Welcome to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms podcast.

This is episode 1.25.

So first, a quick progress update.

By my count, we only have about 25 to 30 episodes left in the podcast. That will

still take us well into next year before we finish, but the end is definitely coming up on us,

fast and furiously. Unfortunately for Zhuge Liang, his second northern expedition was proceeding at a much slower pace.

In fact, he was stalled outside the first key point on his route, the fortress at the important

passage of Chen Cang.

Hao Zhao, the Wei general overseeing the defense of this location, had handled everything Zhuge Liang threw at him,

and then he got back up as the vanguard of the Wei forces sent to stop Zhuge Liang arrived.

Their general, a mighty warrior named Wang Shuang, lived up to his building.

He killed two no-name officers that Zhuge Liang sent to stop him,

and then he wounded a third guy who actually had a name. A concerned Zhuge Liang now summoned his

pet project, the officer Jiang Wei, and asked him if he had any ideas.

Chen Cang has strong fortifications, Jiang Wei said. Hao Zhao is staging a stiff defense, and now he has help from Wang Shuang.

This is indeed an impossible place to take.

We should leave a top general to pitch camp here, dispatch another top general to guard against

an attack from Jieting, then lead the main army to attack

the Qi Mountain. If we proceed in such and such a manner, we can capture Cao Zhen.

Zhuge Liang took Jiang Wei's suggestion. He ordered the officers Wang Ping and Li Hui

to lead two armies to guard the back roads leading to

Jieting.

...