Episode 8
Then...
What do you have in mind?
Marshal,
Emperor's power has reached everywhere.
Hope you won't be too lenient and tolerate evil.
That's right.
Yue Fei must be killed.
Isn't this the challenger who fought Prince Liang? What happened?
And now, he's become a prisoner.
Yue Fei.
This is Xiang Province.
It's not your hometown, Tang Yin.
Don't think because you know some weapons,
you can be as lawless as you want.
Looks like you won't live beyond tomorrow.
Let me give you some advice.
Don't think because you're under the Marshall's protection,
you have privileges.
This place is a web made by person-to-person connections.
How tall is the sky?
How big is the web?
You think you have some kind of superhuman power?
Dragon King's protection?
Let me tell you!
You're only a lowly soldier in this web.
An innocent soul under the knife.
Look out for yourself.
Marshall Zong.
Zong Xing.
Marshall Zong, where is my brother?
Yue Fei killed a royalty.
He will either die or suffer in jail.
This...
Yue Fei has an aging mother waiting for him at home.
He was a healthy young man when he left home. How can we explain this to his mother?
That's right.
Please help us.
No matter what, please save him.
Please let us see him even it's for the last time.
We're begging you, Marshall. You must save our brother.
Why don't you wait here?
I'll keep you informed if I have any news.
This...
Thank you, Marshall.
Marshall has arrived.
Marshall.
Please save us.
Marshall, save us.
Marshall.
Marshall, save us.
Marshall.
Save us, Marshall.
Marshall.
Elders, please get up quickly.
All of you, get up.
Get up.
Marshall, please save us.
Elder,
tell me what you need.
Those mountain bandits, the Centipedes,
they've been robbing us.
All our folks have nowhere to run now.
We heard that Marshall Zong loves his people like his own children.
So, we have a petition. Marshall Zong, please dispatch soldiers.
Eliminate the bandits for us.
Marshall, please eliminate the bandits for us.
Marshall.
Here is your guy. You better hurry.
Brother.
Thank you. Thank you.
Brother, Niu Ba Er is here to see you.
Brother.
How did you come in?
Marshall arranged this meeting for us.
Brother, I... heard that they're going to...
Whatever they want to do with me is fine by me.
Brother.
Brother, your neck is not as hard as the knife.
What if... What if we beg Marshall again?
Enough.
I don't want to trouble Marshall anymore.
The only person that worries me
is my mother.
When you go back,
tell my mother.
Tell her that I'm not a good son.
I can't take care of her anymore.
But, tell her that she should be at peace.
I will not be getting beheaded because
I committed some atrocities.
I was worthy of my master's praises.
I was worthy of my mother's teaching.
Brother.
General.
Yue Fei, looks like your head
will stay where it is for now.
Marshall Du, something big has happened.
What is it?
Zong Ze took up the petition and pleaded for the people.
He wants Yue Fei to lead soldiers and attack Centipedes Mountain.
The Centipedes have many bandits.
None of them are nice guys.
The imperial court has sent out soldiers many times.
But, none of them have had any success.
If Zong Ze wants to go, let him go.
But, Zong Ze...
he pleaded for Yue Fei.
He wants Yue Fei to repent of his crime
by leading the soldiers to Centipedes Mountain to destroy the bandits.
Zong Ze...
He is always against me.
Marshall Du, Zong Xing is leading the investigation.
Will he have any leads on us?
What about Magistrate Wu of Er Long Mountain?
I already prosecuted him.
Should we make the first move?
Don't.
Dead people can't talk.
Zong Ze can't get anything out of it.
But, Centipedes bandits have always
paid their dues every year.
If Yue Fei really destroys them,
we will lose one of our golden geese.
I think you lost your brain
after Yue Fei defeated you.
Centipedes Mountain is full of treacherous terrain.
Bandits are running around everywhere.
Does Yue Fei have that kind of capability?
What if Yue Fei can't take down Ji Brothers?
What if Yue Fei really takes down hundreds of bandits?
By that time, Zong Ze will plead for him.
It will give us more troubles.
You go there personally.
Tell the Ji brothers to plan ahead.
Yes, sir.
There is more.
