The establishment of Wei, Shu and Wu
Cao Pi replaced Han with Wei in 220. Liu Bei founded Shu Han in 221, and Sun Quan proclaimed himself emperor of Wu in 229. Their territories and foundations differed: Wei mainly controlled the north, Shu Han was based in Yizhou, and Wu developed the middle and lower Yangzi. Population movements and military forces from the late Han wars shaped these governments as they competed over legitimacy and borders.
Agriculture and military supplies
Prolonged warfare made population, farmland and military food supplies essential concerns. In late Han, Cao Cao adopted proposals by Zao Zhi, Han Hao and others for agricultural colonies, linking cultivation with government organization. Wei continued this practice. Governments also arranged transport, migration and production according to geography and military needs, connecting armed forces closely with agricultural administration.
Official selection and regional families
Chen Qun in Wei helped create a nine-rank system that organized recruitment through evaluations of candidates. It continued Han experience in assessing and recommending people and brought local reputation and family relationships into a new arrangement. Shu Han and Wu likewise relied on scholars and regional families for administration. Recruitment connected warfare, education and regional society, producing distinct bureaucratic networks.
From interstate competition to Jin reunification
Wei conquered Shu Han in 263. The Sima family replaced Wei with Western Jin in 265, and Jin conquered Wu in 280, ending the Three Kingdoms division. Decades of competition produced administrative, military and economic experience, while development in the Yangzi region continued. Chen Shou and others recorded these political histories, preserving material on regional government and social change after Han.