‘Three Kingdoms’ (2010): Ep. 5 Recap — Broken Alliance

The Yuan siblings don’t look very bright to me. And you know what, they actually are not bright. They turn on the allies too soon and make it easier for Dong Zhuo to take the Alliance down.

Sun Jian is the first victim. His troops get attacked by Dong Zhuo’s army. Sun Jian’s character doesn’t have that much of an impact on this story, but it’s important to remember that he’s the father of Sun Quan, who will move on to have a big impact.

Cao Cao advises the Yuan siblings to spread the fake news that Sun Jian is crushing Dong Zhuo instead and they all party.

Liu Bei raises a legitimate question: isn’t Dongzhua already marching on us? Why are we partying?

And it’s true. Dong Zhuo is here, and this time there’s Lu Bu too. In a short time, Lu Bu defeats three of their best generals.

The guys inside look at each other the way people look at each other when dinner is done and the check comes. None of them know what to do. Then they choose THIS TIME to fight about army supplies.

Cao Cao calls it quit and chases after Liu Bei, who is also leaving the camp.

At first, it looks like Cao Cao is once again confessing his love for Liu Bei and asking him to join the Cao camp. But after some exchange of compliments, Cao Cao reveals that Lu Bu is challenging them all at the gates.

This has Zhang Fei riled up, which causes Guan Yu to step in to calm him down, which in turn, makes Liu Bei go like: ok ok, we’ll do it, sheesh…

And the three of them go off to answer the challenge.

Was this a sneaky plan on Cao Cao’s part to get them to help? Yes, absolutely. But deep down, Cao Cao also wants Liu Bei on his side. If Liu Bei had agreed to join Cao Cao’s camp, the latter would not have sent them out to fight Lu Bu.

So, Zhang Fei has a go at Lu Bu first. It does not go well for Zhang Fei. Maybe if he hadn’t yelled that much during the duel, he would’ve been able to focus on the real job, which is defeating Lu Bu.

But anyway, Lu Bu lives up to the hype as the best warrior Luoyang has to offer. Both strength and youth are on his side.

Zhang Fei gets knocked down and Guan Yu has to ride in to help. But even with the two of them combining forces, Lu Bu is still holding up.

Finally, Liu Bei has to step in. At first, he attempts to get Lu Bu onto their side with that classic Liu Bei charm that he plays on everyone: why is a hero such as yourself working for a traitor like Dong Zhuo?

And maybe Liu Bei would have succeeded too if it weren’t for Zhang Fei butting in and doubling down on the violence. OMG, Zhang Fei, be quiet. Imagine how easy things would be if you had Lu Bu on your side!

Zhang Fei can’t help himself, though. He’s been eager for a fight since the beginning.

The duel continues for a long while. In the end, it looks like Liu Bei and Co. are about to win but all they manage to do is knock off Lu Bu’s helmet, which makes his long hair fall and flow in the wind. So… not only did they not defeat Lu Bu, but they also made him look hotter? These guys…

However, Lu Bu makes the smart move and retreats. Because if this keeps going, he would probably lose to the 3 brothers.

The Alliance takes this opportunity to enter the fight and drive Dong Zhuo back to the city.

Dong Zhuo, out of fear that the Alliance will catch up to him, decides to relocate the capital city. Does that mean every court official and their family will have to move too? What kind of plan is this?

So they literally pick up the kid emperor from the throne and pack up right that afternoon and move. In the meantime, Cao Cao offers Sun Jian a business opportunity. Since the Alliance won’t pursue Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao suggests Sun Jian give him his troops so he can chase down Dong Zhuo himself, while Sun Jian can claim the old capital city.

Once again, Cao Cao definitely has ulterior motives. He wants to take things into his own hands now that the Alliance has proven to be ineffective, and he needs a large troop for this purpose. Please tell me nothing bad is going to happen to Sun Jian, he’s one of the sensible ones who’s without Liu Bei’s excessive display of modesty.