Three Kingdoms

Introduction

The Three Kingdoms period (220-280 AD) was a time in Chinese history when three different Kingdoms claimed the right to rule over all of China. The Three Kingdoms were Wu (吳), Shu (蜀), and Wei (魏). During the 60 years of the Three Kingdoms period, and about 40 years prior, these 3 groups forged alliances, broke promises, and battled each other until a 4th kingdom, Jin, was established (265-420 AD) and ended the period of the Three Kingdoms. Chinese historians now believe that the events of the fall of the Han Dynasty and the rise of the Three Kingdoms stretches back to 184 AD with the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

The Yellow Turban Rebellion

In 184 AD there was a massive peasant uprising. Famine, floods, high taxes, and corrupt government plagued the peasants and caused them to band together in order to survive. The famine in the north caused the peasants to flee south in order to find food and work so they could sustain their families. The high taxes were a result of the military building fortifications to defend the Han Dynasty from foreign invaders. The corruption in the government was caused by a group known as the Ten Attendants. These 10 men were eunuchs of the court, and they held a powerful sway over Emperor Ling for their own personal gain. All of these different problems led the people to believe that the Emperor had lost his Mandate of Heaven, which is the right to rule.

A Taoist religious group led by Zhang Jue was quickly gathering support of the peasant faction, and was even rallying some politicians and militarists into their ranks. Tens of thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers rose up and destroyed many political offices. The imperial armies were sent to ride out and face them in battle. After many months of battle the Yellow Turban Rebellion was quashed, but in the following years a few more similar uprisings would take place, and would be put down. Many of the military leaders were granted positions of power from the emperor, which would only continue to grind the gears towards ending the Han Dynasty.

Dong Zhuo and the Alliance

Emperor Ling died in 189 AD and there was a power struggle between the eunuchs and He Jin. A warlord named Dong Zhuo seized control of the capital, took away the rule of Emperor Shao, and granted it to his younger brother Liu Xie and he became Emperor Xian, the last emperor of the Han Dynasty. Emperor Xian was only 8 years old, and Dong Zhuo took advantage of this and all but named himself emperor. Dong Zhuo became the first man since Xiao He in Emperor Gaozu’s court to carry a sword in the Imperial Court.

A coalition army led by Yuan Shao marched towards the capital Luoyang. Dong Zhuo evacuated the city and moved the capital to Chang’an in the west. Dong Zhuo ordered Luoyang pillaged and burned by his own men so that the allied coalition could not use anything in the city after their long march. Internal turmoil plagued the allied coalition, and Dong Zhuo marched his army against them causing panic and fear in the allies’ hearts. Dong Zhuo would become so corrupt and cause great economic inflation that he was eventually assassinated by his own foster son Lu Bu, by order of imperial decree.

Cao Cao extends his grasp

The empire was thrown into chaos, even with Emperor Xian at the helm. Finally after a year of war, a warlord by the name Cao Cao was able to help unify the empire and became a chancellor to the emperor. Cao Cao was able to convince the young emperor to move the capital city once more to Xuchang. Luoyang was destroyed, and Chang’an was not under his military control. Many of the remaining warlords and government officials saw Cao Cao as a usurper of the throne and in 200 AD Yuan Shao sent an army of 100,000 troops towards Xuchang. A mighty battle took place in Guandu, and Cao Cao was able to defeat this massive army. Cao Cao would begin to expand his newly gained territory by sending troops out in all directions to pacify the remaining warlords and creating a unified empire. Cao Cao sent his army south to pacify the southern Wu clan. On his way south he also encountered Liu Bei, an adversary from previous battles, and sought to destroy his army.

The Battle of Red Cliffs

Liu Bei was pushed out of Changban and forced to flee southward from Cao Cao’s forces. An alliance was set up between Liu Bei and Sun Quan to repel the onslaught of Cao Cao and preserve their people. Cao Cao claimed that his soldiers numbered 830,000, but Zhou Yu, the military advisor for Sun Quan, sated after the Battle of Red Cliffs that the number was closer to 250,000. The alliance combined to make a force of about 50,000 soldiers, which was still a 5:1 ratio against the oncoming army.

