#Shao Si Han | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

nemainofthewater · 9 months ago

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Welcome to the 'Best Character with [X] surname' polls!

This is where I take several characters from different Chinese media (mostly cnovels and cdrama) and run a poll on which one is the 'best'. What does best mean? It's up to you! Whether you love them, are intrigued by their characters, love to hate them, or they're your '2 second blorbos whose personality you made up wholesale', these are all reasons for you to vote for your favs!

NB: the surnames are not exactly the same in all the cases, as often they will be a different character. I am, however, grouping them all together otherwise things got more complicated.

If you can't find a surname, it's because I couldn't find enough candidates (at least 3 from 3 distinct medias) to compete. Feel free to submit candidates!

I will be posting several polls at a time, so do come back and check this masterpost to remember which polls are ongoing, who the winners are, and who's coming up next!

Finished polls: Xing/Rong/Nan/Ren/Pan/Qu/Fu/Sui/Tan/You/Sima/Xuan/Chang/Xun/Shangguan/Jian/Qian/Shu/Xi/Yuwen/Cai/Sha/Yin/Ceng/Helian/Zeng/Lou/Mi/Ji/Ping/Tong/Tuoba/Ge/Murong/Hei/Niu/Tao/Si/Pang/Zi/Gongsun/Mao/Qing/Lian

Chi/Shan/Tian/Dao/Chao/Xin/Ran/Sang/Cang/Miao/Yao/Zang/Chong/Nangong/Kong/Hai/Deng/Kang/Jun/Chun/Gui/Peng/Gong/Dai/Bao/Bian/Leng/Xian/Kan/Hou/Shao/Kou/Zuo/Lai/Tie/Huan/Min/Xiong/Cen/Dou/Misc

There's only a certain number of hyperlinks that can be added per post, so the rest of the completed polls can now be found here

All the details of the individual polls under the readmore

An - posted 15/03/24 WINNER An Zhe

Bai - posted 28/02/24 WINNER Bai Fengxi

Baili - posted 22/03/24 WINNER Baili Qingmiao

Bao - posted 1/05/24 WINNER Bao Rongxing

Bi - posted 26/03/24 WINNER Bi Changfeng

Bian - posted 1/05/14 WINNER Bian Cheng

Cai - posted 7/04/24 WINNER Cai Quan

Cang - posted 23/04/24 WINNER Cang Jiumin

Cao - posted 8/02/24. WINNER - Cao Weining

Cen - posted 7/05/24 WINNEER Cen Xiao

Ceng - posted 8/04/24 WINNER Ceng Aiyu

Chang - posted 3/04/24 WINNER Chang Geng

Chao - posted 21/04/24 WINNER Chao Zi

Chen - posted 9/02/24 WINNER Chen Qingxu

Cheng - posted 10/03/24 WINNER Cheng Shaoshang

Chi - posted 19/04/24 WINNERS Chi Zhanggui and Chi Xiaochi

Chong - posted 25/04/24 WINNER Chong Ming

Chu - posted 12/03/24 WINNER Chu Wanning

Chun - posted 28/04/24 WINNER Chun Shen

Cui - posted 11/03/24 WINNER Madam Cui

Dai - posted 30/04/24 WINNER Dai Mubai

Dao - posted 20/04/24 WINNER Dao Mingsi

Deng - posted 27/04/24 WINNER Deng Kuan

Di - posted 16/02/24 WINNER Di Feisheng

Ding - posted 7/03/24 WINNER Ding Rong

Dong - posted 21/03/24 WINNER Dong Yi

Dongfang - posted 25/03/24 WINNER Dongfang Qingcang

Dou - posted 7/05/24 WINNER Dou Cheng

Du - posted 26/03/24 WINNER Du Cheng

Duan - posted 23/03/24 WINNER Duan Baiyue

Fan - posted 27/02/24 WINNER Fan Xian

Fang - posted 24/02/24 WINNER Fang Duobing

Fei - posted 20/03/24 WINNER Fei Du

Feng - posted 28/02/24 WINNER 'Other'

Fu - posted 31/03/24 WINNER Fu Yao

Gao - posted 13/02/24 WINNER Gao Xiaolian

Ge - posted 13/04/24 WINNER Ge Chen

Gong - posted 30/04/24 WINNER Gong Yu

Gongsun - posted 17/04/24 WINNER Gongsun Heng

Gu - posted 7/03/24 WINNER Gu Xiang

Guan - posted 17/03/24 WINNER Guan Hemeng

Gui - posted 29/04/24 WINNERS Gui Wen, Gui Yang, Gui Bai and 'Other'

Guo - posted 9/02/24 WINNER Guo Changcheng

Hai - posted 26/04/24 WINNER Hai Lanshi

Han - posted 17/03/24 WINNER Han Ying

Hao - posted 16/03/24 WINNER Hao Du

He - posted 22/03/24 WINNER He Xuan

Hei - posted 14/04/24 WINNER Hei Xiazi

Helian - posted 9/04/24 wINNER Helian Yi

Hong - posted 8/03/24 WINNER Hong Qigong

Hou - posted 3/05/24 WINNER Hou Bin

Hu - posted 6/03/24 WINNER Hu Tianying

Hua - posted 21/02/24 WINNER Hua Cheng

Huan - posted 6/05/24 WINNER Huan Xiaoyan

Huang - posted 20/03/24 WINNER Huang Shaotian

Huo - posted 25/02/24 WINNER Huo Xiuxiu

Ji - posted 11/04/24 WINNER Ji Xue

Jia - posted 18/03/24 WINNER Jia Kui

Jian - posted 4/04/24 WINNER Jian Buzhi

Jiang - posted 12/02/24 WINNER Jiang Cheng

Jiao - posted 27/03/24 WINNER Jiao Liqiao

Jin - posted 29/02/24 WINNER Jin Ling

Jing - posted 14/03/24 WINNER Jing Beiyuan

Jun - posted 28/04/24 WINNER 'Other"

Kan - posted 3/05/24 WINNER Kan Jian

Kang - posted 27/04/24 WINNER 'Other'

Kong - posted 26/04/24 WINNERS Kong Xiu and Alexis Kong

Kou - posted 4/05/24 WINNER Kou Baimen

Lai - posted 5/05/24 WINNER Lai Zhongshu

Lan - posted 23/02/24 WINNER Lan Wangji

Lei - posted 12/03/24 WINNER Lei Wujie

Leng - posted 2/05/24 WINNER Leng Yue

Li - posted 18/02/24 WINNER Li Lianhua

Lian - posted 18/04/24 WINNERS Lian Yufan and Lian Qiao

Liang - posted 13/03/24 WINNER 'Other'

Lin - posted 14/02/24 WINNER Lin Chen

Ling - posted 6/03/24 WINNER Ling Wen

Liu - posted 16/02/24 WINNER Liu Qingge

Long - posted 23/03/24 WINNER Long Zhi

Lou - posted 10/04/24 WINNER Lou Yao

Lu - posted 5/03/24 WINNER Lu Guang

Luo - posted 24/02/24 WINNER Luo Binghe

Ma - posted 13/03/24 WINNER Ma Xiuying

Mao - posted 17/04/24 WINNER Mao Panfeng

Mei - posted 14/02/24 WINNER Mei Changsu

Meng - posted 29/02/24 WINNER Meng Zhi

Mi - posted 10/04/24 WINER Mi Chong

Miao - posted 23/04/24 WINNER Miao Renfeng

Min - posted 6/05/24 WINNER Min Yunzhong

Ming - posted 26/02/24 WINNER Ming Yi

Misc - posted 7/05/24 WINNER Gongyi Xiao

Mo - posted 18/02/24 WINNER Mo Xuanyu

Mu - posted 22/02/24 WINNER Mu Nihuang

Murong - posted 13/04/24 WINNER Other

Nan - posted 29/03/24 WINNER Nan Feng

Nangong - posted 25/04/24 WINNER Nangong Si

Nie - posted 15/03/24 WINNER Nie Huaisang

Ning - posted 19/03/24 WINNER Ning Yingying

Niu - posted 14/04/24 WINNER Niu Chunmiao

Ouyang - posted 5/03/24 WINNER Ouyang Zizhen

Pan - posted 30/03/24 WINNER Pan Zi

Pang - posted 16/04/24 WINNER Pang Yizhi

Pei - posted 20/02/24 WINNER Pei Ming

Peng - posted 29/04/24 wINNER Peng Sanbian

Ping - posted 11/04/24 WINNER Ping An

Qi - posted 22/02/24 WINNER 'Other'

