Commentary
In the 14th-century Chinese novel “Romance of the Three Kingdoms,” strategist Zhuge Liang leads an army south to suppress a Nanman rebellion. Rebel king Meng Huo is captured seven times. Each time he is captured, Zhuge Liang releases him, hoping mercy and demonstrated superiority will secure genuine loyalty. But each time, Meng Huo returns to fight, forging new alliances and bringing tougher forces—including the rattan-armored soldiers of King Wutugu, whose oil-soaked armor resists ordinary weapons.
