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60-614: Wang Bi served as a minor bureaucrat in the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. He died from an epidemic at the age of 23. Wang Bi's most important works are commentaries on Laozi 's Tao Te Ching and the I Ching . The text of the Tao Te Ching that appeared with his commentary was widely considered the best copy of this work until the discovery of the Han-era Mawangdui texts in 1973. He

120-509: A massive full-scale rebellion , the Wu forces suffered a great defeat as they lent a great quantity of manpower to Zhuge Dan's cause. Shouchun was quickly regained by Wei under Sima Zhao 's command. During the conquest of Shu by Wei in 263, Wu could not fully lend support to their allies due to a revolt in Vietnam. The decline of Wu was long in existence since the death of Lu Xun in 245 and

180-571: A barbaric "jungle", developed into one of the commercial, cultural, and political centres of China. The achievements of Wu in the south marked the coming of Chinese civilization to the farthest southern reaches of the empire. In 230, the island of Yizhou was reached by the Chinese during the Three Kingdoms period under the reign of Sun Quan. Contact with the native population and the dispatch of officials to an island named "Yizhou" ( 夷州 ) by

240-599: A coup, but was killed by Cheng Ji, a military officer who was serving under Jia Chong , a subordinate to the Simas. After Cao Mao's death, Cao Huan was enthroned as the fifth ruler of Wei. However, Cao Huan was also a mere figurehead under Sima Zhao's control, much like his predecessor. In 263, Wei armies led by Zhong Hui and Deng Ai conquered Shu . Afterwards, Zhong Hui and former Shu general Jiang Wei grouped and plotted together in order to oust Sima Zhao from power, however, various Wei officials turned against them when it

300-469: A puppet ruler while Sima Yi wielded state power firmly in his hands. Wang Ling , a Wei general, tried to rebel against Sima Yi, but was swiftly dealt with , and took his own life. Sima Yi died on 7 September 251, passing on his authority to his eldest son, Sima Shi , who continued ruling as regent. Sima Shi deposed Cao Fang in 254, on grounds of planning to stage a rebellion, and replaced him with Cao Mao . In response, Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin staged

360-611: A rebellion, but were crushed by Sima Shi in an event that nevertheless took a heavy toll on Sima Shi's health, having undergone eye surgery prior to the insurrection, causing him to die on 23 March 255, but not before handing his power and regency over to his younger brother, Sima Zhao . In 258, Sima Zhao quelled Zhuge Dan's rebellion , marking an end to what are known as the Three Rebellions in Shouchun . In 260, Cao Mao attempted to seize back state power from Sima Zhao in

420-484: A rivalry with his younger brother, Sun Ba . The conflict resulted in the emergence of two rivalling factions, each supporting either Sun He or Sun Ba, in Sun Quan's imperial court. Sun Quan eventually deposed Sun He and forced Sun Ba to commit suicide, while Lu Xun and many other ministers who took either Sun He's or Sun Ba's side in the struggle met with unhappy ends. Sun Quan appointed his youngest son, Sun Liang , as

480-513: A strategic city which lay on the road to the Wei capital, Luoyang . The Shu invasions were repelled by the Wei armies led by the generals Cao Zhen , Sima Yi , Zhang He and others; Shu did not make any significant gains in the expeditions. On its southern and eastern borders, Wei engaged Wu in a series of armed conflicts throughout the 220s and 230s, including the battles of Dongkou (222–223), Jiangling (223) and Shiting (228). However, most of

540-532: A three-month long siege, involving some assistance from the Goguryeo Kingdom, Sima Yi managed to capture the capital city of Xiangping , resulting in the conquest of the commandery by late September of the same year. Around that time, as the Korean kingdom Goguryeo consolidated its power, it proceeded to conquer the territories on the Korean peninsula which were under Chinese rule. Goguryeo initiated

600-708: A year after Shu was conquered by Wei . At the time, Wu was experiencing internal turmoil because rebellions had broken out in Jiaozhi ( 交趾 ) in the south. The ministers Puyang Xing , Wan Yu and Zhang Bu decided to install Sun He's son, Sun Hao , on the throne. In the beginning of Sun Hao's reign, the emperor reduced taxes, gave relief to the poor, and granted freedom to a large number of palace maids. However, Sun Hao gradually became more cruel and superstitious and started indulging in wine and women instead of finding ways to revive his declining state. Sun Hao's tyranny caused widespread anger and hatred towards him in Wu, but it

