Tracing the Origins of Wuhu Chaos in China

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the world was divided into three parts: Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Sun Wu. There were also other forces intervening between them. In 263 AD, Cao Wei annexed Shu Han. The actual person in power of Cao Wei at that time was Sima Zhao, son of Sima Yi. Two years later, Sima Zhao's son Sima Yan proclaimed himself emperor on behalf of Wei and established the Jin Kingdom, which was known as the Western Jin Dynasty in history. In 280 AD, the Western Jin Dynasty destroyed Wu, and China, which had been divided for hundreds of years since the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, was reunited. It is a pity that the Western Jin Dynasty was a short-lived dynasty, and Guo Zuo only lasted for fifty years. At the end of the Western Jin Dynasty, various forces in the royal family fought for power and killed each other, resulting in the "Eight Kings Rebellion". The Jin Dynasty's national power was weak and people's livelihood was in decline. The surrounding nomadic peoples who were originally bound by the Jin Dynasty's rule continued to grow and develop. In the end, they took advantage of the chaos and raised their troops to occupy the vast city land in the Central Plains, and established countries and governments one after another. The representative ethnic groups include the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Jie, Di, and Qiang. In 316 AD, the Huns invaded Chang'an and the Western Jin Dynasty was destroyed. One year later, Sima Rui, a descendant of the Jin Dynasty, proclaimed himself emperor in Jiankang (Nanjing) and continued the Jin Dynasty's regime, which was known as the Eastern Jin Dynasty in history. From then on, the Hu horses galloped freely in the Central Plains, and the Hu people of various ethnic groups and tribes fought with each other in order to compete for territory. The melee in the Central Plains lasted for more than a hundred years. This period was known in history as the "Five Husty Chaos". Until 439 AD, the Northern Wei Dynasty established by the Tuoba tribe of Xianbei eliminated the Northern Liang controlled by the Juqu tribe of the Xiongnu, and finally unified the north. The Central Plains reluctantly returned to peace, and at the same time, the era of confrontation between the Southern and Northern Dynasties began.