Home About us Products Services Contact us Bookmark
:: wikimiki.org ::
Zhou Yu

Zhou Yu

Zhou Yu (周瑜) (175 - 210) was a famous militarist and strategist of the Three Kingdoms of China. He was a man of many talents, especially naval battles, who was also well versed in music and poems. There was a saying at that time: "Should the tune be in error, Zhou Yu takes note"(曲有誤，周郎顧). As a general of the Kingdom of Wu, he commanded the allied armies of Wu and Shu to defeat the invasion from Wei led by Cao Cao in the Battle of Red Cliffs. He died at the age of 35 from from illness while making preparations for an invasion on the Yi Province. It was said that he grew up to be a very handsome man and earned the nickname "The Gentleman Zhou", and was childhood friends of Sun Ce, ruler of Wu. When Sun Ce first started his campaign, Zhou Yu was quick to join. The two friends would later marry the Qiao sisters.

Zhou Yu in Fiction

Since Romance of the Three Kingdoms has a strong pro-Shu bias, Zhou Yu was portrayed as a jealous man who relentlessly tried--and failed--to beat Zhuge Liang. Furthermore, his role was deliberately overshadowed by Zhuge Liang, especially in the Battle of the Red Cliffs. For example, the arrow-stealing ploy employed by Zhuge Liang is attributed to Sun Quan in many other texts. Zhuge Liang even causes Zhou Yu's death: having been poisoned by Wei in a previous ambush, Zhou Yu is repeatedly provoked by Zhuge Liang and dies a bitter man, his last words being: "Having born Yu, wherefore also Liang?" On the Kunqu stage, Zhou Yu appears as a zhiweisheng, as in the scene "The Swaying Reeds" where he is captured and ultimately set free by Zhang Fei. In Chinese Opera, Zhou Yu is played by the Xiao Sheng (young man) or Wu Sheng (military man), even when he shares the stage with Zhuge Liang, who was actually the younger of the two. ja:周瑜 Zhou Yu Zhou Yu Category:People of the Three Kingdoms

Strategist

A strategy is a long term plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal, as differentiated from tactics or immediate actions with resources at hand. Originally confined to military matters, the word has become commonly used in many disparate fields, such as:
- Business strategy
- Chess strategy
- Economic strategy
- American football strategy
- Military strategy
- Marketing strategies
- Game theoretical strategy
- Strategic management
- Technology strategy
- Tennis strategy
- Trading strategy

Origins of the word

The word finds its roots in the French stratégie, which is ultimately derived from the Greek stratēgos, which referred to a 'military commander' during the age of Athenian Democracy.

Casual and Formal Interpretations of the concept

A strategy is typically an idea that distinguishes a course of action by its hypothesis that a certain future position offers an advantage for acquiring some designated gain. The description of the idea is generally prepared in prescriptive documentation.

Historic Texts On Strategy

The nature of historic texts differs greatly from area to area, and, while there are some potential parallels between various forms of strategy (noting, for example, the popularity of the Art of War as a business book), each domain generally has its own foundational texts, a brief mention of some of these follows:
- Political strategy
  - The Prince published in 1532 by Niccolò Machiavelli
- Military strategy:
  - The Art of War written in the 6th century BC by Sun-tzu
  - On War by Carl von Clausewitz
  - The Influence of Sea Power upon History by Alfred Thayer Mahan
- Economic strategy
  - General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money published in 1936 by John Maynard Keynes
- Business strategy
  - Competitive Strategy by Michael Porter
  - "Strategy Concept I: Five Ps for Strategy" and "Strategy Concept II: Another Look at Why Organizations Need Strategies" by Henry Mintzberg

See also


- Board of directors
- Nuclear strategy
- Strategic advantage
- Strategy game
- Strategic planning
- Strategy dynamics
- Synergy
- Tactics ja:戦略 Category:War Category:Marketing

Kingdom of Wu

Eastern Wu (Chinese: 東吳, pinyin: dōng wú), also known as Sun Wu (Traditional Chinese: 孫吳, pinyin: sūn wú) and (misleadingly) in English as the Kingdom of Wu, refers to a historical state in a region of China. During its existence, its capital was largely at Jianye (建業, modern Nanjing), but at times was at Gong'an (公安, in modern Jingzhou, Hubei) or Wuchang (武昌, in modern Ezhou, Hubei -- not Wuhan, as the name might suggest). Wuhan From 222 to 280, Eastern Wu was one of the Three Kingdoms competing for control of China after the fall of the Han Dynasty. During the decline of the Han dynasty, the region of Wu - a region in the south of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang), surrounding Nanjing - was under the control of the warlord Sun Quan. Sun Quan succeeded his brother Sun Ce as the lord over the Wu region paying nominal allegiance to Emperor Xian of Han (who was, at that point, under the control of Cao Cao). Unlike his competitors, he did not really have the ambition to be Emperor of China. However, after Cao Pi of the Kingdom of Wei and Liu Bei of the Kingdom of Shu each declared themselves to be the Emperor, Sun Quan decided to follow suit in 222, claiming to have founded the Wu Dynasty. Under the rule of Eastern Wu, southern China, regarded in early history as a barbaric "jungle" developed into one of the commercial, cultural, and political centers of China. Within five centuries, during the Five Dynasties and Ten States, the development of Southern China had surpassed that of the north. The achievements of Wu marked the beginning of the cultural and political division between Northern and Southern China that would repeatedly appear in Chinese history well into modernity. The term Southern China as used here does not include Guangdong and other provinces in the far south, which were not incorporated into China proper until the Tang Dynasty and remained for the most part economically and culturally backward until the late 19th century. The island of Taiwan may have been first reached by the Chinese during the Three Kingdoms period. Contacts with the native population and the dispatch of officials to an island named "Yizhou" (夷州) by the Eastern Wu navy might have been to Taiwan, but what Yizhou was is open to dispute; some historians believe it was Taiwan, while others believe it was the Ryukyu Islands. Eastern Wu was finally conquered by the first Jin emperor, Sima Yan, in 280. It was the longest-lived of the three kingdoms. Important figures:
- Sun Jian (孫堅)
- Sun Ce (孫策),
- Sun Quan (孫權)
- Huang Gai (黃蓋)
- Gan Ning (甘寧)
- Taishi Ci (太史慈)
- Zhou Yu (周瑜)
- Zhou Tai (周泰)
- Ling Tong (凌 統)
- Lu Su (魯肅)
- Lü Meng (呂蒙)
- Lu Yi (Xun) (陸遜)
- Zhang Zhao (張昭)
- Zhang Hong (張紘)
- Zhuge Jin (諸葛謹)
- Dong Xi (董袭)
- Xu Sheng (徐盛)
- Chen Wu (陈武)

