Zhong Hui's Rebellion

Zhong Hui’s Rebellion begins as a calculated struggle over who will control the newly conquered Shu and ends in a failed uprising that destroys both Zhong Hui and Jiang Wei. Jiang Wei helps Zhong Hui remove Deng Ai, then encourages him to challenge Sima Zhao under the cover of restoring the Han. But the plan depends on coercion and deception: Zhong Hui imprisons the Wei officers at a banquet and prepares to kill them, while a warning reaches their allies. An attack breaks the plot apart, and Jiang Wei, recognizing defeat, declares that Heaven’s will has prevailed before taking his own life.

From Deng Ai’s Arrest to a New Ambition

After Shu’s defeat, Zhong Hui worries about how to move against Deng Ai and asks Jiang Wei for advice. Jiang Wei proposes sending Commander Wei Guan to arrest Deng Ai, on the calculation that if Deng Ai kills the arresting officer, Zhong Hui will have grounds to march against him. The plan succeeds: Deng Ai is taken into custody, and Zhong Hui absorbs his troops into his own army.

Zhong Hui treats this success as the fulfillment of his ambitions. Jiang Wei, however, cautions him that apparent elevation can be the point at which a person’s fall begins, and suggests retirement or retreat to Emei Mountain. Zhong Hui dismisses the advice, saying that he is not yet forty and has no intention of retiring. Jiang Wei then quietly feeds his ambition, encouraging him to imagine extending his power beyond Shu.

The Plan Against Sima Zhao

A letter from Sima Zhao announces that he is coming from Chang’an with more troops to help overcome Deng Ai. Zhong Hui understands the message as a sign of distrust: he already has sufficient forces to take control himself. He begins planning to secure Shu as a base, echoing the way Xuande had made Shu the foundation of his own power.

Jiang Wei offers a more explicit pretext for rebellion. Since the queen mother has died, Zhong Hui could claim that she left a letter authorizing him to avenge the emperor’s death by capturing Sima Zhao and seizing the north. Zhong Hui welcomes the proposal and asks Jiang Wei to lead the vanguard. Jiang Wei appears concerned that Wei officers may resist, prompting Zhong Hui to propose inviting them to a New Year banquet and killing any who refuse to swear allegiance. Jiang Wei’s show of hesitation conceals his satisfaction that Zhong Hui is advancing into the trap.

The Banquet and the Prisoners

At the banquet, Zhong Hui announces that he has a secret letter from the late queen mother commissioning him to punish Sima Zhao. He demands that the officers join him and threatens death for anyone who refuses. The announcement leaves the assembly momentarily silent, but the officers ultimately vow obedience. Zhong Hui does not trust their pledges: he has them all imprisoned.

Jiang Wei presses the danger further, telling Zhong Hui that the officers cannot be trusted and should all be killed. Zhong Hui reveals that he has already prepared a mass execution, with a burial pit dug and thousands of clubs ready. But one minor officer, Qiu Jian, has been spared imprisonment. Having served Hu Lie, one of the captive officers, Qiu Jian warns him of the plan. Hu Lie then sends an urgent message to his son Hu Yuan, who gathers other officers still at liberty and agrees to attack.

Collapse and Aftermath

On the night before the attack, Zhong Hui dreams that he is surrounded by snakes. When he asks Jiang Wei to interpret the dream, Jiang Wei reassures him by calling the creatures dragons and presenting the vision as auspicious. Zhong Hui then orders Jiang Wei to execute the imprisoned Wei officers. As the executions begin, Jiang Wei collapses with a heart attack; when he starts to recover, the attack on the prison has already begun.

The palace is thrown into confusion as soldiers break in and fires spread. Jiang Wei calls for the officers to be killed, but the attempt to regain control comes too late. Zhong Hui is struck down during the fighting, and Jiang Wei suffers another heart attack. Accepting the failure of his scheme as the Will of Heaven, he takes his own life at fifty-nine. His entire family also perishes that day.

Wei Guan restores order, but the aftermath remains unstable. Deng Ai and his son are released by their supporters, and Wei Guan fears that their return may endanger him. An officer with personal reasons to want Deng Ai dead offers to deal with them and sets out with five hundred men. Believing the force has come to support him, Deng Ai approaches without protection; he and his son are killed. The rebellion thus ends not in a settled transfer of power, but in the destruction of its principal plotters and a further round of violence among the victors.