The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 65

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 65:

Ma Chao Battles At Jiameng Pass;;

Liu Bei Takes Over Yizhou. 

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WARNING: IT'S THANKSGIVING DAY, IF YOU HAPPEN TO LIVE IN AMERICA. THAT MEANS A LOT OF LEFTOVER TURKEY. BETTER MAKE SOME COLD TURKEY SANDWICHES OUT OF THAT, BEFORE YOU END UP WITH A WHOLE LOT OF THE SAME THING AS YOU'LL FIND IN THIS CHAPTER'S COMMENTARY...YOU KNOW...SPOILERS. 

HAHA. I SLAY MYSELF.  

In the last chapter, of course, Ma Chao was driven from the West Valley Land (eastern Xi province, pretty much), after unwisely giving in to the urge to be a Tyrant, slaying a few people in the process, and then later on having most of his family wiped out by their next-of-kin in revenge. 

It is here that we see the recurring theme of Heaven's invisible hand turning the course of events once again. Ma Chao, you will recall, was the son and heir of Ma Teng, the unfortunate governor of Xi Liang who had been assassinated by Cao Cao a few chapters back. As such, Ma Chao had been one of the Feudal Lords in his own right...a person on equal standing with Liu Bei, Sun Quan, and even Cao Cao himself as far as his essential status in soiety was concerned. 

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The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 64

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 64:

Zhuge Liang Plans For The Capture Of Zhang Ren;;

Yang Fu Borrows Soldiers To Destroy Ma Chao. 

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WARNING: THE GUY MAKING THIS AUDIOBOOK HAS BEEN DRIVEN INTO FINANCIAL RUIN BY HIS GENEROSITY IN ALWAYS GIVING HIS ART AWAY FOR FREE. HIS ART WILL REMAIN FREE HOWEVER...HE WILL NOT CHARGE YOU FOR IT, BUT IF YOU WANT HIM TO STILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE THESE AUDIOBOOK CHAPTERS FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT, IT IS HIGHLY SUGGESTED THAT YOU MAKE A FREE WILL DONATION TO THE CAUSE. YOU CAN DO SO AT THE TOP-LEFT SIDE OF THE SCREEN BENEATH THE SITE BANNER, WHERE IS LOCATED A DONATE BUTTON. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH...WHEN I'M TOO POOR TO AFFORD ELECTRICITY TO POWER THE COMPUTER, OR A ROOF OVER MY HEAD, OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT IS REQUIRED FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THESE AUDIOBOOK CHAPTERS, THIS AUDIOBOOK WILL DIE AND I WILL NOT THEN BE ABLE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. YOU CAN HELP KEEP IT FROM DYING, BY DONATING WHAT YOU MIGHT OTHERWISE HAVE SPENT ON A CUP OF COFFEE OR A VIDEO FROM NETFLIX. YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO SAVE THIS AUDIOBOOK...I HOPE THAT YOU CHOOSE TO DO SO BY YOUR GENEROSITY. REGARDLESS, THOUGH, I WILL CONTINUE TO PUT THESE EPISODES UP FOR FREE ON THIS WEBSITE FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD WHETHER OR NOT YOU DONATED. BECAUSE ART SHOULD BE FREE TO THE PUBLIC. THANKS.

So now it's Chapter 64, and Liu Bei is dealing with the fallout from what happened in the last chapter. What happened in the last chapter?  Well, it's been a while since I released that one from the vaults but you might remember that in the last chapter, Pang Tong was assassinated by Zhang Ren, and quite suddenly Liu Bei found himself not only bereft of his primary advisor in the invasion of Shu, but also now surrounded by enemies, his retreat cut off, and his entire dream in danger of being destroyed. (My oh my, how I can totally relate to that. I know that feel, Liu Bei. I know that feel.)

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The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 58

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 58:

Ma Chao Launches An Expedition For Revenge;

Cao Cao Flees The Field In Disguise.

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WARNING: TYPING IN CAPS CAN OFTEN LEAD TO PEOPLE THINKING YOU'RE SHOUTING AT THEM. AND THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY.

Annnnnnd, it's Chapter 58 already. Bet you weren't expecting TWO audiobook episodes in one night, were you? Oh, you were? Well....ummmm....hmmmmmm....guess that wasn't as big a surprise as I meant it to be then. :p

At any rate, we've reached Chapter 58. Ma Teng is dead, slain by the soldiers of Cao Cao, and Ma Dai, nephew of Ma Teng, has escaped from the capitol, carrying back to Ma Chao the tale of Ma Teng's ending. Filial Piety was a cardinal virtue in the people of the Han, and Ma Chao was, as could be quite expected, not quite happy with Cao Cao for the murder of his father.

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The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 10

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 10:

Gathering Arms, Ma Teng Moves To Rescue The Emperor;

Commanding A Force, Cao Cao Marches To Avenge His Father.

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WARNING: THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS, AND IS PART OF A COMPLETE BREAKFAST...

Ahhhhhh, Chapter 10. Dong Zhuo's fat, bloated corpse, rejected by Mother Nature Herself, can do little but lay there and ooze gravy out of every pore. I suppose that's poetic justice there...

Meanwhile, Dong Zhuo's former generals, the ones I like to call "The Xiliang Four", have seized control of the Imperial Court in Chang'an, and the air is always heavy with the threat of violence. Li Jue and Guo Si, the leaders of this new regime, have made no secret of their desire to kill Liu Xian and rule his empire in their own names.

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