User:Lds/Sandbox/List of administrative divisions of Shu Han

The following is a list of administrative divisions of the state of Shu Han (221–263) during the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) of China. Most of the administrative divisions were inherited from the system used during the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220). The system was composed of the following units in increasing order of hierarchy: xian (縣; county), jun (郡; commandery), and zhou (州; province). Shu Han ruled only one province, Yi Province, as compared to the two other states, Cao Wei (220–266) and Eastern Wu (222–280). Its territories covered mainly parts of southwest China: its northern borders were around the Qin Mountains in southern Shaanxi Province; its eastern borders were around the Three Gorges in Chongqing; its southwestern borders reached present-day northeastern Myanmar (Burma). The year of reference is 263.

Historical background and overview
After the Battle of Red Cliffs in 208, the warlords Liu Bei and Sun Quan seized the territories in southern Jing Province from their rival, Cao Cao. Liu Bei nominated Liu Qi to serve as the governor of Jing Province, and took advantage of the situation to conquer Wuling, Changsha, Guiyang and Lingling commanderies in southern Jing Province. In 210, Liu Bei managed to persuade Sun Quan to "lend" Nan Commandery to him. In 211, Liu Zhang, the Governor of Yi Province, invited Liu Bei into Yi Province to garrison at Jiameng Pass and serve as a buffer against the warlord Zhang Lu in Hanzhong Commandery. In the following year, Liu Bei waged war against Liu Zhang to seize control of Yi Province and successfully captured the entire province from Liu Zhang by 214. In 215, after Liu Bei repeatedly declined to "return" Nan Commandery to Sun Quan, the latter seized Changsha, Guiyang and Lingling commanderies by force. In the same year, when Liu Bei heard that Cao Cao had conquered Hanzhong Commandery from Zhang Lu, he felt threatened because Hanzhong Commandery was the northern gateway into Yi Province. He made peace with Sun Quan and agreed to give up some of his territories in Jing Province. The domains of the two warlords in Jing Province were divided along the Xiang River: Sun Quan controlled Jiangxia, Changsha and Guiyang commanderies, while Liu Bei controlled Wuling and Lingling commanderies.

In 215, after Cao Cao conquered Hanzhong Commandery, he planned to attack Ba, Badong and Baxi commanderies in Yi Province. Liu Bei quickly sent his general Zhang Fei to attack Cao Cao's general Zhang He at Dangqu County; Zhang Fei defeated Zhang He and captured the three commanderies. Both sides reached a stalemate in Hanzhong Commandery. In 219, Liu Bei emerged victorious against Cao Cao in the Hanzhong Campaign and successfully occupied the commandery. At the same time, he also sent his generals Meng Da and Liu Feng to attack and capture Fangling, Shangyong and Xicheng commanderies. Liu Bei's domain reached its largest size at this point in time: It stretched from the Qin Mountains in the north and the Nanman lands in the south to the Xiang River in the east, covering Jing and Yi provinces, and ruling 24 commanderies and one vassal state. Late in 219, Sun Quan sent his general Lü Meng to stealthily conquer Liu Bei's territories in Jing Province while Guan Yu, Liu Bei's general in charge of Jing Province, was away battling Cao Cao's forces at the Battle of Fancheng. Liu Bei lost not only all his territories in Jing Province, but also Guan Yu, who was captured and executed by the enemy. In 220, Meng Da defected to the state of Cao Wei (established by Cao Cao's son, Cao Pi), so Fangling, Shangyong and Xicheng commanderies were lost to Wei.

In 221, Liu Bei declared himself emperor and established the state of Shu Han to challenge the Cao Wei state's legitimacy as a successor state to the Eastern Han dynasty. In the same year, he also launched a campaign against Sun Quan to seize back Jing Province, but was utterly defeated by Sun Quan's general Lu Xun at the Battle of Xiaoting and forced to retreat back to Yi Province. He died later that year. After Liu Bei's death, rebellions broke out in Zangke and Yuexi/Yuesui commanderies in southern Yi Province. As the Shu government was still recuperating from its disastrous defeats and losses, it did not bother to suppress the rebellions and reclaim the two commanderies. In 225, Shu's regent Zhuge Liang led a southern campaign to pacify southern Yi Province and successfully suppressed rebellions in Zangke, Yuexi/Yuesui and Yongchang commanderies. However, the Shu government never really had full control over its southern commanderies because rebellions still broke out from time to time. In 228, Zhuge Liang led Shu forces on the first of a series of northern campaigns against the state of Cao Wei and successfully captured Tianshui, Nan'an and Anding commanderies from Wei. Nevertheless, the Wei general Zhang He defeated Shu forces at the Battle of Jieting later that year, and took back the three commanderies. In 229, Zhuge Liang launched another campaign against Wei and conquered Wudu and Yinping commanderies. Since then, the northwestern borders of Shu had been permanently demarcated at the Long Mountains (or Liupan Mountains, at the intersection of Ningxia, Shaanxi and Gansu). Shu launched several campaigns against Wei in the subsequent years but failed to make any significant territorial gains.