Tell the brothers,
do not let the greatest warrior in Xiang Province
to ever come back again.
Yes, I got it.
Come. Come. Come.
Customers, what would you like to order?
Waiter...
Brother, you must drink more today.
to get over your shock.
There is a saying, if you can escape from hell, you will enjoy great fortune.
Waiter, give us another plate of braised pork.
Not meat again. I want tofu stew.
Vegetables with tofu stew.
Brother, I knew it.
You would be all right.
Wasn't I right, Wang Gui?
Give us as much as you have.
All right. I'll be right back.
Niu Ba Er, why did you order so much? Can you finish it all?
As long as I'm here, everything will be finished.
Who would have thought
I could be here having drinks with you guys.
That's right. Brother, you had a rough time.
Thanks to Marshall Zong.
Brother, bottoms up.
Bottoms up.
What a thrill.
Marshall Zong, this old guy,
he really is a good man.
He is compassionate and righteous. I admire him.
That's right.
It's also because Brother is very talented.
Marshall is in need of talent.
He didn't want Brother to die for nothing.
No matter what,
this attack on Centipedes Mountain we must succeed.
I'll say. Marshall really helped Brother.
On the outside, he showed nothing.
But, he knew it well.
As soon as Brother got out, he made him the chief of the armed forces.
100 soldiers.
100 soldiers?
There are over thousands of bandits up in that mountain.
Could it be that Marshall is using this method
to send our brother to his death?
Marshall tried his best.
There was nothing he could do.
What I see
is that guy by Marshall's side.
That big head big ear guy, Du.
He's playing with us.
It doesn't matter if he wants to go or not. He must go.
If he can take down the Ji Brothers, he can redeem his crime.
If not, those corrupted officers
will use this as an excuse to make a fuss.
They will prosecute Brother for killing a royalty.
Darn it.
Brother, one word.
I'll go to any dangerous place with you.
Good Niu Ba Er.
From today on,
we're good brothers until death.
Good brothers.
Come, Brother.
Bottoms up.
What a thrill.
Sit.
Come.
Drink some more.
Wang Gui, pour wine.
One more bowl.
Marshall, Prince Liang was killed in the arena.
A piece of trash.
Never succeeds, only fails.
Tuo Bai even said that
someone knew about Prince Liang's bribery.
That's why Zong Ze became suspicious.
Looks like Zong Ze is a hard bone to chew.
Marshall, I'll take some men and end Zong Ze's life now.
No.
Song Dynasty can't be compared to Liao Dynasty.
Even though we won big in the battles at Tai Yuan and Yan Jin,
to kill ten thousand enemies, three thousand of our men will be killed.
Many of our soldiers have died in battlefields already.
If we continue to fight this way,
we won't last long.
The two fools of Song Daynasty,
they have all the advantages of time and location.
Even though our soldiers are great warriors,
they have to settle in a godforsaken place.
Marshall,
I heard that in the Centipedes Mountain,
two brothers named Ji
are bandits there.
They have tens of thousands of men under them.
If we can make them join our force,
we can take them down from inside of their own land without sending even one soldier.
But...
But what?
I met them once.
They don't have a small appetite.
Not a small appetite?
The lesser of two evils.
Song people's offering
should be used on Song's people.
Tou Ba Ye Wu is now in Song's land.
Let him take care of this matter.
Yes, sir.
Zhang Yong.
Give me a straight answer today.
Are you going to Centipedes or not?
How many times do I have to say it?
Centipedes Mountain,
it's easy to go up, but not down.
Why do we need to pretend that we're brave?
We brothers,
are really skillful warriors.
Every one of us has escaped death at least three times.
That's right.
Are you going to become a soft legged crab
when we arrive at the Centipedes?
Be honest. Talk.
Kid, didn't you say that
a gentleman makes money in an ethical way.
Up in the Centipedes,
lots of treasures are hiden in the caves everywhere.
Are you willing to give them up?
Forget it.
I'll be honest with you.
The reward for the greatest warrior in Xiang Province,
I haven't even touched once. It's been taken back.
I don't dare to even think about the treasures up in the Centipedes.
You don't think about it?
I think you think about it all the time.
You only move when you see money.
Don't touch me.
