Zhuge Dan's Rebellion, or the Third Rebellion in Shouchun, was a revolt led by
Zhuge Dan, a general from the state of
Cao Wei
Wei () was one of the major Dynasties in Chinese history, dynastic states in China during the Three Kingdoms period. The state was established in 220 by Cao Pi based upon the foundations laid by his father Cao Cao during the end of the Han dy ...
, against the regent
Sima Zhao
Sima Zhao () (; 211 – 6 September 265), courtesy name Zishang (子上), was a Chinese military general, politician, and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
Sima Zhao capably maintained control of Wei, whi ...
. Zhuge Dan received some support from
Eastern Wu
Wu (Chinese language, Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' < Eastern Han Chinese: ''*ŋuɑ''), known in historiography as Eastern Wu or Sun Wu, was a Dynasties of China, dynastic state of China and one of the three major sta ...
, Cao Wei's rival state. It was the third and final of
a series of three rebellions that took place in Shouchun (壽春; present-day
Shou County,
Anhui
Anhui is an inland Provinces of China, province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiang ...
) in the 250s during the
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Jin dynasty (266–420), Western Jin dyna ...
period of China.
Background
Following the
Incident at the 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 for ...
in 249, and events of the previous rebellions at Shouchun in 251 and 255, the regency and almost complete control of Wei was in the hands of
Sima Zhao
Sima Zhao () (; 211 – 6 September 265), courtesy name Zishang (子上), was a Chinese military general, politician, and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
Sima Zhao capably maintained control of Wei, whi ...
and his clan. After the
second uprising,
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 February 249, he assisted his father Sima Yi in overthrowing the emperor Cao Fang's regent Cao S ...
died, giving control to his second brother, Sima Zhao. The Wei emperor was
Cao Mao, and since
Wen Qin fled to
Eastern Wu
Wu (Chinese language, Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' < Eastern Han Chinese: ''*ŋuɑ''), known in historiography as Eastern Wu or Sun Wu, was a Dynasties of China, dynastic state of China and one of the three major sta ...
, Shouchun's affairs were given to the Wei general
Zhuge Dan. Zhuge Dan had witnessed the rise and fall of both
Wang Ling, and
Guanqiu Jian, and also played an enormous role in the
second revolt in Shouchun. However, as his close friends
Xiahou Xuan
Xiahou Xuan (209 – 27 March 254), courtesy name Taichu, was a Chinese essayist, historian, military general, philosopher, and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
Family background
Xiahou Xuan was a s ...
and
Deng Yang
Deng Yang (died 9 February 249), courtesy name Xuanmao, was an official of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China.
Life
Deng Yang was a descendant of Deng Yu, an official who lived in the early Eastern Han dynasty. He was ...
had both been executed by the Sima clan, and as he had witnessed the downfall of Wang Ling and Guanqiu Jian, Zhuge Dan felt uneasy. Zhuge Dan began increasing his popularity in the
Huai River
The Huai River, formerly romanized as the Hwai, is a major river in East China, about long with a drainage area of . It is located about midway between the Yellow River and Yangtze River, the two longest rivers and largest drainage basins ...
region, and also hired many bodyguards.
Trigger
In the winter of 256,
Eastern Wu
Wu (Chinese language, Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' < Eastern Han Chinese: ''*ŋuɑ''), known in historiography as Eastern Wu or Sun Wu, was a Dynasties of China, dynastic state of China and one of the three major sta ...
sent troops to attack Xuye (徐堨). While Zhuge Dan was able to handle it, he requested 100,000 more troops from the Wei imperial court, and planned to build castles to defend the region. Sima Zhao felt that Zhuge Dan was behaving suspiciously, so he sent his close aide
Jia Chong
Jia Chong (217 – 19 May 282), courtesy name Gonglü, was a Chinese politician who lived during the late Three Kingdoms period and early Jin dynasty of China. He started his career as an advisor to Sima Shi and Sima Zhao, the regents of the s ...
to meet Zhuge Dan and assess whether he was loyal to the Wei emperor
Cao Mao or to Sima Zhao. After Jia Chong reported that Zhuge Dan supported the emperor, Sima Zhao sent him an imperial order in the emperor's name, instructing him to return to
Luoyang
Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...
to serve as
Minister of Works. (While this appeared to be a promotion for Zhuge Dan, it was actually to remove him from his military command in Shouchun and recall him back to Luoyang, where he would be under Sima Zhao's watch.)
