[Lightscreen]
[Wei Feng is yet another figure the Romance of the Three Kingdoms completely leaves out.
Historical records describe him as someone who had enough skill to sway the masses, a label often given to people who rose up only to fail.
But because the Cao Wei regime deliberately tried to bury and obscure this whole chapter of history, we can only piece together what really happened from the few details that remain visible on the surface.
Wei Feng was from Pei County, which meant that even if he did not belong to the Qiao-Pei faction, he would naturally lean toward it.
In the late Han, factional prejudice ran deep. If the Yingchuan literati saw that you came from Pei County, it would already be a courtesy if they did not spit at you.
The timing of Wei Feng's rebellion could not have been more critical. Starting in 217 Liu Bei and Cao Cao were locked in a fierce and drawn out battle for control of Hanzhong, and Cao Cao himself was getting older with not many years left to live.
Then in 218 Hou Yin the commander at Wancheng joined forces with Guan Yu to rise up in revolt. That rebellion was crushed and Hou Yin paid with his life.]
'Hmm, Hou Yin'. Guan Yu committed the name to memory.
[Lightscreen]
[In the first month of 219 at the Battle of Mount Dingjun Huang Zhong cut down Xiahou Yuan on the field. By the fifth month Cao Cao's army had pulled back to Chang'an, marking a total defeat in the Hanzhong campaign. In the seventh month of that same year Guan Yu laid siege to Fancheng, and by the eighth month he flooded seven full armies, capturing Yu Jin and executing Pang De.]
The side hall instantly erupted with cheers and excitement.
If a servant had walked by right then, he would have sworn they were celebrating the New Year months early.
That single line from the Lightscreen hit them like a thunderclap carrying the most glorious battle news straight from the front.
Huang Zhong's jaw dropped in pure shock and disbelief, his face burning bright with pride he could barely contain. Guan Yu's already ruddy complexion turned even redder, but the faint, unmistakable twitch of his brows and the proud lift of his lips gave away just how incredibly pleased he was inside.
"Hansheng grows only fiercer with age, winning Hanzhong for our lord with unmatched glory. And Yunchang stands alone against three foes, laying siege, capturing enemies, and cutting down their leaders one after another. Truly the greatest warriors of this age," Zhao Yun said with a wide smile.
Guan Yu folded his hands in quiet respect, and no one found it odd. Everyone knew he was never one for empty flattery.
Huang Zhong meanwhile looked completely lost, until Zhang Fei strode right over and gave him a heavy thump on the back.
"Old Huang, no need to act so nervous! What the light screen says is mostly true! If ten years from now you can still cut down a top enemy general like Xiahou Yuan on the battlefield, then right now you should be more than a match for Zilong, should you not?"
Huang Zhong hastily waved the idea away, but deep down a brand new kind of excitement began to bloom. Maybe I am not worn out just yet after all.
Off to one side, only Zhuge Liang sat with his mind racing through the unfolding timeline of events.
[Lightscreen]
[Right at that critical moment Wei Feng joined forces with the two sons of Palace Attendant Wang Can, along with Liu Wei the younger brother of Liu Yi, Zhang Quan the son of Zhang Xiu, and the son of the famous Jingzhou scholar Song Zhong. They plotted together with Chen Wei the Commandant of the Palace Guard at Changle to launch a surprise attack on Yecheng, the capital of Wei.
But Chen Wei betrayed the plot and revealed everything to Cao Pi. Cao Pi, still the heir at the time, launched a brutal purge that dragged in thousands of people and ended in mass executions.]
"How did that uprising even fail?" Zhang Fei let out a heavy sigh.
Liu Bei, however, instinctively sensed something was not right. Wei Feng's timing in declaring for the Han had been perfect and well thought out. Yet everything that came after, the betrayal, the bloody purge, the endless chain of executions, unfolded way too smoothly.
At that point Cao Pi had still been just the heir apparent. Even if he had the right to act, gathering enough authority to pull off something this massive would have taken time.
