The county magistrate of Yangcheng in Jiujiang Commandery dispatched two officers to escort nine hundred conscripts to Yuyang for defense.
The officers selected two physically imposing and capable men from the conscripts to serve as chiliarchs, entrusting them with the management of the others.
One of these men was Chen Sheng, a native of Yangcheng, whose courtesy name was She, and who worked as a hired farmhand. The other was Wu Guang, a native of Yangxia, who was a poor farmer.
When Chen Sheng was young, he was once hired along with others to till fields. During a break from his labor, as he stood on the edge of the field to rest, he was filled with emotion and resentment for a considerable time, saying, "If any one of us becomes rich and noble in the future, let us not forget each other."
His fellow hired laborers laughed and replied, "You are hired to till fields for others; how could you become rich and noble?"
However, from the very beginning, Chen Sheng was different from others. Chen Sheng’s heart was filled with longing for the future. But due to the limitations of his social status, Chen Sheng could only live in the same mire as everyone else.
In July, a heavy rainstorm occurred, making the roads impassable. They estimated that they had missed the deadline to arrive in Yuyang.
The military laws of Wei were very severe. Exceeding the deadline, according to the law, meant beheading.
However, these men were not soldiers of Wei. Even if they were late, they would not truly be beheaded. Furthermore, Chen Sheng genuinely harbored aspirations for wealth and status, and thus deliberately incited these men.
Chen Sheng and Wu Guang conferred, saying, "If we flee now, we die. If we rise up and embark on a great undertaking, we also die. Since death is the outcome in either case, would it not be better to die for the sake of the country?"
Chen Sheng said, "We are originally people of Chu. It is merely that Jiujiang Commandery has been occupied by the Wei. Rather than being killed ignominiously by the Wei, it would be better to rebel directly and return to Chu!"
Wu Guang thought Chen Sheng’s words were very sound and thus agreed to follow Chen Sheng.
Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were overjoyed. However, although Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were called "chiliarchs," they did not hold any real official positions. Chen Sheng and Wu Guang lacked prestige.
After deliberation, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang decided to first establish their authority among the crowd. Thus, they wrote "Chen Sheng Wang" (Chen Sheng is King) in vermilion on a piece of white silk and placed it inside the belly of a fish caught by others.
The conscripts bought the fish and cooked it, discovering the silk script inside the fish’s belly. They naturally found this matter very strange.
Chen Sheng then secretly sent Wu Guang to an ancient temple overgrown with vegetation near their encampment. At night, Wu Guang lit a bonfire and imitated the cry of a fox, shouting, "Great Chu shall rise, Chen Sheng is King."
The conscripts, hearing this cry in the dead of night, were all terrified.
The next morning, the conscripts were all discussing the matter animatedly, pointing fingers at Chen Sheng.
It was then that Chen Sheng and Wu Guang truly began to gain considerable respect from these men. Wu Guang also continued to subtly instigate the two Wei military officers escorting them, causing conflict between the Wei officers and the conscripts.
Afterward, Chen Sheng stepped forward to resolve the situation. The officers considered Chen Sheng capable, and the conscripts felt that Chen Sheng genuinely cared for them. Chen Sheng quickly gained popular support in the initial stages.
Then, during an altercation, Chen Sheng feigned a desire to protect a conscript from punishment and argued with the county lieutenant escorting them.
Chen Sheng suddenly drew his sword and ambushed the county lieutenant. Afterward, with Wu Guang’s assistance, they jointly killed the other county lieutenant.
Immediately, Chen Sheng gathered his followers and proclaimed, "You all encountered heavy rain here and missed the deadline. Missing the deadline, according to regulations, means beheading. A true man either does not die, or if he dies, he shall be renowned for generations. Are kings and generals born such? Today, we shall rebel!"