Episode 9
From this moment on,
I hereby declare by military decree,
effective tomorrow,
any soldier caught drunk will be punished...
...and punished severely at that!
(Huffs) Thirty men? Bah... Let's see how well you do with only thirty men!
Dad! (Hooligans laughing in the background.)
Good sirs, I beg you.
I beg you. Please let go of my daughter.
Dad, save me. save me please! Put me down!
Let me down.
(Girl screaming) Let go of me!
Daughter!
Go! Run quickly!
You good for nothing hooligans!
Forcibly abducting women in broad daylight and calling yourselves heroes! [Shame on you!]
Who the hell are you?
Who I am is of little importance.
The important thing is this.
If you have so much courage, why not take it to the battlefield and fight there?
Huh! Before that, we'll teach you a lesson, and beat you black and blue!
Grab him!
That's enough! Stop hitting him.
This rascal beat one of ours!
That's right! Kill him! Kill him!
The princess has spoken. Forget it...
Forget it and let him be.
Consider this your lucky day boy!
Go, and go quickly!
Huh, pathetic. Yet still you're trying to play the hero, and save the pretty lady in distress.
I'll spare you this one time. Now, beat it!
Go! Beat it!
Leave!
Ha, who's that? A thief?!
A thief! A thief daring to enter a thief's lair?!
You take that side. I'll take this side.
Got it.
Princess! Are you okay?
What are you doing?!
Careful or I'll report your actions to the bandit king!
I didn't see anything.
Not a thing! I promise.
Uhhh thanks! (in unison)
Thank you for saving my life!
My name is Zhang Yong, milady.
Thank you for coming Brother Zhang.
Brother Zhang , please have a seat.
Sure, thank you.
May I ask how I should address milady?
And why did you leave me this note?
I come from the Xi Xia family.
My name is Wu Shi Ma.
Last year when we were on the trading routes,
on our way to Central Plains,
my dad caught a winter cold.
And to make matters worse, our caravan was besieged by a score of bandits.
Their leader saw that I was a single woman,
and carried me away here,
with the intent of forcing me to be his wife.
Hearing your story
angers and moves me beyond reckoning.
During this troubled time, anyone can execute those who deserve to die.
When I laid eyes on you for the first time,
I knew for sure
that you, Brother Zhang, were a hero.
I hope you'll forgive my forwardness,
in reaching out to you all of a sudden.
Milady, please tell me how I can help.
If there's anything I can do to help, you can count on me.
I promise I won't disappoint you.
Brother Zhang, please have pity on me.
Please, please save me.
Milady, stand up.
I am but a normal man of no great skill or talent.
God, I can barely preserve my own life.
I really don't know how I can help you.
As long as you're willing to lend me a hand,
I actually have a way to get us out of here.
Very well.
This is a detailed map of the bandit lair.
So long as you're willing to lend a helping hand,
I already have a very detailed plan in place.
Oh? And what plan is this?
This hill encampment is bisected by a river
and along it lies a secret path.
Both sides of the river banks are covered with moss.
High altitude terrain. Easy to defend but difficult to attack.
For someone who is not familiar with the terrain,
it would be almost impossible to enter.
So there is indeed such a secret path...
This map is extremely useful.
With this in hand, I might very well be able to hit two birds with one stone.
Milady,
I was once a tower guard back in Xiang Zhou.
It was also quite an unruly place, rife with injustice.
After hearing milady's story,
I wish to offer my service.
I'll do my best!
Useless curs, good for nothing but trouble!
Guard your tongue and your language once we enter.
Yes, yes milord.
Enter in my stead
Go, go, stop tarrying.
This is your task.
Pretty lady (my dear)!
My dear!
What is your lordship looking for?
Ah...nothing.
Has any one been tattletailing behind my back?
Has he been accusing me of doing something that would harm your reputation?
There is no such thing! There is no such thing!
I came from a respectable family. I am a decent girl.
Hiding a man in my room would be a shameful thing.
I definitely would not do it.
If Da Wang doesn't believe me,
then I can only die to show my innocence.
No, don't do this.
Never do this ever again!
Rascal,
go away from me as far as you can.
I deserve to die.
Beauty, don't be mad. Don't be mad.
Look at these clothes.
Do you like them?
These are from...
Ah, no, no, no.
I asked the best tailor to make it.
And this jewelry.
Look, do you like them?
Just take one look. Just one look.
This handiwork looks good enough.
But look.
This stitch.
This thread end.
I know that my life is bitter.
My dad died early,
and no one proposed to me or set me up with someone.
Things that other families have,
I don't.
Why is my life so bitter?
Beauty, what are you saying?
No one came to make a formal proposal?
So, you agree?
What do you want? Say it out loud.
I will give you anything.
This marriage is already missing
parent's lives,
a matchmaker's formal words.
