Three Kingdoms Quiz

"The empire, long divided, must unite". This is the opening line of 'The Romance Of The Three Kingdoms', a 14th century dramatisation of the Three Kingdoms period. This line describes the cyclical nature of the rise and fall of Chinese dynasties.

The rebellion was led by the three Zhang brothers who claimed to be powerful Taoist sorcerers. It was eventually put down when the central government placed military power in the hands of the warlords.

Dong Zhuo replaced Emperor Shao with his younger brother, Emperor Xian, and ruled China with an iron fist. However, the other warlords took exception to his terrible behaviour, and formed a coalition to remove him.

After the coalition forced Dong Zhuo to flee from the eastern capital Luoyang to the western capital Chang'an (now known as Xi'an), internal discontent grew. Romance Of The Three Kingdoms claims that the dispute between Lü Bu and his adoptive father Dong Zhuo was due to a love triangle.

The tale of the 'Oath of the Peach Garden', while inspiring, is most likely fictional. Liu Bei is thought to have met his two lifelong companions while raising a militia to fight the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

After the death of Dong Zhuo, the emperor became stranded in the devastated Luoyang. Cao Cao's 'rescue' of the Han Emperor and moving of the capital to Xuchang made him no better than Dong Zhuo in the eyes of many.

Yuan Shao came from an illustrious bloodline, but is widely held in contempt by traditional historians for his arrogance and indecisiveness.

Sun Ce was a capable general who conquered much of the southeast in just five years. He looked poised to attack Cao Cao's rear while he was engaged at Guandu, but died under suspicious circumstances at the age of just 25 in 200.

A city near the battle's approximate location was renamed Chibi in 1998 to commemorate the battle.

In reality Ma Chao's family was only killed after he had already started his campaign. Ma Chao would be defeated by a cunning plot to divide him and his ally Han Sui, and would flee to eventually enter Liu Bei's service.

While Liu Bei was furious at the death of his sworn brother at the hands of Sun Quan's forces, his main goal, as evidenced by the name of his new state 'Shu Han', was to restore the Han dynasty Cao Pi had destroyed.

Zhuge Liang was known as a cautious strategist. Hence, when Sima Yi saw the gates of the city opened and Zhuge inside casually playing an instrument, he suspected a trap and left.

The two states fought battles at Hefei in 231, 233, 234 and then again in 253. Each time Wei easily repelled their southern neighbour - Cao Pi remarked "Heaven made the Yangtze to divide North and South".

After 60 years of war, ironically none of the Three Kingdoms would emerge victorious. The Sima clan, a family influential in Wei, would overthrow Cao Cao's descendants and conquer the by-now emaciated Shu and Wu kingdoms.

The exact date of the work's publication is unknown - it is thought to be sometime during the 14th century.