{"id":1816,"date":"2024-07-22T20:20:11","date_gmt":"2024-07-22T20:20:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/?p=1816"},"modified":"2024-07-25T16:55:37","modified_gmt":"2024-07-25T16:55:37","slug":"everything-you-need-to-know-about-romance-of-the-three-kingdoms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/2024\/07\/22\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-romance-of-the-three-kingdoms\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything you need to know about Romance of the Three Kingdoms"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"1816\" class=\"elementor elementor-1816\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e9221ff elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e9221ff\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-879bed0\" data-id=\"879bed0\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-771981d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"771981d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.23.0 - 15-07-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;Romance of the Three Kingdoms&#8221; is a classic Chinese historical novel written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century. It is based on the turbulent period of the Three Kingdoms (c. 184\u2013280 AD) in Chinese history. The novel is a fictionalized account of the events that took place during this period, and it blends historical facts with myths and legends, purported to be 70% fact and 30% fiction. Its influence cannot be understated, affecting pop culture, politics, and even the Chinese language itself in the form of Chinese idioms (<ruby>\u6210\u8bed<rt>ch\u00e9ngy\u01d4<\/rt><\/ruby>).<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-ec94457 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"ec94457\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d5e4ad9\" data-id=\"d5e4ad9\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ea36d9a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ea36d9a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It&#8217;s important to note that while the novel is inspired by historical events, the &#8220;Romance of the Three Kingdoms&#8221; includes many fictional elements, and its historical accuracy is often debated by historians. That being said, the characters and events described in this legendary novel have had massive staying power both within China and even in Japan and Korea. If you\u2019re interested in this piece of Chinese literary history, why not check out our\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/lessons\/courses\/38-three-kingdoms-prologue-oath-of-the-peach-garden?chapter=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Three Kingdoms<\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0series!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-60f29b2 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"60f29b2\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-27a3062\" data-id=\"27a3062\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-29f2c0e elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"29f2c0e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.23.0 - 15-07-2024 *\/\n.elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px}<\/style><h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Story<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2ee7a7b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2ee7a7b\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-68f8554\" data-id=\"68f8554\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b893e5c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b893e5c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In 168 A.D, the imperial court of the Han dynasty was dominated by corrupt eunuchs, which kept the emperor from exerting real power. This brought an unprecedented famine until 184 A.D, when a daoist cult led by three brothers, Zhang Jiao, Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang, had claimed that the house of Han lost their right to rule (known as the Mandate of Heaven,\u00a0<ruby>\u5929\u547d<rt>ti\u0101nm\u00ecng<\/rt><\/ruby>).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They later staged an uprising which famously became known as the Yellow Turban Rebellion.\u00a0 The imperial armies sent to quell the rebellion were soon brought to their knees, so the court was forced to seek the aid of local warlords.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7d56c65\" data-id=\"7d56c65\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-629e463 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"629e463\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.23.0 - 15-07-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"742\" src=\"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/\u65b0\u520a\u6821\u6b63\u53e4\u672c\u5927\u5b57\u97f3\u91ca\u4e09\u56fd\u5fd7\u901a\u4fd7\u6f14\u4e49_\u660e\u4e07\u5386\u5341\u4e5d\u5e74\u4e66\u6797\u5468\u66f0\u6821\u520a\u672c_002.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-1836\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/\u65b0\u520a\u6821\u6b63\u53e4\u672c\u5927\u5b57\u97f3\u91ca\u4e09\u56fd\u5fd7\u901a\u4fd7\u6f14\u4e49_\u660e\u4e07\u5386\u5341\u4e5d\u5e74\u4e66\u6797\u5468\u66f0\u6821\u520a\u672c_002.jpg 800w, https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/\u65b0\u520a\u6821\u6b63\u53e4\u672c\u5927\u5b57\u97f3\u91ca\u4e09\u56fd\u5fd7\u901a\u4fd7\u6f14\u4e49_\u660e\u4e07\u5386\u5341\u4e5d\u5e74\u4e66\u6797\u5468\u66f0\u6821\u520a\u672c_002-300x278.jpg 300w, https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/\u65b0\u520a\u6821\u6b63\u53e4\u672c\u5927\u5b57\u97f3\u91ca\u4e09\u56fd\u5fd7\u901a\u4fd7\u6f14\u4e49_\u660e\u4e07\u5386\u5341\u4e5d\u5e74\u4e66\u6797\u5468\u66f0\u6821\u520a\u672c_002-768x712.