Three Rebellions in Shouchun 壽春三叛

The first rebellion. Wang Ling, who as General Who Conquers the East had long been in charge of Huainan, became Grand Commandant after Sima Yi killed Cao Shuang. Together with his nephew Linghu Yu, then Inspector of Yan Province, he plotted to bring in Cao Biao, Prince of Chu, who was older and capable, and set up his capital at Xuchang, on the grounds that the Prince of Qi was unequal to the imperial throne. In the spring of the 3rd year of Jiaping (251), when Wu dammed the Tu River, Wang Ling, meaning to take this opportunity to act, asked permission to attack the enemy, but was refused. Records, Wei 28 §5–8

Yang Hong, the general Wang Ling had sent to tell of the plan for deposing the emperor, reported it to Sima Yi together with Huang Hua, Inspector of Yan Province. Sima Yi led the central army down by water, first proclaiming an amnesty, and with his great army reached Baichi and pressed Wang Ling. Wang Ling, at the end of his resources, came out at the waterside at Qiutou with his hands bound behind him, and while being escorted to the capital he took poison and died at Xiang County. Sima Yi went on to Shouchun and investigated the affair to the bottom; Cao Biao was ordered to die, and those implicated had their clans exterminated to the third degree. The Annals of the Three Young Emperors record that Sima Yi set out on the campaign on the bingwu day of the 4th month and that Wang Ling killed himself on the jiayin day of the 5th month. Records, Wei 28 §8–10Records, Wei 4 §32–33

The second rebellion. Guanqiu Jian, General Who Guards the East in command of Yang Province, was on close terms with Xiahou Xuan and Li Feng, and was friendly with Wen Qin, Inspector of Yang Province, who bore a grudge after inflating his achievements in hope of rewards. In the 1st month of the 2nd year of Zhengyuan (255), when a comet appeared in the field of the sky corresponding to Wu and Chu, the two forged an edict of the Empress Dowager listing the crimes of the General-in-Chief Sima Shi, gathered the officials and people of Huainan into the city of Shouchun, and swore an oath with blood smeared on their lips at an altar west of the city. With 50,000 to 60,000 men they crossed the Huai River and reached Xiang County. Records, Wei 28 §19–21

Sima Shi set out in person and ordered the various armies to hold fast and not to fight, and Zhuge Dan, with the troops of Yu Province, threatened Shouchun from Anfeng Ford. The officers and men of Huainan, whose families were in the north, surrendered one after another. Wen Qin, who had meant to attack Deng Ai at Lejia, was routed by Sima Shi's main army and fled to Wu, while Guanqiu Jian, his following collapsed, hid in the grass and was killed by an arrow from Zhang Shu, a commoner under the Commandant of Anfeng Ford. Zhuge Dan entered Shouchun first. Records, Wei 28 §22–24 · 27 · 32

The third rebellion. Zhuge Dan, who had been close to Xiahou Xuan and Deng Yang, grew afraid when Wang Ling and Guanqiu Jian were exterminated with their clans one after the other, and he spent his wealth to bind men's hearts to him and maintained several thousand men sworn to die for him. In the 5th month of the 2nd year of Ganlu (257), when the court summoned him to be Minister of Works, he at last rebelled, killed Yue Chen, Inspector of Yang Province, gathered more than 100,000 government troops from Huainan and Huaibei and 40,000 to 50,000 newly attached soldiers, and shut the city gates. Wu sent in Quan Yi, Tang Zi and others, together with Wen Qin, to relieve him. Records, Wei 28 §34–36

The General-in-Chief Sima Zhao, bringing the emperor with him, surrounded Shouchun with 260,000 men in several layers. He rejected proposals to attack quickly, saying that he would keep the rebels tied up in the city and subdue them without moving. When outside relief was cut off and the provisions ran out, Quan Yi and others came out and surrendered, and Zhuge Dan quarreled with Wen Qin and killed him. In the 2nd month of the 3rd year of Ganlu (258), when Sima Zhao scaled the walls from all sides, Zhuge Dan, breaking out through a small gate, was beheaded by the troops of Hu Fen. Records, Wei 28 §37–43

In his assessment Chen Shou said that Wang Ling was lofty in bearing and integrity, Guanqiu Jian outstanding in talent and insight, and Zhuge Dan stern, resolute and commanding, but that all of them had great ambitions and misguided aims, failed to foresee disaster, and rose in revolt as suddenly as a crossbow trigger is released, so that their clans were ground into the dirt. Records, Wei 28 §140