29 events the sources record for this year, grouped by region.
What happened
China (6)
Hou Yin, the garrison commander of Wan, rebelled, seized the Governor of Nanyang and held Wan; Cao Ren besieged him, and the next year he massacred the city and beheaded Hou Yin. (Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi) 魏書 武帝紀 (卷01) 建安23년)
In the first month Ji Miao and over a thousand others attacked Wang Bi by night, burning the gate and shooting Wang Bi in the shoulder, but at dawn they collapsed. Wang Bi, with Yan Guang, pursued and beheaded them. (Zizhi Tongjian (Comprehensive Mirror) 資治通鑑 卷068 (원문 단락 #5432, 218년))
Liu Bei encamped at Yangping Pass, facing Xiahou Yuan, Zhang He, Xu Huang and others. He sent Chen Shi to cut the Maming route, but was defeated by Xu Huang; Zhang He encamped at Guangshi, and when Liu Bei attacked but could not win, he urgently asked for Yizhou troops. Zhuge Liang asked Yang Hong, who answered that Hanzhong was the throat of Yizhou. (Zizhi Tongjian (Comprehensive Mirror) 資治通鑑 卷068 (원문 단락 #5436, 218년))
In the seventh month Wei King Cao Cao personally marched out against Liu Bei, and in the ninth month reached Chang'an. (Zizhi Tongjian (Comprehensive Mirror) 資治通鑑 卷068 (원문 단락 #5437, 218년))
In the winter tenth month the people of Nanyang, suffering from forced labor, rebelled under the chief of Wan, Hou Yin. The Nanyang Governor Dong Li Kun fled but was captured by Hou Yin's cavalry; Cao Ren of Fancheng returned and suppressed them. (Zizhi Tongjian (Comprehensive Mirror) 資治通鑑 卷068 (원문 단락 #5439, 218년))
West Asia (19)
King Tiridates of Armenia accepted the crown sent by Macrinus and recovered his mother and the spoils that Caracalla had held for 11 months, ending the war (Cassius Dio, Roman History 79(78).27.4)
At dawn on 16 May the family of Maesa took the thirteen-year-old Avitus to the camp, deceiving the troops that he was Caracalla's illegitimate son, and incited the soldiers to revolt (Cassius Dio, Roman History 79(79).31)
The praetorian prefect Julianus attacked the camp, but the recruits killed their officers and went over to the false Antoninus (Cassius Dio, Roman History 79(79).32)
Macrinus went to the Alban legion at Apamea, made his nine-year-old son co-emperor and distributed 4,000 sesterces per man; learning the rebels' head was a fake, he retreated to Antioch (Cassius Dio, Roman History 79(79).34)
On 8 June Macrinus was defeated at a village of the Antiochenes (24 miles from the city); the praetorians had the advantage, but Maesa and Soaemias rallied the fleeing soldiers and turned the battle (Cassius Dio, Roman History 79(79).37)
The defeated Macrinus shaved his head and beard and rode out of Antioch at night, passing through Aegae, Cappadocia, Galatia and Bithynia (Cassius Dio, Roman History 79(79).39)
Macrinus was exposed and arrested at Chalcedon while asking for money; the centurion Aurelius Celsus seized him and dragged him as far as Cappadocia (Cassius Dio, Roman History 79(79).39)
Macrinus's son, passing through Zeugma, was arrested by the centurion Claudius Pollio (Cassius Dio, Roman History 79(79).40)
Avitus (the false Antoninus) entered Antioch the day after the victory, promising soldiers 2,000 sesterces each to prevent plunder, and sent the Senate a letter slandering Macrinus (Cassius Dio, Roman History 80(79).1.1)
Elagabalus executed Macrinus's supporters in Syria, Arabia and Cyprus; the governor of Cyprus, Claudius Attalus, died because of Comazon's grudge (Cassius Dio, Roman History 80(79).3.5)
Basilianus, prefect of Egypt, killed the envoys of the false Antoninus; news of Macrinus's defeat set off riots in which many civilians and soldiers died, and Basilianus fled and was caught near Brundisium (Cassius Dio, Roman History 79(79).35)
Macrinus was beheaded by the centurion Marcianus Taurus before entering Antioch; his body went unburied until the false Antoninus passed by and mocked it (Cassius Dio, Roman History 79(79).40)
Macrinus and his son Diadumenianus are killed together in a soldiers' revolt. (Eutropius, Breviarium Eutr. 8.21)
Macrinus, beaten in battle by the army backing Elagabalus, flees with his son but is killed in a village in Bithynia (Historia Augusta Macr. 10.3)