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 West ...
period of China.
Life
Zhou Tai was from
Nanyang Commandery
Nanyang Commandery ( zh, 南陽郡) was a Chinese commandery that existed from the Warring States period to Tang dynasty. It was centered in present-day Nanyang, Henan.
History
Nanyang Commandery was established by Qin in the 35th year of King Z ...
(南陽郡), which is around present-day Nanyang, Henan. He came from the same
commandery
In the Middle Ages, a commandery (rarely commandry) was the smallest administrative division of the European landed properties of a military order. It was also the name of the house where the knights of the commandery lived.Anthony Luttrell and G ...
as
Deng Ai
Deng Ai (197 – late March 264Vol.04 of ''Sanguozhi'' and vol.02 of ''Jin Shu'' both indicated that Deng Ai was arrested in the 1st month of the 1st year of the ''Xianxi'' era. The month corresponds to 15 Feb to 14 Mar 264 in the Julian calendar ...
and was around the same age as him. He was described as "eager to achieve glory, and well-versed in military tactics".
Early in his career, Zhou Tai served as an Assistant Officer (從事) to
Pei Qian
PEI or Pei may refer to:
Places
* Matecaña International Airport, Pereira, Colombia, IATA code PEI
*Pei County (沛县), Jiangsu, China
*Pei Commandery (沛郡), a commandery in Chinese history
*Prince Edward Island, a province of Canada
* Pei, ...
(裴潛), the Inspector (刺史) of Jing Province. Sometime between 227 and 230, when the general Sima Yi was stationed at Wan County (宛縣; present-day
Wancheng District
Wancheng District () is one of two districts of the city of Nanyang, in the southwest of Henan province, People's Republic of China.
Administrative divisions
As 2012, this district is divided to 6 subdistricts, 4 towns and 6 townships.
;Subdistr ...
, Nanyang, Henan) to oversee the military affairs of Jing and Yu provinces, Zhou Tai became acquainted with Sima Yi after frequently helping Sima Yi and Pei Qian deliver messages to each other.
In 227, when Sima Yi led Wei forces to suppress a rebellion by
Meng Da
Meng Da () (died 228), courtesy name Zidu, was a military general of the state of Cao Wei during the early Three Kingdoms period of China. He previously served the warlords Liu Zhang and Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty before defec ...
in Xincheng Commandery (新城郡; around present-day
Fang County
Fang County or Fangxian () is a county of northwestern Hubei province, People's Republic of China. It is under the administration of Shiyan City.
The county spans an area of , and has a population of 390,991 as of 2010.
History
During the Sprin ...
,
Hubei
Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The ...
), he recruited Zhou Tai to serve an officer in his army. Later, when his parents and grandfather died, Zhou Tai had to retire temporarily to perform
filial mourning
Filial mourning () refers to a bureaucratic norm, practiced since the Han dynasty, whereby officials of the imperial government of China were obliged to resign their posts and return to their home upon the death of a parent or grandparent.
Descri ...
for nine years. Sima Yi valued Zhou Tai so much that he reserved a position for him. After 36 days, Zhou Tai was appointed as the new Administrator (太守) of Xincheng Commandery. Sima Yi secretly instructed a Master of Writing (尚書) to tease Zhou Tai, "You discarded your plain clothing and entered a high office. After only 36 days, you now wield great power and command the armed forces in a commandery. It's like a beggar riding on a (horse-drawn) carriage – that's really fast!" Zhou Tai quipped, "You're right. You come from a famous aristocratic family, and you're already known for your talents since you were young. That's why you're still a Master of Writing. It's like a macaque riding on an ox – that's really slow!" Everyone present was amused.
In the spring of 251, 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 be ...
ordered Wang Ji (Inspector of Jing Province) and Zhou Tai (then Administrator of Xincheng Commandery) to lead forces to attack Wei's rival state, Eastern Wu. They defeated the enemy and forced thousands of enemy troops into surrendering.
Zhou Tai climbed the ranks steadily in the 250s and became the Inspector (刺史) 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 (; ...
and later the Inspector of Yu Province. In the summer of 257, the Wei general
Zhuge Dan
Zhuge Dan (died 10 April 258), courtesy name Gongxiu, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. When he held key military appointments throughout his middle to late career, h ...
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 ...
,
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 ...
) with support from Wei's rival state, Eastern Wu. Zhou Tai, then the Inspector of Yan Province, received orders from the Wei regent Sima Zhao to mobilise troops to suppress the rebellion. Sima Zhao sent troops under the command of Zhou Tai, Shi Bao (石苞; General of Uplifting Martial Might (奮武將軍) and overseer of military affairs in
Qing Province
Qingzhou or Qing Province was one of the Nine Provinces of ancient China dating back to BCE that later became one of the thirteen provinces of the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE). The Nine Provinces were first described in the '' Tribut ...
Xu Province
Xuzhou as a historical toponym refers to varied area in different eras.
Ordinarily, it was a reference to the one of the Nine Provinces which modern Xuzhou inherited.
History
Pre-Qin era
Xuzhou or Xu Province was one of the Nine Provinces of ...
) and others to attack Zhuge Dan and his Wu allies. Zhou Tai defeated Wu forces led by Zhu Yi at Yangyuan (陽淵). As Zhu Yi and his men attempted to retreat, Zhou Tai led his forces in pursuit and killed and wounded over 2,000 enemy troops. In autumn, the Wu general Sun Chen ordered Zhu Yi, Ding Feng, Li Fei (黎斐) and three others to lead troops to relieve the siege on Shouchun. They left their supplies and heavy equipment at Dulu (都陸) and advanced toward Lijiang (黎漿). Shi Bao and Zhou Tai attacked and defeated them. The rebellion was completely suppressed by early 258.
The highest office Zhou Tai ever reached was General Who Attacks Barbarians (征虜將軍). He was also given imperial authority to supervise military affairs in the
Jiangnan
Jiangnan or Jiang Nan (; formerly romanized Kiang-nan, literally "South of the River" meaning "South of the Yangtze") is a geographic area in China referring to lands immediately to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, incl ...
region.(... 官至征虜將軍、假節都督江南諸軍事。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 28. He died in 261 and was posthumously appointed as General of the Guards (衞將軍), and given the
posthumous title
A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments o ...
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 ...
Zizhi Tongjian
''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song (960–1127), Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959&n ...