Cao Cao, Sun Jian and Liu Bei, who took an active part in suppressing the uprisings, turned out to be the strongest in this struggle.
After many years of bloody wars with his rivals, Cao Cao took possession of the territory of Northern China, killed the Han emperor and founded the state of Wei. Sun Jian fortified himself in the southeast, creating the state of Wu. In Sichuan, the state of Shu was formed, headed by Liu Bei.
The uprisings dealt a crushing blow to the Han Empire, the internecine wars of pretenders to the throne completed its defeat. The Han empire was destroyed. China broke up into three independent kingdoms.
THE GENERAL CHARACTER OF THE REBELLIONS OF THE ENDIICENTURY AD AND THEIR HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
The main driving forces of the uprisings of the late II - early III century. n. e. there were dependent farmers, small free producers and slaves, and petty officials and poor landowners also joined the rebels. Despite the huge scale of the Yellow Turban uprising and its lengthy preparation, the movement as a whole was spontaneous and poorly organized. Other uprisings were even less organized. The rebel detachments, as a rule, acted in isolation and were not soldered by strong military discipline. The rebels did not have a clear goal in front of them, they killed officials and representatives of the nobility, burned palaces, destroyed dams, seized the property of the rich and stopped there; in some cases, the leaders of the rebels, having seized power, declared themselves emperors. Lacking sufficient military experience and knowledge, the rebels could not consolidate their victories for a long time. All this determined the weakness and final defeat of the movement. But the significance of these uprisings and their influence on the further course of history were enormous.
The great popular movement of the end of the II century. n. e., which went down in history under the name of the “Yellow Turbans” uprising, played decisive role in the destruction of the state machine of the ancient Chinese Han Empire and predetermined its collapse. It served as a turning point in the history of ancient China, clearing the way for the development of new, more progressive production relations.
