To rid Qing of its final threat.
When death is distant
we know no fear.
Without blood on our swords
we know only fear.
Only when our hands are bloodied
and we conquer our fear
can we hope to fight our enemies!
The Herders will gather in Beijing
to present a special gift to Qianlong.
We've been betrayed.
Leng, Field Commander.
Chen Tai, Vanguard.
Su, Intelligence, Defense.
Buka, Vanguard.
Shisan, Defense.
Musen, Defense.
Attack
I've seen you before.
Why don't you just kill me?
The Guillotines were a covert operation
created at the start of Qing Dynasty to quash the resistance.
Guillotines were all of Manchurian descent.
They posed as the Emperor's groundskeepers
taking care of the Imperial court's surroundings
with mysterious identities.
To ensure their loyalty
they were forbidden to learn to read and write
control by trigger
before the advent of firearms.
Who defied orders and put the team at risk?
Tell me!
I just reacted to the situation.
You will not take part in tomorrow's mission.
No!
Sir.
Sir
I'm responsible for their mistakes.
Musen is always the last to leave training.
As a female Guillotine...
The late emperor issued an edict before I was born.
Boy or girl
your command was to be passed on to your offspring.
Sir!
Dismissed.
Leng stays.
Musen.
Take it easy.
No one will reproach you once you're the Chief.
That's right.
When your father passes
everyone will obey you.
When the late emperor sent you here
did you ever imagine reaching these heights?
I'm nothing
without the Guillotines.
If only you are my son.
Watch over Musen tomorrow.
Yes, sir
I waited for you my whole life.
Just get to it.
What do you have to tell me?
I've seen you before.
How old are you?
Are you Manchu
or worse?
Do you think you have me trapped?
Do you really think I could be captured so easily?
And you?
Who do you think you are?
A false prophet of the lowest caste!
I've had a recurring dream.
In the dream, a man kills me
until last night
I finally saw it.
It was you.
No, no, no.
Even if I don't kill you now
tomorrow, you'll be executed
in the market.
The time's not right.
So I won't die tomorrow...
except if you are the executioner
I can be.
You can't.
Guillotines can't be seen in broad daylight.
What if you die tomorrow
will my fate change?
The rebel Wolf
and his cohorts
have been convicted
of treason.
Sentenced to death
by decapitation.
Execute the Herders!
As caution to others!
Kill all the Herders!
Long live the Great Qing!
Han man?
How much?
Five taels.
You're Han slaves without souls
I'll come back to free you!
Wolf!
I'm sorry.
Wolf.
Rest in peace.
Attack!
Do it.
Attack!
Now!
Emperor Qianlong, born Hongli.
Musen.
If we dispatched the firearms squad.
Wolf wouldn't have escaped.
Today
my daughter, Musen, is dead to me.
Now she's dead
you're free to hunt down Wolf.
Yes sir!
Remember
your lives belong to the imperial court
and to your fellow Guillotines
I was liked you.
Joined the Guillotines as an orphan.
The Guillotines is my home.
Now I entrust everything to you.
If possible
bring back Musen's body.
We'll take the female Herder Bailan along
when the chance comes
we'll exchange her for Musen.
The emperor assigned an imperial guard
named Haidu to accompany you.
Beware of this man.
We're spending the night here?
Do you have a problem?
Dogs!
They call themselves Guillotines?
Are they for real?
Didn't we play like this as children?
You compare them with us?
Your Majesty
we've gathered children from the Eight Clans.
Their star signs are aligned with Prince Hongli.
Hongli, Qianlong.
Emperor Yongzheng.
Your Majesty, please choose two
to serve the prince.
He's Feimo Haidu of Zhenghuang Clan.
His stars are the most auspicious match for the Prince.
But...
Your Majesty.
Which one should we send to train as a Guillotine?
Haidu is staunch and loyal
tell me that he's ready and willing to die for Hongli.
Guillotines have no identity, no position.
