Shu

Shu (蜀), also known as Shu Han (蜀漢), is one of the three influential kingdoms in the Dynasty Warriors, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Dynasty Tactics series, and Kessen II. In Dynasty Warriors, the country is symbolized by the color green and a Chinese dragon. They are sometimes symbolized by peach blossoms, a reference to the Peach Garden Oath.

Shu was ruled by Liu Bei, who along with his sworn brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei spent most of his life in exile wandering from lord to lord to escape Cao Cao, until finally seizing the lands of Shu from his cousin Liu Zhang to establish his kingdom. Shu's main area of dominion was the mountainous eastern province, Yi. Residing in Yi, was its capital of Cheng Du. Shu was also comprised of Hanzhong, and Jing province. Jing was subsequently conquered by Wu in 219 A.D. In 263 A.D after years of war between Shu and Wei, the Kingdom of Shu Han fell.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
In the historical novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the kingdom of Shu experienced many troubles, and many triumphs. Before gaining land of his own, Liu Bei had joined the other influential figures against Zhang Jiao and the Yellow Turbans, and also against Dong Zhuo. During that time, Liu Bei gained many followers, including his future oath brothers, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. To gain a strategist, Liu Bei visited the hermit Zhuge Liang three times. On the third visit, Zhuge Liang agreed to help Liu Bei on his conquest. With the advice of his new ally, Liu Bei gained lands from relatives, and took his own.

Around the year 208, at the naval Battle of Chi Bi, Zhuge Liang had allied with Wu to attack a common adversary, Wei. Zhou Yu, Wu's strategist, devised a master plan with Shu to burn Wei's ships down. While Shu strategist Pang Tong was placed into Wei, in order to persuade the enemy, Zhou Yu tortured a Wu veteran, Huang Gai, making it seem like the latter would turn against his force. Wei believed this trick, and welcomed Huang Gai into their army. Pang Tong had made the Wei army chain their ships together, and when the time was right, Huang Gai and his following unit lit one Wei boat on fire. Zhuge Liang had prayed at an altar for winds to spread the fire, and because of Pang Tong's chain strategy, the Wei fleet had burned to the sea.

In 219, Lu Meng, a strategist for Wu, had gained the land of Jing. Guan Yu, who had been attacking near there at the time, was captured by the alliance of Wu and Wei, and was executed. This enraged Liu Bei, who, in the novel, had sworn along with Zhang Fei and Guan Yu to die on the same day. Ignoring advice from others, Liu Bei went for the attack on Wu, and was met with no success.

In the year 220, Cao Pi seized the Imperial Throne, and declared that it was the Wei Dynasty. In response, Liu Bei proclaimed himself the new Han Emperor. A few years after, however, after many battles, including the loss at the Battle at Yiling, Liu Bei died of illness. The Shu kingdom's rule was succeeded by Liu Chan, Liu Bei's son. Zhuge Liang had made several invasions to the north, including the Nanman Campaign, but it was a failure. On the sixth attempt, Zhuge Liang, Prime Minister of Shu, passed away of illness.

Zhuge Liang was succeeded by many, but the last successor was Jiang Wei. He tried to continue the former strategist's plans to invade the north, but each time, he was left with fewer men and supplies. In 263, Wei campaigned against Shu one last time, and succeeded. Jiang Wei tried to rebel, but was killed. Liu Chan, however, gave up and retired, after being named the Duke of Comfort. Many nobles and commoners alike were displaced, and fled.

The cause of Shu's fall has been debated often over the years. Some attribute it to Jiang Wei's foolishness, and some attribute it to Shu's poor lands, which were mountainous and rugged. However, Shu made many contributions to it's areas in the modern world.

Rulers

 * 1) Liu Bei (221 ~ 223 AD)
 * 2) Liu Shan (223 ~ 263 AD)

Other Figures

 * Liu Xiong - Liu Bei's grandfather, eventually became an imperial guard in Yanzhou.
 * Liu Hong - Liu Bei's father, served as a clerk in Yizhou. Went to live with a rich family.
 * Liu Yong - Liu Bei's second son, mother unknown, style name was Gongshou. Mutually antagonistic with Huang Hao. Surrendered with Liu Shan.
 * Liu Li - Liu Bei's third son, mother unknown, style name was Fengxiao. Married Ma Chao's daughter. Died of illness in 244.
 * Liu Feng - Liu Bei's adopted son who served his father as a general.
 * Liu Xuan (劉璿) - Liu Shan's eldest son, married Fei Yi's eldest daughter, style name was Wenheng. Was crowned prince but died during Zhong Hui and Deng Ai's revolt.
 * Liu Yao - Liu Shan's second son. Surrendered after the fall of Shu Han. Killed during the massive outbreak of riots that followed the War of the Eight Princes.
 * Liu Cong - Liu Shan's third son. Surrendered after the fall of Shu Han. Killed during the massive outbreak of riots that followed the War of the Eight Princes.
 * Liu Zan - Liu Shan's fourth son. Surrendered after the fall of Shu Han. Killed during the massive outbreak of riots that followed the War of the Eight Princes.
 * Liu Chen - Liu Shan's fifth son. Was crowned prince and tried to convince his father to fight to the death to defend Shu. Liu Shan threw him out of the court and Liu Chen was ashamed by his father's decision. Visited ancestral remains before killing his family and himself.
 * Liu Xun - Liu Shan's sixth son. Not much more is written about him.
 * Liu Qu - Liu Shan's seventh son. Suffered the same fate as Liu Yao, Liu Cong, and Liu Zan.
 * Liu Xuan (劉玄) - Liu Yong's grandson, father unknown. Fled the riots that killed Liu Shan's sons and lived in Shu. Became a vassal under Li Fu's grandson. A Jin vassal, Sun Sheng, last reported his whereabouts in Chengdu. Since there are no other records about his family or children, he is considered to be the last living relative of this branch of the Liu family.

