The Three Kingdoms (220-280) is a historical period connecting the Eastern Han Dynasty and the Western Jin Dynasty, which is divided into three regimes: Cao Wei, Shu Han and Dongwu. Battle of Red Cliffs and Cao Cao were defeated by Sun Liu's allied forces, which laid the rudiment of the tripartite confrontation among the three countries.

In 220, Cao Pi usurped the Han Dynasty and proclaimed himself emperor, with the title of "Wei" and the history of Cao Wei, and the history of the Three Kingdoms officially began. The following year, Liu Bei continued the Han Dynasty in Chengdu, known as Shu Han in history. In 222, Liu Bei lost the battle of Yiling, and Sun Quan won most of Jingzhou. When Liu Bei died in 223, Zhuge Liang helped Liu Chan, the son of Liu Bei, reunite with Sun Quan. In 229, Sun of the Eastern Jin Dynasty was formally established, known as Wu in history.

In the following decades, Zhuge Liang and Jiang Wei of Shu Han led troops to the northern expedition of Cao Wei many times, but they never changed the pattern of tripartite confrontation. The real power in the late Cao Wei period was gradually controlled by Sima Yi. In 263, Si Mazhao of Cao Wei launched the war to destroy Shu, and Shu Han perished. Two years later, Si Mazhao died, and his son Sima Yan abandoned Emperor Wei Yuan to stand on his own feet. The founding name is "Jin", which is called the Western Jin Dynasty in history. In 280 AD, the Western Jin Dynasty destroyed Soochow and unified China, thus ending the Three Kingdoms period and entering the Jin Dynasty.

The last years of the Eastern Han Dynasty refers to the period from the first year of Zhong Ping to the twenty-fifth year of Jian 'an (184-220), and refers to the eve of national subjugation in the last years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, until Cao Pi usurped the Han Dynasty or the three pillars were separated (Wu Dong Sun Quan proclaimed himself emperor in 229), which lasted for 36 years (or 45 years after the founding of Soochow). During this period, warlords became independent and fought with each other.