Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature
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Mencius said: “Bo Yi fled from the tyrant King Zhou and lived by the shores of the North Sea.Taigong (Jiang Ziya) also fled from Zhou and lived by the shores of the East Sea.”
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After leaving Qi state, Mencius stayed overnight in Zhou. A man who wished to persuade Mencius to stay on behalf of the king came to visit. He sat down respectfully and began to speak.
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Mencius said: “Favorable weather and timing are not as important as advantageous terrain; and advantageous terrain is not as important as unity among people (group morale and popular support).”
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In the chaotic final years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, few conflicts better illustrate the clash between moral authority and military power than the fatal struggle between Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan.
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In the chaotic final years of the Eastern Han dynasty, military discipline and public perception were as vital as battlefield prowess. One of the most enduring episodes illustrating this principle is “Cao Cao cuts his hair to substitute for his head”—a dramatic scene from Chapter 17 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
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In 195 AD, Emperor Xian of Han, having escaped the clutches of the warlords Li Jue and Guo Si in Chang’an, began a perilous journey eastward. After enduring months of hardship and displacement, he finally reached Luoyang in 196 AD. Though stripped of real power, the emperor remained the sole legitimate symbol of Han…
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From 189 to 192 AD, the Han Dynasty suffered under the iron grip of Dong Zhuo, a warlord who seized control of the imperial court in Luoyang, deposed Emperor Shao, installed the young Emperor Xian, and ruled with unchecked brutality. Amid this darkness, Wang Yun, a senior minister of unyielding loyalty, endured years of…
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In the final year of his life, Wang Yun, the loyal Han minister, accomplished two momentous deeds: