The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 52
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 7:15PM The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 52:
Zhuge Liang Negotiates With Lu Su;
Zhao Zilong Captures Guiyang.
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WARNING: WE ARE THE MEDIA. AND WE KNOW THE TRUTH. BY THE WAY...SPOILERS.
Chapter 52, like many of the chapters before it, describes a power-struggle. Previously, the struggle had been first between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao. Then Cao Cao beat Yuan Shao. Or rather, Yuan Shao beat himself (the invisible hand of "Heaven" is heavy indeed in this story...) and then Cao Cao turned south. Then, it was Cao Cao and Liu Bei, but Cao Cao crushed Liu Bei at Dangyang. Then Cao Cao went to war against a coalition of Sun Quan's Southland and Liu Bei's few remaining followers (and by extension, Liu Qi's troops in Jiang Xia). There, at the Three Gorges, the Battle of the Red Wall, Zhou Yu stopped Cao Cao's southern advance, and the massive navy of Cao Cao, along with his entire naval camp, perished in fire. And now, with Cao Cao largely out of the picture for the moment, it came down to a race for Jingzhou, and one that apparently has been won by Liu Bei's forces. (Oh, that Zhuge Liang were a clever one, he were...)
Several chapters back, Liu Bei uttered the famous line "If I only had a starting place, I would not be afraid in a world full of fools!" (Ch. 34, I think) Now, though several times he had been told that he was seeking to defy the will of Heaven by restoring the Han Dynasty (it had already been restored once, by Liu Xiu, in the early first century. A.D. 36, right around the same time as that whole Jesus thing you've heard about once or twice. Betcha didn't know that. :p )
Anyway, as of Chapter 51, Liu Bei GOT that place to start, and it was a city called "Nanjun". Possibly "Southern Jun", maybe...at any rate, at even this point, with Liu Bei possessing a foothold in the Jing Province, even now, Zhou Yu might be able to put a halt to any further mischief from the fledgling Shu kingdom. But then, a communique from his Lord, Sun Quan, orders him to go to the aid of Sun Quan in the attack of He Fei. (You will remember that Sun Quan moved to lay siege to He Fei as Zhou Yu engaged Cao Cao at Chi Bi).
One important plot point to address right off, before I begin this commentary in earnest, is the role of Lu Su in this whole affair. Since before Chi Bi, Lu Su has acted as liason between the forces of the Southland and Liu Bei. Now, that role is strengthened when he goes to meet with Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei, and they discuss the subject of the "return" of Jingzhou to Sun Quan (who really never had any of it in the first place, and his father, Sun Jian, had only controlled a small part of it).
Upon seeing that the rightful (and now sole remaining) heir to Liu Biao, Liu Qi, was dying (probably of massive liver failure), Lu Su agrees to guarantee to Zhou Yu and Sun Quan the return of Jingzhou (understanding that control of the Jing Province will transfer to the House of Sun after Liu Qi dies). This is the important plot point, this guarantee by Lu Su. As guarantor, Lu Su's role as liason is not only confirmed, but also, it puts significant pressure upon him from his Lord to make good that guarantee, a task which would consume the rest of his life and (Spoiler) would help to lead to the death of Guan Yu way later in the story. So, yeah, if you're taking notes, that's something to remember there. Lu Su has guaranteed the "return" of Jingzhou to Sun Quan. He's stuck with it.
Now, as I pointed out, previously, it seemed as if Liu Bei was leading a futile struggle, he and his small, pitiful band of talented and very loyal, yet unusable followers. That Heaven itself was striking Liu Bei down (I use the term Heaven to refer to something like Karma, at least, that's what I believe the context of Heaven is in this novel). Time after time, each time Liu Bei gained a foothold somewhere, he got driven out of it. First in Xuzhou. Then in Xuzhou again. Then in Ru Nan. Then at Xinye. Then all the way across Jing Bei to Xiang Yang, where he was driven away by Sir Douche-a-lot, Cai Mao (Sorry. I normally try to keep these commentaries more or less unbiased for the most part, but I really dislike that particular branch of the Cai family...intensely. Cai Mao, his siblings, and his Sister were traitors all. How very fitting that he met with a traitor's death on an occasion where he was actually innocent. That's poetic justice for you.)
