 In the 860s and early 870s, the area suffered droughts but its people met with indifference or malice from Tang officials.Huang Chao, the son of a wealthy local salt merchant, tried to become one of these mandarins but failed the imperial exams and took up salt smuggling instead.When the salt smuggler Wang Xianzhi rose against the empire in nearby Changyuan County in 874, he was able to overrun several towns and even defeated the local forces under Xue Chong ( "Xuē Chóng"), the governor of the area's Tianping Circuit ( "Tiānpíng Dào").