The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 34

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 34:

Behind The Screen, Lady Cai Overhears A Secret;

Across The Tan Torrent, The Dilu Horse Carries Its Master.

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WARNING! THE POPCORN YOU ARE EATING HAS BEEN PISSED IN. FILM AT ELEVEN. :p

Just checking to make sure you're paying attention.

Okay, now that I got the joking around out of the way, it's time for the commentary for Chapter 34. Cao Cao's subdued the north, and now he sets his eyes towards the south, the lands below the Great River, where dwell Liu Biao and Sun Quan. And, did I mention, Liu Bei? Yes, indeed, Liu Bei fled a few chapters ago to Liu Biao during the debacle at Guan Du. Now Liu Bei and his underlings might possibly be the finest officers Liu Biao's got, excepting, of course, Wei Yan and Huang Zhong, who have yet to be introduced into the story.

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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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The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 31

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 31:

Cao Cao Overcomes Yuan Shao In Cangting;

Liu Bei Seeks Shelter With Liu Biao In Jingzhou.

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WARNING: THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. BUT YOU WANT TO READ IT ANYWAY, BECAUSE MY WORDS JUST, YOU KNOW, LIKE, HYPNOTIZE PEOPLE AND SHIT...

And here it is. Come one, come all, and listen to Chapter 31 of the Sanguo Yanyi, I know it's a bit late (I blame Daylight Standard Time. :p), but nonetheless, better late than never.

So the first quarter of the story was pretty much building up to the great Battle of Guan Du. Now that Guan Du is over (almost), the focus of the story begins to shift, rather, to the south, where two strong powers stand poised in control of the lands below the Yangtze River. Sun Quan, newly ascended to the office held by his Brother Sun Ce, and his father Sun Jian before that, controls the southeast with a strong and well-trained army. In Jingzhou, Liu Biao, a member of the Imperial Family, holds the office of Imperial Protector (Governor, pretty much). He also has an army of decent size, and capable officers such as Cai Mao, Kuai Liang, Kuai Yue, Wen Ping, Wei Yan, Gan Ning, Huang Zhong, and Yi Ji, to name but a few.

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The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 30

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 30:

Shunning Advice, Yuan Shao Loses Leaders and Granaries;

Using Strategy, Cao Cao Scores Victory At Guandu.

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WARNING: THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. AT ANY RATE, IT CONTAINS A REALLY, REALLY REAALLY BIG F'N BATTLE!

Yep. It is official. We're one quarter of the way through this novel now. It's Chapter 30, and what better way to celebrate that fact than by having a big giant f'n battle, eh? That's right. Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, childhood friends, court officials, former subordinates of He Jin, now the two most powerful Lords in China, are squared off against each other in an all out battle for supremacy in the Northern Provinces of the crumbling Han Dynasty.

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The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 29

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 29:

The Little Conqueror Slays Yu Ji;

The Green Eyed Boy Lays Hold On The South Land.

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WARNING! THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!

Ahhhhh, Chapter 29. Roughly 15 years into the story, and a lot has happened. The 10 Eunuchs seized power, and were in turn overthrown by Cao Cao and Yuan Shao. In the confusion, Dong Zhuo took over the Capitol, and thus gained control of the child-Emperor Liu Xian. Dong Zhuo was overthrown, and Cao Cao and Yuan Shao built the two most powerful warlord states in the land. Meanwhile, Liu Bei's been wandering around, escaping bad situations with his skin, and little else, intact. One by one, the warlords of the Late-Han have fallen to their powerful peers, and as the first quarter of the novel draws near its conclusion, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao are poised to battle it out for supremacy in the north, and Sun Ce has built a powerful and eminently defensible state in the Southeast...

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