The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 66

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 66:

Armed With Sword, Guan Yu Goes To A Feast Alone;

For The State, Empress Fu Offers Her Life. 

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WARNING:

THERE'S SPOILERS HERE YET TO BE READ.
READING THEM MIGHT JUST DO IN YOUR HEAD.
BUT IF YOU READ ON, 
MANY QUESTIONS  BEGONE, 
AND YOU'LL SLEEP EASIER IN YOUR BED. 

So it's Chapter 66 now (I'm sure the superstitious out there among you are probably like "Whoa! What an inauspicious number that is. Something bad's going to happen in this chapter, I know it!")

And you know what? They're right. They do know it. Because something bad does happen in this chapter. What happens?  Ohhhhh, the suspense...is it getting to you yet? ;)

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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 28

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 28:

Putting Cai Yang To Death, The Brothers' Doubts Disappear;

Meeting At Gucheng, Lord and Lieges Fortify Each Other.

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WARNING! THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!

Things have certainly been kinda...odd for the Three Brothers in previous chapters. Having been crushed in Xuzhou by Cao Cao's army, the three of them fled in different directions. Zhang Fei retreated to the Mang Dang Hills, Liu Bei went to seek protection from Yuan Shao, and Guan Yu, oddest of all, went to serve Cao Cao...for the time being.

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The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 27

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 27:

The Duke Of the Beautiful Beard Rides On A Solitary Journey;

Guan Yu Slays Six Generals Through Five Passes.

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WARNING! THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! SAN DIMAS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL RULES!!!!! (Ummm, actually, NO football rules. Seriously, what a dumb sport...)

Ahem. Anyways...now that I've got most of the capital letters out of me for the time being, it's time to get down to the commentary...

So Guan Yu, previously a sort of "Free-Agent" working for Cao Cao, has learned of the whereabouts of his true Master, his sworn-brother Liu Bei. Here's the funny part...it turns out that Liu Bei is up north, chilling with Yuan Shao, a man who just so happens to be at war with Cao Cao at the moment. (Guan Du, anybody?)

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The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 26

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 26:

Yuan Shao Loses Another Leader;

Guan Yu Abandons Rank And Wealth.

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WARNING! HEH, THAT WORD COULD ALMOST BE A CHINESE WORD. WAR NING. I WONDER IF HE WAS GAN NING'S HOTHEADED COUSIN...

Anyways, now that I've got my daily digression out of the way...it's Chapter 26, or as Yuan Shao might have called it, "HOLY SHIT! GUAN YU IS KILLING OFF ALL MY MOST POWERFUL GENERALS ONE BY ONE!"

That's pretty much what's going down, up in the northern regions of the Han Empire. Cao Cao, if you remember, obtained Guan Yu's services at the beginning of last chapter, and now, finds himself coming within half a mile of...guess who...his sworn brother and sworn lord, Liu Bei.

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The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 25

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 25:

Besieged In Tushan, Guan Yu Makes Three Conditions;

Relieved At Baima, Cao Cao Beholds A Marvel.

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WARNING! THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!

In Chapter 25, the great Battle of Guan Du, one of the most titanic clashes between two rulers that China...and perhaps the world...has ever known, begins in earnest. And who would have been able to foresee the way the lineup has changed over the past few chapters.

Liu Bei, having been crushed by Cao Cao in Xu Province, has fled to seek refuge with Yuan Shao, and Guan Yu, sworn brother of Liu Bei, now serves, at least for the time being, the man who did the crushing...

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