So on the marriage day,
we have to find someone who is already married
and have both sons and daughters.
He has to hold a fruit tray,
giving well wishes to the new couple,
at the same time, reciting the verse.
Scattering a date will bring a son.
Scattering a pear will bring a daughter.
A handful of dates and pears.
Little ones follow big ones.
On this fruit tray,
there must be dates,
chestnuts, longans and peanuts. All four of them.
Nothing can be missing.
All right.
Tomorrow, I'll have my men get
four large baskets of chestnuts, dates and whatever.
No.
Why no again?
These four dry fruits should be
prepared by the bride's family.
But, I don't have any family now.
So, I need to go select them on my own to make the wishes come true.
So many troubles.
My beauty, you need to go personally?
Right.
I must go personally.
All right. All right.
I'll have Big Foot accompany you tomorrow.
My Lord,
we have a long future ahead of us.
A day or two shouldn't make any difference.
If you are a man,
you can't have anyone gossiping about me
in these two days.
My reputation would be ruined.
This is how you should treat me.
Isn't that right?
Yes.
I really want to treat you well.
Then, wait another day or two.
All right, I'll wait two more days.
My beauty.
I really want to treat you well.
Big boss.
You scoundrels!
The responsibility of a general military officer is
to search for great talent,
who will assist you in observation.
Anyone who has extraordinary abilities,
regardless of his rank or
social status,
he should be reserved.
The greatest talents are those who
can strategize in calmness,
assist in planning
and excel in creativity.
Anyone who is able to melt metal into instruments
can be used in defense.
Very few possess all the abilities.
Anyone who has at least one ability
should be used in the military,
and never be discarded.
Wang Gui, Niu Gao.
Here.
What did I say yesterday?
What?
Anyone who gets intoxicated
will be punished by martial law.
How should we punish him?
Yes, Sir.
You, get up.
Get up.
Let go of your grandpa.
What are you doing?
We are sobering you up.
Let go of your grandpa.
Get down.
Sobered up yet?
See if you dare to drink again?
The imperial court should never forget to be prepared for war.
Military officers should never forget to keep training.
At this moment, we have trouble both at home and abroad.
We, as the men of Song,
must shoulder the heavy burden of protecting our homeland.
I don't care about what you've done in the past.
Why did you join the military?
From today on,
you all will be punished and rewarded by martial law.
Defending against the enemy does not depend on the number of soldiers.
It depends on the training of the soldiers.
Learn to carry yourself with dignity.
Understand the ranking between seniors and juniors.
Be strict regarding rewards and punishments.
Carry out military commands.
Have the will to go through fire and water.
Those under one's command must follow his command.
Anyone who disobeys,
will be tried by court-martial.
- What's your name? - Du Da Tou
- Where did you come from? - Shan Xi Province
- What did you do? - I was a hunter.
Train him in archery.
- What's your name? - Gou Zi
- What did you do? - I was a fisherman.
Train him in climbing.
- What did you do? - I was a farmer.
Train him in plowing.
- What did you do? - I was a herbal picker.
Train him in climbing.
- What did you do? - I was a hunter.
Train him in arm combat.
- What did you do? - I was a farmer.
Train him in archery.
- What did you do? - I was a fisherman.
Train him in arm combat.
- What did you do? - I was a farmer.
Train him in climbing.
- What did you do? - I was a wood chopper.
Train him in climbing.
You're the last one.
What's your name?
Fu Qing
What did you do?
I was a blacksmith.
You remember what you did.
That means you're sober now.
I'll let you go. Do you want to go?
I can see the way you talk, one thought after another.
You seem to have some ideas.
I'll go to Centipedes Mountain with you.
You're not afraid?
Afraid?
Who should I be afraid of?
I have never been afraid of anything.
As long as you dare to go,
I dare myself to go with you.
Good.
I'll name you Captain of the armed combat team.
Any mistakes with their training,
you'll be responsible.
Fine.
Armed combat team,
listen well.
Training starts.
Not bad handiwork.
Forging weaponery
depends not only on the quality of
the workmanship and equipment,
but also on the weather -- it is a very important factor as well.
You must work in accordance to seasons.
During the year, spring and autumn are the best seasons.
Summer is too hot and dry.
Winter is too cold and wet.
The handiwork will be affected.
Especially May, on the lunar calendar,
commonly known as the poison month, gathers all kinds of poisonous gas.
July is the ghost month.
It has evil energy.
Besides seasons,
there are good hours in a sunny day.
You are forging between nine and eleven o'clock in the morning.
This tells me that your zodiac sign is pig.
Am I right?
I forge between nine to eleven o'clock,
because I don't want to be like
those useless fools,
who always slack off.
I don't want to live under the same roof
with those fools.
You've lived a dissolute life.
That's why your family left you.
I forge arrows.