Qian - posted 5/04/24 WINNER Qian Jin

Qiao - posted 10/02/24 WINNER Qiao Wanmian

Qin - posted 16/03/24 WINNER Qin Banruo

Qing - posted 18/04/24 WINNER Qing Ge

Qiu - posted 25/03/24 WINNER Qiu Congxue

Qu - posted 30/03/24 WINNER Qu Lingfeng

Ran - posted 22/04/24 WINNERS Ran Lin and Ran Yun

Ren - posted 29/03/24 WINNER Ren Ruyi

Rong - posted 28/03/24 WINNER Rong Changqing

Ruan - posted 21/03/24 WINNER Ruan Nanzhu

Sang - posted 22/04/24 WINNER Sang Zan

Sha - posted 7/04/24 WINNER Sha Hualing

Shan - posted 19/04/24 WINNER Shan Gudao

Shang - posted 3/03/24 WINNER Shang Qinghua

Shangguan - posted 4/04/24 WINNER Shangguan Qin

Shao - posted 4/05/24 WINNER Shao Lin

Shen - posted 23/02/24 WINNER Shen Wei

Sheng - posted 4/03/24 WINNER Sheng Minglan

Sima - posted 2/04/24 WINNER Sima Yi

Shi - posted 8/03/24 WINNER Shi Qingxuan

Shu - posted 5/04/24 WINNER Shu Yanyan

Si - posted 15/04/24 WINNER Si Yilin

Song - posted 19/02/24 WINNER Song Lan

Su - posted 13/02/24 WINNER Su Zhe

Sun - posted 15/02/24 WINNER Sun Wukong

Sui - posted 31/03/24 WINNER Sui Zhou

Tan - posted 1/04/24 WINNER 'Other'

Tang - posted 12/02/24 WINNER Tang Fan

Tao - posted 15/04/24 WINNER Tao Ran

Tian - posted 20/04/24 WINNER Tian Qi

Tie - posted 5/05/24 WINNERS Tie Yinyi and Tie Miansheng

Tong - posted 12/04/24 WINNER Tong Lu

Tuoba - posted 12/04/24 WINNER Tuoba Yan

Wan - posted 24/03/24 WINNER Consort Wan

Wang - posted 26/02/24 WINNER Wang Pangzi

Wei - posted 8/02/24 WINNER Wei Wuxian

Wen - posted 2/03/24 WINNER Wen Kexing

Wu - posted 15/02/24 WINNER Wu Xie

Xi - posted 6/04/24 WINNER Xi Ping

Xia - posted 11/03/24 WINNER Xia Dong

Xian - posted 2/05/24 WINNERS Xian Ge and Xian Qing

Xiang - posted 19/03/24 WINNER Xiang Liu and Xiang Nanfang

Xiao - posted 20/02/24 WINNER Xiao Jingyan

Xie - posted 21/02/24 WINNER Xie Lian

Xin - posted 21/04/24 WINNER Xin Ziyuan

Xing - posted 28/03/24 WINNER Xing Zhi

Xiong - posted 7/05/24 WINNERS Xiong yipei and Xiong Chumo

Xu - posted 25/02/24 WINNER Xu Da

Xun - posted 3/04/24 WINNER Xun Feizhan

Xuan - posted 2/04/24 WINNER Xuan Shen'an | The Empress

Xue -posted 11/02/24 WINNER Xue Yang

Yan - posted 19/02/24 WINNER Yan Wushi

Yang - posted 3/03/24 WINNER Yang Wuxie

Yao - posted 24/04/24 WINNER Yao Zhen

Ye - posted 10/02/24 WINNER Ye Baiyi

Yi - posted 9/03/24 WINNER Yi Bichen

Yin - posted 8/04/24 WINNER Yin Yu

Ying - posted 17/02/24 WINNER Ying Hecong

You - posted 1/04/24 WINNER You Huo

Yu - posted 11/02/23 WINNER Yu Ziyuan

Yun - posted 1/03/24 WINNER Yun Biqiu

Yuan - posted 27/02/24 WINNER Yuan Boya

Yue - posted 4/03/24 WINNER Yue Qingyuan

Yuwen - posted 6/04/24 WINNER Yuwen Xuan

Zang - posted 24/02/24 WINNER Zang Ming

Zeng - posted 9/04/24 WINNER Zeng Xiangdong

Zhan - posted 10/03/24 WINNER Zhan Yunfei

Zhang - posted 17/02/24 WINNER Zhang Qiling

Zhao - posted 1/03/24 WINNER Zhao Yunlan

Zhen - posted 24/03/24 WINNER Zhen Ping

Zhi - posted 14/03/24 WINNER Zhi Xiu

Zhong - posted 27/03/24 WINNER Zhong Li

Zhou - posted 2/02/24 WINNER Zhou Zishu

Zhu - posted 9/03/24 Winner Zhu Hong

Zhuge - posted 18/03/24 WINNER Zhuge Liang

Zi - posted 16/04/24 WINNER 'Other'

Zuo - posted 5/05/24 WINNER Zuo Ran

#masterlist #poll #best surname

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danmeiconfession · 1 year ago

Note

This is the most popular BL ships in China according to Lofter

**1. wangxian (MDZS)**

10. Shen Weni / Zhao Yunlan (Guardian)

**12. Lan xichen / Jiang Cheng (MDZS)**

15 Wen Kexing / Zhou Zishu (Word of Honor)

**16 Hualian (MDZS)**

**17 Lan Xichen / Jin Guangyao (MDZS)**

21 Li Yu / Jian Suiying (In Love with an Idiot - 188)

27 He Zhao / Xie Yu (Fake Slacker)

**38 Bingqiu (SVSSS)**

**42 Xiao Xingchen / Xue Yang (MDZS)**

44 Moran / Chu Wanning (2ha)

**52 WWX / JC (MDZS)**

56 19 Days

**57 BingJiu (SVSSS)**

59 Qin Jiu / You Huo (Global University Entrance Examination)

**61** **WWX/LWJ (MDZS) -it's reverse**

**63 Si zhui / Jin Ling (MDZS)**

67 Luo Wenzhou / Fei Du (Mo Du)

**68** **Xue Yang / Xiao Xingchen (MDZS)**

69 Yuan Yang / Gu Qingpei (Beloved Enemies - 188)

73 Zhao Jinxin / Li Shou (Winner Takes All - 188)

77 Jiang Tian / Sheng Wang (Mou Mou)

78 Yan Xie / Jiang Ting (Po Yun)

85 Song Ju Han / He Gu (Years of Intoxication - 188)

87 Shao Qun / Li Cheng Xiu (Sissy - 188)

104 Chang Geng / Gu Yun (Sha po lang)

126. Zhao Yunlan / Shen Weni (Guardian) - reverse

134 SCI

135 Jiang Cheng / Gu fei (Sa Ye)

**138 Nie Mingjue /Jin Guangyao (MDZS)**

141 Yu Fengcheng / Bai Xinyu (My Little Poplar - 188)

**149 JC / WWX (MDZS)**

**161 FengQing (TGCF)**

183 Luo Yi / Wen Xiao Hui (Additional Inheritance - 188)

**185 Moshang (SVSSS)**

195 Bu Chonghua / Wu Yu (Poyun 2 )

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xxrainbowvibezxx · 1 month ago

Note

To be fair, NRS can't handle their straight ships either. Like, let's look:

Liu Kang x Kitana - basic at best and bland at worst. Kitana has more chemistry and sexual tension with her best friend than she does her supposed soulmate.

Jade x Kotal - passable. But this pairing was so out of left field and the writers knew it too. So they tried to be slick by shoehorning in that weak-ass "they knew each other in the past" excuse.

Mileena x Reiko - toxic and abusive. But it did highlight how Mileena treats physical and sexual validation as equivalent to love, as well as how truly love-starved she was.

Skarlet x any guy - guaranteed to be toxic or abusive in some way. Plus I continue to side-eye MK11 for attempting to ship her with Shao Kahn (her abuser and unfortunately adoptive father). Like why. Why was that necessary.

Bi-Han x Sareena - this one is personal for me. Their story during the OG Midway era was so intriguing and had a lot of promise. I love a "redeeming one's self through helping another" story and their story hit all the right beats for me. But in this current timeline? They cooked them. Look at what they did to my girl Sareena. They completely wasted her as a character.

Jacqui x Takeda - god,this one hurts. They were my one "straight ship so good that the gays ship it" ship circa MKX. They were so cute and the puppy love was palpable. Then Jacqui's MK11 ending happened. Sis, are you not engaged? Why didn't that come up when she decided to erase herself from history? (insert something here about women having to lessen themselves for men to succeed)

Johnny x Sonya - same issue as Liu and Kitana. Bland as shit. MKX was their most interesting run. Sonya would have never married Johnny if she hadn't gotten pregnant. Sad to say it,but it is what it is.

(The fact that there's this many more or less canon straight ships, but the one singular queer pairing that debuted circa 2015 is enough to set people off really says a lot about how far we still have to go.)

That's true.

People till this day will deny Taleena. They've been canon for almost a decade. It's just now, in mk1, it's not as discreet. Everyone knows they're bumping purses, but NRS isn't going full force with it. They wrote their relationship to be secretive and scandalous.

