Soldiers,
we are the sons of Great Yan!
Born on the grasslands, we stand above all!
Now, Biantang has broken its promise,
failing to return our Queen
and trampling on our dignity and glory!
Today,
the Black Eagle Army's cavalry shall raze Biantang to the ground!
Raze Biantang to the ground!
Long live Great Yan!
Raze Biantang to the ground! Long live Great Yan!
[REBIRTH]
[Episode 20]
Your Majesty,
an urgent report.
Your Majesty,
Yan Xun, King of Great Yan,
has declared war on us under the pretext that we're harboring
his queen, Chu Qiao!
He's already broken through three cities in a row,
and the army is now bearing down on Longyin Pass.
General Li Qi is fighting desperately, holding the line!
Yan Xun is brazen enough
to use this as a pretext for war!
Your Majesty,
the situation is critical.
We don't know how much longer Li Qi can hold the line.
Should we inform General Xiuli?
Qiao is exhausted.
Let her rest well.
We will
deal with Yan Xun.
This subject is willing to go to Longyin Pass to reinforce General Li.
No.
The court has only just been stabilized.
You're responsible for the defense of the capital.
Sending you now
would undermine the stability of Tangjing.
But apart from me,
all the other generals favor peace over war.
I fear that if such generals are sent,
the morale of the soldiers on the front line will waver,
leaving them unable to resist Great Yan's Black Eagle Army.
You may leave.
Let me think about it.
Right now, there is only one way
to solve your country's crisis:
reinforce General Li and fight back against Great Yan.
I know that.
But I've just ascended the throne.
I have very few capable men at my disposal.
Aside from Sun Di,
the other veteran generals
are all arrogant about their merits and utterly obstinate.
Then let's make a deal.
I'll help you defeat Great Yan.
In return,
after Yan Xun retreats,
you have to lend me an army.
What do you need an army for?
I have my reasons.
You still have the nerve to strike a deal with me?
Last time you promised me the black gold mine.
To this day,
I haven't seen so much as a glimpse of a gold nugget.
If not for you and Qiao saving me,
do you think I'd even be talking to you?
Once it's done,
I'll return your men
and deliver 30% of the black gold mine
as agreed.
You're not planning to use my troops
to seize the black gold mine, are you?
None of your business.
Aren't you King Ximeng's double?
Could it be...
Could it be that in Ximeng, you're...
I know!
You are nothing more than...
a puppet of King Ximeng.
I didn't expect your position in Ximeng
to be so dire.
Your Majesty guessed right.
Much like your own situation not long ago.
Zhuge Yue,
-You... -Enough talk.
Do you
accept this deal or not?
I accept.
Where are you going, General Chu?
To the military camp.
General Chu.
I heard today is not a good day to go out.
Why don't you go another day?
Not a good day?
The heavens show unusual signs!
Isn't the sun shining
and everything peaceful?
-General Chu, -General Chu,
-this is merely a false calm. -this is merely a false calm.
-In an instant... -In an instant...
The sky will darken.
Winds will rise!
-A great storm will come! -A great storm will come!
General Chu!
Song Cheng, the Imperial Guard, pays respects to you.
I've come to present to you the gifts bestowed by His Majesty.
These are the gifts His Majesty has prepared for you.
Thank you, Lord Song.
But I need to go to the military camp.
General Chu,
in addition to these gifts, His Majesty has decreed
that starting today,
this mansion shall be officially renamed
the "General Xiuli's Mansion." [General Xiuli's Mansion]
Lord Song,
please thank His Majesty for me.
But I really have urgent matters
and need to go to the military camp in person.
So I won't go to the palace to thank him.
General Chu!
Today...
is not a good day to go out.
The heavens show unusual signs.
The sky will darken,
winds will rise...
And a great storm is coming.
General Chu!
Your Highness, congratulations on becoming General Xiuli.
Why don't we celebrate with a drink?
Yes.
Such a happy event—
we should celebrate it properly.
