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1."The empire, long united, must..." what?
Divide
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Stand strong
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Crumble
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Reform
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"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.
2.In which year did the peasant 'Yellow Turban Rebellion' begin, an event which is widely thought to have permanently destroyed the power of the Han Dynasty?
220AD
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184AD
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189AD
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180AD
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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.
3.Which tyrannical warlord from north-western Liang province emerged from this conflict to depose the young Emperor Shao and control the country?
Yuan Shao
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An Lushan
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Dong Zhuo
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He Jin
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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.
4.Which 'Flying General', famed for his legendary steed Red Hare, killed the aforementioned tyrant in 192?
Li Su
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Lü Bu
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Zhou Yu
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Zhao Yun
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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.
5.Under which kind of tree did the three sworn brothers Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei make an unbreakable oath of fraternity?
Cherry
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Peach
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Katsura
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Apple
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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.
6.At which city did Cao Cao receive Emperor Xian in 196 and begin proper his conquest of Northern China?
Chenliu
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Xuchang
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Guandu
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Kaifeng
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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.
7.Which northern warlord did Cao Cao decisively defeat at the Battle of Guandu in 200?
Yuan Shao
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Gongsun Zan
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Liu Biao
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Kong Rong
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Yuan Shao came from an illustrious bloodline, but is widely held in contempt by traditional historians for his arrogance and indecisiveness.
8.Which member of the southern Sun family is popularly known as the 'Little Conqueror'?
Sun Jian
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Sun Ce
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Sun Shao
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Sun Quan
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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.
9.In 208, an alliance consisting of Sun Quan and Liu Bei was able to put Cao Cao's expansion to a halt at which naval battle?
Chibi
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Yangtze
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Hubei
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White Cliffs
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A city near the battle's approximate location was renamed Chibi in 1998 to commemorate the battle.
10.Which future 'Tiger General' of Liu Bei would start a campaign against Cao Cao in 211, popularly to avenge the death of his family?
Zhang Fei
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Ma Chao
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Huang Zhong
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Zhao Yun
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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.
11.In 220, Cao Cao's son, Cao Pi (of Wei), and Liu Bei (of Shu) would each declare themselves Emperor, beginning in earnest the Three Kingdoms period. What did Liu Bei formally declare his ultimate goal?
To uplift the peasants and establish social equality
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To make his territory the richest in China
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To avenge the execution of Guan Yu earlier that year
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To restore the Han Dynasty
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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.
12.According to legend, which Wei general retreated from the undefended city of Xicheng upon seeing the Shu strategist, Zhuge Liang, playing a lute alone inside?
Sima Yi
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Dian Wei
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Xiahou Yuan
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Cao Pi
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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.
13.At which modern-day city in Anhui Province of over 9,000,000 inhabitants did Wei and Eastern Wu fight three separate battles in three years?
Wuhan
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Hefei
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Huainan
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Nanchang
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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".
14.In 280AD, which state conquered their last opponent and became the undisputed ruler of all China?
Shu
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None of them
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Wu
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Wei
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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.
15.Which Ming-dynasty author wrote 'The Romance Of The Three Kingdoms'?
Chen Shou
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Luo Guangzhong
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Rafe De Crespigny
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Sima Qian
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The exact date of the work's publication is unknown - it is thought to be sometime during the 14th century.