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Loyalty in the shadow of tyranny: The Friendship of Kong Rong and Zhi Xi [Three Kingdoms]
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In 208 CE, Kong Rong – a famed scholar, descendant of Confucius, and former Governor of Beihai – was executed by Cao Cao. His crime? Repeatedly mocking Cao Cao, openly criticizing his policies, and refusing to show deference in official memorials and letters. Though ostensibly punished for “slandering the court,” his real offense lay…
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Why didn’t Liu Bei and Liu Qi seize Jingzhou amid the chaos? [Three Kingdoms]
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Liu Qi, as the eldest son of Liu Biao, was the legitimate heir to Jing Province. Why did not he join forces with Liu Bei to reclaim the governorship from Liu Cong amid the chaos?
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Why did Liu Cong surrender without a fight? [Three Kingdoms]
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In 208, when Cao Cao launched his southern campaign against Jingzhou, his army swept through Xinye with overwhelming momentum. Behind him marched hundreds of thousands of northern troops; at the vanguard were elite generals like Cao Ren and Xiahou Dun.
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Did Liu Bei betray Liu Biao? [Three Kingdoms]
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After being defeated by Cao Cao, Liu Bei fled south to Jingzhou (Jing Province) and sought refuge with the governor of Jingzhou, Liu Biao. Liu Biao not only sheltered Liu Bei and his remaining forces but also generously granted him a city to recuperate. Moreover, Liu Biao actively involved Liu Bei in the administration…
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How Liu Bei seized control of Jingzhou? [Three Kingdoms]
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In July 208, Cao Cao personally led a massive army of 200,000 troops southward. At this critical moment, Liu Biao, the governor of Jing Province, died, and his younger son Liu Cong succeeded him. Fearing Cao Cao’s might, Liu Cong immediately dispatched envoys to surrender without informing Liu Bei, who was stationed in Fancheng.…
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The fate of Liu Cong: History vs. Fiction [Three Kingdoms]
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A persistent question among readers of Romance of the Three Kingdoms is whether Liu Cong, the younger son of Liu Biao, was murdered by Cao Cao after surrendering Jing Province in 208 CE.