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Chapter 43. Zhuge Liang’s Diplomatic Triumph in the Court of Eastern Wu [Three Kingdoms]
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Chapter 43 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms – titled “Zhuge Liang Debates the Scholars of Wu; Lu Su Urges Sun Quan to Resist Cao Cao” – marks a pivotal moment in the epic: not on the battlefield, but in the halls of diplomacy.
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Cao Cao’s release of Han Song [Three Kingdoms]
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In Chapter 42 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, following Liu Cong’s swift and bloodless surrender of Jing Province to Cao Cao, an unexpected act of clemency unfolds: Cao Cao orders the immediate release of a prisoner in Xiangyang city and promptly promotes him to office. That man is Han Song.
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The noble sacrifice of Lady Mi: History vs Fiction [Three Kingdoms]
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Lady Mi, sister of the wealthy merchants Mi Zhu and Mi Fang from Donghai (modern-day Lianyungang), entered Liu Bei’s life in 196 CE under extraordinary circumstances.
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The fictional martyr of loyalty: Li Gui [Three Kingdoms]
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In Chapter 40 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Li Gui appears as a minor yet morally significant figure – a retainer in Liu Cong’s court following the death of Liu Biao, Governor of Jing Province. When Cai Mao and his faction conspire to install the younger son Liu Cong as successor by forging…
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The dramatic duel between Wei Yan and Wen Ping: Fact or Fiction? [Three Kingdoms]
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In the 41st chapter of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, when Cao Cao attacked Jingzhou to the south, Liu Bei led civilians across the river to the gates of Xiangyang but was denied entry by Cai Mao and Zhang Yun. Wei Yan, enraged by their surrender to Cao Cao, “led hundreds of men straight…
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The fall of a Confucian idealist – Kong Rong [Three Kingdoms]
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Kong Rong (153–208 CE), the twentieth-generation descendant of Confucius, was born into a family steeped in scholarly and political prestige. His seventh-generation ancestor, Kong Ba, had served as tutor to Emperor Yuan of Han, and his father, Kong Zhou, held the post of Commandant of Taishan. Orphaned at thirteen, Kong Rong displayed exceptional moral…