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John Zhu
Classic Chinese novels and stories, retold in English and in a way that makes them more accessible to non-Chinese audiences. chineselore.com
3 Kingdoms 142: Mildly Wild West
Oh look: Another Northern campaign by the kingdom of Shu. Yawn.
27:5122/01/2018
3 Kingdoms Supplemental 015: Zhuge Liang, Fact and Fiction
We say so long to the novel's pivotal player and wonder if he was really the genius the book made him out to be.
33:1617/01/2018
3 Kingdoms 141: I Would Give My Left Eye for Google Maps!
A couple generals down South stir up trouble for Sima Shi. Now if only their forces knew the way to his camp ....
28:4015/01/2018
3 Kingdoms 140: A Familiar Script
Jiang Wei's Northern invasion meets the same fate as Zhuge Liang's, while Sima Shi borrows a few pages from Cao Cao's playbook for how to deal with imperial puppets who don't know their place.
27:3108/01/2018
3 Kingdoms 139: Chaos in the South
Things go well for the kingdom of Wu and its political leader ... until they bite off more than they can chew.
29:4525/12/2017
3 Kingdoms 138: North by Northwest
Aided by an unexpected defection, Jiang Wei restarts the Northern campaigns by setting his sights first on the Northwest.
27:3718/12/2017
3 Kingdoms 137: Coups Are Back in Vogue
It's been a while since someone made a play to seize power from within. That changes this week.
29:0911/12/2017
3 Kingdoms 136: King in the North
A new threat emerges on Wei's northeastern borders, and he is just as bad at battle strategy as Jon Snow.
29:3227/11/2017
3 Kingdoms 135: Pursuit of Immortality
While Zhuge Liang sails off into eternal fame, the Wei emperor Cao Rui goes in search of eternal youth.
30:3920/11/2017
3 Kingdoms 134: The Shu Hits the Fan
The death of its indispensable man is just the start of the Riverlands' troubles.
29:5813/11/2017
3 Kingdoms 133: When It Rains ...
A stunning turn of events in the showdown between Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi.
31:3530/10/2017
3 Kingdoms 132: Intellectual Property Theft Does Not Pay
Again and again, Sima Yi is made to rue the day he stole Zhuge Liang's invention.
26:1923/10/2017
3 Kingdoms Supplemental 014: It’s Just A Flesh Wound
We delve into the story of the one-armed assassin and the guy who kicked his butt AFTER being assassinated.
10:2418/10/2017
3 Kingdoms 131: Wooden Oxens, Gliding Horses, and Copycats
Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi match wits over the latest in wheelbarro
28:0316/10/2017
3 Kingdoms 130: Goin’ Down the Only Road I’ve Ever Known
After another promising Northern campaign gets short-circuited, Zhuge Liang prays to his former lord for the strength to carry on, because he's made up his mind and he ain't wasting no more time.
29:0202/10/2017
3 Kingdoms 129: You Called Me Back for This?!!
Just as he was getting into a groove, Zhuge Liang is rudely interrupted in the field by an urgent dispatch from his emperor.
27:5125/09/2017
3 Kingdoms Supplemental 013: Getting Sneaky
A brief explanation of the story behind the most famous secret crossing in Chinese history.
06:1420/09/2017
3 Kingdoms 128: Smackdowns and Smack Talk
You've seen Zhuge Liang kill someone with just his tongue. Now watch him kill someone with the written word.
29:1918/09/2017
3 Kingdoms 127: A Familiar Script
Zhuge Liang's third Northern expedition gets off to a promising start, but what else is new?
28:5504/09/2017
3 Kingdoms 126: Putting the ”Three” in Three Kingdoms
Did you know that we had actually been rolling with just two official kingdoms all this time? Well, Sun Quan will fix that this week.
28:1928/08/2017
3 Kingdoms 125: Smoke and Mirrors
Zhuge Liang toys with Cao Zhen time and again on his second Northern expedition.
28:2721/08/2017
3 Kingdoms Supplemental 012: Liu Bei, Fact and Fiction
We delve into the life and career of the real Liu Bei to see if he is really as virtuous as the novel made him out to be (spoiler alert: No one can be as virtuous as the novel made Liu Bei out to be).
35:3109/08/2017
3 Kingdoms 124: Losing An Arm and A Pillar
Zhuge Liang prepares to take another shot at Wei, but one old friend will not be joining him.
28:0307/08/2017
3 Kingdoms 123: The Price of Ignoring Good Advice
While Zhuge Liang picks up the pieces after his aborted Northern campaign, a Wei commander falls for a trick from the South.
29:1331/07/2017
3 Kingdoms 122: If You Know that I Know that You Know that I’m Bluffing ...
When his campaign takes a drastic turn for the worse, Zhuge Liang is forced to resort to a desperate gamble.
