Chapter 23
It was one of those great moments of history that captivates an individual and captures a generation. It was one of those times after which people asked, “Where were you when it happened?” This was history in the making. Slow, fastidious, breath-taking and blindingly, meticulously performed, this was a thing of beauty to be seen unfolding before your eyes.
At first the men just circled each other, each sizing the other up; each looking for a weakness he could exploit. Each shouting curses at the other as was the Han tradition. This was their third meeting in this tournament. Cheng had won the first one, Liao the second. Either match could have ended differently. Betting odds notwithstanding, the margin of difference between the technical proficiency and strategic tactics of th
