****Romance of the Three Kingdoms - Year long group read

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Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong. Hailed as ‘The Iliad of China’, it is an epic historical novel documenting the turbulent years when the Chinese empire was divided into three warring kingdoms.

In Chinese culture, the era of the Three Kingdoms (AD 168-280) has achieved the status of legend, and this remarkable novel, written in the fourteenth century, is one of the great classics of Chinese literature. Arguably the most widely read historical novel in late imperial and modern China, this extraordinary work is essential reading for anyone who seeks to understand Chinese civilization.

The story – part historical, part legend, and part mythical – romanticises and dramatises the lives of feudal lords and their retainers, who tried to replace the dwindling Han dynasty or restore it. While the novel follows hundreds of characters, the focus is mainly on the three power blocs that emerged from the remnants of the Han dynasty, and would eventually form the three states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The novel deals with the plots, personal and military battles, intrigues, and struggles of these states to achieve dominance for almost 100 years.

Which translation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms should I read?

Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the 14th-century historical epic, is one of the most widely read works in China. For people who cannot read the original Chinese text, several English translations are available.

English readers now have a few options when it comes to reading this work. The oldest translation was by Charles Henry Brewitt-Taylor in 1925. Now out of copyright, the work has been reprinted several times as a two-volume set, usually in the exact same version of the original. This is unfortunate, as readers will notice two immediate problems: first, the text has many typos, including misspellings of words like ‘the’; second, the names and places are translated using the Wade–Giles system, which was a popular version for adapting Mandarin to English in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but is no longer widely used. In the Brewitt-Taylor translation names such as Cao Cao and Zhuge Liang are spelt Ts’ao Ts’ao as Chuko Liang.

It was not until 1991 that a new translation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms was made. This was done by Moss Roberts, a Professor of Chinese at New York University. Readers can purchase either a two-volume set that contains the full work, or a one volume abridged edition that omits over a couple dozen chapters. This is the most academic version of the English translations, and comes with about a hundred pages of endnotes as well as maps and a long essay on the text by Roberts.

The latest published translation has been done in 2018 by Martin Palmer, and is part of the Penguin Classics series. This is also an abridged version, with Palmer explaining that he included only about a third of the text (the book still runs to 617 pages). Unlike Roberts’ abridgement, this one does include at least portions from each chapter, so readers can follow the entire story without jumps in the narrative. It should also be noted that this is the least expensive version.
https://www.medievalists.net/2018/10/which-translation-romance-three-kingdoms/

Beginner's Guide to Romance of the Three Kingdoms
https://medium.com/@rebeccajanemorgan/beginners-guide-to-a-chinese-classic-roman...


https://www.shenyunperformingarts.org/explore/view/article/e/eHIdpBl5ReM/romance...

“The empire, long divided, must unite; long united, it must divide. Thus it has ever been.” - opening lines of Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Introduction

It is early in the third century and the once-glorious Han Dynasty is in its twilight. Those who would cast themselves as China’s next rulers have brought the empire to the brink of war. Court eunuchs scheme, rulers fall, and great heroes are born in epic combat. The people of China, longing for peace, wonder what will become of their lives as war rages across the land. The dynasty seems to have lost its “Mandate of Heaven”—what now?

This is the backdrop for the literary classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms, one of the four great pillars of Chinese literature (Journey to the West, Outlaws of the Marsh, and Dream of the Red Chamber are the others). Its fourteenth century author, Luo Guanzhong, draws upon history and folklore to create a colorful tale that showcases the era’s political and social affairs.

Moreover, it is considered a guidebook to military strategy that has been likened to Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. Through its pages, readers meet dozens of iconic characters from history, and witness battles of every scale. Three Kingdoms is at the core of Chinese cultural identity and, especially, the concept of yi—the essential glue that binds a harmonious society.

I'll be reading the Moss Roberts translation - I bought this back in 2004 for my children to read. They came to the book through playing Dynasty warriors on Playstation and my youngest two explored this period of Chinese history for several years, creating their own stories, plays and lots of artwork and comics.

There is also a 1994 Chinese tv series based on the book. You can watch the 84 episodes on youtube - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romance_of_the_Three_Kingdoms_(TV_series)

Very nice!

There's a version of the Brewitt-Taylor here that Khang Nguyen has modified. It uses pinyin and claims to fix the original's mistakes - guessing that means correcting the 'the' spellings, haha. Also includes extensive notes and commentary from Dr. Rafe de Crespigny and many Dynasty Warriors fans. http://threekingdoms.com/

I'll read the Moss Roberts translation. I've tried reading the above version one but I feel compelled to read all the notes and there's too many.

I also have the Moss Roberts translation.

Nice set-up, Kerry. SO how does this work - do we have a certain goal for each month or quarter or does everyone just read at their own pace?

Welcome. First I want to add that my son pointed out that there is also a more recent tv series from 2010.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Kingdoms_(TV_series)

>5 Settings: Thanks for posting that link. Great for anyone not yet in possession of the book. Another son has just been telling me about Dr. Rafe de Crespigny.

>6 Crazymamie: I prefer quarterly goals as I'm not that good at follow through, though monthly goals would keep us on our toes.
I'm not sure on how the work divides up as we might all be reading different editions, though so far we are on the Moss Roberts team. I'll have a look at my copy and post again later today unless someone beats me to it. I'm open for others to advise on this.

The 4 volume Moss Roberts edition by Foreign Languages Press has 120 chapters plus an afterword. I suggest we aim for 10 chapters per month.

>2 avatiakh: From wikipedia: "In 2014, Tuttle published a new, three-volume translation of the novel, translated by Yu Sumei and edited by Ronald C. Iverson (ISBN 9780804843935). According to its publisher, this translation is an unabridged "dynamic translation" intended to be more readable than past English translations of the novel."

. .

I will be reading this translation.

I'm going to give this a try as well this year. I'll also be reading the Yu Sumei translation

I’ve just picked up the first volume of the three volume translation in a kindle version.

What helped me most with getting through Water Margin was writing chapter summaries and taking notes on character introductions / names. The number of characters is also a problem with Romance of Three Kingdoms. There's a massive, massive number of them, many of which are big names in Chinese history, so the original intended audience already knew which characters were important and should be focused on. (So does the Dynasty Warrior player, I assume :D). So I want to write summaries again. I'll put them under spoiler tags.

