In the final years of the Qin Dynasty, over 900 poor civilians, including Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, were conscripted to guard the frontier. After brief training, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were appointed squad leaders for their wit and courage. Their destination was Yuyang, 3,000 li away. The county magistrate dispatched two officers to escort them, with a strict two-month deadline.
After traveling for days, they reached the marshlands of Qi County, only to be trapped by relentless rain. The roads turned to rivers, and they were stranded for over ten days. Under Qin law, any soldier who failed to report on time faced execution. Seeing no way out, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang secretly plotted rebellion. Chen Sheng declared, "If we go on, we die. If we rise up, we might live. Which is better?" They split up to rally their comrades, sparking the uprising that would shake the empire.
The next day, the two conscripts in charge of provisions bought fish and vegetables. When they cut open a large fish, they found a piece of silk inside with the three characters "Chen Sheng Wang," which greatly surprised them. The conscripts spread the news among themselves, but kept it from the county magistrate.
That night, everyone was restless and unable to sleep. Suddenly, a strange cry came faintly from afar. They slipped out of their homes one after another and saw flames flickering in the woods near the shrine. Straining their ears, they heard a fox-like sound from behind the shrine: "Great Chu shall rise, Chen Sheng shall be king..."
The conscripts, recalling the silk cloth found in the fish's belly earlier that day, grew even more astonished, secretly placing their hopes on Chen Sheng.
By daybreak, the news had spread. Chen Sheng and Wu Guang seized the opportunity to rally the conscripts, stirring their hearts to rebellion. Leading several strong supporters, they stormed the county magistrates' tent and killed both officials.
Chen Sheng climbed to a high place and rallied, "We cannot reach Yuyang on time, and death is certain! But we cannot wait to die; we must launch a grand undertaking to overthrow the tyrannical Qin rule!"
The garrison soldiers voiced their agreement. Without delay, they declared an uprising, seized Daze Village, and then captured Qi County, their ranks swelling day by day.
A single spark can start a prairie fire. Soon, uprisings erupted across the land, and the Qin dynasty was finally overthrown.
Later, the idiom "Bonfire and Fox Cries" came to describe a tactic used when planning an uprising or executing a certain scheme.
Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Hereditary House of Chen She"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "篝火狐鸣" came to describe a tactic used when planning an uprising or executing a certain scheme.