A minimalist preface

The strength of the traditional Chinese historical perspective lies in its view of heroes not solely based on success or failure, while its weakness is an excessive emphasis on the power of morality, leading to a lack of understanding under the binary framework of the noble and the base. Historical texts serve political purposes, yet interpretations of history and literature should not be confined to the victors and the vanquished. The significance of history also lies in its ability to move us, instill confidence, foster understanding, and promote tolerance. The Three Kingdoms is not merely a tale of a few heroes contending over decades; it represents an experiment by three regimes on the privileged class and social structure. What I aim to do is to explore the characters from their perspectives, providing a passionate, objective, and fair assessment of their explorations, missteps, failures, and successes.

The strength of the traditional Chinese historical perspective lies in its evaluation of heroes not based on success or failure, while its weakness is an excessive emphasis on the power of morality, which, under the binary framework of the noble man and the petty person, lacks understanding and can lead to harsh judgments

Historical texts serve political purposes, yet the interpretation of history and literature should not be confined to the victors and the vanquished. The significance of history also lies in its ability to move us, instill confidence, foster understanding, and promote tolerance

The Three Kingdoms is not merely a tale of several heroic figures contending for dominance over decades; it represents an experiment by three regimes on the privileged classes and the social structure.

What I do is to stand from the perspective of the characters I write about, providing a passionate, objective, and fair assessment of their explorations, misadventures, failures, and successes