So why, now, has Heaven seen fit to allow Liu Bei another foothold, this one in the wealthiest and probably most fertile part of the whole Han Empire? It is a possibility that Heaven is just fickle like that. A post-modernist view of Heaven would totally support this possibility. But this was centuries before post-modernism or any of its immediate ancestors. For the sake of the next several paragraphs, we'll examine another possibility instead. This, then, is my theory on Liu Bei's rise:
Liu Bei previously had been acting against the intent of Heaven, by attempting to restore a dynasty which had already persisted for four centuries, and was now fated to fall. Thus, he incurred the "wrath" of Heaven, and kept getting foiled in everything he attempted to accomplish. (Take notes, this is my own life, metaphorically, as well as Liu Bei's, that we're talking about here. No, seriously. It's almost creepy how my life has paralleled that man's. In my own journey, I'm currently somewhere between Dangyang and Chi Bi, I think...)
So then, Cao Cao, having just been given northern China by Heaven on a silver platter (Heaven being the force that it is implied softened the once-keen wits of Yuan Shao and thus caused him to defeat himself), cast his gaze to the south, ignoring a clear portent sent to him that he should not attempt to conquer the south. Over and over, portents warn him that his Southern Expedition is doomed, and he, swelled with pride on account of his victory over Yuan Shao and his own paramount position in the Imperial Court, chooses each time not to heed the warnings. Really, when you get down to it, I think that if Cao Cao had just simply stayed home, he'd have won out in the end. I think I might have said that before in some other chapter commentary. At any rate this, my friends, is where Heaven pretty much says "Okay, then, Cao Cao. Have it your way. Go screw yourself. Your army will be crushed. Your ambitions will be foiled. You will go back north, one way or the other, and never again will you or your family have a hope of ever ruling a unified China. I have decreed that you shall supplant the Han, and so you will. But the same thing will happen to YOUR House, when your servants become the masters...and you know what else, Cao Cao? Just because I'm, you know...Heaven, and you're just, you know...you....I'm going to go ahead and remind you just who the hell I am. You know what, Cao Cao? Screw you. I'mma go talk with Liu Bei. Tool."
Okay, so I'm pretty sure Heaven probably wouldn't have used words like "I'mma". But still, that's what I think the implication is thus far. Liu Bei has defied Heaven. But Cao Cao has offended Heaven more. And so Liu Bei's kinda off the hook. For the moment. (Spoiler) He makes his own dire mistake later on...
This gives me a bit of hope. Know why? Because I myself have been defying Heaven my whole life. Granted, it's a different Heaven than the one described in this novel. Hell, it's even a different Heaven than the one described in the holy books of the Levantine religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam). Still, I've been an adversary of Heaven pretty much my whole life. And I've pretty much suffered a major setback each and every time that I have attempted to get a foothold in life. The fact that guys like Liu Bang (founder of the Han...a peasant) and Liu Bei both existed gives a person like me hope, because if they could defy the will of Heaven, and not only survive, but flourish, then I can too. Take that, Heaven! NYAH! :p
At any rate, Liu Bei's got a foothold in Nanjun, and Zhou Yu, the one person who might stop him, has been called away by his Lord. Talk about a fortuitous break for Liu Bei. Now, he can add to his holdings in Jing Bei by seizing the southern portion of the Jing Province. The Battle for Jing Nan is on!
It strikes me as kinda odd that Zhuge Liang sought first to capture Ling Ling and Gui Yang, which are far in the south, and thus would have bypassed Wu Ling and Chang Sha, which, according to my map of the Empire at the time, were far closer to Nanjun than were Ling Ling and Gui Yang. Nonetheless, since that is the way the story tells it, that's the way we're gonna break it down, folks! So here goes...