660-595: Is described in Shishuo Xinyu 世说新语 by Liu Yiqing (刘义庆, 403-444), which narrates that Wang Dao learned the idiom after fleeing in Jiankang, today's Nanjing . In the end, proto-Wu emerged as the unified proto-language from which every contemporary Wu language is spoken. Wu dialects have striking similarities to Early Middle Chinese as described in the Qieyun phonological system. A reconstruction of proto-Wu

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720-598: The Battle of Xiaoting and during the invasions of Wu by Wei in the 220s, Shu was able to reestablish their trade and relationships with Wu. Shu's cotton was a great influx for Wu, and the development of shipbuilding, salt, and metal industries was greatly increased. The fact of inflation and economic problems still were in existence since the Han dynasty. Sun Quan tried to start a currency of large coins manufactured by copper. He also tried to prohibit private minting. This policy

780-535: The Goguryeo–Wei Wars in 242, trying to cut off Chinese access to its territories in Korea by attempting to take a Chinese fort. However, Wei responded by invading and defeated Goguryeo. Hwando was destroyed in a reprisal raid by Wei forces in 244. The invasions sent its king fleeing, and broke the tributary relationships between Goguryeo and the other tribes of Korea that formed much of Goguryeo's economy. Although

840-678: The Jin dynasty (it was Sima Yi himself who associated with the orthodox Confucianists, who despised these new intellectual groups, and therefore were more willing to offer their support to the Sima clan). According to the Book of Wei by Wang Chen , the Cao family descended from the Yellow Emperor through his grandson Zhuanxu . They were of the same lineage as Emperor Shun . Another account says that

900-724: The Jin dynasty on 8 February 266. Cao Huan himself was spared, though, and continued to live until 302, before dying. The system of government in Wei inherited many aspects from that of the Eastern Han dynasty . During his reign, Cao Pi established two separate government bodies – the Central Inspectorate (中書監) and the Mobile Imperial Secretariat (行尚書臺) – to reduce the authority of the Imperial Secretariat (尚書臺) and consolidate

960-488: The Tao Te Ching : The German philosopher Kai Marchal wrote a literary essay about his experience of reading Wang Bi in times of global upheaval. This biography of a Chinese philosopher is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Cao Wei Wei ( Chinese : 魏 ) was one of the major dynastic states in China during the Three Kingdoms period. The state was established in 220 by Cao Pi based upon

1020-537: The central government . Outside of the court, families displayed their own independent authority. Wu, at times, was to a certain extent run for the protection of particular families. The Eastern Wu era was a formative period in Vietnamese history . The ruler of Jiaozhou (modern Vietnam and Guangzhou ), Shi Xie , is primarily remembered today in Vietnam as Sĩ Nhiếp . According to Stephen O'Harrow , Shi Xie

1080-494: The Cao family descended from Emperor Shun. This account was attacked by Jiang Ji , who claimed that those with the family name " Tian " descended from Shun, but not those surnamed " Cao ". He also claimed that "Gui" (媯) was Emperor Shun's family name. - - - - - = The dashed line denotes an adoption Eastern Wu Wu ( Chinese : 吳; pinyin : Wú ; Middle Chinese * ŋuo < Eastern Han Chinese : *ŋuɑ ), known in historiography as Eastern Wu or Sun Wu ,

1140-400: The Han dynasty. The warlord Cao Cao , who was the de facto head of government in the Han imperial court, asked Emperor Xian to grant Sun Ce the title of "Marquis of Wu" ( 吳侯 ). Sun Ce was assassinated in the summer of 200 and was succeeded by his younger brother, Sun Quan . Sun Quan, like his elder brother, also paid nominal allegiance to Emperor Xian while maintaining autonomous rule over

