I know, I know. I said I was going to let this blog die. I don't know why I continue.
Since I didn't cover Episode 43 here it is in a nutshell: As to be expected, Guan Yu wasn't executed for letting Cao Cao escape. Cao Cao returns home and gives an inspirational speech to his troops about failure being a good thing because it makes you learn from your mistakes. Then he encounters someone called Sima Yi and everyone on YouTube goes, "Squee! It's about to get real now!" and I have to google the guy 'cause we don't get much Chinese history 'round these parts.
Oh, and Ruby Lin still hasn't show up.
Cao Cao asks Sima Yi to accept the position of tutor to his son, Cao Chong. Sima Yi, an ambitious man who sees no future aspects in teaching a ten year-old boy, respectfully declines. Cao Cao puts it another way: do it or else I kill you. Sima Yi reconsiders.
Next Cao Cao studies what his enemies are up to. He figures Liu Bei and Sun Quan will be anxious to conquer Jing Province so they need to capture Nanjun. Cao Cao plans to send Cao "I work out" Ren to hold Nanjun at all costs.
Cheng Yu comes running up with an urgent dispatch sent by Xun Yu from Xuchang. Everyone nervously waits for Cao Cao to read it and tell them what it says. Cao Cao simply laughs and says it's about his wife, Lady Han (first I've ever heard of her), who is about to give birth. While the gang give their congratulations, Cao Cao brushes it off and is like, "I guess I'd better go back to Xuchang and see how this baby business goes."
It's all a lie, of course. What the dispatch really says is Ma Teng and Han Sui have organized a respectable number of men and are marching on Xuchang. This gives Cao Cao a splitting headache and he falls to the floor. He manages to send Xu Chu racing to Xuchang to relay orders to Xun Yu. Cao Cao expects to arrive on the 9th and Xun Yu should have all the pomp and circumstance ready to receive the prime minister. Making everything look like normal hopefully will keep the unwashed masses from panicking.
Meanwhile Cao Pei is returning home after a hard day of fighting insects. His servant, Wu Zhi, has a major freakout when he spots a snake within the compound. It's Snakes on the Plain. The servant gossips about Xun Yu having a horse die from a poisonous snake bite. This prompts Cao Pei to make a late night visit to the elderly man to see if there's any news about Cao Cao. When Xun Yu tells the young man his father should arrive tomorrow, Cao Pei is eager to ride outside of the city gates to welcome Cao Cao home. Xun Yu has to break down and tell Cao Pei that this is all a ruse to fool the enemy and Cao Pei would be better off staying within the city.
Outside, Cao Pei instructs Wu Zhi to go tell the other Cao Kids not to be a part of the welcoming committee tomorrow. Specifically, they're to be told it is Xun Yu who orders them not to go welcome their father. Cao Pei has a strange look on his face. He kills his award winning cricket and then tells Wu Zhi that he's going to be at the gates tomorrow morning to welcome his father home. What the heck are you up to, Cao Pei? And what did that cricket ever do to you?
The next morning Xun Yu addresses the crowd, lying about Cao Cao returning today with numerous troops and for no one to believe all those stories about the prime minister being ill with headaches. (There's one old guy in the crowd who is driving me crazy. His big hat looks like it is about to tip over and I so want to straighten it up.)
Xun Yu pulls Cao Pei aside and asks what he's doing here after Xun Yu told him not to bother. Cao Pei has a good point when he replies that as the eldest son he needs to be here in order to convince the others that everything is fine and proceeding as planned. Oh, but here comes a wrinkle in Cao Pei's plans when young brother Cao Chong (Dad's favorite) shows up.
Unable to ride, Cao Cao is having to be transported in a carriage. Simi Yi looks like he's a tad carriage sick. There's a hilarious moment when Cao Cao first opens his eyes. Simi Yi starts to stick his face down to see if Cao Cao is truly awake. Cao Cao puts his big meaty hand over Simi Yi's face and pushes him away.
Cao Cao has a splitting headache and fears he may not survive. In case he does die, Cao Cao insists Simi Yi still agree to be Cao Chong's teacher. Suddenly Cao Cao becomes unresponsive. Simi Yi orders the procession to stop. He jumps out of the carriage and starts running around like a dang fool. He runs to grab the doctor and drag the guy back to the carriage.
Simi Yi returns to find the carriage is empty. He starts yelling for Cao Cao. He's right over there, pissing at the camera. So I guess Cao Cao is all better now.
Back at Xuchang some of the welcoming committee members are dropping like flies from having to stand around all day in the heat. Xun Yu breaks up the little party and orders everyone to go home and get some rest but be here same time tomorrow for the same thing. Cao Pei insists on staying a little while longer just in case. His father is so unpredictable, ya know. What the hell are you up to, Cao Pei?!?
Ah, turns out I'm not the only one wondering what the guy has up his sleeve. Xun Yu and General Song are talking about Cao Pei's filial piety impressing the townsfolk and officials. Song goes on to say some believe this is all just a show on Cao Pei's part as he's campaigning to be named his father's heir. Xun Yu tells Song not to listen to such idle talk.
