In one of his final strokes of brilliance, Zhuge Liang launched a campaign against Meng Huo, the king of Man tribe (??). Zhuge Liang captured Meng Huo alive for seven times, each time letting him go unscathed and showing him the Shu camp, so that Meng Huo could form a new plan. Meng Huo was moved by Zhuge Liang's wit and benevolence and swore allegiance to Shu forever.
At this time, Cao Pi also passed away in illness. Zhuge Liang then turned his eyes northwards. However, his days were numbered. His last significant victory against Wei was probably the defection of Jiang Wei, a general whose brilliance paralleled his own.
Zhuge Liang died at the battle of Wu Zhang Plains, due to the planning of Wei strategist, Sima Yi. As a final ploy, he set a statue of himself up, and bought time for the Shu army to retreat, as Sima Yi belived that Zhuge Liang had returned from the grave.
Jiang Wei carried on Zhuge Liang's campaign against Wei to a bitter end, even after Liu Shan surrendered. Jiang plotted to incite an internal strife between Deng Ai and Zhong Hui, and Deng Ai and Jiang Wei planned to rebuild Shu. However, he was not able to see it to the end when his heartache grew intolerable in the midst of the final battle. He then killed himself with a sword, marking the last stand of Shu.
The long years of battle between Wei and Shu saw many changes on Wei's throne. The Cao family gradually grew weak. Eventually, during the reign of Cao Huan, Sima Yan forced him to abdicate in the same fashion Cao Pi forced Liu Xie. Sima Yan then established the Jin Dynasty in AD 265, making himself the first emperor of the new dynasty.
The last lord of the kingdom of Wu, Sun Hao (??), was subdued by Sima Yan only in AD 280. All three last rulers of the kingdoms, Cao Huan, Liu Shan and Sun Hao, were allowed to live till their natural deaths. Thus the Three Kingdoms period was eventually concluded after almost a century of civil strife.