1200-482: The Jin invaders, but the Wu forces suffered several consecutive defeats and even the Wu chancellor, Zhang Ti , was killed in action. Seeing that Wu was doomed to fall, Sun Hao surrendered to the Jin dynasty on 31 May 280, marking the end of Wu and the end of the Three Kingdoms period. Despite Sun Quan proclaiming himself emperor in 229, its politics reflected its warlord origins. When Wu was initially founded its military

1260-481: The Wu navy might have been to Taiwan , but the location of Yizhou is open to dispute; some historians believe it was Taiwan, while others believe it was the Ryukyu Islands . Wu merchants also may have reached Southern Vietnam and Cambodia . Failed protection of Gongsun Yuan also was in existence when the latter rebelled against Wei . This was because of the waterway's difficulties. Such things cost Wu, and

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1320-521: The Wu territories. In 208, Sun Quan allied with the warlord Liu Bei and they combined forces to defeat Cao Cao at the Battle of Red Cliffs . Sun Quan and Liu Bei maintained their alliance against Cao Cao after the battle for the next ten years or so, despite having some territorial disputes over Jing Province . In 219, Sun Quan severed ties with Liu Bei when he sent his general Lü Meng to invade Liu's territories in Jing Province . Guan Yu , who

1380-458: The achievements supposedly gained within Taiwan did not cover this problem and Sun Quan lost his vassal. Later on in the existence of Wu, the once great military was turned to an unimpressive one. It was most likely an easy task to take Hefei from Wei, but Wu could not do so. Since the 230s, this task was made harder due to the "New City", a heavily fortified castle built at Hefei by Wei. One of

1440-576: The battles of Ruxu (222–223), Shiting (228), and Hefei (234). However, Wu never managed to gain any territory north of the Yangtze River while Wei also never succeeded in conquering the lands south of the Yangtze. A succession struggle broke out between Sun Quan's sons in the later part of his reign—Sun Quan installed Sun He as the crown prince in 242 after his former heir apparent, Sun Deng , died in 241, but Sun He soon became involved in

1500-677: The battles resulted in stalemate and neither side managed to significantly expand its territory. After Guanqiu Jian failed to subjugate the Gongsun clan of the Liaodong Commandery , it was Sima Yi who, in June 238, as the Grand Commandant (太尉), launched an invasion with 40,000 troops at the behest of Emperor Cao Rui against Liaodong, which at this point had been firmly rooted under Gongsun control for 4 decades. After

1560-741: The control of the central government. He reduced the role of a Governor to that of an Inspector (刺史), and permitted the Inspectors to administer only civil affairs in their respective provinces, while military affairs were handled by military personnel based in regional offices or in the capital. Cao Wei society was feudalized and vassalized. When China was divided in the Period of Disunion, south and north were economically and socially dominated by an aristocratic hereditary class enshrined in law, who were exempt from conscript labor, special kinds of taxes, had legal immunities and other privileges. This situation

1620-515: The crown prince after the incident. Sun Quan died in 252 and was succeeded by Sun Liang, with Zhuge Ke and Sun Jun serving as regents. In 253, Zhuge Ke was assassinated in a coup launched by Sun Jun, and the state power of Wu fell into Sun Jun's hands and was passed on to his cousin, Sun Chen , after his death. During Sun Liang's reign, two rebellions broke out in the Wei garrison at Shouchun (around present-day Shou County , Anhui ) in 255 and 257–258. Sun Jun and Sun Chen led Wu forces to support

1680-410: The empire and the surrounding establishments with the duty of being an envoy. Following the death of Cao Pi in 226, Sun Quan strongly promoted his kingdom to focus on agriculture because the threat from Wei was lifted. However, Lu Xun suggested to Sun Quan that military commanders should become involved in the colonization of land. Sun Quan quickly accepted and he, along with his sons would execute

1740-431: The field." Under the reign of Sun Quan , he needed a strong role of advisors and secretaries in order to keep his link of power in a maintained level. Sun Quan's prestige in dealing with hostiles and friendly relations called for the establishment of a controlled form of an imperial government for the empire of Wu. Sun Quan also created the opportunity for people residing within Wu to gain prestige and influence throughout

