Brief Introduction of Romance of The Three Kingdom
Main Characters
The "Shu" (蜀) Kingdom
- Liu Bei 刘备
- Zhuge Liang 诸葛亮
- Guan Yu 关羽
- Zhang Fei 张飞
- Zhao Yun 赵云
The "Wei" (魏) Kingdom
- Cao Cao 曹操
- Sima Yi 司马懿
- Xiahou Dun 夏侯惇
- Cao Ren 曹仁
- Yang Xiu 杨修
The "Wu" (吴) Kingdom
- Sun Quan 孙权
- Zhou Yu 周瑜
- Zhang Zhao 张昭
- Huang Gai 黄盖
- Lu Xun 陆逊
Others
- Lv Bu 吕布
- Dong Zhuo 董卓
- Yuan Shao 袁绍
- Hua Xiong 华雄
- Zhang Jiao 张角
Summary of The Story
Yellow Turban Rebellion and The Ten Attendants
In the final years of the Eastern Han dynasty, treacherous eunuchs and villainous officials deceive the emperor and persecute good ministers. The government gradually becomes extremely corrupt on all levels, leading to widespread deterioration of the Han Empire. During the reign of Emperor Ling, the Yellow Turban Rebellion breaks out under the leadership of Zhang Jiao.
The rebellion is barely suppressed by imperial forces led by the general He Jin. Upon Emperor Ling's death, He Jin installs the young Emperor Shao on the throne and takes control of the central government. The Ten Attendants, a group of influential court eunuchs, fear that He Jin is growing too powerful, so they lure him into the palace and assassinate him. In revenge, He Jin's supporters break into the palace and indiscriminately slaughter any person who looks like a eunuch. In the ensuing chaos, Emperor Shao and the Prince of Chenliu disappear from the palace.
Dong Zhuo's Tyranny
The missing emperor and the prince are found by soldiers of the warlord Dong Zhuo, who proceeds to take control of the imperial capital Luoyang under the pretext of protecting the emperor. Dong Zhuo later deposes Emperor Shao and replaces him with the Prince of Chenliu (Emperor Xian), who is merely a figurehead under Dong's control. Dong Zhuo monopolises state power, persecutes his political opponents, and oppresses the common people for his personal gain. There are two attempts on his life: the first is by a general Wu Fu, who fails and dies a gruesome death; the second is by Cao Cao, who nearly succeeds.
Cao Cao escapes from Luoyang and then sends out an imperial edict in the emperor's name to various regional officials and warlords, calling them to rise up against Dong Zhuo. Under Yuan Shao's leadership, 18 warlords form a coalition army and launch a campaign against Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo feels threatened after losing at the battles of Sishui Pass and Hulao Pass, so he decides to evacuate Luoyang and move the capital to Chang'an in the west. He forces Luoyang's residents to move together with him and has the city set aflame. The coalition eventually breaks up due to poor leadership and conflicting interests among its members. Meanwhile, in Chang'an, Dong Zhuo is betrayed and murdered by his foster son Lü Bu in a dispute over the maiden Diaochan as part of a plot orchestrated by the minister Wang Yun
Conflict among The Various Warlords and Nobles
In the meantime, the Han Empire is already disintegrating into civil war and anarchy as various warlords start fighting for land and power. Sun Jian finds the Imperial Seal in the ruins of Luoyang and secretly keeps it for himself. Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan are at war in the north while Sun Jian and Liu Biao are battling in the south. Others such as Cao Cao and Liu Bei, who initially had no titles or land, are also gradually forming their own armies and taking control of territories.
Cao Cao rescues Emperor Xian from Dong Zhuo's remnants, establishes the new capital in Xu, and becomes the new head of the central government. He defeats his rivals such as Lü Bu, Yuan Shu and Zhang Xiu in a series of wars in central China before scoring a decisive victory over Yuan Shao at the Battle of Guandu. Through his conquests, Cao Cao unites central and northern China under his control. The lands he conquered would serve as the foundation of the state of Cao Wei in the future.
Liu Bei's Ambition
Liu Bei and his oath brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei had sworn allegiance to the Han dynasty in the Oath of the Peach Garden and pledged to do their best for the Han Empire. However, their ambitions have yet to be realised and they were not given due recognition despite helping to suppress the Yellow Turban Rebellion and participating in the campaign against Dong Zhuo. After Liu Bei succeeds Tao Qian as the governor of Xu Province, he offers shelter to Lü Bu, who had just been defeated by Cao Cao. However, Lü Bu betrays his host, seizes control of the province, and attacks Liu Bei. Liu Bei combines forces with Cao Cao and they defeat Lü Bu at the Battle of Xiapi. Liu Bei then follows Cao Cao back to the capital Xu, where he is honoured by Emperor Xian as the "Imperial Uncle". When Cao Cao shows signs that he is planning to usurp the throne, Emperor Xian writes a secret decree in blood to Dong Cheng and orders him to get rid of Cao. Dong Cheng secretly contacts Liu Bei and others, and they plan to assassinate Cao Cao. However, the plot is leaked out and Cao Cao has Dong Cheng and the others arrested and executed along with their families.
Liu Bei has already left Xu when the plot was exposed, and he proceeds to take control of Xu Province from Che Zhou, the new governor appointed by Cao Cao. In retaliation, Cao Cao attacks Xu Province and defeats Liu Bei, forcing him to take shelter under Yuan Shao for a brief period of time. Liu Bei eventually leaves Yuan Shao and establishes a new base in Runan, but is defeated by Cao Cao again. He retreats south to Jing Province, where he finds shelter under the governor Liu Biao. Liu Biao puts Liu Bei in charge of a small county, Xinye. In Xinye, Liu Bei visits Zhuge Liang thrice and recruits him as an advisor. He also builds up his forces in preparation for war against Cao Cao.