(I know damn well Mileena changed those umgadi rules the first day she was empress.)

Also, can we talk about how weird it was that they had Skarlet have some obsession over Shao khan and wanted to be his empress? I love Skarlet, but her writing, specifically that shit is so weird and unnecessary, like you said. Not every character has to be interested in another character, especially like that. Who the fuck writes that, goes over it multiple times and think, "Yeah, this is good."

I also had high hopes for Bi Han x Sareena in mk1. Very disappointed. I don't usually care for straight ships, but this one had potential, and the fact that they're both in mk1, I thought they would proceed with this ship in the new timeline.

I love Jacqui x Takeda, too. Justice for them. Honestly, if they had more time, they'd probably be the best straight ship in Mortal Kombat.

Hanzo x Harumi- Harumi dies (and then the only timeline she alive, Kuai is scorpion)

Kenshi x Suchin- Suchin is dead. Not much is known about their relationship (in mk1, she's mentioned in a few intros. Seems like they used to be something)

Nitara x Erron Black- happened off screen

Shao Kahn x Sindel- Sindel was retconned in mk11 to be as evil as Shao Kahn. Originally, she was forced to marry him. She offs herself to get away from him.

Sindel x Jerrod- They always loved each other until mk11 retcon. Mk1 kind of gave us more content. They definitely love each other in this timeline. It sucks that they're both dead.

Sektor x Bi han (mk1)- genderbent Sektor to make a straight ship.

Kuai Liang x Cyrax (mk1)- genderbent Cyrax to make a straight ship.

Kitana x Raiden (mk1)- Basically liutana.

Ashrah x Syzoth- I don't hate it, but I think they need better development if they continue with this ship in the future. Cause in storymode, Syzoth was depressed and mourning his family. Suddenly him and Ashrah are together? Idk, but if I had just found out my wife and son were murdered and realizing all the shit I did to keep them alive was for nothing, I wouldn't be jumping into a relationship. I just think this ship needs more time to develop. It happened too quickly.

#mortal kombat ships #mk1 #mk11 #ask

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ryukang1995 · 6 months ago

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Mortal Kombat characters, according to me (part 1)

- Johnny Cage - The clown/simp. Some folks love him, but I don't...at least not later incarnations of him (the Midway and 1995 versions can stay though).

- Kano - The Aussie scumbag. He can be delightfully nasty.

- Raiden - I actually like him the most when he's Christopher Lambert. His canon self is either a boy scout (New MK1) or an idiot who sucks at his job (NRS timeline).

- Liu Kang - The champ. A true badass and legend. The undisputed main hero of the franchise.

- Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion - The fan favorite. Some will say he's the GOAT, but while I beg to differ, I still think he's awesome.

- Bi Han/Sub-Zero/Noob Saibot - The troll. Possibly the bane of many players' existence, besides the boss characters.

- Sonya Blade - Waifu #1. I'd have her hook up with Liu Kang, despite Johnny Cage being her canonical ex.

- Syzoth/Reptile - He's at his best when he's "the Green ninja". His New MK1 version isn't too bad though.

- Goro - A nightmare in every sense of the word. He's actually the best sub-boss in the entire franchise.

- Shang Tsung - The best villain in the whole lore. He can be sympathetic as he is wicked and deceitful.

- Kuai Liang/Sub-Zero/Scorpion - The GOAT (besides Liu Kang). Some prefer Hanzo, but I always liked this guy more.

- Kitana - Waifu #2. Arguably the sexiest MK female (though she's tied with Sonya for me). I'd have her hook up with Kuai, despite Liu Kang being her main love in the canon.

- Mileena - I prefer Kitana, but she's kool, if not very crazy and monstrous, lul.

- Kung Lao - Best bro to Liu Kang. Has great potential that doesn't get fully reached, but he's still awesome.

- Jax - Sonya's kool uncle (in a way). He's awesome too.

- Baraka - One ugly motherfucker. Still badass though.

- Tomas Vrbada/Smoke - Best bro to Kuai Liang. He's kool as both a ninja and a cyborg.

- Jade - Best sis to Kitana. Some will say she's a waifu or the sexiest, but while I prefer Kitana and Sonya, she's great too.

- Kintaro - Tiger Goro. He is arguably tougher than Goro, but I never felt that he was as memorable.

- Shao Kahn - Every MK fan's worst nightmare. 'nuff said.

- Sindel - The queen with a strong voice. She's at her best when she's a caring mother to Kitana, and fuck the MK11 version.

- Stryker - For a while, he was the Poochie of MK, but he did get a glow up in MK9, so I can't really rag on him too much. Plus, there have been worse MK characters over the years.

- Cyrax - The Yellow cyborg aka Mustard. He's kool.

- Sektor - The Red cyborg aka Ketchup. He's kool too, but I do prefer Cyrax.

- Nightwolf - Awesome design. Not too much to say about him.

- Sheeva - Lady Goro. If I have to be honest, she's more memorable than Kintaro.

- Kabal - Weird but awesome design. They can't seem to settle on whether he's truly evil or not though.

- Ermac - Probably one of the best ninjas in the franchise, besides Scorpion and Sub-Zero. I do prefer him as "the Red ninja" over him being mummy-like though.

- Rain - The Purple ninja named after the famous Prince song. He has a kool move set, but his personality just makes you want to punch him (though I think that was the intention).

- Motaro - Fuck. This. Guy. I always hated fighting him.

That's all for now. I might make more posts about how I view MK characters. If you agree or disagree with any of these, it's all good. Feel free to reblog or leave comments.

#mortal kombat #character thoughts #my thoughts #liu kang #sonya blade #sub zero #scorpion #raiden #johnny cage #kano #kung lao #reptile #shang tsung #kitana #jax #mileena #baraka #goro #shao kahn

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craftercat · 29 days ago

Note

Found this question on AskHistorian. I want to hear your take on it.

"To what extent is the Tang Dynasty's greater 'liberalization' for women a product of Eurasian/northern steppe culture?"

The full question is on AskHistorian as I am asking anonymously, I can't send a link, but I hope you can find the full question.

First of all, the Tang dynasty was not some utopia for women. Wu Zetian faced significant misogyny in becoming emperor herself, though classism and not being from the Li clan also played roles. From the words of Empress Zhangsun, we can tell women were still generally expected to be subordinate to men, even if they had greater freedom. But it is true there were influential female figures in early Tang such as Empress Zhangsun, Wu Zetian, Princess Taiping, Empress Wei and Shangguan Wan'er, and that women in general enjoyed greater freedom.

The Tang dynasty borrowed elements from the Sui dynasty which was mostly using the same systems as the Northern Zhou dynasty, although there was some southern influence. The Northern Zhou had reversed many of the cultural reforms of Emperor Xiaowen, and even started giving Han people Xianbei family names. I think the Northern Zhou would likely have had a similar attitude towards women as the Northern Wei, and the attitude of Northern Wei is easier to determine due to more records. And Northern Wei's attitude towards women is complex.

On one hand, women were generally allowed greater freedom. It was common for women to participate in the economy by raising silkworms, which was considered a female-centric occupation. This work was valued, and the work women was considered integral to a family's income. Later on, under the equal field system, women would be allowed to have their own land (before this, most people were dependent on aristocrats and independent land would often be given per household rather than per head due to worse census records). The exact legal rights of women in Northern Wei is unknown because many Northern Wei laws are unknown. However, a few legal clauses regarded women are known:

Under Tuoba Shiyijian's legal code, women would be executed along with men for rebellion. This could indicate more autonomy for women, as the reason why women would be spared is that they were considered to have little autonomy and had to follow male relatives. The equality in punishment actually indicates better rights. However, despite this being the law, women appear to have been spared clan punishment from after Tuoba Gui took Hebei, which could indicate the adoption of Chinese views on executing women as part of clan punishment.

Also according to this legal code, men and women who had improper sexual relations would both be executed. This likely refers to things such as an extramarital affair. This indicates that there were still misogynistic attitudes in Dai, although the man would also be executed, which suggests that responsibility was not solely placed on the woman.

In 431, the law regarding pregnant female criminals was changed so that a pregnant woman would not be executed until 100 days after her child was born. Also under this legal code, women could be sentenced to hard labour in the capital making charcoal. It's unclear if women could be sentenced to hard labour in the 398 legal code or before, but they probably could, but not doing the same duty as in the 431 code.

In Yuan Ke's reign, there was a difficult case about a man who sold his daughter as a slave to pay for his mother's funeral, and this case made its way to the emperor. But this was more about seniority and filial piety than gender.

