WIKIPEDIA

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

For the historical period see Three Kingdoms.
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms (traditional Chinese: Romance of the Three Kingdoms
79#; pinyin: sanguó yányi), written by Luo Guanzhong in the
14th century, is a Chinese historical novel about the events in by Luo Guanzhong and Jiang Daqi
the turbulent years of the late Han Dynasty and the Three
Kingdoms era, from 169 AD to 181 AD. C. until the
reunification of all of China in 280 AD. C. 1 It is based in part
on Chen Shou'shttps://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_Shou
book Records of the Three Kingdoms.2

It is one of the four classic Chinese novels in Chinese

literature, with a total of 800,000 words, or nearly one
million characters3, and 120 chapters.
Ming Dynasty illustration from the printed edition
Index from the 1591 novel, University of Madrid collection
Beijing.
Beginnings
GenderHistorical novel and war novel
Argument Based on Records of the Three Kingdoms Topic(s)
The rebellion of the yellow turbans History of China, Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Sun Quan, Sima
The tyrannical rule of Dong Zhuo
Yi, Yellow Turban Rebellion, Sun Ce and Three
Conflict between warlords and nobles
Sun Ce builds a new dynasty in Jiangdong Kingdoms
Liu Bei's ambition Original
The Battle of Red Cliffs Chinesehttps://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idioma_chi
Liu Bei takes over Yi Province no Edition
Death of Guan Yu Original title EE88é
Battle of Xiaoting Published in 14th century
Zhuge Liang's Campaigns City China
The End of the Three Kingdoms
Country Wei, Shu and Wu
Appearance in video games Date of 14th
century Julian
References publication
External links Format Book

Beginnings
Myths from the Three Kingdoms era exist in Chinese oral tradition long before they were compiled in writing.
Focusing on the Han Chinese, the story's popularity grew during the Mongol rule of the Yuan Dynasty. During the
Ming Dynasty, interest in works and novels about this period led to an expansion and reinvention of these stories.

The first attempt to combine these stories into a novel was the Sanguozhi Pinghua (—8885; Sānguózhì Pínghuà),
published between 1321 and 1323. He combined legends and stories of magic and morality to influence the peasants.
This version of the story included elements such as reincarnation and karma. The “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” is
traditionally attributed to Luo Guanzhong who lived between 1315 and 1400 (late Yuan, early Ming). Some theories
indicate that it was actually written in the mid-15th century (in the middle of the Ming era), a theory that is developed
in Andrew Plaks' book, Four Masterworks of the Ming Novel. The novel was written partly in Classical Chinese and
was the standard text for 300 years. The author used historical documents, including the “Records of the Three
Kingdoms” compiled by Chen Shou, which covered the period from the Yellow Turban Rebellion in 184 to the
unification of the Three Kingdoms under the Jin Dynasty in 280. The novel also includes poetic material from the Tang
and Yuan periods as well as its own interpretation of elements such as virtue and legitimacy. It was published in 24
volumes and copied by hand until its first printing in 1522.

In the 1660s, during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Mao Lun (*) and his son Mao Zonggang
(5) edited the text, setting it to 120 chapters and abbreviating the title and text. The use of poems from other sources
was reduced, as were many of the speeches of Cao Cao and his advisors and generals. There have been long debates
over whether the text is pro-Qing or anti-Qing. This edition supplanted the original.

Argument
One of the greatest achievements of the Three Kingdoms is the extreme complexity of its stories and characters. The
novel has several fragments that could be considered complete novels. An example is the Battle of Red Cliffs.

The main facts of the novel are:

The rebellion of the yellow turbans

The story begins in the final years of the Han Dynasty, when eunuchshttps://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunuco trick the
emperor and expel his loyal officials. The government becomes extremely corrupt at all levels, causing the Empire to
deteriorate. During the reign of the penultimate emperor of Han, Emperor
Linghttps://es.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Emperador_Ling&action=edit&redlink=1 , the Yellow Turban
Rebellion occurred under the leadership of Zhang Jiao. He pretended to be a healer who, while curing people of their
illnesses, also incited them to rebel. In this time of turmoil, the main characters appear: Liu Bei, Sun Jian, Zhang Fei,
Cao Cao, etc.