Also want to try for a faster pace (if it actually happens). I don't think, I, personally, can read Three Kingdoms with extensive breaks. I'll forget the plot.

>9 ELiz_M: Those editions look beautiful!

I probably won't be able to join you all on the group read, but I will be following along. Perhaps someday I'll get to this book :) Thank you for starting the group read so that this book ended up on my radar!

This is an excessively long summary. Need to find some way to pick out important parts better. Frequently use a single name instead of so-and-so and their army, or so-and-so and everyone else who follows them around. Names are bolded their first mention unless the person dies quickly and so I'm not going to be expected to remember who they are when they reappear in 500 pages. If anyone sees a mistake, please be so kind as to correct me, much rather be corrected than confused.

Chapter 1:
Emperor Ling is the 2nd to last Han Emperor. Emperor Xian will be the last. Regent-Marshal Dou Wu and Imperial Guardian Chen Fan tried to save Ling from evil eunuch Cao Jie's influence, but their plot failed and they were killed. Many bad omens. Court counselor Cai Yong tells Emperor Ling the omens are because the eunuchs are evil, but he's dismissed and Cao Jie plus other evil eunuchs Zhao Zhong, Feng Xu, Duan Gui, Hou Lan, Jian Shuo, Cheng Kuang, Xia Yun, Guo Sheng, and particularly Zhang Rang, get more power.

A rebel group, the Yellow Scarves, led by three brothers Zhang Jue, Zhang Bao, Zhang Liang, forms. Taoist sage Zhuang Zi gives Zhang Jue a magic book. Yellow Scarf member Ma Yuanyi bribes eunuch Feng Xu (yes he's in that list up there -_-) to favor the rebellion from inside the court, but another yellow scarf member, Tang Zhou, betrays them, and Emperor Ling has regent He Jin kill Ma Yuanyi and imprison Feng Xu. This forces Zhang Jue to quickly advance the rebellion. He Jin tasks Imperial Corps commanders Lu Zhi, Huangfu Song, and Zhu Jun with quelling it.

The rebellion approaches governor Liu Yan's Youzhou district, who summons Commandant Zou Jing, who advises him to raise an army. LIU BEI (XUANDE), a poor man with fancy ancestors, hears the call. Liu Bei's uncle Liu Yuanqi had him educated by Zheng Xuan, Lu Zhi (^that Imperial Corps commander), and others. During that time Liu Bei also befriended Gongsun Zan.

Liu Bei meets ZHANG FEI and GUAN YU (LORD GUAN), who also hear the call. The three make the famous peach garden oath of brotherhood. Xuande is the oldest brother, then Lord Guan, then Zhang Fei, which makes Xuande their leader. They buy horses from traders Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang. Liu Yan treats Liu Bei as a nephew and the three successfully join him. They win two battles against the Yellow Scarves - one defending Youzhou and another defending governer Gong Jing's Qingzhou city - due to Zhang Fei and Lord Guan's fighting skills and Xuande's strategy.

After that, Zou Jing returns to Youzhou but Xuande heads to join his past teacher Lu Zhi. Lu Zhi tells Xuande that he's successfully holding back Zhang Jue, but the other two commanders need help with the other two rebel brothers. So Xuande goes to help them. But before he gets there, the commanders burn down the rebel camp. The rebels flee, but are intercepted by cavalry commander CAO CAO, whose father is Cao Song, has been told he'd be an important person by three people in the past - Qiao Xuan, He Yu, and Xu Shao - and who'd had eunuch Jian Shuo (he's up there) punished. People listened to Cao Cao after that.

Meanwhile, Xuande arrives, but Huangfu Song tells him they've got it covered and to go back and help Lu Zhi with Zhang Jue. On the way, they see Lu Zhi being carried in a prisoner cart. Lu Zhi said Zhang Jue used magic, the eunuch Zuo Feng arrived to investigate, and blamed Lu Zhi for the defeat after Lu Zhi refused to bribe him. Lu Zhi's been replaced by Dong Zhuo. On their way back, Xuande runs into a battle between Zhang Jue and Dong Zhuo and forces Zhang Jue to retreat. Dong Zhuo is ungrateful because his saviors have no rank, angering Zhang Fei, who heads to attack him.

I have the Moss Roberts version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

I am coming at this book from years of playing both Dynasty Warriors and Romance of the Kingdom Strategy games. I have conquered China many times in the guise of most of the well known characters, from Lui Bei to Sun Quan to Cao Cao and I believe this knowledge of the characters will help me keep them straight in the story.

I would also recommend a 2009 movie called 'Red Cliff' which depicts one battle from the book, many of the well known characters are part of this story. Directed by John Woo and beautifully filmed, the version that was released in America is apparently available on Netflicks.

Gah even longer.

Chapter 2:
Xuande / Lord Guan restrain Zhang Fei - Xuande decides they'll just leave. They join Zhu Jun and battle Zhang Bao (Zhang Liang is fighting Cao Cao and Huangfu Song), but Zhang Bao uses magic. Zhu Jun defiles the battlefield with dead animals, the magic fails, and Xuande wounds Zhang Bao as the latter flees to Yang City. Zhu Jun begins a siege. They hear Huangfu Song has been victorious - Zhang Jue and Ziang Liang are both dead and promotions have been had. Zhang Bao is killed by Zhu Jun's commander Yan Zheng.

Past followers of Zhang Jue (Zhao Hong, Han Zhong, and Sun Zhong) try to avenge him. First up is Han Zhong, who gets cornered in Wancheng. Xuande wants to accept Han Zhong's surrender, but Zhu Jun refuses it. Instead, they withdraw slightly to draw some rebels out of the city, then pick them off. However, Zhao Hong and Sun Zhong arrive and retake Wancheng. SUN JIAN, with fancy ancestors, the goodwill of province inspector Zang Min and an impressive battle history, arrives to help defeat the rebels. Sun Jian kills Zhao Hong and Xuande kills Sun Zhong.

