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Was Lü Meng’s capture of Jing Province in AD 219 a betrayal of an ally? Some people argue that the Sun–Liu alliance effectively collapsed after the Xiang River Partition (circa AD 215), when Liu Bei and Sun Quan divided Jing Province along the Xiang River. However, primary sources from the Records of the Three…
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Among the brilliant minds who shaped the Three Kingdoms era, none captured Cao Cao’s trust – or foresaw the future with such uncanny precision – as Guo Jia, styled Fengxiao.
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Following the catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Guandu (200 CE), Yuan Shao refused to accept his fate. In a final attempt to reclaim dominance, he rallied a massive force – some 200,000 to 300,000 troops – and marched once more against Cao Cao. Yet this campaign at Cangting, dramatized in Chapter 31 of…
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The Battle of Cangting (201 CE) was indeed a real military engagement between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao following the pivotal Battle of Guandu. However, while historical sources confirm its occurrence, they offer only sparse details – far removed from the dramatic, large-scale confrontation vividly depicted in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
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Popular narratives—especially in Romance of the Three Kingdoms—paint Liu Bei as a humble, impoverished descendant of the Han imperial house who sold straw mats and sandals before rising to found Shu Han. Yet close examination of historical clues and logical inconsistencies reveals a more complex reality. Was Liu Bei truly a penniless commoner? Or…
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Though Romance of the Three Kingdoms introduces Liao Hua in Chapter 27 as a former Yellow Turban bandit, historical records paint a starkly different—and far more distinguished—portrait.
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The assassination of Dong Zhuo in 192 AD was meant to restore the Han dynasty. Masterminded by Wang Yun and executed with the sword of Lü Bu, it was celebrated as a heroic act that liberated Emperor Xian from tyranny.
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When discussing the military hierarchy of Dong Zhuo’s regime, it is essential to look beyond the romanticized narrative of Luo Guanzhong’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms and consult the more sober accounts of historical records such as Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms and Fan Ye’s Book of the Later Han.