List of sovereigns


Eastern Wu 222-280
Posthumous Names ( Shi Hao 諡號) Personal names Year(s) of Reigns Era Names (Nian Hao 年號) and their range of years
Convention: use personal name
Da Di (大帝 dà dì) Sun Quan (孫權 sūn quán) 222-252 Huangwu (黃武 huáng wǔ) 222-229
Huanglong (黃龍 huáng lóng) 229-231
Jiahe (嘉禾 jiā hé) 232-238
Chiwu (赤烏 chì wū) 238-251
Taiyuan (太元 taì yuán) 251-252
Shenfeng (神鳳 shén2 fèng) 252
Kuaiji Wang (會稽王 kuaì jī wáng) Sun Liang (孫亮 sūn liàng) 252-258 Jianxing (建興 jiàn xīng) 252-253
Wufeng (五鳳 wǔ fèng) 254-256
Taiping (太平 taì píng) 256-258
Jing Di (景帝 jǐng dì) Sun Xiu (孫休 sūn xiū) 258-264 Yong'an (永安 yǒng ān) 258-264
Wucheng Hou (烏程侯 wū chéng hóu)
or Guiming Hou (歸命侯; gūi mìng hóu)		 Sun Hao (孫皓 sūn haò) 264-280 Yuanxing (元興 yuán xīng) 264-265
Ganlu (甘露 gān lù) 265-266
Baoding (寶鼎 baǒ dǐng) 266-269
Jianheng (建衡 jiàn héng) 269-271
Fenghuang (鳳凰 fèng huáng) 272-274
Tiance (天冊 tiān cè) 275-276
Tianxi (天璽 tiān xǐ) 276
Tianji (天紀 tiān jì) 277-280
Category:History of China ko:오나라 (삼국) ja:呉 (三国)

Shu

Shu may refer to:
- Scoville Heat Unit is a measurement of how hot a chile pepper is.
- Shu (Egyptian deity)
- Seton Hall University, an accredited university in South Orange, New Jersey in the United States.
- Shu - Japanese term for 'sect', 'branch' or 'school' within the Buddhist religion
- 蜀 (Shǔ), an abbreviation of Sichuan province of the People's Republic of China, as well as the following historical regimes that existed in this region:
  - Shu (state), a state during the Zhou Dynasty era
  - Shu Han, a kingdom during the Three Kingdoms Period
  - Former Shu, a kingdom during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period
  - Later Shu, another kingdom during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period
  - Shu-san, from now and then here and there

Cao Cao

Cao Cao (155 – 220), whose name is also often transliterated and should be correctly pronounced as Ts'ao Ts'ao, was a regional warlord and the last Chancellor of Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during the last years of the Eastern Han Dynasty in ancient China. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid down foundations for what was to become Cao Wei and was posthumously titled Emperor Wu of Wei (魏武帝). Although generally characterized as a cruel and suspicious character in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and other folk cultures, the historic Cao Cao was a brilliant ruler, military strategist and poet.

Life

Early life

Cao Cao was born in the county of Qiao (譙, present day Bozhou, Anhui) in 155. His father Cao Song (曹嵩) was a foster son of Cao Teng (曹騰), who in turn was one of the favorite eunuchs of Emperor Huan. Some historical records, including Biography of Cao Man, claim that Cao Song was originally surnamed Xiahou (thus making Cao Cao a cousin of Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan, two of his most prominent generals). Cao Cao was known for his craftiness as a young man. Cao Cao's uncle often complained to Cao Song regarding Cao Cao's childhood indulgence in hunting and music. To counter this, Cao Cao one day feigned a fit before his uncle, who hurriedly informed Cao Song. Cao Song rushed out to see his son, who was by then back to normal. When asked, Cao Cao replied, "I have never had such illness, but I lost the love of my uncle, and therefore he had deceived you." Henceforth, Cao Song ceased to believe the words of his brother regarding Cao Cao, and thus Cao Cao became even more blatant in his wayward pursuits. At that time, there was a man living in Runan (汝南) named Xu Shao (許劭) who was famed for his ability to identify hidden talents of others. Cao Cao paid him a visit. Under persistent questioning, Xu Shao finally said, "You would be a capable minister in peaceful times and an unscrupulous hero in chaotic ones." Cao Cao took this as a compliment and was very pleased. At twenty, Cao Cao was recommended to be a district captain of Luoyang. Upon taking up the post, Cao Cao placed rows of multicolored staffs outside his office and ordered his deputies to flog those who violated the law, regardless of their status. An uncle of Jian Shuo, an influential eunuch under Emperor Ling, was once caught walking in the city beyond the curfew hour by Cao Cao and given his fair share of flogging. When the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out in 184 Cao Cao was promoted to a captain of the cavalry (騎都尉) and sent to Yingchuan (潁川) to put down the rebels there. He was successful in his military exploits and was further promoted to Governor of Dong Commandery (東郡).

Alliance against Dong Zhuo

In 189, Emperor Ling died and was succeeded by his eldest son, though it was the empress dowager and the eunuchs who held true power. The two most powerful generals of that time, He Jin and Yuan Shao, plotted to eliminate the clan of influential eunuchs. He Jin summoned Dong Zhuo, governor of Liangzhou (凉州), to lead his army into the capital Luoyang to lay pressure on the empress dowager. Before Dong Zhuo arrived, however, He Jin was assassinated by the eunuchs and Luoyang fell into chaos. After his force ridded the palace ground of opposition, Dong Zhuo deposed the emperor and placed in the throne the puppet Emperor Xian. Not seeing eye to eye with Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao left Luoyang for Chenliu (陳留, southeast of present day Kaifeng, Henan), where he raised his own troops. The next year, regional warlords combined their forces under Yuan Shao against Dong Zhuo. Cao Cao joined their cause. When Dong Zhuo was eventually killed in 192 by his own foster son, mighty warrior Lü Bu, China fell into civil war. Through short-term and regional-scale wars, Cao Cao continued to expand his power. In 196, Cao Cao convinced Emperor Xian to move the capital to Xuchang, into the warlord's custody. Henceforth, the last emperor of Han remained mostly a figurehead in the hands of Cao Cao. Cao Cao was then instated as the General-in-Chief (大將軍) and Marquis of Wuping (武平侯), though both titles had little practical implication. In 200, Yuan Shao amassed more than 100,000 troops and marched southwards on Xuchang in the name of rescuing the emperor. Cao Cao gathered 20,000 men in Guandu, a strategic point on the shore of the Yellow River. With his craft, brilliant military maneuvers and the help of a defector from Yuan Shao's camp, Cao Cao won a decisive and seemingly impossible victory. Yuan Shao fell ill and died shortly after returning from the defeat, leaving his legacy to two of his sons – the eldest son, Yuan Tan and the youngest son, Yuan Shang (袁尚). As he had designated the youngest son, Yuan Shang, as his successor, rather than the eldest as tradition dictated, the two brothers consistently feuded against each other, as they fought Cao Cao. Because of their internal divisions, Cao Cao was easily able to defeat them by using their differences to his advantage. Henceforth Cao Cao assumed effective rule over all of northern China. He sent armies further out and extended his control past the Great Wall into northern Korea, and southward to the Han River. However, Cao Cao's attempt to extend his domination south of the Yangtze River was dashed as his forces were defeated by the first coalition of his archrivals Liu Bei and Sun Quan (who later founded the kingdoms of Shu and Wu respectively) at the Red Cliffs in 208.