I heard that you can draw a bow that weighs three hundred kilos.
I have never seen that before in my life.
Many people know how to talk.
Can you widen my knowledge?
You're great!
You really have skills.
My eyes are opened now.
I'm the one who has his eyes wide open.
I have never seen such good quality arrows.
Three wings and three beams.
The tip of the head is short and sharp.
This increases the chances for penetration,
and the ability to injure and kill.
You have totally won me over.
The arrows I make,
not many can appreciate them.
Without your arrows,
we can't win on the Centipedes Mountain.
Make one thousand arrows for me.
When we take down the Centipedes,
I'll give you a great merit mark.
Fine.
Brother Yue,
from this moment on, I'll do everything you tell me to do.
Brother.
A letter from Zhang Yong.
What did he say?
Zhong Yong said that
at the latest, he will be back the day after tomorrow before dawn.
He said that he will bring the map to the Centipedes Mountatin.
Tell the soldiers to be ready for battle at anytime.
Yes, Sir.
He just took over your job.
This is a good arrow, Brother.
I couldn't tell.
You were drunk all day long.
But, you can make such fine arrows.
What? Not convinced? Let's compete.
I'm convinced. I'm convinced.
Even though Marshal Du gave us a group of uneven riffraff,
as long as they are utilized well,
everyone of them is a talent.
Why does Yue Fei only have thirty men?
I heard that they didn't want to die with Yue Fei.
Yue Fei chased them away.
Looking at the way Yue Fei trains these thirty men,
I can see his talent in
leading thirty thousand men.
Yes, Sir.
Let's go check it out.
Yue Fei, come pay your respect to Marshal Zong.
Marshal Zong
Please get up.
Yue Fei,
you're not doing too bad.
I promised you would have a hundred men.
I have to give you a hundred men.
What number of men you're missing.
Come to my camp and choose any men you need.
Thank you, Marshal.
Lower.
Faster.
Hurry up.
Go.
Lower your heads. Faster.
Faster.
One
Two
Three
Four
Hurry up. Don't stall.
Pick up the speed.
These are not bad. I'll come back and buy them.
Hurry up.
Fellow villagers, brothers and sisters,
don't miss this chance as you're walking by.
Taste this.
Smells so good.
Don't miss this chance as you're walking by.
Hurry up. My Lady, are we almost done shopping?
Not yet.
My home brew smells so good.
This brother, what kind of wine are you selling?
You know your wine.
This brew is handed down in my family.
Come, smell this.
You can smell the aroma a hundred miles away.
I can't lie to you.
This wine, if you drink in the wind,
the aroma can be carried a hundred miles away.
Come, smell this.
What a braggart.
Keep on bragging.
Is that true?
If it's true, it can't be false. If it's false, it can't be true.
Come, take a sip.
My Lady,
we have lots of wines in our fortress.
You can drink as much as you want.
Look, it's getting late.
Let's go back.
This brother,
I can tell you're a real man.
This face. This body.
The manly look you have between your eyes.
I can tell immediately that you will do great things.
Come, you definitely can hold your liquor.
Give it a taste.
I'm feeling embarrassed.
This brother, you should try some, too.
Don't be modest.
This wine smells so good.
Really.
Come. Come. Come.
Not bad, right?
Not bad at all. Good wine.
Of course.
Give me another bowl.
Not bad.
Give me another.
Good.
You can drink.
Come Come. Come.
I'll give you another bowl.
Brother, what happened?
Brother.
Are you all right, Brother?
That's all the wine he can hold?
This is good wine.
I thought he was a real man.
He can only take this much wine?
Wait for me.
I'll get him a bowl of sobering soup.
Wait just a bit, brother.
Brother, I thought you could drink.
Why it only took you one bowl to be drunk?
Sobering up, Brother.
We have to go now.
Darn you!
Foolish garbage that only eats, drinks and sleeps.
Send five hundred men quickly.
No, one thousand men.
If you can't find her, I'll have your heads.
Get out.
Yes, sir.
Fortunately,
I got you out of there.
Are you all right?
Don't run.
Let's go.
My Lady!
My Lady, my Lord treated you well.
My Lady!
Don't run.
Stop.
Stop there.
Over there. Get them.
Go after them.
Don't shoot that woman. She is our new lady.
That's right. Shoot that guy.
Let's go.
Jump.
No.
Down there.
Come, get up.
Hurry. Hurry.
Where are they?
Over there.
Let's go.
Fortunately, this snake isn't poisonous. Otherwise, my life would be in danger.
Thank you, Miss.
Why did you thank me?
I should thank you. You're my savior.
Don't call me your savior.
It was by chance that
I went into the Centipedes.
Fortunately, I was able to save you.
Oh, right. Isn't there a phrase for it?
It takes ten years of cultivation to ride on the same boat.
To know you is my good fortune.
