SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

Xiapi

  • The Hidden Dragon in Xuchang [Three Kingdoms]

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    Juan

    In 196 CE, Xuzhou was both a blessing and a curse for Liu Bei. When the dying governor Tao Qian entrusted him with the province – declaring, “Only Liu Bei can bring peace to this land” (Sanguozhi) – Liu Bei finally escaped his years of dependence on others and entered the ranks of warlords.…

  • The Arrow at the Gate [Three Kingdoms]

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    Juan

    Yuan Shu wanted to seize Jingzhou, which was under Liu Bei’s control, but he was concerned that Lu Bu nearby might interfere. So he wrote to Lu Bu, proposing to join forces to attack Liu Bei.

  • The Road to Guandu: How Cao Cao secured his flanks before the decisive clash with Yuan Shao [Three Kingdoms]

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    Juan

    In the winter of 199 AD, Yuan Shao stood at the zenith of his power. Having annihilated Gongsun Zan at Yi County and crushed the Heishan bandits who came to his aid, Yuan Shao now controlled four northern provinces: Jizhou, Qingzhou, Bingzhou, and Youzhou. With this vast territory and immense manpower, he was poised…

  • Liu Bei’s Escape from Cao Cao [Three Kingdoms]

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    Juan

    The year 199 AD marked a pivotal turning point in the life of Liu Bei, transforming him from a politically constrained and closely watched vassal under Cao Cao into an independent warlord once again. This dramatic shift—from subservience in Xuchang to open rebellion in Xu Province (Xuzhou) —was not sudden, but the culmination of…

  • The Fall of Lü Bu [Three Kingdoms]

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    Juan

    In the year 198 AD, the turbulent struggle for dominance in central China reached a critical juncture with the collapse of Lü Bu’s short-lived power in Xuzhou (Xu Province). Once a feared warrior who had twice driven Liu Bei from Xuzhou and nearly toppled Cao Cao in Yan Province, Lü Bu now faced the…

  • The Humiliation of Yuan Shu [Three Kingdoms]

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    Juan

    In the turbulent final years of the Eastern Han dynasty, ambition often outpaced legitimacy. Nowhere was this more evident than in 197 AD, when the warlord Yuan Shu declared himself emperor in Shouchun, shattering any pretense of loyalty to the Han throne.

  • Chen Deng’s betrayal of Lü Bu [Three Kingdoms]

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    Juan

    In the chaotic final years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, alliances were fragile, and loyalty was a currency spent for survival. Among the most pivotal betrayals of this era was that of Chen Deng, a famous scholar-official of Xu Province (Xuzhou), who played a central role in the downfall of Lü Bu.

  • Chen Deng [Three Kingdoms]

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    Juan

    In the turbulent final years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, while warlords clashed and emperors reigned in name only, a rare figure emerged—not a conqueror, but a visionary administrator and master strategist whose influence far exceeded his rank. Chen Deng (courtesy name Yuanlong), though only ever a Prefect of Dongcheng, was courted by Liu…

  • Liu Bei’s darkest hour: the campaign against Yuan Shu [Three Kingdoms]

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    Rob

    In the annals of the Three Kingdoms, few figures embody the resilience of the human spirit more than Liu Bei. Though destined to become one of the Three Sovereigns, his path was paved with defeat, betrayal, and near annihilation.