The three kingdoms

In 213, Cao Cao was titled Duke of Wei (魏公), given the Nine Dignities and given a fief of ten cities under his domain, known as the State of Wei. In 216, Cao Cao was promoted to Prince/King of Wei (魏王). Over the years, Cao Cao, as well as Liu Bei and Sun Quan, continued to consolidate their power in their respective regions. Through many wars, China became divided into three powers – Wei, Shu and Wu, which fought sporadic battles among themselves without the balance tipping significantly in anyone's favor. In 220, Cao Cao passed away in Luoyang at the age of 66, without realizing his ambition to unify China. His will instructed that he be buried in everyday clothes and without burial artifacts, and that his subjects on duty at the frontier to stay in their posts and not attend the funeral as, in his own words, "the country is still unstable". His eldest surviving son Cao Pi succeeded him. Within a year, Cao Pi forced Emperor Xian to abdicate and proclaimed himself the first emperor of the Kingdom of Wei. Cao Cao was then posthumously titled Emperor Wu.

Major battles

Battle of Yanzhou

In 193, China fell into a state of full-fledged civil war. Meanwhile, remnants of the Yellow Turban rebels still plagued the country. A wandering throng of the rebels from the Qingzhou (青州) numbering a million invaded the Yanzhou (兗州). Bao Xin (鮑信), a subject of Yanzhou governor Liu Dai (劉岱), advised the latter to fortify the city and wait for the enemies to disperse. Liu Dai refused and was subsequently killed in battle. Bao Xin then offered Cao Cao the governor's seat in exchange for his help. In the initial encounter, Cao Cao suffered minor losses but eventually subdued the rebel force. He also took in more than 300,000 surrendered troops under his own flag. This force, which came to be known as the Qingzhou Army, was to be an important foundation for Cao Cao's subsequent rise to power.

Battle of Guandu

In the spring of 200, Yuan Shao, the most powerful warlord of that time, amassed more than 100,000 troops and marched from Ye on Xuchang. To defend against the invasion, Cao Cao placed 20,000 men at Guandu (官渡), a strategic landing point on the shore of the Yellow River which Yuan Shao's troops had to secure en route Xuchang. With a few diversionary tactics, Cao Cao managed to disorient Yuan Shao's troops as well as kill two of Yuan Shao's most capable generals, Yan Liang and Wen Chou. The morale of Yuan Shao's troops suffered a further blow when Cao Cao launced a stealth attack on the former's food store. Many more of Yuan Shao's men surrendered or deserted than were killed during the ensuing battle. When Yuan Shao eventually retreated back to Ye in the winter of 201, he did so with little more than 800 horsemen. The Battle of Guandu shifted the balance of power in northern China. Yuan Shao died shortly after his return and his two sons were soon defeated by Cao Cao. Henceforth, Cao Cao's dominance in the entirety of northern China was never seriously challenged. The battle has also been studied by military strategists ever since as a classic example of winning against an enemy with far superior numbers. 201]]

Battle of Red Cliffs

The Battle of Chibi (literally, "Red Cliffs") was another classic battle where the vastly outnumbered emerged as victor through strategy. In this battle, however, Cao Cao was on the losing end. In the winter of 208, Liu Bei and Sun Quan – two warlords who later founded the kingdoms of Shu and Wu respectively – formed their first coalition against the southward expansion of Cao Cao. The two sides clashed at the Red Cliffs (northwest of present day Puqi, Hubei). Cao Cao boasted 830,000 men (historians believe the realistic number was around 220,000), while the Liu-Sun coalition at best had 50,000 troops. However, Cao Cao's men, mostly from the north, were ill-suited to the southern climate and naval warfare, and thus entered the battle with a disadvantage. Furthermore, a plague that broke out undermined the strength of Cao Cao's army. The decision by Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu, military advisors to Liu and Sun, to use fire also worked effectively against Cao Cao's vessels, which were chained together and thus allowed the fires to quickly spread. A majority of Cao Cao's troops were either burnt to death or drowned. Those who tried to retreat to the near bank were ambushed and annihilated by enemy skirmishers. Cao Cao himself barely escaped the encounter.

Other contributions

Agriculture and education

While waging military campaigns against his enemies, Cao Cao did not forget the basis of society – agriculture and education. In 194, a locust plague caused a major famine across China. According to the Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, the people ate each other out of desperation. Without food, many armies were defeated even without fighting. From this experience, Cao Cao saw the importance of an ample food supply in building a strong military. He began a series of agricultural programs in cities such as Xuchang and Chenliu. Refugees were recruited and given wastelands to cultivate. Later, encampments not faced with imminent danger of war were also made to farm. This system was continued and spread to all regions under Cao Cao as his realm expanded. Although Cao Cao's primary intention was to build a powerful army, the agricultural program also improved the living standards of the people, especially war refugees. By 203, Cao Cao had eliminated most of Yuan Shao's force. This afforded him more attention on the constructional works within his realm. In autumn of that year, Cao Cao passed an order decreeing the promotion of education throughout the counties and cities within his jurisdiction. An official in charge of education matters was assigned to each county with at least 500 households. Youngsters with potential and talents were selected to undergo schooling. This prevented a lapse in the output of intellectuals in those warring years and, in Cao Cao's words, would benefit the people.

Poetry

Cao Cao was also an established poet. Although few of his works remain today, his verses, unpretentious yet profound, contributed to reshaping the poetry style of his time. Together with his sons Cao Pi and Cao Zhi, they are collectively known as the "Three Cao" in poetry. Along with several other poets of the time, their poems formed the backbone of what was to be known as the jian'an style (建安风骨; jian'an is the era name for the period from 196 to 220). The civil strife towards the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty gave the jian'an poems their characteristic solemn yet heart-stirring tone, which frequently lament over the ephemerality of life. In the history of Chinese literature, the jian'an poems were a transition from the early folksongs into scholarly poetry. One of Cao Cao's most celebrated poems, written in the late years of his life, is Though the Tortoise Lives Long (龟虽寿).
《龟虽寿》 Though the Tortoise Lives Long
神龟虽寿，猷有竟时。 Though the tortoise blessed with magic powers lives long,
Its days have their allotted span;
腾蛇乘雾，终为土灰。 Though winged serpents ride high on the mist,
They turn to dust and ashes at the last;
老骥伏枥，志在千里； An old war-horse may be stabled,
Yet still it longs to gallop a thousand li;
烈士暮年，壮心不已。 And a noble-hearted man though advanced in years
Never abandons his proud aspirations.
盈缩之期，不但在天； Man's span of life, whether long or short,
Depends not on Heaven alone;
养怡之福，可得永年。 One who eats well and keeps cheerful
Can live to a great old age.
幸甚至哉！歌以咏志。 And so, with joy in my heart,
I hum this song.