I have traveled everywhere with my parents since I was young.
We had been in many strange places.
So, I trained myself to have a retentive memory.
We used this road when I came here.
I can use it to get us out of here.
But, it's getting late.
Wait until dawn.
I'll be able to remember the way out.
Let's do this.
You go inside the cabin and rest.
I'll stay out there.
It's very windy outside.
Rest well.
But,
we better blow out the candle.
If the bandits discover our location,
Neither of us can fight them.
Brother.
You worry too much.
You saved my life.
What's the inconvenience?
It's just that I'm very scared of being in the dark.
So...
Brother!
These are fireflies.
This way, you won't be scared.
Brother. Brother.
Look, I brought someone back.
Brother.
Many twists and turns on this trip.
Brother, this guy has some talent.
He didn't come back just by himself.
He brought back a girl.
You're good!
Brother, about this...
I'll explain to you later.
Brother, look at this.
Come.
This is the map of the Centipedes Mountain.
This fortress is on the higher terrain.
Not easy to attack.
This area on the outskirt of the fortress
has a reed marsh.
The reed is as high as a man.
Those who don't know the area can go in easily,
but it is very difficult to come out.
This is a God-given trap maze.
What can we do?
Don't worry.
I already thought of a way to solve this.
The girl I brought back,
she is very familiar with the terrain.
She already told me
how to crack the maze.
There is a small lane.
It has a natural barrier for cover.
I reckon the men up in the Centipedes
don't even know about this small lane.
This girl has extraordinary ability.
Zhang Yong.
Let me ask you.
This girl...
she isn't the spy from the Centipedes, right?
You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear!
Zhang Yong.
Come. Come. Come.
You worked hard, Brother. Come.
Drink some water first.
Niu Gao,
Zhang Yong is much more thoughtful
than you.
That's not for sure.
Zhang Yong.
You did a great deed this time.
You brought back a living Buddha. She is like walking map.
Isn't that right, Brother?
Since we've got a way out now,
we can make a move tonight.
Niu Gao. Wang Gui. Fu Qing.
Here.
Dispatch my order.
Get the soldiers ready.
In two hours,
we'll attack the Centipedes Mountain.
Two hours?
Too rushed.
Brother.
Too little time.
It's too rushed.
Brother, is this too rushed?
Three days later,
the weather will change.
It will be advantageous to our force.
Good timing, good location and good men!
Brother, explain.
Brother.
Forget it. Forget it.
Brother asked us to make a move,
let's make a move.
Let's go get ready.
Brother is always right.
Go. Go. Go.
Isn't there a phrase for it?
Right.
It takes ten years of cultivation to ride on the same boat.
Report!
My Lord, they're here.
Who are here?
Make it clear.
We discovered Song's soldiers at the southeast area of our fortress.
Yue Fei is here.
Did you see them clearly?
I did.
Good timing.
Let's give these kids a taste of
the Centipedes Mountain.
Dispatch my order.
Reinforce our defense.
Yes.
Are you sure nothing will be amiss?
No problem.
I took care of it already.
Yue Fei will not get away.
Let's drink.
Come.
Good.
Bottoms up.
Don't come near me. I'm trapped.
Don't move.
Don't come near me. I'm trapped.
Don't come.
Lower your voice.
Don't let others hear you.
My grandpa!
Where is the trap?
For crying out loud!
That's right.
That gave me a big scare.
Brother, I'm trapped.
You look very well built. Are you a man?
You, a stinky drunk.
If you don't understand, don't shoot your mouth.
Let me tell you.
This Centipedes Mountain is full of traps.
The scariest is the centipedes all over this mountain.
Otherwise, why would it be called the Centipedes?
Let's go.
Hurry up, get inside.
Hurry up.
Get in.
Hurry up.
Get in.
Close the door.
Behave.
Gou Zi, don't mess around.
Be careful. Don't get trapped.
Hurry. Come back.
Follow them.
Uncle Niu,
I need to go.
You're a big guy.
Are you embarrassed?
If you need to go, just go here.
All of you are staring at me.
I can't go.
This guy!
Brother.
Gou Zi.
Get down.
Don't move.
Brother.
Save me.
Are you all right?
Gou Zi.
Stay down.
Are you all right?
Gou Zi, don't stand up.
Gou Zi, don't move. Don't stand up.
Brother!
Brother! Brother! What to do?
Save me, Uncle Niu.
Brother.
Save me.
Uncle Niu.
I'm in pain.
This guy,
I want to see
where you are hiding.
Brother.
Gou Zi.
Gou Zi, hang in there. I'm thinking.
Save me, Brother.
Uncle Niu.
Save me, Uncle Niu.
Grab this.
Gou Zi, grab tight.
Gou Zi, don't let go.
Grab tight. Don't let go, Gou Zi.
Brother, come save me.
Gou Zi.