The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 56

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 56:

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!!!! 

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The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 55

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 55:

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...

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The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 54

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 54:

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.

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The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 52

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 52:

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 )

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The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 51

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 51:

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.

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The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 42

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 42:

Screaming Zhang Fei Triumphs At Long Slope Bridge;

Defeated Liu Bei Marches To Hanjin.

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WARNING, I PUT A LOT OF SOUND EFFECTS IN THIS ONE...

That's right, I did. Chang Ban is, in my humble opinion, one of the most entertaining chapters in the entire novel, as it showcases the talents of not only Zhao Yun (Zilong) but Zhang Fei in their fullest glory. I have tried to use sound effects very sparingly in this audiobook, because I didn't really want sensationalism to take away from the actual words. The words in which this story, any story is told are what are really important. However, I feel that in this case, sound effects help to add an epic quality to the great deeds being performed in Chapter 42. The result, as you will hear, is truly an audible treat. An audiobook chapter that listens like a radioplay. :p

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