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WARNING: THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!
Ah...the much vaunted Chapter 5, or, as I call it, "The Coalition Against Dong Zhuo". If you've played the video games based on this novel, chances are, you might recognize this part of the story quite well. In the earlier entries of the series, this part of the plotline usually opens up the first scenario. In the later installments, it's usually like 2nd or 3rd scenario.
But I digress again. You really shouldn't let me do that, you know. ;)
At any rate, this is one of the more important events in the story. For one thing, at Cao Cao's behest, practically all of the Eastern Half of the Empire unites against Dong Zhuo, probably for a wide variety of reasons. What IS common to all, though, is probably a resentment that Dong Zhuo holds the Emperor and thus the reins of power in his own fat fingers. Dong Zhuo has up to this point proven to be absolutely ruthless in his attempts to seize and maintain his power base in the capital, and he's made quite a few enemies along the way: Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Bao Xin (Lord of Jibei) to name a few. And then, of course, there are those who joined the Coalition against Dong Zhuo simply so that they might be afforded the chance to prove their valor. After all, at this particular time, this IS the only war going on, and representatives of a warrior culture DO need battles from time to time to prove their worth.
So what makes the Coalition against Dong Zhuo so important, aside from a hitherto unprecedented move towards solidarity in the feudal lords? The answer is: Up until this point, the regional warlords have acted as little more than subordinates of the throne, powerful servants of weaker masters. The paradigm is about to change, however, since the Coalition pretty much represents the end of the "True Servant of the Throne" era. The Feudal Lords will leave from this experience with no illusions about just what they're after. Sure, the rhetorical power of "Servant of the Crown" will serve its purpose in chapters to come, usually to lend some legitimacy to actions a Lord was going to commit anyway. But the Imperial Era is pretty much ended at this point. And the era of the great Warlords, which eventually will develop into the Era of the Three Kingdoms, has begun.
Key figures in this chapter are, of course, Cao Cao, the man who put the coalition together, Yuan Shao, the charismatic, if somewhat indecisive, leader whose name and prestige nets him leadership of said Coalition, Sun Jian, the Tiger of Jiang Dong, progenitor of the House of Sun in this story, great founding father of the Wu Kingdom, who really starts to come into his own, and, of course, the three Oath Brothers, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei. Guan Yu, of course, proves himself to be quite the badass here, and this is also important, because up to this point, the three Brothers were viewed with contempt for their lack of station. After this, however, the whole empire begins to stand up and take notice, as well they should. For the Three Brothers, even as Cao Cao and Sun Jian, will eventually go on to found their OWN Empire. And without the crucible which was the campaign against Dong Zhuo, they might very well not have done so.
Also prominent in this chapter is Yuan Shu, brother of Yuan Shao, and a great feudal lord in his own right. One cannot deny the enormous influence that the Yuan Family held in late-Han era China, and Yuan Shu will figure much more prominently in the affairs of the Empire, post-Dong Zhuo. This chapter is where Yuan Shu's personality starts to come to light. Yuan Shu is arrogant and outspoken, but because of his rank and the exalted reputation of his family, the other great feudal lords tend to tread lightly around him. The glance we are given into the mind of Yuan Shu in this chapter provides some very good foreshadowing for things to come, and gives the reader quite a bit of insight into why Yuan Shu attempts to usurp the Imperial Throne several chapters later in the novel.
Enjoy this, the fifth chapter in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms!