Shu Han

**Shu Han,** often shortened to **Shu**, was one of the titular three kingdoms of the three kingdoms era.
It was founded by the warlord Liu Bei.

Liu Bei's rise to power

Liu Bei was a member of the imperial Han dynasty, but was from an impoverished branch.
He fought against the Yellow Turban rebellion and eventually became the ruler of Xuzhou. He came to serve Cao Cao, the imperial Chancellor, but later rebelled against Cao. He was defeated and went to join Cao's rival Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao was also defeated, and Liu Bei went to become a general in Jing province. Here he met some success against Cao Cao, and when Liu Biao, lord of Jing died, Liu Bei allied himself with the ruler of Kuaiji Sun Quan. The two defeated Cao Cao's invading army at the battle of Red Cliffs, and Liu Bei went on to seize Jing province, 'borrowing' the land from Sun Quan. (He never gave the land back).

The Foundations of Shu Han

Liu Bei went on to invade nearby Yi province, taking it from the warlord Liu Zhang.

He also successfully fought Cao Cao over the land of Hanzhong.

Liu Bei's general in charge of Jing, Guan Yu, never gave the land back. As a result, Sun Quan sent his general Lu Meng to defeat him. Along with the land, Guan Yu was captured and later executed.

Liu Bei as Emperor

At around the same time, Cao Cao's son and successor Cao Pi forced the Han emperor to resign, establishing the state of Cao Wei.

Liu Bei then proclaimed himself to be emperor of Shu Han. As Liu Bei was descended from the Han, Shu Han was seen as a continuation of the Han dynasty.

Liu Bei then invaded Sun Quan's territory, but was defeated at Yiling.

He later died at Baidicheng.

Zhuge Liang's Southern Expedition

When Liu Bei died, two ministers named Li Yan and Zhuge Liang took over as regents for his son Liu Shan.

However, Shi Xie, the lord of Jiaozhi, incited a rebellion against Shu.

The Nanman tribes in the south of Shu, led by Yong Kai, Gao Ding, Zhu Bao, and Meng Huo, rebelled and Yong Kai pledged his allegiance to the state of Wu.

Zhuge Liang marched south with his army and was able to quell the rebellion.

Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions

Zhuge Liang also embarked upon several campaigns against Cao Wei. These were unsuccessful.

In the fourth expedition, Li Yan failed at his logistical duty, and Liu Shan removed him from office.

Zhuge Liang fell ill and died during the Battle of the Wuzhang Plains against Wei.

The retreating army faced an alleged rebellion perpetrated by veteran general Wei Yan. Yan was crushed by Shu generals Wang Ping and Ma Dai.

Later History & Jiang Wei's Northern Expeditions

Though many of Shu Han's most important generals had died, some important leaders remained.

Namely, Jiang Wei, Jiang Wan, Fei Yi and the aforementioned Wang Ping.

Jiang Wei tried eleven times to conquer Wei, but was beaten back by generals such as Guo Huai and Deng Ai.

However, Wang Ping and Fei Yi won a major battle against Wei at Xingshi.

In the end, Wei, led by Sima Zhao, attacked Shu, which was conquered by Deng Ai.

Rulers

1. Liu Bei

1. Liu Shan

Major Generals

**'Five Tiger Generals:'**

* Guan Yu
* Zhang Fei
* Zhao Yun
* Huang Zhong
* Ma Chao

**Other Generals:**

* Zhuge Liang
* Li Yan
* Jiang Wei
* Liu Feng
* Ma Dai
* Wang Ping
* Fei Yi
* Deng Zhi
* Liao Hua
* Guan Xing
* Zhang Bao
* Mi Fang
* Meng Da
* Ma Su