The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 49

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 49:

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!

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The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 48

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 48:

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.

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The Sanguo Yanyi – Chapter 45

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 45:

At The Three Gorges, Cao Cao Loses Soldiers;

In The Gathering Of Heroes, Jiang Gan Is Trapped.

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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.

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The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 39

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 39:

At Jingzhou, The Son Of Liu Biao Thrice Begs Advice;

At Bowang Slope, The Directing Instructor Plans His First Battle.

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WARNING! TYPING IN ALL CAPS IS REALLY ANNOYING. I should stop it. Maybe............NAH!!!!

Chapter 39 opens, as most chapters tend to, where the last one left off. The navy of the Southland, led by Gan Ning, has taken the battle to Huang Zu, who naturally is no fitting match for Gan Ning. So it is that Huang Zu, who slew Mi Heng in a drunken rage, himself meets his demise, at the hands of a disgruntled ex-subordinate. I don't know, maybe Gan Ning was the first postal employee...

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The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 33

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 33:

A Gallant Warrior, Cao Pi Marries Lady Zhen;

An Expiring Star, Guo Jia Settles Liaodong.

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WARNING: THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY MAY INCLUDE SPOILERS.

Chapter 33 comes with a bit of a feeling of deja vu. Remember about 23 chapters ago when Lu Bu, having just assassinated the wicked Dong Zhuo, found himself facing the armies of four of Dong Zhuo's generals (Li Jue, Guo Si, Fan Chou, and Zhang Ji)? Lu Bu succumbed to what was essentially the tactics of a wolfpack, one attacking the neck while the other goes for the hamstring. Cao Cao is in somewhat of a similar situation, facing off against the remainder of Yuan Shao's once insanely large army, which is now under the command of three sons and a nephew: Yuan Tan, Yuan Xi, Yuan Shang, and Gao Gan.

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The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 32

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 32:

Jizhou Taken: Yuan Shang Strives;

River Zhang Cut: Xun You Schemes.

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WARNING: THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS.

I know I said before that the story is shifting to the south, and so it is, but for the next couple of chapters, Cao Cao's got some loose-ends to take care of in the north. What are these loose-ends, you might ask? Their names are Yuan Shang, Yuan Tan, Yuan Xi, and Gao Gan, the sons (and nephew) of Yuan Shao.

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