War is a chapter full of blood and tears in human history, and in this drama, men are often the leaders, and women are often victims. At the moment of defeat, they are like candles in the wind, which may be extinguished at any time. On the victorious side, men enjoy glory and rewards, but women rarely have the opportunity to participate.
The fate of prisoners of war may be a matter of life and death for men, while women are even more tragic. They, like innocent lambs, are prey to both the victorious and the defeated, and become beautiful trophies. Between the lines of the history books, we can clearly see the three tragic fates of the "female captive".
First, they were humiliated and killed.
Since ancient times, war has been a contest between the jungle and the jungle, and the power of civilization is often difficult to restrain its barbaric nature. From the ancient Balloponnesian War to the modern World War II, it was full of blood and violence. Although the international community has long enacted regulations such as the Geneva Conventions to try to protect innocent people in war, in practice, these regulations are often a dead letter. Women have become a vulnerable group in the war, and a large number of young women have been raped, killed and humiliated during the war.
Taking ancient wars as an example, the Jingkang disaster in the late Northern Song Dynasty was one of the catastrophes. The Jin soldiers went south, Bianjing City was broken, and Song Huizong and Song Qinzong gave tens of thousands of women from the court, the clan and the capital as collateral to the Jin army in order to survive. These women were subjected to inhumane treatment in the camps of the Jin army, and more than half of them were abused and raped. The remaining women were sent to the Kingdom of Jin, where they became so-called "military prostitutes", where they were humiliated and killed day and night.
Second, it is given as a gift.
In war, women are often seen as an object that can be exchanged. They may survive because of their slight appearance, but most of them become sex slaves, to be given away or exchanged at will.
Take Cai Wenji, a talented woman in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, as an example, she was originally a virtuous and virtuous young woman, but she was looted by the Huns to Mobei due to war. Because of her beautiful appearance and elegant temperament, she was transferred to King Zuo Xian by the soldiers and began a twelve-year foreign married life. Although Cai Wenji was eventually redeemed by Cao Cao to return to the Central Plains, her experience was only a microcosm of the countless women who were transferred. Most women, after the gift, can only become the owner's plaything for a while, and eventually end up with hatred.
Third, it is occupied by the powerful.
In addition to commoner women, nobles and royal women could not escape the fate of being occupied. In ancient societies, women were seen as appendages or even private property of men, and this idea still has remnants today. Conquerors often saw the woman who dominated their enemies as a symbol of victory as a way to assert their authority and status.
For example, Zhao Guangyi, Taizong of the Song Dynasty, openly occupied the "Xiao Zhou Hou" of Li Yu, the queen of the Southern Tang Dynasty, which was not only an insult and humiliation to Li Yu, but also a trampling on the dignity of women. Xiao Zhouhou suffered great pain and humiliation during the occupation, and her tragic experience became a shame in history.
In the relationship between a man and a woman, one cannot simply be seen as the teaser and the other as the teased. This perception is too one-sided and ignores the complexity and diversity of gender relations. Both men and women are independent individuals, and their interactions with each other depend on a variety of factors, including personality, values, cultural background, social role, etc.
The statement that "men conquer the world, and women own the world by conquering men" is more a reflection of cultural and social ideas than a universally applicable truth. In real life, both men and women have the ability to conquer or own the world, depending on their talents, efforts, and social circumstances.
As a character in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Diao Chan's experience does show that women can influence men through wisdom and strategy in specific situations, and even change their own destiny. But this does not mean that all women can achieve their goals by conquering men, nor does it mean that men are always teased by women.
Overall, the relationship between men and women is complex and varied, and it can't simply be boiled down to who teases whom. When understanding gender relations, we need to consider multiple factors and be open and inclusive. At the same time, we should also respect the independence and diversity of each person, and avoid generalizing individual experiences to the characteristics of the entire gender.