1. Ling Ling - In this story, there are four major cities in Jing Nan which held considerable influence. Ling Ling, the first of these cities, was presided over by Liu Du, a former vassal of Liu Biao. The Death of Liu Biao, and the death of his second son and heir, Liu Zong, shortly thereafter let a power vacuum in Jing Nan. Technically, when Liu Zong submitted to Prime Minister Cao Cao, the allegiance of the southern Jing lords should have reverted to Cao Cao, and probably more or less did. However, Jing Nan was a very far way away from Xu Chang, and Cao Cao didn't really have the resources to field another southern expedition at the time. So in reality, the southern Lords were more or less on their own. Which is a situation cut-to-order for a strategist worth his salt. And if salt is the measure, then Zhuge Liang was the damn Great Salt Lake. But though Zhuge Liang has displayed his genius several times thus far in the story, he actually is still very new to actual combat. This time, he leads the troops himself.
On the other side, as I said, is Liu Du, who was probably an able enough administrator, but certainly no genius, and certainly no match for Zhuge Liang. He had some bold underlings though. One is his son, Liu Xiang (in the games, he's called Liu Xian, the same name as the last Emperor of the Han, Liu Xian. I've always found this hilarious. Like, "Oh? Liu Xian works for Liu Biao?! Wait a minute! Who's serving who here?! Is the Emperor REALLY working for Liu Biao, or is he just incognito? You know, hiding from that big, bad, nasty, fire-breathing meanie, Cao Cao? :p )
Liu Xiang appears to be more talk than action, though, blaming his military failure on a dead man (Xing Daorong, the other notable adherent of Liu Du), and then going back to convince his pops to join Liu Bei. Could have spared Xing Daorong's life if they'd just done that first...it's a shame about Xing Daorong, though. He might not have been too bright, but he DID have a point about Zhuge Liang kinda stealing the credit for Zhou Yu's trouncing of Cao Cao at Chi Bi. I suppose it's understandable that Xing Daorong took Zhuge Liang for a harmless blowhard. But it wasn't very intelligent to try to double cross him after Liang had already captured him and let him go once. If someone captured me, after I'd just gotten done trying to kill them, and then just let me go my merry way, I'd be suspicious. Why would anyone let such a threat go unless they totally were not at all afraid of the consequences of doing so? Xing Daorong obviously didn't see this, though. And it cost him his life. Shame about that one. He was a brave one, that Xing Daorong...
2. Gui Yang - This time, it's up to one of the Generals to take care of the Zhuge's light work. Now this is one of those occasions where Zhuge Liang demonstrates how very well he understands human psychology. Zhang Fei's spoiling for a fight. He's ALWAYS spoiling for a fight, but this time, he appears to be really eager to go out to take Gui Yang for Liu Bei. Zhang Fei's not the sharpest knife in the drawer, though. Up to this point, for the most part, he's been pretty impulsive and totally hot-headed, and his temper, propensity for violence, and his fondness for alcohol have caused him to screw things up for Liu Bei numerous times. Sometimes, he's able to use his reputation to his advantage, as was the case during the battle for Xu Province, and again, certainly he used his reputation to his advantage at the Chang Ban Bridge, when he singlehandedly drove away an army of anywhere from several hundred thousand to a million soldiers with the mere sound of his voice...drove them into a panicked retreat. But still, for the most part, Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang both consider him to be wild-card, and a bit of a liability.
But Zhuge Liang, in addition to mastering so many other fields of human knowledge and wisdom, also apparently studied Man for quite a while, because he has Zhang Fei figured out. I would not at all doubt it if Zhuge Liang personally tampered with the drawing of lots in order to ensure that Zhao Zilong (Zhao Yun) would draw the lucky straw and go to seize Gui Yang. At any rate, Zhao Zilong was indeed the one that won the opportunity to take Gui Yang.
