Kingdom of Shu

Wuhou Temple, Chengdu
Wuhou Temple, Chengdu

With only two emperors Liu Bei and his son Liu Chan, the reign of Kingdom of Shu was much shorter than that of the Kingdom of Wei. As for the national strength, Kingdom of Shu was the weakest of the three kingdoms.

In 188, a member of the imperial clan of Han Dynasty (206 BC-220), Liu Yan, was appointed the chief executive of Yizhou (which includes present-day Sichuan Province, Chongqing City, southern Shaanxi Province and northwest Yunnan Province). After Liu Yan died, his son Liu Zhang succeeded.

In 212, Liu Zhang invited Liu Bei and his court to Yizhou, persuading him to attack Hanzhong. In 215, Liu Bei occupied Yizhou and then captured Hanzhong, after which he proclaimed himself as 'King of Hanzhong'. In the same year, Jingzhou was captured and Guan Yu was killed by Sun Quan's army. The following year, hoping to recapture Jingzhou, Liu Bei fought with the Wu army in the Battle of Yiling. Unfortunately, he did not achieve his goal and soon died of illness. Following Liu Bei's death, his son Liu Chan succeeded.
 

Statue of Zhuge Liang, Wuhou Temple, Hanzhong
Wuhou Temple, Hanzhong

During the reign of Liu Chan, the Chengxiang (ancient term for secretary of state) of Shu Kingdom - Zhuge Liang (titled Wuhou or Marquis Wu) played an indispensable role in governing the country. He assisted under the circumstances that Liu Chan was very young and the Kingdom of Shu was in great difficulties. He ruled the country by law and established a system of strict discipline to manage the army. During this period, the agriculture and handicraft industry recovered and became well developed. Another contribution by Zhuge Liang was his eagerness to develop the regions inhabited by the Yi people, thus enhancing the unity of different ethnic groups.

As a loyal chancellor, Zhuge Liang never gave up the chance to realize Liu Bei's ambition - to restore the Han Dynasty and regain the former capital. He led Shu's army to attack Wei many times. However, during the last northern expedition, Zhuge Liang died of illness on the march.

After 258, political power fell into the hands of eunuchs and the government became corrupt. In 263, Kingdom of Shu was completely overpowered by the Wei army.

- Last updated on Sep. 28, 2018 -
Questions & Answers on Kingdom of Shu
Asked by miss han from AUSTRALIA | Sep. 26, 2018 19:23Reply
hey all what advantages did the Han kingdom have over the Wu and Wei kingdoms?
also what disadvantages did they have.

thanks
Answers (2)
Answered by Hank from GERMANY | Sep. 27, 2018 19:44
00Reply


I guess you mean the Shu Kingdom? The biggest advantage of the Shu Kingdom is that they occupied the vantage point and it was very hard for their armies to attack them since the region is an ideal set of easily defendable. However, it's also one of their biggest disadvantages because they couldn't either attack their enemies easily. What's more, in the later age, they lack talented counselors and generals.
Answered by Miss Han from AUSTRALIA | Sep. 28, 2018 01:04
00Reply


Thank you very much for your response you helped me greatly
Asked by Ms.Yue Ying from UNITED STATES | Jan. 27, 2009 21:37Reply
the only reason people make Shu sound like it was good is because of Liu Bei's inherritage from the Han emperor. This influenced how people think of Cao Cao too, because he was working for the Han emperor at one point, which made him seem like a rebellious person.
Answers (2)
Answered by Mr.Qin from MY | Sep. 28, 2009 01:28
51Reply


Agree.
Answered by Dugg from ENGLAND | Jul. 17, 2015 10:02
41Reply


I have played may games and read quite a lot about the three kingdoms, and Wei was always made out to be the one for power. I believe people have got the wrong interpretation of Wei all together, Cao Cao was know for the " hero of chaos" in these hard times...... this speak for its self.
Asked by Mr.tsu from AMERICA | Jan. 25, 2009 21:53Reply
the kingdom of shu was my favorite too, mostly also because they fought for peace and they cared for their people unlike the wei where they just wanted power over the land but shu was also my favorite because of Zhuge Liang, a great stratigists
Answers (2)
Answered by Mr.YU from AMERICA | May. 07, 2009 20:41
52Reply


I think it had nothing to do with the people either and Liu Bei is just using his heritage as a excuse to get the peoples antention thats probably how Guan Yu came to serve him
Answered by Mr.Qin from MY | Sep. 28, 2009 01:26
10Reply


Agree with Mr.YU.
Asked by Mr.Herman Sudjati from INDONESIA | Jan. 25, 2009 18:16Reply
Zhuge Liang, is Liang the surname or Zhu is the surname?
Look forward to know more about it.
Thanks
Answers (1)
Answered by Mr.Yagami Quan from VIETNAM | Feb. 27, 2009 10:17
32Reply


Zhuge was the family name, Liang was his first name and KongMing was the ourtesy name
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