The chapters and volumes of The Ravages of Time can be grouped into what may be called arcs, usually focusing on a particular campaign ...
The chapters and volumes of The Ravages of Time can be grouped into what may be called arcs, usually focusing on a particular campaign or incident in the Three Kingdoms lore. There is a more or less official and 'canonical' grouping of arcs, although I personally use a modified version. Thus for instance although volumes 47-55 are all considered to be part of the Red Cliff arc, I have opted to split it into four distinct 'arcs', with the first part being a prelude, the second covering the retreat through Changban, the third focusing on climactic battle in Chibi, and the fourth dealing with the retreat through Huarong. But in many cases my unofficial grouping of 'arcs' closely follows the official lineup.
Other ways of carving up the story of Ravages would be in terms of focal personalities, or in terms of turning-points of the last days of Eastern Han (and in future installments, the phases of the Three Kingdoms period). For his part, Chen Mou indicates that Ravages may be partitioned into three uneven chunks, the first dealing with Lü Bu (arguably his favorite character), the second covering Guandu and Chibi, and the third one being about the rest of the story. Perhaps a more character-driven division would involve charting the stages of Liaoyuan Huo's and Sima Yi's respective careers.
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