As for women in court, it was common for women to have influence in Northern Wei. Princess Helan helped Tuoba Gui establish himself as emperor, but Tuoba Gui took a hardline stance against female influence and suppressed her tribe. Tuoba Si's sister Princess Huayin had achievements in putting down Tuoba Shao's coup attempt, but it's unknown what she did. Tuoba Si allowed her to exercise influence, as can be seen by her involvement in the debate around moving the capital in 415. She even had her own temple, which was unusual for a woman, let alone one who was the emperor's sister rather than his mother. Tuoba Tao was influenced by his nanny Empress Dowager Dou, who was a major player in the debate around attacking Rouran. He also established a temple for his mother Consort Du. Empress Dowager Chang, Empress Dowager Feng and Empress Dowager Hu were also powerful.

The empress and senior concubines would handle the affairs of the back palace, and Yuan Hong even established an official hierarchy for handling these affairs. Whether or not a concubine could leave the palace depended on the emperor; usually, the only way she could do so is if the emperor released her in order to marry someone else and increase labour. However, there were cases where an emperor would gift concubines to officials and generals.

On the other hand, the Northern Wei emperors were hardly feminist. While killing the mother of the crown prince was more political than downright misogynistic, many emperors held views against women. Yuan Hong considered women to be jealous and harmful, and Tuoba Si once said to the wife of his recently deceased official Yizhan Jun: "When people in life share honours, in death it is appropriate for them to share a tomb. The possibility of being jointly buried with him is voluntary." She committed suicide and was buried with him.

As I mentioned when I discussed the legal rights of women, a woman was not allowed to have an extramarital affair on pain of death, at least under Tuoba Shiyijian. I'm not sure if this law was ever changed. Women's rights on divorce are unknown, but there are no cases of an official divorcing his wife that I have found in the Weishu, which suggests that a divorce was difficult to obtain. Widows without an adult son often had a difficult time, as men did most of the ploughing and hard agricultural work, and so a widow would struggle to survive. How easy it was for a widow to remarry is unclear, but it would be harder the older she got, because the older she was, the more stepchildren she would bring into the marriage, and the fewer biological children her new husband would have with her.

In terms of the freedom of travel that a woman would have, the Northern Wei travel rights seemed relatively high. Princess Dowager Helan once rode a carriage with a young Tuoba Gui, while Empress Dowager Dou once climbed Guo Mountain. The Book of Southern Qi records that the empress and concubines would often accompany the emperor on imperial tours and they would even put on armour and ride horses. Of course, there were much fewer travel opportunities for common women.

The Weishu's Biography of Exemplary Women emphasises the good moral character of the women, but also their intelligence. The intelligence of women was valued into the Tang dynasty, and can be seen in the Jinshu's Biography of Exemplary Women compiled during the Tang, where intelligence was often emphasised.

In the Tang dynasty, these rights seem to have continued. Women were still able to own land, and under Wu Zetian, some accumulated large amounts of land under the equal-field system. Divorces could not be obtained without the husband's consent, and like in earlier dynasties, women were still considered under the authority of the senior male in the household. Women were still allowed to ride horses, and as I mentioned, powerful women often appeared in the Tang dynasty.

This greater freedom for women, despite some misogynistic views, does seem to originate from Xianbei culture, but after Emperor Xiaowen sinicised, female influence continued. Yang Jian reversed Yuwen Tai's Xianbeification, but the status for women did not change, and his wife Empress Dugu held significant influence.

While the higher status of women may have originated in Xianbei culture, by the time of the Tang dynasty, it had gradually entered Han culture as well. It was after Wu Zetian, Empress Wei, Shangguan Wan'er and Princess Taiping that the court scaled back on female power, and due to the court adopting a hardline stance against female power, society became more misogynistic.

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arwatchesandreads · 2 months ago

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Falling Into Your Smile (你微笑时很美)

Finally back to writing reviews. I’ve watched many shows since the last time I wrote a review but I was just too lazy to take notes on the episodes and how I felt. I re-watched this show a whole month ago but didn’t get to write the review because I fell into a slump. I’m back though. This show is super popular because it has Xu Kai as the male lead, and honestly, I enjoyed this show a lot the first time I watched it. However, after rewatching the show I can say I still enjoyed the show, yet, I wouldn’t say it was super crazy good like how I felt watching Amidst a Snowstorm of Love and Love Me, Love My Voice, etc. The characters were fun to watch, the plot was all about e-sports (which I actually really enjoyed), but I felt like it was missing something to make the show better.

My Rating: 7.5/10

Episodes: 31

Country: China

Genre: Romance with E-Sports

Aired: June 23rd, 2021- July 15th, 2021

Cast:

Xu Kai as Lu Si Cheng

Cheng Xiao as Tong Yao

Zhai Xiao Wen as Jiang Yang

Yao Chi as Lu Yue

Rachel Wang as Chen Jin Yang

Zhou Yi Ran as Ai Jia

Sun Kai as Xiao Peng

Gao Han as Lao K

Xiao Kai Zhong as Lao Mao

Merxat as Yu Ming

Cui Shao Yang as Xiao Rui

Wang Yi Jun as Lee Kun Hyeok

Synopsis:

All-male ZGDX e-sports team loses a player due to a hand injury. They need to choose a replacement for the team.

Tong Yao is a popular female gamer who is known for her skill but also recklessness. She got into gaming through her ex-boyfriend who ended up abandoning her for the OPL world. The manager of ZGDX, Xiao Rui, messages Tong Yao an invite into recruiting her for the team. At first she is not welcomed by the team, especially Lu Si Cheng. However, as they continue to interact and live at the base, she forms a closer bond with the team and an even closer bond with Lu Si Cheng, the captain of ZGDX.

This drama was adapted from the web novel “You’re Beautiful When You Smile” (你微笑时很美) by Qing Mei (青浼).

Beware of Spoilers Moving Forward!!!!!!!!!

What Episode did the Main Couple Start Dating?

OMg. They literally take a whole third of the show just to establish the fact they are dating. They are officially together in Episode 21.

I don’t mind slow burns, and in this case it was fine because there is a lot of plot in this show in terms of gaming and the e-sports world. There is also just a lot of hesitation between the two, as her ex-boyfriend, Jiang Yang, was also an e-sports professional gamer and they lost contact because of it, and therefore, she originally didn’t want to have a relationship with anyone in the same field. She also hesitates as the fandom is highkey crazy and a lot of people were convinced they were already dating before, and were already shit-talking Tong Yao for “seducing” Si Cheng.

Si Cheng asks Tong Yao very casually in episode 20 if she wants to try, and she asks “try what?” and he says, me. LOLOLOLOL I almost died here. In episode 21, she thinks he was joking, and was very indecisive on what to do but she almost confessed in a previous episode so I don’t know what she was hesitating for. She then accepts him later in this episode.

Misunderstandings?

They have a misunderstanding in Episode 17 after Tong Yao gets into a fight at an event with another lady who was in charge of that event. She pushes the lady and that lady makes a whole video accusing Tong Yao of physically hurting her and it goes viral. Tong Yao gets banned for one game. During this time, Si Cheng isn’t talking to her and Tong Yao is butt- hurt about it. He explains later on in Episode 18.

There’s also another time in Episode 26 where Si Cheng is acting cold and distant with Tong Yao after the harmful package incident with Tong Yao. He ignores her and acts cold with her for days. In Episode 27, Tong Yao asks Si Cheng if they’re breaking up because he’s been cold, however, he consoles her and tells her he’s just angry at himself that he can’t protect her.

Love Triangles?

LOOOOOOOOOL This show is essentially a harem. Every captain from almost every team loves Tong Yao akjsndkfjsdfs. It was kinda funny. But jokes aside. There really isn’t a love triangle at all.

Jiang Yang tries to get Tong Yao back, however, she was very set in stone that she wouldn’t take him back. She explains to Jiang Yang that the reason she doesn’t want to get back with him is because he never treated her as someone who could walk alongside him.

Another funny character who was obsessed with Tong Yao was Kun from FNC, he was soooo funny. I laughed the whole time his character appeared on screen. He just felt like comedic relief tbh.

Second Leads Romance

OMGGGG. Ai Jia and Jin Yang were so fun to watch honestly. Zhou Yi Ran. my love. My obsession. My fav c-drama actor. Akjsndfkjsnkdfs. Zhou Yi Ran playing Ai Jia was a delight to watch. The first time I watched him was in When I Fly Towards you and his character is so different in Falling Into Your Smile. Their romance was different, but honestly, very true. Jin Yang had no interest in the world of e-sports but she supported Ai Jia throughout it. She ended up buying his team too LOL. and she helped him reconnect with his mom again after she kicked him out for wanting to be a professional e-sports gamer.

Falling Into Your Smile Ending

Falling Into Your Smile has a happy ending where they win at the finals thanks to Tong Yao. Then, we watch Ai Jia and Jin Yang get married and Tong Yao catches the bouquet. It was a typical sweet ending.

