Jingnan Campaign

Jingnan Campaign, or Jingnan Rebellion, was a civil war in the early years of the Ming Dynasty of China between the Jianwen Emperor and his uncle Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan. It started in 1399 and lasted for 3 years. The campaign ended after the forces of Prince of Yan captured the imperial capital Nanjing. The fall of Nanjing was followed by the demise of Jianwen Emperor, and Zhu Di was crowned the Yongle Emperor.

Background

After establishing the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang began to consolidate the authority of the royal court. He assigned territories to the members of the royal family and stationed them across the empire. These members of the royal family did not have the administrative power over their territory, but they were entitled to a personal army that ranges from 3,000 to 19,000 men. Royal members that were stationed in the northern frontier were entitled to even larger forces. For instance, the Prince of Ning was said to have an army of over 80,000 men.

The original crown prince Zhu Biao died young, and his son Zhu Yunwen was made the crown prince. Zhu Yunwen was the nephew of the territorial princes, and he felt threatened by their military power. In May 1398, Zhu Yunwen ascended the throne to become the Jianwen Emperor after the death of Zhu Yuanzhang. The princes were ordered to stay in their respective territories as the new emperor began to plan for the reduction of their military power with his close associates Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng.

Jingnan

Jingnan (simplified Chinese: 荆南; traditional Chinese: 荊南; pinyin: Jīngnán) (also called Nanping (南平)) was one of the Ten Kingdoms in south-central China created in 924, marking the beginning of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907-960).

Founding

Gao Jichang, also known as Gao Jixing (高季興), was appointed the regional military governor of Jiangling in 907 by the Later Liang, which took over northern China in the wake of the Tang Dynasty. He declared the foundation of the Kingdom of Jingnan (or Nanping) in 924 after the Later Liang fell to the Later Tang.

Territorial Extent

Jingnan was the smallest of the longer-lived southern kingdoms. Its capital was Jiangling, and in addition to the capital, it held two neighboring districts on the Yangtze River southwest of present-day Wuhan. In addition to bordering the succession of five dynasties beginning with the Later Tang, it also shared borders with the Chu kingdom to the south, though that was replaced by the Southern Tang when it absorbed the kingdom in 951. It was also bordered by the Later Shu on the west after it was formed in 934.

Three Kingdoms

The Three Kingdoms (AD 220–280) was the tripartite division of China between the states of Wei (魏), Shu (蜀), and Wu (吳), following the Han dynasty and preceding the Jin dynasty. The term "Three Kingdoms" itself is something of a mistranslation, since each state was eventually headed not by a king, but by an emperor who claimed legitimate succession from the Han dynasty. Nevertheless, the term "Three Kingdoms" has become standard among sinologists. To further distinguish the three states from other historical Chinese states of similar names, historians have added a relevant character: Wei is also known as Cao Wei (曹魏), Shu is also known as Shu Han (蜀漢), and Wu is also known as Dong (or Eastern) Wu (東吳).

In a strict academic sense, the period of the Three Kingdoms refers to the period between the foundation of the state of Wei in 220 AD and the conquest of the state of Wu by the Jin dynasty in 280. The earlier, "unofficial" part of the period, from 184 to 220, was marked by chaotic infighting between warlords in various parts of China. The middle part of the period, from 220 and 263, was marked by a more militarily stable arrangement between three rival states of Wei, Shu, and Wu. The later part of the era was marked by the conquest of Shu by Wei (263), the overthrow of Wei by the Jin dynasty (265), and the conquest of Wu by the Jin (280).

Prince of Yan

Prince or King of Yan (both 燕王, Yànwáng, in Chinese) was a Chinese feudal title referring to the ancient Chinese State of Yan and to fiefs including its former capital of Yanjing (located within modern Beijing).

Typically, the title is translated as "King of Yan" for rulers prior to the establishment of the Chinese empire by Shi Huangdi and "Prince of Yan" for rulers after the restoration of feudal titles by the Han dynasty. It was generally held by powerful members of the imperial family and – owing to its important position protecting central China from Mongolian and Manchurian invaders – typically included powerful and well-fortified military forces.

More specifically, "Yanwang" in Chinese and "Prince of Yan" in English typically refers to Zhu Di, who held that rank before launching the Jingnan Campaign which established him as the Ming dynasty's Yongle Emperor in the 15th century.

Zhou dynasty

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Romance of the Three Kingdoms, attributed to Luo Guanzhong, is a historical novel set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 169 AD and ending with the reunification of the land in 280.

The story – part historical, part legend, and part mythical – romanticises and dramatises the lives of feudal lords and their retainers, who tried to replace the dwindling Han dynasty or restore it. While the novel follows hundreds of characters, the focus is mainly on the three power blocs that emerged from the remnants of the Han dynasty, and would eventually form the three states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The novel deals with the plots, personal and military battles, intrigues, and struggles of these states to achieve dominance for almost 100 years.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms is acclaimed as one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature; it has a total of 800,000 words and nearly a thousand dramatic characters (mostly historical) in 120 chapters. The novel is among the most beloved works of literature in East Asia, and its literary influence in the region has been compared to that of the works of Shakespeare on English literature. It is arguably the most widely read historical novel in late imperial and modern China.