Chain Strategy

  • Chapter 9. The Fall of the Tyrant and the Tragedy of the Liberator [Three Kingdoms]

    The assassination of Dong Zhuo in Chapter 9 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms marks a pivotal turning point in the collapse of the Eastern Han dynasty. While the tyrant’s death was celebrated as a triumph of justice, the events that followed revealed the fragile nature of political victory without wisdom and mercy.

  • Chapter 8. Wang Yun’s Chain of Deceit [Three Kingdoms]

    In the turbulent twilight of the Eastern Han dynasty, power was not won by virtue, but by cunning, force, and betrayal. Chapter 8 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms unveils one of the most iconic political intrigues in Chinese history: Wang Yun’s Chain Strategy—a meticulously crafted plot that exploited the volatile relationship between the…

  • Li Ru in the novel and history [Three Kingdoms]

    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,…

  • Wang Yun’s fatal choice and the collapse of order [Three Kingdoms]

    From 189 to 192 AD, the Han Dynasty suffered under the iron grip of Dong Zhuo, a warlord who seized control of the imperial court in Luoyang, deposed Emperor Shao, installed the young Emperor Xian, and ruled with unchecked brutality. Amid this darkness, Wang Yun, a senior minister of unyielding loyalty, endured years of…

  • The unraveled tassel [Three Kingdoms]

    In Chapter 8 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Wang Yun, the loyal Han minister, devises a cunning plan to destroy the tyrant Dong Zhuo. At the heart of this scheme is Diao Chan, a beautiful courtesan in Wang Yun’s household.