Volume 48 is now done! If you can't stomach more of Meng Huo's brilliance, don't worry, there's only one last showdown left (in v49). And then it's... NORTHERN CAMPAIGN TIME!
*VOLUME 48 NOW COMPLETE.
Download:
Sangokushi c333: Sendspace
Sangokushi c334: Sendspace
All previous Sangokushi volumes: Mega; Mediafire
The book calls Duo Si a king, which might be confusing if you thought Meng Huo was the only king of the Nanman tribes. The Nanman polity isn't really a proper kingdom, but more of a loose collection of many tribal chiefdoms judging by the book's descriptions, so "king" may not really mean what you're accustomed to thinking it means.
Sort of an odd change (by Yoshikawa), since only Wang Ping is sent to find a way to Tulong Ravine in the novel. But I suppose sending in Guan Suo gives him some more screentime, since he's a pretty forgettable character otherwise sadly.
Logistics is easily one of the most overlooked to the arts of war for the average person. The larger your army is, the more water you need to supply not just your men but all your pack animal, and it's not exactly a light thing to carry around. You really do have to give credit to the ancient armies that could trek across deserts and other types of barren land.
The good ol' ambush at a feast. Appeared a few times already in the story, if you remember.
Southern tribes were always famous for their poison-arrows, but poison-arrows seem to have been a regular part of warfare for all of China.
What's an exotic campaign without an Amazon?
I think this is Zhao Zilong's only real defeat that he can take full responsibility for in the entire novel.
Poor elephant. A shame that such intelligent creatures had to be savagely used for war in human history.
Download:
Sangokushi c327: Sendspace
Sangokushi c328: Sendspace
Sangokushi c329: Sendspace
Sangokushi c330: Sendspace
Sangokushi c331: Sendspace
Sangokushi c332: Sendspace
Sangokushi c333: Sendspace
Sangokushi c334: Sendspace
Why every peasant that appears in this manga is picking up sticks? Is that the only reason that they leave their houses?
ReplyDeleteHa, well you need firewood to cook your food. And it's a very simple commoner activity to draw.
DeleteLOL, omg, that's so true. But it seems like they are also all very free and nobody bothers them. you'd think in such an era any man who passes by would be made into a soldier, but I guess not!
DeleteI have a question: Page 92 that you are showing as preview, are these dancing "soldiers" male or female? Or are they eunuchs?
ReplyDeleteThey're women. In the chapter, it's mentioned that they're dancing girls trained in combat, hence their arms and armour.
DeleteHave you guys decided what manga you're going to scanlate next after Sangokushi?
ReplyDeleteYes, pretty much, but I'm keeping it secret for now. Also, I'm just one person.
DeleteI am in total agreement with Hox: Battle of Red Cliff, with all its glory, impact and importance, only received one third of a volume or half a volume... Southern campaign has been going on for how many volumes now??
ReplyDeleteThe Battle of Red Cliffs itself is actually a relatively short affair, but it becomes an extensive part of the story through all the elaborate setting up such as the debate between Zhuge Liang and Wu ministers, the mindgames between Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu, as well as the secret ploys between Wei and Wu.
DeleteLike I said in an earlier post, the original novel dedicates 7 chapters to the Red Cliffs arc, which translates to 4 full volumes in this manga. The Southern Campaign, in contrast, is 5 chapters in the novel, which translates to 4 and a half volumes in the manga. In the number of actual events, the Southern Campaign has just as much stuff going on, especially in terms of actual battles, which is more than the entirety of the Red Cliffs arc. It's just that the novel is very light on these descriptions, unlike during the Red Cliffs. In this manga, however, both the Red Cliffs and Southern campaign get an adequate amount of description, which is why the latter arc seems so much longer.
tl;dr
Southern campaign is long in both the novel and the manga, despite its relative lack of importance. However, the manga devotes an equal amount of description to both arcs, which makes the latter slightly longer.
Oh, and to add, I actually like that Yokoyama gave us a little more detail in the manga so parts of the Southern Campaign don't feel rushed like in the novel. However, I still do agree that the campaign is overly long. If the novel is going to give us only scant descriptions of the campaign to begin with, then Luo Guanzhong really shouldn't have bothered to write Meng Huo getting captured 7 freaking times. I think 4 or 5 would have been much better.
DeleteWho knows why he settled on 7 though? Maybe by the time he wrote down the novel, oral traditions and plays firmly established the "7 times captured"-version so it would have been unusual to go against the grain?
oh wow, quite interesting. Thank you for the background, I should really read the novel too .
Delete