14. From Victor to Epic Loser
China’s Han Dynasty reigned from 202 BC to 220 AD, but fell into serious decline in its last decades. Uprisings, such as the Yellow Turban Rebellion, swept the empire, and the imperial armies were powerless to put them down. In a shortsighted decision, the imperial government issued a call for help that was answered by regional strongmen, who raised their own forces to fight the rebels. They crushed the rebellions, but now with private armies under their command, turned into warlords who posed an even greater threat to the Han Dynasty. The new warlords fought amongst themselves, and the imperial government was unable to control the chaos it had unleashed.
The empire fractured into de facto independent fiefdoms ruled by warlords, and the emperors were reduced to figureheads. Eventually, a warlord named Cao Cao came to the fore. He proved himself a ruthlessly capable general and politician. Cao Cao defeated the warlords of northern China, and reunited it in the emperor’s name. Then he turned his attention to southern China. With a massive army that he claimed numbered more than 800,000 men, Cao Cao marched to defeat his main remaining rivals, southern warlords Sun Quan and Liu Pei, and complete China’s reunification. As seen below, it ended in a lopsided defeat, as Cao Cao went from hero to zero.