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-83aa036 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"83aa036\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-896a2c2\" data-id=\"896a2c2\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-464e969 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"464e969\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif;\">Despite their ultimate failure, the Yellow Turbans highlighted a major flaw in the government: as warlords were growing stronger, central power was becoming weaker. In 189 A.D, the emperor died and left only two child heirs. Factions were created in support of each of the heirs and thus internal turmoil sparked at the palace, with many losing their heads or being forced into exile. At the end, in the capital Luoyang, a cruel warlord named Dong Zhuo (<\/span><ruby style=\"font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif;\">\u8463\u5353<rt>d\u01d2ngzhu\u00f3<\/rt><\/ruby><span style=\"font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif;\">), aided by the strongest warrior, L\u00fc Bu (<\/span><ruby style=\"font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif;\">\u5415\u5e03<rt>l\u01dab\u00f9<\/rt><\/ruby><span style=\"font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif;\">), managed to take hold of power and placed the puppet emperor Liu Xie (<\/span><ruby style=\"font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif;\">\u5218\u534f<rt>li\u00faxi\u00e9<\/rt><\/ruby><span style=\"font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif;\">), later named Emperor Xian (<\/span><ruby style=\"font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif;\">\u5baa<rt>xi\u00e0n<\/rt>\u7687\u5e1d<rt>hu\u00e1ngd\u00ec<\/rt><\/ruby><span style=\"font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif;\">), on the throne.<\/span><\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">In the rest of China, the other warlords deeply resented Dong Zhuo, so they decided to form a coalition to overthrow him and to save the puppet emperor from being\u2026puppeted (Roberts, 2001). Among them we find the protagonists of this story, which will eventually lead to the creation of the Three Kingdoms, such as Cao Cao (<ruby>\u66f9\u64cd<rt>c\u00e1oc\u0101o<\/rt><\/ruby>), Liu Bei (<ruby>\u5218\u5907<rt>li\u00fab\u00e8i<\/rt><\/ruby>), and Sun Jian (<ruby>\u5b59\u575a<rt>s\u016bnji\u0101n<\/rt><\/ruby>). The coalition shook the power of Dong Zhuo, but didn&#8217;t manage to restore cohesion to the empire and this started a period going from 190 A.D. to 220 A.D in which hundreds of warlords fought and betrayed each other for power and land. Here we have records of huge battles involving thousands and thousands of soldiers, epic duels between heroes, Game of Thrones-like intrigues and even some love stories.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">In 220 A.D., Cao Cao was the most prominent and powerful warlord. Soon after his death the same year, Cao Cao\u2019s son, Cao Pi (<ruby>\u66f9\u4e15<rt>c\u00e1op\u012b<\/rt><\/ruby>), declared himself Emperor of Wei (<ruby>\u9b4f<rt>w\u00e8i<\/rt><\/ruby>), putting an end to the 400 years-long Han dynasty. As a reaction to this, Sun Jian\u2019s son, Sun Quan (<ruby>\u5b59\u6743<rt>s\u016bnqu\u00e1n<\/rt><\/ruby>), takes the title of Emperor of Wu (<ruby>\u5434<rt>w\u00fa<\/rt><\/ruby>), and Liu Bei, being a distant relative of the imperial house of Han, declares himself the emperor of the restorationist Shu-Han (<ruby>\u8700\u6c49<rt>sh\u01d4h\u00e0n<\/rt><\/ruby>) dynasty, thus kickstarting the Three Kingdoms period (Roberts, 2001). The creation of the Three Kingdoms goes alongside a generational shift: the main heroes and villains slowly begin to die in battle or because of old age, making way for their heirs. After a substantial term of balance, all three kingdoms begin suffering the same illness which doomed the Han dynasty: incompetence and corruption.<\/span><\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/books.google.com\/books\/about\/Three_Kingdoms_A_Historical_Novel.html?id=hnqaIfBARmkC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Roberts, Moss, 2001. \u201cThree Kingdoms: A historical Novel: Complete and Unabridged\u201d. University of California Press<\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8d05770 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8d05770\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-5ef4f94\" data-id=\"5ef4f94\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-00ff040 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"00ff040\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Timeline<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7ae33cb elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7ae33cb\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-5c2f824\" data-id=\"5c2f824\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fbc6291 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"fbc6291\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">From the decline of the Han Dynasty to the rise of the Three Kingdoms and the chaos and conflict between, here is a timeline that highlights the key events from the novel:<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-cd22a63 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"cd22a63\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-db0c6fd\" data-id=\"db0c6fd\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e7b29bd elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e7b29bd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Yellow Turban Rebellion (184-205 AD):<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Zhang Jiao, leader of the Yellow Turbans, stages a rebellion against the Han Dynasty.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">This rebellion marks the fall of the Han Dynasty and the beginning of the novel.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Dong Zhuo&#8217;s Tyranny (189-192 AD):<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Dong Zhuo seizes control of the imperial capital, Luoyang, and takes control of the government.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Various warlords unite to oppose Dong Zhuo&#8217;s tyranny.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">The Coalition against Dong Zhuo (190-192 AD):<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Warlords like Yuan Shao, Liu Bei, and Cao Cao form a coalition to oppose Dong Zhuo.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Lu Bu, Dong Zhuo&#8217;s adopted son and a formidable warrior, plays a significant role in this conflict.