Falling Into Your Smile Review- A Fun Romance between Gamers

I gave this show a 7.5/10. I enjoyed it thoroughly as it was a fun show to watch with e-sports, friendship, romance, conflicts, etc. If I’m being completely honest the reason why I can’t rate the show any higher is because I just felt the show was mediocre at best. I don’t know how to explain it. I was happy when the main leads got together, and honestly, some of the conflicts were fun to watch and I understood how they dealt with it. However, it was just a fun watch. I can't say that I was obsessed and eager to finish the show. I think the reason I couldn’t enjoy this show to the fullest was because Cheng Xiao’s acting in this show was mediocre at best. She kind of always had a poker face throughout the show aksjbfksds.

The e-sports plot was fun to watch and I did really enjoy that part of the show as this was my first time seeing a plot like this. The fandom being crazy for the guys were super real, the chronic injuries that professional e-sports gamers face was shown, the stigma of being a professional gamer was also explored. I really appreciated and enjoyed these arcs in the story.

Falling Into Your Smile is a fun watch where you see pro-gamers explore the world of romance, team bonding, dealing with societal stigmas on gaming, etc. I did enjoy the show and it was a cute, fun watch and I didn’t regret the time I took to watch it.

#romance drama #cdrama #chinese drama #drama blog #sweet romance #asian drama #asian drama review #falling into your smile #xu kai #tong yao #lu si cheng

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shookethdev · 2 years ago

Note

a o e i i er ai ei ao ou an en ang eng ong i ia iao ie iu ian in iang ing iong u ua uo uai ui uan un uang ueng ü üe üan ün a o e er ai ao ou an en ang eng yi ya yao ye you yan yin yang ying yong wu wa wo wai wei wan wen wang weng yu yue yuan yun b ba bo bai bei bao ban ben bang beng bi biao bie bian bin bing bu p pa po pai pei pao pou pan pen pang peng pi piao pie pian pin ping pu m ma mo me mai mei mao mou man men mang meng mi miao mie miu mian min ming mu f fa fo fei fou fan fen fang feng fu d da de dai dei dao dou dan den dang deng dong di diao die diu dian ding du duo dui duan dun t ta te tai tei tao tou tan tang teng tong ti tiao tie tian ting tu tuo tui tuan tun n na ne nai nei nao nou nan nen nang neng nong ni niao nie niu nian nin niang ning nu nuo nuan nü nüe l la le lai lei lao lou lan lang leng long li lia liao lie liu lian lin liang ling lu luo luan lun lü lüe g ga ge gai gei gao gou gan gen gang geng gong gu gua guo guai gui guan gun guang k ka ke kai kei kao kou kan ken kang keng kong ku kua kuo kuai kui kuan kun kuang h ha he hai hei hao hou han hen hang heng hong hu hua huo huai hui huan hun huang z za ze zi zai zei zao zou zan zen zang zeng zong zu zuo zui zuan zun c ca ce ci cai cao cou can cen cang ceng cong cu cuo cui cuan cun s sa se si sai sao sou san sen sang seng song su suo sui suan sun zh zha zhe zhi zhai zhei zhao zhou zhan zhen zhang zheng zhong zhu zhua zhuo zhuai zhui zhuan zhun zhuang ch cha che chi chai chao chou chan chen chang cheng chong chu chua chuo chuai chui chuan chun chuang sh sha she shi shai shei shao shou shan shen shang sheng shu shua shuo shuai shui shuan shun shuang r re ri rao rou ran ren rang reng rong ru rua ruo rui ruan run j ji jia jiao jie jiu jian jin jiang jing jiong ju jue juan jun q qi qia qiao qie qiu qian qin qiang qing qiong qu que quan qun x xi xia xiao xie xiu xian xin xiang xing xiong xu xue xuan xun

NAKU 🫵

#anon #asks

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eyenaku · 2 years ago

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Ji ji fu ji ji

#‼️mutual #get tone-d

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spidersweet · 1 year ago

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Headcanons y one shots.

(SFW Y NSFW)

● Call of Duty:

☆capitán Price/John .

☆Ghost/ Simon Riley.

☆GAZ/ Kyle Garrick.

☆Soap/ Johnny Mactavish.

☆Alex Turner.

☆Valeria Garza.

☆Rodolfo parra.

☆Alejandro Vargas.

☆Phillip Graves.

☆Farah Karim.

☆König.

☆Keegan Russ.

●Resident Evil:

☆Carlos Oliviera.

☆Ada Wong.

☆Leon Kennedy.

☆Chris Redfield.

☆claire Redfield.

☆Jill Valentine.

☆ashley Graham.

☆Luis Serra.

☆Albert Wesker.

☆Ethan Winters.

☆Inviernos de romero.

●Mortal Kombat:

☆Erron Black.

☆Johnny Cage.

☆Raiden.

☆Kung Lao.

☆Kenshi Takahashi.

☆Sub-zero/ Bi-Han.

☆Scorpion/ Kuai Liang.

☆Smoke/ Tomas Vrbada.

☆Reiko.

☆Reptil/Syzoth.

☆ Shang Tsung.

☆Liu Kang.

☆General Shao.

☆sindel.

☆Li Mei.

☆Kitana.

☆Mileena.

☆Ashrah.

●Devil may cry:

☆Dante Sparda.

☆Vergil Sparda.

☆Nero Sparda.

☆V.

●House of the dragon.

☆Aemond Targaryen.

☆Aegon Targaryen.

☆Daemon Targaryen.

●Slashers:

☆Sheriff Nick Goode.

☆Tommy Slamet.

☆Jason Voorhees.

☆Michael Myers.

☆Letherface: Bubba Sawyer/ Thomas Hewitt. (Especificar).

☆Vicent Sinclair.

☆Bo Sinclair.

●kenue reeves.

☆John Constantine.

☆John Wick.

Estos son los personajes que manejó.

Pueden hacer sus pedidos basándose en esto. Les agradecería si lo hicieran.

Si quieren otros personajes, solo pidanlos y veré si puedo hacerlos.

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fourseasonsfigs · 2 years ago

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Junzhe Extended Universe (JZEU) Fig Index

These figs celebrate the acting and filming history of both Zhang Zhehan and Gong Jun. I've noted the character(s) in italics next to each post for easy searching. I'll also add a character listing for each actor at the bottom of the post since it's easy to get individual characters mixed up (at least by me!)

Part 3

Yuechu with Peach - Dongfang Yuechu

Chulian on Lake - Dongfang Yuechu & Qing Lian

Xu Si is Rising with the Wind (Handcrafted) - Xu Si

Part 2

Pearl of the East China Sea - (young) Lin Shu

Home Country World - Han Ye

Your Highness, Calm Down - Han Ye

No Regrets - Han Ye

Masked Prince - Han Ye

White and Gold Han Ye - Han Ye

Black and Gold Han Ye - Han Ye

Long Feiye Motioning his Guard Forward - Long Feiye

Meet Han Ye in the Rain (Official) - Han Ye

I See You Han Ye (Official) - Han Ye

Niuniu Wants to Fight - Xu Jin

Prince Han Ye (Handcrafted) - Han Ye

Little Sugar Man - Zhong Wumei

Little Daoist Priest - Dongfang Yuechu

Niuniu with Bun - Xu Jin

Little Jade Daoist - Dongfang Yuechu

Moonlight Night - Long Feiye

Yuechu Yin Yang Landscape Figures - Dongfang Yuechu

Small Winecup Qinglian - Xiao-Zhe

Accidental Medical Exam - Lingyue - Ling Rui & Wang Yue

Night Night - Long Feiye

Dongfang Yuechu (Handcrafted) - Dongfang Yuechu

Marilyn Ming Xia - Ming Xia

Battle Damaged Niuniu - Xu Jin

Tianshu Beichen - Dog's Blood Drama - Long Feiye & Han Ye

Daoist Priest with Sugar Gourd - New Year's JZEU Series (13) - Dong Fang Yuechu

Fifth Sister - Zhong Wumei

Prince Rich - Han Ye

Princess Xixi - Xia Yanxi

Incomparably Beautiful Hair - New Year's JZEU Series (12) - Ji Fa

Peerless Little Prince - New Year's JZEU Series (11) - Zhong Wumei

Master Gong Xue - New Year's JZEU Series (10) - Wei Ying

Spicy Police Flower - New Year's JZEU Series (9) - Huang Weiping

Part 1

Early Mid-Autumn Festival: Moon Rabbit Lantern Daoist - Dong Fang Yuechu

Clever Little Daoist - Dong Fang Yuechu

Cool Little Daoist - Dong Fang Yuechu

Zhongpei - Zhong Wumei & Pei Yuntian

The Bravest - For Your Safety - Zheng Zhi

The Flaming Heart - I'm Always Here - Huo Yan

Lingyue Love at First Sight - Ling Rui & Wang Yue

Early Mid-Autumn Festival: Sweet Tangyuan Little Daoist - Dongfang Yuechu

Genius Investor - Xu Si

Xiao Yue is Coming - Wang Yue

Ink and Wash Daoist Priest - Dongfang Yuechu

Niuniu Flying a Kite - Xu Jin

War-Damaged Prince - Han Ye

Bright Boy - (young) Lin Shu

Firefighter Huo Yan - Huo Yan

Graceful Prince - Han Ye

Don't Go to Work, I'll Take Care of You - Zhao Fanzhou & Zhang Min

Minguo Military Husbands - Ming Xia & Fang Yan

Han Ye with Sword - Han Ye

XuXu - Xu Jin & Xu Si

Irregular Daoist - Dongfang Yuechu

A-Han and Xiao-Zhe Drinking Wine - A-Han & Xiao-Zhe

A-Han and Da Shixiong - A-Han & Da Shixiong

Pajama Party - Fang Yan (cross posted from Junzhe fig index)

