After the various powers had placed their bets, the state of the world entered a period of rapid change. In the fifteenth year of the Yonghe Era, the emperor of the Great Qian Empire died. His three-year-old crown prince ascended the throne, adopting the era name Yong'an. Gao He, Ren Tongming, Liu Guo, and Zhao Yunjin were appointed regents, while the empress dowager ruled from behind the curtain.
Factional strife grew ever fiercer, and signs of chaos began to emerge across the land.
In the first year of Yong'an, a great drought swept the realm. A thousand miles of land lay barren, and people vanished from the countryside. The people "traded children to eat and split bones for fuel." Even Guanzhong, the land from which the dynasty had risen and the vital region surrounding the capital, began to show signs of unrest.
In the eighth month, a refugee named Chen Yongqing rose in revolt in Guanzhong, styling himself the "Great Shun King." He proclaimed, "Make noble and commoner equal; distribute poverty and wealth alike," and "Strike down the unrighteous and execute the tyrannical Qian." Gathering refugees to his banner, he captured two prefectures in succession. Wherever he went, he killed the great households and opened their granaries to feed disaster victims. His followers grew by the day, and Guanzhong trembled with fear.
In the ninth month, Chen Yongqing won battle after battle, soundly defeating the imperial army and at one point reaching the outskirts of Chang'an.
Panic gripped the city of Chang'an. The empress dowager and the young emperor wept as they made offerings at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and issued three edicts admitting the court's guilt in succession. At the same time, they called on armies throughout the realm to rise and rescue the throne. This marked the