Cao Cao Feasts in the Bronze Bird Tower;

Zhuge Liang Provokes Zhou Yu a Third Time.

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WARNING: THE SANGUO YANYI ITSELF CONTAINS SPOILERS...ABOUT OUR OWN FUTURE. LEARN IT. BE PREPARED. UGLINESS IS COMING...

Chapter 56 of the Sanguo Yanyi sees a continuance of the almost tragically comical striving of Zhou Yu against Zhuge Liang, two of the great minds of the late Han. Seriously, these two are almost like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.  Zhou Yu, obviously, is Daffy, since, as you might have noticed in previous chapters, things just don't seem to go well for him when he tries to scheme against Zhuge Liang. This is like "Duck season! Rabbit season! Duck season! Rabbit season! Rabbit season! Duck season! Fire!" 

BANG!!!! 

Liu Bei Rouses The Spirit Of Lady Sun;

Zhuge Liang A Second Time Angers Zhou Yu.

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WARNING: THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YA. :p

Chapter 55 is the second chapter in a two part subplot involving Liu Bei and his sojourn in the Southland.  You may recall that in the previous chapter, the Southland, in the person of Lu Fan, went to Liu Bei to propose that Liu Bei marry Lady Sun Shang Xiang, or Sun Ren, as she's called in the novel.  Shang Xiang, you might also remember, is daughter to Sun Jian, and sister to both Sun Ce and the current ruler of the Southland, Sun Quan.  On the surface, this was put forth by the Southland as a method of cementing a strong alliance between the Houses of Sun and Liu, but the real plot, and one that Zhuge Liang saw through completely, was to attempt to lure Liu Bei to the Southland and alienate Liu Bei from his ministers.  Because Zhuge Liang saw through all of this, his tactics led to the bogus marriage becoming a real one, and Liu Bei did indeed get his wife, and whether they had wanted it or not, the Southland was indeed stuck with a bit of an unpleasant situation on their hands...an further strengthened alliance with an ally they didn't really want.  What Zhou Yu and Sun Quan wanted was the Jing Province, and now they were allied by marriage with the man who had "stolen" it from them...

The Dowager Marchioness Sees Her Son-In-Law;

The Imperial Uncle Takes A Worthy Consort.

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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.

Guan Yu Releases Huang Zhong;

Sun Quan Fights With Zhang Liao.

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WARNING: THE HUMAN SPECIES IS WILLFULLY, EVEN GLEEFULLY, JUMPING OFF A VERY HIGH CLIFF. WITH THAT GOING ON, WHO REALLY CARES ABOUT SPOILERS?

And so we come to Chapter 53, which is actually quite an eventful chapter.  But before I get into it, I just want to take a minute to thank each and every one of you for your patience.  It's been a while since I've posted a chapter, due to attacks which destroyed my last PC and put everything on hold for quite a while, and I'm grateful if you're still here to read this.  Thank you.  Your continued support means a lot to me. 

That said, Chapter 53 is, as I said, an eventful Chapter.  It ties up several of the post-Chi Bi loose ends, and many of the great heroes of the period seem to play a significant role in this chapter, from all three Kingdoms.  The chapter begins with the conclusion of Liu Bei's conquest of Jing Nan (southern Jing).  You might remember in the last chapter, Gui Yang and Ling Ling fell to Liu Bei's forces, under Zhuge Liang and Zhao Yun (Zilong).  This time, it's Zhang Fei's turn, and Guan Yu, also, helps in the subjugation of the region.  These battles in the Jing Province, following so close on the tail of the great victory of the southern coalition forces at Chi Bi, are very important, and here's why.  Prior to Chi Bi, as you have read, Liu Bei was pretty much on the verge of being totally crushed once and for all by his onetime friend, and perennial enemy, Cao Cao.  Taking advantage of the power-vacuum following Chi Bi, though, Liu Bei's conquest of the Jing Province at last gives him a wealthy, and relatively secure, province to serve as a base of operations.  For the first time in the story (and mind you, we're at just under the halfway point here), Liu Bei finally seems to be able to establish somewhat of a secure footing for himself, his army, and his people.  It is this which allows the Three-Kingdoms model envisioned by Zhuge Liang to come to pass.