Tanghulu Niuniu - New Year's JZEU Series (2) - Xu Jin

Xue Shao - New Year's JZEU Series (1) - Xue Shao

Xiaohui Lang - Xu Jin

Jade Waist Slave - Xue Shao

Han Ye and Ji Fa Hidden Knife - Han Ye & Ji Fa

Han Ye and Xu Jin Battle Couple - Han Ye & Xu Jin

Lingyue - Teddy Bear - Ling Rui & Wang Yue

Lingyue - Delivery - Ling Rui & Wang Yue

Hamburger Xu Si - Xu Si

Bedtime Game - Fang Yan (cross posted from Junzhe fig index)

Firefighters - Huo Yan & Zheng Zhi

Fat Head Qinglian - Xiao-Zhe

Sweet Shenping - Lin Shen & Huang Weiping

Prince Han Ye on Horseback - Han Ye

Luminous Club - Fang Yan & Gu Chijun

Here's the listings of the TV series / films for each actor, followed by the character played. Thanks to Wikipedia for basic information as well as general Google and Twitter searching.

Character List - Zhang Zhehan

Why Love You: Xia Yanxi

Ni Shi Hen Mei: Xiao Zhi

Love For Hope: Zou Xiang

Eager to Create: Ah Le

Haunting Love: Li Ming Yan

Crazy for Palace: Xiao Hao

Palace 3: The Lost Daughter: Sun Heli

Incisive Great Teacher: Jin Renbin

Cosmetology High: Pei Yuntian

The Romance of the Condor Heroes: Ye Lu Qi

Crazy for Palace 2: Xiao Hao

Love YunGe from the Desert: Liu Xu

Nirvana in Fire: (young) Lin Shu

Ban Shu Legend: Wei Ying

ACG Hero: Zhang Wei

Decoded: Han Bing

Demon Girl (I and II): Ming Xia

Happy Mitan: (cameo) Dian Xiaoer

Above the Clouds: Ke Luo

Legend of Yunxi: Long Feiye

The Bravest: Zheng Zhi

Brother (short film): Wang Yue

Chang Dao Bing Cha (short film): Xiao Fei

Mi Fang (short film): Xiao Fei

Mian Ju (short film): Xiao Fei / Xue Shao

Everyone Wants to Meet You: Zhang Min

The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion: Xu Jin

Word of Honor: Zhou Zishu

1921: Xiao Zisheng

(TBD) The Second Sight Fall in Love: Yang Jingyi

(TBD) Castle in the Time: Gu Chijun

(TBD) Zhao Ge: Ji Fa

(TBD) Retro Detective: Huang Weiping

Character List - Gong Jun

Sword Chaos: Bi Lu

Lost Love in Times: Yuan Che

Advance Bravely: Xia Yao

Unique Lady (I & II): Zhong Wumei

Flavor It’s Yours: Lu Weixun

The Love Equations: Zhao Fanzhou

Begin Again: Ling Rui

Word of Honor: Wen Kexing

The Player: Ren Yixia

The Flaming Heart: Huo Yan

Shining Like You: Fang Yan

Dream Garden: Lin Shen

Legend of Anle: Han Ye

Rising with the Wind: Xu Si

Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Yue Hong: Dongfang Yuechu

[go back to Master Fig Index]

#jzeu #junzhe extended universe #junzhe #zhang zhehan #gong jun #word of honor #word of honor cast #shl cast #shl #figthusiast #I still can't believe I have 4 fang yan figs #yes two of them are zebras

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kdram-chjh · 4 months ago

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Cdrama: Love Like the Galaxy (2022)

If you dare abandon me…❤️‍🩹 #lovelikethegalaxy #zhaolusi #wulei #cdrama

Watch this video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/b0OyP17Joa8

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the-archlich · 6 months ago

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Historically we all know that Wang Yun refused to pardon Li Jue and Guo Si which led to the both of them storming Chang'an and toppling Wang's regime which could have possibly saved the Han Dynasty. However, what if Wang Yun was smarter about it and decided to pardon them first, then kill them later on in secret? Sounds like a smarter plan to me and would that have saved the Han Dynasty?

I think that even if he'd kept control over Chang'an and the government, Wang Yun lacked any leverage to exert power outside of his immediate vicinity. By the time he came to power, the various warlords were fully independent and Wang Yun didn't have any way to bring them in line.

Li Jue's junta made use of certain diplomatic ploys to gain some leverage, and Wang Yun might ahve done so too. Ultimately, though, restoring order would still take a military strongman. It was probably only a matter of time until he'd be forced to turn the emperor over to someone like Yuan Shao or Cao Cao, who had actual and effective power.

0 notes

yeonchi · 6 months ago

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Warriors Orochi: The Recollective Redux Part 3.3: Wei Story B

After the first defeat of Orochi, Cao Cao hands over the defence of the kingdom to his son, Cao Pi as he sets off on a journey to explore the world of Orochi. Join us as we meet old friends, new enemies and the old nemesis on our journey!

Initial characters: Cao Cao, Dian Wei, Zhang He, Jia Xu, Guo Jia, Xun Yu, Nuwa, Kunoichi

Chapter 9: Battle of Si Province 司州の戦い (uses DW5XL Imperial Rescue map)

Wei Army vs. Sun Wukong Army Allied characters: Cao Cao, Nuwa, Xun Yu, Sun Li Enemy characters: Sun Wukong, Dong Zhuo

Following Orochi’s death, some of his officers rose in rebellion, plunging the land into chaos once more. Cao Cao, Nuwa and some Wei officers set off, leaving the defence of the kingdom to Cao Pi. Kunoichi appears, reporting to Cao Cao that “an army led by a monkey” has been spotted ahead. Cao Cao decides to investigate.

Cao Cao’s ambush unit is replaced by Wei officers as the officers that appear in the original stage are part of Nobunaga’s army, who do not join until very late into the story.

In the aftermath, Cao Cao tells Nuwa that she should not take advantage of him. Kunoichi will report that Lu Bu has been sighted at Sishui Gate.

Chapter 10: Battle of Sishui Gate 汜水関の戦い

Wei Army and Xiahou Dun Army vs. Lu Bu Army Allied characters: Cao Cao, Kunoichi, Guo Jia Third-party characters: Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Xiahou Ba, Guo Huai Enemy characters: Lu Bu, Diaochan, Chen Gong, Lu Lingqi, Kotarō Fūma

Unlocked characters: Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Xiahou Ba, Guo Huai

Guo Jia replaces Xun Yu in this battle. Xiahou Ba and Guo Huai will accompany Xiahou Yuan alongside Han Hao as they move to execute the fire attack. Lu Lingqi will be among the units attacking Xiahou Dun in the centre.

In the aftermath, Xiahou Dun and the others join Cao Cao’s army. Nuwa compliments Cao Cao, who tells her not to waste time testing his abilities. Nuwa will then tell Cao Cao that Da Ji is working to resurrect Orochi and the monkey’s master (Kiyomori) is working towards the same goal. Cao Cao decides to request his son to gather as much aid as possible and sends Zhang He to recruit Yuan Shao to their cause. Cao Cao will also send messages for help as well.

Chapter 11: Battle of Shizugatake 賤ヶ岳の戦い

Wei Army and Taishi Ci Army vs. Yuan Shao Army Allied characters: Zhang He, Jia Xu, Cao Rui Third-party characters: Taishi Ci Enemy characters: Yuan Shao, Jiang Wei

Unlocked characters: Jiang Wei, Taishi Ci, Yuan Shao

After the first battle with Orochi, Jiang Wei left Shu to test his strength and joined Yuan Shao, who had been building up his forces at Shizugatake. Zhang He arrives, hoping to gain the cooperation of Yuan Shao.

If he is not in your team, Jia Xu appears in place of Xun You and will take his place in the plan to convince Yuan Tan to defect.

In the aftermath, Jiang Wei questions if Cao Cao is becoming the next Orochi by absorbing other factions into his army. Yuan Shao dismisses this and joins Wei. Taishi Ci also joins to answer Cao Pi’s request for reinforcements from Wu.

