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WARNING: THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. THAT'S ALL RIGHT...RIGHT?
Chapter 54 is the beginning of a bit of a side-story, as Zhou Yu, obsessed with gaining possession of Jingzhou for Sun Quan, attempts yet once again to develop a scheme for accomplishing his goal. You might recall the stalling tactics employed by Zhuge Liang in previous chapters to delay over and over the transfer of Jingzhou to Sun Quan. I think it's pretty reasonable to assume that the average reader/listener has probably figured out by now that Zhuge Liang has no real intention of relinquishing Jingzhou. I think Zhou Yu knew this also, and I also believe that it's indeed a possibility that Lu Su, deep down, also knew it. But Lu Su, as portrayed in the novel, was an honest man, and maybe a little bit on the credible side, by reason of extreme politeness. Lu Su was a brilliant man, and it's very hard to believe that he had no clue what Zhuge Liang was doing. But, ever attentive to the observation of etiquette, Lu Su found himself time and time again in the uncomfortable position of middleman between Liu Bei and the Southland. Thus, it's difficult not to feel more than a little sorry for Lu Su at this part of the story, where he is caught between Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu...probably the last place I would want to be is in between two intellectual juggernauts. I've been there before, time and time again, and it's really not fun.
You might recall, also, that Zhou Yu's been a little bit on the ill side in recent chapters, having been nearly killed in a botched attempt on Jingzhou, and having reopened his wound once already due apparently to frustration. Poor Zhou Yu, that brilliant, brilliant man, is finding out what it means to defy the Will of Heaven (again, when I use the term Heaven, I'm referring specifically to the manifestation of Heaven in Chinese culture, the almighty force by which heroes rise and ministers rule and Emperors reign). Remember how the nigh-unstoppable Cao Cao was brought up short, with disastrous results, at Chi Bi, or how likewise, Yuan Shao at Guan Du and Lu Bu in Xu Province, pretty much unstoppable forces themselves, also seemed to get thwarted by Heaven when they went against Its will...Now, Zhou Yu is also given the gift of unclear thinking which is the gift of Heaven to those who defy It. It is a pity, that a man as brilliant as Zhou Yu would be thus..."pwned" by Heaven.
But that apparently, at least within the parameters of this novel, is the way it was... Because Zhou Yu, in attempting to play the Fair Damsel ploy against Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang was a very foolish move to do, though its implications would reach far in the next several decades. Liu Bei, perhaps, might have been fooled by such a ploy (though probably not, considering that Liu Bei was somewhat suspicious to begin with), but Zhou Yu made a huge mistake in thinking that Zhuge Liang would be thus deceived. Zhou Yu really should have understood that by this point. It might have spared his life... The ploy, you will find, was designed to lure Liu Bei into a hostage situation in the Southland, whereby Zhou Yu hoped to gain the leverage to force the transfer of Jingzhou from Liu Bei to Sun Quan. Not necessarily a bad ploy, if Liu Bei hadn't an adviser of exception talent and insight. But even if Liu Bei hadn't had Zhuge Liang, I think Ma Liang would have probably seen through the ruse as well. At any rate, Zhuge Liang had this ruse figured out, so he was able to prepare for countermeasures. Zhuge Liang occasionally sent contingency orders along when such expeditions departed, in sealed pouches, something Cao Cao did also, and Zhuge Liang's choice of Zhao Yun, mighty, intelligent, and loyal, as the bearer of his instructions, and bodyguard to Liu Bei, was a very good choice. So Liu Bei went to the Southland to get him a wife. That might not be what Sun Quan and Zhou Yu had really intended, but the clever, clever ruses of Zhuge Liang, in those sealed pouches kept by Zhao Yun, accomplished precisely that. This is a classic, classic example of "Be careful what you wish for, because you might just get it." And Zhou Yu and Sun Quan both got it. The bogus marriage that they used to lure Liu Bei to the Southland became a real one, when Liu Bei got the blessing of the Bride's mother. By the way, I know the Bride-to-Be, sister of Sun Quan and Sun Ce, was named Sun Ren in the novel, but as I have mentioned in the past, I'm doing this audiobook for me to listen to when I'm relaxing (it's why I started making this in the first place), so I tend to call the characters as they come most readily to me. In this case, I'm far more used to the lady in question being named "Sun Shang Xiang". There are purists out there who might be upset by that. Sorry. Sun Shang Xiang just sounds cooler to me. So that's what I call her. ;)
But anyway, I have to point out that Zhou Yu's plan would have succeeded brilliantly in alienating Liu Bei from Zhuge Liang, had Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang been different people. But if would have also made a mockery of the House of Sun, and the Dowager of the Sun Family would have had a hard time marrying her daughter off to anyone else. To say that the Dowager was angry would be a bit of an understatement. More like, she was goddamn pissed. Because Sun Quan had forgotten to mention the bogus marriage proposal to her. (Probably because neither Sun Quan nor Zhou Yu had actually planned on the bogus marriage being a real one, and thus didn't really feel the need to burden her with the details) I've got to say, I like Sun Shang Xiang a lot (SunRen). Actually, I tend to like the ladies of the Sun Family in general. They're not exactly meek, but have very strong personalities and very strong wills of their own. Diaochan and Lady Zhen were written as characters of obedience. Sun Shang Xiang was written to be a Tigress in a family of Tigers. There are several female characters in this novel, and she shows more spirit than most of them. (Zhu Rong is another spirited heroine).
Of course, to me, the most important thing about this entire little subplot, other than the fact that the marriage actually happened and thus the tenuous alliance between Sun and Liu was more or less strengthened by the marriage, is that it finally brought Liu Bei and Sun Quan together at the same place. I've noticed that when two of the rulers of the so-called Three Kingdoms are brought together at the same place, big things usually follow. For instance, Liu Bei and Cao Cao in the Plum Garden, talking about heroes, brought a beginning to the events of Guan Du. Liu Bei and Sun Quan coming together brought the age of the Three Kingdoms...
One final thing for me to note here, concerning the ending of this chapter...it kinda sets the tone for the shifting of warfare a bit. Earlier in the novel, the story generally focused on land troops fighting land battles. That more or less changed with Chi Bi, but when Liu Bei says, "Truly the men of the North are riders. The men of the South are sailors.", that really kinda sets the tone, in my opinion. Naval action will continue throughout the rest of the story to be the key to the dominance of the central parts of the Empire, and supremacy will depend on the ability to hold the various strategic positions around the Great River. And so it begins, the Era of the Three Kingdoms, tune in next time to discover if Liu Bei survives his "Honeymoon" (as if you couldn't already figure it out).