30:1724/07/2017
3 Kingdoms 121: The Worst-Kept Secret
Meng Da totally misses the point of a SECRET rebellion. Can Zhuge Liang's advice help him pull it off anyway?
29:0210/07/2017
3 Kingdoms 120: The Enemy Within
While the Wei forces have their hands full with Zhuge Liang along the border, a new threat lurks deep inside their territory
29:2703/07/2017
3 Kingdoms 119: Gluttons for Punishment
Wei forces sent to stop Zhuge Liang first try to out-talk him, and then try again to outsmart him.
29:1126/06/2017
3 Kingdoms 118: Yes, Let’s Try to Outsmart Zhuge Liang
Matching wits with Zhuge Liang sounds like a horrible idea, but that won't stop multiple Wei officers from trying.
27:5312/06/2017
3 Kingdoms 117: Go North, Old Man
Zhuge Liang sends a 70-something general and a tax collector to lead the way for his Northern expedition.
28:3505/06/2017
3 Kingdoms Supplemental 011: Zhang Fei, Fact and Fiction
We dive into the differences between the fictional and real-life Zhang Fei and ask, "Who really whipped that corrupt bribe-seeking government official?"
08:5931/05/2017
3 Kingdoms 116: Haute Cuisine with Zhuge Liang
How do you appease the angry souls of the damned? Feed them buns that look like human heads and tell them death is no escape from imperial subjugation, apparently.
29:2429/05/2017
3 Kingdoms 115: Stop ... Being ... So ... Nice!
After a couple more displays of over-the-top kindness, imperial subjugation is starting to look kind of decent after all for Meng Huo.
28:5315/05/2017
3 Kingdoms 114: Homewreckers
Zhuge Liang strolls into Meng Huo's house and makes himself at home.
28:5208/05/2017
3 Kingdoms 113: So What Doesn’t Kill You Around Here?
Zhuge Liang's army marches deeper into the heart of darkness and forgets to read the part in the travel guide about bringing bottled water.
29:0401/05/2017
3 Kingdoms 112: Gift-Wrapped Victories
Zhuge Liang catches Meng Huo twice more with hardly any effort.
28:1917/04/2017
3 Kingdoms 111: Catch and Release
Zhuge Liang continues his campaign to win not only battles, but also barbarian hearts and minds.
29:5210/04/2017
3 Kingdoms 110: That Was Easy
Zhuge Liang barely breaks a sweat while cruising through level 1 of his Southwestern quest.
28:1503/04/2017
3 Kingdoms 109: Troublesome Neighbors
While Shu and Wu become best buds again, trouble pops up from the North and the Southwest.
30:4320/03/2017
3 Kingdoms 108: Battle of the Nerds
An episode that starts with five armies bearing down on Shu somehow ends with nothing more than a showdown between pedants at a banquet.
31:0213/03/2017
3 Kingdoms Supplemental 010: Cao Cao, Fact and Fiction
A huge episode where we bid farewell to our favorite villain by delving into his real-life counterpart's life, career, and legacy.
43:5408/03/2017
3 Kingdoms 107: Doleful, Doh-ful, and Du Fu
Liu Bei gets sad, Cao Pi botches an invasion, and we read a poem by one of China's greatest poets.
32:0306/03/2017
3 Kingdoms 106: Do I Smell Smoke?
The tide of battle -- and history -- turns in the span of one night.
32:0520/02/2017
3 Kingdoms 105: Can’t Get No Respect
In his most desperate hour, Sun Quan puts his faith in Lu Xun, but will his officers obey orders from a man they see as a pedant and a coward?
31:4513/02/2017
3 Kingdoms 104: Out with the Old, In with the New
Liu Bei's team of old warhorses takes another hit, but two young stallions are waiting in the wings. This episode is brought to you by special guest Kaiser Kuo, host of the Sinica Podcast.
24:0206/02/2017
3 Kingdoms 103: See, What Happened Was ...
With Liu Bei bearing down on them, the Southlands try to tell him that they didn't really mean to kill Guan Yu; it was all a simple misunderstanding. We swear!
30:5323/01/2017
3 Kingdoms 102: Oh Great, Who Died Now?
No, not him, too!! Another major character bites the dust.
29:2716/01/2017
3 Kingdoms 101: The Most Boring Episode
You would think the end of a 400-year dynasty would have more action than this, but it's all just decrees, counter-decrees, speeches, humble brags, and an unusually strong gust of wind.
30:2509/01/2017
3 Kingdoms 100: Cao Zhi and the Beanstalk
Cao Cao's third son finds out what passes for brotherly love in his family.
31:2226/12/2016
3 Kingdoms 099: Tears for a Villain
Cao Cao grapples with mortality and legacy.
30:5319/12/2016