Crouching Dragon

M Thorne T. P.

Description

As the 3rd Century begins, China is in a state of chaos: the Han Empire is in decline, and dozens of warlords are waging war against each other, intent on gaining greater influence, or even sovereignty.Many believe they have the answers: one such man is the young scholar-turned-farmer Zhuge Liang, styled "Kongming", and known for his hidden talent as "Crouching Dragon". Although initially apprehensive to involve himself in the unfolding chaos, his desire to reverse the fortunes of the Han emperor brings him to the attention of the wandering warlord Liu Bei, and - together with other great warriors and statesmen of the time - they challenge the might of the ambitious Han Prime Minister Cao Cao and usher in an era that is still known to this day as the "Three Kingdoms".An era of complex politics, compromises and alliances unfolds, and - with support from good friends, and his wife and soul-mate, Yueying - Zhuge Liang begins his journey as military strategist, negotiator, politician and inventor, elevating Liu Bei from landless rebel to the emperor of an independent state, and setting his own place in history.

Sujets

• Historical fiction

Informations

• Publié par: PaMat Publishing
• Date de parution: 09 mai 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780957500402
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

CROUCHING DRAGON
~ THE JOURNEY OF ZHUGE LIANG ~
BY T. P. M. THORNE
COVER ART BY T. P. M. THORNE



Published by PaMat Publishing.
Copyright 2012 T. P. M. Thorne
All rights reserved. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposeof private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under theCopyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, no part of this work may bereproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by anymeans - electronic, electrical, chemical, mechanical, optical, photocopying,recording or otherwise - without the express written permission of thecopyright owner. Enquiries should be directed to the author of this work.

The author, T. P. M. Thorne, has asserted the right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

http://tpmthorne.com/

For any enquiries, email the author at [e-mail]

This version of the work is for online publication only.

Cover art: artistic depiction of the disputed areas of China as they were when Zhuge Liang began his career: the north (Han-court-controlled, with Han Prime Minister Cao Cao controlling the court), the southwest (Yi and Hanzhong, semi-independent, semi-allied), the southeast (Eastern Wu, governed by the Sun family), and the central region (Jing, governed by Liu Biao and several independent local prefects) .


Table of Contents FOREWORD PROLOGUE: A VISION AT MIANZHU ACT I: SEEKING A WISE LORD CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 3 CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 5 CHAPTER 6 CHAPTER 7 CHAPTER 8 CHAPTER 9 CHAPTER 10 CHAPTER 11 CHAPTER 12 CHAPTER 13 ACT II: THE CRISIS AT STEEP-SLOPE CHAPTER 14 CHAPTER 15 CHAPTER 16 CHAPTER 17 CHAPTER 18 CHAPTER 19 CHAPTER 20 CHAPTER 21 CHAPTER 22 CHAPTER 23 CHAPTER 24 CHAPTER 25 CHAPTER 26 ACT III: THE BATTLE OF RED CLIFFS CHAPTER 27 CHAPTER 28 CHAPTER 29 CHAPTER 30 CHAPTER 31 CHAPTER 32 CHAPTER 33 CHAPTER 34 CHAPTER 35 CHAPTER 36 CHAPTER 37 CHAPTER 38 CHAPTER 39 ACT IV: THE SIEGE OF JIANGLING CHAPTER 40 CHAPTER 41 CHAPTER 42 CHAPTER 43 CHAPTER 44 CHAPTER 45 CHAPTER 46 CHAPTER 47 CHAPTER 48 CHAPTER 49 CHAPTER 50 CHAPTER 51 CHAPTER 52 ACT V: ESTABLISHING A FOOTHOLD CHAPTER 53 CHAPTER 54 CHAPTER 55 CHAPTER 56 CHAPTER 57 CHAPTER 58 CHAPTER 59 CHAPTER 60 CHAPTER 61 CHAPTER 62 CHAPTER 63 CHAPTER 64 CHAPTER 65 CHAPTER 66 ACT VI: THE BATTLE FOR YI PROVINCE CHAPTER 67 CHAPTER 68 CHAPTER 69 CHAPTER 70 CHAPTER 71 CHAPTER 72 CHAPTER 73 CHAPTER 74 CHAPTER 75 CHAPTER 76 CHAPTER 77 ACT VII: REALISING THE VISION CHAPTER 78 CHAPTER 79 CHAPTER 80 CHAPTER 81 CHAPTER 82 CHAPTER 83 CHAPTER 84 CHAPTER 85 CHAPTER 86 CHAPTER 87 CHAPTER 88 ACT VIII: THE BATTLE OF XIAOTING CHAPTER 89 CHAPTER 90 CHAPTER 91 CHAPTER 92 CHAPTER 93 CHAPTER 94 CHAPTER 95 CHAPTER 96 CHAPTER 97 CHAPTER 98 CHAPTER 99 CHAPTER 100 ACT IX: THE LAST CAMPAIGNS CHAPTER 101 CHAPTER 102 CHAPTER 103 CHAPTER 104 CHAPTER 105 CHAPTER 106 CHAPTER 107 CHAPTER 108 CHAPTER 109 CHAPTER 110 CHAPTER 111 CHAPTER 112 CHAPTER 113 CHAPTER 114 CHAPTER 115 CHAPTER 116 CHAPTER 117 CHAPTER 118 CHAPTER 119 CHAPTER 120 EPILOGUE: THE TRUTH OF MIANZHU CHARACTER PROFILES AND NAME PRONUNCIATION GUIDE PEOPLE PLACES MISCELLANEOUS FURTHER READING


