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WARNING: THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!
In previous chapters, we've seen Liu Bei join a conspiracy to assassinate Cao Cao, and then fly the coop known as Imperial Xuchang at the very first opportunity, cleverly taking control of part of Cao Cao's army in the process. Thus far, things don't seem to be going very well for Cao Cao.
I like this chapter a lot. Why? Two words. Mi Heng. Yeah, he's a pretty rude guy. But then again, his rudeness serves a purpose. He's a very intelligent guy, and has little patience for those he considers unworthy. You know, guys like Cao Cao, Liu Biao, and Huang Zu, apparently. Mi Heng only appears in this one chapter, since his particular personality doesn't exactly lend itself to a long lifespan, but god damn! The character is amusing while he lasts...
Of course, when I tried doing a voice for Mi Heng, it just kinda sucked and didn't do the character justice. So I got Tommy the Silent on this shite, and he gave the character a lot more personality.
The other plot that's relevant in this chapter (and boy, can that word be taken more than one way...) is the one that involves Dong Cheng, Ma Teng, Liu Bei, Wang Zifu, and the others...the plot to slay Cao Cao and deliver the Emperor from Cao Cao's grasp.
The conspiracy gains another member...its last member, in this chapter. Ji Ping, himself a well-known physician, and personal physician of the Imperial court. Sadly, though Ji Ping means well, he's doomed to failure (due to Dong Cheng's STUPID, STUPID, STUPID mistake), and Ji Ping dies at the end of the chapter. But his death is probably one of the most badass deaths in the entire novel. (He smashes his head into the floor until he dies, in order to avoid implicating anyone else involved in the plot. A futile but very brave thing to do...)
Sadly, though, despite Ji Ping's best efforts, the cat's out of the bag now, and Cao Cao knows, via a disgruntled servant of Dong Cheng's, that a bunch of people are trying to kill him. I kinda thought that this chapter should just be called "Cao Cao goes ape-shit, and kills everyone". But it's not. Funny how that works out....
Perhaps the single most important thing about the plot to kill Cao Cao is that Liu Bei (and to a lesser extent, Ma Teng) was involved in it. It will be years before Cao Cao gets his revenge on Ma Teng, but when he does, it will lead to the storyline involving Ma Chao's march towards Chang'an, which will eventually net Liu Bei his final Tiger General.
Up to this point, Cao Cao and Liu Bei have enjoyed an amicable, if somewhat wary, friendship. Now, Cao Cao knows Liu Bei means to kill him to fulfill the Imperial command, and so they are now enemies, and will remain so for the rest of the novel. And the age of the Three Kingdoms becomes all the more inevitable...
Anyways, enough yapping. Enjoy the twenty third chapter (of a hundred and twenty!) only here at Brookhavenchronicles.com!