南宋是偏安政權，與蜀漢、東晉和南朝類似，當時史家對昔日偏安政權的研究和論述，情有獨鍾。張栻撰〈武侯傳〉，極尊崇諸葛亮始終堅持「漢賊不兩立、王業不偏安」的忠心，並強調蜀漢當為正統。在此同時，大儒朱熹修《資治通鑑綱目》，改正司馬光《通鑑》以曹魏繼漢的書法，而以漢昭烈帝繼獻帝，漢並未滅亡，當為正統此史觀影響及於南宋中期的史家蕭常，常字季韶，號晦齋，廬陵人。雅好史學，論史必本《春秋》，極不滿陳壽的《三國志》以魏為正統，乃積二十年之努力，修成《續後漢書》，立昭烈帝及少帝本紀，吳與魏二國各為〈載記〉，以示割據一方的偽政權。班固修高祖至孝平帝前漢史為《漢書》范曄修光武至獻帝後漢史為《後漢書》，故常修三國鼎立時代之史名為《續後漢書》。南宋理宗景定元年（一二六○），元世祖遣其臣翰林學士郝經使宋通好，被留置於儀真，達十有五年，經向宋兩淮制置使印應雷借得前四史及《通鑑》、《綱目》等史書，亦修成《續後漢書》，正名《三國志》中之蜀國為漢。元順帝時，張樞亦修成《續後漢書》。至明萬曆年間，謝陛修成《季漢書》，尚有宋前甫之《蜀漢書》，元趙居信之《蜀漢本末》，清趙作羹之《季漢紀》，皆以昭烈帝繼漢統，可見人心之所同然者，有以見蕭常之《續後漢書》為一創作，啟迪後學。

The Southern Song only ruled half of China, like Shu Han, Eastern Jin, and the southern dynasties in the past, only enjoying "patial peace" (偏安). In Zhang Shi's Biography of Zhuge Liang, Zhang praised Zhuge for his loyalty to Shu Han among the three kingdoms and strongly upheld its legitimacy. At the same time Zhu Xi wrote Outlines of Zizhi tongjian in which he revised Sima Guang's Zizhi tongjian by changing legitimacy from Wei to Shu Han. Like Zhu Xi, Xiao Chang was not satisfied with History of the Three Kingdoms because its writer Chen Shou considered Wei as the legitimate state. Xiao spend 20 years to write A Continuation of the History of Latter Han, in which he also upheld Shu Han as the legitimate state, dismissing Wei and Wu as illegitimate regimes. In 1260, Khubilai sent his envoy Hao Jing to the Southern Song, but Hao was detained by Song officials. During the 15 years in detainment, Hao read dynastic histories, zizhi tongjian and Outlines of tongjian. He wrote another A Continuation of the History of Latter Han, in which he assigned legitimacy to Shu Han. Following Zhu Xi and Xiao Chang, the history of the three kingdoms was repeatedly rewritten in the same manner during the Yuan and Ming periods.