5 Essential Skills of the Charioteer
Driving a chariot in the Shang and Zhou dynasties was serious business. Generally led by a team of four horses and surrounded by troops, chariots were the mainstay of military strategy; so much so that charioteering is one of the 'Six Arts' listed in the Book of Zhou (周禮, 2nd century BCE). A later commentator laid out the list though, as we shall see, quite a bit of guesswork is needed to decipher the items.
3 Sworn Brothers of the Peach Garden
The Han Empire is dying, beset by insurrection from marauding Yellow Turbans. Three noble men meet by chance and find common purpose in resisting the threat of tyranny and ruin. Amidst peach trees, the men swear an oath to unite unto death in the service of the downtrodden. So begins the celebrated Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and the fictionalised account of the real life founder and generals of the Shu Kingdom.
The Battle of Red Cliff
The Battle of Red Cliff The Battle of Red Cliff (208) was a turning point in history, checking the imperial ambitions of Northern warlord Cao Cao (曹操) and inaugurating the Three Kingdoms period. Having taken the Han emperor under his 'protection' and secured his territory in the north, Cao Cao marched his vast army southwards, seeking to complete his conquest of China. Yet he suffered cataclysmic defeat at Red Cliff at the hands of the allies Liu Bei and Sun Quan and was forced to retreat northwards, incurring devastating losses en route. [...]