Cao Cao in Romance of the Three Kingdoms

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a historical novel by Luo Guanzhong, was a romanticization of the events that occurred during the Three Kingdoms period. While staying true to history most of the time, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms inevitably gave Cao Cao a certain degree of dramatic make-up, in such a tone so as to suggest him as a cruel and suspicious character. On several occasions, Luo Guanzhong even made up fictional or semi-fictional events involving Cao Cao. These include: Three Kingdoms period]]

Escape from Dong Zhuo

While in reality Cao Cao did leave Dong Zhuo, the tyrannical warlord who held the last Han emperor hostage, in 190 to form his own army, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms went a step further to describe Cao Cao's attempted assassination of the latter. Since Dong Zhuo deposed the eldest son of the late Emperor Ling and placed in the throne Emperor Xian, his tyrannical behavior had angered many court officials. One of the officials, Wang Yun, held a banquet one night. Halfway through the banquet, Wang Yun began to cry at the cruel deeds of Dong Zhuo. His colleagues, feeling the same anguish, joined him. Cao Cao, however, laughed and said, "All the officials of the court – crying from dusk till dawn and dawn till dusk – could you cry Dong Zhuo to his death?" He then borrowed from Wang Yun the Seven Gem Sword with the promise that he would personally assassinate Dong Zhuo. The next day, Cao Cao brought the precious sword along to see Dong Zhuo. Having much trust in Cao Cao, Dong Zhuo received the guest in his bedroom. Lü Bu, Dong Zhuo's foster son, left the room for the stable to select a fast horse for Cao Cao, who complained about his slow ride. When Dong Zhuo faced away, Cao Cao prepared to unsheath the sword. However, Dong Zhuo saw the movement in the mirror and hastily turned to question Cao Cao's intention. At this time, Lü Bu had also returned. In his desperation, Cao Cao knelt and pretended that he wanted to present the sword to Dong Zhuo. He then rode away with the excuse of trying out the new horse, and headed straight out of the capital before Dong Zhuo, who grew heavily suspicious, could capture him. Lü Bu, the hunched figure clearly portraying him as a villain]]

Escape through Huarong Trail

After the fire started burning at the Red Cliffs, Cao Cao gathered all the men he could and escaped towards Jiangling, taking the shortcut through Huarong Trail. On top of the huge defeat and humiliation Cao Cao suffered, Luo Guanzhong decided to add one more pinch of salt to the getaway. During his perilous escape back to Jiangling, Cao Cao came to a fork in the road. Columns of smoke were seen rising from the narrower path. Cao Cao judged that the smoke was a trick by the enemy to divert him to the main road, where an ambush must have been laid. He then led his men towards the narrow path – the Huarong Trail. The smoke was indeed a trick by Zhuge Liang, military advisor to Liu Bei. Grasping Cao Cao's psychology exactly, however, Zhuge Liang actually meant to direct him to Huarong Trail, where Guan Yu with 500 troops sat waiting. Upon being cut off, Cao Cao rode forward and pled Guan Yu remember kindness of the former days. Seeing the plight of the defeated men and recalling the former favors he received from Cao Cao, Guan Yu then allowed the enemy to pass through without challenge, risking his own life for disobeying military orders.

Death of Cao Cao and Hua Tuo

In 220, Cao Cao passed away in Luoyang due to an unrecorded illness. Legends had many explanations for the cause of his death, most of which were wrought with superstitions. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms included some of these legends, as well as Luo Guanzhong's own story about the involvement of Hua Tuo, a renowned Chinese physician. When Cao Cao started complaining about splitting headaches during the last days of his life, his subjects recommended Hua Tuo, a physician whose skills were said to parallel the deities. Upon examination, Hua Tuo diagnosed Cao Cao's illness to be a type of rheumatism within the skull. He suggested giving Cao Cao a dose of hashish and then splitting open his skull with a sharp axe to extract the pus within. However, due to an earlier incident with another physician who attempted to take Cao Cao's life, Cao Cao grew very suspicious of any physician. Cao Cao believed Hua Tuo intended to kill him. He then threw Hua Tuo into jail, where the renowned physician died a few days later. Without proper treatment, Cao Cao soon died as well.

Cao Cao in opera

rheumatism While historical records indicate Cao Cao as a brilliant ruler, he was represented as a cunning and deceitful man in Chinese opera, where the character of Cao Cao is given a white facial makeup to reflect his treacherous personality. When writing the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Luo Guanzhong took much of his inspiration from the opera. As a result, such unscrupulous depiction of Cao Cao had become much more popular among the common people than the real Cao Cao himself.

The Cao clan

Direct male descendants

With Princess Bian


- Cao Pi (曹丕)¹
  - Cao Rui (曹睿)
    - Cao Fang (曹芳)
      - Cao Mao (曹髦)
      -
- Cao Huan (曹奂)
- Cao Zhang (曹彰)
  - Cao Kai (曹楷)
- Cao Zhi (曹植)
  - Cao Zhi (曹志)
- Cao Xiong (曹熊)
  - Cao Bin (曹炳)

With Lady Liu


- Cao Ang (曹昂)
  - Cao Wan (succeeded Cao Ang but was the son of Cao Jun (曹均)) (曹琬)
    - Cao Lian (曹廉)
- Cao Shuo (曹铄)
  - Cao Qian (曹潜)
    - Cao Yan (曹偃)

With Lady Huan


- Cao Chong (曹冲)
  - Cao Cong (succeeded Cao Chong but was the son of Cao Ju (曹据)) (曹琮)
- Cao Ju (曹据)
- Cao Yu (曹宇)

With Lady Du


- Cao Lin (曹林)
  - Cao Wei (曹纬)
- Cao Gun (曹衮)
  - Cao Fu (曹孚)

With Lady Qin


- Cao Xuan (曹玹)
  - Cao Heng (曹恒)
- Cao Jun (曹峻)
  - Cao Ao (曹澳)

With Lady Yin


- Cao Ju (曹矩)
  - Cao Min (succeeded Cao Ju but was the son of Cao Jun (曹均)) (曹敏)
    - Cao Kun (曹焜)

With other consorts


- Cao Gan (曹幹)
- Cao Shang (曹上)
- Cao Biao (曹彪)
  - Cao Jia (曹嘉)
- Cao Qin (曹勤)
- Cao Cheng (曹乘)
- Cao Zheng (曹整)
  - Cao Fan (succeeded Cao Zheng but was the son of Cao Ju (曹据)) (曹范)
  - Cao Chan (younger brother of Cao Fan by birth, succeed Cao Fan) (曹阐)
- Cao Jing (曹京)
- Cao Jun (曹均)
  - Cao Kang (曹抗)
    - Cao Chen (曹谌)
- Cao Ji (曹棘)
- Cao Hui (曹徽)
  - Cao Xi (曹翕)
- Cao Mao (曹茂)

Extended family


- Cao Ren (younger cousin) (曹仁)
  - Cao Tai (曹泰)
    - Cao Chu (曹初)
  - Cao Kai (曹楷)
  - Cao Fan (曹范)
- Cao Chun (younger cousin) (曹純)
  - Cao Yan (曹演)
    - Cao Liang (曹亮)
- Cao Hong (younger cousin) (曹洪)
- Cao Xiu (distant nephew) (曹休)
  - Cao Zhao (曹肇)
- Cao Zhen (distant nephew) (曹真)
  - Cao Shuang (曹爽)
  - Cao Xi (曹羲)
  - Cao Xun (曹训)
  - Cao Ze (曹则)
  - Cao Yan (曹彦)
  - Cao Ai (曹皑)
- Cao Anmin (nephew) (曹安民) ¹ For a complete list of Cao Pi's sons, see Cao Pi.

