In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, maternal relatives and eunuchs alternated in holding power. He Jin, the Grand General and brother of Empress He, monopolized military and political authority, wielding immense influence. The eunuch group, the Ten Regular Attendants, plotted to assassinate He Jin to seize power. He Jin ignored advice, acted arbitrarily, and…
In the narrative of the late Eastern Han Dynasty in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Dou Wu (mentioned in the first chapter) and He Jin (a core figure in the second chapter), both serving as “Grand General”, aimed to exterminate the eunuchs but were ultimately killed by them.
The first chapter of Romance of the Three Kingdoms skillfully juxtaposes two stories about “emperors and serpents”: one is the legend of the founding emperor, Liu Bang of the Han Dynasty, slaying a white serpent to rise in rebellion, and the other is the omen of the last emperor, Emperor Ling of Han, fainting…