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Corrupt government brings popular distress and rebellions

The character of the government administration must have declined
considerably and official oppression of the people must have increased
greatly, for in this reign there occurred a phenomenon that had been
absent since the reign of Emperor Wu—several sporadic revolts
occurred in various parts of the empire. There were droughts in 31 and
18 B.C. In 29, the Yellow River broke a dike and overflowed 32 prefectures
in four commandaries to a depth of thirty feet, because the

central government, through false economy, had refused to repair the
dike. The dike was immediately mended. There were floods again in
30, 29, 27, 23, and 17 B.C. These, however, do not seem to have been
much more than the usual number of such calamities in north China.

Yet in 17 B.C., there were many vagrants and roving people on the
roads (p. 10b)—people who had been driven away from their homes
for one reason or another—another phenomenon largely absent since
the time of Emperor Wu. In 22 B.C., there was an armed rebellion
among those sentenced to work as slaves in the government iron works
at Ying-ch'uan commandery (in the present central Honan). The
rebellion overran nine prefectures. In 17 B.C., there was a similar revolt
among the government criminals in Kuang-han Commandery (in the
present Szechuan), which lasted for ten months, overran four prefectures,
and produced a band said to have numbered ten thousand persons. In
the winter of 14/13 B.C., there was a revolt in Ch'en-liu Commandery
(the present central Honan), in which the Grand Administrator was
killed. Its leader was assassinated by some treacherous followers and
the revolt collapsed. The next month, the greatest of these revolts
arose among the government slaves in the iron works at Shan-yang
Commandery (the present southwestern Shantung). This revolt spread
over nineteen commanderies and kingdoms. It was put down in the
same year.

Since the officials had almost unchecked power over the people, unless
the Emperor took the trouble to consider the people's petitions, a set of
corrupt officials could easily tyrannize and oppress the common people,
until rebellion became a welcome relief from suffering. Those sentenced
to penal servitude would naturally be treated the worst, and hence would
be the first to rebel. In this reign, as in that of Emperor Wu, official
oppression, caused by imperial negligence in the oversight of the
bureaucracy and consequent official corruption and oppression, brought
about bitter suffering on the part of the common people in the provinces
and consequent revolts.