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Three reactions to corruption [Three Kingdoms]
In the core conflict of “Zhang Fei Wrathfully Flogs Du You” in the second chapter of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the attitudes and actions of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei toward the government inspector Du You are totally different.
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Unveiling political corruption with two cases of bribery [Three Kingdoms]
In a previous article, we discussed how the author of Romance of the Three Kingdoms was unfair in his evaluation of the Yellow Turban Uprising. Writing from the standpoint of the landlord class, his perspective on the peasant uprising was inevitably biased.
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Sending 500 troops against 50,000: The mystery of Liu Yan’s military deployment
In the first chapter of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Yan faces an invasion of Zhuojun by Cheng Yuanzhi’s 50,000-strong Yellow Scarves army, yet he only sends Liu Bei to lead 500 troops to confront them.
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The Oath of the Peach Garden: The power and peril of sworn brotherhood [Three Kingdoms]
The sworn brotherhood of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, famously known as the Oath of the Peach Garden, is one of the most iconic scenes in the opening chapter of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.