Haidu should stay with Hongli.
Send Leng to the Guillotines.
Leng.
Haidu.
You will be remembered
for your contributions to the empire
I wish I were send to the Guillotines instead of you.
You are too soft.
How can you treat those thugs like brothers?
Stand her up.
Pull the rope.
Hit her.
We are in Wolf's presence already? "I'm waiting for you" Wolf.
It's just the beginning.
Let's go.
Get down, bitch.
Leng.
What is this?
We tossed her into the well.
If we can't find Musen
we'll return and finish her off.
You weren't part of our plan.
Want to be part of the team?
Alright...
Watch the female Herder.
Let's go.
We're thugs.
You die.
U
Yes, Leng.
Wuguan Region
on a white tiger in white armor
we strike back twofold.
If someone kicks us
we chop off his foot.
If someone bullies us
we'll show him how it feels to be bullied.
It's Wolf.
StOP.
Move over!
Wan Jiang Base Commander, Green Army.
Where're you from?
We're from the Capital.
What's your business?
Tea merchants.
We're just here to do business.
Please let us pass.
The Capital.
Retreat!
We need to be careful.
We're surrounded by Han Chinese
they consider us the enemy.
Come out here.
Let me go.
Don't move!
Sit down!
Run!
It's smallpox!
Run!
I found out.
Where do the Herders keep their explosives?
Can you pay me first?
Thank you.
You must know
that one of us was killed
you don't stand a chance against them.
Stay here.
You trust a man like him?
You may 99.
You trust that thug over me?
I only trust my men.
Where's the female Herder?
I killed her
him too.
Idiots.
Let's split up
check for signs of activity in the East Market.
Buka.
Search the residential area.
Shisan.
Take the crowds in the North End.
If someone strikes us.
We strike back twofold.
If someone kicks us
we chop off his foot.
We'll show you how it feels to be bullied.
If you stay.
You die.
If someone.
We strike back twofold.
That's loads.
That's a lot of money.
Run!
Thief.
Don't hurt my father.
"Peach Blossom Spring."
Bravo.
Buka can read quite a few words.
You spied on my brothers?
Your brothers?
I taught them how to write their names
ls his name "Peach Blossom Spring"?
Do you want to get them killed?
Leng.
Once you capture Wolf
you will rejoin me at court.
On the 15th day of the 8th month
the Firearms Squad will be made official
I'll assign you two
to lead the squad.
What about the Guillotines?
Your Majesty I beg you to spare my brothers
are your only brothers
didn't send me to the Guillotines to destroy them.
My father sent you to the Guillotines
to work for me.
You serve me.
Have you forgotten?
Come on.
Haidu will assist you in this mission
and succeed.
They work for Gong-e.
It's their fate.
We work for His Majesty.
That's our fate.
The shadow plays are all about Wolf
I found these leaflets circulating in the market.
Who in this hellhole would read this stuff?
This one stands out
among all the paper stencils we've found.
There's a Herder symbol in the center.
Leng.
Don't pretend you can read.
Hand it over.
Why did you burn it?
Leng, stick with me tomorrow.
Who do you think you are?
Forget him, Leng.
Let's go.
How did so many people die here?
They all died from smallpox
I studied medicine before
I know how to treat smallpox.
Thank you.
Bring the patients to me now.
Thanks.
Tomorrow
atone
meet at Wine Springs.
Do you know what I saw in the Capital City?
Our homes were still there.
Some of our families were still there.
The bustling market
was still there.
Everything was the same.
But I broke down and cried.
Because our homes were no longer ours.
The families left behind were forced into slavery.
The market was transformed
into an execution site for our people.
Those left in the city
lost their souls.
They are slaves.
And those who are not slaves
also can't raise their heads.
Our people
are no longer treated...
as human beings.
How did we lose our homes?
Feaﬂ.
How did we lose our land?
Feaﬂ.
Are we to lose the last vestiges
of our humanity to fear?
