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In the final years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the imperial capital Chang’an fell under the control of warlords Li Jue and Guo Si, former generals of Dong Zhuo who had seized power after his assassination. By 195 AD, however, their alliance had crumbled into bitter rivalry.
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In a previous article, we discussed how Dong Zhuo, under immense pressure from the coalition forces, chose to abandon Luoyang and relocate the capital to Chang’an. This retreat presented the allied warlords with a golden opportunity to launch a decisive pursuit and crush Dong Zhuo’s weakened army.
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For new readers of the Dao De Jing, there are two essential points to understand beforehand.