Zhuge Dan knew that Sima Zhao was suspecting him after he received the order. He murdered his immediate superior
Yue Lin, the Inspector of
Yang Province
Yangzhou, Yangchow or Yang Province was one of the Nine Provinces of ancient China mentioned in historical texts such as the ''Yu Gong, Tribute of Yu'', ''Erya'' and ''Rites of Zhou''.
Name
There are four different theories regarding the origi ...
, seized control of the 40,000 to 50,000 troops stationed there, and rebelled against Sima Zhao. He sent his Chief Clerk Wu Gang (吳綱) to Eastern Wu with his son
Zhuge Jing as a hostage, asking for reinforcements from Wu. In response, Wu sent more reinforcements as compared to during the second Shouchun rebellion, giving Zhuge Dan huge numbers. Sima Zhao also mobilised Wei forces from throughout the Wei Empire to suppress Zhuge Dan's rebellion.
Rebellion
Wu efforts
Sima Zhao's first move was to station a vast army of 260,000 men at Qiutou, a key location near Shouchun. He ordered
Wang Ji and
Chen Qian to lead a siege unit to Shouchun in an early effort to deal massive casualties in the early part of the uprising. Knowing that Wu was sending massive numbers of soldiers towards the south of Shouchun, Sima Zhao sent a massive number of his troops under
Shi Bao and two other generals in an attempt to halt the advance of Wu support forces. The Wu forces led by
Wen Qin, who rebelled previously, Quan Yi and
Tang Zi predicted this move, and rushed to successfully enter Shouchun before the Wei siege forces could encircle Zhuge Dan. In a counterattack effort, Wen Qin led his men to break out of the siege several times but failed. When this happened, the Wu forces under
Zhu Yi also failed in an effort to deal damage to the Wei forces, when he led backup troops from the southwest position of Shouchun at Anfeng garrison, but he was quickly driven off by Wei forces. He managed to escape back to
Sun Chen. Sun Chen then had his forces led by
Ding Feng, Li Fei, and Zhu Yi to move their forces closer to the direction of
Lake Chao, where they would strike the Wei forces at Shouchun to stop the siege. Wei forces quickly moved to intercept their forces on the way upwards towards Shouchun, successfully routing the large chunk of Wu forces Sun Chen sent with them. Morale plummeted on the side of Zhuge Dan and Wu. With back to back futile efforts and defeat, Sun Chen executed Zhu Yi. When they were routed, ironically, the Wu supplies were destroyed in a Wei surprise attack led by
Hu Lie. Many troops either surrendered to Sima Zhao's forces or abandoned Wu's ranks. With despair, Sun Chen ordered a departure from Shouchun to return to
Jianye, determining that Zhuge Dan had no chance against Wei.
Defections
Zhuge Dan's forces, still besieged at Shouchun, succeeded in dealing more than minimal casualties towards the Wei forces, but they still were low in morale and suffered heavy casualties. Zhuge Dan's deputies Jiang Ban (蔣班) and Jiao Yi (焦彝) advised him to focus on piercing a single flank of the encirclement to break the siege in an attempt to turn the tide. Wen Qin, who led the Wu forces that were separated from the main force and still remained in combat at Shouchun, strongly disagreed with this plan. He stated that the rest of the Wu troops will soon merge with Zhuge Dan, but he did not realise that Sun Chen had retreated back to the Wu capital of Jianye. Zhuge Dan mocked the weak advice of Jiao Yi and Jiang Ban and agreed with Wen Qin. He stated that he was tempted to murder them instead. Jiao Yi and Jiang Ban fearfully managed to defect with a large number of Zhuge Dan's forces, which brought down almost all hope in Zhuge Dan's remaining ranks.
Zhong Hui
Zhong Hui (225 – 3 March 264), courtesy name Shiji, was a Chinese calligrapher, essayist, military general, and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the younger son of Zhang Changpu with Zhong Ya ...
suggested to Sima Zhao to cause more defections in Zhuge Dan's forces by faking letters from Quan Hui (全輝) and Quan Yí (全儀) to have Quan Yī (全禕) and Quan Duan (全端) surrender. Quan Yi soon obtained the letters, and as planned, was tricked into believing the letters were real and immediately surrendered to Sima Zhao the moment he could. Zhuge Dan's forces were taken by surprise and suffered more casualties.
Suppression
In late February or March 258, the remaining forces under Zhuge Dan, Tang Zi, Wen Qin, and
Wen Yang (Wen Qin's son) decided to try to break out of the siege. They were once again defeated quickly and suffered heavy casualties. By then, Zhuge Dan had few forces remaining and the supplies in the city were quickly being depleted. Even more troops then surrendered to Sima Zhao.