Zhang Yong.
You're wasting Brother's efforts on you.
Fine. Don't go.
But, you must return the rewards Brother gave you.
Return them all.
That's right.
You... You...
That was earned with Brother's blood and sweat.
Right.
Brother.
You knew my background very well.
I'm the only son in my family.
The Zhang family depends only on me
to continue our bloodline.
Finished?
Don't show yourself here anymore.
Go as far as you can.
Brother, listen to me.
You're a good man.
Someday, you'll do something great.
But, as a brother, I want to give you some advice.
With only a few men in your hands,
going up to the Centipedes is like trying to beat rocks with eggs.
If you encounter an obstacle you can't overcome,
don't be stubborn.
Where there is life,
there is hope.
Get out.
Sir, Zong Xing is here to see you.
Let him in.
Yes, sir.
The reason I came is,
is one, to bring a hundred jugs of good wine
for the brothers to enjoy.
The way I see it,
all this good wine,
we probably will miss out.
Why would you say that?
No. No.
If I don't speak now,
I could choke.
Marshall Zong,
ordered us to bring 100 men
to the Centipedes
to battle with tens of thousands of bandits.
Isn't it obvious that we're going to our graves?
I think this good wine,
you can take it back and drink it yourself.
General Niu is a straightforward man.
The reason I'm here is
one, to thank you.
Two, I have an order from Marshall.
He invited you and your men to
visit the barracks.
Marshall will immobilize troops for you.
This is real?
This is great!
Great!
Now, we can drink up all the wine.
Yes. Yes. We must drink some more.
Brother.
Marshall, Yue Fei is here.
Good.
Yue Fei is here, Marshall.
I've been waiting for many hours.
Yue Fei, get up, hurry.
Thank you, Marshall.
Yue Fei,
Ji Qian and Ji Yong have tens of thousands of men under them.
They're not some average bandits.
The imperial court attempted many times to destroy them.
Because of the dangerous terrain in the Centipedes,
it's easy to defend, and very difficult to attack.
This battle in the Centipedes,
many dangers lie ahead.
You must be careful.
What did I do to deserve such caring
from Marshall?
Marshall,
I'm only a lowly guard.
But, men die in the battlefields.
I understand that we sacrifice for our emperor.
If we have more soldiers like you in the army,
someone who cares about comradeship and justice,
Song Dynasty would not have fallen
to such a state.
We have many talents.
They just don't know how to join the service.
I believe,
if Marshall is willing to have competitions like what we had,
you will be able to recruit many talents for the emperor.
There will be thousands of men like Yue Fei who come out.
Good. Wise words.
I will personally select the soldiers for you.
I know.
You are not afraid of the bandits.
But, I can't let you take risks.
I'll now
give you 1000 men.
They will all go up to the Centipedes Mountain with you.
Marshall, I'm very grateful.
But...
What...
Not enough?
No.
I promised Deputy Marshall Du that
I will only take 100 men up to the Centipedes.
A word from a man of character can't be taken back.
I will only take 100.
One more soldier or one more horse
would make me incompetent.
Good. Good. Good.
You want 100, you'll have 100.
Dispatch my order.
Let Marshall Du select 100 elite soldiers.
They will be going to the Centipedes with Yue Fei.
Boss.
Customer.
Coming.
Send up your best dishes and wine, as much as you have.
All right.
Customer, here comes meat , wine.
Please enjoy.
Get on the horses.
Go.
Let's go.
Go.
What to do?
My bundle and money, I left them at the lodge.
Very thankful that your camp thinks highly of us.
General even came up to the Cetipedes personally.
A toast to you from us brothers.
Come.
About the attack on Xiang Province and Ci Province,
after we had a discussion,
we have a decision.
Ci Province,
the prefectural magistrate Wang Bo Yan,
he is all talk but no action.
He'll have sloppy defense work.
It won't require too many of our men.
50,000 silver dollars will be fine.
As for Xiang Province,
a very different situation.
Xiang Province is Zong Ze's hometown.
Their soldiers are well trained.
Construction work is tight and orderly.
They follow the rules.
To attack this province,
the longer the battle, the more people will die.
I'll ask the price of $150,000 silver dollars.