Are you two alright?
-The heavens show unusual signs. -The heavens show unusual signs.
The sky will darken.
Winds will rise.
And a great storm is coming.
-Not a good day to go out! -Not a good day to go out!
Not a good day to go out.
You've been doing everything you can to stop me from going out.
What exactly are you hiding from me?
Xing,
come with me.
[Tangjing]
How can there be so many war refugees?
Open up.
What is it?
Behave!
Yan Xun's army has already advanced to Longyin Pass.
Biantang's Yuncheng, Xicheng, and Qiangcheng
have also been breached.
Right now, the officials are all saying
that this war started because of you
and have petitioned Li Ce to hand you over
to appease Great Yan's anger.
Li Ce wants to protect me.
But he shouldn't be stopping me.
I've already discussed it with Li Ce.
I'll fight this war for him.
Beat him!
Stop!
Stop it, all of you!
Stop!
Why are you hitting him?
Who are you? Mind your own business!
I am General Xiuli, Chu Qiao!
Greetings, General Xiuli!
We didn't recognize you earlier, General Chu.
Please forgive us.
This man stole the vendor's steamed buns,
which is why we were disciplining him.
General, please judge fairly.
What happened?
General Xiuli,
it was him! He stole my steamed buns first!
I'll buy all your buns.
Distribute them to the refugees here.
Okay, okay.
Thank you, General!
Here.
Here. You must be hungry.
Why did he do that?
You are Chu Qiao?
It's all because of you
that Great Yan is attacking Biantang!
Because of you, we commoners
have lost our homes and been forced to wander!
She is Chu Qiao!
It's this woman!
She's the one who ruined our lives!
Kill this wicked woman!
Don't hurt them!
They have done nothing wrong!
Why is it so unacceptable
to send reinforcements to General Li?
Your Majesty,
the Black Eagle Army is unstoppable.
Our forces were completely unprepared
and unable to fight back.
If we rashly send reinforcements now,
we will only be sending more soldiers to their deaths.
Moreover, the King of Great Yan's true intention is not to conquer us.
If we send troops now,
there will be no room left
f-for negotiation between us.
In this time of national crisis,
Your Majesty must not let matters of the heart cloud your judgment.
General Xiuli is righteous at heart—
surely she wouldn't wish for our country to suffer.
The citizens of the realm come first.
Handing over General Chu
in exchange for peace for the countless citizens—
General Chu will surely understand
Your Majesty's well-intentioned consideration!
General Chu played a crucial role in helping me ascend the throne.
If I abandon such a loyal official
in our hour of crisis,
do you want the whole world to ridicule me
for being heartless and ungrateful?
Your Majesty,
this subject has failed you.
I'm willing to give everything for Your Majesty—
to die on the battlefield
and sacrifice my life without hesitation!
But I cannot gamble with the lives of tens of thousands
of our soldiers!
I second that!
Officials, you've been discussing sending me off to Great Yan,
yet none of you thought to inform me,
the very person in question?
Your Majesty,
I have a gift
to present to the officials here.
Please go ahead, General Chu.
I, Chu Qiao,
have abducted all of your wives.
What?
You...
T-This is outrageous!
Your Majesty,
General Xiuli has abducted the families of court officials.
This is a grave crime!
Please uphold justice, Your Majesty!
How could you resort to such despicable tactics?
Shameful! Outrageous!
General Chu,
that's my wife's coral hairpin, right?
I'm on your side.
Why did you take my wife too?
Please calm down, everyone.
I only wish
to make a point to His Majesty here.
I have no grudge whatsoever against the wives of the officials present,
nor any intention of harming them.
I simply ask that you
cease submitting petitions to send me to Great Yan as a hostage.
Despicable and ridiculous!
Your Majesty,
this matter concerns the fate of our country.
For generations, my family has been loyal to the country
through life and death!
I will never change my counsel to the throne
because of my wife's safety.
I second that.
The safety of one family is a small matter—
the fate of Biantang is paramount!