No matter how Liu Bei looked at it, the whole thing felt like a trap that had been set long before, just sitting there waiting for someone to step right in.
[Lightscreen]
[Which faction Wei Feng actually belonged to does not really matter. What truly counts is who ended up benefiting from his downfall.
Right after the massive purge, the Qiao-Pei military faction was left crippled and powerless. Just three months later Cao Cao died. Cao Pi stepped up as King of Wei, and before the year was out he took the throne for himself and founded the Wei dynasty. That same year he ordered Chen Qun to create the Nine Rank system for selecting officials.
Mark this point carefully. The Nine Rank system alone handed total control to the powerful Yingchuan scholar families. From that moment on the highest ranks never again held ordinary people, and the lowest ranks never held anyone from the great clans.
So Wei Feng's real allegiance never mattered at all. If the Yingchuan faction said he belonged to the Qiao-Pei group, then in the eyes of history he was Qiao-Pei.]
"The highest ranks closed to ordinary people." Liu Bei saw the core of the problem right away, and his next thought was straightforward. How could anyone possibly stand for such a thing?
In this group, only Zhuge Liang could truly claim to come from a prominent family. Zhang Fei might barely pass as being from a minor noble household. But Guan Yu, Liu Bei, Huang Zhong, and Zhao Yun, even calling them low level gentry would be too generous. If a system like this took over, would men like them ever get the chance to rise up and serve again?
[Lightscreen]
[After Wei Feng's rebellion, the Xiahou clan of the Qiao-Pei faction largely faded from prominence. That faction depended entirely on the Cao clan. Cao Pi himself bore the Cao name, yet once he became emperor, he began to play the game of power, unwilling to let the Yingchuan faction dominate alone.
Thus, thirty years later, the new leader of the Yingchuan faction, the Sima clan, cast their gaze upon the Cao clan and thought, if the Cao clan could usurp the Han dynasty, why could the Sima clan not usurp Wei dynasty? They launched the Gaoping Tombs Incident, replacing Wei dynasty with Jin dynasty, exterminating the Cao and Xiahou clans, and bringing Cao Cao's power to its final end.]
"Exterminated them? Good!" Zhang Fei clapped in satisfaction.
Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang exchanged a glance, both falling silent.
A few short lines from the light screen summarized thirty years of struggle within Cao Wei.
There was no right or wrong in such struggles, only positions and loyalties, and all of it reeked of power and intrigue. Even so, there was an undeniable sense of grim satisfaction.
Liu Bei finally let out a laugh. "Cao Cao would never have imagined that what he did to the Han would one day return upon his own descendants."
Zhuge Liang shook his head. "I recall that ten days ago, someone on the light screen mentioned Sima Yi as my destined rival. I did not expect him to harbor such ambition."
"And this Wei Feng…" Guan Yu began, seeking an opinion. Though Yizhou had not yet been taken, he remembered clearly that the light screen had said he would guard Jingzhou for a long time.
Huang Zhong spoke up for the first time. "If the factions are as described, then those Wei Feng gathered when he declared for the Han were all of the Jingzhou group. Wang Can and Zhang Xiu both once served Liu Biao, Liu Yi was promoted by Liu Biao, and Song Zhong was a native scholar of Jingzhou."
With Huang Zhong providing context, Zhuge Liang quickly formed a conclusion.
"These men likely all harbored dissatisfaction toward Cao Cao. The people of Jingzhou belong neither to the Qiao-Pei faction nor the Yingchuan faction, much like Xu Yuanzhi, who even now remains unused."
"But Wei Feng himself may also have harbored his own ambitions. Though he raised the banner of serving the Han, he directly attacked Yecheng. In truth, he was no different from Cao Cao, seeking only to seize power in a single stroke."
Liu Bei nodded in agreement, silently raising a thumb in approval.
[Lightscreen]
[So is that the whole story? Not even close.