Reference


-
-
-

See also


- Three Kingdoms
- Han Dynasty
- End of Han Dynasty
- Personages of the Three Kingdoms
- Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms
- Romance of the Three Kingdoms

External links


- [http://www.anu.edu.au/asianstudies/decrespigny/morrison51.html Cao Cao and the Three Kingdoms: A George Ernest Morrison lecture in Ethnology ]
- [http://china.tyfo.com/int/literature/ancient%20poems/20000410literature.htm Translations of poems by Cao Cao and Cao Zhi]
- [http://www.chineseliterature.com.cn/Classics/cla2.htm Translations of ancient Chinese texts, including poems by Cao Cao] Cao Cao Cao Cao Category:Chinese poets Category:People of the Three Kingdoms Category:Han Dynasty ko:조조 ja:曹操



Sun Ce

Sun Ce (175 – 200) was a military general and warlord during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era in ancient China. He was the eldest of four sons of Sun Jian, who was killed in battle when Sun Ce was only sixteen. Sun Ce then broke away from his father's former overlord Yuan Shu and headed into Southeastern China to establish his own power base there. With the help of several capable men, including Zhang Zhao and Zhou Yu, Sun Ce managed to lay down the foundation of the later Eastern Wu, of which his younger brother Sun Quan eventually became the first emperor. After Sun Quan declared himself emperor, he posthumously honored Sun Ce with the title Prince Huan of Changsha (長沙桓王, literally "the diligent prince"). In 200, when the rising warlord Cao Cao was away battling Yuan Shao in the decisive Battle of Guandu, Sun Ce plotted to attack the capital and Cao Cao's base city Xuchang. However, he was assassinated before he could carry out the plan. The Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms describes Sun Ce as handsome and full of laughter. He was also a generous and receptive man who could employ people according to their abilities. Thus his subjects were willing to risk their lives for him. One of them named Xu Gong (許貢), in a letter to Emperor Xian, likened Sun Ce to Xiang Yu, the renowned Qin Dynasty general. As Xiang Yu was often referred to as the Conquerer of Chu, Sun Ce henceforth became known as the Little Conquerer in popular culture.

Life

Early life and career

Born in 175, Sun Ce was the eldest among four sons of Sun Jian, a military general loyal to the emperor of the Han Dynasty. In 190, a year after Emperor Ling died, the warlord Dong Zhuo usurped power, placing in the throne the puppet Emperor Xian. Regional warlords in eastern China then formed a coalition against Dong Zhuo. Sun Jian rendered his service to Yuan Shu, one of the leaders of the coalition. The attempt to oust Dong Zhuo soon failed and China slid into a series of massive civil wars. In the next year, Sun Jian was sent by Yuan Shu to attack Liu Biao, governor of Jingzhou (荆州, present day Hubei and Hunan), but he was killed in an ambush. Sun Ce brought his father's body to Qu'e (曲阿, present day Situ Town, Jiangsu) for burial and settled his mother down before heading for Danyang (丹楊, present day Xuancheng, Anhui), where his uncle Wu Jing (吳景) was the governor. There he raised a small militia a few hundred in strength. This small force was far from sufficient for him to establish his own power so in 194 Sun Ce went to Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu was very impressed with Sun Ce and often lamented that he had no son like him. He also returned Sun Jian's former division of troops to Sun Ce. Initially, Yuan Shu promised to appoint Sun Ce the governor of Jiujiang but eventually gave the governorship to Chen Ji (陳紀). Later, when Yuan Shu was denied a large loan of grains from the governor of Lujiang, he sent Sun Ce to attack the latter, promising to make Sun Ce the governor of Lujiang should he succeed. When Sun Ce did, however, Yuan Shu again went back on his words and appointed someone else instead. The disappointed Sun Ce then began to contemplate leaving. Meanwhile, Liu Yao (劉繇), who was by imperial decree the governor of Yangzhou (揚州, present day southern Jiangsu, southern Anhui, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Fujian), occupied Qu'e as the regional seat Shouchun (壽春, present day Shou County, Anhui) was already occupied by Yuan Shu. He then forced Wu Jing back west across the Yangtze River to Liyang (历陽, present day He County, Anhui) However, Yuan Shu claimed to be the rightful governor and sent Wu Jing and Sun Ce's elder cousin Sun Ben (孫賁) to attack Liu Yao. After they were unable to break down the defense for more than a year, Sun Ce requested to lead a force to assist the effort.

A kingdom's beginning

Though Yuan Shu knew Sun Ce intended to leave, he believed the latter would not be able to defeat Liu Yao. Thus he deployed the young general off with merely a thousand odd troops and a tiny cavalry force. Along with a few hundred more willing followers, Sun Ce proceeded to Liyang, where he boosted his strength to more than 5,000. He then launched an offensive across the Yangtze River and successfully occupied the strategic position of Niuzhu (牛渚, present day Caishiji, southwest of Ma'anshan, Anhui) in 195. Anhui Two of Liu Yao's allies then came south from Pengcheng and Xiapi respectively to aid him. Sun Ce chose to first attack one of them, Ze Rong (笮融), who made camp south of Moling. After suffering initial defeat in the hands of the aggressor, Ze Rong fell back in defense and refused to engage in battle. Sun Ce then marched further north and attacked Xue Li (薛禮) in Moling. Although Xue Li soon gave up the city and escaped, Liu Yao's subject Fan Neng (樊能) and others had regrouped their forces and launched a renewed attack on Niuzhu. Turning back, Sun Ce defeated Fan Neng and secured Niuzhu. He then began a second offensive against Ze Rong. However, he was struck by a stray arrow in the thigh. Returning to Niuzhu, he sent out false words that he was killed in battle. The exalted Ze Rong then sent a force to attack. Sun Ce led the enemies into an ambush and annihilated them. When Ze Rong heard that Sun Ce was still alive, he further reinforced his defense works. Sun Ce then temporarily gave up attacking Ze Rong and focused his forces on Qu'e. After all the surrounding areas were taken over by Sun Ce, Liu Yao gave up the city and escaped south to Yuzhang (豫章, present day Nanchang, Jiangxi), where he died shortly. As Sun Ce implemented strict discipline among his troops, he won the instant support of the local people. He then pushed his force deeper into Yangzhou and conquered Guiji (會稽, present day Shaoxing, Zhejiang), whose governor Wang Lang (王郎) surrendered. Sun Ce made Guiji his base city and struck out at the wandering army led by Yan Baihu (嚴白虎). Yan Baihu sent his younger brother Yan Yu (嚴輿) to seek peace but Sun Ce showed no mercy and personally slew the emissary. As Yan Yu was known among Yan Baihu's men as a fierce warrior, his death struck fear into their hearts and they were soon defeated. Sun Ce then appointed his relatives and a trusted subject to govern Danyang and Yuzhang, from which he divided a new commandery named Luling (廬陵). His campaign, from the occupation of Niuzhu to the conquest of the entire region southeast of the Long River, took less than a year.

