(Pictured: the last time Liu Bei and Cao Cao meet as friends - from Chapter 21)
The Saga of the Three Kingdoms (inaccurately known in English as the Romance of the Three Kingdoms) is a very complex story which covers a period of time from 190 CE to 280 CE, nearly 100 years. There are hundreds of named characters and not one character alive at the start of the novel is still alive at the end.
Most of the Three Kingdoms tells a very good story and everyone who wishes to understand China or Chinese culture must read it. To not know the Three Kingdoms is the same as being interested in England but not reading the major plays of Shakespeare. That said, a simplified understanding of the Three Kingdoms may be of general interest. Thus, the Sonoma Sage will attempt explain the story in broad strokes.
The central theme of the Saga of the Three Kingdoms is: what sort of man can rule China? The reader is shown a number of people who think they are up for the job but most are lacking. What is interesting is that we end up with three men who prove to be worthy of rule - hence, the Three Kingdoms.
Part 1 - The Collapse of the Old Han Kingdom
The first 10 chapters - out of 120 total - serves as the introduction to the Saga, setting the stage for the main story that follows. We see how the old Han kingdom is tottering, how the Huangdi (Emperor) of the Han is just a figurehead, and the capital is becoming a city of lawless violence.
Part 1 is centered around the fascinating character of Lu Bu, who the Sage has written about. Lu Bu is a rare character in Chinese stories because he is a flawed hero Lu Bu is a man with many admirable traits but he lacks a few necessary attributes of greatness. If Lu Bu had been a better man, the story would have ended much sooner.
Part 2 - The Provincial Rulers are Eliminated
With the central government destroyed, there are several provincial governors who could potentially take control over China. But the Three Kingdoms is not about the provincial leaders, instead we are introduced to two men: Cao Cao and Liu Bei and it is these two men who we follow for most of Saga. Cao Cao and Liu Bei are very similar to one another and while they begin the story as allies, they spend most of the Saga at war with each other.
However, before Cao Cao and Liu Bei go to war, the provincial governors must be dealt with. The two important governors: Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu are half brothers but they do not get along and while they have political control over two powerful provinces, neither man is actually a good leader. First to be destroyed is Yuan Shu, as Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Yuan Shao work together to crush this pretender to the throne.
Chapter 21: after a brief period of peace, Liu Bei decides that he cannot continue to work with Cao Cao and so he attempts to take over a province of his own. Cao Cao attacks Liu Bei and captures most of his army. Cao Cao then wages war on Yuan Shao and defeats him in a campaign which shows Cao Cao’s brilliance as a general and as a ruler. Chapter 32 ends with Cao Cao as the clear winner in the struggle to control northern China.
Part 3 - Liu Bei allies with Liu Biao and is Defeated
A powerful provincial leader who stayed out of the fighting up till now is Liu Biao. He was a member of the Royal family and he has been ruling a large province, treating it like it was an independent kingdom for 20 years. With Cao Cao in a strong position, Liu Biao has a stark choice: submit to Cao Cao or fight. He chooses to fight, and he invites Liu Bei to join him with his small but capable army.
Once again, Cao Cao demonstrates his superior skills as a ruler and general. Cao Cao invades Liu Biao’s province, convinces half of the army to join him, and defeats Liu Bei’s small army. In Chapter 41, Liu Bei is forced to retreat across the Yangtze river with just a fragment of his forces.
Part 4 - Cao Cao is Defeated by Sun Qian with Liu Bei’s Modest Assistance
In this section of the Saga, we meet the key members of the 3rd kingdom, the ruler, Sun Quan, and his top aides: Zhou Yu and Lu Su. The kingdom of Sun Quan plays a major role in the Saga from this point on and yet, we don’t actually meet these people till Chapter 39, a third of the way through the book. If this book were less of a history and more of a novel, we would have been seen Sun Quan’s kingdom much sooner. This is one of the frustrations with the Saga of the Three Kingdoms, it sticks so closely to the actual history that the story comes across as disjointed and lacking in symmetry or flow.
The climax of the novel is found in Chapter 49, which describes the Battle of the Red Cliffs - the single most famous battle in all of Chinese history. Here, Cao Cao, at the peak of his power and skills, is defeated. In fact, Cao Cao’s defeat is so crushing that he is nearly killed and he only escapes to fight another day thanks to the mercy shown to him by Lord Guan. Lord Guan is one of the best characters in the book and he is so famous that his image is still found in Daoist temples, Buddhist temples, and in the shrines of the Chinese diaspora around the world.
Part 5 - Liu Bei Gains a Kingdom by Taking Szechuan
The last major provincial ruler is the Governor of Szechuan. Due to geography, Szechuan is a very hard province to take. A capable military leader with support from the people can hold Szechuan against almost any army. Liu Bei manages to take Szechuan in part by guile and partly because it was either him, or Cao Cao. By Chapter 65, Liu Bei has finally gained control over a land he can call his own.
