Yinping is a western territory seized by Kong Ming’s army after its capture of Chencang, forming part of a campaign to extend Shu’s control and obstruct Wei’s response. Its capture also gives it a late narrative importance: as he lies dying, Kong Ming warns Jiang Wei to watch the territory for possible trouble.

Capture during the Northern Campaign

After Kong Ming’s forces take Chencang, they secure San Pass to prevent Wei reinforcements from reaching the captured city. From the plains beyond the Qishan hills, Kong Ming then assigns Jiang Wei to capture Wudu and Wang Ping to seize Yinping. The paired operations carry the campaign beyond Chencang and its immediate approaches, extending Shu’s hold over the western region.

Strategic Consequences

The capture of Yinping occurs alongside the seizure of Wudu. When Sima Yi sends a relief force toward the two territories, it discovers that Kong Ming has already taken them and that Shu troops have trapped it between their forces. The Wei relief effort collapses, while Zhang Bao is hurt in a fall from his horse and is sent back to Chengdu to recover. Yinping’s role in the account is therefore both territorial and operational: its capture contributes to a broader setback for Wei’s attempt to relieve the region.

Kong Ming’s Final Warning

Yinping remains in Kong Ming’s mind at the end of his life. Before his death, he entrusts Jiang Wei with his secret military formulae and plans for an uncompleted bow machine capable of firing ten arrows at once, then warns him that most of the kingdom is safe but that trouble may soon come from Yinping. The warning gives the captured territory an unresolved significance: its security is a concern passed from the dying strategist to the commander expected to continue his work.