★★★ Korea's Leading Knowledge Storyteller ★★★
★★★ New book by a famous lecturer chosen by 7 million people ★★★

“If Choi Tae-seong explains, the Three Kingdoms becomes easier!”
Deepening thoughts and improving the quality of conversation
Choi Tae-seong's special lecture on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms

An introductory book to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a must-read book in one volume.
Choi Tae-seong, a renowned lecturer with 7 million cumulative students, has stepped forward to share the wisdom and insights contained in the greatest classics of the East in an easy and enjoyable way.
For those who hesitated to start because of the vast volume and numerous characters, we have compiled only the essential events and characters that anyone needs to know into one volume, creating the "Minimum Romance of the Three Kingdoms" that anyone can understand in one sitting.

The author's secret to organizing the complex Romance of the Three Kingdoms into a clear and concise narrative is the Three Great Battles.
The story flows around the three largest wars in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
By following the process leading up to each war and the situation after the war, you can see at a glance the power structure of the three main characters of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Sun Quan, and naturally understand the strategies and worldly skills that the world's heroes used to seize hegemony.
The author's unique, vivid storytelling style, combined with the absence of unfamiliar Chinese characters, will allow even those new to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, or those who gave up halfway through, to become immersed in the exciting story of the Three Kingdoms.

《Minimum Romance of the Three Kingdoms》, which summarizes only the essential points while not missing the fun and lessons of the original Romance of the Three Kingdoms, is the shortest yet most profound way to read the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Let's delve into a classic lecture led by Korea's leading knowledge storyteller, Choi Tae-seong, that will deepen your thoughts and elevate the quality of your conversations.

“Although we were not born on the same day and at the same time, we wish to die on the same day and at the same time. If I betray righteousness and forget kindness, please look upon my heart and kill me together!” This is the famous oath of brotherhood in the peach orchard, the Peach Garden Oath.

The three of them thus became sworn brothers.
Liu Bei, who was a descendant of the Han imperial family and had legitimacy, took the first position, Guan Yu, who had military power, took the second position, and Zhang Fei, who had economic power, took the third position.

Isn't it quite admirable that people who aren't related by blood swear to live and die together based on trust? In an era where the idea of ​​"each for himself" is a hot topic, the oath of the Peach Garden even sounds romantic.
But even in modern times, when companies join forces to achieve a great goal or cause, we say that they have made a peach garden oath.
Perhaps, even though times have changed, it may still be more effective to trust others and live faithfully, rather than each person taking responsibility for themselves.
I think the idea that we can go farther together than when we are alone is something that has been true since the past.
Even if you're not sworn brothers, if you have a relationship where you can trust each other, it can be a great asset in life.
--- From "The Collapsing Han Nation and the Meeting of the Three Brothers"

It is against this backdrop that the Romance of the Three Kingdoms unfolds as a battle between many heroes.
(…) Because the power of the central government was so weak, it was easy for someone like Dong Zhuo to escape from the central government’s control and lead his own army to increase his power.
Then, when a suitable cause or opportunity arose, they fought each other to take land and expand their territory.
There was a king, but he was greedy and wanted to increase his power and seize real power.
This phenomenon of many people taking up positions in various parts of the country and competing for power is called 'Gungunghalgeo'.
'Gunung' means 'many heroes' and 'Halgeo' means 'to divide the country'.
After Dong Zhuo's death, the chaotic period in which regional heroes such as Cao Cao, Yuan Shu, and Yuan Shao began to compete with each other with full-fledged ambitions is called the 'Era of the Rise of Warlords.'
The already weakened Han Dynasty ended up splitting into various regional powers.
--- From "A World Without a Master, an Era of Warlords"

Zhuge Liang's plan was to first divide the world into three parts in order to unify it.
Until then, Liu Bei had only thought about fighting for the Han imperial family.
To Liu Bei, Cao Cao and Sun Quan were targets of overthrow.
It was either a fight with them, victory or defeat.
However, Zhuge Liang tells him to yield the north to Cao Cao and the east to Sun Quan.
Instead of fighting them right away, we should first take over Jing Province and Yi Province, and then form an alliance with Sun Quan to fight Cao Cao.
(…) This is the famous division of the world into three.