FOREWORD

I first discovered the era of the ThreeKingdoms (approx. 184AD - 280AD) roughly four years before I started writingthis book. I was immediately fascinatedby the layers of depth that could be found; as with all history, there isintrigue, deception, bloodshed, and all the other things that make us human,but the amount of folklore associated with this volatile time - and the mixingof that folklore with what little fact is on offer from official staterecords - gives the era a sense of mysticism, humour and tragedy that can berevisited time and again, each time discovering new things that you did not seebefore.

There are many other characters in this turbulentperiod that can be explored in great depth - Cao Cao, Sima Yi, Liu Bei and SunQuan, to name four - but none appealed to me more than a man associated withall of the things that embodied the time: political intrigue, militarystrategy, technical innovation, and seemingly divine fate. In some tales, Zhuge Liang - referred to inthe narrative sections by his style name, Kongming - is a peerless mind, while in others, he is a magician; he is always shown asa standout figure, and his name still resonates today.

With hundreds of scholars, officials andgenerals taking part in proceedings, there are many ways to depict such a man slife. There are several attempts tochoose from - mostly works that tell the tale of the era as a whole or in part- and they all have their own appeal. Ihave tried to present as original a presentation as possible, partly by lookingat figures and events that are usually ignored or downplayed, and mainly by drawingon history more than folktales, although there is still some artistic licensefor the sake of telling a balanced story. All I can hope is that this book inspires or entertains someone out thereas much as I have enjoyed writing it.


T. P. M. Thorne, the author


PROLOGUE: A VISION AT MIANZHU


The vast lands of China were once ravaged bya war that lasted for almost a century: it began with the disaffection of thepeople with corrupt officials, and at its end, the imperial line was once againthe dominant force in the land, though things would never be the same again.

In the west of the country, a few yearsbefore the end of that long conflict, a small contingent of soldiers from thenorthern state of Wei completed a tiring march across the humid, uneventerrain, having just completed a stealth infiltration through thenear-unsurpassable mountains. They hadalready scored minor victories against the unprepared forces of the westernstate of Shu: now another city lay ahead.

The leader of those brave and tenacious soldiers was a man whose family name was Deng, and whose given name was Ai: he was a highly talented and highly respected figure in the state of Wei, and he was now, potentially, a few days away from becoming the man that would subjugate the Shu Emperor and leave nothing but the Empire of Eastern Wu as an obstacle to a reunified China. Deng Ai had brought his eldest son Chong with him on the expedition, so that he might share the glory of his famous father, who would soon be spoken of as a man whose talent equalled the likes of the man that had once been a pillar - and founding father - of the state of Shu: the strategist, politician, philosopher and inventor, Zhuge Liang.

The state of Shu had been founded by men who claimed either lineage or unflagging loyalty to the collapsed Empire of the Han: many called the state Shu Han, or even Han, as acknowledgement of this. The Han had - after many years of being weakened by internal power struggles and widespread corruption - been supplanted by Wei almost 40 years ago, and the north of China had accepted this: only the rulers of the independent states in the south and west refused to accept this for reasons of their own. The state of Shu had maintained a stubborn defence and launched relentless attacks against Wei for more than those 40 years, and the rulers of Wei - and in particular, its Prime Minister - knew that the fall of Shu and the final removal of any chance of a revival of the Han was essential if the Wei Empire was to be accepted by all.

Commander Deng, defences in the capital city ofMianzhu are unreadable, a captain of the army of Wei reported. Deng Ai surveyed the Mianzhu terrain and frowned thoughtfully. Mianzhu County had once been a part of an independent province that had resisted the future Shu rulers, and even claimed the life of one of Shu s greatest minds: but now, in a twist of fate, it was to be a last great bastion that protected Shu from ruin. Well, Deng Ai replied, advance anyway Shu has no more capable men. The captain saluted Deng Ai and retreated to issue the orders. Father, Ai s son, General Deng Zhong, said nervously, isn t Mianzhu defended by Zhuge Zhan, son of the legendarystrategist Zhuge Liang ? Why should that matter ? Deng Ai replied. Zhuge Liang is gone. Their main forces are trapped in the north,and nobody expected that anyone could get into their heartland through thosemountains, so they didn t even bother to defend them: a mistake that greatstrategist - or any that had truly learned from him - would not have made. If Zhuge Zhan knows even half of his father s tricks, Deng Zhong protested, we might have walked into a trap. Before Deng Ai could answer, a messenger urged his presence at the newly developing battlefront.

What met Deng Ai was an uncomfortable sight: a massive array of Shusoldiers, arranged in a flawless