The Battle of Red Cliffs took place in the winter of 208 AD. The majority of Cao Cao’s army would be placed on ships, and were pushed together very close as to reduce the motion of the boats and reduce the amount of sea sickness among his troops. Zhuge Liang, an advisor to Liu Bei and an expert military strategist, created the plan to use a decoy, Huang Gai, to defect to Cao Cao’s army. When Huang Gai’s boats reached those of Cao Cao’s he lit fire to them and rammed them into Cao Cao’s ships containing his troops. The south eastern winds fanned the flames back towards Cao Cao’s forces, creating an inferno, destroying ships, horses, and soldiers. The alliance then entered the battle with their 50,000 and pushed Cao Cao back to the point of retreat.

The Breaking of the Alliance and the Three Kingdoms

The next 11 years would be a continued war between Sun Quan, Liu Bei and Cao Cao. The alliance would break, and Liu Bei and Sun Quan would become enemies, thus splitting the empire into 3 different sections. In 220 AD Cao Cao passes away and his son Cao Pi forces Emperor Xian to go into retirement, and claims the throne for himself. The Kingdom of Wei is established and the Three Kingdoms period begins.

The following year, 221 AD, Liu Bei declares himself emperor and creates the Kingdom of Shu, and in 222 AD Sun Quan declares independence and claims the title King of Wu, and then in 229 AD proclaims himself Emperor of Wu. Now with three different kingdoms vying to unify China under their own regime, wars and battles are a most common occurrence over the next 50 years.

The Sima Family

The Sima family enters now into the history books, as a powerful force that ultimately ends up ending the rule of Wu, Shu, and Wei. Sima Yi was a general and politician serving the Wei kingdom. He served under Cao Cao, Cao Pi, and Cao Rui as a military advisor. When Cao Rui died Sima Yi was given some power to help govern the Wei kingdom. The Cao family did not like this one bit and placed titles upon Sima Yi that sounded grand, but in fact stripped away all of the power he held. After he and his son passed away, his grandson Sima Yan sought to become the emperor.

The Fall of Shu

The Kingdom of Shu was the first to fall. Zhuge Liang passed away and Emperor Liu Shan was now lacking the guidance of such an esteemed councilor. Once again the eunuchs of the court sought to gain power from the emperor and threw the kingdom into chaos. While the emperor was dealing with the eunuchs, the kingdom of Wei launched an attack (263 AD) that forced the surrender of the Shu kingdom forever. The kingdom of Shu lasted 43 years, and was now an ended idea. Liu Shan was granted a title and moved back to the rebuilt city of Luoyang. His title is translated as The Duke of Safety and Happiness, which of course held no power whatsoever.

The Fall of Wei

The Kingdom of Wei was the next to fall. In 260 AD Cao Huan became the emperor and tried to assassinate Sima Zhao. The assassination failed, but Sima Zhao passed away shortly thereafter. Sima Yan, sick of his family being treated badly by the Cao family, plotted to become the emperor of Wei. Cao Huan was forced to abdicate his throne, much like Emperor Xian, and Sima Yan became the new emperor. The difference now being that he overthrew the Wei Dynasty, and created his own Jin Dynasty, which would rule from 264-420 AD.

The Fall of Wu

The last of the kingdoms to fall was the Kingdom of Wu. After the death of Sun Quan in 252 AD the state of Wu went into decline. The Kingdom of Wei and the Sima family fought hard to make sure their enemy would not rise again to their former power. After the collapse of Shu and Wei, and the emergence of the Kingdom of Jin, Emperor Sun Xiu of Wu passed away and the throne was given to Sun Hao. Sun Hao would become a tyrant and killed and exiled many members of his own court. The Kingdom of Jin just needed to wait until all of Wu’s competent officials were gone and then they would make their move. In 279 AD the Kingdom of Jin entered into the Kingdom of Wu, defeated them in battle and forced the surrender of Wu.

Enter the Jin Dynasty

The year is now 280 AD and the period of the Three Kingdoms had come to an end at the hands of the Kingdom of Jin, now the Jin Dynasty.

Power Point Presentation

Media: Lance_Three_Kingdoms_Power_Point.pptx

References

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%ACn_Dynasty
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End_of_the_Han_Dynasty
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cao_Cao
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dong_Zhuo
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Kingdoms#Decline_and_end_of_the_Three_Kingdoms
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sima_Yi
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Turban_Rebellion
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Records_of_the_Three_Kingdoms
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuge_Liang
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Three_Kingdoms_period
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Red_Cliffs
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liu_Bei
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Quan
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_the_Three_Kingdoms
• http://www.paulnoll.com/China/Dynasty/dynasty-Three-Kingdoms.html