 In terms of manpower, the Wei was by far the strongest, retaining more than 660,000 registered households and 4,400,000 people within its borders. Shu had a population of 940,000, and Wu 2,300,000. Thus, Wei had more than 58% of the population and around 40% of territory. With these resources, it is estimated that it could raise an army of 400,000 whilst Shu and Wu could manage 100,000 and 230,000 respectively: roughly 10% of their registered populations. The Wu-Shu alliance against the Wei proved itself to be a militarily stable configuration; the basic borders of the Three Kingdoms almost unchanging for more than forty years. The Three Kingdoms period is one of the bloodiest in Chinese history. A population census in late Eastern Han dynasty before the Three Kingdoms era reported a population of approximately 56 million, while a population census after Jin re-unified China reported only a population of approximately 16 million.
Cao Cao instituted many military changes that would have a great impact on the future of China . His army consisted of both Chinese Han people and those who were considered barbarians, the Hsiung-nu ( 匈奴 ) , the Hsien-pei, Wu-huan and the Qiang. The members of his army who provided the best troops were the former nomadic herdsmen of the steppes. They were the most skilled mounted bowmen. The use of people from different groups resulted in an assimilation among the people which had not occurred in the past.
The Si-ma was a militant family within the Wei that rose to power very quickly and gradually replacing Cao family to rule the Wei kingdom. At the same time, Shu and Wu had experienced steady declining after the first generation leaders passed away. In 263 AD, Shu was conquered by Wei. One of Sima members, Si-ma Yan ( 司马炎 ) founded the new Jin Dynasty ( 晋朝 ) in 265 A.D. In 280 AD Jin conquered the Wu and re-united China , which marked the end of the three kingdoms era.
The Three Kingdoms ( 三国 ) existed from 220-280 A.D, between the times when Wei ( 魏 ) was officially founded in 220 AD and Wu was finally conquered by Jin dynasty in 280. These kingdoms grew out of the three chief economic areas of the Han Dynasty ( 汉朝 ) , which had experienced years of infighting among many warlords before its final collapse . The leaders of the three kingdoms strove to reunite the empire and were therefore at constant warfare. These three kingdoms were the Wei, in northern China, the Shu ( 蜀 ) to the west, and the Wu ( 吴 ) in the east. The middle part of the period, from 220 and 263 , was marked by a more militarily stable arrangement between the three rival states.
The most significant cultural developments in the three kingdoms period are Buddhism, Tea and Porcelain. Buddhism began to spread throughout China during this period. It was introduced in the first century A.D, but did not really begin to spread until after the Han Empire collapsed. Tea was discovered in the south during this period. Porcelain as seen today was also developed during this time.
The kingdom of Wei, which was officially founded in the year of 220 AD, was ruled by Cao Cao ( 曹操 ) . Cao Cao attempted to unify all of China under his rule, in the name of the Han emperor, but was defeated by the alliance of Sun Quan ( 孙权 ) and Liu Bei ( 刘备 ) in the battle of the Red Cliff ( 赤壁之战 ) in 208 AD. This defeat was the beginning of the division into three kingdoms. In 221, Liu Bei named himself Emperor of Shu Han, in a bid to restore the fallen Han dynasty. In the same year, Wei bestowed on Sun Quan the title of King of Wu.
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