Victory. However, Xuande is left out of the expected promotions. He tells courtier Zhang Jun, who issues a complaint to the emperor - he blames corruption and evil eunuchs. He's expelled from court. The eunuchs promote Xuande to judicial officer of Anxi but the court later issues a new declaration that makes Xuande think he'll be removed. An inspector, Officer Liu, arrives and is rude to Xuande (who doesn't bribe him). Angered, Zhang Fei whips the inspector and Xuande resigns. He hides out with Liu Hui. Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun refuse to bribe the eunuchs and are also removed from office.

Rebels Ou Xing in Changsha and Zhang Ju / Zhang Chun in Yuyang appear, but the emperor's kept in the dark. Court counselor Liu Tao and Minister of the Interior Chen Dan try to tell him, but the emperor trusts the eunuchs too much, even Feng Xu, who has been let out of prison. Both men are killed. Sun Jian defeats Ou Xing and is promoted. Liu Yu accepts Xuande's assistance on the recommendation of Liu Hiu, and they defeat Zhang Ju / Zhang Chun. Xuande's forgiven, promoted, praised by Gongsun Zan, and promoted again.

Emperor Ling is near death. He Jin is the brother of Empress He, mother of Prince Bian. Empress He murdered another consort, Lady Wang, whose son Prince Xie is being raised by Queen Mother Dong, the wife of Liu Chang. Emperor Ling is the son of Liu Chang and the adopted son of the past emperor. Emperor Ling and Queen Mother Dong want Prince Xie to be the heir, but the He's support Prince Bian. Eunuch Jian Shuo advises that He Jin needs to be killed.

Pan Yin warns He Jin, who summons the other officials, telling them they must execute all the eunuchs. Cao Cao opposes, saying the eununchs will kill them if the plan is discovered. They receive word that emperor has died and Cao Cao says that their first step needs to be supporting Prince Bian. Yuan Shao (Yuan Wei's nephew), He Jin, He Yu, Xun You, Zheng Tai and more rush into the palace and place Prince Bian on the thrown. Jian Shuo is killed.

The other eununchs rush to Empress He, who convinces He Jin to spare them. Queen Mother Dong summons Zhang Rang, who convinces her to entitle Prince Xie, and funnel military power towards her brother imperial uncle Dong Chong. Empress He and Queen Mother Dong argue. Queen Mother Dong is expelled from the palace then poisoned. Dong Chong is killed. Yuan Shao presses He Jin to kill the eunuchs, but He Jin hesitates. Spies inform Zhang Rang of this, and he bribes He Jin's brother He Miao to tell Empress He that He Jin plans to kill the eunuchs for no good reason. Empress He convinces He Jin to spare the eunuchs. Irritated, Yuan Shao tells He Jin to storm the palace and kill them already without bothering about Empress He, and He Jin agrees. First secretary Chen Lin opposes. Cao Cao gives some advice.

Chapter 3:
Cao Cao says the planning is giving the eunuchs forewarning, which angers He Jin. Dong Zhuo (having bribed the eunuchs) is doing well. He Jin summons him, so he leaves his son-in-law Niu Fu in charge and brings commanders Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, and Fan Chou. Son-in-law Li Ru advises Dong Zhuo to first petition the court about arriving at the capital, and he does so. Court censor Zheng Tai and Lu Zhi (apparently vindicated) oppose his arrival, but He Jin continues with the summons anyway. Zhang Rang, realizing what is happening, asks the Empress for help. She summons He Jin to her palace. Ignoring Chen Lin, Yuan Shao, and Cao Cao's doubts, He Jin goes to the palace and is murdered. Zhang Rang tosses the dead man's head at Yuan Shao.

He Jin's commander Wu Kuang sets the palace on fire and Yuan Shu (???), Yuan Shao, and Cao Cao burst into the palace. Evil eunuchs Zhao Zhong, Cheng Kuang, Xia Yun, and Guo Sheng and more are murdered, but Zhang Rang, Duan Gui, Cao Jie, and Hou Lan escape out the back, kidnapping Empress He, Prince Bian (Emperor Shao), and Prince Xie. Lu Zhi observes their flight and rescues Empress He. Wu Kuang kills He Miao. Cao Cao puts the fire out and tells Empress He to assume authority while soldiers led by Min Gong are sent after Zhang Rang to find Emperor Shao. Hearing the soldiers approach, Zhang Rang drowns himself. The two princes hide and are later found by Cui Yi, the owner of the nearby manor, who invites them in.

Min Gong catches and kills Duan Gui. He finds the princes at Cui Yi's manor. On their way back to the capital they meet the Minister of the Interior Wang Yun, Grand Commandant Yang Biao, Left Army Commandant Chunyu Qiong, Right Army Commandant Zhao Meng, Rear Army Commandant Bao Xin, and Yuan Shao, then Dong Zhuo, who is greatly impressed by Prince Xie. Everyone makes it back but the imperial jade seal is lost.

Bao Xin complains to Yuan Shao and Wang Yun about Dong Zhuo's obvious disloyalty, but the two shrug him off. Dong Zhuo absorbs the dead He brothers' troops. Li Ru tells him he can enthrone Prince Xie by acting quickly. He summons other officials and raises the idea. Imperial inspector Ding Yuan and Lu Zhi object, angering Dong Zhuo. Cai Yong (guess he's back?) and court counselor Peng Bo advise Dong Zhuo not to kill Lu Zhi right then and there and they adjourn.

Dong Zhuo observes LV BU, Ding Yuan's adopted son, but Li Ru tells him to avoid him. The next day, Ding Yuan/Lv Bu and Dong Zhuo battle outside the city. Although Ding Yuan's army is driven back and suffers heavy losses, Lv Bu's personal attack on Dong Zhuo forces him, an individual, to flee. Li Su, an old acquaintance of Lv Bu, tells Dong Zhuo he can recruit Lv Bu by offering him a prize horse and riches. Dong Zhuo and Li Ru both agree. The plan works great - Lv Bu assassinates his father and joins Dong Zhuo. Dong Min, Dong Zhuo's brother, is promoted. Li Ru presses that the plan to enthrone Prince Xie must go ahead and Dong Zhuo summons more officials. Imperial Guardian Yuan Wei is in attendance. Yuan Shao objects to Dong Zhuo's plan and the two rise to fight.

