SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

assassination

  • Su Qin vs. Zhang Yi: Alliances vs. Division [Warring States]

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    This article explores the intense rivalry between the Vertical Alliance (Hezong) of Su Qin and the Horizontal Alliance (Lianheng) of Zhang Yi during the Warring States period. It details how Su Qin’s coalition of six states threatened Qin, only to be countered by Zhang Yi’s diplomatic stratagems that divided them. The narrative follows Su…

  • Bian Que, the legendary healer [Warring States]

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    This article explores the life of Bian Que, the legendary “Father of Chinese Medicine” during the Warring States period. It recounts his miraculous diagnostic skills, highlighting his adaptive approach to healing – practicing gynecology, geriatrics, and pediatrics based on regional needs. The narrative centers on his famous, yet tragic, encounter with Duke Huan of…

  • The dagger in the fish [Spring & Autumn]

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    This article recounts the legendary assassination of King Liao of Wu by the warrior Zhuan Zhu. It details the political intrigue where Prince Guang (the rightful heir) recruited Zhuan Zhu to eliminate the usurper King Liao. To bypass the king’s heavy security, Zhuan Zhu spent three months mastering the culinary arts to become a…

  • Chu Ni – the assassin who chose death over murder [Spring & Autumn]

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    This article tells the tragic story of Chu Ni, an assassin who chose death over killing the virtuous minister Zhao Dun. Set during the Spring and Autumn period, it depicts the tyranny of Duke Ling of Jin, who amused himself by randomly shooting civilians with a slingshot. When Chu Ni infiltrated Zhao Dun’s home,…

  • The fall and aftermath of a tyrant [Three Kingdoms]

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    This article details the violent downfall of the tyrant Dong Zhuo and the subsequent chaos that consumed the Han court. It recounts how Minister Wang Yun masterminded a conspiracy, manipulating the volatile relationship between Dong Zhuo and his foster son, the mighty warrior Lü Bu. The narrative culminates in the assassination within Weiyang Palace,…

  • The hidden politics behind Sun Ce’s execution of Xu Gong [Three Kingdoms]

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    The assassination of Sun Ce, the “Little Conqueror” of Jiangdong, is often attributed to a simple act of vengeance: his killing of Xu Gong, the former Administrator of Wu Commandery, led to retaliation by Xu’s loyal retainers.

  • Why Sun Ce should not kill Yu Ji? [Three Kingdoms]

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    Sun Ce’s execution of the revered Daoist healer Yu Ji is often remembered in Romance of the Three Kingdoms as a tale of supernatural retribution—but historically, it was a grave political miscalculation rooted in impulsiveness, insecurity, and a failure to understand soft power. Far from eliminating a threat, Sun Ce’s public killing of Yu…

  • Chapter 29. The fall of a Young Warlord – Sun Ce [Three Kingdoms]

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    Compared to Records of the Three Kingdoms, the vivid and dramatic episodes in Romance of the Three Kingdoms are often more story-driven, legendary, and may even carry a touch of myth.

  • The fall of the Little Conqueror: Sun Ce’s assassination [Three Kingdoms]

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    In the turbulent spring of 200 AD, as Cao Cao and Yuan Shao locked horns at Guandu, a bold plan was unfolding in the southeast. Sun Ce, the “Little Conqueror” who had unified the six commanderies of Jiangdong in just a few years, saw an opportunity: with Cao Cao’s rear defenses weakened, he aimed…