Yet Another 100,000 Arrows

Chapters 45-47

We get some more scheming and spying. It’s good suspense ahead of what I believe will be a decisive battle!

But I have some complaints. Zhou Yu continues to work with Kongming, but Zhou Yu also seems to hate him and Liu Bei for no reason. Zhou Yu seems to think they will be problems in the future and should be eliminated now. Maybe this makes more sense later. 

Another complaint is the inconsistency of Cao Cao’s trust. He is eager to execute his top admirals when he suspects them of treachery. And later, he is easily seduced by Pang Tong. He looks more foolish than in earlier chapters, as if the plot needs him to become a fool since he has such an overwhelming advantage in the number of warriors he has.

A few episodes in these chapters are shown in Magic cards. In Chapter 7, I had thought the “Borrowing 100,000 Arrows” had already occurred. But here, we see it again, this time credited to Kongming. It feels like Arabian Nights, where the same story is retold slightly differently.

There are a few other episodes shown here: both “Counterintelligence” and “Deception” (Zhou Yu’s successful scheme to get Cao Cao to execute his own admirals) and later, “Brilliant Plan”. In Brilliant Plan, Zhou Yu and Kongming each decide independently to use fire to defeat Cao Cao. Last, the “million” men that Cao Cao has, could be the “Overwhelming Forces” we see in the Magic card. Based on the timing mentioned in the flavor text and the timing of Red Cliffs, I think this is the right time for it.