Ladies

 * Empress Gan - First wife of Liu Bei. Mother of Liu Shan. Later named Empress Zhaolei.
 * Lady Mi - Second wife of Liu Bei and younger sister of Mi Zhu. In the novel, she committed suicide by throwing herself down a well. She wanted to ensure Liu Shan's safety and to prevent her possible hindrance to Zhao Yun if she accompanied them. A dying Lady Mi performs a similar act in a cutscene in Dynasty Warriors 4.
 * Lady Sun - Third wife of Liu Bei and Sun Quan's younger sister.
 * Empress Wu - Fourth wife of Liu Bei and younger sister of Wu Yi.
 * Two unnamed daughters - Liu Bei had them under unknown mothers. Historically captured at Chang Ban by Cao Cao's army before Zhao Yun rescued the rest of Liu Bei's stranded family.
 * Empress Zhang (Empress Jingai) - First wife of Liu Shan. Zhang Fei's daughter. Mentioned in Romance of the Three Kingdoms to have been made a princess when she was 17. Basis for Xing Cai.
 * Empress Zhang - Second wife of Liu Shan. Zhang Fei's daughter, eldest of the two daughters.
 * Concubine Wang - Mistress of Liu Shan. Liu Xuan's mother.
 * Consort Li - Mistress of Liu Shan. Said to be favored by him.
 * unnamed daughter of Liu Shan - Wife of Zhuge Liang's son, Zhuge Zhan.
 * unnamed daughter of Liu Shan - Wife of Fei Yi's son, Fei Gong.
 * unnamed daughter of Liu Shan - Wife of Guan Xing's son, Guan Tong.

Five Tiger Generals
The Five Tiger Generals (五虎大将軍) are five generals of Shu considered by Liu Bei to be of extraordinary value to the kingdom. They include:
 * 1) Guan Yu - Oath brother of Liu Bei and Zhang Fei, head of the Tiger Generals.
 * 2) Zhang Fei - Oath brother of Liu Bei and Guan Yu.
 * 3) Zhao Yun - Former officer of Gongsun Zan, admirer of Liu Bei.
 * 4) Ma Chao - Enemy of Cao Cao and head warrior of an esteemed family.
 * 5) Huang Zhong - Old Shu general.

This "rank" isn't an official title and isn't mentioned in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In official records for Shu, however, the five generals' biographies were featured together and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were mentioned as "tigers". This source is the likely origin but its importance has been exaggerated in popular culture.

Advisers

 * Chen Deng
 * Chen Gui
 * Chen Shou
 * Chen Zhen
 * Cheng Ji
 * Cheng Qi
 * Deng Zhi
 * Dong He
 * Dong Hui
 * Dong Jue
 * Dong Yun
 * Du Qiong
 * Du Wei
 * Fa Zheng
 * Fei Shi
 * Fei Yi
 * Guo Youzhi
 * Han Ran
 * He Zhi
 * He Zong
 * Hou Jun
 * Huang Hao
 * Huang Quan
 * Jian Yong
 * Jiang Wan
 * Jiang Wei
 * Lai Gong
 * Lai Gong (served Liu Zhang)
 * Lai Min
 * Li Feng
 * Li Fu
 * Li Hui
 * Li Mi
 * Liu Ba
 * Liu Yu
 * Ma Liang
 * Ma Su
 * Mi Fang
 * Mi Zhu
 * Pang Tong
 * Sun Qian
 * Wang Fu
 * Xu Shu
 * Yang Yi
 * Yi Ji
 * Yin Shang
 * Zhang Ni
 * Zhuge Jun
 * Zhuge Liang
 * Zhuge Zhan

