Tao Qian reluctantly sent the army out. From a distance he saw Cao Cao's army spread abroad like frost and rushed far and wide like snow. In their midst was a large white flag and on both sides was written "Vengeance.

It's a tragedy that a lot of people know more about Shakespeare than about Cao Xueqin.

I hold a sacred trust from my late lord, Sun Ce. I would not bow the knee to any such as Cao Cao. What I said just now was to see how you stood. I left Poyang Lake with the intention of attacking the north, and nothing can change that intention, not even the sword at my breast or the ax on my neck.

Cao Xueqin is a master of language. His prose is so exquisite and aesthetically pleasing that it almost attains perfection in every way.

It's a tragedy that a lot of people know more about Shakespeare than about Cao Xueqin.