The Sanguo Yanyi – Chapter 45
Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 4:46PM The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 45:
At The Three Gorges, Cao Cao Loses Soldiers;
In The Gathering Of Heroes, Jiang Gan Is Trapped.
Listen:
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.
