The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 63

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 63:

Zhuge Liang Mourns For Pang Tong;

Zhang Fei Releases Yan Yan. 

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WARNING: YUP. YOU GUESSED IT. SPOILERS. 

Chapter 63: Pang Tong is assassinated.  1963: John F. Kennedy is assassinated. Coincidence?  Or Conspiracy? (If it's a conspiracy, that's one hell of a long-lived conspiracy. About 1800 years or so.)

Anyways, yeah, Pang Tong is skraight up assassinated in this chapter. Of course, the assassin, Zhang Ren, totally meant it to be Liu Bei that fell at Fallen Phoenix slope, but...well, I guess you can't be too picky in such a situation, right? Amiright? SureIam. :p

So it just got real over in Shu. Liu Bei had been told once that if he had both Sleeping Dragon and Fledgling Phoenix to support him, he need have no anxiety about being able to accomplish his great goal of reunifying the Han Empire.  Well, now, he's just lost one of those two. I'm sort of curious what "Heaven's" take on all of this was. After all, supposedly, it was "Heaven" that drove Liu Bei to mount this expedition into Shu in the first place. And now it is "Heaven" which appears to be punishing him for doing so? Make up your mind, "Heaven". 

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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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The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 41

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 41:

Liu Bei Leads His People Over The River;

Zhao Zilong Rescues The Child Lord At Dangyang.

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WARNING! THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY, LIKE EVERY OTHER IN THIS ENTIRE AUDIOBOOK OF 120 CHAPTERS, CONTAINS SPOILERS. HOPE YOU DON'T MIND...

So when we last left off, the Cai Family had decided to surrender to Cao Cao. This, of course, has left Liu Bei pretty much surrounded by enemies, with only a vastly inferior force left to him. Liu Qi is at Jiangxia, but Cao Cao would long ago have swallowed up Liu Bei's army by the time help from Jiangxia would arrive. And so, Liu Bei flees south at the behest of Zhuge Liang, and the people decide to go with him. I'm seeing some echoes of the biblical Exodus here...

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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 24

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 24:

Cao Cao Murders The Consort Dong;

Liu Bei Flees To Yuan Shao.

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WARNING! THE FOLLOWING IS PROBABLY NOT VERY FUNNY AND ALSO CONTAINS LANGUAGE NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN...

So Chapter 24 is probably the shortest chapter thus far produced in the Sanguo Yanyi audiobook. Clocking in at just under 20 minutes, but just like people with a Napoleon Complex, it's short of stature, but compensates for its lack of length by being jam-packed full of action. However, since it's so short, instead of writing a commentary on it like I normally do, I think I'mma just rewrite the chapter in slightly different terms. :p

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The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 22

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 22:

Yuan Shao And Cao Cao Both Take The Field;

Guan Yu And Zhang Fei Capture Two Generals.

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WARNING: THIS CHAPTER MAY KICK ASS! SERIOUSLY.

Ahhhhh, the plot thickens, and things are getting very interesting for Cao Cao. His "pet tiger", Liu Bei, has escaped his cage and has returned to Xuzhou. And in the north, the (perhaps still somewhat) mighty Yuan Shao, with his massive army, has utterly defeated Gongsun Zan and has now turned his eyes southward. At the opening of the 3rd Century, clouds obscure the sun, and thunder rolls on the Central Plains...

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