SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

Three Kingdoms

  • Jin Conquered Wu and the Unification of the Three Kingdoms [Three Kingdoms]

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    Juan

    The Sima Ascendancy and the Fall of Wei After decades of consolidating power, Sima Zhao – de facto ruler of Cao Wei – was enfeoffed as King of Jin and appointed Chancellor. Though courtiers urged him to usurp the throne, he declined, instead appointing his son Sima Yan as Deputy Chancellor, a clear signal…

  • The Yellow Turban Rebellion and the Fall of the Han [Eastern Han]

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    Juan

    An Omen in the Palace In 178 CE, a strange event shook the imperial court: a hen in the palace grew a towering comb and crowed like a rooster. Though modern science would call it a hormonal anomaly, ancient Han cosmology saw it as a dire omen – yin usurping yang, disorder overtaking order.

  • Zhou Yu

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    Ana

    Zhou Yu (175–210 CE) was a renowned general of the state of Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. His courtesy name was Gongjin, and he was from Shu County, Lujiang Commandery (in present-day southwestern Lujiang County, Anhui). At age 21, he joined Sun Ce in pacifying the Jiangdong region and helped lay the foundation…

  • To the Parrot [Tang Poems]

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    Ana

    — Luo Yin Do not complain of golden cage and wings cut short; The southern land is far warmer than the northwest. Don’t clearly speak if you listen to my exhort; You will offend if clearly your complaint’s expressed.

  • When victory breeds doom [Three Kingdoms]

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    Rob

    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.

  • The Flames of Yiling [Three Kingdoms]

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    Juan

    In July 219 CE, Guan Yu launched the Battle of Xiangfan, attacking Cao Cao’s forces. To prevent the front line from collapsing, he transferred troops from Jingzhou to reinforce the front, leaving Jingzhou’s defenses depleted. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lü Meng of Eastern Wu led his army across the Yangtze River and launched…

  • A treacherous stroke in White Robes [Three Kingdoms]

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    Juan

    Was Lü Meng’s capture of Jing Province in AD 219 a betrayal of an ally? Some people argue that the Sun–Liu alliance effectively collapsed after the Xiang River Partition (circa AD 215), when Liu Bei and Sun Quan divided Jing Province along the Xiang River. However, primary sources from the Records of the Three…

  • Lü Meng’s stealth campaign crossing the Yangtze River [Three Kingdoms]

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    Juan

    In 219 CE, Liu Bei defeated Cao Cao and seized Hangzhog, then he declared himself King of Hanzhong in Chengdu. To honor Guan Yu, who had long guarded Jing Province, Liu Bei enfeoffed him as General of the Front. Eager to prove his worth, Guan Yu launched a bold offensive against Cao Cao’s forces…

  • The Map Unbestowed [Three Kingdoms]

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    Juan

    Before the formal tripartite division of China into Wei, Shu, and Wu, Cao Cao stood closer than ever to unifying the empire – including the fertile and defensible province of Yizhou (modern Sichuan).