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 )

Cao Ren Withstands The South Land;

Zhuge Liang Angers Zhou Yu.

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WARNING: DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU. ONLY DO IT FIRST, AND THEN RUN LIKE HELL.

Chapter 51 is a chapter which sees Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu, allies of late against the overwhelming military force Cao Cao has brought to bear in the South, turning their attentions instead to each other.

The reader will no doubt have noticed throughout the course of the story thus far a healthy distrust between Zhou Yu, the Southland's premier strategist, and Zhuge Liang, the rock upon which Liu Bei intends to build his fledgling kingdom. Now that Cao Cao has more or less been taken out of the equation, for the time being, Zhou Yu understands full well that time is of the essence.

Zhuge Liang Foresees The Huarong Valley Episode;

Guan Yu Lifts His Saber To Release Cao Cao.

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WARNING: I DON'T SEEM TO BE ABLE TO THINK OF ANYTHING TO PUT HERE THIS TIME...

And we come to Chapter 50, also known as the "Ha ha, Cao Cao, you're totally screwed now!" Chapter. Okay, so maybe the preceding sentence DIDN'T appear in the original Chinese text. But nonetheless it sums up the situation quite well. For indeed, Cao Cao, who at the end of the previous chapter had witnessed his massive Expeditionary Force utterly routed and his Naval Camp and Fleet in flames, is caught in the middle of hostile territory with a reduced and demoralized force, and Zhou Yu stands poised to devour him whole. Cao Cao is totally screwed...

On Seven-Star Altar, Zhuge Liang Sacrifices To The Winds;

At Three Gorges, Zhou Yu Liberates The Fire.

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WARNING: THE WATER YOU ARE DRINKING HAS BEEN TAMPERED WITH. BE INFORMED. OH YEAH, AND THERE MIGHT BE SPOILERS HERE TOO.

So now it's Chapter 49. You may have noticed a bit of a pattern developing throughout the novel thus far. In Chapter 1, or 11, or 21, etc., a story arc was introduced. And by Chapter 9, 19, 29, etc. the arc was more or less resolved. Case in point, Lu Bu killed Dong Zhuo in Chapter 9. He himself was defeated and executed by Cao Cao and Liu Bei 10 chapters later, in chapter 19. Well, this chapter is number 49. So you know what that means? That's right, folks! It's dramatic-conclusion time! Duh da duhm!

Banquet On The Great River, Cao Cao Sings A Song;

Battle On Water, Northerners Fight With Chained Ships.

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WARNING: WE'RE SURROUNDED BY ZOMBIES. HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF GRAPE JELLY-DROOLIN' ZOMBIES.

And we come to Chapter 48. In the last chapter, Pang Tong convinced Cao Cao to chain his ships together, in order to promote stability and prevent seasickness among Cao Cao's mostly northern army. Then he even obtained a written decree of protection for his own family, in Cao Cao's own handwriting, guaranteeing their safety despite the fact that Pang Tong's advice is going to end up destroying Cao Cao's expeditionary force. Way to go, Pang Tong! But there's a person present who could expose Pang Tong. Xu Shu, who, having been tricked over to Cao Cao's service, is present, and knows full well what Pang Tong's advice will lead to.

Kan Ze Presents A Treacherous Letter;

Pang Tong Suggests Chaining the Ships.

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WARNING: THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY LIKELY CONTAINS SPOILERS. BUT I'M SURE YOU KNEW THAT BY NOW. IF NOT, PAY MORE ATTENTION! :p

With Chapter 47, the ploys of Zhou Yu, acted upon by various Wu officers, are presented to Cao Cao. Ever wonder why a Shu-Han loyalist like myself holds someone like Zhou Yu, who has tried time and time again (according to the novel) to slay Liu Bei and especially Zhuge Liang, in such high honor and respect? The man was brilliant, both in history and in literature. If he were alive today, and living in America, serving some upstart revolutionary army instead of serving the Sun Family of the Sanguo Period, I have little doubt that the Federal Republic and all its armies would be crushed. I think Zhou Yu really was that damn good at his job. He was the Erwin Rommel of his day, a loyal and brilliant officer whose subordinates loved him because he not only was one of the greatest talents of the day, but also because he was chivalrous, conducting himself with honor and integrity.