Chapter 12: Battle of Ji Castle 冀城の戦い

Wei Army and Saika Renegades vs. Sima Yi Army Allied characters: Xiahou Yuan, Xiahou Ba, Guo Huai Third-party characters: Magoichi Saika, Toshiie Maeda Enemy characters: Sima Yi, Sun Wukong, Sima Shi, Zhang Chunhua, Zhong Hui, Deng Ai, Zhuge Dan, Yu Jin

Unlocked characters: Magoichi Saika, Toshiie Maeda

Sun Wukong was tasked by Kiyomori to capture talented officers to work for his army. Thus the land was split between those wishing to revive Orochi under Kiyomori and those wishing to prevent the resurrection under Cao Cao. Kunoichi spots Sun Wukong again and Cao Cao sends Xiahou Yuan to lead an assault.

The third army is called the Maeda Army 前田軍 in the original game, but they are called the Saika Renegades 雑賀衆 in this version as Toshiie is the odd one out of that army. The enemy army was called the Date Army 伊達軍 in the original game but they are called the Sima Yi Army 司馬懿軍 in this version because no Date officers are featured in this battle.

Xiahou Ba and Guo Huai replace Xiahou Wei and Xiahou Shang in this battle. Zhang Chunhua replaces Guo Huai on the enemy side. Yu Jin appears in the centre of the battlefield among the units attacking Ji Castle. Sima Shi replaces Sima Zhao and Zhuge Dan replaces Xin Pi in the ambush unit.

In the aftermath, Magoichi and Toshiie will join the Wei Army. Nuwa comments that Cao Cao and Kiyomori are the same in a sense.

Chapter 13: Battle of Komaki-Nagakute 小牧長久手の戦い

Wei Army and Cao Pi Army vs. Orochi Army Allied characters: Cao Cao, Dian Wei Third-party characters: Cao Pi, Zhenji, Cao Ren, Pang Tong, Xu Shu Enemy characters: Orochi, Kiyomori Taira, Sun Wukong, Diamondback, Dodomeki, Gyūki

Unlocked characters: Cao Pi, Zhenji, Cao Ren, Pang Tong, Xu Shu

Kiyomori has awakened Orochi and taken him to the battlefield, in the hope of fighting the warriors of Wei. This is reported to Cao Cao by Dian Wei. They hurry to save Cao Pi from certain death.

In the original games, Orochi cannot be fought unless you use a cheat code to walk through walls. In this version, you can fight Orochi after completing a secret mission; you need to have cleared this stage once, then Pang Tong’s fire attack needs to be executed within the first 8 minutes of the battle. If successful, then Orochi will challenge you to face him after Kiyomori comments that he must put an end to this battle himself. In either case, Kiyomori or Orochi can be defeated to win the battle. This will apply to Story Mode and not Free Mode.

Regardless of who is defeated, Kiyomori will teleport Orochi away. In the aftermath, Nuwa informs Cao Cao that in order to fully revive, Orochi requires a girl named Himiko. Despite his chagrin of Nuwa withholding information from him, Cao Cao declares that they must find Himiko.

Chapter 14: Battle of Yamatai 邪馬台の戦い

Wei Army and Azai Army vs. Da Ji Army Allied characters: Cao Rui, Toshiie Maeda, Jiang Wei Third-party characters: Nagamasa Azai, Oichi Enemy characters: Da Ji, Himiko, Keiji Maeda, Hisahide Matsunaga

Unlocked characters: Nagamasa Azai, Oichi

Jiang Wei and Toshiie Maeda set off to find Da Ji and Himiko. They spot them after a while in a place called Yamatai.

Hisahide Matsunaga will appear among the ambush units defending the cannon fortress.

After Da Ji’s defeat, Himiko will be spotted travelling towards Tong Gate. Cao Cao sends Xiahou Dun to Tong Gate.

Chapter 15: Battle of Tong Gate 潼関の戦い

Wei Army and Oda Army vs. Taira Army Allied characters: Xiahou Dun, Magoichi Saika Third-party characters: Nobunaga Oda, Nō, Katsuie Shibata Enemy characters: Kiyomori Taira, Diamondback, Sun Wukong, Dong Zhuo

Unlocked characters: Nobunaga Oda, Nō, Katsuie Shibata

A bit of a spoiler alert for a future part – Nobunaga Oda originally appeared in both the Wei and Samurai Warriors stories for Part B. Personally, I find that to be illogical and it robs Mitsunari Ishida of any significant relevance since he doesn’t even have any special character encounter lines in this stage. As such, Nobunaga will appear in the Wei story while Mitsunari will appear in the Samurai Warriors story alongside Hideyoshi Toyotomi.

Magoichi Saika will appear as an extra officer in this stage. Nō will appear in place of Mitsunari Ishida when the Oda Army arrives.

In the aftermath, Cao Cao thanks Nobunaga for his reinforcements. They prepare to defeat Orochi, who has revived in Guandu.

Chapter 16: Battle of Guandu 官渡の戦い

Wei Army and Coalition Army vs. Orochi Army Allied characters: Cao Cao, Nobunaga Oda, Yuan Shao, Xu Shu, Taishi Ci Third-party characters: Liao Hua, Dong Jue, Guan Yi, Zhuge Ke, Quan Zong, Chen Wu Enemy characters: Orochi X, Keiji Maeda, Sima Yi, Sima Shi, Zhuge Dan, Zhang Chunhua, Gyūki, Himiko, Zhong Hui, Deng Ai, Yu Jin, Dong Zhuo

Unlocked characters: Sun Wukong

Some variations have been made for the Chapter 16 battles against Orochi X. In each faction’s version, they will fight four of Orochi’s main generals. In this version of the battle, those generals will be Sima Yi, Keiji Maeda, Himiko and Dong Zhuo.

Yuan Shao will appear in place of Hanbei Takenaka, Xu Shu will appear in place of Nobumori Sakuma and Taishi Ci will appear in place of Xun You. When the Coalition Army appears later on in this battle, generic officers will appear in place of the playable officers featured.

Sima Shi and Zhuge Dan appear in place of Masamune Date and Kojūrō Katakura at Guandu Castle, with Sima Yi’s officers replacing the Date officers. Zhang Chunhua appears in place of Sima Zhao while Zhong Hui, Deng Ai, Yu Jin and Dong Zhuo will appear with Orochi’s main forces.

So, Wei’s story finishes here! Next up will be Wu’s story!

#dynasty warriors #samurai warriors #warriors orochi #warriors orochi z #warriors orochi: the recollective redux

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zhaolie-the-benevolent · 2 years ago

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The treachery of Cao Aman

The man himself needs no introduction. Cao Cao is probably the most notable and famous man of te later Han period and is always a central figure in the story adaptations of the Three Kingdoms as a rival to his majesty Zhaolie.

Let me preface by saying that Cao Cao was indeed a great man, the greatest of his time. He led a successful government and led mostly successful campaigns, defeating important odds. My favorite stories regarding the man are those shows of enlightened and kingly governance he occasionally displayed, for he was capable of mercy and kindness.

However, as the title may suggest, this is not a post to talk about his virtue, and in fact I will be using quite harsh words. I think it’s important to add this disclaimer, because it’s not that I think Cao Cao has no qualities worthy of praise, but rather that I will not be singing any more praises other than the ones found on this preface. I am here to harshly criticize him. I want to note that despite my inflammatory remarks towards his person I will be fair in my judgement. Let us begin.

Cao Cao was born into the family of a eunuch and died as king of Wei. Histories often refer to him as Wei Taizu, the temple name bestowed upon him after the ascension of the usurper Cao Pi. Taizu means “Supreme Ancestor”, but I will hereby referm to him as Taizei, “Supreme Rebel”, for that is the most fitting adjective for the man. I will not be talking about his wanton massacres here, but I obviously criticize them as well.

For indeed, Cao Aman was the foremost rebel in the land. In the year 196, Cao Cao loyally and dutifully received his imperial majesty emperor Xiaomin of Han. Upon receiving the Son of Heaven’s entourage, it appears that his arrogance did indeed know no bounds:

Xiàn-dì Chūnqiū states: Shào was ashamed to be ranked below Tàizǔ, and angrily said: “Cáo Cāo was about to die several times, I at once saved him, now he turns back on kindness, seizing Heaven’s Son to command me!” Tàizǔ heard this, and yielded the General-in-Chief position to Shào.

SGZ6, biography of Yuan Shao, translated by Yang Zhengyuan. The writing of Taizu is not mine, nor do I condone it.

As soon as the emperor came into his hands at Xu city in 196, Cao Cao arranged the resignation of the Grand Commandant Yang Biao and the Excellency of Works Zhang Xi. He took Zhang Xi’s title for himself and offered the honour of Grand Commandant to Yuan Shao: the Excellency over the Masses Zhao Wen was allowed to keep his position. All three Excellencies had been appointed by the junta of Li Jue and Guo Si, but none had held any real authority and they had been pawns in the conflict between the quarrelling generals. Their position was now little better; the critical office was the Imperial Secre-tariat, which controlled official correspondence and the proclamation of edicts, and Cao Cao immediately appointed his trusted counsellor Xun Yu to be its Director.