If this had been a novel, this would have been a good place to end the story. Our hero, Liu Bei, having started out with nothing, and having been defeated many times, finally has won control of a secure base. He soon declares that he is a Huangdi and names his kingdom Shu-Han. The End.
But this is not much of a novel, and so the Saga of the Three Kingdoms keeps going, and going, and going.
Part 6 - Liu Bei Defeats Cao Cao but Cannot Conquer the North
Liu Bei finally gets a measure of revenge against Cao Cao as he leads his new army north and defeats Cao Cao in a major battle. However, Cao Cao has several more armies ready at hand. Meanwhile, Sun Quan, concerned about the growing power of Liu Bei, decides to attack him and kills his top general, Lord Guan.
A few years pass and all the best characters die. Cao Cao falls sick and dies in Chapter 78 and Liu Bei dies soon after in Chapter 85. At this point, everyone we knew at the start of the book is gone, and their replacements are far less interesting people. The reader may be forgiven for losing interest at this point, though there are 35 more chapters left.
Part 7 - Zhuge Liang Wins Battles but Not the War
Most of the success of Liu Bei is attributed to his chief advisor, a man named Zhuge Liang: Daoist master, chancellor, and general. Zhuge is the epitome of the brilliant advisor who stands behind his king, guiding him to victory in war, and wise decisions in peace.
Unfortunately, Zhuge is a very annoying character because he is always right about everything, and when things go wrong, it’s never his fault. In Chapters 86 to 104, we read about Zhuge Liang and his cunning plans, which almost always succeed, and when they don’t - Zhuge’s plan was perfect but his commanders failed to carry out their instructions. (Oh really?) Zhuge defeats his opponents time after time but the net result is: No Change. The Three Kingdoms remain roughly in balance all the way until his death.
Part 8 - The Three Kingdoms Fight Inconclusively for Decades and then there is only One
Zhuge Liang dies in the year 234 and the history of the next 46 years is compressed into 15 confusing chapters with a mass of new, ill-defined characters who appear and then die in rapid succession. Even the Sonoma Sage lost interest at this point though the actual history of the fall of Cao Cao’s family is quite interesting.
In short: we see how the last capable man, Sima Yi, schemes to first take over Cao Cao’s kingdom and then his descendants conquer the other two kingdoms. The Saga of the Three Kingdoms ends with Sima Yi’s family ruling over a united China, 2180 pages after the novel started. Whew!
Three Kingdoms - Three Leaders
Cao Cao - the Sonoma Sage has written about Cao Cao already. He is one of the most interesting men in Chinese history and he is the central character from Chapter 10 to Chapter 32. After Chapter 34 Cao Cao appears frequently until his death but he is no longer the main character. Cao Cao is unquestionably a great leader and it seems clear that his failure to take control over all of China is due to the remarkable efforts of Liu Bei’s men, and Sun Quan’s men. Had Cao Cao faced lesser men, his victory was assured.
Liu Bei must be understood as the Chinese exemplar of the ideal leader. If outsiders wish to know how the Chinese expect a proper leader to behave, look at what Liu Bei does, every time. Liu Bei is not a perfect man, he does not make the right decision all the time, but his instincts are correct and he faces adversity with the proper degree of fortitude and self-criticism. Also, Liu Bei handles success with the right amount of self-assurance and a measure of humility. The Sage likes to think that Liu Bei’s character is modeled after Zhu Yuanzhang - the founder of the Ming Dynasty (at least before he became a paranoid monster in the 1380s).
Sun Quan is considered to be the lesser man in comparison to Liu Bei and Cao Cao. However, Sun Quan has real strengths: he has a good family, he trusts his people and is loyal to them. He is modest, he doesn’t think he is the smartest man around but he sticks with his decisions. Most importantly, he keeps in mind the ultimate goal is the good of his state. Though he is criticized for his attack on Lord Guan, this was a rational decision and it was the lawful decision.
Final note: The Sonoma Sage was fascinated to discover that for the Chinese, the ideal man (not leader) is Sun Quan’s top general: Zhou Yu. Liu Bei is the ideal leader, but not many men are leaders. Lord Guan is worshiped as a demi-god but no man can live up to his standard of excellence. However, Zhou Yu, he is a man, with a few flaws but overall, a man all Chinese men can aspire to. The Sage may write more about Zhou Yu later as he deserves his own essay.
Learning More
The Sage recommends the translation by Moss Roberts, in four volumes, published in 1995. This is a good translation, highly regarded, with many footnotes.
The Sage also watched the 2010 Chinese TV series called Three Kingdoms. This is a very good adaptation of the story. Note that the TV series ends, quite rationally, with the death of Zhuge Liang.
The Sage has also seen the movie Red Cliffs, about the battle of the Red Cliffs. The movie is OK, but makes little sense without knowing the story.
The Three Kingdoms fan page is exhaustive but how much longer will it be active?