20299-2

2023

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

The Yellow Turban Soldiers, while not individual characters of significant plot depth, represent a vital collective force in the early chapters of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. They are the peasant rebels who ignited the Yellow Turban Rebellion, a major catalyst for the events of the novel.

Driven by famine, corruption, and heavy taxation under the Han Dynasty, these commoners were inspired by Zhang Jiao's teachings of the Way of Peace. They wore yellow scarves as a symbol of their allegiance and belief in replacing the Han's earth element with their own yellow element.

The Yellow Turban Soldiers, though numerous, were largely untrained and poorly equipped. Despite their initial successes, they were ultimately defeated by the combined forces of the Han imperial army and local warlords, including figures like Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Jian.

While individual Yellow Turban soldiers are not named or developed in detail, their rebellion fundamentally weakened the Han Dynasty, creating a power vacuum that paved the way for the rise of the Three Kingdoms.