Jin 晉

The foundation of Jin was the Sima clan, chief ministers of Wei. The Annals of the Three Young Emperors refer to Sima Yi, Sima Shi and Sima Zhao as King Xuan, King Jing and King Wen of the Sima. When Cao Fang, Prince of Qi, took the throne, the General-in-Chief Cao Shuang and the Grand Commandant Sima Yi assisted in the government; in the 1st month of the 1st year of Jiaping (249) the Grand Tutor Sima Yi petitioned to have Cao Shuang and his brothers removed from office, and Cao Shuang's party were accused of plotting rebellion and their three sets of kin exterminated. When Sima Yi died in the 3rd year of Jiaping (251), Sima Shi became General-in-Chief Who Pacifies the Army and Intendant of the Affairs of the Imperial Secretariat, and in the 9th month of the 6th year of Jiaping (254), plotting to depose the emperor, he informed the Empress Dowager, and Cao Fang was sent back to his fief of Qi. When Sima Shi died at Xuchang in the 2nd year of Zhengyuan (255) after attacking Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin, Sima Zhao became General-in-Chief and Intendant of the Affairs of the Imperial Secretariat in the 2nd month. Records, Wei 4 §2 · 28 · 33 · 44–45 · 54–55

In the 2nd month of the 3rd year of Ganlu (258), when Sima Zhao took the city of Shouchun and beheaded Zhuge Dan, an order was given in the 5th month to make him Chancellor of State, enfeoff him as Duke of Jin with eight commanderies as his fief and add the Nine Bestowments, but he declined nine times in all and the matter was dropped. In the 4th month of the 5th year of Ganlu (260) the same order was issued again. In the 5th month Cao Mao, Duke of Gaogui Village, died; the Empress Dowager's decree said that he had drawn his sword himself, gone in among the battle lines and been killed by the vanguard, and Sima Zhao reported that Cheng Ji, Retainer of the Crown Prince, had recklessly charged into the ranks and harmed the Duke and had therefore been dealt with under military law. Sima Yan went north to bring in Cao Huang, Duke of Changdao Village, and that month too Sima Zhao firmly declined the posts of Chancellor of State and Duke of Jin and the Nine Bestowments. Records, Wei 4 §88 · 90 · 97–98 · 101 · 105–107

In the 6th month of the 1st year of Jingyuan (260), when Cao Huan took the throne, two commanderies were added to make ten and the rites of the Nine Bestowments were added, but Sima Zhao firmly declined, and he also declined the orders of the 8th month of the 2nd year of Jingyuan (261) and the 2nd month of the 4th year of Jingyuan (263). In the 4th year of Jingyuan Deng Ai and Zhong Hui attacked Shu; in the 10th month an order was again issued raising the General-in-Chief's position and rank, and in the 11th month Liu Shan, ruler of Shu, surrendered to Deng Ai and Ba and Shu were pacified. Records, Wei 4 §113–114 · 121 · 123–127

On the jimao day of the 3rd month of the 1st year of Xianxi (264), his rank as Duke of Jin was raised to king and ten more commanderies were added to make twenty, and Liu Shan was enfeoffed as Duke of Anle. In the 5th month the Chancellor of State and King of Jin petitioned to restore the five ranks of nobility, and Sima Yi, Marquis Xuanwen of Wuyang, and Sima Shi, Marquis Zhongwu of Wuyang, were posthumously named King Xuan of Jin and King Jing of Jin. In the 8th month Sima Yan, Central General Who Pacifies the Army, was made to assist in the affairs of the Chancellor of State, and in the 10th month he was made Heir of Jin. That year Sima Zhao, Chancellor of State of Wei, sent Xu Shao and Sun Yu, Wu generals who had earlier surrendered at Shouchun, with a letter admonishing Sun Hao, the new ruler of Wu. Records, Wei 4 §129–130 · 142 · 144Records, Wu 3 §51

In the 4th month of the 2nd year of Xianxi (265) Wu sent the envoys Ji Zhi and Hong Qiu to ask for peace. In the 5th month an edict ordered that everything Sun Hao had presented be given to the King of Jin, though the king firmly declined it, and the King of Jin was granted a crown with twelve strings of pendants, the banners of the Son of Heaven and the golden-root carriage drawn by six horses, while his consort was raised to queen and his heir to Crown Prince. When the Chancellor of State and King of Jin died on the xinmao day of the 8th month, his Crown Prince Sima Yan succeeded to his title and position the next day, and in the 9th month the Minister over the Masses He Zeng became Chancellor of Jin. Records, Wei 4 §145–149

