Editing Later Zhao (section)

=== Background ===
[[Shi Le]] was a [[Jie people|Jie]] chieftain from [[Shangdang Commandery]] in [[Bingzhou|Bing province]]. The Jie was one of the miscellaneous ''[[Hu (people)|hu]]'' (胡; "barbarian") tribes; these tribes did not fall under the umbrella of the major ethnic groups like the [[Xiongnu]] or [[Xianbei]]. In 303, when a great famine broke out in Bing that displaced many of the Jie and other ''[[Hu (people)|hu]]'' tribes in the region, the provincial inspector, [[Sima Teng]], had these people captured and sold into slavery to fund his army. The Jie and ''hu'' people were scattered throughout [[Hebei]] and [[Shandong]], including Shi Le who was sold to a wealthy family in Shandong but soon attained his freedom. 

By 305, Shi Le had made a name for himself by becoming a bandit, and raised a personal army with his friend, [[Ji Sang]]. Taking advantage of growing resentment against the Jin government, the two joined the rebel general [[Gongshi Fan]] to avenge the Prince of Chengdu, [[Sima Ying]] and later took leadership after Fan’s death, going as far as to sacking the city of [[Ye (Hebei)|Ye]] in 307. After their defeat, Shi Le led his forces to join the [[Xiongnu]]-led Han state in Bing province.

Under Han, Shi Le quickly rose through the ranks, attracting many Jie and ''hu'' tribes in Hebei to his cause. Like many rebel generals who joined the state, he had full control over his army as the Han court had little actual power to assert their authority. With his peers, he raided the [[North China Plain]], plundering the local counties and commanderies although never capturing them and staying there for long. In 311, he massacred the 100,000 strong Jin imperial army in the [[Battle of Ningping]], allowing Han forces to capture [[Luoyang]] in the [[Disaster of Yongjia]].

Shortly after, Shi Le assassinated his rival peer, [[Wang Mi]], and absorbed his army. The Han court, fearing that he would rebel, could only reprimand and appease him. With Wang Mi’s death, Shi Le essentially controlled the eastern parts of the empire, with the exception of Shandong. In 312, Shi Le departed from his practice of leading a roving army to cultivate a base in Xiangguo. He also expanded his territory by defeating the Jin governors, [[Wang Jun (Pengzu)|Wang Jun]] and [[Liu Kun (Jin dynasty)|Liu Kun]]. In 318, he joined forces with the prince, [[Liu Yao]], in quelling the coup of [[Jin Zhun]], who massacred the emperor and imperial family in [[Linfen|Pingyang]].