The total for the two provinces
is 200,000 silver dollars.
I'll say this. Cao Cheng showed much more prospects.
Three years now.
The money they got from me so far
is no more than fifty thousand.
But, what they ripped off from the locals
is more than 1 million.
Otherwise, how could they feed hundreds of thousands of underlings?
You don't need to give me a reply now.
Think it over.
We will also
discuss this matter with our bosses.
That's right.
Reporting.
Reporting to my lord,
The ruling troop leader from Xiang Province is requesting to see you.
General, should we excuse ourselves?
No need.
We're on the same boat.
Master Ji , Master Ji.
General Tou Bai is here as well.
So, you know each other.
Offer him a seat and wine.
Thank you, Master Ji.
Come, bottoms up.
I've been dispatched by our boss.
You must keep a tight watch these days.
Marshall Zong ordered an attack on you.
How many will come?
100.
Is Marshall Zong getting senile?
Only 100 coming to clean out my fortress?
They really overestimated themselves.
Who is the leading military officer?
The greatest warrior of Xiang Province, Yue Fei.
Yue Fei? Never heard of him.
Yue Fei?
This guy can pull a bow that weighs 100 stones.
He can shoot a rocket further than 500 steps.
He used Liu Ge as a shield and fought his way out of a siege.
He defeated Yang Zai Xing.
Not long ago,
he challenged Nan Ning Prince Liang.
You can never underestimate this guy.
Even if he is Buddha incarnation or Pagoda Bearing God descending from heaven,
I, Soul Ending Blade Ji Qian,
don't see him as my equal.
Good. Bottoms up
Come, let's drink.
Bottoms up.
There is an old saying,
At a younger age, we are keen with concentration.
At an older age, we tend to be slack.
Children must be taught at early age. Must not miss the opportunity.
Song Dynasty's prosperity or failure,
depends on the youth's ideals and courage.
I hope mother and wife will supervise my son daily.
A son not disciplined, gives no efforts to homework.
Accomplishments can be destroyed by laziness.
I will strive to win in the battlefields.
I have a great man who gives me assistance.
Hope mother and wife
will not worry about my safety and health.
Do not over-exert yourselves.
Come in.
Brother.
I thought you went home to work on your bloodline.
I was planning to do that.
But, once we parted,
the longing to be with you
is like a flooding river overflowing with water.
I even had a dream. I dreamed that when we were in the army,
everyone took care of me.
Brother treated me like his own little brother.
Finished?
Finished. But, everything I said came from my heart.
You can all come out.
Brother.
Looks like I'm the last one who knew about this.
Brother, I really didn't have the guts to see you.
I was afraid that you would kick me out.
So, I went to see everybody else.
I wanted them to plead for me.
That's right.
Right.
This guy's conscious hasn't been eaten by the dogs yet.
Brother, can you keep him?
Right. Brother, please keep him.
Where is your bundle?
Bundle?
I lost it.
What happened to your hand?
This hand...
I accidentally got scraped by a tree branch.
But, I'm fine now.
Do you think this place is a lodge?
For you come and go as you want.
If I keep you,
how can I explain this to the brothers outside?
I know it's my fault.
I will do my best this time.
I will redeem myself.
Fine.
I'll keep you one more time.
If you make a mistake again,
don't blame me for ignoring our brotherhood.
Thank you, Brother.
Good. Good.
This is good.
Since Brother said he will keep you,
let's have a good chat tonight about the old times.
Have some small talk.
You snore so loudly.
No one can sleep next to you.
I won't sleep tonight. I'll only sit.
I'll stay up with Zhang Yong.
We can talk all night.
Stop the noise. It's very late already.
We have training early in the morning. Go to sleep now.
Yes, sir.
Brother, please rest well.
Thank you, Brother. Thank you.
Go. Go. Go.
You, little scoundrel.
Wait until later.
Marshall Du, I have finished the things you asked me to take care of.
Ji Brothers and General Tou Bai,
I explained everything to them.
What about that Yue Fei?
Zong Xing said
Marshall Zong will give Yue Fei 100 elite soldiers.
I sent exactly 100 men.
But, those 100 men
were handpicked by me personally.
