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In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, both Liu Bian and Liu Xie were princes and competitors for the imperial throne. Why did He Jin, when supporting Liu Bian as emperor, not kill the competitor Liu Xie, while Dong Zhuo, when supporting Liu Xie, killed the competitor Liu Bian?
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In the third chapter of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Dong Zhuo, perceiving Emperor Shao Liu Bian as weak and incompetent, proposed deposing him and replacing him with Liu Xie (the Prince of Chenliu), who was described as intelligent, studious, eloquent, and dignified.
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Why did Dong Zhuo replace Emperor Shao with the Prince of Chenliu? Let us first examine how Dong Zhuo himself proposed this change of emperor.
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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…