The scattered Praetorian encampments inside the city…

Agrarian revolts now crop up virtually everywhere in the empire, fostered by Wang's incompetent rule and aggravated by the natural disasters.

The two largest branches are the Lülin (concentrated in modern southern Henan and northern Hubei) and Chimei (concentrated in modern southern Shandong and northern Jiangsu).

Herod Antipas establishes Tiberias, a port on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee in northeastern Israel in 20, naming it for the Roman emperor (Teverya in Hebrew).

He partly models Tiberias on the plan of a Greek polis; although he erects statues in the Greek manner in his palace, his coins bear no images.

He also encourages the Herodians, well-to-do Jews who support him and are tolerant of Roman authority.

The Gentiles who live in Tiberias and other Jewish cities are probably natives of nearby Gentile cities, and many are Syrians, who can probably speak both Aramaic and Greek.

Germanicus had meanwhile survived a little over a year in the East before dying, accusing Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, the governor of Syria, of poisoning him.

The Pisones had been longtime supporters of the Claudians, and had allied themselves with the young Octavian after his marriage to Livia, the mother of Tiberius; Germanicus's death and accusations indict the new Princeps.

Piso is placed on trial and, according to Tacitus, threatens to implicate Tiberius.

Whether the governor actually could connect the Princeps to the death of Germanicus is unknown; rather than continuing to stand trial when it becomes evident that the Senate is against him, Piso commits suicide, though it is rumored that Tiberius, fearing incriminating disclosures, had put him to death.

Tiberius and his mother Livia are able to avoid incrimination of Piso’s wife Plancina.

Wang sends vice generals Jing Shang and Wang Dang in 21 to try to put down the rebellions, but Jing and Wang's soldiers are so lacking in military discipline that they further anger that portion of the populace which had not rebelled, causing them to join or help the rebels in greater earnest.

Tian, who had earlier aggravated the rebellions, however, has some success against them, an advocates a policy whereby the villagers would be evacuated to the cities to trap the rebels into attacking fortifications.

Wang, who by this point distrusts Tian due to his military successes, refuses and recalls him to the capital.

About this time, Mother Lü dies, and her followers joined forces with Fan Chong's forces.

Fan and the other rebel leaders still lack any real political ambition—even as they are showing genuine military abilities.

The only rules of law that the rebels observe is that one who murders will die, and one who wounds will be responsible for the care of the victim until he or she heals.

The only titles for the rebel leaders are "county educator", "county clerk", and "sheriff", rather than more grandiose titles such as "general" or "prince”.

The most ambitious of the rebels emerges in 22.

Liu Yan, a descendant of a distant branch of the Han imperial clan, who lives in his ancestral territory of Chongling (in modern Xiangfan, Hubei), had long been disgusted by Wang Mang's usurpation of the Han throne, and has long aspired to start a rebellion.

His brother Liu Xiu, by contrast, is a careful and deliberate man, who is content to be a farmer.

Around this time, there are prophecies being spread about that the Lius will return to power, and many men gather about Liu Yan, requesting that he lead them.

He agrees, and further joins forces with the branch of Lülin forces who have entered the area, and they begin to capture territory instead of simply roving and raiding.

(It was said that many of the neighborhood young men were initially hesitant to join the rebels, but when they saw that Liu Xiu, whom they considered wise and careful, joining as well, they agreed to.)

The forces led by Jing and Wang against Fan and other rebel generals are in shambles by 22, when Fan kills Jing in battle.

Wang Mang reacts by sending against these rebels two of his senior generals, Wang Kuang and Lian Dan with a massive (one hundred thousand-plus men) regular force.

Fan and the other rebel leaders, concerned that during battles it will become impossible to tell friend or foe, order that their men color their eyebrows red.

This is where the name Chimei—literally, "red eyebrows"—comes from.

Wang and Lian, while capable generals on the battlefield, fail to maintain proper military discipline.

Wang and Lian score some successes against the Chimei leader Suolu Hu in winter 22, capturing the city of Wuyan (in modern Tai'an, Shandong).

Rather than allowing their forces to rest, however, …

…Wang decides to attack the Chimei stronghold of Liang (in modern Shangqiu, Henan), and Lian reluctantly attacks Liang with him.

Tiberius seems to have tired of politics at this point.

He shares his tribunician authority with his son Drusus Julius Caesar in 22, and begins making yearly excursions to Campania that reportedly become longer and longer every year.

The tired Xin forces are defeated by the Chimei at the battle of Chengchang (in modern Tai'an, Shandong), and collapse.

Lian dies in battle and Wang flees without his troops.

This ends any serious attempt by Xin forces against the Chimei, as the Xin dynasty will soon be confronted with the even closer Lülin threat.