The Chinese classic Three Kingdoms (San Kuo) was written by Lo Kuan-chung in the late fourteenth century. The novel deals with the historic period centering around the fall of the Han dynasty. The Han dynasty existed for approximately four hundred years (202 B.C. to 222 A.D.), and the Chinese people have traditionally regarded it as "the stable imperial model against which the great dynasties of later ages were measured" (Hucker 133). The novel Three Kingdoms opens in approximately 169 A.D., a time of great disunity in China. Prior to that time, several court eunuchs had taken control of the government and established a reign of terror against the Chinese people. In 169, the Yellow Scarves rebellion broke out. Although this rebellion sought to remove the eunuchs from power, it also represented a threat to the traditional society of the Han emperors. Therefore, the Emperor Interlocutor called upon his loyal subjects to volunteer their services in an effort to restore imperial order. In response to this call, three young men, Liu Pei, Kuan Yu and Chang Fei, came together and made a vow of brotherhood. In the novel, these three "brothers" claim: "Thus we may fulfill our duty to home and country and defend the common folk of the land" (Lo Kuan-chung 9).
At first, the three men served under the Emperor's Chancellor, Ts'ao Ts'ao. This Chancellor was also interested in reuniting the empire. However, after the year 190, Ts'ao Ts'ao turned against the Emperor and began to seek control of the empire for his own gain. This caused the three brothers to turn against Ts'ao Ts'ao, because they were interested in restoring the traditional Han society that the Emperor represented. The historical record acknowledges these events as they are presented in Lo Kuan-chung's story. Thus, Hucker notes that Liu Pei and his sworn brothers served "originally as lieutenants of Ts'ao Ts'ao and then as his most dedicated antagonists" (133).
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