Late life

In 195, Yuan Shu declared himself the first emperor of the so-called Cheng Dynasty. In a letter to Yuan Shu, Sun Ce denounced the move and broke ties with the former. In an effort to garner support from Sun Ce, the rising warlord Cao Cao then recommended him to be appointed General Who Suppresses Rebellions (討逆將軍) and enfeoffed as Marquis of Wu (吳侯). In 199 Yuan Shu died of sickness along with his short-lived dynasty. His cousin Yuan Yin (袁胤) feared Cao Cao and gave up Shouchun. Bringing along Yuan Shu's coffin and his former troops, he headed to Huancheng (皖城, present day Qianshan County, Anhui) to seek refuge under Liu Xun (劉勳). As Liu Xun had insufficent food supplies in his realm to support the additional troops, he led a force south to pillage Haihun (海昏, east of present day Yongxiu County, Jiangxi). Sun Ce was en route to attack Huang Zu in Xiakou (夏口, present day Hankou, Wuhan, Hubei) when he received the news. He then turned back and captured the poorly defended Huancheng, taking over all of Yuan Shu's 30,000 former troops. Hearing that his base city had been taken, Liu Xun headed west and sought help from Huang Zu, who sent a 5,000-strong naval force to assist him. Sun Ce pressed forward and defeated Liu Xun, who escaped north to Cao Cao. Sun Ce annexed more than 2,000 former troops and 1,000 ships of his enemy and came upon Huang Zu. Despite reinforcements from Liu Biao, Huang Zu was utterly defeated. The victorious Sun Ce in 199 looked poised to take over the entire southern China. As he was threatened by rival Yuan Shao in the north and could not divide his attention, Cao Cao attempted to further reinforce the alliance with Sun Ce by marrying his niece to Sun Ce's youngest brother Sun Kuang (孫匡). Sun Ce in turn agreed to marry Sun Ben's daughter to Cao Cao's son Cao Zhang. The governor of Wu Commandery (吳郡, south of present day Suzhou, Jiangsu) Xu Gong (許貢) then wrote to Emperor Xian, recommending the emperor to summon Sun Ce to the capital as he deemed Sun Ce to be a hero comparable to Xiang Yu and too dangerous to be allowed to occupy a territory. However, the letter was intercepted by an official loyal to Sun Ce, who then had Xu Gong executed. Xu Gong's former servants then kept a low profile and waited for chance to revenge. In the year 200 Cao Cao engaged in the decisive Battle of Guandu with Yuan Shao along the shores of the Yellow River, leaving the capital and his base city Xuchang poorly guarded. Sun Ce then plotted to attack Xuchang under the banner of rescuing Emperor Xian, who was a figurehead held under Cao Cao's control. Preparations were underway for the military excursion when Sun Ce ran into three former servants of Xu Gong during a solo hunting trip. One of them managed to plant an arrow into Sun Ce's cheek before Sun Ce's men arrived and slew the assassins. The physician told Sun Ce to rest still for a hundred days to allow the wound to heal, but Sun Ce looked into the mirror one day and, seeing his scar, became so enraged that he slammed his table. The large movement caused the wound to break and he died in the same night. Although he was survived by one son, Sun Ce passed his legacy to his younger brother Sun Quan. When Sun Quan declared himself the first emperor of the Kingdom of Wu in 222, he bestowed upon Sun Ce the posthumous title of King Huan of Changsha (長沙桓王). Sun Ce was succeeded by a posthumous son, Sun Shao, as well as at least three daughters, married to Zhu Ji, Gu Shao, and Lu Xun respectively. Sun Shao bore one son, Sun Feng, who was executed by Sun Hao for alleged treason due to his popularity.

Dispute over cause of death

Sun Sheng (孫盛) in his Exposition on Disparities and Similarities (異同評) discounted the theory that Sun Ce made plans to attack Xuchang. He believed that although Sun Ce was a rising power, he was threatened in the west by Huang Zu, who was defeated but not eliminated, in the north by Chen Deng (陳登), governor of Guangling (廣陵, present day Yangzhou, Jiangsu), and in the south by indigenous tribes yet to be assimilated. These prevented Sun Ce from striking far out at Xuchang and moving the emperor to southeastern China. He further argued that Sun Ce died in the fourth month of 200, before the Battle of Guandu even took place. The annotator of the Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms Pei Songzhi (裴松之) rebutted Sun Sheng, arguing that Huang Zu was newly broken and had yet to recollect his forces while the indigenous tribes were scattered and not much of a threat. Pei Songzhi believed that the first objective of Sun Ce's planned northward excursion was to attack Chen Deng, which would provide a platform for capturing Xuchang. On the other hand, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao had been engaging in skirmishes and small-scale battles before Sun Ce's death. Thus there was in fact no discrepancy in timing. Yuan Shao]] Another incredible but historically implausible story over Sun Ce's death involves a popular Taoist priest of his time named Gan Ji (干吉), whom he regarded as a sorcerer. Despite petitions from his subjects and his own mother, Sun Ce ordered Gan Ji's execution. According to In Search of the Supernatural (搜神記) by Gan Bao (干竇), a compilation largely based on legends and hearsay, Sun Ce began to see apparitions of Gan Ji ever since the execution of the latter. After he was injured by assassins, Sun Ce was told by the physician to rest still to allow the wound to heal. However, he looked into the mirror one day and saw Gan Ji's face, whereupon he let out a cry and slammed the mirror. His wound broke and he died shortly. This version was adopted and further dramatized by Luo Guanzhong in his historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, in which Gan Ji's name was taken to be "Yu Ji".

Dynasty Warriors

Sun Ce also appears as a playable character in the popular Dynasty Warriors video game series by Koei, in which his weapon of choice is a pair of tonfas.

Notes

# Sun Ce was supposed to inherit his father's title of Marquis of Wucheng but he had given it up to his younger brother Sun Kuang. # The Chinese characters for "Gan" (干) and "Yu" (于) in this case look very similar. It is believed that Luo Guanzhong made an error when referring to historical texts.

Reference


-
-
-

See also


- Three Kingdoms
- Personages of the Three Kingdoms
- Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms
- Romance of the Three Kingdoms

External links


- [http://kongming.net/novel/kma/sunce.php Comprehensive biography of Sun Ce from Kongming's Archives]
- [http://www.kongming.net/novel/trees/sun_detailed.html Extensive Sun family tree] Sun Ce Sun Ce Category:People of the Three Kingdoms ja:孫策

Zhuge Liang

Zhuge Liang (181 - 234) was one of the greatest strategists of post-Han China, as well as a statesman, engineer, scholar, and legendary inventor of baozi. Zhuge is an uncommon two-character compound family name.

Various names in different forms

Family name and given name


- Traditional Chinese characters: 諸葛亮
- Simplified Chinese characters: :诸葛亮
- Pinyin: Zhūge Liàng
- Wade-Giles:Chuko Liang

Courtesy name


- Chinese characters: 孔明
- Pinyin: Kǒngmíng
- Wade-Giles: K`ung-ming

Other names


- Crouching Dragon Xiansheng 臥龍先生
- The Crouching or Sleeping Dragon 臥龍
- Hidden Dragon 伏龍
- Pinyin: Wòlóng Xiānsheng or Wòlóng
- Wade-Giles:Wo-lung Hsien-sheng

Early life

Zhuge Liang was born in Yangdu County in Langya Commandery, at present-day Yishui County, Shandong Province. He was the second of three brothers and orphaned early; his mother died when he was nine, and his father when he was twelve. His uncle raised him and his siblings. When Cao Cao invaded Shandong in 195, his family was forced to flee south, and his uncle soon died of illness. Although both his sisters married into important families with numerous connections in the area, for ten years he resided in Longzhong Commandry (in present-day Hubei province) with his elder brother Zhuge Jin (who later served the Wu Kingdom) in a simple peasant life - farming by day and studying by night. He got to know a group of friends among the intellectuals of the area. His reputation soon grew, and he was named the Crouching (or Sleeping) Dragon, wise among his peers in many areas. At the meantime, he married the daughter of another renowned scholar Huang Chenyan. His wife's name is rumored to be Huang Yueying. The Huang Family was also connected to several other well established clans in the region.

