Zhang Jue
The rebels were the first followers of the Way of Supreme Peace () and venerated the deity Huang–Lao, who according to Zhang Jue, had given him a sacred book called the "Crucial Keys to the Way of Peace" () based on the "Taipingjing". Zhang Jue, who was said to be a sorcerer, called himself the "Great Teacher" (大賢良師). When the rebellion was proclaimed, Zhang Jue created a 16-word slogan: Since all the three brothers were healers, they easily spread the slogan among the peasants through their patients.