O
The heavens tell me
I'll die soon.
But I'm not afraid
I want the heavens to know.
I
refuse to die at the hands of a Han Chinese.
You won't.
Forget your Han name, Wang Lei.
From now on, you're Nala Leng.
Leng.
You're one of us.
Leng, you outcast!
Leng.
Your words are poisoned!
Wolf!
When we were little, we braided each other's hair.
Do you remember?
I thought you had forgotten.
Just let the Guillotines finish off Wolf
as a favor to my brothers?
Your brothers again.
When will the firearms squad arrive?
I promise to capture Wolf
before they arrive.
Haidu.
Help me just this once.
Green Army Base, Wuguan.
Haidu.
Help me just this once.
The rebel Wolf
to surrender
and other captive Herders
will be executed.
He's going to get Musen killed.
Mister
if I give this to you.
It's Su's badge.
What about my rice?
U
Shisan.
Bravo.
Where is Wolf?
Stay over there!
Tell me.
Where is Wolf?
Tell me.
Shisan, stop it!
Calm down.
They killed Su!
Leng.
Don't move!
Come on
I'll kill whoever comes near.
Come on.
Get up.
We're brothers.
Leng.
Shisan.
Leave some wine for me.
Give me.
Smallpox victims are always around Wolf.
No one goes near them.
Their homes
are ideal hideouts for the Herders.
If they want to play cat and mouse
we'll play along.
Tomorrow at noon.
In exchange for Gua-erjia Musen.
If Leng fails to appear.
Musen will be executed
you can't go tomorrow
I must go
I promised Musen's father
to bring her back.
You're going to exchange your life
for hers?
Our lives don't belong to us.
They belong to His Majesty
to replace the Guillotines.
Tomorrow.
Let the Guillotines behead Wolf
then let my brothers go free
I'll go back with you.
Looks like you've had enough of being bullied.
Eat
I think you're ready for my story.
As you know.
Han weddings are grand, joyous occasions.
One day
the wedding day of Zhuang's daughter.
Qing soldiers barged in
and arrested everyone in the Zhuang family.
Master Zhuang pleaded
I'm only a book dealer.
What have I done wrong?
The captain asked.
Have you ever sold a book
titled "The story of Ming Dynasty"?
Master Zhuang recalled.
"The story of Ming Dynasty"
cost six coppers each.
It sold well.
The captain said
the book appears to be about the achievements of the Ming regime
but in truth, it's an attack on the Qing court.
Master Zhuang pleaded innocence.
"I didn't write the book!"
The captain said he didn't order the arrest.
It was His Majesty!
The wedding banquet
turned into a funeral.
His four older sons were to be beheaded.
The youngest son just turned 16.
The judge took a year off his age
so that he could be spared.
The young son was devastated.
"My father and brothers are to be executed.
How can I live on?"
But I did live.
My story does not end there
a court advisor.
He bribed officials
to save Zhuang's four sons.
When Guo took them across the river
a group of masked men ambushed them.
That's what.
The Guillotines did.
That month
your father was appointed Chief Commander
I've always wondered
whatever happened to the heads of my brothers?
Perhaps you can tell me?
We exchange heads
for a bounty.
The heads are kept in the Tunyang Pagoda
as a record of our achievements.
How much do you get per head?
Ten taels.
Ten taels of silver.
Ten.
Only ten?
Is this true?
I'm not that kind of person
I'm not.
Wolf.
Leng, come over
and she's yours.
Musen!
Stay where you are.
Move.
Scatter!
Damn it! They're too far away!
Musen is still over there!
So is Wolf.
Do you remember your promise?
Let's go.
Get inside.
Musen.
Wolf.
Leng.
According to His Majesty's edict.
Officer Gua-erjia Musen
colluded with rebel leader Wolf.
Sentenced to death.
Gua-erjia Gong-e and members of the Guillotines
are guilty of conspiracy
and to be executed at noon today.
