Trip wire, hooked poles, and sunken pits were commonly used to unhorse riders during the Three Kingdoms period.

"Until I've gnawed their flesh and exterminated their clans, my humiliation will not be effaced."
—Liu Bei, on the death of
his oath-brother Guan Yu

"The empire belongs to no one man but to all in the empire. He who has virtue shall possess it."

After making the Peach Garden Oath, the three brothers raised an army of 500 youths to fight the Yellow Scarves rebellion.

"If I fail, my head is yours."
—Warrior's oath common
during the Three Kingdoms period

The battle of Puyang marked the beginning of the end for Lu Bu. He lost the city—and later his life—to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao was more concerned with capabilities than lineage. He excelled at recruiting and retaining men of talent to serve him.

Wei won the battle of Hefei when Zhang Liao defeated Sun Quan and then foiled a Wu scheme to incite rebellion.

He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared."
—Sun Tzu, Art of War (trans. Giles)

At the battle of Chang'an, Ma Chao defeated the two generals Cao Cao sent to guard the pass but was forced to flee when Cao Cao's trickery turned his own ally against him.

Named for the eastern part of the sky, the source of energy and renewal, Guan Yu's crescent-moon blade weighed over 100 pounds.

The Wu kingdom's well-trained admirals were integral to the Southlands' victory at Red Cliffs as well as the kingdom's defense.

At the second battle of Ruxu, the brave Wu general Gan Ning raided Cao Cao's camp of 400,000 men with only 100 cavalry. Not a single man or horse was lost.

The first battle of Hefei was Sun Quan's last as a field general. From then on he let his generals command in the field while he directed battle from behind the front lines.

A cunning strategist, Cao Ren tricked Zhou Yu by letting him enter Nanjun. Zhou Yu thought he was capturing the city until Cao Ren's arrows rained down upon him.