Chapter 4:
Li Ru holds back Dong Zhuo and Yuan Shao leaves. Yuan Wei and the others support Dong Zhuo. Privy Counselor Zhou Bi and Commandant Wu Qiong tell Dong Zhuo to pardon Yuan Shao and give him land. He does so. Prince Xie (Emperor Xian) becomes the Emperor. Emperor Shao, Empress He, and Lady Tang (the current consort) are imprisoned in a palace where they are later killed by Li Ru. Ding Guan objects and is beheaded. Dong Zhuo becomes prime minister. Although unwilling, Cai Yong is also promoted.

Dong Zhuo is corrupt and cruel. Commandant Wu Fu attempts to assassinate him but fails. Yuan Shao writes to Wang Yun, saying that he wants to work together to cleanse the palace. Wang Yun prepares a birthday banquet, an excuse for gathering other sympathetic officials. Cao Cao tells Wang Yun to give him a jeweled knife for an assassination attempt. Wang Yun agrees. However, Cao Cao falters, pretending he's brought the jeweled knife to Dong Zhuo as a gift.

Lv Bu suspects what Cao Cao was up to. Dong Zhuo agrees. Li Ru suggests they call Cao Cao back - if he returns it was innocent. However, Cao Cao flees and a warrent is put out for his arrest. He runs into county magistrate Chen Gong, who recognizes him and also wants to defeat Dong Zhuo. The two arrive at Cao Cao's friend Lv Boshe's residence, overhear Lv Boshe's people slaughtering a pig, mistake their meaning, and slaughter the household. On their way out they run into Lv Boshe. Cao Cao kills him in fear of retribution. Later, horrified by this, Chen Gong considers killing a sleeping Cao Cao.

Summaries are a lot of work - there's a lot. They do help me though. Feel like my understanding of this part has never been so solid.

Chapter 5:
Chen Gong decides he'll just leave, and Cao Cao makes it home alive. His father recommends Wei Hong to him, and the two forge an Imperial decree and raise an army. Yue Jin, Li Dian, Xiahou Dun, and Xiahou Yuan join up. Cao Cao's cousins, Cao Ren and Cao Hong, also arrive, followed by Yuan Shao, who is fooled by the decree. Also Yuan Shu (who is this person -_-), imperial inspectors Han Fu, Kong Zhou, and Liu Dai, governors Wang Kuang, Qiao Mao, Yuan Yi, Bao Xin, governors Kong Rong, Zhang Chao, imperial inspector Tao Qian, governor Ma Tong, Gongsun Zan, governor Zhang Yang, and Sun Jian. Gongsun Zan runs into Xuande, who also agrees to help defeat Dong Zhuo.

Wang Kuang suggests they establish a war-ruler, and Cao Cao picks Yuan Shao. He puts his brother Yuan Shu (aha!) as in charge of provisions. Sun Jian volunteers to take the forward unit. Li Ru hears about the army, but Lv Bu is confident he'll defeat them. Dong Zhuo appoints Hua Xiong as commandant, and Hua Xiong goes with with Li Su and generals Hu Zhen and Zhao Cen. Bao Xin, wanting glory, sends his brother Bao Zhong ahead of Sun Jian, but Hua Xiong kills him. Not knowing this, Sun Jian and his commanders Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Han Dang, Han Dang, and Zu Mao approach. Cheng Pu defeats Hu Zhen. Sun Jian reports to Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, but Yuan Shu, intimidated by Sun Jian, intentionally withholds supplies.

Sun Jian's men become unruly, and Li Su/Hua Xiong take advantage with a nightime attack. Sun Jian's army scatters, and he flees from Hua Xiong with Zu Mao. Zu Mao borrows Sun Jian's distinctive red hood, drawing Hua Xiong away, but getting himself killed. Gongsun Zan recommends Xuande to Yuan Shao and Cao Cao. Yuan Shu's commander Yu She and Han Fu's Peng Feng both head out to oppose Hua Xiong, and are both killed. Yuan Shao regrets the absence of his generals Yan Liang and Wen Chou. Lord Guan volunteers to go out. Yuan Shu is insulted because Lord Guan has no status, but Cao Cao accepts. Lord Guan returns with Hua Xiong's head. Yuan Shu remains angry.

Li Ru hears Li Su's report, and suggests they get rid of Yuan Wei, then have Dong Zhuo personally lead an opposing army. Li Jue and Guo Si kill Yuan Wei. Dong Zhuo heads out with them, Li Ru, Lv Bu, Fan Chou, and Zhang Ji. Yuan Shao orders Wang Kuang, Qiao Mao, Bao Xin, Yuan Yi, Kong Rong, Zhang Yang, Tao Qian, Gongsun Zan, and Cao Cao to defend.

Wang Kuang sends Fang Yue out to attack Lv Bu, who defeats him. Wang Kuang is rescued from Lv Bu by Qiao Mao and Yuan Li. Zhang Yang's brigade leader Mu Shun and Kong Rong's brigade leader Wu Anguo are defeated by Lv Bu. Everyone says Lv Bu is very strong and Cao Cao says the key to the battle is defeating him. Gongsun Zan attacks Lv Bu, but is forced to flee. Zhang Fei rescues the fleeing Gongsun Zan, and Zhang Fei, Lord Guan, and Xuande all attack Lv Bu at once. Lv Bu flees. The brothers pursue, but let him get away to attack Dong Zhuo.

Chapter 6:
They don't catch Dong Zhuo (these cliffhangers never amount to much, do they).

Sun Jian confronts Yuan Shu, angry, who has an advisor executed in apology. Li Jue approaches Sun Jian with a marriage offer from Dong Zhuo (his daughter and his son), but Sun Jian refuses. Li Ru suggests Dong Zhuo move the emperor from Luoyang to Chang'an. Yang Biao, Grand Commandant Huang Wan, and Minister of Works Xun Shuang object and are demoted. Later, Zhou Bi and Wu Qiong flag down Dong Zhuo and similarly object. Angry about their previous advice, Dong Zhuo has them beheaded. He raids the households of anyone connected with Yang Shuo on Li Ru's suggestion, orders Li Jue and Guo Si to begin a cruel forced evacuation, orders Lv Bu to raid the imperial tombs, and burns Luoyang to the ground.