Generals

 * Chang Shi
 * Chen Dao
 * Chen Shi
 * Chen Zhi
 * Deng Fang
 * Deng Fu
 * Deng Kai
 * Deng Liang
 * Ding Li
 * Du Lu
 * Du Pu
 * Du Qi
 * Fu Shiren
 * Gao Ding
 * Gao Xiang
 * Gong Zhi
 * Gou An
 * Guan Ping
 * Guan Xing
 * Guan Suo
 * Guo Xun
 * Hao Pu
 * He Ping
 * Hu Ji
 * Hu Qian
 * Hu Zhong
 * Huang Chong
 * Huang Xu
 * Huang Yong
 * Huang Yuan
 * Huo Yi
 * Jiang Bin
 * Jiang Xian
 * Jin Xiang
 * Lei Tong
 * Lei Xu
 * Leng Bao
 * Li Yan
 * Li Qiu
 * Li Shao
 * Liang Xu
 * Liao Hua
 * Liu Du
 * Liu Pi
 * Liu Xian
 * Liu Yi
 * Liu Zhang
 * Lu Kai
 * Ma Dai
 * Ma Zhong
 * Meng Da
 * Sha Moke
 * Shen Dan
 * Shen Yi
 * Wang Ping
 * Wei Yan
 * Wu Ban
 * Wu Lan
 * Wu Yi
 * Xiahou Ba
 * Yan Yan
 * Zhang Bao
 * Zhang Yi
 * Zhang Yi (served Liu Zhang)
 * Zhao Guang
 * Zhao Tong
 * Zhuo Ying

Other Maidens

 * Lady Huang - Also called Huang Yueying. Zhuge Liang's wife.
 * Lady Fan - Called Fan Shi in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms games. Wife of Zhao Fan's brother. Declined in marriage to Zhao Yun.
 * Lady Hu - Husband of Liu Yan.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

 * Cuan Xi - Possibly fictional. Appeared in chapter 91. Adviser in Zhuge Liang's second campaign against Wei.
 * Lady Cui - Possibly fictional. Appeared in chapter 102. Wife of Liu Chen and commits suicide to join her dead husband.
 * Deng Tong - Possibly fictional. Appeared in chapter 97. Mentioned to have died in the Hanzhong campaign.
 * Ding Xian - Possibly fictional. Appeared in chapter 91. General in Zhuge Liang's second campaign against Wei.
 * Du Rui - Possibly fictional. Appeared in chapter 102. Sent by Zhuge Liang to supervise the building of Wooden Oxen.
 * Du Yi - Possibly fictional. Appeared in chapter 91. Adviser in Zhuge Liang's first campaign against Wei.
 * Guan Suo - Guan Yu's third born fictional son.
 * Han Zhen - Possibly fictional. Appeared in chapter 94. Guarded the Xiping Pass against the Qiang tribes.
 * Li Hu - Possibly fictional. Appeared in chapter 118. Was sent carrying the Shu terms of surrender to Deng Ai.
 * Lady Li - Possibly fictional. Appeared in chapter 117. Wife of Ma Miao and killed herself when he surrendered to Wei.
 * Lady Xu - Mother of Xu Shu. In the novel, she committed suicide after her son was tricked into serving Cao Cao.

From Other Sources

 * Bao Sanniang - Originated in the novel Huwan Suochuan, she is Guan Suo's warrior wife. On their first meeting, they fought in a duel as enemies for fifty bouts before she was knocked off her horse. Charmed by the first opponent that bested her and knowing of her opponent's heritage, she proposed a marriage and Guan Suo accepted due to her beauty and courageous spirit. After becoming his wife, she loyally fought by her husband's side in every battle. Their only parting was at Jiameng Gate and, though she wanted to follow Guan Suo for fear of his safety, he assured her that he would be fine. Unfortunately, he was killed in battle. Rather than weep for his parting, Bao Sanniang stayed loyal to her departed husband's duty and guarded the pass until her death.
 * Wang sisters - Originated in the novel Huwan Suochuan, their names are Wang Tao (eldest) and Wang Yue (younger). They are both daughters of Wang Linggong, a thief in Sichuan. Unlike their father, however, the sisters are virtuous and are considered heroes. Guan Suo only heard of their father's reputation and captured the elder Wang sister. Wang Tao grew to admire his strength and they were soon married. Wang Yue followed her sister and they became his second and third wives. They are said to have fought by his side in battle and were with Bao Sanniang at Jiamneg Gate.
 * Xing Cai - original character from Omega Force.
 * Zhou Cang - First appeared in the novel Sanguozhi Pinghua. Later popularized in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Former Yellow Turban who came to serve under Guan Yu.
 * Zhou Cang - First appeared in the novel Sanguozhi Pinghua. Later popularized in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Former Yellow Turban who came to serve under Guan Yu.

Allies

 * Han
 * Cao Cao (before the Battle of Bo Wan Po)
 * Wu (before Guan Yu's capture and death at the Battle of Fan Castle)
 * Nanman (after the Nan Zhong campaigns and the seven captures of Meng Huo)
 * Qiang tribes (during the battle of Yi Ling)

Enemies

 * Wei
 * Wu (after Guan Yu's capture and death at the Battle of Fan Castle)
 * Yuan Shu (after declaring himself emperor)
 * Nanman (before the Nan Zhong campaigns and the seven captures of Meng Huo)
 * Qiang tribes (during the later years of Shu)