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WARNING: THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY MIGHT JUST CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS. MAYBE. JUUUUUUUUST MAYBE....
Chapter 21 is sort of a transitional chapter between one plot arc and another. Lu Bu has been destroyed, Liu Bei and Cao Cao have developed an uneasy friendship, and outside the capitol, the affairs of the Imperial warlords (i.e. Yuan Shao, Sun Ce, Liu Biao, Liu Yan/Zhang, etc.) grind on as the Middle Kingdom enters the 3rd century...
Near the end of the last chapter, Emperor Liu Xian issued a secret command to one of his uncles, Dong Cheng to put an end to the growing power and terror of Cao Cao's tenure as Prime Minister. This chapter opens up, quite naturally, where the last one left off: with the conspirators looking to recruit more people for their plot. And thus it is that Liu Bei, who in this particular version of the story is portrayed as a valiant defender of the Han, is drawn into the plot to slay Cao Cao...
However, Cao Cao is not stupid, and knows full well that when one rises to the highest post in the land, there will always be people ready to take it from him. If Liu Bei is caught, trapped in the capitol as he is, he will die. His brothers will die. His wives will die. His whole family will die...so Liu Bei must escape the capitol, before Cao Cao finds out about the plot against him...ah, that Liu Bei. Always the survivor, huh?
This chapter, in my opinion, should really be called "The author ties up loose ends", because that's what's really going on here. Yuan Shu, who has figured kinda prominently in the story for a while now, is on his last legs, and in the far north, the struggle between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan comes to an end. I kinda think it's a bit lame that Gongsun Zan, a major hero of the earlier portions of the book, and the man who gave Liu Bei his start, isn't shown the dignity of at least having his death occur onscreen. To the contrary, Zan's death is merely described in a second hand account by Man Chong, an officer of Cao Cao. Lame!
Nonetheless, the loose ends DO kinda have to be sorted out, I suppose...
The other thing of real importance that happens in this chapter is the abdication of Yuan Shu (whom one might remember declared himself the emperor of a new dynasty a few chapters back..) in favor of his Brother, Yuan Shao. At this point, Yuan Shao has a huge army (a million, I think), many able officers, and control of not one, not two, but FOUR Imperial provinces. That's all fine and well, as long as Yuan Shao can continue to claim that he is a loyal servant of the Han. However, in accepting his Brother's Imperial style, he becomes a rebel against the Han. Cao Cao and Yuan Shao have been destined to fight for a while now, and because of Yuan Shao's rebellion, it is now inevitable.
Now begins the build-up to the great battle of Guan Du, and the titanic clash of Cao Cao and Yuan Shao.
Enjoy.