Battle of Red Cliff
Cao Cao is appointed as the chancellor and he leads his forces south to attack Liu Bei after unifying central and northern China. He is defeated twice at Xinye by Liu Bei, but Liu also loses the county. Liu Bei leads his followers and the civilians on an exodus further south and they arrive at Jiangxia.
Liu Bei sends Zhuge Liang to meet Sun Quan and discuss the formation of a Sun–Liu alliance to counter Cao Cao. Sun Quan agrees and places Zhou Yu in command of his army in preparation for an upcoming war with Cao Cao. Zhuge Liang remains temporarily in Wu to assist Zhou Yu. Zhou Yu feels that Zhuge Liang will become a threat to Wu in the future and tries to kill him on a few occasions but fails. He has no choice but to cooperate with Zhuge Liang for the time being. The Sun–Liu forces score a decisive victory over Cao Cao at the Battle of Red Cliffs.
Sun Quan and Liu Bei start vying for control of southern Jing Province after their victory at Red Cliffs, but Liu wins and takes over the territories from Cao Cao's general Cao Ren. Sun Quan is unhappy and sends messengers to ask Liu Bei to "return" the province to him, but Liu dismisses the messengers each time with a different excuse. Sun Quan is unwilling to give up, so he follows Zhou Yu's plan to trick Liu Bei to come to Wu to marry his sister Lady Sun and then hold Liu hostage in exchange for Jing Province. However, the plan fails and the newlywed couple returns to Jing Province safely. Zhou Yu dies in frustration after Zhuge Liang repeatedly foils his plans to take Jing Province.
Death of Guan Yu
Meanwhile, Sun Quan plots to take Jing Province after growing tired of Liu Bei's repeated refusals to hand over the province. He makes peace with Cao Cao and allies with Cao against Liu Bei. While Guan Yu, who is in charge of Liu Bei's territories in Jing Province, is away attacking Cao Ren at the Battle of Fancheng, Sun Quan sends his general Lü Meng to launch a stealth invasion on Jing Province. Guan Yu is unable to capture Fancheng so he retreats, but is caught off guard by Lü Meng and had already lost Jing Province before he realised it. With the size of his army gradually shrinking over time, Guan Yu withdraws to Maicheng, where he is surrounded by Sun Quan's forces. In desperation, he attempts to break out of the siege but fails and is captured in an ambush. He is executed by Sun Quan after refusing to surrender.
Shortly after Guan Yu's death, Cao Cao dies of a brain tumour and his son Cao Pi forces Emperor Xian to abdicate in his favour, thereby ending the Han dynasty. Cao Pi establishes the state of Cao Wei. In response, Liu Bei also declares himself the emperor and founds the state of Shu Han as a successor state to the Han dynasty. While Liu Bei is planning to avenge Guan Yu, Zhang Fei is assassinated in his sleep by his subordinates.
Zhuge Liang's Campaign
After Liu Bei's death, Cao Pi induces several forces, including Sun Quan, a turncoat Shu general Meng Da, the Nanman and Qiang tribes, to attack Shu, in coordination with a Wei army. However, Zhuge Liang manages to send the five armies retreating without any bloodshed. He also sends Deng Zhi to secure a peace treaty with Sun Quan and renew the former alliance between Shu and Wu. Zhuge Liang then personally leads a southern campaign against the Nanman, defeats them seven times, and wins the allegiance of the Nanman king Meng Huo.
After pacifying the south, Zhuge Liang leads the Shu army on five military expeditions to attack Wei in the name of restoring the Han dynasty. However, his days are numbered because he has been suffering from chronic illness and his condition worsens under stress. He eventually dies of illness at the Battle of Wuzhang Plains while leading a stalemate battle against the Wei general Sima Yi.
End of Three Kingdom
The long years of battle between Shu and Wei see many changes in the ruling Cao family in Wei. The influence of the Caos weakens after Cao Rui's death and state power eventually falls into the hands of Sima Yi, and then to his sons Sima Shi and Sima Zhao.
In Shu, Jiang Wei inherits Zhuge Liang's legacy and continues to lead another nine campaigns against Wei for three decades, but fails to achieve any significant success. Besides, the Shu emperor Liu Shan turns out to be an incompetent ruler who places faith in corrupt officials. Shu gradually declines under Liu Shan's rule and is eventually conquered by Wei forces. Jiang Wei attempts to restore Shu with the help of Zhong Hui, a Wei general who is dissatisfied with Sima Zhao, but their plan fails and both of them are killed in battle. After the fall of Shu, Sima Zhao dies and his son Sima Yan forces the last Wei emperor, Cao Huan, to abdicate in his favour, thereby ending the state of Cao Wei. Sima Yan then establishes the Jin dynasty with him as its first emperor.
In Wu, there has been internal conflict among the nobles since Sun Quan's death. Besides, there are also attempts by the regents Zhuge Ke and Sun Chen to seize power, but both of them are ousted and killed in coups. Although stability is temporarily restored in Wu, the last Wu emperor Sun Hao turns out to be a tyrant. Wu, the last of the Three Kingdoms, is eventually conquered by the Jin dynasty. The fall of Wu marks the end of the near century-long era of civil strife historically known as the Three Kingdoms period.
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