Editing Shu Han (section)

===Liu Shan's reign===
{{see also|Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions|Jiang Wei's Northern Expeditions}}

[[File:Wei and Shu battle at the banks of River Wei.jpg|thumb|290px|A [[Qing dynasty]] illustration of a battle between Wei and Shu at the banks of the [[Wei River]]. Many battles were fought between Shu and Wei in the Three Kingdoms period.]]
[[File:Three Kingdoms Shu Pottery Musician (9832743546).jpg|thumb|Pottery musician, Shu, Three Kingdoms.]]
Before Liu Bei's death, he appointed the [[Zhuge Liang|chancellor Zhuge Liang]] and the general [[Li Yan (Three Kingdoms)|Li Yan]] as regents to his son, [[Liu Shan]]. The young Liu Shan was only 16 years old, making him the youngest of the rulers of the Three Kingdom states, and Liu Bei expected the two regents to assist Liu Shan in managing state affairs. Zhuge Liang was the ''de facto'' head of the Shu government throughout Liu Shan's reign, and was responsible for most of Shu's policies during his regency.

When Liu Shan succeeded his father, Shu was the weakest of the three major powers. Following his father's defeat in 221, the portion of Jing Province previously held by Shu was now firmly under the control of Wu. Shu only included the western lands of [[Yi Province]], while Wei controlled all of the northern lands, and Wu controlled all the lands from the east of Yi Province to the southern and eastern coastlines. Meanwhile, Shu's population was not large enough to stand against the rival state of Wei.<ref name="Wolfram">{{cite book|last1=Eberhard|first1=Wolfram|title=A History of China|date=1977|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=0520032683|page=112}}</ref> This greatly limited Shu in terms of resources and manpower; although the country could efficiently defend itself, Shu could not easily launch successful campaigns. As such, Zhuge Liang parleyed for peace with Wu, and reaffirmed the alliance between Sun Quan and Shu — with the former even recognising Sun Quan's legitimacy when the latter broke with Wei, and declared himself "Emperor of Wu" in 229.  In order to strengthen the Shu Han state's authority in the remote southern region of [[Nanzhong]], Zhuge Liang also [[Zhuge Liang's Southern Campaign|launched an expeditionary force]] there in 225 to quell local rebellions, and the growing influence of the [[Nanman]] (literal: southern barbarians) in the region.

Zhuge Liang advocated an aggressive foreign policy towards Wei, because he strongly believed it was critical to the survival of Shu and its sovereignty. Between the years of 228 and 234, he launched a series of [[Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions|five military campaigns]] against Wei, with the aim of conquering [[Chang'an]], a strategic city located on the road to the Wei capital, [[Luoyang]]. Most of the battles were fought around present-day [[Gansu]] and [[Shaanxi]] provinces. However, aside from gaining [[Jiang Wei]] as an officer in 228, and the Wudu and Yinping commanderies, Shu failed to achieve any significant victories or lasting gains in the five expeditions. During his final campaign where he fought against the Wei general, [[Sima Yi]], an already taxed and ill Zhuge Liang died under the strain of the long stalemate with the Wei forces at the [[Battle of Wuzhang Plains]].

After Zhuge Liang's death, the Shu government was then headed by [[Jiang Wan]], [[Fei Yi]], and others, and Shu temporarily ceased its aggression towards Wei. In 244, the Wei regent, [[Cao Shuang]], launched an invasion of Hanzhong. Despite being outnumbered 2-to-1, the Shu forces defeated the invading combatants at the [[Battle of Xingshi]], with the humiliated Wei forces fleeing. Between 247 and 262, the Shu general, [[Jiang Wei]], resumed Zhuge Liang's legacy by leading [[Jiang Wei's Northern Expeditions|a series of military campaigns]] against Wei, but also failed to make any significant territorial gains.