The Ravages of Time

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The Ravages of Time
TheRavagesofTime-Vol16.jpg
Cover of The Ravages of Time volume 16
火鳳燎原
Genre
Author Chan Mou
Publisher Tong Li Comics (Hong Kong and Taiwan)
Shanghai 99 Readers' Culture Co., Ltd. and People's Literature Publishing House (Chinese mainland)
Guizhou People's Press,華文天下 (Chinese mainland, Collector's Edition)

Magazine新少年週刊 (Hong Kong)
新少年快報 (Taiwan)
Sangokushi Magazine (Japan)
Original run June 15, 2001
Collected
volumes
76
The Ravages of Time
Traditional Chinese 火鳳燎原
Simplified Chinese 火凤燎原
Literal meaningThe Fiery Phoenix Razes the Steppes
Transcriptions

All characters in the manhua have their own unique designs, in contrast to the general perception that Chinese people of that period have long hair, and that it was social taboo to cut one's hair. Many characters have bizarre and distinctive facial designs that distinguish themselves from one another. For example, Zhang Fei, traditionally depicted as a bearded chubby man, is portrayed as an artist who painted his face to resemble a Chinese opera mask. Zhao Yun is described to be a skillful assassin who cannot experience physical sensations. Liu Bei's hair style and facial design mirror the stereotypical "White Jesus". Other characters in the story feature tons of bizarre but memorable and interesting designs. Some characters have different hair colour, weird hairstyles, tattoos, facial markings, clothing and equipment more akin to that of other genres, such as fantasy and wuxia.

Themes

The story of The Ravages of Time revolves around battles in the late Han dynasty and Three Kingdoms era, military doctrines, mind games, ethics and philosophy.

Military doctrines

The manhua usually interweave military doctrines in the story, showing how the characters use the same doctrine to achieve victory. A doctrine can sometimes be used as the theme for the whole volume.

Morale

According to the manhua, morale plays an important role as the backbone of the military. It serves as the will of soldiers to fight. Without morale, an army cannot function. Hence, the generals and advisors in the story often seek ways, including both orthodox and unorthodox means, to bolster morale.

Of particular interest is Sima Hui's fictional Discourse on Morale (Chinese :士氣論; pinyin :Shìqì Lùn). It is an article on how to prevent morale from dissipating when facing a stronger enemy. Its main points are:

  1. If an enemy general attains victory early in the battle, blame your own general's recklessness.
  2. If an enemy general still attains victory, rebuke your own advisors for reading the situation incorrectly.
  3. If an enemy general always attains victory, brand him as one having courage but lacking in strategy (Chinese :有勇無謀; pinyin :Yǒu yǒng wú móu).

Assassination

Assassination is considered as a valid tactic, after diplomacy and strategical ploys. A number of characters in the manhua are assassins, such as Zhao Yun, Dian Wei and Zhang Liao. In addition, the tactic of faking death and letting opponents believe that the assassination attempt has succeeded is also used and is often used by Sun Ce and Lü Bu in particular. The fictional character Yuan Fang's assassination led to Cao Cao's uniting the north.

Thought Process of the Eight Enigmas

It has been hinted throughout the story that the Eight Enigmas think differently from the conventional military advisor. Here are some instances when some insights are revealed about their thinking process.

  1. In chapter 102, volume 13, Chen Gong stated that the Enigmas think of all enemy generals as a "God of War". "God of War" is a title attributed to Lü Bu, a peerless general in the manhua.
  2. In chapter 119, volume 15, Chen Gong confronts Sima Yi, "A military advisor must not just consider the opponent's next step. He should also have the foresight of a merchant".
  3. However, in chapter 149, volume 18, Zhou Yu said that the first step to comprehend the Eight Enigmas' thinking process is to acquire what one needs according to the current situation.

The Best Strategy Ever

The "Best Strategy Ever" has been often repeated by Lü Bu, Cao Cao and Pang Tong, among others, and it goes as "The best strategy is to let your opponent know your next move. Even better is to let your opponent know your next two moves".

Mind games

Beside military tactics, characters in the manhua engaged in numerous misdirections and feints to confuse and befuddle their enemies, such as deliberately letting their enemy know their next move in a battle, going along with an enemy's plan to gain certain advantages and more.

Ethics

A common recurring theme throughout the manhua is that of ethics. It questions traditional Chinese views on loyalty and touches on the utilitarian and the moral rights models of ethics.

Two of the Eight Enigmas, Guo Jia and Jia Xu, as well as Sima Yi and Lü Bu, believed that ending the fight quickly was the best for the people (a form of negative utilitarianism), regardless of the methods used or how many innocents had to die. As long as the civil war can be ended quickly, it is the best for all the people.

Zhuge Liang and Xun Yu opposed this line of thinking, maintaining the peace and order brought by adhering to the traditional teachings and through just and benevolent means lasts longer. The conflicts between these two belief systems recurs throughout the manhua.

Morals

The manhua took a skeptical view of morals, especially the values, laid down by the sages in the Zhou dynasty. Lü Bu openly showed disdain for them on a couple of occasions, especially during the Battle of Puyang, and in volume 27 in the duel against Guan Yu. Sun Ce used it as a tactic to boost the morale of his troops. Liu Bang, founder of the Han dynasty, was also referred to as having done all sort of questionable acts, but was still revered as a good ruler.

Historical inaccuracy

Another prevalent theme in the manhua is that history is subjective. Chen Gong said, "All histories are subjective. In the eyes of all rulers, all their generals are as strong as Lü Bu". Liu Bei maintained that there were no bad emperors; historical records made ill of some of them to justify the beginnings of new a dynasty. On one occasion, Zhang Fei expected himself to be inaccurately depicted in historical records. In another occasion, a court historian is invited by Chen Gong in order to dramatize Lü Bu's status as a god of war. Chan Mou has also expressed this idea in some interviews. [3]

References

  1. Zhang Dazhi (張達智), ed. (14 May 2010). 陳某縱橫三國新史詩《火鳳燎原》第38集上市 [Chan Mou's new poetic history of Three Kingdoms diplomacy The Ravages of Time issue 38 released]. Cdnews.com.tw中央日報網路報 (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 4 March 2012.
  2. 貂蝉是太监?《火凤燎原》改写三国斗智史. Southcn.com. 2005-03-31. Retrieved 2013-02-15.
  3. "新網頁1". Sac.idv.tw. Retrieved 2013-02-15.