How dare you shackle the Chief Commander!
Gong-e, you've suffered unjustly.
Do you blame me?
These days...
People see the Great Qing Empire as backward
unable to keep up with the latest advances.
Imagine...
If we had cannons like the British.
Does Your Majesty need cannons?
Aren't the Guillotines enough?
Armillary sphere, terrestrial globe
air pump, pulley system, steam engine...
Do you think they're hard to build?
They are
would sacrifice the Guillotines for cannons.
Gong-e, take a look.
In this library of mine
there are hundreds of books
chronicling the Qing Dynasty.
My legacy
will be recorded among them
pass on for generations
I will not allow it to be tarnished
by this dirty chapter
ensure the survival of the dynasty...
without the help of the Guillotines?
Can we rely on the tricks of Westerners
to pacify the Han Chinese?
Didn't you say.
That a guillotine kills any target within ten paces?
The range of a firearm
far exceeds ten paces.
Cannons
can strike targets a thousand paces away.
Do you see?
Your Majesty.
Damn Haidu, I'm going to get him!
Look at yourself.
How are you going to fight?
Musen would never betray us
report to the Chief Commander.
The headquarters no longer exist.
All we can do now
is run.
As far as possible.
What?
No longer exist?
What do you mean?
The Guillotines are now considered a dirty secret.
Now they think we're a dirty secret?
They trained us to become Guillotines!
Besides being Guillotines
what else can we do?
Leng.
How do you know so much?
What else do you know?
Don't let us die without knowing why.
Tell us the truth.
Haidu and I
are a team.
We work for.
His Majesty.
Buka.
Stop! We're brothers!
Drop your sword!
Leng.
Why?
Leng.
Are we still brothers?
You've always been my brothers.
When his late Majesty sent me to the Guillotines
I never imagined this would happen.
You must all leave now
and never return.
Why?
Move back.
Step aside!
Letusleave.
Step aside!
Want a good time?
I've got a room
I'll find medicine.
Don't come back.
Move back.
Go back! No one is permitted to leave!
You thief!
He's a wanted criminal.
There's a 100 tael bounty
on his head
I'm back.
Don't move!
You know why!
But they don't need to die!
The Guillotines are a stain.
His Majesty's legacy must be clean.
The stains must be erased.
Su also died at my hands
I must do what you won't.
Understand?
Did His Majesty also say.
If I don't return with you
you must kill me too?
His Majesty has hoped that you'll return.
Lap C109
I said lap C109!
Didn't your master order you to kill me?
Shoot me, lap dog.
Go on.
Lap (109!
The Guillotines are a stain.
His Majesty's legacy must be clean.
The Guillotines are a stain.
You are a stain
I wish you were my son.
Are we still brothers?
You're one of us.
Your name is Nala Leng.
Wang Lei.
What's your name?
Wang Lei.
Hold it.
Don't be afraid.
Tell me.
What's your name?
Nala Leng.
Mister.
Constellations of stars.
Wolf!
You can kill me after you recover.
Why did you save me?
Because you had nowhere else to turn.
Same as everyone else here
I was like you in the beginning
but I kept moving
found my place here
I found a refuge for all of us.
Now, I'm not sure
how long we can eat and live in peace.
You have nowhere to go
but you're not alone.
Musen has died
I hate her
ls my father dead?
I got my brothers killed
I got your father killed.
You're all I have left.
No matter what happens
you must stay alive
you're all accomplices.
Tell me where Wolf is hiding
I'll spare your lives.
Otherwise
you'll all be dead.
The one with the baby.
That one on the hill.
Let go of me.
Move back!
Let me out.
Over here.
Run.
Don't take my child!
That's the wishing tree.
The locals hang ribbons on it
to bless the crops.
It's so sweet
this is the sweetest yet
I wonder...
if I'll ever taste it again.
After sweetness...
comes bitterness.
It's a cycle.
