Lu Kang

  • The Twenty-Four Friends [Jin & Southern-Northern Dynasties]

    This article profiles the Twenty-Four Friends, a literary circle around Jia Mi in late Western Jin. It features talents like Pan Yue, Lu Ji, Shi Chong, and Zuo Si. Most sought power and perished in court bloodshed; only Zuo Si retired in peace and Liu Kun redeemed himself as a patriot. Their fates mirror…

  • Jin Conquered Wu and the Unification of the Three Kingdoms [Three Kingdoms]

    This article recounts how the Jin Dynasty conquered Eastern Wu and reunified China. After Sima Yan founded Jin, he waited patiently while Wu declined under tyrant Sun Hao. Using moral persuasion and clever naval tactics, Jin’s seven armies defeated Wu in 280 CE, ending the Three Kingdoms era.

  • Why Sun Ce broke with Yuan Shu? [Three Kingdoms]

    In the turbulent years of the late Eastern Han dynasty, alliances were fragile, and loyalty was often a transaction. Nowhere is this more evident than in the dramatic rupture between Sun Ce and Yuan Shu in 197 AD. What began as a patron-client relationship—born from the legacy of Sun Ce’s father, the famed general…

  • Yuan Shu’s Struggle for Yanzhou and Yangzhou [Three Kingdoms]

    The years between 192 and 195 AD marked a critical period in the disintegration of Eastern Han authority and the rise of regional warlords vying for control of the central and southern territories. Amidst shifting alliances, imperial appointments, and military campaigns, the struggle for control of Yan Province (Yanzhou) and Yang Province (Yangzhou) became…

  • Sun Jian: From rebel queller to warlord’s vassal [Three Kingdoms]

    Sun Jian earned his reputation as a fearless warrior through his distinguished service in two major campaigns of the late Han Dynasty. He had fought under General Zhang Wen during the suppression of the Liang Province Rebellion, and later played a crucial role alongside Zhu Jun in crushing the Yellow Turban Uprising. His battlefield…