Listen:
Download Episode (Click this link. It will bring up a page with an audio player loaded with the file. Right click your mouse and "save as" to download episode.)
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!
Thus we come to Chapter 4, and this is a good one. In this chapter, the character of Dong Zhuo and his underlings is firmly established. The chapter picks up, naturally, where the last one left off: in the middle of an armed dispute between Hero and Villain. Yuan Shao, at this point in the story still a loyal servant of the Han, is outraged by Dong Zhuo's plan to depose the present Emperor, Liu Bian, in favor of the Emperor's younger half-brother, Liu Xian, Prince of Chenliu.
Now, I'm not particularly a big fan of Dong Zhuo. But it seems to me like maybe that big, fat pig might actually have had somewhat of a point on this one. Liu Bian had been through a lot of shit in recent history, certainly, but seemed to lack the ability to remain calm under fire which was seen as one of the virtues of a ruler in the Middle Kingdom. Perhaps he wasn't indeed qualified for the throne. Perhaps Dong Zhuo did, in fact, have some small justification for deposing him for his weakness. Certainly Liu Xian, as is evidenced throughout the novel, displays a certain strength of character which, in a more peaceful time, might actually have made him one of the greatest Emperors in the history of the Dynasty. Yes, I said it, perhaps Dong Zhuo DID have a point.
However, in playing at politics, one must, sadly, eliminate loose ends. It is never a good idea to leave an enemy, particularly one who had respect from the people, alive to thwart you in the future. So Liu Bian and his mother, Empress He, the last living remnants of the ill-fated House of He, had to be deleted from the mortal coil.
That part of the story was kind of difficult to do, as Empress He does quite a bit of talking in this chapter, and it's kind of difficult for me to force my voice up into the female registers with any kind of consistency. However, I think I did an admirable, if not expert, job of playing Empress He, and it DOES lend a certain dynamic to an already very dramatic chapter.
I like this chapter because, as I said earlier in this synopsis, this chapter really establishes more than ever before the character of the villain Dong Zhuo and his minions, particularly Li Ru, his advisor and Son-In-Law. I don't want to spoil too much for y'all, so I won't go into TOO much detail here, but let's just say that there is a reason why I voice Li Ru the way I do, and it becomes evident in this chapter.
Of course, one cannot simply off the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, and not expect some sort of retribution from loyal officers of the state. So begins the conspiracy to assassinate Dong Zhuo, and this is a conspiracy which is rather long lived in the novel, spanning several chapters in its development.
Another character of great importance who sees quite a bit of development in this character is none other than our good friend and Sean Connery impersonator of the highest caliber, Cao Cao. ;p Yes, Cao Cao really comes into his own near the end of this chapter. Thus far, Cao Cao has proven himself to be a loyal servant of the state, and a very capable officer, but has not really revealed TOO much of his personality. That's about to change.
I work really hard on these, sometimes putting in as much as 16 hours a day on them, so I'm going to quit wasting time and just say "Enjoy Chapter 4 of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Audiobook...ONLY (and I DO mean ONLY) at djraspe.com!"