Hello!
I'm just reading though SGYY again (I'm sure you lot are tired of hearing this by now), but anyway...
I just got to the point where Yuan Shao is preparing to make battle against Cao Cao, and Chen Lin (a literary genius of sorts) is commissioned to write up and give speeches as to why Yuan Shao is going to rid the world of the tyrant Cao.
Now. I have several points and debates I wanted to make about this little speech by Chen Lin.
1) How accurate to history was Chen Lin's writing? Was it elaborated on in SGYY to make Cao Cao look more evil (as usual?) and was it historically accurate?
2) Cao Cao moved the capital to Xu Chang- this is similar to what Dong Zhuo did when Dongy moved the emperor to Chang An, and yet in SGYY there isn't much made of Cao Cao's moving of the emperor when it happens.. why is this, and was it just because it wasn't such an upheaval of the royal house? Why?
3) According to Chen Lin, Cao Cao had many tombs opened and releaved of their treasures. He even appointed a minister to uncover tombs and recovery of valuables from these tombs. Dong Zhuo was accused of the same, who had opened up all of the ancient tombs in Luo Yang and took all the goods to Chang An. Why is it that we dont hear of this until Chen Lin's speech, and if LGZ was so fierce in his opposition of Cao Cao, why didn't he make a bigger thing of it when Cao Cao was doing the same?
4) Chen Lin also sites a lot of points where Yuan Shao "saves" Cao Cao from his fate. I cant really recall any point in which Yuan Shao was truly Cao's saviour, but maybe I'm wrong. What of this? Did he save him at all, and why is that a valid reason to attack him? I dont think there's any good reason for Yuan Shao to war against Cao apart from on moral grounds.
5) If Cao Cao was truly guilty of the above (uncovering tombs, causing the people misery etc), why do we not see him as another Dong Zhuo?
Thanks!
-Tongy.