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As tensions between Li Jue and Guo Si escalated, their covert rivalry erupted into open warfare. In March 195 AD, the conflict reached a critical point: Li Jue seized Emperor Xian of Han as a hostage, while Guo Si retaliated by detaining the imperial ministers.
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Romance of the Three Kingdoms, as a historical novel, blends historical events with literary imagination and fictions. Authored by Luo Guanzhong, it dramatizes figures like Liu Bei as the paragon of benevolence, Guan Yu as the embodiment of loyalty, and Zhang Fei as the epitome of bravery.
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Originally, Li Jue and Guo Si shared a close bond. They were both native to Liang Province and had served under Dong Zhuo for many years. When defeated Lü Bu using the guerrilla tactics of Peng Yue, and captured Chang’an, they seized control of the Han court. Li Jue often hosted grand banquets for…
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After Dong Zhuo was assassinated by Wang Yun and Lü Bu, his former generals—Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, and Fan Chou—stationed in Shan County east of Chang’an, were on the verge of collapse. It was Jia Xu who advised them to unite and strike back, warning that surrender would mean certain death.
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In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Li Ru is portrayed as a central and sinister figure—Dong Zhuo’s son-in-law and chief strategist, to whom the warlord turned for counsel on every major decision. Though historically obscure, Li Ru is elevated in the novel to the role of Dong Zhuo’s intellectual architect, shaping his rise, reign,…
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In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Bao Xin is a minor figure, and his appearances are few but pivotal.
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In 192 AD, after Li Jue and Guo Si seized Chang’an, murdered Wang Yun, and captured Emperor Xian, they established control over the Sili region and eastern Liang Province(Liangzhou), effectively holding the Han central government hostage for the next four years. Though they nominally ruled in the emperor’s name, real power in the empire…