1800-629: The former was Zhong Yao , an official of Wei, of the latter; Cao Cao's son, Cao Zhi . Since the beginning of the Cao Wei dynasty, finding their roots in Cao Cao 's administrative influences, intellectual constraints were relaxed, leading to the formation of new groups of intellectuals, such as the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove . These intellectual freedoms were overturned by the time of

1860-537: The foundations laid by his father Cao Cao during the end of the Han dynasty . Its capital was initially located at Xuchang , and was later moved to Luoyang . The name Wei first became associated with Cao Cao when he was named the Duke of Wei by the Eastern Han government in 213, and became the name of the state when Cao Pi proclaimed himself emperor in 220. Historians often add the prefix "Cao" to distinguish it from other Chinese states known as Wei . The authority of

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1920-407: The greatest failures to accomplish something later on in Wu's reign was during 255 and during the last few years of the 250s. When Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin rebelled against Wei, Wu promised to help the two in Shouchun (around present-day Shou County , Anhui ). However, the Wu forces never made it in time before the rebellion was quashed by Sima Shi and the Wei forces. When Zhuge Dan launched

1980-402: The hands of Sun Quan's general Lu Xun and was forced to retreat to Baidicheng , where he died a year later. Liu Bei's successor, Liu Shan , and his regent, Zhuge Liang , made peace with Sun Quan later and reaffirmed their previous alliance. Sun Quan declared independence from Wei in 222, but continued to rule as "King of Wu" until 229, when he declared himself "Emperor of Wu". His legitimacy

2040-448: The king evaded capture and eventually settled in a new capital, Goguryeo was reduced to such insignificance that for half a century there was no mention of the state in Chinese historical texts. In 249, during the reign of Cao Rui's successor, Cao Fang , the regent Sima Yi seized state power from his co-regent, Cao Shuang, in a coup. This event marked the collapse of imperial authority in Wei, as Cao Fang's role had been reduced to that of

2100-493: The magnate families even after war ended. They did not contribute any labor service or taxes to the central government while their magnate lord received 50% or more of their grain harvest. They effectively were bondservants to their lords. The kaishu style of Chinese calligraphy was developed at some time between the late Eastern Han dynasty and the Cao Wei dynasty, as well as the Jian'an poetry style. The first known master of

2160-517: The memorial presented by Lu Xun. However, in 240, Sun Quan restrained Lu Xun's idea and refocused on agricultural works, because Wu came to suffer a severe famine. In 234, when Zhuge Ke was in control of affairs in the south, he strongly ignored the colonisation order and viciously ordered the agriculture factor, often starving enemies into submission. Under the rule of Wu, the Yangtze River Delta region, regarded in early history as

2220-498: The newly established Jin dynasty . Towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty , northern China came under the control of Cao Cao , the chancellor to the last Han ruler, Emperor Xian . In 213, Emperor Xian granted Cao Cao the title of " Duke of Wei" (魏公) and gave him ten cities as his dukedom. The area was named "Wei". At that time, the southern part of China was divided into two areas controlled by two other warlords, Liu Bei and Sun Quan . In 216, Emperor Xian promoted Cao Cao to

2280-507: The power of the central government. During this time, the minister Chen Qun developed the nine-rank system for civil service nomination, which was adopted by later dynasties until it was superseded by the imperial examination system in the Sui dynasty . Cao Pi felt that the Han dynasty collapsed because the Governors (州牧) of the various provinces wielded too much power and fell outside

2340-429: The rebels in the first and second rebellions respectively in the hope of making some territorial gains in Wei, but both revolts were suppressed and the Wu forces retreated after suffering many losses. Sun Liang was deposed in 258 by Sun Chen, who installed Sun Xiu , another son of Sun Quan, on the throne. Sun Xiu killed Sun Chen later in a coup with the help of Zhang Bu and Ding Feng . Sun Xiu died of illness in 264,

2400-476: The rebels. He managed to pacify the rebels with a combination of threats and persuasion. However the rebels regrouped under the leadership of Lady Triệu in Jiuzhen and renewed the rebellion with a march on Jiaozhi. According to the Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư (Complete Annals of Đại Việt), Lady Triệu had long breasts that reached her shoulders and rode into battle on an elephant. After several months of warfare she