On the renxu day of the 12th month (early 266 CE), declaring that Heaven's bounty had come to a permanent end and the succession of fate lay with Jin, an edict ordered an altar set up in the southern suburbs, and an envoy was sent bearing the imperial seal, ribbons and patent to abdicate to the heir King of Jin, following the old precedent of Han and Wei. The Prince of Chenliu moved to the Jinyong Fortress and finally lived out his days at Ye. The Biographies of the Three Successor Rulers in the Records of Wu also record for this month that "Jin received the abdication." On ascending the throne, the Jin house issued an edict allowing an heir to be appointed for Deng Ai to continue his sacrifices if he had no descendants, and it issued repeated edicts to have Qiao Zhou of Shu sent, making him Chief Commandant of Cavalry when he reached Luoyang in the 3rd year of Taishi (267). Records, Wei 4 §150Records, Wu 3 §54Records, Wei 28 §83Records, Shu 12 §76

In the south, Jin contended with Wu over Jiaozhi. In the 3rd year of Baoding (268) Wu sent Liu Jun, Inspector of Jiao Province, and others to invade Jiaozhi, but they were defeated by the Jin general Mao Jiong and others; in the 3rd year of Jianheng (271) Yu Si and Tao Huang of Wu broke Jiaozhi and captured and killed the garrison commanders Jin had installed, and Jiuzhen and Rinan returned to Wu. Sun Xiu (孫秀), a member of the Wu royal clan, fled to Jin in the 2nd year of Jianheng (270) with his wife and children and several hundred personal troops and became General of Agile Cavalry and Duke of Kuaiji, and in the 8th month of the 1st year of Tianxi (276) Sun Kai, Commander of Jingxia, surrendered to Jin and became General of Chariots and Cavalry and Marquis of Danyang. Records, Wu 3 §60 · 63 · 70–71Records, Wu 6 §37–38 · 46–47

In the 1st year of Fenghuang (272), Bu Chan, Wu's Commander of Xiling, whose family had been at Xiling for generations, was summoned to become Commander of the Tent Guard; he held the city and surrendered to Jin, sending his nephew Bu Ji and Bu Ji's younger brother Bu Xuan to Luoyang as hostages. Jin made Bu Chan Commander of All Military Affairs at Xiling and General of the Guards, enfeoffed him as Duke of Yidu, and had the General of Chariots and Cavalry Yang Hu and Yang Zhao, Inspector of Jing Province, go to his rescue. Yang Hu headed for Jiangling and Yang Zhao reached Xiling, but when Lu Kang of Wu held out against them from behind his siege lines, Yang Zhao fled by night after a month and Yang Hu and the others withdrew their troops. Lu Kang took the city of Xiling and executed Bu Chan's clan. Records, Wu 7 §87–88Records, Wu 13 §70 · 72 · 74–76

In the winter of the 3rd year of Tianji (279) Jin sent Sima Zhou, General-in-Chief Who Guards the East, toward Tuzhong, Wang Hun, General Who Pacifies the East, and others toward Niuzhu, Wang Rong, General Who Establishes Might, toward Wuchang, Hu Fen, General Who Pacifies the South, toward Xiakou, and Du Yu, General Who Guards the South, toward Jiangling, had Wang Jun, General Who Soars Like a Dragon, and Tang Bin, General Who Broadens Martial Might, sail east down the river, and made the Grand Commandant Jia Chong Grand Commander. The following spring, wherever Wang Jun and Tang Bin arrived, resistance crumbled like falling earth and no one opposed them; Du Yu beheaded Wu Yan, Commander of Jiangling, and Wang Hun beheaded the Chancellor Zhang Ti, Shen Ying, Administrator of Danyang, and others. Records, Wu 3 §78 · 81

Following the plans of Xue Ying, Hu Chong and others, Sun Hao sent letters to Wang Jun, Sima Zhou and Wang Hun, saying, "Now great Jin has risen like a dragon and its virtue covers the four seas," and, offering up his seal and ribbon, asked to surrender. On the renshen day of the 3rd month Wang Jun arrived first, received his surrender, untied his bonds and burned his coffin. In the 4th month of the 1st year of Taikang (280) a Jin edict spared Sun Hao's life, granted him the title Marquis Who Returned to Allegiance, and gave him clothing, carriages, thirty qing of fields and other things, and Sun Hao reached the capital on the dinghai day of the 5th month. Records, Wu 3 §83–86

In his assessment in the Annals of the Three Young Emperors, Chen Shou wrote that the Prince of Chenliu merely sat facing south with reverent demeanor while the chief ministers controlled the government, that he abdicated with courtesy following earlier precedent and became a guest of Jin, and that compared with the Duke of Shanyang the favor shown him was greater. In his assessment in the Biographies of the Three Successor Rulers he said that Sun Hao, who deserved to be cut in two at the waist or beheaded to atone to the people, instead received an edict sparing his life and even the favor of being made Marquis Who Returned to Allegiance, which was boundless generosity. Records, Wei 4 §153Records, Wu 3 §89–90