It's the fourth day of waiting and finally Cao Cao's entourage is arriving. Boy, China is dusty. Whoa, suddenly something is happening as a couple of guards up on the gate are murdered and replaced by mysterious archers who are taking aim at Cao Cao's carriage. Pandemonium erupts as the arrows fly. Those are a lot of arrows for just two guys.
A body rolls out of the carriage. Cao Pei draws his sword and fights his way to the carriage to check on his father. He rolls the body over to discover it is another man dressed as Cao Cao. Cao Pei gets a strange grin on his face. Are you happy your father outwitted these assassins? Were these attackers part of the rebellion? Why do I get the feeling that perhaps you are the one behind this attack in the first place? I so don't trust you, Cao Pei.
Elsewhere in the city, Cao Cao has quietly slipped in and is greeted by young Cao Chong. The kid gets to show off how smarty pants he is by figuring out which gate his father would come through. Cao Cao introduces his son to Sima Yi (who looks to have realized that Cao Chong is his golden ticket to power.)
Cao Cao's other sons, including Cao Pei, finally come running up to greet their father. Jeez, that one son needs to get his eyebrows waxed. He's got a unibrow. Cao Pei has to report that the assassins melted into the crowd and he was unable to arrest anyone. Cao Cao asks his sons what he should do about the assassins.
And that's where it ends.
Outside, Cao Pei instructs Wu Zhi to go tell the other Cao Kids not to be a part of the welcoming committee tomorrow. Specifically, they're to be told it is Xun Yu who orders them not to go welcome their father. Cao Pei has a strange look on his face. He kills his award winning cricket and then tells Wu Zhi that he's going to be at the gates tomorrow morning to welcome his father home. What the heck are you up to, Cao Pei? And what did that cricket ever do to you?
The next morning Xun Yu addresses the crowd, lying about Cao Cao returning today with numerous troops and for no one to believe all those stories about the prime minister being ill with headaches. (There's one old guy in the crowd who is driving me crazy. His big hat looks like it is about to tip over and I so want to straighten it up.)
Xun Yu pulls Cao Pei aside and asks what he's doing here after Xun Yu told him not to bother. Cao Pei has a good point when he replies that as the eldest son he needs to be here in order to convince the others that everything is fine and proceeding as planned. Oh, but here comes a wrinkle in Cao Pei's plans when young brother Cao Chong (Dad's favorite) shows up.
Unable to ride, Cao Cao is having to be transported in a carriage. Simi Yi looks like he's a tad carriage sick. There's a hilarious moment when Cao Cao first opens his eyes. Simi Yi starts to stick his face down to see if Cao Cao is truly awake. Cao Cao puts his big meaty hand over Simi Yi's face and pushes him away.
Cao Cao has a splitting headache and fears he may not survive. In case he does die, Cao Cao insists Simi Yi still agree to be Cao Chong's teacher. Suddenly Cao Cao becomes unresponsive. Simi Yi orders the procession to stop. He jumps out of the carriage and starts running around like a dang fool. He runs to grab the doctor and drag the guy back to the carriage.
Simi Yi returns to find the carriage is empty. He starts yelling for Cao Cao. He's right over there, pissing at the camera. So I guess Cao Cao is all better now.
Back at Xuchang some of the welcoming committee members are dropping like flies from having to stand around all day in the heat. Xun Yu breaks up the little party and orders everyone to go home and get some rest but be here same time tomorrow for the same thing. Cao Pei insists on staying a little while longer just in case. His father is so unpredictable, ya know. What the hell are you up to, Cao Pei?!?
Ah, turns out I'm not the only one wondering what the guy has up his sleeve. Xun Yu and General Song are talking about Cao Pei's filial piety impressing the townsfolk and officials. Song goes on to say some believe this is all just a show on Cao Pei's part as he's campaigning to be named his father's heir. Xun Yu tells Song not to listen to such idle talk.
It's the fourth day of waiting and finally Cao Cao's entourage is arriving. Boy, China is dusty. Whoa, suddenly something is happening as a couple of guards up on the gate are murdered and replaced by mysterious archers who are taking aim at Cao Cao's carriage. Pandemonium erupts as the arrows fly. Those are a lot of arrows for just two guys.
A body rolls out of the carriage. Cao Pei draws his sword and fights his way to the carriage to check on his father. He rolls the body over to discover it is another man dressed as Cao Cao. Cao Pei gets a strange grin on his face. Are you happy your father outwitted these assassins? Were these attackers part of the rebellion? Why do I get the feeling that perhaps you are the one behind this attack in the first place? I so don't trust you, Cao Pei.
Elsewhere in the city, Cao Cao has quietly slipped in and is greeted by young Cao Chong. The kid gets to show off how smarty pants he is by figuring out which gate his father would come through. Cao Cao introduces his son to Sima Yi (who looks to have realized that Cao Chong is his golden ticket to power.)
Cao Cao's other sons, including Cao Pei, finally come running up to greet their father. Jeez, that one son needs to get his eyebrows waxed. He's got a unibrow. Cao Pei has to report that the assassins melted into the crowd and he was unable to arrest anyone. Cao Cao asks his sons what he should do about the assassins.
And that's where it ends.
No comments:
Post a Comment