Zhuge Liang's Southern Campaign 諸葛亮南征

According to the Biography of the Later Sovereign in Records of Shu 3, in the summer of the 1st year of Jianxing Zhu Bao, Administrator of Zangke, rose in rebellion with his commandery. Before that, Yong Kai, head of a powerful clan of Yizhou Commandery, had rebelled, sent the Administrator Zhang Yi (張裔) off to Wu and seized the commandery, and Gao Ding, a tribal king of Yuexi, had also turned against Shu. Because the realm had just suffered a great bereavement, Zhuge Liang did not send troops at once but first dispatched an envoy to Wu to make peace. Records, Shu 3 §4Records, Shu 11 §21–22Records, Shu 5 §23

When Li Yan wrote Yong Kai six sheets of letters explaining where his interests lay, Yong Kai answered with a single sheet: "I have heard that there are not two suns in the sky nor two kings on earth, yet now there are three calendars." He submitted to Wu and was appointed Administrator of Yongchang from afar. Lü Kai, Officer of the Five Bureaus of Yongchang Commandery, and Wang Kang, the commandery's Assistant, closed the borders and held off Yong Kai, and Lü Kai answered Yong Kai's proclamation with a rebuke. The Wu records also tell how Shi Xie induced Yong Kai to attach himself to distant Wu and how Bu Zhi accepted him. Records, Shu 13 §20–26Records, Wu 4 §44Records, Wu 7 §72

Wang Lian earnestly argued that the south was a barren land and a home of pestilence, and that the man on whom the whole state relied should not personally run such risks. Zhuge Liang, believing that none of his generals was as capable as himself, wanted to go, yet hesitated for a long time; just then Wang Lian died. In the 3rd month of spring in the 3rd year of Jianxing Zhuge Liang set out on his southern campaign, and Xiang Lang stayed behind to take charge of affairs. Zhuge Liang later wrote of this time in his Memorial on Dispatching the Troops that "in the 5th month I crossed the Lu and went deep into the barren lands." Records, Shu 11 §11 · 13Records, Shu 3 §6Records, Shu 5 §29

According to Li Hui's biography, Zhuge Liang advanced first toward Yuexi while Li Hui headed for Jianning. The counties banded together in force and surrounded Li Hui's army at Kunming; with few troops and no news of Zhuge Liang, Li Hui deceived the southerners by saying that the government army's provisions had run out and it meant to withdraw, and that he, a man of their own homeland, would join them. When the southerners believed him and slackened the siege, Li Hui sallied out, routed them, and pursued them as far as the Pan River, linking up with Zangke and joining forces with Zhuge Liang. Lü Kai's biography records that by the time Zhuge Liang set out to attack Yong Kai, Yong Kai had already been killed by Gao Ding's retainers. Records, Shu 13 §15–16 · 27

The Biography of the Later Sovereign records that the four commanderies were all pacified that year: Yizhou Commandery was renamed Jianning Commandery, Yunnan Commandery was created out of Jianning and Yongchang, and Xinggu Commandery out of Jianning and Zangke, and in the 12th month Zhuge Liang returned to Chengdu. Zhuge Liang's biography says that all was pacified by autumn and that the military supplies produced there made the state rich. On reaching the south, Zhuge Liang commended the loyalty of Lü Kai and Wang Kang, making Lü Kai Administrator of Yunnan and Wang Kang Administrator of Yongchang, and made Ma Zhong Administrator of Zangke to set things in order after Zhu Bao's rebellion. Li Hui, whose merit was greatest, was enfeoffed as Marquis of Hanxing Village. Records, Shu 3 §6Records, Shu 5 §24Records, Shu 13 §27 · 30 · 17

Even after the pacification the south was not quiet. When the army withdrew, the southern tribes rebelled again and killed the commanders left in charge; Li Hui attacked them in person, moved their chieftains to Chengdu and made them pay oxen, horses, gold, silver, rhinoceros hides and the like as military supplies. The biography of Zhang Ni says that after Zhuge Liang attacked Gao Ding the tribes of Yuexi often rebelled and killed their administrators, and Lü Kai, too, was killed by rebel tribesmen while Administrator of Yunnan. Gong Lu, Administrator of Yuexi, who accompanied the campaign, and Wang Shi, who was on his way to become Administrator of Yizhou, were also killed by the tribesmen. Records, Shu 13 §17 · 49 · 27Records, Shu 15 §72–73