📚 Shiqing Yaqu — the famous Ming-dynasty collection of entertaining endgame compositions
Red to move. Both sides have a Rook and two Pawns; Red adds a Cannon, while Black keeps a full Advisor–Elephant palace guard. The classical manual Thích Tình Nhã Thú (No. 353) gives the win to Red — the Cannon is the only difference between the two armies, and Red must turn that small difference into victory. This position has not been verified by engine; the result follows the old book. The two words 'Từ Mẫu' — Từ Thứ's mother — make any reader of the Three Kingdoms think of the woman held at Hứa Xương and the forged letter that pulled Từ Thứ away from Lưu Bị. That connection is discussed in this page's Anecdotes section. In your view, can a single Cannon break Black's Advisor–Elephant shield on its own, or does Red need a longer plan?
'Xu's Mother': two words that make every Romance reader think of the mother who hanged herself in Xuchang
The solution books do not explain the origin of this name. But read the two words "Xu's Mother" — the mother of Xu Shu — and almost everyone thinks of the same woman, and the same story, among the most heartbreaking in the Three Kingdoms. Xu Shu served Liu Bei at Xinye and twice broke Cao Ren's…
Stories around this position — storytelling, not part of the engine-verified content.
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