Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms
From the Yellow Turban Rebellion to the return to Jin, seven stages thread together nearly a century of union and division. Tap a figure’s badge to jump to its card.
Ⅰ · The Yellow Turban Rebellion
In 184, the followers of Zhang Jiao’s Way of Great Peace rose in arms together wearing yellow turbans, crying "the Blue Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise." The rising was crushed within months, but the court’s decision to let regions raise their own troops to quell it changed history’s course entirely — Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Jian all first came to prominence in the suppression, and the Eastern Han’s central authority never recovered.
The Yellow Turban Rebellion Breaks Out
Zhang Jiao, having amassed hundreds of thousands of followers through the Way of Great Peace, set a common date to rise, and they took up arms together wearing yellow turbans; the authorities could barely withstand them, and the realm was shaken.
Huangfu Song Breaks the Main Yellow Turban Forces
Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun campaigned separately, breaking Bo Cai’s Yellow Turban force with fire and then quelling the revolts in Runan, Dong commandery, and elsewhere in turn — the foremost hero of the suppression.
Warlords Rise in the Suppression
When the court permitted regions to raise their own troops, Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Jian all first led soldiers and came to prominence in quelling the Yellow Turbans — the loosening of central power begins here.
Ⅱ · The Misrule of Dong Zhuo
The Grand General He Jin summoned Dong Zhuo to the capital to purge the eunuchs, only to be killed first himself; Dong Zhuo seized the chaos to take power, deposing and installing emperors and letting his soldiers loot. The lords formed an eastern coalition against him, but, each with his own designs, it dispersed with nothing to show. At last Wang Yun laid a chain-link scheme and killed the tyrant by Lü Bu’s hand.
He Jin Summons Outside Troops and Dies in the Palace
He Jin secretly ordered Dong Zhuo to bring his army to the capital to purge the eunuchs; the plan leaked, and he was lured into the palace and killed by the eunuchs instead. His officers stormed in and slaughtered every eunuch, and Dong Zhuo seized the chaos to take the capital.
Deposing an Emperor, Burning Luoyang
Dong Zhuo deposed the young emperor and installed Emperor Xian, monopolizing the court and letting his troops loot. The lords formed an eastern coalition against him; Dong Zhuo dragged Emperor Xian west to Chang’an, and on leaving set fire to Luoyang.
The Chain-Link Scheme Kills Dong Zhuo
Minister over the Masses Wang Yun laid a chain-link scheme, using his ward Diaochan to divide Dong Zhuo and his adopted son Lü Bu, and at last persuaded Lü Bu to kill Dong Zhuo with his own hand. Wang Yun then handled Dong Zhuo’s old officers too harshly, bringing Li Jue and Guo Si to take Chang’an, and died in the chaos himself.
Ⅲ · The Warlords Contend
Dong Zhuo was dead, but order did not return — Cao Cao brought Emperor Xian to Xuchang to "hold the emperor and command the lords," Tao Qian thrice yielded Xu province to Liu Bei, Lü Bu betrayed master after master and died at the White Gate Tower, and Sun Ce swept across Jiangdong on borrowed troops and the imperial seal. This age had one theme only: who could grow his domain and keep his talent.
Cao Cao Receives the Emperor
With Emperor Xian a starving exile, Cao Cao seized the moment to bring him to Xuchang and command the lords in the court’s name ever after — the most crucial political move of his rise.
Thrice Yielding Xu Province
When Cao Cao bathed Xu province in blood over his father Cao Song’s murder, Tao Qian sought Liu Bei’s aid; feeling old and weak afterward, he three times sincerely offered Xu province to Liu Bei, who accepted after repeated refusals.
The White Gate Tower Ends Lü Bu
Lü Bu, having betrayed Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo and then turned on Cao Cao, was besieged at Xiapi, betrayed by his officers, and brought to the White Gate Tower and executed. His strategist Chen Gong refused surrender and went composedly to his death.
Sun Ce Sweeps Jiangdong
Sun Ce pawned the imperial seal to borrow three thousand troops from Yuan Shu and in a few short years swept the six commanderies of Jiangdong, called "the Little Conqueror." Gravely wounded by an assassin at twenty-six, he entrusted the domain to his brother Sun Quan.
Ⅳ · Guandu and the Three Visits
At Guandu, Cao Cao crushed Yuan Shao against the odds and unified the north. Meanwhile the ever-defeated, dependent Liu Bei made three visits to draw out Zhuge Liang and won the Longzhong Plan that would map out the rest of his life. The two threads each laid their groundwork here, setting the stage for the coming battle of Red Cliffs.
The Battle of Guandu: The Fire at Wuchao
When Yuan Shao ignored Tian Feng and Ju Shou’s pleas for a war of attrition, the defector Xu You revealed the granary at Wuchao; Cao Cao’s night raid burned Yuan’s supplies to ash, his hundred thousand troops collapsed, and Yuan Shao fled north with eight hundred riders.
Baima: Guan Yu Cuts Down Yan Liang
In this prelude to Guandu, Guan Yu — temporarily attached to Cao’s camp — charged his horse into the host and cut down Yuan Shao’s fierce general Yan Liang amid ten thousand troops, lifting the siege of Baima — a real feat of arms recorded in the histories.
Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage
Liu Bei called three times on Zhuge Liang, farming at Nanyang, and at last drew out the recluse. Zhuge Liang offered the Longzhong Plan, mapping the strategy of taking Jing and Yi provinces first and allying with Sun against Cao.
