Chengdu (Ch'eng-tu) Sichuan (Szechwan) China

…Chengdu, and …

Emperor Gengshi sends his generals Li Bao and Li Zhong in autumn 24 to try to capture modern Sichuan, held by local warlord Gongsun Shu, but his generals are defeated by Gongsun.

The Eastern Han forces regroup, and in 36 they have Gongsun surrounded in his capital Chengdu (modern Chengdu, Sichuan).

However, initial attempts to besiege the city are unsuccessful, and Wu, then in command of the expeditionary force, considers withdrawing.

Persuaded by his lieutenant Zhang Kan that Gongsun is in desperate straits, however, Wu tricks Gongsun into believing that the Eastern Han forces are collapsing from fatigue, drawing him out of the city and engaging in battle.

Gongsun is mortally wounded in battle, and Chengdu surrenders in winter 36.

Liu's general Wu Han subsequently kills more than ten thousand people.

(Hou Han Shu by Fan Ye, vol.

13 [Biography of Emperor Guangwu])

The invention of the wheelbarrow, the development of wheeled carts from around five thousand years ago notwithstanding, is usually traced to China, where there are a number of competing claims.

The earliest depictions of single-wheel Chinese wheelbarrows come from second-century Han Dynasty tomb murals and brick tomb reliefs.

The painted tomb mural of a man pushing a wheelbarrow was found in a tomb at Chengdu, Sichuan province, dated precisely to CE 118.

Zhang Lu had inherited control of the Celestial Masters religious group upon the death of his father, Zhang Heng, and therefore became its third leader (the first was Zhang Daoling).

The religion enjoys its greatest popularity in Yi Province (present day Sichuan), but when Zhang Lu takes control of the group, it is being challenged in the area by a shamanistic religion led by Zhang Xiu (no family relation to Zhang Lu, or to the contemporary minor warlord of the same name).

Against this background, both Zhang Lu and Zhang Xiu are abruptly ordered by Liu Yan, Governor of Yi Province, to go together to attack the forces of the official Han governor of Hanzhong, Su Gu, and take over his territory.

However, having his own designs, Zhang Lu kills Zhang Xiu and absorbs his armies and religious followers into his own group before he departs for the campaign against Hanzhong.

Liu Zhang, the youngest son of Liu Yan, had spent his early career at the Han court as an assistant to his two eldest brothers, Liu Fan and Liu Dan, serving at the court when it was controlled by the warlords Li Jue and Guo Si.

Liu Zhang had been sent by the court to admonish his father for brutal actions, but upon arriving his father had refused to let him go back to the court.

In 194, following the deaths of his elder brothers and then his father, he had succeeded to the governorship of Yi Province.

During his rule over the province, he shows ambition to expand his territory, but it is said that he was a good ruler and maintained peace in his realm.

In 200, Zhang Lu, who had previously recognized Liu Yan as his master, rebels against Liu Zhang.

Liu Zhang has Zhang Lu's mother, brothers, and other family members executed.

Liu Zhang, at the suggestion of his advisor Zhang Song, asks Liu Bei to come to his assistance in the battle against Zhang Lu in 211.

The welcoming of Liu Bei is a plan by Zhang Song, Fa Zheng, and Meng Da to ultimately make him their leader, since they consider him more ambitious and worthy of serving than Liu Zhang.

Wang Lei, Huang Quan, Li Hui, and others try to persuade Liu Zhang not to accept Liu Bei into his territory, but their pleas are ignored and Liu Bei is welcomed as a guest general of Liu Zhang who will go to the front to fight against Zhang Lu.

Zhang Song's true intentions are revealed to Liu Zhang by his elder brother Zhang Su.

Liu Zhang executes Zhang Song and begins his battle against Liu Bei, who then begins his conquest of Yi Province.

Such generals as Zhang Ren fight hard to defend their master, but Liu Bei's forces have the advantage, and by 214 they have surrounded Liu Zhang's capital at Chengdu.

Liu Zhang's advisors Liu Ba, Dong He, and Hu Jing plead to their master to resist at all costs, but Liu Zhang rejects their pleas, saying "I don't want my subjects to suffer any more."

He then surrenders to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei, after securing Hanzhong, declares himself "King of Hanzhong" and sets up his headquarters in Chengdu.

He appoints Liu Shan as the heir-apparent.

Wei Yan is promoted to the rank of "General Who Maintains Distant Lands in Peace" and Administrator of Hanzhong.

Xu Jing is appointed as "Grand Tutor" while Fa Zheng is made "Prefect of the Masters of Writing".

Guan Yu is appointed as "General of the Vanguard", Zhang Fei as "General of the Right", Ma Chao as "General of the Left" and Huang Zhong as "General of the Rear".

The rest of Liu's subjects are promoted as well.

In the same year, Sun Quan's forces, led by Lü Meng, capture Guan Yu, who is promptly executed, and conquer Jing Province.

After hearing of Guan Yu's death, Liu Bei becomes furious, and orders his troops to begin preparing for war with Sun Quan.