In 240, Zhang Ni quelled rebellions in Yuexi/Yuesui and Hanjia commanderies. In 248, Deng Zhi also suppressed another revolt by indigenous tribes in Fuling Commandery. In 254, the Shu general Jiang Wei conquered Heguan, Lintao and other counties in the Wei-controlled Longxi Commandery, but was forced to abandon the newly captured territories when enemy reinforcements showed up. However, he still managed to force some residents to move to Shu territories. From 255 to 262, Jiang Wei launched many campaigns against Wei but, like Zhuge Liang before him, he also failed to make any significant territorial gains. In 263, the Wei generals Zhong Hui, Deng Ai and Zhuge Xu led three separate armies to attack Shu. Shu forces lost Hanzhong, Wudu and Yinping commanderies and were forced to retreat to the heavily fortified mountain pass Jiange. Deng Ai led a strike team through a shortcut and conquered Fu and Mianzhu counties by surprise. Liu Shan, the Shu emperor, surrendered to Deng Ai after learning of the Shu defeat at Mianzhu. Wei forces occupied Chengdu, the Shu capital, by late 263, thus bringing an end to Shu's existence. Just before its fall to Wei in late 263, Shu controlled only one province – Yi Province – and an estimated 22 commanderies.

Geographical overview
The Shu capital was at Chengdu County (present-day Chengdu, Sichuan). Shu territories covered roughly present-day Chongqing Municipality, Sichuan Province (excluding Garzê and Ngawa prefectures, and western Liangshan Prefecture), western Guizhou Province, southwestern Shaanxi Province (around Hanzhong), southeastern Gansu Province (around Longnan and Gannan prefectures), northwestern Guangxi Province, and parts of northeastern Myanmar (Burma).

Northern Yi Province

 * Defunct commanderies
 * Dangqu Commandery (宕渠郡; commandery capital at northeast of present-day Qu County, Sichuan) was previously part of Baxi Commandery. It was established between 238–257 but abolished later.
 * Fuling Vassal State (涪陵屬國) was located around Hanfa and Danxing counties in northeastern Fuling Commandery. A rebellion broke out there in 248, but was suppressed by Deng Zhi.

Ba Commandery (巴郡)
The capital of Ba Commandery was at Jiangzhou County.

Badong Commandery (巴東郡)
The capital of Badong Commandery was at Yong'an County. Badong Commandery was known as Guling Commandery (固陵郡) from 220–221.

Baxi Commandery (巴西郡)
The capital of Baxi Commandery was at Langzhong County.

Dongguanghan Commandery (東廣漢郡)
The capital of Dongguanghan Commandery was at Qi County.

Fuling Commandery (涪陵郡)
The capital of Fuling Commandery was at Fuling County.

Guanghan Commandery (廣漢郡)
The capital of Guanghan Commandery was at Luo County.

Hanjia Commandery (漢嘉郡)
The capital of Hanjia Commandery was at Hanjia County.

Hanzhong Commandery (漢中郡)
The capital of Hanzhong Commandery was at Nanzheng County.

Jiangyang Commandery (江陽郡)
The capital of Jiangyang Commandery was at Han'an County.

Qianwei Commandery (犍為郡)
The capital of Qianwei Commandery was at Wuyang County.

Shu Commandery (蜀郡)
The capital of Shu Commandery was at Chengdu County.

Wenshan Commandery (汶山郡)
The capital of Wenshan Commandery was at Miansi County.

Wudu Commandery (武都郡)
The capital of Wudu Commandery was at Xiabian County.

Yinping Commandery (陰平郡)
The capital of Yinping Commandery was at Yinping County.

Zitong Commandery (梓潼郡)
The capital of Zitong Commandery was at Zitong County.

Southern Yi Province

 * Defunct commanderies
 * Nanguang Commandery (南廣郡; commandery capital in Anshang County) was previously part of Qianwei and Yuexi commanderies. It was established between 238–257 but was abolished nine years after its establishment.

Jianning Commandery (建寧郡)
The capital of Jianning Commandery was at Dianchi County from 220–223, Pingyi County from 223–233, and Wei County from 233–264. Jianning Commandery was previously known as Yizhou Commandery (益州郡) in the Eastern Han dynasty.

Xinggu Commandery (興古郡)
The capital of Xinggu Commandery was at Wanwen County.

Yongchang Commandery (永昌郡)
The capital of Yongchang Commandery was at Buwei County.

Yuexi/Yuesui Commandery (越巂郡)
The capital of Yuexi/Yuesui Commandery was at Qiongdu County from 220–223, 225, and 240–264, and at Anshang County from 223–225 and 226–240.

Yunnan Commandery (雲南郡)
The capital of Yunnan Commandery was at Longdong County.

Zangke Commandery (牂柯郡)
The capital of Zangke Commandery was at Qielan County.

Zhuti Commandery (朱提郡)
The capital of Zhuti Commandery was at Nanchang County.