Battle of Kunyang

In 23 Wang Mang sent his generals Wang Yi and Wang Xun against the Lülin rebels, who on 11 March had proclaimed a member of the Han imperial clan, Liu Xuan, emperor (the Gengshi Emperor). The Xin army besieged the small town of Kunyang. The Book of Han speaks of 420,000 men (the 11th-century Zizhi Tongjian gives 430,000), but these figures are regarded as great exaggerations: other early texts give far smaller numbers. Liu Xiu slipped out of the town, gathered troops from the surrounding districts and struck the besiegers from outside — the decisive attack came on 7 July 23. Wang Xun was killed, the defenders burst out of the town, and a sudden rainstorm swelled the river, in which many of the fleeing soldiers drowned.

Within a month most of the empire had slipped out of Xin control. In October rebels stormed the Weiyang Palace in Chang’an, and Wang Mang was killed there on 6 October 23. For Liu Xiu the victory began the career that brought him to the throne two years later.