Battle at the Red Cliff – A Guide to Three Kingdoms, 2004 Ed, by Li Lien Fung, a Singaporean born in Shanghai.
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms blends historical facts with creative fiction to create heroes and villains.
In chapter 19 we read of how Liu Bei was unknowingly fed the cooked limbs of his host Liu An’s wife for dinner when animal meat was not available. This shocking cannibalism is entirely fiction.
Liu An the hunter is a creation of Luo Guan Zhong. It is still a matter of controversy why Luo Guan Zhong wrote this tale.
In chapter 4 Luo Guan Zhong inserted the story of how Cao Cao ended up wrongly killing Lu Boshe [his benefactor] ‘s family.
In history there are three versions from three different historical records. He chose the most evil version to project the ruthlessness of Cao Cao. In addition, he added the killing of his benefactor by Cao Cao.
Liu Guan Zhong also inserted famous poems by Du Fu and Li Bai into his narrative. Here is one poem.
Lwh @ Three Gorges
13 to 16 April 2024