Wen Qin intelligently suggested to suspend the northerners under his control and the rest of the Wu forces in the city to conserve supplies. Zhuge Dan ignored Wen Qin's suggestion, accusing him of being a coward and attempting to trick him into getting Wen Qin out of the situation. He then decided to kill Wen Qin. Wen Qin's sons, Wen Yang and
Wen Hu, heard of their father's execution and quickly escaped from Shouchun and surrendered to Sima Zhao, who accepted them back into the ranks of Wei despite their father's actions. The defection of Wen Qin's sons caused the rebel army to become entirely demoralised.
Between 22 March and 19 April 258, Wei forces finally attacked and penetrated Zhuge Dan's position in Shouchun. Zhuge Dan, with all hope lost, fled from the city, but he was murdered by Hu Fen (胡奮)'s men during his desperate attempt to escape his fate. The Wu general Yu Quan (于詮) died in battle, while Tang Zi and Wang Zuo (王祚) of Wu surrendered to Sima Zhao along with the rest of Zhuge Dan's few remaining men.
Aftermath
After the rebellion was quashed, Sima Zhao was seen as a hero in the state of Wei and finally regained the trust and companionship of most of the Wei personages. Cao Mao later attempted to murder Sima Zhao, but
was instead killed himself during the coup.
This was the last uprising in Shouchun, giving the opportunity for the rest of the Wei forces to focus on
total invasion of Shu.
Order of battle
Wei forces
*
Sima Zhao
Sima Zhao () (; 211 – 6 September 265), courtesy name Zishang (子上), was a Chinese military general, politician, and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
Sima Zhao capably maintained control of Wei, whi ...
**
Wang Ji
**
Chen Qian (陳鶱)
**
Zhong Hui
Zhong Hui (225 – 3 March 264), courtesy name Shiji, was a Chinese calligrapher, essayist, military general, and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the younger son of Zhang Changpu with Zhong Ya ...
**
Shi Bao (石苞)
**
Hu Zhi (胡質)
*** Li Guang (李广), general, executed by Sima Zhao
*** Chang Shi (常时), administrator of Taishan, executed by Sima Zhao
**
Zhou Tai
** Hu Fen (胡奮)
** Sima Liang (司马亮)
Zhuge Dan's and Eastern Wu's forces
*
Zhuge Dan
** Jiang Ban (蔣班)
** Jiao Yi (焦彝)
*
Sun Chen
**
Zhu Yi, executed by Sun Chen
**
Ding Feng
** Li Fei (黎斐)
**
Wen Qin, executed by Zhuge Dan
***
Wen Yang
***
Wen Hu
** Quan Yì (全懌)
** Quan Duan (全端)
**
Tang Zi
** Wang Zuo (王祚)
** Yu Quan (于詮)
In popular culture
Zhuge Dan's Rebellion, along with Wang Ling's Rebellion and Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin's Rebellion, are featured as playable stages in
Koei Tecmo
is a Japanese video game, amusement and anime holding company created in 2009 by the merger of Koei and Tecmo. Koei Tecmo Holdings owns several companies, the biggest one of those being its flagship video game developer and publisher Koei Tecmo ...
's ''
Dynasty Warriors
is a series of Japanese hack and slash action video games created by Omega Force and Koei (now 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 ...
'' video game series. It made its first appearance in ''
Dynasty Warriors 7''.
See also
*
Conquest of Shu by Wei
The Conquest of Shu by Wei was a military campaign launched by the dynastic state of Cao Wei against its rival Shu Han in late 263 during the Three Kingdoms period of China. The campaign culminated in the fall of Shu Han and the tripartite equil ...
*
Coup of Cao Mao
Sima Zhao's regicide of Cao Mao, also known as the Ganlu Incident (Chinese language, Chinese: 甘露之變), occurred on 2 June 260 in Luoyang, the capital of the state of Cao Wei, during the Three Kingdoms period. Cao Mao, the nominal emperor ...
*
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 ...
*
Three Rebellions in Shouchun
References
{{reflist
*
Chen, Shou. ''
Records of the Three Kingdoms
The ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'' is a Chinese official history written by Chen Shou in the late 3rd century CE, covering the end of the Han dynasty (220 CE) and the subsequent Three Kingdoms period (220–280 CE). It is regard ...
'' (''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 (266–420), 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, ...
'' (''Jin Shu'').
*
Pei, Songzhi. ''
Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms
''Annotated 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 the fall of the Eastern Jin ...
'' (''Sanguozhi zhu'').
257
258
250s conflicts
3rd-century rebellions
Campaigns of the Three Kingdoms
Cao Wei
Rebellions in China
Three Rebellions in Shouchun