Wang Ling's Rebellion, or the First Rebellion in Shouchun, was a punitive uprising in 251 led by Wang Ling, a general of the state of

Cao Wei Wei (Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' <

: *''ŋjwei^C'' < Sima Yi and his clan. This was the first of a series of three rebellions that all took place in Shouchun (壽春; present-day

Shou County Shou County or Shouxian () is a county in the north-central part of Anhui Province, China, and is located on the southern (right) bank of the Huai River. It is the southernmost county-level division of the prefecture-level city of Huainan. Its p ...

Lu'an Lu'an (), is a prefecture-level city in western Anhui province, People's Republic of China, bordering Henan to the northwest and Hubei to the southwest. As of the 2020 census, it had a total population of 4,393,699 inhabitants whom 1,752,537 li ...

Anhui Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...

) in the 250s during the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the Wester ...

period in Chinese history.

Background

Like each of the

Three Rebellions in Shouchun The Three Rebellions in Shouchun (also known as the Three Rebellions in Huainan) were a series of revolts that occurred in the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. The rebellions broke out in the later years of Wei when the Sima ...

, the cause of the revolt was related to the

Incident at Gaoping Tombs The Incident at the Gaoping Tombs was a ''coup d'état'' that took place on 5 February 249 in the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) of China. The parties involved were Sima Yi and Cao Shuang, who were both regents fo ...

in 249, in which the Wei regent Sima Yi and his clan seized power from his co-regent

Cao Shuang Cao Shuang (died 9 February 249), courtesy name Zhaobo, was a Chinese military general and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the eldest son of Cao Zhen, a prominent general of Wei. He initially held ...

and dominated the Wei government. Wang Ling, an influential governor and general in Wei, was appointed "General Who Attacks the East" (征東將軍) and placed in charge of military affairs in

Yang Province Yangzhou, Yangchow or Yang Province was one of the Nine Provinces of ancient China mentioned in historical texts such as the '' Tribute of Yu'', ''Erya'' and ''Rites of Zhou''. Name There are four different theories regarding the origin of th ...

. In 241,

Quan Cong Quan Cong (196–247 or 198–249), courtesy name Zihuang, was a Chinese military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born in present-day Hangzhou towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, Quan Cong ...

, a general from Wei's rival state

Eastern Wu Wu ( Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' < Eastern Han Chinese: ''*ŋuɑ''), known in historiography as Eastern Wu or S ...

, led thousands of troops to attack a Wei embankment at Quebei (芍陂). Wang Ling led an army to counter the invaders and drove them away after several days of fighting. For his efforts, Wang Ling was promoted to "General of Chariots and Cavalry" (車騎將軍), enfeoffed as the "Marquis of Nan District" (南鄉侯), and had the number of taxable households in his marquisate increased to 1,350.

Trigger

Around the time, Wang Ling's maternal nephew, Linghu Yu (令狐愚), was appointed as the Inspector of

Yan Province Yan Province or Yanzhou was one of the Nine Provinces of ancient China. During the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), it covered roughly present-day southwestern Shandong, eastern Henan, and the northwestern corner of Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ...

for his contributions and was stationed at Ping'e County (平阿縣). Both of them wielded significant military power in the

Huainan Huainan () is a prefecture-level city with 3,033,528 inhabitants as of the 2020 census in north-central Anhui province, China. It is named for the Han-era Principality of Huainan. It borders the provincial capital of Hefei to the south, Lu'a ...

region. Wang Ling was subsequently appointed as Minister of Works. After Sima Yi eliminated

and his clan in the

in February 249, Wang Ling was reassigned to the position of Grand Commandant (太尉) and given a ceremonial axe to represent his authority. After discussing with Linghu Yu, Wang Ling felt that the Wei emperor

Cao Fang Cao Fang () (232–274), courtesy name Lanqing, was the third emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. He was an adopted son of Cao Rui, the second ruler of Wei. Cao Fang ruled from 239 to 254 as a nominal emperor bef ...

was inept and plotted with his nephew to replace the emperor with Cao Biao, the Prince of Chu, and establish the new capital in

Xuchang Xuchang (; postal: Hsuchang) is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province in Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the northwest, Kaifeng to the northeast, Zhoukou to the east, Luohe to the southeast, and P ...