2460-506: The ruling Cao family dramatically weakened following the deposition and execution of Cao Shuang , a regent for the dynasty's third emperor Cao Fang . Beginning in 249, another regent in Sima Yi gradually consolidated state authority for himself and his relatives, with the last Wei emperors largely being puppets of the Sima family. In 266, Sima Yi's grandson Sima Yan forced Emperor Yuan to abdicate, proclaiming himself to be Emperor Wu of

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2520-409: The state of Cao Wei . Sun Quan agreed to submit to Wei and was granted the title of a vassal king, "King of Wu" ( 吳王 ), by Cao Pi. A year later, Liu Bei declared himself emperor and founded the state of Shu Han . In 222, Liu Bei launched a military campaign against Sun Quan to take back Jing Province and avenge Guan Yu, leading to the Battle of Xiaoting . However, Liu Bei suffered a crushing defeat at

2580-421: The status of a vassal king – "King of Wei (魏王)". Cao Cao died on 15 March 220 and his vassal king title was inherited by his son Cao Pi . Later that year, on 11 December, Cao Pi forced Emperor Xian to abdicate in his favour and took over the throne, establishing the state of Wei. However, Liu Bei immediately contested Cao Pi's claim to the Han throne and declared himself "Emperor of Han " a year later. Sun Quan

2640-465: The warlord Yuan Shu and embarked on a series of military conquests in the Jiangdong and Wu regions between 194 and 199, seizing several territories previously occupied by warlords such as Liu Yao , Yan Baihu and Wang Lang . Sun Ce broke off relations with Yuan Shu around 196–197 after the latter declared himself emperor—an act deemed as treason against Emperor Xian , the figurehead ruler of

2700-533: Was a dynastic state of China and one of the three major states that competed for supremacy over China in the Three Kingdoms period. It previously existed from 220 to 222 as a vassal kingdom nominally under Cao Wei , its rival state, but declared complete independence in November 222. It was elevated to an empire in May 229 after its founding ruler, Sun Quan (Emperor Da), declared himself emperor . The name "Wu"

2760-627: Was a scholar of Xuanxue . At least three works by Wang Bi are known: a commentary on Confucius ' Analects , which survives only in quotations; commentaries on the I Ching and the Tao Te Ching , which not only have survived but have greatly influenced subsequent Chinese thought on those two classics. His commentary on the I Ching has been translated into English by Richard John Lynn, The Classic of Changes (New York: Columbia University, 1994) ISBN   0-231-08295-9 Several translations into English have been made of his commentary of

2820-444: Was attempted by William Harvey Ballard in 1969. Personages with clerical or scholarly abilities had roles to play within the state, but the policies were more determined by those of military command. Nevertheless, every Wu army was in need of administrative support and, according to Rafe de Crespigny , certain scholars were "recognised as practical counsellors, regardless of their fighting prowess or their ability to command troops in

2880-453: Was called "Eastern Wu" because it occupied most of eastern China in the Three Kingdoms period, and "Sun Wu" because the family name of its rulers was " Sun ". During its existence, Wu's capital was sometimes at Jianye (present-day Nanjing , Jiangsu ) and sometimes at Wuchang ( 武昌 ; present-day Ezhou , Hubei ). Towards the end of the Han dynasty , Sun Ce , the eldest son of the warlord Sun Jian , and his followers borrowed troops from

2940-687: Was created by Cao Wei with rigid social stratification backed by law between shu (庶) (commoner) households and shi (士) (noble) households in the Nine ranks system which was created by Cao Wei and enabled hereditary officeholding by the aristocratic magnate families. Magnates took in farming families and war refugees into their fortress villages as ke (客) (private clients) and as buqu (military retainers) who made up their private militias. These magnates were rich landowners and local warlords and their economic and social power only grew at this time. The military retainers stayed own as private agricultural laborers bonded to

3000-563: Was defeated and committed suicide. The culture of Wu was most solidified under the reign of Sun Quan from 229 to 252. Migrations from the north and the needed settlement from the Shanyue barbarians made it possible for the increase in manpower, agriculture, and settling the lower most parts of Wu. Along with that, river transportation became a huge factor and flourished as the Jiangnan and Zhedong canals were finished with construction. After

