In Chapter 6 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Dong Zhuo’s troops was defeated by Sun Jian. To reverse the battlefield setbacks, Dong Zhuo proposed a marriage alliance with Sun Jian. Dong Zhuo sent his senior general Li Jue to propose the marriage alliance, hoping to forge a political bond through kinship. Unexpectedly, Sun…
Romance of the Three Kingdoms often diverges from the history. For instance, in the episode where Guan Yu kills Hua Xiong while warming wine, historical records state that Guan Yu followed Liu Bei, who was then under Gongsun Zan. Gongsun Zan was busy fighting the Wuhuan in the north and did not participate in…
Who really killed Hua Xiong? This is a widely debated question. Historically, during the campaign against Dong Zhuo, Guan Yu, Liu Bei, and Zhang Fei were still obscure minor figures who did not participate in this battle at all.
Today, let’s explore the truth behind the 18 warlords or vassals who, according to Romance of the Three Kingdoms, united to overthrow the tyrant Dong Zhuo.
Dong Zhuo’s arrogance, arbitrariness and cruelty ignited widespread fury across the empire. First, he deposed Emperor Shao of Han (Liu Bian), then had him murdered—along with his mother, Empress He and his wife. During the enthronement of the new emperor, Liu Xie, he executed any minister who dared to oppose him.