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WARNING: THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!
In this, the third installment of the Three Kingdoms saga, the true twilight of the once-mighty Han Dynasty begins. In the past four hundred years, the Han has conquered perhaps the greatest Chinese land empire in antiquity, an empire stretching from Manchuria in the north, to the Gobi Desert in the northwest, all the way down to northern Vietnam in the south. Great generals and even greater scholars made the Han a Dynasty whose influence would last centuries upon centuries beyond its own considerably long lifespan. In comparison to the great empire of the West, Rome: The Han lasted 400 years, the Western Roman Empire lasted about 476 years or so, before being finally overrun by "barbarian" tribes. However, while the last TRUE enclave of "Roman" civilization, Byzantium, fell in 1453, (and it is debatable that Byzantium was even a "Roman" Empire after the end of the reign of Justinian in the 700's, since it had indeed become very much a Greek empire), I have it on very good authority that many of the people of China even today still refer to themselves as "The People of Han", some 1800 years after the fall of the Han.
But I digress, perhaps...
There's a lot going on in this chapter, and in a way it's one of the more important chapters in the entire novel, since it not only foreshadows the troubles to come, but also represents a transition between the old world of the Imperial Han, and the new world of a land ruled by Warlords, who eventually supplant the very Empire they're supposed to uphold. He Jin, the incompetent Regent Marshall, a man with power unparalleled in the Imperial Government, is embroiled in a war of intrigue with the ever-scheming Ten Eunuchs, led by Zhang Rang, the REAL power behind the throne in the early stages of the story. Rather than crushing the Eunuchs himself, he issues a call for regional warlords to bring up armies to the capital to deal with the Eunuch menace. Very, very stupid. Despite the good advice of many men far more gifted with intellect than he, He Jin remains obstinate in this plan. Thus, a menace far more dangerous than the Eunuchs is brought into the story in a big way...
Dong Zhuo had previously been introduced into the story, late in Chapter 1, but only as a minor character, the incident in question serving mainly to help establish Zhang Fei's major character defect: his sulfurous temper. Now, however, Dong Zhuo quits being a minor player, and becomes, perhaps, the biggest player in the land for the time being, taking over the Imperial Government under the guise of "protecting" the Emperor.
Another very important character introduced in this chapter is Lu Bu, the "Strongest Warrior in the Land". Historical records seem to indicate that Lu Bu was actually not all that big a person, physically. But SOMETHING about this guy must have made those facing him on the battlefield shit themselves. Because from all accounts I've seen, he WAS an absolute terror in war. The war between Dong Zhuo and the Han loyalist Ding Yuan is a short one, due to the almost Anakin Skywalker-like intervention of Lu Bu, but it is very important because it brings Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu together, and that team was apparently a strong enough one to hold the land in the grip of terror for several years, unimpeded.
Probably the most important thing in this chapter, in my own opinion, is the growing tension in the capital between Dong Zhuo and Han loyalist Yuan Shao, truly one of the great heroes of the early part of the novel. Before Yuan Shao became a pompous ass, he truly was a loyal servant of the Han. And the exciting conclusion of this chapter illustrates that better than any other incident I can think of. Yuan Shao, severely outnumbered and deep in enemy territory, dares to stand up and wave the bullshit flag right in front of Dong Zhuo's face. Ladies and Gentlemen, I don't mind admitting that that part is in fact one of my favorite moments in this novel. Enjoy!