Imperial Warlord by Rafe de Crespigny, page 111

As we see in these passages, Cao Cao’s attitude towards the emperor was complicated, to say the least. He took in the emperor and appointed his cronies to key positions so as to tighten his control over the court. Originally he even gave himself a greater position, but decided to relinquish it in favor of Yuan Shao so as to placate him.

The attitude of His Majesty towards his new protector was not very warm either. Not long after Cao Cao’s taking over the court, the Son of Heaven himself issued a secret decree by which the rebel ought to be punished. Dong Cheng, His Majesty’s relative and close friend, was the main support he had during this plot, but people like Zhaolie also took part in it.

The plot was discovered in the year 200 and the conspirators save for Zhaolie were executed along with their families. One person was the daughter of Dong Cheng, who was an Honored Lady of His Majesty. Despite his pleas, Cao Aman had her executed.

I don’t want my argument to be misunderstood. Clan extermination is harsh, however it was the law of the land and Cao Cao is not particularly heinous for following the customs of his time. It is important to note that clan extermination is reserved for serious crime, like treason. The problem is that Dong Cheng’s noble goal was to rid the dynasty of its primary enemy. It was the emperor’s desire to extirpate sedition and restore the authority that Heaven had bestowed upon him.

Dong Cheng’s actions are only judged as treacherous because he did not succeed. It is unthinkable to call a traitor the one who was executing the emperor’s will while the one abusing his authority gets to judge the emperor’s actions against him as treacherous. Dong Cheng did nothing wrong, and is indeed a tragic hero who did not deserve his fate. He was innocent of every single charge put against him.

In the year 207, Cao Aman subdued the lands north of the Yellow River. It was around this time that Cao Cao resurrected the title of Chengxiang (丞相), Imperial Chancellor or Prime Minister.

This position held remarkable influence and power, so much that it was abolished and was not used during the Later Han period until he revived it. The position of Chancellor was the most important of the Three Excellencies, the highest posts in the imperial bureaucracy, and the reason is that the Chancellor could select the reports that reach the emperor. By selecting proposals to forward to the Son of Heaven, the Chancellor could dictate policy. (The Cambridge History of China, volume 1, 468).

Parallel to this, Cao Cao had set up the city of Ye as his main residence:

Soon after Cao Cao had captured Ye from the Yuan in 204, he adopted the city as his chief residence. The emperor and his puppet court remained at Xu, which continued to be recognised as the formal imperial capital, and Cao Cao was frequently on campaign to the north, south and west, but Ye city and the surrounding territory of Wei commandery became the heart of his power.

Imperial Warlord, page 333

At an early stage of occupation Cao Cao brought numbers of new settlers to develop the region, in the same fashion as the agricultural colonies which he had established at Xu city.

Imperial Warlord, page 334

Even as he thus embellished his capital, Cao Cao established a court to match the emperor’s at Xu city. Under the guidance of Du Kui, who had formerly served Emperor Ling and later took refuge with Liu Biao, he recovered much of the imperial music and enhanced his own ceremonial with suitable compositions and players.

Imperial Warlord, page 339

Ye as capital of Wei commandery would go on to serve as Cao Cao’s de facto capital and center of power. He developed it and constructed palaces so as to awe the land and make his authority known.

As if that were not enough, Cao Cao took further steps towards solidifying his position.The first one was his proclamation as Duke of Wei on the year 213.

Under LaterHan, the title of king (王wang) was reserved for members of the imperial Liu clan,while the notional descendants of the ancient Shang/Yin and Zhou dynasties were granted title as dukes (公gong) and held small fiefs (公國gongguo): Bielenstein, Bureaucracy, 105-109 at 108. Thehighest noble rank available to others was marquis (侯hou), with a fief of varying size and value

To Establish Peace, a translation of the ZZTJ by de Crespigny, year 212, passage K, note 17.

As can be seen in here. Cao Cao’s highest possible title was that of marquis. He could not become a duke as he did not have ancestry related to the dukes of old. Not only that, but Cao Aman also took the Nine Bestowments in 213 upon the formalization of his title as duke of Wei.

The reason this is significant is because the Nine Bestowments were created by the infamous Wang Mang who usurped the Han dynasty 200 years prior. This was an attempt by the foremost rebel of the land to legitimize himself, accumulating honors.

Note that the above passage is a note in the year 212, while his enfeoffment was on the year 213. This means that the decision to name Cao Cao duke was already made beforehand by Cao Cao’s supporters and the emperor’s role was to simply formalize it. It was not something the emperor did willingly and eagerly.

It is precisely his ascension to dukedom that caused a rift between him and his close advisor Xun Yu. As head of the Secretariat, Xun Yu refused to let the appointment as duke go through.

Daolun has argued in the past that this was just a show to garner clout and that Xun Yu was not genuinely loyal to the Han. This may very well be the case, but regardless of his intentions, the truth of the matter is that letting the appointment go through would be seen as an act that goes against the interests of the ruling dynasty.

Cao Cao as a result removed him from his position and granted him a more prestigious one but from which he would not beable to contest Cao Cao’s ascension. There is some debate on whether Xun Yu was ordered to commit suicide or he died of illness. I am inclined to think it is the latter, for Cao Cao had already removed the only obstacle standing on his way to the appointment and kept Xun Yu close to him. However, I do not put it past Cao Aman to betray a close friend. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt here.

Perhaps more blatant was Cao Cao’s reorganization of the different provinces. He redrew the borders of the provinces to fit the neat number of Nine provinces, like they were in times of the Zhou dynasty. These are the old borders:

These are the new borders that Cao Cao proposed:

This was made effective in territories he controlled, of course. The most significant change here is the merge of You, Ji and Bing provinces. Cao Cao’s fief of Wei commandery, were Ye was, is located in Ji province and he held governance over the region. He used the previous prestige of the Zhou dynasty to justify his merging of provinces, but this clearly benefitted him, as he had access to an even larger pool of population and land by conveniently making his province absorb the other two.

This is a map of the population of the Han empire on the year 140 AD. While bing province was sparsely populated, and maybe even more so at this time, You still had an important concentration of population. This new merged also allowed Cao Cao to control the lands north of the Yellow River, which perhaps can be used as a natural barrier, though not to the extent the Yangzi was.

Regardless, he still had a larger base of power and he would eventually relocate the population of Hanzhong to Ye.

Taizei’s treachery does not end here. On 217 he claimed the title of king. This title, much like the title of Duke, was not one that Cao Cao could claim. Members of the imperial family were sometimes given a fief that worked as a commandery, but was called a kingdom instead.

He kept defying imperial authority by performing ceremonies reserved for independent rulers.

SGZ1:42 records that in the first month of this year Cao Cao undertook for the first time the ceremony of ploughing the sacred field (耕籍田geng jitian), privilege of an independent ruler.

To Establish Peace.

Taking imperial privileges, Cao Cao died (thank God) as king of Wei.

Appraisal

Cao Aman was a traitor. I’d dare to say he was the biggest traitor in the land. Following the example of Wang Mang, he gradually accumulated political power, restricted the actions of his sovereign and acted as the Son of Heaven in all but name. He continually usurped imperial functions, tried to put his lineage in the imperial line, abused his authority constantly and built structures in his own parallel capital so that his authority could rise above that of the same man he vowed to protect.

A man so devoted to the destruction of the Han dynasty cannot be called loyal to the Han dynasty. A man who would exterminate the clan of those trying to remove him from power because they were following the desires of the emperor on charges of treason cannot be called loyal to the Han dynasty. A man who continued to erase every trace of independence the emperor had in the name of his own personal ambition cannot be called loyal to the Han dynasty.

It would be unfair of me to say the destruction of the Han was all his fault. Taizei was merely another player in the time period he got to live in. It was a time where heroes would rise above the level they would expect to rise were they living in times of peace, and the decay of the dynasty was perceived long before he was even born. He was a product of his time.

What makes people like The Marquis so remarkable is that in the face of absolute power they remained incorruptible. Zhuge Liang truly is the epitome of what a minister should be, the perfect example of a man devoted to his sovereign and unwaveringly loyal until the very end. I cannot recriminate this to Cao Cao. His treachery is reprehensible, but not everyone can be a paragon of statesmanship and loyal service. Zhuge Liang is an extremely rare case, how can I realistically blame Cao Cao for not being on his level when the vast majority of men in human history would not behave like Zhuge Liang did were they in Zhuge Liang’s position?

But the truth of the matter still remains. Cao Cao was offered the whether or not to betray the world, and betray the world he did.

#three kingdoms #cao cao

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