Rise to prominence

The warlord Liu Bei harbored in the neighboring city Xiangyang under his distant relative and the governor of the Jing Region, Liu Biao. Legends recounted that Zhuge Liang joined Liu Bei in 207 only after Liu visited him in person three times. In reality, one of Zhuge Liang's works accounted for three visits. Zhuge Liang soon presented his famous Longzhong Plan before Liu, and he travelled in person to the Kingdom of Wu and formed an alliance with its ruler Sun Quan. His elder brother Zhuge Jin served as a high official in Sun's administration. In the Battle of Red Cliffs of 208, the allied armies of Liu Bei and Sun Quan defeated Cao Cao, thus enabling Liu Bei to establish his own territories. It is popular mythos that Zhuge Liang called forth a southeastern wind to sweep Huang Gai's fire-attack throughout Cao Cao's ships, however, in reality it was the Wu general Zhou Yu, a rival of Zhuge, who masterminded the wind attack. In folklore, the wind is attributed to either Zhuge Liang's magic or his ability to predict the weather. The union with Sun Quan broke down when Guan Yu retaliated on the Kingdom of Wu in 219 after the surprise attack of Lü Meng. Guan Yu was defeated and decapitated. Liu Bei, infuriated with the execution of his longtime comrade, ignored all arguments of his well-meaning subjects and turned on the Kingdom of Wu, leading a huge army to seek revenge. He was defeated in the ensuing Battle of Yiling by Lu Xun and died in a lone fortress of "Baidi Cheng" (literary meaning: "the White Emperor Fortress") after a hasty and humiliating retreat to his own borders. After the death of Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang became the chancellor under Liu Shan, Liu Bei's son, and renewed the alliance with Sun Quan.

The Southern Expedition

Zhuge Liang felt that in order to march North he would first have to unify Shu completely. If he fought against the North while the Nanman people rebelled, then the Nanman people would march further and perhaps even press into areas surrounding the capital. So rather than embarking on a Northern Campaign, Zhuge Liang led an army to pacify the south first. Ma Su (Ma Liang's brother) proposed the plan that Zhuge Liang should work toward getting the rebels to join him rather than killing all of them and he took this plan. Zhuge Liang defeated the rebel leader, Meng Huo, seven different times, but released him each time, in order to achieve his genuine surrender. During this campaign he got sick from the poison marshes in the area (according to the novel). Luckily, he was healed to good health, but possibly the effects of this sickness continued to ail him later, during the Northern Expeditions. Finally, Meng Huo agreed to join Zhuge Liang in a genuine aquiescence, and thus Zhuge Liang appointed Meng Huo governor of the region, so he could govern it as he already had, keeping the populace content, and keeping Southern Shu border secure to allow for the future Northern Expeditions. Zhuge Liang obtained resources from the South, and after this, Zhuge Liang made his moves North.

The Northern Expeditions

Zhuge Liang persuaded Jiang Wei, a general of Kingdom of Wei, to defect to the Kingdom of Shu during his first Northern Expedition. Jiang would become one of the prominent Shu generals, and inheritor of Zhuge Liang's battle strategies. Jiang Wei continued to carry on Zhuge Liang's ideals and fight for the Kingdom of Shu after Zhuge Liang's death in 234. In Zhuge Liang's latter years, he launched expeditions against the Wei five times, but all except one failed, usually because his food supplies ran out, rather than failure on the battlefield. His only permanent gain was the addition of the Wudu and Yin Ping prefectures as well as relocating Wei citizens to Shu on occasion. On the fifth expedition, he died of overwork and illness in an army camp in Battle of Wuzhang Plain. (The novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms related a story of Zhuge Liang passing "The 24 Volumes on Military Strategy" (Bing Fa Er Shi Si Bian) to Jiang Wei at the eve of his death, but this story was probably apocryphal, as while Zhuge and Jiang were clearly capable men, neither was a great general.) At Zhuge's recommendation, Liu Shan commissioned Jiang Wan to succeed him as regent.

Legacy

His name is synonymous with wisdom in Chinese. He was believed to be the inventor of the landmine and a mysterious automatic transportation device (initially used for grain described as a "wooden ox and floating horse" (木牛流馬), which is sometimes identified with the wheelbarrow. Although he is often credited with the invention of the repeater crossbow which is named after him, called Zhuge Nu, this type of semi-automatic crossbow actually first appeared during the Warring States Period, some three centuries before Zhuge's time. An early type of hot air balloon used for military signalling is also named after him called "Kongming Deng" (孔明灯). Some books rumored to be written by Zhuge Liang can be found today, for example the Thirty-six Strategies of Zhuge Liang, and Mastering the Art of War are two that are generally available. Supposedly, his mastery of infantry and calvary formation tactics based upon the Taoist I-Ching were unrivaled. He is also the subject of many Chinese literary works. A poem by Du Fu, one of the most prolific poets from the Tang Dynasty, was written in remembrance of Zhuge Liang: :THE TEMPLE OF THE PREMIER OF SHU :Where to seek the temple of the noble Premier? :In the deep pine forest beside the City of Silk, :Where the green grass of spring cover the steps, :And songbirds chirp happily between the leaves. :Triple summons weighted by affairs of the State :To two generations he served with his true heart, :To die before completing a lifetime of achievement, :Always have heroes weep on their fleece ever since. Pai Chung-hsi, a military leader of the Republic of China and warlord from Guangxi province, earned the laudatory nickname "Little Zhuge" due to his tactical decisions in the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Zhuge Liang's Wife Huang Yueying

According to some Chinese folklore Zhuge's wife Huang Yueying was hideous in appearance, while Zhuge was considered handsome. Legend says that Huang had dark skin, red hair and blue eyes -- characteristics that would be thoroughly unlikely for Chinese. According to the same legends, Zhuge married her because she was intelligent and wise. It appeared that Zhuge had no other wives or concubines even when he became prime minister of Shu Han, even though powerful men of the time were generally polygamists. Together, Zhuge and his wife had a son, Zhuge Zhan (諸葛瞻), who served Shu Han until his death in battle in defending the empire.

