Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were both army officers who were ordered to lead their bands of commoner soldiers north to participate in the defense of Yuyang. However, they were stopped halfway in Anhui province by flooding from a severe rainstorm. The harsh Qin laws mandated execution for those who showed up late for government jobs, regardless of the nature of the delay. Figuring that they would rather fight for their freedom than face execution, Chen and Wu organized a band of 900 villagers to rebel against the government.

With Chen's men declaring him king of the former Kingdom of Chu, he and Wu became the centre of armed uprisings all over China. Over the course of just a few months, their strength grew to around ten thousand men, a force composed mostly of discontented peasants. However, in less than a year, their uprising faced serious trouble; their force was no match for the highly skilled battlefield tactics of the professional Qin soldiers and both were assassinated by their own men.

While their insurrection was ultimately unsuccessful, Wu and Chen set up the example that was to be followed by Liu Bang and Xiang Yu. Their spirit is best summed up in Chen's quote "Are kings and nobles given their high status by birth?" meaning that every man, regardless of birth, can become something great if he applies himself.

Why do I bring this up?

The Dazexiang Uprising is an excellent example of maximum punishment for minimal crimes. If you excessively punish people for the smallest mistake, you have nothing left to intimidate and deter them with. Your means of control no longer has power.

How is this relevant to today?

I believe we are seeing the same thing occur today between the sexes. Some feminist have asked, why should they be concerned about romantically and sexually unsuccessful men? Feminism isn't for loser men. However, they do care when these same men become exploitative, hateful, misogynist, because it negatively affects them.

These men are already experiencing the maximum punishment: a lifetime of loneliness, bitterness, and depression. They are stigmatized and neglected by society. Often, this leads them to the manosphere. If they embrace the topics there, they are attacked and shamed for it. But the same way the Qin Dynasty couldn't offer a punishment worse than death, you can't offer a fate worse than their current existence. You can't shame them into feeling worse. So unless a solution is presented, do not be surprised when these people rebel and attempt to destroy the status quo.

What do you think? Can you blame someone for not wanting to live a miserable life? Even if happiness requires hurting a few people along the way?