Miao Frontier Rebellions of the 1460s

Timeline

1. 1461–1467Miao lands of Huguang, Qingyuan in Guangxi · SouthwestIn the early 1460s, Miao, Yao, and Dong groups in the borderlands of Guizhou, Huguang, and Guangxi repeatedly rose in defiance over heavy corvée labor, extortion by native officials, and land disputes with Han residents. Local garrisons could not effectively control the area, and small-scale clashes continued intermittently.
2. 1468–1469Qingping and Taigong, Guizhou · GuizhouIn 1468, the Miao leader Liang Cong in Guizhou gathered followers and rose in rebellion, attacking prefectures and counties and killing government troops. The uprising spread to the Qingping and Taigong area, threatening the eastern route through Guizhou. The Ming court was shaken, regarding it as a major crisis on the southwestern frontier.
3. 1469–1470Guizhou · GuizhouThe Ming court dispatched the general-in-chief and provincial governor to lead troops in suppression, coordinating with native official forces in multi-pronged attacks; Liang Cong was defeated and killed. Afterwards, garrisons were added, surrendered followers pacified, and native officials strictly restrained. Yet the fundamental contradictions of the Miao frontier remained unresolved, and uprisings continued to flare up over the following century.