How noble and righteous
you all are!
To die for His Majesty,
I will not hesitate!
Well said!
Officials,
if none of you would change your political stance
for the sake of your own wives,
then why do you believe
that the King of Great Yan
would stop the war for a woman like me?
What General Chu says is precisely what I think.
Yan Xun is the King of Great Yan.
Back then, he fled back to Great Yan all alone,
led the Black Eagle Army,
and conquered half of Great Yong's territory.
That is proof enough
that he is a man
of both intellect and ambition.
Yuncheng, Xicheng, and Qiangcheng
lie in Biantang's most fertile region.
Great Yan is harsh and barren.
By seizing these three cities,
they will establish their new granary.
Longyin Pass connects these three cities
and forms a defensive line.
It's both Biantang's strategic lifeline
and the shield protecting Great Yong.
If Longyin Pass falls,
the north of Biantang will fall without a fight.
When the time comes,
if Yan Xun launches a pincer attack on Great Yong,
it will be child's play for him.
Yan Xun is fiercely ambitious!
Our Biantang
must not yield!
Please, Your Majesty, give the order
to appoint me as commander-in-chief
to shoulder this burden on your behalf
and lead the campaign to Longyin Pass!
If I have not repelled
the Yan Army within one month,
I will leave Biantang on my own!
This campaign will be grueling.
I had not intended to trouble you with it.
Since Your Majesty has decided to fight,
I am willing to lead the army!
The General Xiuli's Mansion is truly grand.
The garden alone
is bigger than my house.
Duchess, Marchioness,
don't you think so?
It's indeed grand!
Extremely grand.
Right?
[Xu Su's Wife] General Chu hasn't been here very long, yet she's put my home...
put all of our homes to shame.
[Sun Di's Wife] Mrs. Sun,
I don't think your residence is this large, right?
Mrs. Xu,
that's quite a joke.
This residence used to be the Crown Prince's mansion.
Its grandeur belongs to His Majesty.
How could our residences possibly compare?
Could it be that you want to outshine His Majesty?
What are you talking about, Mrs. Sun?
How dare I compare with His Majesty?
Today's grapes are so sour!
They're a hundred times
more sour than vinegar!
Try one.
It's quite sour.
Mrs. Xu,
have one too.
-What... -Well...
Ladies,
it's about time.
General Xiuli
has prepared gifts for you in advance.
Thank you for coming today.
The borrowed hairpins
will be sent to your residences tonight.
Honey!
Where have you been all afternoon?
I couldn't find you anywhere.
I just went to General Xiuli's mansion
for some tea.
The general even gave me a gift.
All your favorite pastries.
Tea?
When you were there,
did you sense any danger?
Or any hidden schemes or lurking threats?
What has gotten into you?
I just went to have some tea.
What could possibly have happened?
I was worried.
The situation has been unstable lately.
I was concerned for your safety.
What is there to be so anxious about?
Come on, let's go home.
I was worried sick.
Xing.
What's this?
They're the Sun-Moon Twin Swords.
The sun represents you,
and the moon represents me.
Sun-Moon Twin Swords...
Is there anything special about them?
Our swords—the Fading Crimson Sword and the Moon-breaking Sword—
one fell into the frozen lake,
and the other was sent back to Qingshan Manor.
I had them retrieved
through great hardship,
then melted down and forged
into these two swords.
What else?
They represent
that we will always be together.
You're not
just my Xing anymore.
You are General Xiuli—capable of illuminating the path for many people.
These two swords and I
will accompany you on the campaign to Longyin Pass,
fighting at your side.
Mr. Xiao,
please give me some Huiyuan Pills.
Taking too many of those will kill you.
I must stay alive to fight this battle through alongside Xing.
You must give them to me no matter what.
If General Chu finds out,
we'll both be finished.
If I die,
you may use my body for your research.
Really? You promise?
W-What kind of person do you take me for?
I would absolutely never agree to something like this.
I...
