Shaxian, Jiangle County, Yongan, Youxi County, Yanping Prefecture, Datian County, Ningde, Guaze, Guangchang (Jiangxi)

In 1448, a tenant farmer declared himself king.

His name was Deng Maoqi. A native of Guangchang, Jiangxi, he had fled to Shaxian to work as a tenant. Within months, he had gathered over 100,000 followers and crowned himself the “Chanping King” — the King of Leveling.

The Ming court was enraged. But what truly terrified them was this: the peasant nearly succeeded.

Fire Under the Winter Field Tax

How hard was life for tenant farmers in central Fujian during the Zhengtong era?

Paying rent was expected. But landlords had invented something crueler — the “Winter Field Tax.” Even during the off-season, tenants had to deliver gifts and grain, with no exemptions in famine years.

In 1447, famine swept through central Fujian. The landlords not only refused to reduce rents but demanded the Winter Field payments.

The tenants of Shaxian had had enough.

Chen Zheng led the refusal. The group elected Deng Maoqi as their leader. Historical records show that in a secret meeting in late 1447, over 800 committed tenant farmers swore loyalty.

Those 800 men would later ignite a wildfire that swept hundreds of thousands across Fujian.

1448: Birth of the Leveling King

In the second month of 1448, the magistrate of Shaxian ordered the arrest of the tax resisters.

Deng Maoqi didn’t wait to die. Together with his brother Deng Maoba and cousin Deng Zhuyi, he killed the officers and seized the county office.

The rebellion had begun.

Deng Maoqi proclaimed himself the “Chanping King.” His slogan was brutally simple: level the gap between rich and poor, abolish all unjust fees.

The effect was explosive. Within months, refugees and tenants from Shaxian, Youxi, and Jiangle flocked to his banner. His forces swelled to over 100,000. They burned land deeds and opened granaries to feed the poor.

In June, the Ming court sent Provincial Councilor Le Jing and Commander Xu Xin to suppress the rebellion. Deng Maoqi used the rugged terrain of central Fujian to defeat the imperial army within 3 days, killing Xu Xin and other high-ranking generals.

After this victory, central Fujian fell beyond the court’s control. Deng’s influence stretched north to Guaze and south to Zhangzhou.

The Frenzy of an Army of Hundreds of Thousands

Deng Maoqi was no brute. He adopted a strategy of “occupying mountains and striking in coordination.”

In August 1448, the rebel army split into three divisions. Deng Zhuyi led one to attack Youxi County, burning the government offices and occupying the seat for 15 days.

In September, another elite force besieged Jiangle County. The rebels set up 12 camps around the city, cutting off the imperial army’s supply lines.

The rebel forces peaked. Response surged across central Fujian. The total force was claimed to be 800,000, with no fewer than 200,000 actual fighters. The rebels captured over 20 county seats and even began appointing their own officials — a rarity in mid-Ming rebellion history.

1449: The Final Battle

The Ming court could no longer hesitate.

In October 1448, Chen Mao, the Marquis of Ningyang, was dispatched with over 50,000 elite troops from the capital and the Jianghuai region.

In January 1449, the main imperial force arrived at Yanping Prefecture (modern Nanping). Chen Mao adopted a dual strategy of suppression and pacification — offering rewards for surrender while conducting brutal military encirclement.

Deng Maoqi led his main force in a decisive battle outside Yanping. After 4 hours of fierce combat, betrayed by informants, he was struck by multiple arrows and died of his wounds.

After Deng’s death, the remnants retreated to Wan’an Enclosure in Jiangle County. From this strategic stronghold, they held out for nearly 100 days. By 1450, with food exhausted and reinforcements arriving, Chen Zheng and others were killed or captured. The rebellion that had shaken the southeast finally subsided.

The Butterfly Effect: Remaking Central Fujian’s Administrative Map

The rebellion failed, but it terrified the Ming court.

They realized: central Fujian’s mountainous interior had massive gaps in county-level governance, making it easy for “bandits” to hide. The solution? Establish new counties.

In 1451, the Governor of Fujian petitioned to create new counties.

In September 1452, the 27th District of Shaxian and the 26th District of Youxi were merged to create Yongan County — meaning “Forever Protected and Peaceful.” In the same year, Guihua County was established for similar reasons.

In 1470, parts of Youxi, Yongan, and Zhangping were further divided to create Datian County.

Within 20 years, 3 new county-level units were added to central Fujian. This administrative restructuring was fundamentally an effort by the Ming court to transform “mountain people” into “registered citizens.”

That geographic layout persists to this day.

Deng Maoqi went from tenant farmer to the “Chanping King” in less than three years. What he left behind were not just the crumbling stone walls of Wan’an Enclosure, but an almost instinctive question —

Why?

History never answers that question. But every time someone asks, the world changes just a little.