Three Kingdoms Prequel (Dream of the Son of Heaven Among the Warlords of the Late Han)

Author: Yu Tao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Defeating the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Eliminating Eunuchs, Dong Zhuo Enters the Capital. The story begins here. Heroes rise in the chaos from all directions, every family yearns for turmoil, and every person fears danger, all engaging in plots and schemes. Historical narration is a Chinese tradition, and before Romance of the Three Kingdoms, there were tales of Taigong. Politics favors power, while literature tends to pity the weak; history's right or wrong lies between the two.
— Professor Li Ling, Peking University
The northern China's dominant choice in history will not be the martial Dong Zhuo, the timid Han Fu, or the pedantic Kong Rong; it can only be that "hero" with a rebellious streak, Cao Cao. This first-class military strategist and statesman is also a sensitive poet. His passionate and melancholic verses, like brilliant gems, are perfectly embedded in the historical context of Romance of the Three Kingdoms: The Prequel, adding the finishing touch to the irreplaceable spirit of the Jian'an era: "Raise your cup and sing, how short is life?"
— Professor Wang Xiaoyi, Tsinghua University
In my opinion, this book is a crucial achievement in the study of the Three Kingdoms history and is worthy of being listed alongside Records of the Three Kingdoms and Romance of the Three Kingdoms. If you want to understand how the Three Kingdoms era formed without being misled, reading this book is enough.
— Li Yaping, author of Imperial Politics: Past and Present
Who will be the emperor? The late Han history begins here. The imperial relative He Jin lost his life, the scholar Yuan Shao seized the military, the warrior Dong Zhuo entered the court, the eastern scholars abandoned their allies, Cao Cao declared his allegiance to the emperor, the military households expanded, the original ambitions changed, the Cao family played someone else's game, the ideal of peace became a hidden code for replacing the Han, and the division of the three realms became reality. From the Luoyang coup in 189 to Cao Pi's accession in 220, the life of the Han emperor was manipulated by his subordinates, but history still moved under the banner of the Han. What made the transition of power so prolonged? Behind Dong Zhuo's assassination, was the mastermind the Grand Tutor Wang Yun or the beauty Diaochan? Yuan Shao, who claimed to be "saving the throne," why did he instead kill the emperor's envoy? The Cao Cao who did not declare himself emperor had a mysterious connection with the Yellow Turban Army. How did Sun Quan, Liu Bei, and Cao Cao achieve the triangular dominance of the Three Kingdoms? Why could Cao Pi defeat Cao Zhi and replace the Han?
This book poses layered questions, analyzes thoroughly, and is richly illustrated, presenting readers with the bloody and fiery historical reality of the Three Kingdoms' prelude as the heroes vied for the Central Plains.