Why are you smiling?
A smile can conceal fear.
You are my greatest fear
I dreamed that you kill me
then I met you.
It's a sign from the heavens
I carry the hopes of many
I've made promises to too many
I do not fear death.
But that day
when Bai-Ian was shot dead.
Those guns dashed our hopes
and dreams
I could do nothing
but watch helplessly
I was so sure of myself once...
our dreams would come true one day.
When the firearms squad arrives
everything here will be destroyed.
How much time do we have left?
Great Father, come play with us.
Commander Wan.
Who should I kill next?
Don't kill my child!
StOP.
"Map of Wuguan, Ming Dynasty."
This map is so intricate.
No wonder you didn't share this earlier.
Your servant
remembered it just now!
I too just remembered that...
Commander Wan and the Green Army soldiers
are also Han Chinese.
Certain mountain paths are drawn differently.
Do you really think we are born killers...
who hate Manchurians?
We just want to live like everyone else.
Farm.
Work.
Provide for ourselves.
It's our dream.
If we didn't find this place
we'd still be slaves out there.
And that...
is the life I promised them.
Equality for all
cold and starving.
A slave being bullied everyday.
What would you think then?
I was brought up to serve the Emperor
ready to die for him.
Your Majesty.
However
he's Han Chinese
his name is Wang Lei.
How ironic
for my son to carry on our golden legacy
with the help of a Han Chinese
I suppose it's fate
I am Han Chinese
I lived on the other side
and believed what they said.
It is my fate to serve His Majesty.
Haidu and I
will serve as his right hand men.
H is Majesty said
he wants to create a golden age.
A golden age
where no opposition exists.
He also promised.
The Guillotines
would no longer have to kill
I now see why
it is you who kill me in my dream.
Great Father.
Allow me
to propose a toast to you.
Drink up.
We're not leaving.
Evacuate the women and children
take the southern path.
The rest of you gather weapons
and meet at the peak.
When I was a Guillotine
I never had a choice.
For the first time I can make my own decisions
I'm staying
I will escort them to safety.
Musen.
This is the last guillotine.
Use it
for a cause you believe in
at each gateway to the village
leave none behind.
Once prepared
meet at the town hall.
It's there...
Get to safety.
Mother, take good care of him.
Leave now!
Order.
Prepare the cannons!
Hurry!
Run!
Hurry!
It's the right time
the right place
and the right man.
Take my head to them
I must die by the hand of a Han Chinese
to end this carnage.
Go back and tell him
what you witnessed here.
Tell him when Manchurians and Han Chinese are equals
the day we've both been waiting for
will finally be here
I've waited all my life for you.
Do it.
Go back with me.
The three of us are still brothers.
Leng.
Haidu
I bestow upon each of you the title of Batulu Warrior.
Thank you, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
What will the golden age look like?
I've finally understand
the mistake Wolf has made
that destined him to fail.
Because as long as people have food
shefier
and peace.
How dare you!
Continue.
Whether it's the Herders
or other rebel groups
people only revolt when they have nowhere else to turn.
If they were living in a golden age
enjoying the peace and prosperity
they would never revolt.
They're rebelling
against injustice and inequality.
When everyone is equal
as people of the Great Qing
there will be no dissent against Your Majesty.
That's when
the golden age truly begins.
What makes you think I'll listen to you?
Because Your Majesty is a man of vision.
Then tell me...
will that day come?
Your servant
will not live to see that day.
The day I joined the Guillotines at His Late Majesty's behest
and die as a Guillotine.
The Guillotines was killed off to erase a dirty past.
And now...
I am the last remaining stain
I hope after Your Majesty end my life
will heed my final words today.
Forgive him, Your Majesty.
Leng had a momentary lapse
and spoke out of turn.
Please forgive him.
He lived longer than any other emperor in the history of China.
During his reign
he created harmony between Manchurians and Han Chinese
in the official history of the Qing Dynasty