Gearing Up

Chapters 41-42

There isn’t a strong theme in these chapters, so I picked a loose one: weapons. We get a brief view of “Lord Guan, sitting astride Red Hare and gripping his Green Dragon.” (p. 747). But more importantly for these chapters, we learn “Cao Cao had two swords of exceptional value. One was called Heaven’s Prop, the other Black Pommel.” (p. 736) Cao Cao keeps the first on himself; the second is with his sword bearer Xiahou En. The sword bearer is unfortunate to meet Zhao Zilong in combat. Zhao defeats the sword bearer and claims the sword. And just in time, too. Not long after receiving the sword, Zhao Zilong “swung Black Pommel, cutting through Zhong Shen’s helmet and cleaving his skull in two.” (p. 741) In these chapters, Zhao needs the sword to fend off many enemies so he can rescue Liu Bei’s wife and child. 

The other memorable episode from this chapter is Zhang Fei holding off Cao Cao’s armies with his boasts. At Steepslope Bridge, he taunts, “I am Zhang Fei of Yan! Have you a man who’ll fight to the death?” (p. 745) His voice is so strong that even Cao Cao flees (and the taunt is recorded in the flavor text for the Magic card “Shu Defender”). 

It buys them time, but it’s not enough. These chapters are largely losses for the forces of Liu Bei. The civilians who follow him have a great trial walking from their homes in search of another. By the end of the chapters, when Lu Su arrives from the South, it looks like an alliance with Sun Quan might save Liu Bei.