Since Luoyong's now abandoned, Zhao Cen concedes the land to Sun Jian. Yuan Shao does not move to attack the retreating Dong Zhuo, angering Cao Cao, who goes to attack him himself with Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Li Dian, and Yue Jin. Dong Zhuo is received by governor Xu Rong, who he sends to set up an ambush while Lv Bu covers their rear in case of attack. Xiahou Dun charges Lv Bu, Xiaohou Yuan attacks Li Jue, and Cao Ren attacks Guo Si, but Xiahou Dun is driven back and Cao Cao's army is forced into Xu Rong's ambush. Cao Cao is wounded but is rescued by Cao Hong. Xu Rong almost catches them but they're rescued by Xiahou Yuan and Xiahou Dun, who kills Xu Rong. Cao Cao's allies regroup.

Yuan Shao moves into Luoyang. Sun Jian finds the missing imperial jade seal and Cheng Pu tells him this means the throne is destined for him. Based on this, they decide to plead illness, go home, and regroup. However, Yuan Shao hears about this, and when Sun Jian appears before him he already knows about the seal. Sun Jian leaves in anger and Yuan Shao sends a letter to imperial inspector of Jingzhou, Liu Biao, telling him to intercept Sun Jian and take the seal. Cao Cao returns, loses his hope in Yuan Shao, and leaves. Gongsun Zan and Xuande also leave. Qiao Mao angers Liu Dai, who kills him. Seeing these breakups, Yuan Shao also withdraws.

Liu Bao's friends are Chen Xiang, Fan Pang, Kong Yu, Fan Kang, Tan Fu, Zhang Jian, Cen Zhi, Kuai Liang, Kuai Yue, and Cai Mao. He orders Kuai Yue and Cai Mao to intercept Sun Jian. Huang Gai forces Cao Mao to retreat, but Liu Biao appears in person, demanding the seal. When Liu Bao retreats slightly, Sun Jian chases him, falling into Kuai Yue and Cai Mao's ambush.

Chapter 7:
Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and Han Dang get Sun Jian away safely, but it's a great defeat. Sun Jian and Liu Biao become mortal enemies.

Yuan Shao's provisions, provided by Han Fu, become scarce. Adviser Peng Ji has Yuan Shao suggest a joint attack on Han Fu to Gongsun Zan, who likes the idea. Planning on betraying Han Fu later, Yuan Shao warns Han Fu, who summons Xun Chan and Xin Ping for advice. They suggest asking Yuan Shao for aid. Lieutenant Geng Wu and Guan Chun object and try to stop Yuan Shao, but they're killed by his generals Wen Chou and Guan Chun. Yuan Shao gives Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Xu You and Peng Ji control of Han Fu's lands. Han Fu flees to governor Zhang Miao. Gongsun Zan sends his brother Gongsun Yue to get his share of the spoils, but Yuan Shao demands Gongsun Zan arrive himself. On his way back Gongsun Yue's killed by people claiming to work for Dong Zhuo.

Gongsun Zan is angry at Yuan Shao and attacks him. Wen Chou forces Gongsun Zan to retreat, but he's rescued by Zhao Zilong, who wants to join him. Yuan Shao orders Yan Liang, Wen Chou, and Qu Yi to attack, while he brings up the rear himself. Gongsun Zan, Yan Gang, and in the rear Zhao Zilong lead the other side. Yan Gang is killed by Qu Yi but Qu Yi is killed by Zhao Zilong, giving Gongsun Zan the advantage. Zhao Zilong breaches Yuan Shao's defenses, who refuses to hide despite Tian Feng's suggestion. However, Yan Liang arrives and Gongsun Zan's side is pushed back.

Yuan Shao's side chases them, but runs into Xuande, who have come to help Gongsun Zan. Yuan Shao flees and Gongsun Zan's side regroups. Dong Zhuo hears of this and Li Ru advises him to send an imperial order to resolve their argument. Dong Zhuo sends imperial guardian Ma Midi and court steward Zhao Qi. Listening to them, Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao start peace talks. Zhao Zilong, impressed by Xuande, confides how disappointed he is in Gongsun Zan.

Yuan Shao and Liu Biao refuse Yuan Shu's requests for supplies, angering him. He tells Sun Jian the two are conspiring to attack him and they should join forces. Sun Jian, hating Liu Biao, wants to agree but Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and Han Dang are suspicious of Yuan Shu. Spies inform Liu Biao, who prepares for an attack with Kuai Liang. Sun Jian has a younger brother Sun Jing, four sons by Lady Wu: Sun Ce, SUN QUAN, Sun Yi, and Sun Kuang, one son and a daughter by Lady Wu: Sun Lang and Sun Ren, and an adopted son Sun/Yu Shao. All the males try to stop him from attacking Liu Biao, but he's too stubborn. Sun Ce insists on accompanying him.

Liu Biao's general Huang Zu lies in wait, but Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and Han Dang force him to retreat. Sun Ce kills Huang Zu's general Chen Sheng, while Han Dang kills the other general Zhang Hu. Cheng Pu tries to catch Huang Zu, but he escapes and reports to Liu Biao. Things are looking bad for Liu Biao. Kuai Liang wants to send to Yuan Shao for help, but Cai Mo wants to fight to the death and rides out to meet Sun Jian. Cai Mo is forced to retreat. Kuai Liang wants Liu Biao to execute Cai Mo, but Liu Biao won't punish his brother-in-law.

Sun Jian approaches, ignoring an ill omen. Liu Biao sends general Lv Gong with a message for Yuan Shao. Sun Jian purseus Lv Gong, who follows Kuai Liang's previous advice and sets up an ambush. Sun Jian is killed. Huang Zu, Kuai Yue, and Cai Mo appear. Huang Gai captures Huang Zu and Cheng Pu kills Lv Gong. When Sun Ce hears Sun Jian is dead, he arranges to trade the live Huang Zu for a truce. Army officer Huan Jie carries the proposal to Liu Biao, who wants to accept it, but Kuai Liang objects.

