Wei 魏

Chen Shou began the history of Wei with the Annals of Emperor Wu, Cao Cao's basic annals. Cao Cao never became emperor in his lifetime, but in the 11th month of the 1st year of Huangchu (220) he was posthumously honored as Emperor Wu, and in the 1st year of Jingchu (237) the officials in charge petitioned that he be made Taizu of Wei. The Annals of Emperor Wu at first call him "Taizu," then from the entry for the 10th month of the 1st year of Jian'an (196) "the Duke," and after he became King of Wei in the 21st year of Jian'an (216), "the King." Records, Wei 1 §1 · 39–40 · 154 · 156Records, Wei 2 §17Records, Wei 3 §52

Cao Cao first raised troops at Jiwu in the 12th month of the 6th year of Zhongping (189), and in the 3rd year of Chuping (192), welcomed by Bao Xin and others, he took office as Governor of Yan Province, gathering the best of the surrendered Yellow Turbans and calling them the Qingzhou Troops. In the 1st year of Jian'an (196) he received the Son of Heaven at the urging of Xun Yu and Cheng Yu and moved the capital to Xu at the urging of Dong Zhao and others, and only then were the institutions of the ancestral temple and the altars of state established. That year he first launched the military agricultural colonies. Records, Wei 1 §6 · 23 · 37 · 39–40

When Cao Cao faced Yuan Shao at Guandu in the 5th year of Jian'an (200), he had fewer than ten thousand troops. In the 10th month he personally led five thousand infantry and cavalry and beheaded Chunyu Qiong and the others escorting Yuan Shao's grain wagons, and Yuan Shao's army collapsed. In the 9th year of Jian'an (204) he pacified Ye and also took the post of Governor of Ji Province, and in the 10th year (205) he beheaded Yuan Tan and pacified Ji Province. In the 12th year of Jian'an (207) he defeated the Wuhuan, on whom Yuan Shang and his brother relied, at Mount Bailang, and Gongsun Kang beheaded Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi, who had fled to Liaodong, and sent him their heads. Records, Wei 1 §64 · 68–70 · 84 · 86 · 88 · 96 · 99–101

In the 13th year of Jian'an (208), when the Han abolished the Three Excellencies and established a Chancellor, Cao Cao became Chancellor. That year Liu Cong of Jing Province surrendered, but Cao Cao fought Liu Bei at the Red Cliffs without success, and when a great epidemic killed many of his officers and men he led his army back. Liu Bei took Jing Province and the commanderies south of the Yangtze. In the 16th year of Jian'an (211) Cao Cao crushed Ma Chao, Han Sui and others who opposed him at Tong Pass, and pacified Guanzhong. Records, Wei 1 §103–105 · 110 · 113

On the bingshen day of the 5th month of the 18th year of Jian'an (213), the Son of Heaven sent the Imperial Counsellor Xi Lü to enfeoff Cao Cao as Duke of Wei by patent. The patent listed his merits one by one, from the campaign against Dong Zhuo to Guandu and the expedition against the Wuhuan, granted him ten commanderies as his fief, kept him as Chancellor concurrently serving as Governor of Ji Province as before, and added the Nine Bestowments. The state of Wei was to have a Chancellor and the ministers and officials below him, all following the system of the vassal kings of the early Han. In the 7th month the altars of state and ancestral temple of Wei were established for the first time, and in the 11th month Masters of Writing, Palace Attendants and the Six Ministers were first appointed. Records, Wei 1 §121 · 123–125 · 129 · 132 · 134

In the 3rd month of the 19th year of Jian'an (214) the Son of Heaven placed the Duke of Wei above the vassal kings, and in the 11th month of the 20th year (215) Zhang Lu of Hanzhong surrendered with his remaining followers. In the 5th month of the 21st year (216) Cao Cao rose to King of Wei, and in the 10th month of the following year, by the Son of Heaven's command, he was given a crown with twelve strings of pendants and the golden-root carriage, and made Cao Pi Crown Prince of Wei. In the 24th year of Jian'an (219), after Xiahou Yuan was killed by Liu Bei, he advanced on Hanzhong, but Liu Bei held the passes against him and he returned to Chang'an in the 5th month. On the gengzi day of the 1st month of the 25th year of Jian'an (220) Cao Cao died at Luoyang at the age of sixty-six. Records, Wei 1 §138 · 152 · 154 · 157 · 166–167 · 171–172