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Dong Zhuo&#8217;s Assassination (192 AD):<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Dong Zhuo is assassinated by his own foster son, Lu Bu, with the help of Wang Yun. Our adaptation combines the coalition and assassination into one story,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/lessons\/courses\/28-three-kingdoms-1-the-beauty-trap\" target=\"_blank\">Three Kingdoms 1: The Beauty Trap<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Liu Bei&#8217;s Oath of the Peach Garden (c. 192 AD):<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei swear an oath of brotherhood in a peach garden. In our adaptation, this is the prologue of our series, which you can read&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/lessons\/courses\/38-three-kingdoms-prologue-oath-of-the-peach-garden\">here<\/a>!<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Liu Bei&#8217;s Ambitions (c. 200 AD):<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Liu Bei starts building his power base and alliances as he seeks to establish his own kingdom, the Shu Han.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Battle of Guandu (200 AD):<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Cao Cao defeats Yuan Shao, solidifying his control over northern China and founding the kingdom of Cao Wei.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Battle of Red Cliffs (208-209 AD):<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">One of the most famous battles in the novel.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Sun Quan, ruler of the Eastern Wu, allies with Liu Bei to defeat Cao Cao&#8217;s much larger army through strategic brilliance and fire attack.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To read our retelling of this legendary battle, be sure to read our recently released&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/lessons\/courses\/82-three-kingdoms-7-the-battle-of-red-cliffs-part-two\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Battle of Red Cliffs<\/a>&nbsp;lesson series.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Death of Guan Yu (219 AD):<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Guan Yu is captured and executed by Sun Quan&#8217;s forces after the Battle of Fancheng.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Death of Zhang Fei (221 AD):<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Zhang Fei is assassinated by his subordinates.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Death of Liu Bei (223 AD):<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Liu Bei dies, and his son Liu Chan inherits his position.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Zhuge Liang&#8217;s Northern Expeditions (c. 227-234 AD):<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Zhuge Liang leads a series of military campaigns against Wei in an attempt to fulfill Liu Bei&#8217;s vision of a unified China.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Wei&#8217;s Conquest of Shu (263 AD):<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">After a long period of conflict, Wei forces led by Sima Zhao conquer Shu.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Sima Yan&#8217;s Conquest of Wei (265 AD):<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Sima Yan, son of Sima Zhao, usurps the throne of Wei, marking the end of the Three Kingdoms period.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">End of the Three Kingdoms Period (280 AD):<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Sima Yan establishes the Jin Dynasty, marking the official end of the Three Kingdoms era.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); box-sizing: inherit; background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; padding-inline-end: var(--ricos-breakout-normal-padding-end,0); padding-inline-start: var(--ricos-breakout-normal-padding-start,0);\" data-breakout=\"normal\">\n<p dir=\"auto\" style=\"font-style: var(--ricos-custom-p-font-style,unset); font-variant: inherit; font-weight: var(--ricos-custom-p-font-weight,unset); font-stretch: inherit; font-size: var(--ricos-custom-p-font-size,unset); line-height: 1.5; font-family: var(--ricos-custom-p-font-family,unset); font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); box-sizing: inherit; background: transparent; border: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: var(--ricos-custom-p-color,unset); min-height: var(--ricos-custom-p-min-height,unset); text-decoration: var(--ricos-custom-p-text-decoration,unset); text-align: justify !important;\"><span style=\"text-align: start; font: inherit; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); box-sizing: inherit; background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; color: #000000; text-decoration: var(--ricos-custom-p-text-decoration,unset);\">Check out all of our original and readapted stories on our&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/lessons\/courses\/categories\/short_stories\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">website<\/a>&nbsp;or in our <a href=\"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/more\">a<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/more\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pp<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cRomance of the Three Kingdoms\u201d includes many fictional elements, and its historical accuracy is often debated by historians. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1976,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false},"categories":[2],"tags":[84,17,85],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/gio-almonte-d1VHhofdTbk-unsplash-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1816"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1816"}],"version-history":[{"count":56,"href":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1816\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2001,"href":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1816\/revisions\/2001"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}