. Between late September and October 249, Linghu Yu sent his subordinate Zhang Shi (張式) to Boma (白馬) to contact Cao Biao. Wang Ling also sent someone to

Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Na ...

to inform his son, Wang Guang (王廣), about the plot. Wang Guang advised his father against the idea, saying, "The act of changing the ruler is a cause for disaster." Xi Zuochi mentioned in the ''Han Jin Chunqiu'' (漢晉春秋) that Wang Guang wrote a long reply to his father, stating that Cao Shuang fell from power because he lost the people's support and that Sima Yi's policies were more popular, hence it was difficult to overthrow the Sima clan.

Pei Songzhi Pei Songzhi (372–451), courtesy name Shiqi, was a Chinese historian and politician who lived in the late Eastern Jin dynasty and Liu Song dynasty. His ancestral home was in Wenxi County, Shanxi, but he moved to the Jiangnan region later. H ...

claimed that Xi Zuochi fabricated this account because the tone and writing style of Wang Guang's reply was different from that in earlier records.

Rebellion

Between late December 249 and January 250, Linghu Yu sent Zhang Shi to contact Cao Biao again but died of illness before Zhang Shi returned. In early 250, a glitter was observed in the South Dipper constellation. Wang Ling said, "When there is a star in the Dipper, someone will make a sudden big fortune." The ''

Weilüe The ''Weilüe'' () was a Chinese historical text written by Yu Huan between 239 and 265. Yu Huan was an official in the state of Cao Wei (220–265) during the Three Kingdoms period (220–280). Although not a formal historian, Yu Huan has been h ...

'' mentioned that Wang Ling asked others about the meaning of the stars, and they, in their attempt to please him, lied that the stars were a sign that a ruler will rise. Wang Ling then affirmed his plan to rebel. In the spring of 251, when Wu forces approached Tushui (塗水), Wang Ling requested permission from the Wei imperial court to lead his forces to engage the enemy. His true intention, however, was to use the attack to mask his plans for rebellion. Sima Yi sensed that there was something fishy in Wang Ling's request and ignored it. Wang Ling then sent Yang Hong (楊弘) to inform Huang Hua (黃華), the Inspector of Yan Province, about his plan, but Yang and Huang betrayed him and reported his plot to Sima Yi. Sima Yi received intelligence on Wang Ling's plot on or before 7 June 251. Sima Yi immediately mobilised troops to attack Wang Ling and they travelled on water. He first issued a pardon to Wang Ling and sent a secretary to call for Wang's surrender, while his army advanced to within 100 ''

chi Chi or CHI may refer to: Greek *Chi (letter), the Greek letter (uppercase Χ, lowercase χ); Chinese * ''Chi'' (length) (尺), a traditional unit of length, about ⅓ meter * Chi (mythology) (螭), a dragon *Chi (surname) (池, pinyin: ''chí' ...

'' of Wang's base to put pressure on Wang. Wang Ling knew that his forces were too weak so he gave up, sent his subordinate Wang Yu (王彧) to apologise on his behalf, and hand over his official seal and ceremonial axe to Sima Yi. The ''

'' contained detailed records of two apology letters written by Wang Ling to Sima Yi. When Sima Yi's army reached Qiutou (丘頭), Wang Ling tied himself up to show his repentance. Acting on imperial order, Sima Yi sent a Registrar (主簿) to unbind Wang and reassure him and return him his official seal and ceremonial axe. Wang Ling later had a conversation with Sima Yi at a distance of more than ten '' zhang'' between them. Wang Ling knew that he had committed a capital offence, so he wanted to test whether Sima Yi was sincere about sparing him. He asked for a coffin and was given one by Sima Yi. Sima Yi then sent 600 men to escort Wang Ling back to the capital

. However, on 15 June 251, before he reached his destination, Wang Ling committed suicide at Xiang County (項縣) by consuming poison. The ''Weilüe'' mentioned that before he killed himself, Wang Ling exclaimed, "I've lived for 80 years. My reputation is destroyed just like that!"

Gan Bao Gan Bao (or Kan Pao) (, pronounced ân.pàu (fl. 315, died March or April 336), courtesy name Lingsheng (令升), was a Chinese historian and writer at the court of Emperor Yuan of Jin. Life He was a native of Xincai County, in southern Henan. A ...

