SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

famine

  • The Red Eyebrows Rise [Eastern Han]

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    Juan

    In Haiqu County of Langya Commandery (modern-day Rizhao, Shandong), a low-ranking bailiff named Lü Yu refused to beat impoverished villagers who could not pay their taxes. For this act of compassion, the county magistrate accused him of colluding with “troublemakers” and executed him. His death ignited public outrage.

  • Mencius – Chapter 1.4 Killing by Policy

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    Ana

    King Hui of Liang, weary from years of military defeats and dwindling influence, sat in his palace with an unusual humility. After hearing Mencius speak of benevolent governance and the futility of comparing himself to neighboring rulers – “fifty paces laughing at a hundred” – the king finally lowered his royal pride.

  • Yuan Shu’s invasion of Chen State [Three Kingdoms]

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    Juan

    In the year 197 AD, Yuan Shu, having declared himself Emperor of the short-lived Zhong dynasty, found his ambitions crumbling under a cascade of military defeats, diplomatic failures, and internal decay. Once a powerful warlord controlling the fertile lands of Huai River region, Yuan Shu’s realm rapidly contracted due to betrayals, strategic miscalculations, and…

  • Liu Bei’s darkest hour: the campaign against Yuan Shu [Three Kingdoms]

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    Rob

    In the annals of the Three Kingdoms, few figures embody the resilience of the human spirit more than Liu Bei. Though destined to become one of the Three Sovereigns, his path was paved with defeat, betrayal, and near annihilation.

  • Cao Cao’s ordeal against Lü Bu [Three Kingdoms]

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    Juan

    In the summer of 194 AD, while Cao Cao was deep in Xuzhou, devastating Tao Qian’s forces and advancing toward Tan County, disaster struck at home. News reached him: Chen Gong and Zhang Miao had rebelled, opening the gates of Yanzhou to Lü Bu, the famed warrior fleeing from Dong Zhuo’s downfall.