Chinese Literature
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Ink-wash banner: a marsh boat, a mountain bridge, a stone staff and a moon-gate garden — one vignette per novel.

Leaf IV · The three kingdoms · c. 1522

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

三國演義

The era as two dated tables. The cast: the lords, strategists and warriors who moved it, with courtesy names, allegiance and a condensed fate. The battles: which lord, which strategist, which fight turned which province — every row citing the chapters, so a claim can be checked against the novel. Painted leaves for the oath brothers and their rivals follow when the ink is dry.

The cast 群英

#RoleNameCourtesy nameAllegianceFate
1Lord曹操 Cao Cao孟德 Mengde魏 WeiDied in Luoyang in 220 with the north under his house; his son takes the Han throne within the year (ch. 78, 80).
2Lord刘备 Liu Bei玄德 Xuande蜀 ShuEmperor of Shu-Han by the novel's own arithmetic of legitimacy; died at Baidicheng after Yiling (ch. 80, 83-85).
3Lord孙权 Sun Quan仲谋 Zhongmou吳 WuDeclared emperor of Wu in 229 and outlived both rival founders (ch. 98).
4Lord董卓 Dong Zhuo仲颖 Zhongying群 —Deposed one emperor and poisoned another; died at the palace gate under his adopted son's halberd (ch. 3-4, 9).
5Lord袁绍 Yuan Shao本初 Benchu群 —Held the north until Guandu; the family's two heirs were gone within two years of him (ch. 30, 32-33).
6Lord吕布 Lü Bu奉先 Fengxian群 —The strongest fighter of the age and its least reliable ally; strangled at Xiapi (ch. 19).
7Lord孙策 Sun Ce伯符 Bofu吳 WuTook the Yangzi delta in a handful of campaigns; assassinated at twenty-six (ch. 15, 29).
8Lord刘表 Liu Biao景升 Jingsheng群 —Held Jing Province and would not use it; his sons handed it over within a year of his death (ch. 34, 40).
9Strategist诸葛亮 Zhuge Liang孔明 Kongming蜀 ShuShu's chancellor: the Longzhong plan, the southern pacification, six marches from Qishan; the star fell at Wuzhang Plains (ch. 38, 87-104).
10Strategist司马懿 Sima Yi仲达 Zhongda魏 WeiWon by outlasting every rival's patience; the Gaoping coup made the Wei throne a Sima appointment (ch. 106).
11Strategist周瑜 Zhou Yu公瑾 Gongjin吳 WuCommander at Red Cliffs; the novel works him to death at thirty-six against Zhuge Liang — “Heaven made Yu, why make Liang?” (ch. 44-50, 57).
12Strategist郭嘉 Guo Jia奉孝 Fengxiao魏 WeiCao Cao's young adviser through the pacification of the north; died at thirty-eight on the Wuhuan march, leaving plans that still worked (ch. 33).
13Strategist荀彧 Xun Yu文若 Wenruo魏 WeiThe statesman behind Cao Cao's rise; an empty food box told him his lord no longer wanted the loyal answer (ch. 61).
14Strategist庞统 Pang Tong士元 Shiyuan蜀 ShuThe Fledgling Phoenix, co-heir of the strategy; shot down under an enemy banner at Luofeng Slope (ch. 63).
15Strategist贾诩 Jia Xu文和 Wenhe魏 WeiAdvised three warlords and outlived them all; his one bad plan nearly cost Cao Cao everything at Wancheng (ch. 16).
16Strategist陆逊 Lu Xun伯言 Boyan吳 WuThe scholar-general who burned Yiling (ch. 84), then served Wu's suspicious emperor to his death.
17Strategist鲁肃 Lu Su子敬 Zijing吳 WuThe one statesman on either bank who kept the alliance alive; the alliance goes with him (ch. 29, 53, 66).
18Strategist吕蒙 Lü Meng子明 Ziming吳 WuTook Jing Province in a white-clothed crossing without a battle; dead within the same chapter span, visited by the man he took (ch. 75-77).
19Strategist法正 Fa Zheng孝直 Xiaozhi蜀 ShuPlanned the Hanzhong campaign that broke Cao Cao's west; the one adviser Liu Bei obeyed without argument (ch. 70-72).
20Strategist陈宫 Chen Gong公台 Gongtai群 —Left Cao Cao over one murder in the Lü family, served Lü Bu to the end, and walked to the execution block upright (ch. 19).
21Warrior关羽 Guan Yu云长 Yunchang蜀 ShuYan Liang beheaded at Guandu, five passes ridden to rejoin Liu Bei, seven armies drowned at Fancheng — then Maicheng, when the allies turned (ch. 25-27, 74-77).
22Warrior张飞 Zhang Fei翼德 Yide蜀 ShuThe shout at Changban Bridge held an army on a bridge; murdered in his sleep by his own men (ch. 42, 81).
23Warrior赵云 Zhao Yun子龙 Zilong蜀 ShuRode Changban alone and came out with the heir (ch. 41); died in his bed an old general, undefeated (ch. 97).
24Warrior马超 Ma Chao孟起 Mengqi蜀 ShuTurned Cao Cao's own west against him at Tongguan; ended his days holding the Qishan flank for Shu (ch. 58-59).
25Warrior黄忠 Huang Zhong汉升 Hansheng蜀 ShuTook a famous enemy general's head at Mount Dingjun past seventy (ch. 70-71); died in the Yiling vanguard (ch. 83).
26Warrior姜维 Jiang Wei伯约 Boyue蜀 ShuInherited the northern campaigns and kept driving them; one last restoration plot after Shu fell, and he died inside it (ch. 119).
27Warrior魏延 Wei Yan文长 Wenchang蜀 ShuHanzhong's governor by Liu Bei's own hand; after the chancellor died, cut down at his own shout of three words (ch. 104-105).
28Warrior张辽 Zhang Liao文远 Wenyuan魏 WeiA surrender Cao Cao valued; after Xiaoyaojin his name alone hushed crying children in Jiangdong (ch. 19-20, 67).
29Warrior徐晃 Xu Huang公明 Gongming魏 WeiBroke the siege of Fancheng with half-trained men against Guan Yu (ch. 76); died under Meng Da's arrow at the new city (ch. 94).
30Warrior张郃 Zhang He儁乂 Junyi魏 WeiOutlived every peer of his intake; died in the arrow ambush at Wooden Gate, which is what Zhuge Liang's retreats were for (ch. 101).
31Warrior夏侯惇 Xiahou Dun元让 Yuanrang魏 WeiTook an arrow in the eye, ate the eyeball, and kept fighting; the one man who shared Cao Cao's carriage (ch. 18).
32Warrior典韦 Dian Wei古之恶来 Gu zhi Elai魏 WeiDied holding the Wancheng gate with a pair of taken spears so Cao Cao could ride out (ch. 16).
33Warrior许褚 Xu Chu仲康 Zhongkang魏 WeiCao Cao's bodyguard tiger; fought Ma Chao half-naked to a standstill and outlived his lord (ch. 59).
34Warrior甘宁 Gan Ning兴霸 Xingba吳 WuRaided Wei's camp with a hundred riders and came back with none lost (ch. 68); died at Yiling under a tribal arrow (ch. 83).
35Warrior太史慈 Taishi Ci子义 Ziyi吳 WuDueled Sun Ce to a standstill, then served him; died crying that a great man's work dies unfinished (ch. 53).
36Warrior黄盖 Huang Gai公覆 Gongfu吳 WuTook the beating that sold the ruse, then rowed the false-surrender fire ships that lit Red Cliffs (ch. 46-49).

