Among other aspects, its multi-directional approach, invasions by both land and water, and the sending of a naval fleet downstream along the Yangtze, have had strong influences on subsequent battles in Chinese military history.

[10] During this time, Sima Yan heeded his advisers' suggestions to win over the Shu people's hearts by showing benevolence and generosity, as well as to induce Wu subjects to defect to Jin by tempting them with rewards and incentives.

[15] Around April 265, Sun Hao sent Ji Zhi (紀陟) and Hong Qiu (弘璆) as his emissaries to meet Sima Zhao, and express his desire for Wei and Wu to coexist peacefully.

[18] After Ding Zhong returned, he advised Sun Hao to launch an attack on the Jin-controlled Yiyang Commandery (弋陽郡; around present-day Xinyang, Henan) because it was poorly guarded.

Sun Hao secretly desired to heed Ding Zhong's suggestion but ultimately dropped the idea after considering the recent fall of Wu's ally state Shu.

Not only did Sun Hao refuse to accept advice to strengthen Wu's defences and reduce the burden on its people, he also executed around four dozen high-ranking officials who provided good counsel on governance.

On 29 April 269, he designated three locations as bases for staging the invasion, and gave assignments to three generals as follows: During his tenure in Jing Province, Yang Hu governed the region well and not only gained the locals' trust and respect, but also attracted many defectors from the Wu side.

[21] In 272, Yang Hu pointed out to Sima Yan that their forces could take advantage of their position in Yi Province and send a naval fleet downstream along the Yangtze to attack Wu.

When Yang Hu's plan was put up for discussion in the Jin imperial court, many officials, including Jia Chong, Xun Xu and Feng Dan, argued that it was not time to attack Wu yet because they had to deal with the Xianbei rebels in Yong and Liang provinces.

In July 277, additional assignments were given in order to prepare for the campaign against Eastern Wu: After Yang Hu's death, Du Yu succeeded him and was appointed Senior General Who Conquers the South (征南大將軍) to take charge of military affairs in Jing Province from November 278.

[10] In May of that year, following Shi Ji's death, the Wu emperor Sun Hao put his general Lu Kang in charge of military affairs in an area covering present-day Yichang and Gong'an in western and southern Hubei.

[25] In the meantime, the wood shavings and other waste products from Wang Jun's naval construction project in Yi Province floated downstream along the river and entered Wu territory.

When Sun Hao ignored him, Wu Yan ordered his troops to use heavy iron chains to set up a blockade along the river and prevent enemy vessels from passing through.

[31] Sima Yan granted Jia Chong acting imperial authority and ordered him to serve as Grand Chief Controller (大都督) to oversee the campaign and coordinate the movements of the six groups from Xiangyang.

Between 19 January and 17 March 280, Wang Jun set out from Chengdu, the capital of Yi Province, and rendezvoused with his deputy Tang Bin at Badong Commandery (巴東郡; present-day Chongqing).

[37] After conquering Danyang, the Jin naval fleet continued its journey downstream and arrived at Xiling Gorge, where they encountered the blockade set up earlier by Wu Yan.

[40] On 20 March 280, Wang Jun and his forces conquered Xiling (西陵; around present-day Yichang, Hubei) and killed the Wu officers Liu Xian (留憲), Cheng Ju (成據) and Yu Zhong.

[44] Upon reaching their destination, Du Yu ordered his troops to besiege Jiangling County while sending his subordinates Fan Xian (樊顯), Yin Lin (尹林), Deng Gui (鄧圭) and Zhou Qi (周奇) to lead a separate detachment to clear a path along the Yangtze for Wang Jun's naval fleet approaching from the west.

[45] Du Yu also sent Zhou Zhi (周旨), Wu Chao (伍巢) and Guan Ding (管定) to lead 800 soldiers to cross the Yangtze at night and prepare for an attack on Lexiang (樂鄉; east of present-day Songzi, Hubei).

When they reached Mount Ba (巴山; southwest of present-day Songzi, Hubei), they started many fires and planted many flags around the area to mislead the Wu defenders into thinking that the Jin army was larger than it actually was.

[52] After the fall of Jiangling County, the administrators of the Wu-controlled commanderies located south of the Yuan and Xiang rivers, extending into Jiao and Guang provinces, voluntarily surrendered to the Jin forces led by Du Yu.

Du Yu also appointed officials to govern the newly conquered Wu territories in Nan Commandery (南郡; around present-day Jiangling County, Hubei) and restored peace and stability in Jing Province.

The Wu officers Yang Yong (楊雍) and Sun Shu (孫述), along with Jiangxia Commandery's administrator Liu Lang (劉朗), led their followers to surrender to Wang Rong.

The rest of the Wu army felt demoralised upon seeing the failure of the "Danyang Corps" to break the Jin formation so they became chaotic and disorganised when their commanders called for a retreat.

Later, after the Jin victory at the Battle of Ban Bridge, Sima Zhou ordered his chief clerk Wang Heng (王恆) to lead the troops across the Yangtze to attack the Wu positions along the river.

[52] When the Jin naval fleet reached Sanshan (三山; southwest of present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu), the Wu emperor Sun Hao ordered his general Zhang Xiang (張象) to lead 10,000 troops to resist the enemy.

After all of the options at his disposal had been exhausted, Sun Hao finally heeded the words of his advisors, Xue Ying and Hu Chong, and decided to give up all resistance and formally surrender to the Jin forces.

"[83][84]On the very next day, 1 May 280,[b] Sun Hao issued his final imperial edict, asking his people not to feel upset about the end of Wu, but to prepare themselves to become subjects of the Jin dynasty.

[85] He then stripped off all of the clothing on his upper body and tied himself up (a way of presenting prisoners-of-war to the victors of a battle), brought along a coffin, and travelled to Shitou (in present-day western Nanjing, Jiangsu) to surrender to Wang Jun, formally ending the Eastern Wu kingdom.

[86] Wang Jun used the acting imperial authority granted to him by the Jin emperor Sima Yan to accept Sun Hao's surrender, free him from his bonds, and burn the coffin.