Chapter 8:
Kuai Liang wants to attack Sun Jian's sons, even if it means sacrificing Huang Zu. But Liu Biao values Huang Zu and accepts the exchange. Dong Zhuo is pleased Sun Jian is dead and continues his evil behavior. He promotes his family including nephew Dong Huang. Lv Bu tells him Yuan Shu has written to minister of public works Zhang Wen, and Zhang Wen is beheaded. Wang Yun, saddened by current events, overhears his adopted daughter Diaochan pining. She says she's sad because he's sad. He plots to turn Lv Bu and Dong Zhuo against each other by promising her in marriage to Lv Bu, then to Dong Zhuo. She agrees and he does so. Dong Zhuo takes her to his residence.

Lv Bu hears where she's gone. Angry, he approaches Wang Yun. Wang Yun lies, saying Dong Zhuo said he wanted her as his daughter-in-law in preparation to giving her to his son, Lv Bu. Wang Yun has Diaochan's possessions delivered to Lv Bu. But when Lv Bu goes to Dong Zhuo's residence to pick up Diaochan, he hears Dong Zhuo's slept with her. Diaochan notices Lv Bu looking through the window and pretends to cry. Later, Lv Bu enters Dong Zhuo's apartment, sees Diaochan, and is yelled at by Dong Zhuo for flirting with his concubine. He complains to Li Ru, who reminds Dong Zhuo how important Lv Bu is. Dong Zhuo apologizes. Later, Lv Bu arranges a rendezvous with Diaochan. Dong Zhuo discovers them, but Lv Bu escapes. While pursuing him, Dong Zhuo runs headlong into another man.


Chapter 9:
It's Li Ru. On his advice, Dong Zhuo tells Diaochan he plans to give her to Lv Bu, but she threatens to kill herself then smears Li Ru. Dong Zhuo changes his mind. Lv Bu tells Wang Yun of his troubles, who feigns surprise, and tells him a plan to defeat Dong Zhuo is forthcoming. Wang Yun then summons supervisor Shishun Rui and Huang Wan. Shishun Rui suggests they fake a summons from the Emperor, and have Lv Bu ambush Dong Zhuo. Li Su, angry for being passed over for promotion, delivers the fake edict. Dong Zhuo has Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, and Fan Chou guard his territory while he heads to the capital. Lv Bu kills Dong Zhuo and Li Ru is executed.

Lv Bu, Huangfu Song, and Li Su take possession of Dong Zhuo's property and murder his family, including Dong Min and Dong Huang. Only Cai Yong mourns Dong Zhuo. Ma Midi urges forgiveness for this, but Wang Yun has Cai Yong killed, angering many people. Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, and Fan Chou, who all fled, request amnesty, but are denied. Their adviser Jia Xu suggests they avenge Dong Zhuo and raise an army with Niu Fu.

Li Su attacks Niu Fu. At first Niu Fu is defeated, then Li Su is. Angered, Lv Bu executes Li Su and heads out himself, defeating Niu Fu. Niu Fu abandons the others with his man Hu Chi'er, but Hu Chi'er turns on him and presents his head to Lv Bu. Lv Bu isn't convinced and executes Hu Chi'er. Li Jue uses strategy to draw out Lv Bu into attacking him and Guo Si, back and forth, while Zhang Ji and Fan Chou attack the capital. Lv Bu makes it back to the capital but it's a great defeat.

Later, two remaining Dong Zhuo supporters, Li Meng and Wang Fang open the city gates to the invaders. Wang Yun refuses to abandon the city, while Lv Bu flees to Yuan Shu. Li Jue and Guo Si plunder the capital and a bunch of named people are killed. The Emperor emerges. Li Jue and Guo Si tell him Wang Yun had Dong Zhuo murdered, then kill Wang Yun. They plan to kill the Emperor.

Chapter 10:
Zhang Ji and Fan Chou oppose this and their argument convinces Li Jue and Guo Si. Instead, they bully the Emperor into giving them titles and keep control of him. Zhu Jun is also promoted.

Governor Ma Teng and imperial inspector Han Sui approach the capital to punish the rebels, with the support of Privy Counselor Ma Yu, Court Counselor Chong Shao, and Left Imperial Corps Commander Liu Fan. Jia Xu advises the four rebels to stay put and wait until Ma Teng and Han Sui run out of food, but Li Meng and Wang Fang insist on attacking. Ma Chao, Ma Teng's son, kills Wang Feng and captures Li Meng, who is beheaded. Li Jue and Guo Si then decide to listen to Jia Xu. Ma Teng / Han Sui do run out of supplies and their three supporters are discovered and executed. Zhang Ji pursues Ma Teng, who escapes, while Fan Chou pursues Han Sui, then intentionally lets him go. Li Jue's nephew reports on Fan Chou. Jia Xu initially convinces Li Jue to ignore it, but Li Jue changes his mind and has Fan Chou killed.

Jia Xu pushes for good governance, but the Yellow Scarves resurge. Zhu Jun recommends Cao Cao to Li Jue, and he authorizes Cao Cao and Bao Xin to suppress the Yellow Scarves. Bao Xin is killed, but Cao Cao accepts surrenders from the Yellow Scarves and adds them to his army. In addition, he adds Xun Yu/Wenruo (son of Xuan Gun, ex follower of Yuan Shao), Xun You (Wenruo's nephew), Cheng Yu (Wenruo's rec), Guo Jia (Cheng Yu's rec), Liu Ye (Guo Jia's rec), Man Chong and Lv Qian (both Liu Ye's recs), Mao Jie (the former's recs), Yu Jin, and Dian Wei (who has quarreled with Zhang Miao / Xiahou Dun's rec). He also sends governor Ying Shao to fetch his father Cao Song. His entire family decides to join him, including younger brother Cao De. The family passes through imperial inspector Tao Qian's province (part of the initial group against Dong Zhuo? Unfortunately names are going to repeat. -_-), who helpfully assigns Commander Zhang Kai (a past Yellow Scarf) to escort them. But Zhang Kai betrays the family and Cao De, Cao Song, and the others are killed. Ying Shao flees to Yuan Shao.