's ''Jin Ji'' (晉紀) stated that before committing suicide at Xiang county, Wang Ling passed by a shrine honouring Jia Kui and said: "Jia Liangdao, only the gods know Wang Ling is truly loyal to Wei."(賈梁道！王淩是大魏之忠臣，惟爾有神知之。) ''Jin Shu'' vol. 1. The Wei imperial court ordered Cao Biao to commit suicide in July 251. His subordinates who conspired with him were executed along with their families. Wang Ling and Linghu Yu's bodies were exhumed from their graves and exposed to the public for three days in a nearby city, while their official seals and court dresses were burnt and buried.

Aftermath

As a result of this uprising, it occurred to many Wei officials that Sima Yi and his clan were serious about affairs, most likely because the Wei court was seen as being divided into those supported the Simas and those who were still loyal to the Cao imperial family. The revolt also had a strong influence on the subsequent

second The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds e ...

and third rebellions in Shouchun, as they were all inspired by the same cause, which was to unseat the Simas and restore the monarchy. During the revolt, Sima Yi, who was feigning illness before the

, became drastically ill and died in September 251. His power was passed on to his eldest son,

Sima Shi Sima Shi () (208 – 23 March 255), courtesy name Ziyuan, was a military general and regent of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. In 249, he assisted his father Sima Yi in overthrowing the emperor Cao Fang's regent Cao Shuang, al ...

, who immediately faced an assassination attempt and the second rebellion in Shouchun. The revolt is often also considered a turning point in the decline of Wei and the mark of the beginning of the rise of the Sima clan. Sima Yi's grandson,

Sima Yan Emperor Wu of Jin (; 236 – 16 May 290), personal name Sima Yan (), courtesy name Anshi (安世), was the grandson of Sima Yi, nephew of Sima Shi and son of Sima Zhao. He became the first emperor of the Jin dynasty after forcing Cao Huan, ...

, eventually ended the Wei regime and unified the Three Kingdoms under the Jin dynasty in 280.

Order of battle

Wang Ling's forces * Wang Ling ** Wang Yu (王彧) *

Cao Biao Cao Biao (195 – July 251), courtesy name Zhuhu, was an imperial prince of the Cao Wei state in the Three Kingdoms period of China. Life Cao Biao was a son of Cao Cao, a warlord who rose to power in the late Eastern Han dynasty and laid the ...

, Prince of Chu * Linghu Yu (令狐愚) ** Zhang Shi (張式) Wei forces * Sima Yi

In popular culture

The rebellion, along with the other two uprisings, are all featured as playable stages in the Jin Story Mode in the seventh instalment of

Koei Koei Co., Ltd. was a Japanese video game publisher, developer, and distributor founded in 1978. The company is known for its ''Dynasty Warriors'' games based on the novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', as well as simulation games based on ...

's ''

Dynasty Warriors is a series of Japanese hack and slash action video games created by Omega Force and Koei (now is Koei Tecmo). The series is a spin-off of Koei's turn-based strategy ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' series, based upon the Chinese novel of th ...

'' video game series. During the stage, the player plays as Sima Yi, and has to plot with Wang Ling's son Wang Guang, who chose to remain in Wei to convince his father Wang Ling to "clear his mind from the chaos". During the stage,

Eastern Wu Wu ( Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' < Eastern Han Chinese: ''*ŋuɑ''), known in historiography as Eastern Wu or S ...

Zhuge Ke Zhuge Ke (203 – November or December 253), courtesy name Yuanxun (元逊), was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the eldest son of Zhuge Jin, a military gen ...

also makes it to the battle to support Wang Ling, even though in history he never did.

Notes

References

* Chen, Shou. ''

Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records or History of the Three Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese name as the Sanguo Zhi, is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty (c. 184–220 AD) and the Three Kingdoms period (220� ...

'' (''Sanguozhi''). * Fang, Xuanling et al. ''

Book of Jin The ''Book of Jin'' is an official Chinese historical text covering the history of the Jin dynasty from 266 to 420. It was compiled in 648 by a number of officials commissioned by the imperial court of the Tang dynasty, with chancellor Fang Xu ...

'' (''Jin Shu''). * Pei, Songzhi. ''

Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms () by Pei Songzhi (372-451) is an annotation completed in the 5th century of the 3rd century historical text ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', compiled by Chen Shou. After leaving his native land, Pe ...

'' (''Sanguozhi zhu''). {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 251 250s conflicts 3rd-century rebellions Campaigns of the Three Kingdoms Cao Wei Rebellions in China Three Rebellions in Shouchun