u/AttilaTheDude

Was Liu Bei's pedigree or bloodline documented officially by the Han Imperial Court? While watching 2010's "Three Kingdoms" drama series, there is a scene where when Liu Bei kowtows before Emperor Xian. The emperor then asks Liu Bei his line of descent and Liu Bei answers, naming his father and grandfather. To verify, Emperor Xian orders one of his court officials to bring out a document and the official, to my surprise, reads out Liu Bei's line going all the way back to Emperor Jing of the Western Han Dynasty (a period of 300 years or about 20 generations), verifying his imperial bloodline. (Disclaimer: I do understand that this is a drama and things are embellished in dramas haha)

Now, this seemed quite incredulous to me initially because why would the Imperial Court keep record of a lowly peasant like Liu Bei? Liu Bei claimed to be a direct descendant of Liu Sheng, Prince of Zhongshan, who was a the son of Emperor Jing. Because Liu Sheng alone had over 100 sons, this genealogical branch exploded over the centuries. By the time Liu Bei was born, his relation to the sitting emperor was so distant that it conferred no practical nobility or wealth.

Additionally, under Han Dynasty succession laws, noble titles and estates were passed down to only one primary heir. The remaining sons and their descendants were gradually stripped of their noble status and demoted to commoner standing. Consequently, Liu Bei's family had completely lost their official court ties by the time of the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

Would this scene be accurate where the official just happens to have a record of Liu Bei's branch? Does the court have records of the other thousands of commoner Liu clansmen who also descend from the House of Han?

Zhuge Liang's reputation of being an almost supernatural genius strategist is, in my opinion, overrated. Near-magical feats such as "borrowing" arrows from enemy ships, summoning the eastern wind at the Battle of Red Cliffs, or praying for extra life are pure literary embellishments. History becomes dangerous when admiration turns into mythology.

While he was a brilliant administrator, his military record was mediocre at best. As military commander, Zhuge Liang was overly cautious, avoiding any decisive engagements that would expand his territories. His relentless "Northern Expeditions" drained the already limited resources of the Shu-Han Kingdom, brought no success, and was ultimately futile in its attempt to restore order.

His Longzhong Plan looked flawless on paper: capture two provinces, ally with Sun Quan, and strike north in a perfect two-front war to recapture the Central Plains. But this was actually suicide in slow motion.

The two main bases from which to launch this expedition, Jingzhou and Yizhou, created a logistical nightmare. Both strongholds were separated by about 600 miles of winding rivers and unforgiving mountainous terrain; which was then tied together by a thin fragile road which ran through enemy territory. Jingzhou was protected by Guan Yu and Yizhou by Liu Bei's core army. Two centers of gravity, no secure corridor, and your supply line ran through territories of people who might stab you before they feed you? Fantastic.

The biggest weakness of the Longzhong Plan was the assumption that Shu-Han's alliance with Sun Quan was permanent. Zhuge Liang NEEDED Wu's cooperation to launch his northern expedition to take over the Central Plains. This was a fatal flaw as Wu's ruler had his own ambitions, and the moment the opportunity gleamed, he took Jingzhou and Guan Yu's head with it. Alliances are temporary leverage, not long-term protection. Relying on the "good behavior" of an ally is a structural flaw. And as soon as Wu betrayed Shu, Zhuge Liang's Longzhong Plan quickly fell apart.

Longzhong's architecture condemned Zhuge Liang before his brilliance could save himself: divided forces, overdependence on allies, and long pointless campaigns.

Thus, I would label Zhuge Liang as a great administrator but mediocre military strategist at best. It would be safe to say that The Sleeping Dragon is nothing more than a glorified Xiao He.

Had Liu Bei sucessfully united "All Under Heaven", do you think Liu Xie (Emperor Xian) would have voluntarily abdicated the throne to his Imperial Uncle?

I was only 3 years old when 2Pac passed away in 1996 so I only knew and grew to love Pac's music years later through my uncles who were 15 and 17 years old at the time. As I grew up and learned more about his life and music, I heard many people saying that Pac was more famous dead than when he was alive and that not a lot of people even paid attention to him.

I now find this hard to believe because Pac's magnum opus, "Me Against The World" was the #1 selling album for four weeks straight when it came out in April 1995. And his gangsta anthem, "All Eyez On Me", was #1 for two weeks straight when it came out in February 1996. A rapper who people "didn't pay attention to" wouldn't have two back-to-back #1 albums.

My uncles were big Pac fans so their opinions might be skewed. But is there anyone here else who can verify if Pac was as popular as they say he was when he was still alive? OR is it true that he only grew into mythical proportions after his untimely death?