The rebellion was put down by the imperial troops of He Jin, Emperor Ling's brother-in-law and supreme commander
of the government armies. Fearing his increasing power, he was assassinated by his rivals, Zhang Rang's
eunuchs.https://es.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zhang_Rang&action=edit&redlink=1 His guard, led by
Yuan Shao, responded by entering the palace and carrying out an indiscriminate slaughter. Amid the ensuing
confusion, the young Emperor Shao and Prince Chen Liu (later Emperor of Xian) disappeared from the palace.

The tyrannical rule of Dong Zhuo

Soon, the emperor and the prince discovered that soldiers belonging to the warlord Dong Zhuo of Western Liang,
under the pretext of protecting the emperor, took the capital. Dong Zhuo deposed Emperor Shao and replaced him with
Prince Chen Liu. Under Dong Zhuo's violent rule the people suffered greatly. There were attempts to assassinate him
by his physician Wu Fu and Cao Cao, but both failed. Cao Cao drafted an edict calling on all warlords and governors
to rise up against Dong Zhuo in the name of the Emperor. Under Yuan Shao's leadership, 18 prefectures and nobles
joined forces in a campaign against Dong Zhuo, but due to poor leadership and conflicts of interest, they only
succeeded in having him move the capital from Luoyang to Chang'an. Dong Zhuo was later betrayed and killed by his
adopted son, Lu Bu, over an argument over the beautiful Diao Chan, planned by the minister Wang Yun.

Conflict between warlords and nobles

At the same time, the Empire was disintegrating into civil war. Sun Jian, governor of Changsha, found the Imperial
Jade Seal deep in the ruins of Luoyang but kept it for his own interests. Without a strong central government, warlords
began to fight for land and power. Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan were at war, and in the south, Sun Jian and Liu Biao.
Many others, without title or land, such as Cao Cao and Liu Bei, began to accumulate power. Cao Cao took the
Emperor of Xian from Dong Zhuo's subordinates https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dong_ZhuoLi Jue and Guo Si and
established the new court in Xuchang. With the emperor under his control, Cao Cao subdued his rivals Yuan Shu, Lu
Bu and Zhang Xiu, culminating in his greatest military victory, the Battle of Guandu against his archrival Yuan Shao,
despite their troop ratio being 1 to 10. Cao Cao pursued and defeated the Yuan family, which had managed to unify
northern Chinahttps://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/China, a territory that he would later use to lay the foundations for what
would later become the kingdom of Wei.

Sun Ce builds a new dynasty in Jiangdong

Meanwhile, Sun Jian lost his life in a war with Liu Biao. His firstborn son Sun Ce gave the Imperial Jade Seal as a
tribute to the royal uprising of the pretender Yuan Shu of Juanian, in exchange for the need for reinforcements. He then
secured the lands of Jiangdong, on which the kingdom of Wu would be founded. Tragically, Sun Ce died of an illness
he contracted in a terrifying encounter with Yu Ji, a falsely accused and executed Taoist monk. His successor, Sun
Quan, had Zhou Yuhttps://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhou_Yu and Zhang Zhao as advisors.

Liu Bei's ambition

Together with his sworn brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, he had sworn loyalty to the Han dynasty (in the famous
Oath of the Peach Garden) and promised to serve the emperor and the people. Liu Bei, who successfully put down the
Yellow Turban Rebellion, was not recognized for his efforts, and was only rewarded with being appointed as a
magistrate of a small county. Later, Liu Bei participated in the war against Dong Zhuo. Cao Cao invaded Xuzhou to
take revenge on Tao Qian, the governor of Xuzhou, who had ordered his subordinates to assassinate Cao Cao's father.
Liu Bei led his troops from Pingyuan to assist Tao Qiu, who appointed him Governor of Xuzhou before his death. At
the same time, Lu Bu was at war with Cao Cao because he wanted to dominate China after having killed Dong Zhuo.
He was defeated by Cao Cao and sought protection from Liu Bei. Lu Bu later betrayed him and took control of
Xuzhuo. Liu Bei allied with Cao Cao to fight Lu Bu who was defeated and executed.

