SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

Zhang Rang

  • The Tyrant’s Ascent [Three Kingdoms]

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    Juan

    By the late Eastern Han dynasty, decades of political corruption, eunuch dominance, and economic hardship had pushed society to the brink. The Yellow Turban Rebellion (184 CE) – though ultimately suppressed – shattered the illusion of central authority. In its wake, provincial governors and commandery administrators, originally appointed to maintain order, seized military power…

  • Two fatal errors of He Jin and Yuan Shao [Three Kingdoms]

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    Juan

    In the second and third chapters of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, He Jin and Yuan Shao made a series of erroneous decisions in the critical struggle to eliminate the eunuchs and control imperial power, including exterminating all eunuchs and summoning Dong Zhuo to the capital.

  • The Deadly Game: Imperial In-Laws vs. Eunuchs in the Court [Three Kingdoms]

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    Juan

    Since the reign of Emperor He of the Eastern Han Dynasty, a vicious cycle of alternating dominance between maternal relatives and eunuchs had taken shape. By the time of Emperors Huan and Ling, the eunuch faction led by Cao Jie and Wang Fu (precursors to the Ten Regular Attendants) monopolized court affairs, sold official…

  • Why did Emperor Ling heavily rely on the Ten Regular Attendants? [Three Kingdoms]

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    Juan

    In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the Ten Regular Attendants (led by Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong) are portrayed as a treacherous eunuch clique that harmed the nation and its people. Yet, Emperor Ling of Han (Liu Hong) obeyed them unconditionally and relied on them extensively. Why did such a political situation arise? This…