SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

Zhang Rang

  • The Partisan Prohibitions: the Fall of the Han Scholar-Gentry [Eastern Han]

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    This article explores Eastern Han’s Partisan Prohibitions. Eunuchs branded scholar‑gentry like Li Ying and Chen Fan as “partisans,” triggering two brutal purges. Many were killed, exiled, or banned for life. The crackdown destroyed honest officials, fatally weakening the Han and paving the way for its collapse.

  • The Tyrant’s Ascent [Three Kingdoms]

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    This article details the violent rise of Dong Zhuo, the tyrant who ignited the Three Kingdoms era. It recounts how the ambitious frontier general exploited the power vacuum in Luoyang following the death of Emperor Ling. Through a combination of military deception and brute force, Dong Zhuo intercepted the fleeing imperial party, deposed Emperor…

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

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    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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    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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    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…