Cao Pi succeeded to the posts of Chancellor and King of Wei and changed the era name to Yankang. That year Emperor Xian of Han, holding that the hopes of the people rested with Wei, made an announcement at the temple of Gaozu and had Zhang Yin, acting Imperial Counsellor, present the imperial seal and ribbons to hand over the throne. Cao Pi built an altar at Fanyang, mounted it on the gengwu day and ascended the imperial throne, changing the era from Yankang to Huangchu. In the 11th month he enfeoffed Emperor Xian as Duke of Shanyang and reformed the system of offices, changing the Chancellor of State into the Minister over the Masses and the Imperial Counsellor into the Minister of Works, among other changes. The following year he renamed Xu County as Xuchang County. Records, Wei 2 §1 · 13 · 16–18 · 22

In the 2nd year of Huangchu (221), when Sun Quan sent an envoy with a memorial, Emperor Wen enfeoffed him as King of Wu. The following year Sun Quan defeated Liu Bei at Yiling, but he rebelled again that same year, so Emperor Wen marched south from Xuchang, and Sun Quan held the line along the Yangtze. In the 5th (224) and 6th (225) years of Huangchu the emperor led his navy to Guangling, and in the 6th year he turned back when the severe cold froze the waterways. In the 5th month of the 7th year of Huangchu (226), when his illness became grave, he left a testamentary edict to Cao Zhen, Chen Qun, Cao Xiu and Sima Yi to assist the next ruler. Records, Wei 2 §27 · 32 · 41 · 46 · 50 · 52

Under Emperor Ming, Cao Rui, in the 2nd year of Taihe (228) Zhuge Liang of Shu invaded, but Zhang He defeated him at Jieting. In the 2nd year of Qinglong (234), when Sun Quan headed for the New City of Hefei, Emperor Ming personally campaigned east, and Zhuge Liang, who had been facing Sima Yi south of the Wei River, died and the Shu army withdrew. Around this time the Luoyang palaces were extensively rebuilt and the people missed the farming season. In the 2nd year of Jingchu (238) Sima Yi defeated Gongsun Yuan of Liaodong, and in the 1st month of the 3rd year of Jingchu (239) Emperor Ming told Sima Yi to assist his young son together with Cao Shuang, and died at the age of thirty-six. Records, Wei 3 §8 · 37–38 · 40 · 43 · 61 · 65

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 imperial carriage went to pay respects at the Gaoping Mausoleum, and the Grand Tutor Sima Yi petitioned to have Cao Shuang and his brothers removed from office; Cao Shuang was accused of plotting rebellion and his three sets of kin were exterminated along with He Yan, Deng Yang and others. In the 3rd year of Jiaping (251) the Grand Commandant Wang Ling, who had plotted to depose the emperor, killed himself when Sima Yi attacked him, and when Sima Yi died that year Sima Shi became General-in-Chief Who Pacifies the Army and Intendant of the Affairs of the Imperial Secretariat. In the 9th month of the 6th year of Jiaping (254) the General-in-Chief Sima Shi, plotting to depose the emperor, informed the Empress Dowager, and Cao Fang was sent back to his fief of Qi. Records, Wei 4 §2 · 28 · 32–33 · 44–45

Under his successor Cao Mao, Duke of Gaogui Village, Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin, and then Zhuge Dan, rebelled one after another; Sima Shi attacked Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin, and Sima Zhao took the city of Shouchun and beheaded Zhuge Dan. Cao Mao died in the 5th month of the 5th year of Ganlu (260); 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. Under Cao Huan, in the 4th year of Jingyuan (263), Liu Shan, ruler of Shu, surrendered to Deng Ai, and in the 1st year of Xianxi (264) Sima Zhao, Duke of Jin, was raised to king. When the King of Jin died in the 8th month of the 2nd year of Xianxi (265), his Crown Prince Sima Yan succeeded him, and on the renxu day of the 12th month Cao Huan sent an envoy to abdicate to the heir King of Jin. Cao Huan moved to the Jinyong Fortress and finally lived out his days at Ye. Records, Wei 4 §54–55 · 82 · 88 · 98 · 101 · 114 · 127 · 129 · 148 · 150

In his assessment in the Annals of Emperor Wu, Chen Shou said that Cao Cao took control of the imperial authority and accomplished a great enterprise because his clear-sighted strategy was the most outstanding. Of Emperor Wen he said that had he added breadth of mind and sincere fairness, he would not have been far from the worthy rulers of old, and he called Emperor Ming's devotion to building palaces at a time when the people were exhausted a fault. In his assessment in the Annals of the Three Young Emperors he wrote that because Emperor Ming, bound by private affection, raised an infant and passed the great enterprise on to him, Cao Shuang was executed and the Prince of Qi deposed, and that the Prince of Chenliu abdicated following earlier precedent and became a guest of Jin. Records, Wei 1 §173Records, Wei 2 §55Records, Wei 3 §66Records, Wei 4 §152–153