Everyone has a hidden agenda, except maybe for the guy suspected of hatching an insurrection. (Note: Special guest narrator this week) * Transcript * Map of Key Locations * Graph of Key Characters and Relationships Transcript PDF version Welcome to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast. This is episode 150. Last time, this became the Romance of the Two Kingdoms Podcast, as Deng (4) Ai (4) forced the Shu emperor Liu (2) Shan (4) to surrender. Deng Ai then sent a letter back to...

Everyone has a hidden agenda, except maybe for the guy suspected of hatching an insurrection. (Note: Special guest narrator this week)

A Shu commander tries to live up to his father’s legacy, while a Shu prince refuses to follow his father’s example. * Transcript * Map of Key Locations * Graph of Key Characters and Relationships Transcript PDF version Welcome to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast. This is episode 149. Last time, the armies of Wei were closing in on the Shu capital Chengdu. The Shu commander Jiang Wei was mounting a stiff defense against the forces led by Zhong Hui at the Saber Pass, the...

A Shu commander tries to live up to his father's legacy, while a Shu prince refuses to follow his father's example.

A dive into the real life of the guy who ran the family business for 50-plus years. Transcript Sun Quan (Source: Dhugal Fletcher, via Wikipedia) Transcript PDF version Welcome to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast. This is a supplemental episode. In this episode, we are delving into the life of the real Sun Quan, the longtime ruler of the Southlands. In the novel, Sun Quan took over the reins of his family’s enterprise at the age of 18, and he kept the Southlands safe for the...

A dive into the real life of the guy who ran the family business for 50-plus years.

While Jiang Wei scrambles to mount a last-ditch defense, his old nemesis searches for a way to go around his roadblock. * Transcript * Map of Key Locations * Graph of Key Characters and Relationships Transcript PDF version Welcome to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast. This is episode 148. Before we continue where we left off, I have a quick announcement. We are rapidly approaching the end of the podcast here. I still have a few more supplemental episodes I want to put...

While Jiang Wei scrambles to mount a last-ditch defense, his old nemesis searches for a way to go around his roadblock.

Meet two statesmen who really mastered the art of saying, “That’s not in my job description.” Bing Ji (left) and Chen Ping * Transcript Transcript PDF version Welcome to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast. This is a supplemental episode. In this episode, we’re going to look at a story related to Bing (3) Ji (2) and Chen (2) Ping (2), two famous officials from the Western Han dynasty. One of Zhuge Liang’s aides name-dropped them both as he tried to convince Zhuge Liang to...

Meet two statesmen who really mastered the art of saying, "That's not in my job description."

Tired of Shu’s perpetual encroachment on its borders, Wei decides to take the fight to its nemesis. * Transcript * Map of Key Locations * Graph of Key Characters and Relationships Transcript PDF version Welcome to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast. This is episode 147. Last time, Jiang Wei … did NOT launch another Northern campaign. Yeah, I know. Crazy! Instead, he had been summoned back from the front lines by his emperor Liu Shan, thanks to some devious maneuvering by...

Tired of Shu's perpetual encroachment on its borders, Wei decides to take the fight to its nemesis.

Jiang Wei finally gets the better of Deng Ai, but even that ends up backfiring. * Transcript * Map of Key Locations * Graph of Key Relationships Transcript PDF version Welcome to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast. This is episode 146. Last time, Jiang Wei had launched another incursion into Wei territory. Oh and by the way, I counted, and this is the fifth time in the last seven episodes where I began an episode with some variation of “Last time, Jiang Wei had launched...

Jiang Wei finally gets the better of Deng Ai, but even that ends up backfiring.

Discord between lord and vassal simmers in the court of Shu, while things boil over in the court of Wei. * Transcript * Map of Key Locations * Graph of Key Characters and Relationships Transcript PDF version Welcome to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast. This is episode 145. Last time, Jiang Wei had launched another Northern campaign. Yeah, I know. It sounds like a broken record by now. But this time, he got off to a pretty nice start. He bested Deng Ai in a contest of...

Discord between lord and vassal simmers in the court of Shu, while things boil over in the court of Wei.

While the Shu and Wei continue to slug it out in the West, the kingdom of Wu deals with internal unrest at the highest level. * Transcript * Map of Key Locations * Graph of Key Characters and Relationships Transcript PDF version Welcome to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast. This is episode 144. Last time, Jiang Wei had launched yet another Northern campaign, trying to catch his enemies off guard while they were dealing with an internal rebellion by Zhuge Dan. This time,...

While the Shu and Wei continue to slug it out in the West, the kingdom of Wu deals with internal unrest at the highest level.

Sima Zhao takes the emperor on a buddy road trip to put down another insurgence in a particularly troublesome part of the kingdom. * Transcript * Map of Key Locations * Graph of Key Relationships Transcript PDF version Welcome to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast. This is episode 143. Last time, Sima Zhao was secretly entertaining thoughts of usurping the throne, but that stirred up a rebellion in the southeastern corner of the kingdom of Wei, led by the general Zhuge Dan...

Sima Zhao takes the emperor on a buddy road trip to put down another insurgence in a particularly troublesome part of the kingdom.

Oh look: Another Northern campaign by the kingdom of Shu. Yawn. * Transcript * Map of Key Locations * Graph of Key Characters and Relationships Transcript PDF version Welcome to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast. This is episode 142. Last time, Jiang Wei marched north once again with visions of conquering the kingdom of Wei. His first battle went exceedingly well. He routed Wang Jing (1), the imperial protector of Yong (1) Province, sending Wang Jing fleeing into the town...

Oh look: Another Northern campaign by the kingdom of Shu. Yawn.

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. Transcript “You know, you two would’ve been nothing without me.” Transcript PDF version Welcome to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast. This is a supplemental episode. So this is a huge one. In this episode, we bid farewell to the novel’s most prominent character, Zhuge Liang, by examining the similarities and differences between the real-life man and his fictional...

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.

A couple generals down South stir up trouble for Sima Shi. Now if only their forces knew the way to his camp …. * Transcript * Map of Key Locations * Graph of Key Characters and Relationships Transcript PDF version Welcome to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast. This is episode 141. Last time, Sima Shi had sniffed out a conspiracy to move against him and his brother, and he promptly purged all the officials involved, but he didn’t stop there. He also deposed the Wei emperor...