political exile

  • The Cicada [Tang Poems]

    — Luo Binwang Of autumn the cicada sings; In prison I’m worn out with care. How can I bear its blue black wings Which remind me of my grey hair? Heavy with dew it cannot fly; Drowned in the wind, its song’s not heard Who would believe its spirit high? Could I express my…

  • Ode to the Autumn Breeze [Tang Poems]

    — Liu Yuxi Gone with yellow chrysanthemums last year, You come back when cicada’s song I hear. Your soughing wakes me from dreams at midnight, A year’s wrinkles are seen in mirror bright. Steeds missing frontier grass with bristles rise; Eagles longing for clouds open sleepy eyes. I’ll gaze my fill into the boundless…

  • Three burrows for a cunning hare: Mengchang Jun and Feng Xuan [Warring States]

    Brief: This article retells the strategic masterpiece of Feng Xuan, a retainer of Mengchang Jun, one of the “Four Lords of the Warring States.” It details how Feng Xuan secured three “burrows” for his lord’s survival: First, he burned the debt bonds in Xue to buy the people’s hearts; second, he engineered Mengchang Jun’s…

  • Cao Cao’s Rebellion: A Choice of No Choice [Three Kingdoms]

    In 189 AD, He Jin, the most powerful consort clan member of the Eastern Han Dynasty and holding the position of Grand General, was assassinated by eunuchs. Soon after, Dong Zhuo, the Governor of Bingzhou, entered the imperial capital.

  • The rescue of Kong Rong by Liu Bei [Three Kingdoms]

    In 193 AD, though the main wave of the Yellow Turban Rebellion had been suppressed, scattered remnants continued to wreak havoc across the Han Empire. Kong Rong, serving as the Chancellor of Beihai Commandery (in modern-day Shandong), found himself at the center of a dire crisis.