SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

Eastern Wu

  • Wisdom from The Art of War Reflected in the Battle of Xiangfan

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    Rob

    This article analyzes the Battle of Xiangfan through Sun Tzu’s strategies. Sima Yi urged Cao Cao to ally with Wu, luring Sun Quan with territory to attack Guan Yu’s rear. Arrogant Guan Yu ignored hidden threats, lost Jingzhou, embodying the cost of ignoring diplomatic and deceptive warfare principles.

  • The Fatal Hubris of Guan Yu: A Cautionary Tale from the Three Kingdoms

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    Rob

    Based on The Art of War, this article analyzes Guan Yu’s ruinous arrogance. Wu’s Lü Meng and Lu Xun used feigned weakness and flattering words to relax his vigilance. Guan Yu moved rear troops north, lost Jingzhou, and his defeat crippled Shu Han’s unification ambitions.

  • Zhou Yu

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    Ana

    Zhou Yu (175–210 CE) was a renowned general of the state of Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. His courtesy name was Gongjin, and he was from Shu County, Lujiang Commandery (in present-day southwestern Lujiang County, Anhui). At age 21, he joined Sun Ce in pacifying the Jiangdong region and helped lay the foundation…

  • A Quatrain [Tang Poems]

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    Ana

    — Du Fu Two golden orioles sing amid the emerald willows; A line of white egrets fly into the blue sky. My window frames the thousand-year snow atop western ranges; My door frames mooring ships ready for their thousand-mile voyage to Eastern Wu.

  • The Poisoned Banquet [Three Kingdoms]

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    Rob

    This article tells Zhuge Ke’s tragic rise and fall. As regent of Eastern Wu, he launched a disastrous northern campaign against Wei. His arrogance and tyranny turned allies into enemies. Sun Jun plotted against him and lured him to a fatal banquet. Zhuge Ke was killed, ending his turbulent regency.

  • The Stone Pavilion Trap [Three Kingdoms]

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    Rob

    This article tells the Battle of Shiting. Zhou Fang of Eastern Wu feigned defection to lure Cao Xiu’s Wei army into a trap. At Shiting, Lu Xun’s three‑pronged ambush crushed Wei’s forces. Cao Xiu escaped but died of humiliation. The victory secured Wu’s southern defense for years.

  • The alliance that saved the south [Three Kingdoms]

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    Juan

    This article narrates the critical events leading to the Sun-Liu Alliance against Cao Cao in 208 CE. It details Liu Bei’s desperate flight from Jingzhou following the Battle of Changban, where he lost his family but gained a vital ally. The narrative shifts to Lu Su of Eastern Wu, who recognized the threat of…

  • The quiet strategist: Kan Ze [Three Kingdoms]

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    Juan

    Kan Ze (courtesy name De Run) was born in Shanyin, Kuaiji Commandery – modern-day Shaoxing, Zhejiang – into a family of modest means. Unlike many elite officials of his time, he had no inherited privilege. To pursue learning, he copied borrowed books by hand, demonstrating extraordinary diligence. This early discipline laid the foundation for…

  • Chapter 44. The Duel of Wits Begins: Zhuge Liang vs. Zhou Yu [Three Kingdoms]

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    Rob

    Chapter 44 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms – titled “Zhuge Liang Provokes Zhou Yu; Sun Quan Vows to Resist Cao Cao” – marks the dramatic crystallization of the Sun-Liu alliance against Cao Cao, while simultaneously planting the seeds of a rivalry between two master strategists: Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu. With Eastern Wu…