Gui Yang was ruled by Zhao Fan, who, in the Three Kingdoms Video Games, might just be the most blah officer ever, statwise. Seriously, there's others that suck way more (Liu Zhang kinda rings a bell...) but Zhao Fan has got like the most average stats I've ever seen. He's just...I don't know...plain. Average. He probably eats stuff like oatmeal or tofu or some other food that's utterly tasteless. That's how average Zhao Fan was. :p Back to being serious, though, Zhao Fan is inclined to submit to Liu Bei, but is talked out of it by his general, Chen Ying (who fights with a flying fork, thus providing ancient inspiration for "The Blue Rajah". Sorry about that one. If you will fork-give, I will fork-get. Gyuh! Gyuh! :p )
At any rate, Chen Ying quite predictably gets his ass handed to him. After all, I mean, come on. This is the guy that rode through Cao Cao's army several times in order to rescue Liu Bei's family, and fought his way back through with a sleeping infant in his breastplate. That sort of thing's got "Live to a ripe old age in an era where many die young" written all over it.
Now, you will notice that Chen Ying, like Xing Daorong in Ling Ling, also gets released upon capture. You'd think this guy would learn his lesson. After all, he's GOT to be smarter than Xing Daorong, right? He...ummmm...fights with a fork?
But after a disagreement between Zhao Yun and Zhao Fan (I'll get to that in a moment), Chen Ying and Bao Long, the notable generals of Gui Yang, again attempt to take the war to Zhao Yun, this time thinking to employ deceit. Zhao Yun has apparently been hanging out with Zhuge Liang too much, though, because he sees through their false defection, and like Xing Daorong, there is no second chance.
And what was the disagreement between the two Zhaos? Well, they actually seem to get along pretty well, even swearing Brotherhood with each other. But when Zhao Fan tries to pimp his sister-in-law, a widow, out to Zhao Yun, Zhao Yun goes ape-shit. Personally, from a modern western viewpoint, I wouldn't have seen much problem with this. After all, she's described as the type of beautiful that ruins empires, like Helen of Troy or Diaochan, and appears to be well mannered, and not only that, she has clearly expressed what she wants, and only one man appears to fit that description: Zhao Zilong. If I were he, I would have been like "So wait a minute...you're telling me that this goddess here wants to screw my brains out AND cook me breakfast in the morning (please, I'm trying to put this as delicately as possible. -subdued- ) AND she thinks I'm the most awesome man in the world and the only man in the world worthy of her?! Where do I sign up?! :D
But I'm not Zhao Zilong (and that fact is, believe me, painfully obvious to me every day). And this is ancient China we're talking about. Not modern Amurrica. Suffice it to say, Zhao Zilong did not think it proper to take Zhao Fan's offer, though the offer was made with the very best of intentions (that and the fact that technically he was now Zhao Yun's sworn brother might have been the only things that saved poor Zhao Fan's life).
After killing Chen Ying and Bao Long, Zhao Yun again returns to Gui Yang, this time with an army, and takes the city. But Zhao Fan is reinstalled as its governor, or Prefect, or whatever. And if they're just going to end up having the peace conference anyway, why not have the peace conference BEFORE the battle? It would save so much trouble...
So Chapter 52 draws to a close with Ling Ling and Gui Yang now under the control of Liu Bei's forces. And the next chapter will see him turn his eyes back north to Wu Ling and Chang Sha (the original fief of the Sun Family, if you will recall. There's something for your notes right there. The fact that Liu Bei rules Chang Sha will continue to put a bad taste in Sun Quan's mouth for years to come...)
Have a listen, enjoy, and tune in next time, when Liu Bei continues his conquest of the Jing Province, and we find out how that Sun Quan feller is doing over at that there He Fei Castle. Laters.
Reader Comments (3)
wow!! you are so great!!! thanks for all your hard work!!! i'm really enjoying listening to your wonderful storytelling~
i hope the chapters keep coming :)
I stumbled upon this work, and though I don't rightly know if you are still continuing this, I certainly hope so. Amazing work so far.
Yes, I am continuing it. I'm hoping to be back up and in good working order by the end of the week, and I will be continuing production. Have no fear. ;) And thank you all for listening. :)