Good.
I can't wait to see how talented
this greatest warrior of Xiang Province is.
This mountain...
This...
Darn!
This is how Centipedes Mountain looks like.
Centipedes Mountain's terrain looks like centipedes.
That's how it was named.
A reed marsh surrounded outside.
Small and big fortresses are inside,
stretching for tens of miles.
The specific terrain is not known.
Based on the information sent by Marshall Zong,
tens of thousands of bandits are inside.
I think this Centipedes Mountain
has the winning advantage of the unique terrain.
I think, for this battle,
we must have full confidence before we move uphill.
Right. Right. Right.
What is the level of your confidence at this moment?
50% 30%
I have an idea
that will make it 100%.
Brother, hurry and tell us.
What?
We need someone dressed up as a bandit
to sneak into their camp.
He can draw the topographic map.
As long as we have full knowledge on them,
I'll have 100% of confidence
to pinch these two centipedes to death.
Good idea.
Good. Good. Good.
Good idea.
Who do you think is the most suitable for this job?
That's right? Who?
What do you say?
Yes, who is it?
I need to go pee.
Zhang Yong.
Trying to run away?
No. No. No.
To gain the knowledge on the enemy,
you are the most suitable person to do it.
That's right.
Brother,
you...
You are sending me to my death.
That's right.
I have a way.
You can sneak in.
What way?
Reporting on the order from Marshall Du.
100 soldiers are here. Please inspect.
These disorganized soldiers,
I'm going to take care of them.
These brats,
after I make my move, they'll be well-behaved.
Come here. Come here.
I have some words for you.
Come here, all of you.
Come here.
I'm talking to you.
A year's work depends on a good start in spring.
A day's work depends on a good start in the morning.
In a march to the battlefield,
what is the most important thing?
Everyone, say what you think.
Say something.
You, come here.
Officer,
health is the most important thing when fighting in battles.
So, I need to have a full belly.
You're a rice bin.
You, come here.
I think,
wives must be well-behaved at home.
So, the men can go into battlefield without worries.
Everyone, am I right?
A bunch of bullshit.
All of you, come here. I'll tell you.
Stand tall.
Stand straight.
I'm talking about you. Get come in line.
You, come here.
What are you doing?
Stand straight.
Move over there. Darn it!
Marshal looks like a nice man.
But, in the end,
he gave us these damaged goods.
This has nothing to do with Marshall.
Someone else is making trouble for us.
Hurry up. Hurry up.
Stand straight. All of you.
Stand tall. Stand straight.
Why is your body like a noodle?
Stand straight.
Do you know how to wear a hat? Wear it straight.
Hurry. Hurry. Hurry.
Stop talking. Stand straight.
Stand straight. One by one.
Have some spirit.
Stand straight, all of you.
Brother, these soldiers are garbage.
Be quiet.
Shut your mouths.
No talking.
There are 80,000 bandits up in the Centipedes Mountain.
Our survival chance is 1 in 10.
I don't want to force you.
If you're willing to stay, stay.
If you're unwilling,
you can leave now.
Go. Go. Go.
You can't leave. Stand there.
Come back. You can't leave. Come back.
You can't leave. Come back.
Brats! Stop right there.
Brother, you can't let them leave.
If we don't have one heart, it's no use for them to stay.
Darn it. A bunch of garbage.
Brother, let's not go to the Centipedes.
Brother, what to do?
Not even 30 stayed.
No need to mention those 30.
Even if I only have three left,
I will take down the Centipedes.
What kind of garbage are you talking about?
With these? With only these?
We will never take down the Centipedes.
Even if you can beat 10,000.
At most, you can only beat 10,000.
There are 80,000 up in the Centipedes.
What should we do with the remaining 70,000?
Look at him. Him.
Him and him.
Are there seven soldiers
among these
whom you can train to each beat ten thousand?
What right do you have to send them to their death?
Then, why didn't you leave?
Me?
I'm drunk.
I can't move.
No matter what reason you have,
since you stayed,
we'll start training tomorrow.
From now on,
I make the rules.
Tomorrow,
if I see any of you get drunk again,
don't blame me for being ruthless.
30 soldiers? I'll be watching you.