You...
are not lying to me, right?
No.
No, no, no.
I would absolutely never agree to something like this.
I-I am a person of principles!
Besides...
What if I give you
a reason you can't refuse?
This battle
concerns the lives of millions.
If we lose,
Biantang will be laid to ruin,
with bodies strewn across the land.
There are four Huiyuan Pills inside.
Take them sparingly.
If you take them all,
you'll really die.
You must remember,
if anything happens...
Go.
Thank you, Mr. Xiao.
I've painstakingly hand-picked
these 20,000 elite soldiers myself.
You'd better count them carefully.
Elite soldiers?
From what I see, most of them
are disabled veterans
and untrained recruits.
General Chu,
Biantang may be prosperous,
but we haven't fought
a large-scale war in a long time.
This conflict arose suddenly,
so the troops we are able to mobilize are limited.
You're the renowned General Xiuli,
who has won countless battles.
As long as you personally lead the army,
surely the Great Yan Army
will retreat without a fight.
Xu Su,
you're clearly trying to sabotage the Xiuli Army!
Deputy Commander He,
I outrank you by two levels,
yet you dare address me by my name?
That's insubordination!
You'd better remember your place!
You are Biantang's Xiuli Army,
not someone's private army!
His Majesty has arrived!
You may rise.
Qiao,
I'm giving these 3,000 imperial guards to you.
These 3,000 guards are
the most elite force in all of Biantang.
They shall guard you and the people
of Longyin Pass as they would guard me.
Qiao,
you and the Xiuli Army
are the hope of Biantang.
Thank you, Your Majesty.
Get up quickly, Qiao.
March out!
[Tangjing]
General Chu, you must've had a long journey.
-General Chu. -General Chu.
General Li, you've worked hard.
General Chu,
we've been locked in this standoff
with Great Yan for over a month.
Longyin Pass is easy to defend and hard to attack,
but if this stalemate continues,
the garrison alone won't be able to hold out.
General Li,
I'll arrange for the Xiuli Army to relieve your troops first,
so you can rest
and recover your strength.
We'll follow your orders, General Chu!
This wound has already begun to fester.
It must be treated immediately.
This medicinal liquor is very strong.
You'll need to endure some pain.
I've survived the blades of Great Yan's savages.
What's
a little pain like this?
I'll come to remove the bandages in three days.
I must remove the pus and dead tissue first.
Thank you, thank you!
It's getting cold.
In this environment, I'm afraid the wounds
may not heal properly.
Hurry.
Add more charcoal every six hours
to maintain the temperature here.
-Yes, sir. -Yes, sir.
Look,
Longyin Pass is the gateway to Biantang.
If Great Yan wants to conquer Biantang,
this place should've been their first target.
But earlier, the Yan Army captured three cities in succession,
taking a longer route
through the northeast of Biantang.
That's precisely because Longyin Pass is shielded by mountains—
easy to defend and hard to attack.
So,
as long as we hold Longyin Pass,
the Great Yan army won't be able to hold out
and will retreat on its own.
Exactly.
General Chu, Lord Zhuge,
the battle for Longyin Pass
won't be over anytime soon.
The military reports can wait.
Let's eat first.
Early this morning, he
went to the woods to hunt some game,
especially to nourish your health.
What are you saying?
Say that again!
Stop it!
Come on! Still acting tough, huh?
Say that again if you dare!
What's going on here?
General Chu,
they said we're useless freeloaders!
You've been here for so many days,
yet you never go out to fight!
You said His Majesty sent you to support us,
but what did you bring?
Just your mouths!
Exactly!
You're eating our military rations!
If this drags on,
we won't even have enough food!
How are we supposed to defeat Great Yan?
How are we supposed to protect Biantang?
How are we supposed to protect His Majesty?
You are just useless freeloaders!
Say that again!
Stop!
You're totally useless!
He Xiao!
Has our grain supply still not arrived?
General Chu,
the supply convoy has somehow been delayed for 10 days,
and there is still no news.
