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Among the many factors that doomed Yuan Shao after his defeat at the Battle of Guandu (200 CE), none proved more destructive than his attempt to replace his eldest son, Yuan Tan, with his younger favorite, Yuan Shang, as heir.
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The Coalition Against Dong Zhuo in 190 AD is one of the most dramatic yet ultimately tragic episodes in the fall of the Eastern Han dynasty.
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Originally, Li Jue and Guo Si shared a close bond. They were both native to Liang Province and had served under Dong Zhuo for many years. When defeated Lü Bu using the guerrilla tactics of Peng Yue, and captured Chang’an, they seized control of the Han court. Li Jue often hosted grand banquets for…
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After Dong Zhuo was assassinated by Wang Yun and Lü Bu, his former generals—Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, and Fan Chou—stationed in Shan County east of Chang’an, were on the verge of collapse. It was Jia Xu who advised them to unite and strike back, warning that surrender would mean certain death.
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In the second and third chapters of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, He Jin, as the Grand General and Imperial Uncle, held the initiative to exterminate the eunuchs but consistently hesitated and vacillated. Ultimately, he was killed by eunuchs but what’s worse, by summoning external troops to the capital, he ignited the chaos in…