Although the Yellow Scarves Uprising had been suppressed, the Eastern Han court sank into deeper crisis.
In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, during the reigns of the foolish Emperors Huan and Ling, court politics were corrupt, and the common people lived in hardship. At this time, Zhang Jiao and his two brothers, having received the “Essential Arts for Great Peace” from the Southern Hermit, initiated the Yellow Turban Rebellion. People…
The course of history is not entirely determined by heroic figures; the actions and choices of ordinary people also influence the historical process to varying degrees. In the Three Kingdoms period, two insignificant figures even shattered two chances to alter the Han Dynasty’s fate.
Qin Qingtong is a fictional character in Romance of the Three Kingdoms and does not appear in other historical records. In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Qin Qingtong was a servant in Dong Cheng’s household. He overheard Dong Cheng and other intriguers discussing a secret plan possibly against Cao Cao.
After being betrayed by Lü Bu and losing Xuzhou, Liu Bei sought refuge with Cao Cao, using Cao Cao’s influence to eliminate Lü Bu. Later, Cao Cao took complete control of Xuzhou and placed Liu Bei under house arrest. Liu Bei bided his time, waiting for an opportunity. Eventually, when Yuan Shu attempted to…
After leveraging Cao Cao’s forces to capture Xuzhou and eliminate Lü Bu, Cao Cao did not return Xuzhou to Liu Bei. Instead, he appointed his trusted subordinate Che Zhou as the new Governer of Xuzhou and brought Liu Bei to Xuchang. Ostensibly, this was to present him at court for rewards, but in reality,…
When asked who the wisest man in Romance of the Three Kingdoms is, most would instantly answer Zhuge Liang. Yet there exists a figure—mentioned only briefly in the original text—who was not merely a scholar, but a mastermind whose influence shaped the course of history, despite never wielding a sword or commanding an army.
After Cao Cao moved the capital to Xuxian and welcomed Emperor Xian, tensions arose between them. The emperor wrote an edict in blood, sewed it into a girdle, and secretly passed it to Dong Cheng. Dong Cheng claimed to have received the secret edict and gathered allies in an attempt to assassinate Cao Cao.…
The “Green Plum and Wine” episode is a classic scene from Chapter 21 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, titled “Cao Cao Brews Wine and Discusses Heroes,” depicting Cao Cao testing Liu Bei’s political ambitions through a banquet. This reveals Cao Cao’s great appreciation for Liu Bei’s abilities. It could even be said that…