Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature
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By the early 260s CE, Shu Han was in decline. Its wise statesmen – Jiang Wan and Fei Yi – were dead. Jiang Wei, now Grand General, inherited Zhuge Liang’s legacy and launched eleven northern expeditions against Cao Wei. Though he won tactical victories, Shu’s limited resources made strategic success impossible.
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After the Sima Yi’s coup, the Sima clan had tightened its grip on the Cao Wei court with ruthless efficiency. After Sima Zhao brazenly murdered Emperor Cao Mao in 254 AD, open criticism was silenced – but resentment simmered beneath the surface. Among those who dared to voice dissent were intellectuals and literati, none…
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Upon his deathbed in 252 CE, Emperor Sun Quan of Eastern Wu entrusted state affairs to a coalition of regents: General-in-Chief Zhuge Ke (son of Zhuge Jin, nephew of Zhuge Liang), along with imperial clansmen Sun Hong and Sun Jun.
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In 239 AD, Emperor Cao Rui of Wei, aged just 35 and childless, lay dying. He adopted Cao Fang, a seven-year-old boy, as his heir and summoned his most trusted ministers to his bedside. Pointing to the young prince, he addressed Grand Commandant Sima Yi:
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By 234 AD, Zhuge Liang had launched his sixth and final Northern Expedition against Cao Wei.
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In 228 AD, during a lull in the ongoing conflicts between Cao Wei and Eastern Wu, Cao Rui (Emperor Ming of Wei) received an urgent report from Cao Xiu, the Grand Marshal (Da Sima) stationed in Yangzhou.
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In 227 AD, following the successful pacification of the Nanzhong rebellion, Zhuge Liang returned to Chengdu to prepare for his long-planned Northern Expeditions against Cao Wei. With the death of Emperor Cao Pi and the ascension of the young Cao Rui (Emperor Ming of Wei), Zhuge Liang saw a strategic opening.
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Following Liu Bei’s death in 223 CE, the fledgling state of Shu Han faced internal instability and external threats. In the southern frontier – comprising modern-day Yunnan, Guizhou, and parts of Sichuan – local leaders saw an opportunity to break away.
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In Chapter 61 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the death of Xun Yu – Cao Cao’s chief strategist and moral compass – is portrayed with tragic symbolism.