The Battle of Red Cliffs

Cao Cao, who had declared himself prime minister, sent his troops to the southeast of China, after having unified the
north. To resist Cao Cao's invasion, Liu Bei sent Zhuge Liang to persuade Sun Quan in Jiangdong to form a coalition.
Zhuge Liang managed to persuade Sun Quan to form an alliance with Liu Bei against Cao Cao, remaining in
Jiangdong as a temporary advisor. Zhou Yu thought that Zhuge Liang might become a threat to Jiangdong, so he
attempted to assassinate him several times, always failing. In the end he had no choice but to make a pact with him,
because Cao Cao's army was
approached the border. Cao Cao was defeated at the Battle of Red Cliffs by the
combined forces of Liu Bei and Sun Quan and forced to retreat to Jingzhou.

Liu Bei takes over Yi Province

After Zhou Yu's death, relations between Liu Bei and Sun Quan gradually
deteriorated but not to the point of open conflict. According to the Longzhong
Plan, Liu Bei led his troops west and seized territory from the incompetent Liu
Zhang. With this victory, Liu Bei's domains encompassed a vast territory from
Ping Province to Yi Province, which would serve as the foundation for the future Place considered the scene of
state of Shu Han. He proclaimed himself “King of Hanzhong” after his victory the Battle of the Red Cliffs.
over Cao Cao at the Battle of Hangzhong.

At the same time, Cao Cao had secured the title of “King of Wei” through the emperor, while Sun Quan is known as
“Duke of Wu”. In the east, Sun Quan and Cao Cao's troops clash in the battles of Ruxukou and Hefei with no apparent
victor. A balance emerges between the three great powers that lasts until Cao Cao's death.

Death of Guan Yu
Meanwhile, Sun Quan, tired of Liu Bei not returning Jing province to him, prepares to take it back. He signs peace
with Cao Cao and proclaims himself his vassal with the title of “King of Wu”. Guan Yu, who is in charge of Jing
Province, launches his troops against Cao Ren at the Battle of Fancheng. At that time Sun Quan, as part of his secret
agreement with Cao Cao, sends an army to Jing under the orders of Lu Meng taking advantage of Guan Yu's absence.
Guan Yu is caught off guard and loses the province without even knowing it. He retreats to Maicheng, where he is
surrounded by Sun Quan's large army. Soon many of his troops begin to surrender or desert. Desperate, he tries to
break the siege, but is captured in an ambush. Sun Quan orders him executed after he refuses to renounce his loyalty to
Liu Bei.

Shortly after, Cao Cao died of a brain tumor and his son Cao Pi took over the throne, ending the Han dynasty and
naming his new dynasty “Cao Wei.” In response, Liu Bei, as a member of the imperial family, proclaims himself
emperor. As Liu Bei prepares to avenge Guan Yu, his other sworn brother, Zhang Fei is killed in his sleep by his
subordinates, who have defected to Sun Quan's side.

Battle of Xiaoting
Faced with the immense army that Liu Bei mobilized to avenge Guan Yu, Sun Quan offered him the province of Jing
as compensation. Liu Bei's advisors, including Zhuge Liang, tried to persuade him to accept the gesture of peace, but
Liu Bei persisted in seeking revenge. Following initial victories, a series of strategic errors coupled with Liu Bei's
impetuosity led to disaster for the Shu Han army at the Battle of Xiaoting. Lu Xun, the commander of Sun Quan's
armies, was stopped in his pursuit by a maze of sentinel stones that Zhuge Liang had left in anticipation of his arrival.

Liu Bei died shortly after this defeat due to illness. In his last conversation with Zhuge Liang, on his deathbed, he
entrusts Zhuge Liang with the care of his domains with the authority to seize the throne if his successor Liu Shan
proves to be an unsuitable ruler. Zhuge Liang rejects the latter, but swears
 who will be loyal to the trust that Liu Bei has placed in him. This promise
would mark Zhuge Liang for the rest of his life.

