political terror

  • Why Dong Zhuo annihilated the Yuan Clan [Three Kingdoms]

    The mass execution of the Yuan family—including over fifty members led by the venerable Yuan Wei, uncle of Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu—is one of the most chilling episodes of the late Eastern Han dynasty. While Romance of the Three Kingdoms portrays this atrocity as a simple act of vengeance after Yuan Shao joined…

  • The execution of Zhang Wen [Three Kingdoms]

    In Chapter 8 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a dramatic episode unfolds: Lü Bu, the mighty warrior serving under Dong Zhuo, intercepts a secret letter between Yuan Shu and Zhang Wen, the former Minister of Works. The letter allegedly details a plot for Zhang Wen to collaborate with Yuan Shu in a coordinated…