Waiting for the Mountain Rain in the Three Kingdoms

A Synopsis of the First 100 Chapters of Mountain Rain: Awaiting the Three Kingdoms

The setting sun of the late Han dynasty hangs like blood, and the embers of the Partisan Prohibitions have yet to cool. The sale of official posts at the Western Garden, the dominance of imperial relatives, and the eunuchs' seizure of power follow one after another. Reclusive masters such as the mist-shrouded old hermit and Master Shuijing, Sima Hui, watch the changing times and lay their plans in secret. Refugees fill the roads, while Old Shi teaches boxing to protect the people. The Dou clan and Liang Ji take turns monopolizing power; loyal men such as Old Wei and Lu Sheng either resist or lie low, as the Han dynasty steadily declines.

Cao Song buys an official post, and Cao Cao is ashamed of him, but an unorthodox hero opens the young man's eyes. In his youth, Cao Cao champions the weak and breaks into Zhang Rang's residence at night. Liu Bei weaves mats in Zhuo Commandery, studies under Lu Zhi, and swears brotherhood with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Sun Jian drives off pirates and campaigns in Kuaiji, laying the first foundations of the Jiangdong realm. Guo Jia keeps a low profile in Yingchuan until Master Shuijing guides him; Zhuge Liang studies the principles of change while secluded in Nanyang; and Zhou Yu and Lu Su train a naval force in Jiangdong. The first signs of a generation of strategists emerge. Guan Yu meets a reclusive swordsman who tempers his Green Dragon Crescent Blade; Zhao Yun learns spear techniques from an old spear master; and Lü Bu receives a painted halberd technique from the Spear Demon. Each great general has a remarkable encounter of his own.

Zhang Jue spreads the Way of Great Peace and gathers refugees to raise the Yellow Turban rebellion. Lu Zhi, Huangfu Song, and Zhu Jun lead the army against them, while Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Jian each show their abilities. Dong Zhuo enters Luoyang and deposes the emperor; Cao Cao issues a forged imperial edict, and eighteen warlords assemble in an alliance. Guan Yu warms wine before slaying Hua Xiong, and the three heroes battle Lü Bu, but the warlords have their own agendas and the coalition falls apart. Dong Zhuo burns Luoyang and forces the emperor to move to Chang'an. The warlords fight over territory: Yuan Shao seizes Ji Province, Cao Cao occupies Yan Province and recruits the Qingzhou troops, and Liu Bei accepts Tao Qian's offer of Xu Province, only to be ambushed by Lü Bu and forced to take refuge in Xiaopei.

By the end of the hundredth chapter, the beginnings of a three-way division of the Central Plains are taking shape. Master Shuijing laments the cycles of Heaven's will; Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong await a worthy lord; Guan Yu and Zhang Fei continue honing their martial skills; and Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Yuan Shao have each established a power base. The storm is upon them, and the prelude to the Three Kingdoms has officially begun.