Which Was the Best Kingdom?

Rachel Mawn, Writer

            The Wei Empire was definitely the best empire during the Three Kingdoms period. The Wei Empire was the strongest and largest of the three kingdoms and eventually became the ruling dynasty under another name. In 227 C.E., Zhuge Liang sent an army against Cao Pi even though Wei had a much bigger population. According to census figures around this time, Shu had a population of only about a million people. Wei probably had a population of about 3 or 4 million because a census of Wei that was taken in the year 260 C.E.  gives a figure of 4.4 million people. The Wei territory was also much bigger.  Zhuge Liang’s campaigns failed, and in 234 C.E., he led his last great northern offensive and died. Other sources even agree that the Wei empire was the greatest, “It was the strongest kingdom at that time” (China Travel).

            In 238 C.E. Wei got a new leader, Sima Yi, he helped make Wei the great empire that it became under the name the Jin dynasty. After the 230s, the ruling Cao clan in Wei was threatened by the Sima clan which held a lot of land in Wei. Sima Yi was a skilled general in Wei. In 238 C.E., Sima Yi took over the capital of Luoyang. In 263 Wei, with its new leader launched a three-pronged attack against the Shu. The Shu army was forced into a retreat. In 263 C.E., Liu Shan of Shu surrendered. The Wei Empire (renamed Jin) held lots of strength and influence on its surrounding areas, including the Wu Empire. Jin offensive attacks to demolish weak neighboring Wu finally came in the winter of 279 C.E. Sima Yan launched five simultaneous offensives along the Yangtze River. “In 280, Emperor Sun Hao of Dong Wu surrendered” (China Highlights) under the strain of such an enormous attack. This marked the end of the Three Kingdoms era because one empire, the strongest and best empire, had triumphed and defeated both Shu and Wu. Therefore, the Wei dynasty is obviously the best dynasty because of its greatest strength and size, as well as the fact that it became the victorious empire.