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WARNING: IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I WROTE ONE OF THESE COMMENTARIES, SO I MIGHT BE A BIT RUSTY. :P
Annnnnd I'm back. Miss me? Probably not, but you might have missed some of my content, such as the Sanguo Yanyi audiobook. So I guess I'll just dive right in here.
Chapter 45 is an amusing chapter to me. It introduces Jiang Gan, a man unfortunate to be intelligent enough and have enough of a reputation as a persuader for Cao Cao to consider sending him to attempt to sway Zhou Yu over to his side. He's also unfortunate enough to have suggested the whole notion himself, guessing incorrectly that their association as former students under the same master would cause Zhou Yu to betray the Sun Family. This bad judgment would cost Cao Cao the battle (and it does a great job of illustrating how the Mandate of Heaven turns against those who act against Heaven's Will. This is why Yuan Shao, so capable an officer early in the novel, fell when he attacked Cao Cao, and it is why Cao Cao's own southern expedition into Wu is also doomed to fail.
When you get right down to it, Cao Cao's chances of winning some sort of victory in Wu territory would have been a lot better if Cao Cao had just decided not to send anyone over to Wu. But, of course, he did. And history shows that he got handed his ass by Zhou Yu. The novel shows that he got stomped by Zhou Yu with a little bit of help from Zhuge Liang (obtaining arrows, shifting the winds). Either way, the Battle of Chi Bi would cripple Cao Cao's southeastern advance.
Another reason I find this to be an amusing chapter is that, well, I like to see wicked people get their comeuppance. The Cai Family sold out Jingzhou, Cai Mao and Zhang Yun sold out Mao's sister and nephew (who were murdered by Yu Jin at the behest of Cao Cao), and sold out the Southland by training Cao Cao's army in naval warfare. There's few people I vehemently dislike in the novel, but Cai Mao and Zhang Yun were two such people. Zhou Yu's masterful handling of Jiang Gan secures him relief from one of his few remaining anxieties. In using Cao Cao's own agent against him, tricking him into executing Cai Mao and Zhang Yun, and thus removing pretty much the only really capable naval commanders he had, at a time when he needed to train his northern, land-based army how to fight on water. He would be forced to install other men, less capable naval commanders, to replace Cai Mao and Zhang Yun.
In a way, Jiang Gan won the Battle of Chi Bi for the Wu-Shu coalition. Isn't that something?
I like this chapter, and I hope you do too. You keep listening to them, and I promise I'll keep making 'em. Enjoy!