The Bozhou rebellion, or the Yang Yinglong rebellion, refers to the uprising led by Yang Yinglong, a chieftain of the Miao tribes located on the border of the Ming provinces of Huguang, Guizhou, and Sichuan in southwestern China. This rebellion took place in the 1590s and was aimed at challenging the rule of the Wanli Emperor.

The Ming authorities had been dealing with issues involving Yang Yinglong since 1587. In 1590, open conflict began and continued until 1600, with a brief pause for negotiations in 1594. Following the end of the war in Korea, the task of suppressing Yang's rebellion was given to Li Hualong, an official with military experience who arrived in Chongqing in 1599. He carefully planned a spring offensive, and the fighting in 1600 lasted for 104 days. According to Li Hualong's final report, over 22,000 rebels were killed, and Yang Yinglong committed suicide. As a result, his chiefdom was incorporated into the standard Chinese administrative system.

The Yang clan, descendants of a 9th-century Tang general, held control over a mountainous region on the border of Huguang, Guizhou, and Sichuan, spanning over 300 km (186 mi) from east to west and slightly less from north to south. The heart of this region was situated in Bozhou. For many centuries, the clan maintained their dominance over the area and, despite their Chinese origins, eventually assimilated and identified with the local Miao tribes. During the reign of the Yuan khan and emperor Kublai in the second half of the 13th century, they were granted the title of Xuan wei shi, or "pacification commissioner", of Bozhou. In the Ming dynasty, the chieftains of the Yang clan continued to hold the title of pacification commissioner and were given a secondary third official rank. They were also required to provide 200 tons of wood and other supplies, including horses, every three years. In addition to the Yang clan, however, there were other influential clans in the region, and the Ming authorities had to intervene and resolve their conflicts from time to time.

Yang Yinglong inherited his position in 1571 after his father's death. He proved himself to be a skilled commander for the Ming during battles with other native groups and Tibetans. His timber supply also gained recognition from the Ming court. Despite some officials accusing him, he was promoted to regional military commissioner and received the third major rank (3a). He became even more ambitious and viewed the Ming troops as weak. He became involved in disputes between local Miao tribes and Chinese colonists, often attacking the former. Initially, the government in Beijing refused to intervene, citing more pressing issues, and believed that Yang Yinglong was seeking personal glory, but the Ministry of War was eventually ordered to investigate and reorganize the local administration.

In 1587, Yang Yinglong's actions became more extreme when he denounced his first wife under the influence of a new favorite concubine. He then proceeded to murder her family and plunder the region. The affected family reported this to the provincial authorities.

In 1590, open fighting broke out between the Miao clans of Yang Yinglong and their rival clans, drawing the attention of the Ming authorities. Grand coordinator in Guizhou, Ye Mengxiong (葉夢熊), accused Yang of 24 crimes, but the regional inspector in Sichuan, Li Hualong (李化龍), proposed pardoning Yang based on his past merits. The matter became stuck in interdepartmental consultations in Beijing. Despite this, armed clashes in the region continued and Ye Mengxiong eventually requested a military campaign against Bozhou. In response, Yang Yinglong surrendered to the Sichuan authorities in early 1593, hoping for a more lenient approach than in Guizhou, but to his surprise, he was sentenced to death in Chongqing. In an attempt to save himself, Yang offered to pay 20,000 liang (746 kg) of silver, raise 5,000 soldiers, and personally lead them into war in Korea. The Wanli Emperor agreed, and the military commanders in Korea eagerly awaited the arrival of Miao reinforcements. The Japanese forces withdrew before Yang arrived and he returned home.

Yang returned to his old ways upon returning to Guizhou, plundering several prefectures and counties and disregarding his obligations to the Ming authorities. This caused alarm among local Ming officials, who wrote reports to Beijing. In the spring of 1594, Grand coordinator Wang Jiguang (王繼光), responsible for the security of Sichuan, led an army to march against Yang. He attacked from three directions. When the Ming troops reached the Lushan Pass, Yang Yinglong sent negotiators to offer submission, but his army launched a surprise attack on the unprepared Ming columns, causing heavy casualties and resulting in the loss of almost all of their supplies. As a result, Wang Jiguang was dismissed from his position. The Emperor then appointed Tan Xisi (譚希思) as the Grand coordinator of Sichuan and Xing Jie (邢玠) as the supreme commander (zongdu) in Guizhou. A new campaign against Bozhou was planned, but was postponed due to the illness of Liu Chengsi (劉承嗣), the regional commander of the Sichuan troops.

In early 1595, Xing Jie arrived in Sichuan and urged Yang to surrender in order to save his life. The local powerful families also supported the war against Yang, hoping to destroy him. In the summer of 1595, Prefect of Chongqing Wang Shiqi (王士琦) began a trial against Yang. He initially sent his brother to the Ming authorities, and after a month he himself appeared. Yang was tried with 12 aides, who were sentenced to death and executed. Yang was able to buy himself out for 40,000 liang of silver and agreed to abdicate in favor of his eldest son, Yang Chaodong (楊朝棟), and his other son, Yang Kedong (楊可棟), who would come to Chongqing as a hostage. The Emperor considered the matter resolved and rewarded the commanders involved. As a result, Wang Shiqi was promoted to Grand coordinator of eastern Sichuan.