Cao Cao heads to attack Tao Qian, who he blames, leaving behind only Xun Wenruo and Cheng Yu to guard his holdings. Xiahou Dun, Yu Jin, and Dian Wei lead the attack. Governor Bian Rang comes to Tao Qian's aid. Chen Gong is also Tao Qian's friend, and pleads for him to Cao Cao, saying it was all Zhang Kai's fault. But Cao Cao rejects the argument and Chen Gong goes to serve Zhang Miao. The battle begins. Tao Qian advisor's Cao Bao attacks Xiahou Dun, but a storm starts.


So that's the first month's chapters - I'll leave off posting any more until next month. Thoughts on the first 10 chapters (and Water Margin) without spoiling specifics:

This is rather similar to Water Margin with its feuding armies, rebel groups, and powerful named men leading armies of nameless soldiers and civilians. But while Water Margin is repetitive, the war strategies in this seem more realistic and grounded. It also lacks Water Margin's humor and colorful, larger than life, psuedo-immortal superheroes, or frequent expressions of brotherly warmth.

I've seen some of the movies and television episodes based on this - think they set you up to expect something more psychological than is actually here. When actors act you see their emotions on their faces. In Three Kingdoms the text is brief about such things, excepting chapter 8. I see the strategies as the focus.

I haven't started the book yet, but I am looking forward to reading your chapter summaries once I do.

I have taken down my German translation from the shelf and it has copious footnotes on the history etc. This is going to take some time...

>14 Settings: >16 Settings: It's hard to summarize these chapters as they themselves seem to written as summaries. An important character is introduced and his family history and backstory told in three relevant snippets in the space of a paragraph. A single page has three battles, the defeat of rebel leaders, creation of new rebel leaders and one or two city sieges. It's a lot.

>26 ELiz_M:

I think that's a good insight.

Mamie told me about this thread and group read - I'd love to join you. I got the two-tome edition as a Christmas present in 2019, but haven't managed to read a lot of pages (gave up pretty quickly).

Here's my German edition:

>5 Settings: Thanks for the link! I don't know if I will have time to join the group read, but I do think it sounds interesting.

I've read the first ten chapters and I really appreciate the chapter summaries that Settings provided. I am really enjoying the read, so many of my favorite generals are playing a part in the story right now. I see a lot of similarities between this and Water Margin but again, as Settings says in >23 Settings:, Water Margin seemed a little more like a fantasy whereas Romance seems more like a story from actual history.

>28 PersephonesLibrary: Wow, that is a beautiful edition! I don't know if I will ever read this work (it seems quite intimidating), but if I do, I would like to get this one. I think the cover is stunning. And anyway, good to see that there is a German translation, too!

I'm two chapters in and intend to read more this week. settings - Thanks for the chapter summaries, while I've only read two of them, I appreciate being able to recap what I just read. My daughter who knows the characters and stories very well is helping me as well.
So many characters coming and going but I feel I have a grasp of it.

I've now read all ten chapters and looking forward to the next ten.

Well, so far this month I've managed one chapter and will try to read 9 more in the next few days.

I pretty much immediately fell off this but hopefully the summaries will help me recap. :'(

I picked a very fat book for February and the month has proven too short for all my plans, I'm way behind. Sorry!

February is usually one of my best reading months but this year I am struggling to fit all my planned reads in. I have read about 5 of the 10 chapters that I wanted to get done but I am still enjoying the book and will eventually get back on schedule.

I'm now 20 chapters in so just have to knock off the next ten to be up to date. I'm planning on reading 2 chapters daily for the next few days.
The story is still rather compelling though there are so many characters to keep track of. Many don't last through a chapter, which does help the reader.

I have read up to Chapter 30. I am enjoying the book, but I think if I hadn't had years of playing the Romance of the Kingdom games, I would be overwhelmed by the number of characters. As it is, I am familiar with most of the characters from the games and find it very interesting to learn of their role in the actual story. Many of the characters brought their own distinct personalities to the games and these character traits seem to line up with how the book portrays them.

Oh that's great. I've just finished chapter 27 but will leave the book behind when I visit my mother for the weekend so won't get to chapter 30 till next week. Chapter 27 was about Lord Guan's journey to rejoin Xuande. Very good, all those commanders challenging him over not carrying the Prime Minister's papers.

I've now read up to chapter 30 as well. I'll probably read the last two chapters in the book so I can pick up Vol 2 for April.

I read a further 10 chapters and I am now up to Chapter 40. I really enjoyed these last 10 chapters as they dealt mostly with Liu Bei and his plans for holding off Cao Cao. Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei's advisor, has entered the book and he is a very interesting personality to read about. Also we were able to read about Sun Quan and his preparations in the south. If I have time, I will probably read on as the book is really getting exciting.

>42 DeltaQueen50: Well done. I haven't started my 10 chapters as yet though intend to before the month ends. Two of my sons are watching the tv series and are about 50 episodes in.

I am finally beginning to make sense of it all, it isn't just a compilation of names, characters are starting to stand out and there seems to be more of an actual story. I am looking forward to continuing on.

I would love to watch the tv series and will perhaps check into this after I finish the read.

I have read Chapters 40 - 50 and I was completly enthralled. These chapters cover the same territory as the 2009 movie, "Red Cliff", which show the events and battle between the northlands of China, led by Cao Cao and southlands led by Sun Quan and Liu Bei. The stratagists Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang play a major role, but pretty much all the important generals of these three warlords come into play during these chapters.

Although I have now got most of the names straight, it is confusing when some generals are known by more than one name like Zhuge Liang being referred to as Kongming, and Liu Bei as Xuande.

>45 DeltaQueen50: I've picked up the book again and have enjoyed reading some more chapters. Up to Xuande (Liu Bei) calling on Sleeping Dragon and not finding him at home.
I haven't read much of anything lately but hope to catch up here in the next few days.
Poor Madame Xu, forced to set an example to her son.

I find myself feeling sorry for most of the women that I've read about so far. They don't have a lot of control over their lives and often are put to death as a matter of course or sacrifice themselves so that their son's may live.