3060-491: Was defending Liu Bei's assets in Jing Province, was captured and executed by Sun Quan's forces. After that, the boundaries of Sun Quan's domain extended from beyond the Jiangdong region to include the southern part of Jing Province, which covered roughly present-day Hunan and parts of Hubei . In 220, Cao Cao's son and successor, Cao Pi , ended the Han dynasty by forcing Emperor Xian to abdicate in his favour and established

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3120-635: Was derived from the place it was based in—the Jiangnan ( Yangtze River Delta ) region, which was also historically known as " Wu ". It was called "Dong Wu" ("Eastern Wu") or "Sun Wu" by historians to distinguish it from other Chinese historical states with similar names in that region, such as the Wu state in the Spring and Autumn period and the Wuyue kingdom in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period . It

3180-437: Was dominated by famed generals who had gained their positions through prowess and pluck. These generals were celebrated for their individualism . Politics within the court were often influenced by conflicts between powerful families and individuals. Positions within the court were inherited from one generation to the next unlike the Han dynasty's bureaucracy . However, over time, the influence ultimately would move away from

3240-448: Was due to the efforts of officials such as Lu Kai and Lu Kang that Wu was able to remain relatively stable and peaceful. In February 266, Sima Yan ended the state of Cao Wei by forcing its last ruler, Cao Huan , to abdicate in his favour, and then established the Jin dynasty . In 279, Jin forces led by Du Yu , Wang Jun and others attacked Wu from six directions. Sun Hao attempted to put up resistance by sending his armies to fight

3300-470: Was essentially "the first Vietnamese." Originally satisfied with Eastern Wu's rule, the Vietnamese opposed Shi Hui 's rebellion against Eastern Wu and attacked him for it. However, when the Wu general Lü Dai betrayed Shi Hui and executed the entire Shi family, the Vietnamese became greatly upset. In 248, the people of Jiaozhi and Jiuzhen commanderies rebelled. Eastern Wu sent Lu Yin to deal with

3360-494: Was found out that Jiang Wei had urged Zhong Hui to get rid of these officials before the planned coup. Sima Zhao himself received and finally accepted the nine bestowals and the title Duke of Jin in 263, and was further bestowed with the title King of Jin by Cao Huan in 264, but he died on 6 September 265, leaving the final step of usurpation up to his eldest son, Sima Yan . On 4 February 266, Sima Zhao's son, Sima Yan, forced Cao Huan to abdicate in his favor, replacing Wei with

3420-427: Was nominally a vassal king under Wei, but he declared independence in 222 and eventually proclaimed himself "Emperor of Wu " in 229. To distinguish the state from other historical Chinese states of the same name, historians have added a relevant character to the state's original name: the state that called itself "Wei" (魏) is also known as "Cao Wei" (曹魏) Cao Pi ruled for six years until his death on 29 June 226 and

3480-433: Was recognised by Shu. To distinguish the state from other historical Chinese states of the same name, historians have added a relevant character to the state's original name: the state that called itself "Wu" (吳) is also known as "Eastern Wu" (東吳; Dōng Wú) or "Sun Wu" (孫吳). Sun Quan ruled for over 30 years and his long reign resulted in stability in southern China. During his reign, Wu engaged Wei in numerous wars, including

3540-479: Was succeeded by his son, Cao Rui , who ruled until his death on 22 January 239. Throughout the reigns of Cao Pi and Cao Rui, Wei had been fighting numerous wars with its two rival states – Shu and Wu. Between 228 and 234, Zhuge Liang , the Shu chancellor and regent, led a series of five military campaigns to attack Wei's western borders (within present-day Gansu and Shaanxi ), with the aim of conquering Chang'an ,

3600-487: Was terminated in 246 due to ineffectiveness. Eastern Wu was able to make close overseas trade with countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia. Wu also traded with India and the Middle East. The language of Eastern Wu was identified with Old Jiangdong (古江東方言), the speech of the Jiangdong area ( Jiangxi , Zhejiang , Fujian , Southern Anhui , Jiangsu ); this dialect, which was already different from northern speech,

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