The grain we brought with the army
has long been used up.
We're indeed using General Li's supplies.
General Li was afraid you'd worry,
so he didn't let us tell you.
Minglu,
have someone send this dispatch out tonight.
Make it extremely urgent.
We'll send out a dispatch every day
until the supplies arrive.
Yes.
Shiyi.
Yes, Young Master?
Tell me,
how was this year's harvest in Great Yong?
Why are you asking that, Young Master?
Take this
and go to the Qilin Bank in Yancheng of Great Yong.
I have some land deeds and deposit slips kept there.
By any means necessary,
procure provisions from Biantang and Great Yong, regardless of cost.
As quickly as you can.
Yes, Young Master.
How much grain is in this cart?
Northern Biantang has experienced heavy rains this year.
In the Red River Valley area,
we encountered over 10 days of heavy rain,
which caused the delay.
But rest assured, General Chu.
His Majesty and Lord Xu
have personally instructed us.
There will be absolutely no problems with the rations.
Have they all been counted clearly?
Yes, no problem.
They've already been registered.
General Chu, this grain is not right!
General Chu.
What on earth is the meaning of this?
General Chu, why ask when you already know the answer?
Biantang has had a lot of rain this year.
The harvest was already poor.
General Li Qi has been fighting
the Yan Army for months.
Now His Majesty has suddenly ordered reinforcements.
That's 20,000 more mouths to feed.
Where can we get so much grain on such short notice?
This is clearly Xu Su
deliberately making things difficult for our General Chu!
Everyone, open the sacks and inspect the grain!
It's all adulterated.
Stop them!
Stop!
Seizing military grain is a capital offense!
Don't hurt them!
These are refugees who fled
from the three fallen cities.
The Yan Army occupied the cities.
They have no food and no shelter.
They could only flee south, beyond Longyin Pass.
Normally, during wartime,
refugees shouldn't be allowed into the city—
that's the best policy to secure the rear.
General Li Qi couldn't bear it
and ordered that they not be driven away.
Take out my grain rations and distribute them among the refugees.
From tomorrow on,
I'll eat with the soldiers.
No more separate cooking in the command tent.
Our intelligence reports
that Chu Qiao's troops have been here for over 10 days,
yet she has made no move.
She must be planning to outlast us in this stalemate.
I know how Chu conducts warfare.
Given the current situation, Biantang lies behind Longyin Pass.
As long as they hold the pass,
there's no need to deploy troops.
But the longer this drags on, the more it works against us.
Spread word among the refugees and civilians in Longyin Pass—
tell them that as long as General Chu is willing to
surrender herself to Great Yan,
Great Yan will withdraw its troops
and leave them completely unharmed.
Cheng Yuan,
you don't still think
I mobilized such a large army to fight this war
just for Chu, do you?
I know Chu Qiao is only a pretext.
Your Majesty's real objective
is to seize the three granary cities of Yuncheng, Xicheng, and Qiangcheng
from Biantang.
More than that,
once we take Longyin Pass,
Biantang's forces will be driven south of the Red River.
Then we can launch a pincer attack
and conquer Great Yong as well.
Your Majesty is wise.
Cheng Yuan.
You and Chu
are both the most important people to me.
I hope you two can get along in the future.
I miss those days after we left Zhenhuangcheng,
when you two were still my right-hand men.
Back then, the Black Eagle Army was unstoppable.
We came so close
to breaking through Great Yong's final line of defense several times.
Your Majesty,
there will surely come a day
when we truly conquer Great Yong.
What do you think you're doing?
You can't gather here!
We want to see General Chu!
We won't leave until we see General Chu!
We won't leave until we see her!
Let us see General Chu!
Please let us see General Chu!
We want to see General Chu!
It's getting colder now.
Biantang soldiers aren't used to the cold.
If we don't solve
the problem of provisions and military supplies,
I'm afraid
we may collapse before Great Yan does.
Yue Shiyi just returned yesterday.