Zhuge Liang's Campaigns

Following Liu Bei's death, on the advice of Sima Yi, Cao Pi mobilized various
forces, including Sun Quan, the traitor general Meng Da, Meng Huo of the
Nanman, and the Qiang tribes, to attack Shu Han in coordination with a Cao
Wei army. Zhuge Liang managed to force the five armies to retreat without
bloodshed. Deng Zhi, as an envoy of Shu Han, convinces Sun Quan to restore
the old alliance with Shu Han. Zhuge Liang personally leads a series of
campaigns in the south against the Nanman barbarian king Meng Huo. The
king is defeated and captured seven times, but Zhuge Liang frees him each
time to win him over to his side. After his seventh defeat, Meng Huo swears
eternal friendship with Shu Han.

After pacifying the south, Zhuge Liang leads the Shu Han army on five
expeditions to attack Cao Wei and restore the Han Dynasty. Suffering from
chronic tuberculosis, his health worsened due to the effort of the campaigns.
His last great success against Cao Wei is probably the defection of Jiang Wei,
Artist's engraving by Zhuge a promising general expert in military strategy. Zhuge Liang dies of illness at
Liang.
the Battle of the Plain of
enemy, thus gaining time to retreat.
Wuzhang, while leading an evenly matched battle against his arch-enemy on the Cao Wei side, Sima Yi.
Before dying, he orders his trusted generals to build a statue of himself and use it to scare the

The End of the Three Kingdoms

The long years of fighting between Shu Han and Cao Wei saw many changes in the ruling Cao family. His influence
weakened after the death of Cao Rui and power in Cao Wei gradually fell into the hands of the Sima clan, led by Sima
Yi's sons Sima Shi and Sima Zhao.

In Shu Han, Jian Wei takes up Zhuge Liang's legacy and leads nine campaigns against Cao Wei over three bitter
decades to no avail. Liu Shan turns out to be an incompetent who puts all his faith in disloyal officials, gradually
leading to the decline of Shu Han which ends up being conquered by Cao Wei. Jiang Wei tries to restore the Shu Han
dynasty with the help of Zhong Hui but his plans are discovered and both are killed by Sima Zhao's troops. Following
the fall of Shu Han, Sima Zhao's son Sima Yan forces the last emperor of Cao Wei, Cao Huan, to abdicate, ending the
dynasty. The new dynasty is called Jin.

Since the death of Sun Quan, internal conflicts between the nobles dominate Wu. Zhuge Ke and Sun Lin try to seize
power. Although stability is restored, Wu's last ruler, Shu Hao, is a tyrant who makes no effort to improve his domain.
Wu, the last of the Three Kingdoms, is taken by Jin after a bitter struggle. After almost a century of civil wars, the
Three Kingdoms period ends.

Appearance in video games

Koei developed a series of turn-based strategy video games of the same name as the novel with chapters adapted
according to the most notable events of the work.4
References
1. Wu, Jonathan. «Romance of the Three Kingdoms Novel and History Introduction» (http://kongm
ing.net/novel/intro/). Retrieved November 11, 2007.
2. «Bamboo scrolls» (http://historia-china.blogspot.com/).
3. Roberts 1991, pg. 940
4. «Romance of the Three Kindoms video game series (in English).» (https://www.mobygames.
com/game-group/romance-of-the-three-kingdoms-series).

External links
■ English text on Wikisource.
■ French text on Wikisource.
■ Chinese text on Wikisource.
■ Chinese text (http://books.google.es/books?printsec=frontcover&vid=LCCN2004043994&re
dir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false) on Google Books.

■ TV series: videos with Spanish subtitles.

■ Chapter I: 1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBACacks3CQ); 2 (https://www.youtube.c
om/watch?v=wT3NO2IG5LM); 3 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufseQntXwsQ); 4 (http
s://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEWgt8Z02gE); 5 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjW
7_BNwcFk).
■ Chapter II: 1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pppQLBEA4T0); 2 (https://www.youtube.c
om/watch?v=stV4bk7L8ww); 3 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6E9XK23V70); 4 (http
s://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ5hZYjW97Q); 5 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNj8
brH3goI).
■ Chapter III: 1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-JG10WVp-k); 2 (https://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=qEvmmUCX1m4); 3 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQjK53xHiNM); 4 (http
s://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crqfxdPT354); 5 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lAWn
TCJlbs).

Obtained from «https://es.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Romance_de_los_Tres_Reinos&oldid=133737832»

This page was last edited on 5 Mar 2021, at 13:58.

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