The era, dated 大事記

YearEventSidesHow it endedCh.
184The Yellow Turban risingthe Han court vs the Zhang brothersPut down by the warlords it armed — who never disarm again1-2
189Dong Zhuo seizes the courtDong Zhuo vs the Luoyang courtAn emperor deposed; the eighteen lords answer in coalition3-4
190The coalition at Hulao Gatethe alliance vs Dong Zhuo and Lü BuLuoyang burned on the retreat west; the coalition scatters5-6
192The chain stratagemWang Yun and Lü Bu vs Dong ZhuoDong Zhuo dead at the palace gate; the empire scatters to warlords8-9
196Cao Cao welcomes the emperorCao Cao vs every other claimant to loyaltyThe Han court moves to Xu — the title, with Cao Cao's seal on it14
200GuanduCao Cao vs Yuan ShaoWuchao's granary burns; the north changes hands30
207Three visits to the cottageLiu Bei vs Zhuge Liang's closed doorThe Longzhong plan: the empire cut into three parts38
208Changban and Red CliffsCao Cao vs the Liu-Sun allianceThe heir carried out of Changban; the armada burned on the southeast wind41-50
211TongguanMa Chao and Han Sui vs Cao CaoA cloak cut, a beard shaved — then the allies split on a forged letter58-59
214Liu Bei takes the RiverlandsLiu Bei vs Liu ZhangYi Province changes hands; Shu-Han gets its floor60-65
219Dingjun and FanchengShu's push north vs WeiXiahou Yuan falls; Guan Yu floods seven armies — then loses Jing behind him70-77
221Two emperorsCao Pi, then Liu BeiThe Han title passes to Wei; Shu-Han claims the succession80
222YilingLu Xun vs Liu Bei's revenge marchSeven hundred li of camps burn; the founder dies at Baidicheng83-85
225The southern campaignZhuge Liang vs Meng HuoCaptured seven times, released seven; the road north lies quiet87-90
228The campaigns from QishanZhuge Liang vs Sima Yi's patienceSix marches in seven years; the star falls at Wuzhang Plains91-104
249The Gaoping tombsSima Yi vs Cao ShuangA coup beside the royal tombs; the Wei throne becomes a Sima appointment106
263Shu surrendersDeng Ai's shortcut vs Jiang Wei's counter-plotThe Yinping plank road ends the war in a morning; the counter-plot dies with its author117-119
265Jin takes WeiSima Yan vs the last Wei emperorThe coup's grandson makes it a dynasty119
280Wu fallsJin's fleet vs Sun HaoIron chains melt on the Yangzi; the three are one again120

Beyond the tables: Bamboo Scroll tells the real history behind this novel, in free comics — every panel cited to the records →