He's procured 500 dans of provisions from southern Great Yong
and eastern Biantang.
No matter what,
we can get through the next few days.
General Chu!
He Xiao.
What's wrong?
Yan Xun has spread word inside the pass
that as long as you are willing to surrender,
he will withdraw his troops immediately.
Now, outside the camp,
crowds of civilians are demanding you surrender.
It's General Chu.
General Chu has come!
General Chu has come.
She's here!
General Chu!
General Chu, save us!
General Chu, please save us!
General Chu!
Please save us!
Everyone, please don't kneel!
Get up quickly!
General Chu,
the King of Great Yan said
that as long as you go with him,
he will withdraw.
Please, save us.
General Chu,
I'm from Shenzhou.
My daughter and uncle are still in Shenzhou.
I don't know if they are dead or alive.
Please,
General Chu!
I kowtow to you!
Granny,
please get up!
General Chu, please
save us!
Please save us, General Chu!
Stop begging her, everyone!
A woman like her
doesn't care if we live or die!
Look at what she is wearing,
and look at what we're wearing!
She's got our Emperor
completely under her spell!
Even the King of Great Yan
is captivated by her!
As long as we offer her to the King of Great Yan,
we'll all be saved!
Seize her!
All of you, step back!
Step back!
What are you doing?
Don't come forward anymore!
Get back now!
Yan,
I don't have much time left.
Now I tell you the truth
because you have the right to know your origins.
I was born into the royal family
and was drawn into far too many struggles for power.
I also know full well
that the truth will only bring you more pain.
You,
I,
and even your birth mother—
the Empress—
none of us could do anything about it.
All we can do
is take this secret with us as we grow old—
and into the grave.
Your Highness.
Matron,
is Her Majesty still unwilling to see me?
Her Majesty has agreed to see you.
But...
But what?
Her Majesty is not feeling well.
After Your Highness pays your respects, you should leave early.
Don't worry, Matron.
I'll leave as soon as I've paid my respects.
I, Li Yan, pay my respects to Your Majesty.
By your decree, I remained in Jincheng
for three years to guard my father's tomb.
Now that I've just returned to Tangjing,
I came specifically to...
to pay my respects to Your Majesty
and to thank you for your care.
You came all the way to see me—
surely not merely to show gratitude.
What did the Prince of Chang say to you before he died?
Raise your head and speak.
Before my father died, he told me...
He said...
He said I'm actually
Your Majesty's...
Li Yan!
What your father said is not important.
Your father was the late Prince of Chang of Jincheng.
His Majesty, honoring the brotherhood between them
and considering you are his only son,
made an exception and appointed you a commandery prince.
Who you are—
don't you know it yourself?
Your Majesty,
I don't understand what you mean.
I know why you've been seeking an audience
with me day after day
since your return from Jincheng.
Your Majesty, I...
I agreed to see you
because I want to tell you something.
In this imperial palace,
power,
titles,
and His Majesty's favor—
every single one of them
is more important than blood ties.
When the Prince of Chang died,
I had you guard his tomb in Jincheng for three years
because I hoped you would use
that time to think this through clearly.
Did His Majesty
and the late Crown Prince Maocheng
not share blood ties?
But what happened in the end?
I, Li Yan, will heed Your Majesty's teachings
and keep
your words in mind.
Your Majesty, I...
Attendants!
Escort the Prince of Luo out.
What my mother has lost,
I will win back for her.
Your Highness!
Your Highness.
Only one little Heir Apparent?
Yes,
only one.
Wait outside for a moment.
The weather has turned cold today.
The little Heir Apparent needs an additional layer of clothing
lest he catch a chill.
Yes.
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty,
why did you hand the Prince of Chang's son
to that matron?
Zhuge Yue,
you and I are different.
There has always been a gulf between us.
Chu...
Since he chose to leave first,
it means he's found something more important.
no matter where you run,
I will find you.
Zhuge Yue,
when you wake up, forget about me.