After a widespread pestilence that swept over Eastern China, a Daoist monk named Zhange Jue "Cured" the people and gain a following. Blaming the emperor , the people rose up against him under the banner of The Yellow Turbans. Zhang Jue led this religious rebellion against the rule of the Han dynasty with his brothers Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang. The consequence of the rebellion exposed weakness in the central government and lead to rising warlords within the provinces of China,which paved the way for the Wei, Wu and Shu kingdoms to gain momentum.
After a revolt caused by a corrupt political official by the name of Dong Zhuo(138AD- 192AD), Emperor Xian was placed on the throne in the early part of 190AD at a young age. This was short lived as Dong Zhuo was assassinated by his general and "Adopted Son" Lu Bu. Lu Bu was a feared warrior that was said to be the greatest warrior in the world, only rivaled by that of Shu's Guan Yu. A prominent general of the court named Cao Cao (155AD-220AD)escaped the chaos and fled to Chenliu and began assembling military might and eventually established power in the north of China.. Image Credit: http://threekingdoms.wikia.com/wiki/File:Cao_Cao_SGYY2.jpg
During a clash of power between the North’s Cao Cao, the South East’s Sun Quan and the South West’s Liu Bei, a power struggle ensued. Becoming a turning point in the early establishment of the three kingdoms, Liu Bei and Sun Quan won a victory over the might of Cao Cao’s considerable might. With a strategy devised by Wu general Zhou Yu and Shu’s Zhuge Liang, Cao Cao’s naval fleet was decimated by a joint fire attack. This moment established the might of the three generals and began a power struggle that would last until 280 AD. Image Credit: Vacant Mountain Wordpress Link: https://vacantmountain.wordpress.com/2013/06/20/su_dongpo_red_cliff_poem_%E8%B5%A4%E5%A3%81%E6%80%80%E5%8F%A4/
Cao Cao dies of illness and his eldest son Cao Pi takes over in his place. At this time Cao Pi usurps the throne and establishes the Wei kingdom to the north.
With the dethroning of the Han emperor by Cao Pi to establish Wei ,the uprising of Shu by Liu Bei and spread of Wu by Sun Ce the Three Kingdoms era begins. Image Credit:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Kingdoms_(TV_series)
Liu Bei a man who grew up in poverty in the province of Zhu Xian. He eventually established himself as a worthy general in the Han army along with his sworn brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. During the chaos with the fall of the Eastern Han empire, he linked his lineage to Liu Biao and established the Shu kingdom in Southwest China(Now Sichuan) Image Credit: http://jamieworknstuff.blogspot.com/2009/05/three-kingdoms-art.html
Liu Bei dies of illness and is succeeded by his son Liu Shan. With his young age and inexperience Liu Shan elects Zhuge Liang to oversee the kingdom and lead the expansion of the Shu.
After the death of his father Sun Jian and older brother Sun Ce, Sun Quan took on the mantle of the Sun family. When he took the providence of Jingzhou and defeated Shu (lead by Zhuge Liang) at the battle of Yiling he seated himself as emperor of Wu in Jianye (present day Nanjing.) Image Credit: http://threekingdoms.wikia.com/wiki/Sun_Quan_%E5%AD%AB%E6%AC%8A/Gallery
In a battle that ensured the fall of Shu, Wei defeated Zhuge Liang on the plains of Wuzhang. Here Zhuge Liang's forces fought against Zhuge's brilliant strategist rival Sima Yi. During the battle Zhuge's health was already on the down turn, knowing this Sima Yi waited in a defensive position refusing to fall of any of Zhuge's ruses. This paid off when Zhuge eventually died after battling illness and passed on control of the battle to his apprentice Jiang Wei. Knowing this was his chance, Sima Yi lead a full charge and pushed the Shu back to their capital of Chendu. This was a turning point for Cao Pi's Wei when it absorbed Shu and had its sights set on Wu. Image Credit: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/570690584007482379/
After the death of Cao Pi and his son that followed, Cao Rui, Sima Yi who had served the Cao family for many years, saw an opening in the now weak Wei government and over through it from the inside. Along with his sons Sima Shi and Sima Zhao they took control of Wei.
After many campaigns north to try and push the now Sima led Wei back from the Shu kingdom, Shu ultimately fell. With internal government splitting in factions that no long supported each other, Liu Shan who was inexperienced in ruling had no choice, but to back down to the Wei advancement. Thus ending the Shu kingdom. All that was left was for Wei to defeat Sun Quan and his Wu kingdom to the east. Image Credit: https://chinahistorysg.wordpress.com/2014/07/12/the-rise-and-fall-of-shu-han-three-kingdoms-history/
The Sima family pushed the Cao family completely out of the throne and placed Sima Yan on the throne. This established the Jin kingdom in place of the Wei.
After preparation for ten years to attack Wu on the Yangtze river, Sun Hao (new emperor of the Wu kingdom after the death of Sun Quan in 252AD) falls before the sheer numbers and might of the Jin army. Image Credit: http://www.awn.com/vfxworld/battle-red-cliff-john-woo-style
After the kingdom of Jin finally defeats the Wu, Eastern China is finally united under one dynasty. The Jin dynasty goes on to last until 317AD to 420AD.
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