The big question we are really digging into is why Cao Wei never managed to unify the land.
Internal fighting was part of the problem, but the real root cause was something far simpler: they lost the people's support.
The Yingchuan scholars and the Qiao Pei generals were both groups of powerful elites. One side came from old noble families, the other were up and coming military leaders. Neither of them ever truly stood for the ordinary folk.
Why was Wei Feng able to gather so many followers in the first place? Sure he felt overlooked and pushed aside, but there was a much bigger reason. Liu Bei had ruled Jingzhou for seven full years with real care and concern for the common people. Everyone could clearly see who actually worked to make their lives better.
That is why even years later the people of Jingzhou still said the same thing: we cherish Liu Bei's kindness and we fear Sun Quan's strength.
Though honestly if they had seen how embarrassingly Sun Quan performed at Hefei they might not have feared him quite so much 😂
You see the same thing in Chengdu. The shrine to Zhuge Liang still stands tall, incense burning day and night without end. Even now people still talk of Liang ge and Bei-bei like they are beloved members of their own family.
Take Meng Da too. He betrayed Liu Bei, then turned around and betrayed Cao Wei. His plans fell apart and he failed in the end, but look at it this way, his whole behavior just proves how deeply even those who turned against him still recognized Liu Bei's goodness and authority.]
Liu Bei's expression froze.
"…That kind of recognition is not needed."
---
Fun Fact: Factions Were Basically "Elite Cliques," Not Formal Parties
If you dropped into the Three Kingdoms era thinking talent alone would carry you to the top, you would be in for a very quick reality check. Back then, "factions" were less like official political parties and more like exclusive group chats that you could not even see, let alone join. Everyone important was already connected through family ties, hometown networks, or shared teachers. If nobody inside vouched for you, your brilliant ideas would remain exactly where they started, inside your own head.
Your birthplace did not help either. It was basically your permanent profile tag. Come from a famous cultural region, and people would nod before you even spoke, assuming you were refined and educated. Come from the wrong place, and suddenly you had to prove you were not a barbarian, twice. Regional rivalry was not just politics, it was subtle snobbery with a long memory.
Then there were the literati, the scholar-officials. On paper, they were just educated men who passed judgments and gave advice. In reality, they were walking review systems. They decided who was "talented," who was "trustworthy," and who should quietly disappear from consideration. A single comment from the right scholar could boost your career overnight, or end it before it even began. No pressure.
Meanwhile, the generals were out there risking their lives, winning battles, and doing the actual heavy lifting of the era, only to come back and sometimes get treated like they had poor table manners. Imagine saving the country and still being judged for not writing elegant poetry. That was the vibe.
Politics itself did not happen in grand halls as much as you might think. It happened over dinner, wine, poetry, and connections. Who you studied under, who you married into, and who you drank with could matter more than your official title. One good banquet could advance your career more than a year of hard work.
For regular people, all of this was not just background drama. It affected everything. Taxes, safety, whether soldiers showed up at your village, all depended on which group was currently winning the political tug-of-war. A shift in faction power could turn a peaceful year into a stressful one overnight.
At the core, the whole system was a quiet clash between old money and new power. Established aristocratic families wanted to keep things within their circle, while rising military figures were trying to break in. Think of it as an ancient version of "old elites vs self-made newcomers," except with armies involved.
And loyalty? It was... flexible. From the outside, it is easy to call someone a traitor. From the inside, it often looked more like survival. When choosing the wrong side could cost not just your life but your entire family's future, people tended to keep their options open.
In the end, power came in two flavors. The obvious kind was armies, battles, and victories. The less obvious kind was reputation, connections, and who said your name in the right room. The truly successful players were the ones who understood both, and knew when to use each.
So when you look at events like Wei Feng's rebellion, it is less about one man making a risky move, and more like watching someone try to crash a party where everyone already knew each other, and where security had probably been watching the door the whole time.