The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 50

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 50:

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...

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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 47

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 47:

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.

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The Sanguo Yanyi – Chapter 46

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 46:

Using Strategy, Zhuge Liang Borrows Arrows;

Joining A Ruse, Huang Gai Accepts Punishment.

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WARNING: THESE PRE-COMMENTARY DISCLAIMERS ARE GOING TO LOOK A LOT COOLER ON THE NEW SITE I'M BUILDING :D (Later note:  As you can see, they do indeed look better here. )

Chapter 46 sees a continuation of the web of ploys and schemes which so characterizes the Battle of Chi Bi. In the last chapter, Zhou Yu used Jiang Gan (who had been sent over to try to sway Zhou Yu over to Wei, and more importantly, away from Wu) as an unwitting weapon against Cao Cao, which resulted in Cao Cao being tricked into executing his two most capable, if despicable, naval Commanders, Cai Mao and Zhang Yun.

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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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