Essay on Lou Guangzhong's "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms"

As Sun Tzu would say, "All warfares are based on deceptions". Most of the people can only see the superficial meaning of a warfare and, however, not its truth. The truths lie within the rulers and warlords' heart. In great literature, no scene of violence exists for its own sake. And the Battle of the Red Cliff is no exception. In the historic novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, by Lou Guanzhong, Cao Cao's ambitions and his over-confidence are the aspects that caused one of the ugliest battles of all times, the battle of the Red Cliff.

The battle of the Red Cliff is a turning point of the three kingdoms. However, it is also a scene of violence that is caused by Cao Cao. As a ruler from the Northern China, capturing the Southern lands has always been his ambition. Cao Cao once says to his subordinates that "there's no point in living if you can't feel alive" (89). It shows that Cao Cao is a very ambitious and greedy character. He wants to accomplish something as great as Alexander the Great or Genghis Khan; His ambitions have caused him to wage wars among his neighbor empires and furthermore establish the point that no violence exists for its own sake. And there it is, "with all of the feudal lords under [his] command, to rule the world with one name" (143). His greed and ambitions are as wide as the ocean that anyone can hear the ocean waves roaring and pushing onto the land. The battle of the Red Cliff is not just one of the thousands of battles that are talked about in a history class. It is a man's desires and ambitions, which has caused over eight-hundred thousands lives trying to fulfill his dream.

On the other hand, Cao Cao's over-confidence has also caused the battle. He has conquered many parts of China. Therefore, most of his armies are built up from the surrenders. By the time the battle of the Red Cliff starts, he has over eight-hundred thousand soldiers under his command. The great amount of number of soldiers has led him to his over-confidence. However, he does not realize that "an army high in spirits can fight an enemy ten times its size" (145). Even though his enemy has only forty-thousands, they are very well trained and still a serious threat. His recklessness and his over-confidence have caused the war inevitable. Moreover, when his supervisors warn him about his enemy rulers, he simply replies that "when a loser joins forces with a coward, what can they accomplish?" (80). His over-confidence has taken over his consciousness. Hence, he looses the battle.

The battle of the Red Cliff is a significant battle during the three kingdoms era. However, the cause of the war is by Cao Cao's ambitions and his over-confidence. In the historic novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it is apparent that no scene of violence exists for its own sake. Everything comes with a reason and conclusion. Cao Cao's ambitions and over-confidence started the war. Ironically, it is also the same aspects that he lost the war in the end.