Three Kingdoms portrays a fateful moment at the end of the Han dynasty(206B.C.- A.D.220)when the future of the Chinese empire lay in the balance. Writing more than a millennium later,Luo Guanzhong drew on often-told tales of this turbulent period to fashion a sophisticated,compelling narrative,whose characters display vivid individuality and epic grandeur. The story begins when the emperor,fearing uprisings by peasent rebels known as the Yellow Scarves,sends an urgent appeal to the provinces for popular support.In response,three young men--the aristocratic Liu Xuande,the fugitive Lord Guan,and the pig-butcher Zhang Fei--meet to pledge eternal brotherhood and fealty to their beleaguered government.From these events comes a chain of cause and consequence that leads ultimately to the collapse of the Han.