Book of Liang
All of the historical sources agree that the conflict happened in the latter part of the 2nd century and ended in the 180s. However it is variously quoted as having lasted from between five and eighty years. The distinction of "great" (disturbances) in the Book of Liang suggests that earlier fightings that are included in the longer time frames of other sources were comparably minor and not worth mentioning for the authors of the Liang shu.