Saturday, May 26, 2012

Three Kingdoms Episode 10

Ten down, eighty-five to go.

Old man Wang comes home to find he has a guest. It's Chen Gongtai. Remember him? He's the one who helped Cao Cao pull such a boner and kill everybody at his uncle's place. Since he and Cao Cao parted ways, Chen has been wandering around seeking for another master to serve. He's not been successful and so has come to Chang'an. Chen has heard about Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu fighting over a beauty and Chen has already figured out Wang is behind all this.

A distraught Lu Bu shows up looking for advice on what to do about the situation. Wang and Chen certainly give him advice as both repeatedly urge him to kill Dong Zhuo. Finally Lu agrees to do it.

Dong Zhuo receives news that the child emperor will abdicate and allow Dong to assume the throne. Lu Bu comes to apologize for his wrong doings. Dong is in such a good mood he easily forgives.

The next day as Dong Zhuo's walking into court, all the ministers are surrounding him and calling him emperor. He's just tickled pink, the old rat bastard. He asks where Minister Wang is. There's old man Wang, up at the top of the steps, with a decree to read. Wang announces that the (child) emperor declares Dong Zhuo a traitor and gives permission for anyone to kill Dong. Suddenly armed men come racing out of the palace. Dong Zhuo shouts for Lu Bu to come to him. Oh, Lu Bu's comin' for ya. Riding up on his Red Hare horse, Lu Bu slams his halberd into the fat belly of Dong Zhuo. Ding Dong the witch is dead.

The young emperor rewards old man Wang with the position of Chancellor (Dong's old position) and gives Lu Bu some military honors. Diaochan is dressed in wedding red (looking absolutely fabulous) but she's worried Lu Bu won't accept her since she's been defiled by Dong Zhuo. Lu Bu re-pledges his love for her. Everything seems to be going well, so I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

And here's the other shoe. Now that he's sitting in the big Chancellor's chair, Wang is letting it all go to his head. There are a couple of generals that used to serve Dong Zhuo asking for clemency. Chen Gongtai advises they be forgiven but Wang refuses. When the generals of the Xiliang army hear they haven't been forgiven they decide to attack Chang'an. Who's sorry now, old man Wang?

Wang and the emperor go to the gates to talk to the Xiliang. The rebel generals now declare that Wang is a traitor and killer of innocents. If the emperor turns the old man over to them, and opens the gates of the city, they promise not to harm the emperor. Seeing no alternative, Wang jumps off the wall to his death. (I wasn't expecting him to die so soon.) The gates are opened and the Xiliang come rushing in.

Chen goes running to find Lu Bu (who must live outside of the city) and tells him the emperor has been captured and Wang is dead. Lu Bu's army is too small to take on the rebel army. Chen advises that they head to Jing (wherever that is), take over a city, strengthen their forces, and basically start their own empire. The easily led Lu Bu agrees, as long as he can take Diaochan with him.

Meanwhile, in Xuzhou, Cao Cao's father, Elder Cao, is passing through. The local leader, Tao Qian, knows they need to make nice with the Cao faction so he sends a military escort for Elder Cao. However, this escort decides instead to kill Elder Cao, take all his money, and head for the mountains to become bandits. This doesn't bode well for Xuzhou.

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