Chinese History & Mythology

Right now, people all over the world are watching the World Cup at the same time. Billions of viewers are sitting in front of their screens. Once the whistle of the World Cup blows, the whole world seems to fall into the same rhythm for a while. Some people stay up late to watch the matches. Some study formations. Some are only waiting for the penalty shootout. And some watch the smooth teamwork of the strongest teams while quietly wondering when their own national team will finally let them prove their love without raising their blood pressure. Today, we are going to talk about the traces of soccer in Chinese history.

After Lu Xun of Eastern Wu defeated the Shu army at Xiaoting and Yiling, and then successfully forced back the Wei troops, Sun Quan trusted him even more. He appointed Lu Xun as General Who Supports the State, granted him the title Marquis of Jiangling, and also made him Governor of Jingzhou. From then on, almost all real military power in Eastern Wu fell into Lu Xun’s hands.

After the sacrifices were finished, Ma Liang advised, “Now all the enemies have been executed, and the revenge can be considered complete. Eastern Wu has sent Cheng Bing here. They are willing to return Jingzhou, send Lady Sun back, renew the alliance, and attack Wei together. They are still waiting for Your Majesty’s decision.”

After Liu Bei became emperor, he immediately prepared to raise troops for an eastern campaign against Eastern Wu, to avenge Guan Yu. Zhao Yun stepped forward and advised him, “The true traitors to the state are Cao Ren and Cao Pi, not Sun Quan.

Black-and-white, fluffy fur, and a vegetarian. Almost everyone would immediately think of the  panda. As China’s national-treasure-level animal, it is not an exaggeration to say that in any country, if a zoo has a panda, it can almost guarantee a steady flow of ticket sales. 

When Mi Fang heard that Jingzhou had already fallen, he did not know what to do. Suddenly, someone reported that Fu Shiren, the defender of Gong’an, had arrived. Mi Fang quickly invited him into the city and asked what had happened. Fu Shiren said, “It is not that I am disloyal. The situation was truly desperate, and there was simply no way to defend it. I have already surrendered to Eastern Wu. General, you should surrender early as well.”

Seeing that Huang Zhong was determined to go, Kongming said, “Since you insist on taking this campaign, I will send Fa Zheng with you. Discuss every matter with him before making a decision. I will also arrange reinforcements behind you.” Huang Zhong agreed and set out with Fa Zheng and his troops. Afterward, Kongming said to Liu Bei, “If the old general had not been stirred by this challenge, he might not have achieved much even if he went. Now that he has committed himself, we must secretly support him.” He summoned Zhao Yun and ordered him to take a hidden mountain route with a force of elite troops.

Every year on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, people across China hold dragon boat races, eat zongzi, and follow many other interesting customs. To understand it, we need to start with where it came from. In fact, the Dragon Boat Festival was not connected to one famous person from the very beginning.

Sun Quan could not stop thinking about Jingzhou. Zhang Zhao offered a plan and said, “The person Liu Bei relies on most now is Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang’s elder brother, Zhuge Jin, serves in Eastern Wu. First, we can place Zhuge Jin’s family under guard. Then send Zhuge Jin to Western Chuan to meet Zhuge Liang and force him to persuade Liu Bei to return Jingzhou. Just tell Zhuge Liang that if Jingzhou is not returned, Zhuge Jin’s family will not be safe. Zhuge Liang values family loyalty and will surely agree.”

Pang Tong and Fa Zheng continued urging Liu Bei to kill Liu Zhang during the banquet. In their view, Western Shu could then be taken with little effort. But Liu Bei firmly refused. “I have only just arrived in Shu,” he said. “I have not yet earned the people's trust or established my reputation. Such a thing must never be done.” No matter how many times they tried to persuade him, Liu Bei would not agree.