Gongsun Shu, who claims the title emperor of his independent empire Chengjia, controls modern Sichuan and Chongqing.

(He is known also as the White Emperor (Baidi, and, according to legends, he founded the city Baidicheng which bears that title.)

Of these polities, Gongsun Shu's Chengjia is the most wealthy and powerful, but Gongsun is content to maintain his regional empire and not carry out any military expeditions outside his empire.

Instead, he sits by as Emperor Guangwu carries out his unification campaign.

Emperor Guangwu, hesitant to carry out annihilation campaigns, largely prefers first trying to persuade the regional warlords to submit to him.

Wei and Dou do in 29, and as they are assisting Eastern Han forces to the north of Chengjia, Gongsun is further discouraged from trying to expand his empire.

Emperor Guangwu, turning his attention to Chengjia, commissionshis generals Wu Han, Cen Peng, Lai She, and Gai Yan to mount a two-pronged attack on Chengjia—Wu and Cen leading an army and a navy up the Yangtze river from modern Hubei, while Lai and Gai lead an army south from modern Shaanxi.

Instead of fighting the Eastern Han expedition on the battlefield, Gongsun tries to repel them by assassinating their generals—and he is initially successful, assassinating Cen and Lai and temporarily causing the Eastern Han forces to halt.

Liu Bei dies in the spring of 223 at Baidicheng from dysentery.

He is succeeded by his crown prince Liu Shan, with chancellor Zhuge Liang and general Li Yan serving as regents.