I have now read up to Chapter 60. These last chapters have dealt with the aftermath of the win for the Southlands at Red Cliff. Zhou Yu is still very jealous of Zhuge Liang and once again enters into a series of schemes to get the better of him, but of course, all fail. Cao Cao has turned his attention to the west as Ma Chao, son of Ma Teng comes after him. He is now considering continuing west into the lands of Liu Zhang, called the Riverlands. Liu Bei had considered taking the Riverlands as well, but as he is related to Lu Zhang, he held off. Liu Zhang, in turn sends an envoy, Zhang Song to Liu Bei requesting aid.

>48 DeltaQueen50: I've read up to chapter 40 and hope to read some more this coming week. You are really buzzing along.

Well, chapter 41 was fairly epic.

>50 avatiakh: My favorite chapers so far were chapters 40 - 50 - yes, they were truly epic!

Read another chapter after a 5+ month hiatus, posted it in a google doc instead of filling up the chat. Summaries are a lot of work but I've never gotten this far in the book without being totally lost - they're helping.

Looking forward to chapter 41.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/14SvzeF1-KsAKuuKrLiztb10Qj0I-OIe0bX-xsl92k-8/...

I'm up to chapter 51. Those last ten chapters were great, almost everyone was awesome.

>53 avatiakh: Happy to hear you enjoyed those last chapters, Kerry. I am hoping to get to chapters 61 - 70 later on this week.

I finished up to chapter 60 a few days ago. Will take a short break and move on to the next ten.
My sons finally finished watching all 95 episodes of Three Kingdoms (2010). It's been quite good as we discuss where I'm up to and that helps reinforce the storyline.

I am at Chapter 78 but taking a break from it right now. I hope to get back to it later on in the month. I haven't enjoyed the last few chapters as much as some of the previous ones, our heroes are aging and in some cases dying or being killed off.

I would love to see a film version of the whole book, although I would probably struggle with the casting since I have such a definite picture of the characters from years of playing the games.

I took a couple of weeks break and have this morning finished chapter 70, so ready to read my August quota. I'm still enjoying it especially the exploits of Xuande's older general, Huang Zhong. Zuo Ci's antics were also entertaining.

Ok, I'm up to chapter 81, several deaths of main characters and the story enters a new era.

I am at the beginning of chapter 95. I have to admit I am not enjoying the book as much since so many of the main characters have been killed or died. I actually dug out my computer game of Romance of the Kingdom XIII and have been spending far to much time playing it!

>59 DeltaQueen50: I'm prepared for the slow down in enjoyment of the final third of the book, maybe it won't hit me so hard as I'm less invested in the characters having not played any games. My current ploy of reading one chapter each morning before getting out of bed seems to be working for me, though I'll take a break now till the start of September. The tv show also dragged at this point according to my sons.

I found some childhood artifacts of my youngest two a few days ago - they attest to their immersion into the story of the Three Kingdoms. I'll post some photos to liven up this thread.

I'm looking to read Journey to the West next year. I loved the characters in the tv show, The Korean Odyssey, and want to read them in their original forms.

I'm now ahead of schedule and up to chapter 95 and have the final fourth volume at the ready. I'm enjoying the story as Kongming goes up against the Wei.
..and here are those images of my children's handiwork from about 12 or 15 years ago. I was going to add some more, but the story they wrote has some spoilers. They're still passionate about the Three Kingdoms era.

I love how they captured Guan Yu. His nickname was "Beautiful Beard" and his weapon was called "Blue Dragon" and I see a dragon's head peeping over his shoulder.

Yes, they enjoyed going through their stories & drawings, I found all this tucked away in an old art folder. I used some of their drawings when I was doing wood cut printing.

>61 avatiakh: Your post inspired me to pick up the book today and I have now read up to the beginning of Chapter 106. These last ten chapters or so have been mostly detailing the many battles between Wei and Shu. I expect that I will be finishing the book either at the end of September or in the first week of October.

Oh you are doing very well with it. I'm starting back with ch 95 today...and found this bookmark I made from Liam's drawings way back when.

>61 avatiakh: That is so wonderful!

>65 avatiakh: Has your son continued on with his drawing? His work looks like he would make an excellent animator.

I have pretty much completed all my planned September reading and I am going to pick up Romance of the Kingdom and press on to the end.

He has not though his sister has, she draws her own comics.

I'm slugging away still and up to chapter 99. My planned September reading hasn't really come together as many books don't hold my attention. I'm also listening to King Hereafter which contains many Viking skirmishes and battles and that makes me keen to read more of the Three Kingdoms.

I have completed my read of The Three Kingdoms and I am feeling very satisfied and proud. This epic story certainly stirred the imagination, and, as I loved it, I gave it 5 stars.

Here is my review:

The epic adventure novel, The Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong was an excellent read for me. I have long had a knowledge of the characters of the book, picked up by years of playing both Dynasty Warriors and Romance of the Kingdom Strategy games which were based on this traditional Chinese epic. Set in the years of 220 to 280 AD, China was, at that time, divided into three separate states, that of Wei, Shu and Wu. This era signified the crumbling of the Han Dynasty, and the book exposes the rivalry, intrigues and wars that were fought during the turbulent years that the three states were jostling for position.

I admit to feeling rather overwhelmed at first as the story opened up with the appearance of dozens of warlords and generals that were hard to keep track of. Thank heavens I persevered as what brings this book to life are these exciting and varied characters that the reader meets throughout the journey. Eventually a pattern emerges and the story narrows to follow certain characters which makes it much easier to absorb the story. The names of Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, and Cao Cao may have little or no meaning to westerners, but these are just a few of the heroes that through their loyalty or treachery live on and have become cultural icons in China.

Other than having to keep track of a multitude of characters, the book was very easy to read and I quickly became absorbed in the adventure, culture and geography of the story. This is a book that I have long wanted to read and now, I am happy to say that I have completed this massive volume and was very satisfied with the historical and mythical aspects of this story that truly does romanticize the lives of these feudal Chinese warlords.

Congratulations and a lovely review. I plan to finish in October having managed 100 of the 120 chapters so far.

Only one chapter to go...

Hooray! I ranted and raved about the book to my brother so much that he is now reading it. He's enjoying it as well.

...and I'm finished. A great read, many characters have already been forgotten though many remain in my memory too. I might have to start watching that tv show now.

Congratulations! I am the same - some of this book has lodged vividly in my brain while other parts have slipped away.