See also


- Three Kingdoms
- Romance of the Three Kingdoms
- Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms Category:181 births Category:234 deaths Category:People of the Three Kingdoms Category:Regents ko:제갈량 ja:諸葛亮

Zhang Fei

In the Romance of Three Kingdoms, Zhāng Fēi (張飛, c. 168 - 221 AD), styled Yìdé (翼德), was first a butcher, then an officer of the Kingdom of Shu and the second member of the Five Tiger Generals in the period of "Three Kingdoms". According to the legend, he was sworn blood brother of Liu Bei and Guan Yu, in an oath made in a Peach Garden. At the Battle of Chang Ban, having let the exhausted Zhao Yun and the baby he was carrying through and facing an impending army of hundreds of thousands, Zhang rode out alone on the Chang Ban Bridge to hold off the pursuing army of Cao Cao. He glared and pointed his spear, saying, "I am Zhang Fei of Yan, and anyone can come and challenge me to fight to the death," which was so powerful that it was said to have frightened and held off 10,000 troops (it is believed several generals fell off their steeds, and some sources even say the number of soldiers exceeded 100,000, but this is likely an exaggeration). None of the Wei army dared to proceed and even upon the arrival of Cao Cao himself they were still wavering. Cao, fearing an ambush devised by Zhuge Liang, eventually decided not to pursue Zhang. However, Zhang was later rebuked by Liu Bei for ordering his soldiers to burn Chang Ban Bridge so as to delay the pursuit of Cao's forces. Zhang Fei was unhappy about this, and Liu Bei was later proven right when Cao Cao was to guess correctly that Zhang Fei had burnt the bridge out of fear. Ironically, Zhang Fei had successfully pulled off a ruse against Cao Cao when he commanded his soldiers to attach logs to their horses so as to raise large dust clouds, creating the illusion that Zhang had a large army with him. Throughout the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhang is shown as exceedingly loyal and known for his strength and skill as a warrior, but also short tempered and a drunkard, which often got him into problems more times than not on the battlefield. Zhang's fierce sense of loyalty (and perhaps impetuousness) was demonstrated when Guan had left Cao to return to Liu - he had taken refuge when Cao under the condition that he would leave upon discovering his elder brother's whereabouts - and Zhang refused to believe that Guan had not defected to Cao already. Zhang fought with Guan in three fierce rounds, but the latter held back throughout, trying to explain to Zhang the truth. Thankfully, it was resolved without any bloodshed. Zhang also had a son Zhang Bao, an equally competent general who served the Shu kingdom dutifully. The historical Zhang Fei, however, was shown to have been a masterful general rather than simply a warrior. He was not known to have had an obsession with wine, that apparently being an invention of Luo Guanzhong for the novel. He treated his superiors with respect, but had little respect for his underlings. Zhang Fei was killed by his own men Zhang Da and Fan Qiang while leading troops to attack the rival kingdom of Wu, in response for the death of Guan Yu. The romanticised Zhang Fei is best portrayed in the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong. He also appears on the Kunqu stage as a hualian. Particularly famous is the scene "The Swaying Reeds", in which he ambushes, humiliates and sets free Zhou Yu. The historical Zhang Fei is best portrayed through his description and actions depicted in his Sanguozhi Biography, a work by Chen Shou. Some sources suggest that Zhang Fei was also an excellent painter.

Trivia


- The night before Zheng Fei was murdered by Zhang Da and Fan Qiang, they found him sleeping with his eyes wide open and were about to abandon their assassination but his snoring revealed that he was actually sleeping. Nowadays when someone sleeps in caution or with half-opened eyes they are referred to as "Zheng Fei eyes".
- The Zheng Fei enjoyed working in the garden. There are some trees he planted in Cheng Du that exist to this day.
- His son Zhang Pao personally executed Zhang Da and Fan Qiang when Sun Quan sent them both back to Shu Kingdom as a goodwill gift.

References



Category:175 births



Category:People of the Three Kingdoms

This category contains people who lived before or during the Three Kingdoms era in ancient China who had contributed significantly to their time or were well-known in their own right. The category also contains fictional characters found in the 14th century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong. :See also: Personages of the Three Kingdoms Category:Three Kingdoms Category:Chinese people in history ja:Category:三国志の登場人物

Reaktionsträgheit

Als chemisch inert (lat. für untätig, unbeteiligt, träge) bezeichnet man Substanzen, die unter den jeweilig gegebenen Bedingungen (nicht zwangsläufig die sogenannten "Normalbedingungen", sondern auch Reaktionsbedingungen o. ä.) mit den anwesenden potentiellen Reaktionspartnern (Luft, Wasser, Edukte und Produkte einer Reaktion) nicht oder nur in verschwindend geringen Maße reagieren. Chemisch inerte Substanzen können aus verschiedenen, unterschiedlichsten Chemikalienklassen kommen: chemische Elemente, chemische Verbindungen, Lösungsmittel, Gase u. v. a. Chemisch inert sind z. B. Edelgase, Stickstoff, viele Edelmetalle unter Normalbedingungen oder häufig die bei Reaktionen eingesetzten Lösungsmittel und Trägergase. siehe auch: Inertgas, Passivierung Kategorie:Chemie Inerte Stäube sind Partikel einer Substanz, der keine schädigende Wirkung auf den Kreislauf oder Körper nachgesagt werden. Dazu gehört u.a. Stärke und Zellulose.

london cheap hotel programy ebay tekst dog breeders










































:: RELATED NEWS ::
Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/April
Today is , , ; it is now (UTC)
------- ------- view - talk - [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/April_1&action=edit edit] - [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/April_1&a
H2 (manga)
H2 is a manga written by Mitsuru Adachi portraying high school baseball. It has been made into an 41-episode anime series and a 11-episode J-Dorama live-action series. The principal characters are: Kunimi Hiro (Senkawa High School) (Yamada Takayuki) Tachibana Hideo (Meiwa Daiichi High School) (Tanaka Koutaro) Amamiya Hikari (Meiwa Daiichi High School) (Ichikawa Yui) Koga Haruka (Senkawa High School) (Ishihara Satomi) During middle school, Kunimi Hir
Wikipedia:WikiProject U.S. Regions/Official Region Template and Infobox
Definition and Lead Paragraph

Geography

Main article: Geography of _

History

Main article: History of _

Culture

Main article: Culture of _

Economy

Main article: Economy of _

Variances

Famous Westerners (Midwesterners, Southerners, etc.)

Related Articles

External Links
Summer Sanitarium Tour 2003
In 2003, Metallica toured to promote their latest album, St. Anger. On this tour were:
- Linkin Park
- Limp Bizkit
- Deftones
- Mudvayne Possibly the most memorable event on this tour was in Chicago. During a show,
Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/August
Today is , , ; it is now (UTC)
[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/August&action=purge Click here to purge the cache for this page.]
------- -----

Selected anniversaries for August

view - Read More...
Interstate 235
Interstate 235 is the designation for several Interstate Highways in the United States, all of which are related to Interstate 35:
- Interstate 235 (Oklahoma), a 5.4 mile-long north-south spur route from downtown to north-central Oklahoma City
Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/December
Today is , , ; it is now (UTC)
------- ------- view - talk - [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/December_1&action=edit edit] - [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/
I-235
Interstate 235 is the designation for several Interstate Highways in the United States, all of which are related to Interstate 35:
- Interstate 235 (Oklahoma), a 5.4 mile-long north-south spur route from downtown to north-central Oklahoma City
Command processor
A command line interpreter is a computer program which reads lines of text that the user types and interprets them in the context of a given operating system or programming language. Examples of command line interpreters:
- the various Unix shell programs such as Bash
- command.com
Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/January
Today is , , ; it is now (UTC)
------- ------- view - talk - [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/January_1&action=edit edit] - [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/Jan
All Rights Reserved 2005 wikimiki.org