Red Cliffs
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Summary
The Battle of Red Cliffs was a battle in Chinese history in which a smaller force defeated a larger one. Just how small was the smaller force, and how large the larger? Why did the down-and-out Liu Bei win the following and favor of Zhuge Liang in strategy and Zhao Yun in arms? Why were Sun Quan, master of the wealthy lands of Jiangdong, and the self-regarding Zhou Yu willing to join forces with the weak Liu Bei—a potential rival—to resist Cao Cao? What arts did the young Zhuge Kongming employ at the Seven Star Altar to summon the east wind? Why did the formidable Cao Cao fall for trick after trick? What emotional entanglements truly bound the Two Qiaos to the various heroes? With his learning and imagination, the young talent Shi Jiepeng has built a Three Kingdoms after his own heart, sounding across a thousand years of dust the lingering echo of the Battle of Red Cliffs.
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers with a strong interest in Three Kingdoms history who are not satisfied with the story of Romance of the Three Kingdoms and wish to understand a more historically grounded picture
- Deep readers who enjoy rigorous research and detailed inference within historical narrative
- Readers with an inquiring mind about historical geography, ancient warfare, and social forms
- Readers who appreciate nonfiction writing that is well crafted and combines academic depth with literary beauty
Not a good fit for
- Readers purely seeking Romance of the Three Kingdoms–style legendary tales and sharp dramatic conflict between characters
- Readers who want quick historical conclusions and lack patience for detailed research
Reading tips
- Readers may first revisit the relevant biographies in the Sanguozhi and the records in the Zizhi Tongjian to establish a basic framework of historical facts before reading this book; the comparison will be especially rewarding
- It is helpful to consult a map of Jingzhou and Yangzhou during the Three Kingdoms period while reading, as it greatly aids understanding of the book's analysis of geographical conditions and march routes
- The latter part of the book offers illuminating reflections on historical writing itself; readers are advised to slow down and consider them in light of their own experience of reading history
About the publisher
Guangxi Normal University Press is a publisher known for literature, foreign literature and history titles. Its 1,175 books in the database show a solid accumulation in classics and prose collections, including foreign literary works such as Les Fleurs du mal: Annotated Poems of Baudelaire, Snow Country, Dubliners and The Wild Palms, as well as modern prose compilations like The Complete Prose of Zhou Zuoren. History and philosophy also hold a notable share, with titles such as Running Dogs: Clerks and Runners in Qing County Yamen and The History and Thought of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom reflecting attention to Qing local administration and modern history. In art literature there is the 16-volume Ten Bamboo Studio Painting and Calligraphy Manual. Its author resources include foreign writers Charles Baudelaire and Yasunari Kawabata, translators and annotators Liu Nanqi and Zou Bo, and scholars such as Zhong Shuhe, Bradly W. Reed and You Chenjun. As public information is limited, this characterization is based only on the books in the database, which together present a profile balancing Chinese and foreign literary classics with academic works in the humanities and social sciences.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 第一章 荆州局势
- 一、残暴的孙策
- 二、蔡氏兄妹暗商对策
- 三、投奔刘表
- 四、反思失败
- 五、拒送质子
- 六、蔡氏移情
- 第二章 火烧博望坡
- 一、孙权的抉择
- 二、政坛老手吴氏
- 三、刘备北征
- 四、夏侯惇追击刘备
- 五、火烧博望坡
- 六、重赏与猜忌
- 七、蒯越的阴谋
- 第三章 蔡氏青眼惜刘备
- 一、闲居新野
- 二、初见徐庶
- 三、神秘老者
- 四、初顾茅庐
- 五、红烛情深
- 六、怅惘
- 七、卧龙初见
- 八、髀肉复生空垂泪
- 九、驿馆萦旧梦
- 第四章 卧龙出山
- 一、患得患失的诸葛亮
- 二、三顾茅庐
- 三、美人救英雄
- 四、刘琦出守江夏郡
- 五、族灭孔融
- 六、州牧府杀气
- 七、刘表薨逝
- 八、南征新野
- 第五章 兵败长阪坡
- 一、鲁肃出使荆州
- 二、截获投降密信
- 三、刘备兵围襄阳
- 四、南逃江陵
- 五、虎豹骑突击
- 六、当阳长阪坡
- 七、江津岸边
- 八、刘备获救
- 九、遭遇鲁肃
- 十、曹操入江陵
- 第六章 孙刘结盟
- 一、大乔的心绪
- 二、文武冲突
- 三、江陵仓实
- 四、柴桑激孙权
- 五、姐妹交恶
- 六、母子相争
- 七、踌躇难定的孙权
- 八、亲刺虎 看曹公
- 九、舌战群儒
- 十、《铜雀台赋》戏周瑜
- 十一、琴瑟相谐
- 十二、爱慕寡嫂
- 十三、君臣布腹心
- 十四、小乔的伤感
- 第七章 赤壁对垒
- 一、江陵封赏诸降将
- 二、战争总动员
- 三、老将救美惹情丝
- 四、周瑜西征
- 五、周刘初会
- 六、战前誓师
- 七、曹营内讧
- 八、勇猛当数甘兴霸
- 九、周瑜的惊悚
- 第八章 蒋干中计
- 一、自告奋勇的蒋干
- 二、美色撩人蒋干晕
- 三、吴太夫人病入膏肓
- 四、赐死大乔
- 五、蒋干逸兴说甄妃
- 六、吴太夫人一怒而亡
- 七、蒋干盗书
- 八、荆州士卒遭虐待
- 九、反间计成斩蔡瑁
- 第九章 大战前夕相伐谋
- 一、大乔的痛苦
- 二、算计诸葛亮
- 三、将计就计
- 四、告别大乔
- 五、草船借箭
- 六、曹操也使反间计
- 七、神秘的东南风
- 八、苦肉计
- 九、巧使连环计
- 第十章 赤壁败逃
- 一、横槊赋诗
- 二、孔明借东风
- 三、火烧乌林
- 四、大乔自杀
FAQ
Is this book the same as the Battle of Red Cliffs in the film Red Cliff or in Romance of the Three Kingdoms?
What is the author Shi Jiepeng's academic background? Are his views credible?
Is this book difficult to read?
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About the author
Shi Jiepeng, born in Nanchang, Jiangxi in 1971, is a writer and scholar who publishes under the pen name Liang Huiwang. He holds a doctorate in literature from Beijing Normal University, where he served as associate professor at the Institute of Ancient Books and Traditional Culture, specializing in paleography, exegesis, and the philology of pre-Qin and Han texts. His writing spans scholarship and literature, covering classical poetry, historical nonfiction, essays, and fiction; eight of his works are collected here. Representative titles include A Minor Official of the Pavilion Chief, Chu Tomb, Red Cliff, The Rule of Wen and Jing, How the Ancients Lived, and Twenty Lectures on Classical Poetry. He combines scholarly rigor with narrative verve, bringing historical detail and the fortunes of ordinary people vividly to life.