Ⅴ · Red Cliffs and the Three-Way Division
Having unified the north, Cao Cao marched south, and the allied Sun–Liu forces burned away his last chance to unify the realm at Red Cliffs. Thereafter Liu Bei took Jing province, seized Yi province, and won Hanzhong; Sun Quan settled Jiangdong; and Cao Pi forced Emperor Xian to abdicate and took the throne — Wei, Shu, and Wu formally took shape, and the realm was split in three.
Changban: Zhao Yun In and Out Seven Times
As Cao Cao’s army pursued him south, Liu Bei, crossing the river with the people, was all but annihilated. Zhao Yun charged into the encirclement alone, in and out seven times, to save the young heir Ah Dou, and Zhang Fei held the broken bridge alone and turned back the pursuers with a roar.
The Battle of Red Cliffs: The Flesh-Wound Ruse and the East Wind
Sun Quan hacked his desk in resolve to resist Cao Cao; Zhou Yu and Huang Gai staged a flesh-wound ruse and set fire to Cao’s chained fleet, and Cao Cao’s host, claimed at 800,000, was all but destroyed, fleeing north in disarray. The three-way division became possible from here.
Liu Bei Takes Yi Province
Liu Zhang invited Liu Bei into Shu to help against Zhang Lu, and Fa Zheng and Zhang Song secretly turned coat to aid him. Liu Bei turned guest into master, Pang Tong died at Luocheng, and Liu Zhang at last opened the gates and surrendered, giving up the Yi province base.
Winning Hanzhong at Mount Dingjun; Cao Pi Takes the Throne
Huang Zhong, on Fa Zheng’s plan, cut down Xiahou Yuan at Mount Dingjun, and Liu Bei took Hanzhong and declared himself King of Hanzhong. The next year Cao Cao died, and Cao Pi forced Emperor Xian to abdicate — ending the Eastern Han and founding Wei.
Ⅵ · The Loss of Jing Province and the Defeat at Yiling
Guan Yu drowned the seven armies and shook the realm, only to be surprised by Sun Quan’s crossing in white, lose Jing province, and die fleeing Maicheng. Liu Bei, ignoring all counsel, threw the whole state into an eastern campaign of revenge, and Lu Xun burned his linked camps across seven hundred li, gutting Shu Han’s strength. The deathbed charge at Baidicheng was Liu Bei’s last move for Shu Han.
Drowning the Seven Armies, Shaking the Realm
Guan Yu, marching north against Fancheng, used torrential rain to loose the Han River’s floodwaters, wiping out Yu Jin’s seven armies, capturing Yu Jin and beheading Pang De; he shook the realm for a time, and Cao Cao even considered moving the capital to avoid him.
Losing Jing Province to Carelessness, Falling at Maicheng
Sun Quan secretly sent Lü Meng to cross the river disguised as merchants and seize Jing province; caught front and back, Guan Yu fell back on Maicheng and, breaking out, was captured and killed with his adopted son Guan Ping by a Wu ambush.
The Battle of Yiling: Burning the Linked Camps Across Seven Hundred Li
Liu Bei threw the whole state into an eastern campaign to avenge Guan Yu; Lu Xun held his ground and waited out his exhaustion, then struck with fire at the height of summer, and the Shu army was all but annihilated, Liu Bei barely escaping with his life.
The Deathbed Charge at Baidicheng
Defeated, Liu Bei fell back on Baidicheng and never rose again, entrusting his son Liu Shan and the whole of Shu Han to Zhuge Liang, with the words "if he proves unfit, you may take the throne yourself."
Ⅶ · The Northern Campaigns and the Return to Jin
Zhuge Liang secured the south with the seven captures of Meng Huo, led six sallies to Qishan against Wei, sparred again and again with Sima Yi, and died at last at Wuzhang Plains. Jiang Wei took up the banner but could not hold it alone. Sima Yi’s grandson Sima Yan finally usurped Wei to found Jin, destroyed Wu in 280, and united the Three Kingdoms — a return, in truth, to the House of Sima.
Seven Captures of Meng Huo, Securing the South
When the south rebelled after Liu Bei’s death, Zhuge Liang led a campaign there and, with a strategy of "winning hearts above all," captured and released the southern chieftain Meng Huo seven times, until he submitted in full and swore never to rebel again.
Six Sallies to Qishan, Death at Wuzhang Plains
Zhuge Liang led campaign after campaign against Wei, sparring with Sima Yi and repeatedly turned back for want of supplies. He died in camp at Wuzhang Plains in 234, "giving his all until his heart stopped beating."
The Coup at Gaoping Tombs
Sima Yi, having feigned illness and lain low for years, seized the moment when the regent Cao Shuang accompanied the emperor out of the city to sweep the tombs to launch a coup, executed Cao Shuang and his faction, hollowed out the Wei imperial house, and monopolized army and state.
The Fall of Shu Han; Jiang Wei’s Failed Restoration
Wei destroyed Shu in 263, and Liu Shan surrendered, "feeling no longing for Shu." Jiang Wei feigned surrender to the Wei general Zhong Hui and secretly plotted to restore the state, dying with Zhong Hui in the chaos when the plot leaked — failing at the verge of success.
The Three Houses Return to Jin
Sima Yi’s grandson Sima Yan usurped Wei to found the Western Jin, and in 280 marched to destroy Wu, reuniting China. The chaotic age of the Three Kingdoms, split for nearly a century, ended at last in the victory of the House of Sima.