Ma Yuanyi 馬元義

Ma Yuanyi (馬元義) was a Large Division leader of Yellow Turbans and a leader in planning for rebellion. He had followers in the provinces of Jing and Yang and even in the capital city of Luoyang.

Biography
Ma Yuanyi was one of the 360.000 pilgrims who joined Zhang Jiao (張角) somewhere between the early 170’s and 184 A.D. When Zhang Jiao spread his forces over thirty-six Divisions (方), Ma Yuanyi was made a Large Division leader, meaning he controlled over 10.000 men. He was also a leader in planning for rebellion.

Ma Yuanyi, together with some others, gathered these men from the provinces of Jing and Yang and they made arrangements for a rising at Ye city in Zhongshan commandery. It is said he collected several ten thousand followers from these provinces. Ma Yuanyi visited the capital city of Luoyang on several occasions and claimed adherents even among the palace eunuchs Feng Xu (封諝) and Xu Feng (封諝).

Planning a Rising
Together with the eunuchs Ma Yuanyi agreed on the fifth day of the third month, which was 3 April  for a massive rising which included an attack from within the capital and an attack from without that were to coincide with the local risings throughout the empire.

The Yellow Turbans were concentrated in three areas. One group was led by the three Zhang brothers north of the Yellow River near the commanderies of Julu and Wei. Another major rising was to take place in the Guangyang and Zhuo commanderies in You province. The third centre of rebellion took place in the three commanderies of Runan, Nanyang and Yingchuan. This third force was intended to co-operate with the traitors in Luoyang.

Betrayal
In the spring of 184 A.D. a former disciple of Zhang Jiao, a man named Tang Zhou (唐周), wrote a letter to the emperor in which he revealed the plot. Thereupon Ma Yuanyi was arrested and torn into pieces by chariots in Luoyang. Other followers and sympathizers of the Yellow Turbans in Luoyang were tracked down and executed. Orders were sent to Ji province that Zhang Jiao and his followers should be arrested, but Zhang Jiao had already learned of the fact his plot was leaked and a messenger was sent to inform all Division leaders.