At this time, Liu Bei had no power whatsoever.
Zhuge Liang presented a vision to Liu Bei and drew up a roadmap.
In fact, later on, the Three Kingdoms period began with Cao Cao's Wei state in the Central Plains, Sun Quan's Wu state in the Jiangdong region, and Liu Bei's Shu state in the Yi Province.
At this time, Zhuge Liang had already drawn the picture.
--- From "Zhuge Liang, the Lying Dragon Who Will Bring the World"

The fire spread quickly, carried by the southeast wind.
The dark sky became bright as day in the flames.
Cao Cao's soldiers were in chaos.
The ships were connected by chains, so the fire spread quickly from ship to ship, and since all the ships were tied together, there was nowhere to escape.
Meanwhile, the Huang Gai's ships, laden with oil and firewood, began to collide here and there, engulfing everything from the river to the land camp in flames.
The Yangtze River around Red Cliffs burned like one giant flame.

In this way, 800,000 Cao Cao's troops were killed at Red Cliffs.
For this one victory, the Zhou army has been preparing operations with great care.
The fire attack plan devised by Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang, Huang Gai's false surrender, Pang Tong's plan to link the ships with iron chains, and the wind changing direction as Zhuge Liang predicted.
All these strategies came together to drive Cao Cao, the greatest king of the world, into a corner.
Cao Cao barely managed to escape with his remaining soldiers.
However, even those numbers were gradually reduced in the pursuit by Sun Quan's generals, including Lu Meng, Gan Ning, and Ling Tong.
It was a complete defeat.
--- From "The Burning Yangtze River, the Battle of Red Cliffs"

The interests of Liu Bei and Sun Quan regarding Jing Province were intricately intertwined.
In order to divide the world into three parts and create a state of balance where each side checks the other, Liu Bei absolutely had to secure a base during this opportunity.
Sun Quan also had defeated his ministers who opposed the fight against Cao Cao and had mobilized troops and supplies for this war, so he could not give up Jing Province in this way.
It was a situation where neither of them could easily back down.
However, if both sides had strongly asserted their dominance and used definitive language such as, "We cannot give it to you because it is our land," then war would have broken out.
If war breaks out, the balance will be broken.

In this situation where he could neither give up nor fight, the card Zhuge Liang played was 'I will borrow it'.
This land was supposed to belong to Sun Quan, but we would use it temporarily for various reasons and then return it to Sun Quan once we secured another base.
Sun Quan also found the war with Liu Bei burdensome, so Zhuge Liang gave him Jing Province temporarily, but gave him the excuse that he would return it someday.
'Borrowing' was a diplomatic term that guaranteed the interests of both parties without breaking the alliance.
This, although precarious, maintained the alliance, and gave Zhuge Liang time to gain control of Jing Province and rebuild his power.
--- From "Land of Opportunity, the New Owner of Hyungju"

If we view the Romance of the Three Kingdoms as a story about moderation, then the epic tale of these heroes can ultimately be seen as a confrontation between those who are temperate and those who are not.
In the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were like that, in the Battle of Red Cliffs, Sun Quan and Liu Bei were like that, and in the Battle of Yiling, Sun Quan and Liu Bei were like that.
All who practice moderation have won.
Other heroes like Yuan Shu, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei also lost their lives when they were unable to restrain themselves.
No matter how powerful a force you command or how high you are in life, the moment you lose self-control, your downfall begins.
Isn't this the core message conveyed by the Romance of the Three Kingdoms?

Of course, a life of moderation is not easy.
It might sound like an idealistic story to live your whole life training and discipline your mind.
But even if you don't succeed every time, you need to make a conscious effort.
I need to regularly reflect on whether my life is well-balanced and not excessive, and if anything is excessive, I need to limit or adjust it so that I can make appropriate decisions for the situation and the time.
The importance of moderation becomes even more evident when we recall what Liu Bei lost by making poor decisions that left him unable to govern himself.
--- From "The Collapse of the Alliance, the Battle of Yiling"

Zhuge Liang said that now that the south has been pacified, it is time to advance north, saying that this is “a way to repay the previous emperor and be loyal to Your Majesty.”
So, Zhuge Liang's request was to give him an order, and if he fails, to punish him.
Liu Shan, who received Zhuge Liang's resignation, ordered the northern expedition as he wished.

Realistically speaking, the war with Wei was a disadvantageous battle for Shu.
Not only the number of troops, but also the population and supplies needed to maintain the troops were far less than those of the Wei Dynasty.
However, Zhuge Liang sets out to realize his dream of unifying the world and reestablishing the Han Dynasty.
This was to show that although Liu Bei had passed away, his will had not disappeared.

--- From "Zhuge Liang's Declaration of Inauguration for the Northern Expedition"