Episode 31
The greatest unjustness took place by Yangtze,
where countrymen fought against each other.
This is the inscription by Enlai Zhou
after New Forth Army incident
published on Xinhua Daily.
I think
it also applies to the plan to siege
Hill Hutou.
I’m ashamed of my coming here.
Meanwhile, I’m honored
to meet so many talented Chinese people.
It is the duty of a soldier to obey the order.
You were just following your orders.
We can understand your situation.
But
what you have done
really saddens your friends.
Bn Commander Liu, when you stay here,
you may look around and see for yourself
how people live in Hill Hutou
under our management.
If there is anything wrong,
please feel free to speak it out.
When I am back,
I will report what I have seen in Hill Hutou
to Brigadier,
allowing him to know the truth about your army.
You haven’t seen each other for many years.
I’ll prepare some more dishes for you.
Excuse me.
Come on.
Get a taste of the sake seized from the Japs.
Pal.
What's the matter?
What do you mean?
Ms. Chen.
Ms. Chen welcomes you
with savory foods.
What’s wrong with this?
Cheers.
I did not ask you about this.
What did you ask?
What is the matter between you and Ms. Chen?
After I left Shanghai,
she joined the Communist Party.
Later, when I joined the Eighth Route Army,
we met again. That's it.
No. It is not that simple.
Why not?
That’s the whole story.
What dirty ideas do you have in mind?
Brother, I haven’t got any dirty idea.
But you did a lot for here in the past.
No matter what I did in the past,
the sole purpose of my life now
is to fight the Japs.
What if Japs are all defeated?
If Japs are defeated,
I’ll go back my home
to provide for my dad.
Oh, you’ve got to the point.
Dad hopes you will be married soon
and have a child.
Why are you talking about this again?
I...
How is the dinner? Do you like it?
Yummy. Since I left Shanghai,
I haven’t got a chance
to have Shanghai cuisine.
If you like it, have some more.
Yi, you haven’t eaten anything.
Why not eat with us?
I’m fine.
Zhihui,
drink as much as you want.
Thanks, my sister-in-law.
-Look at her. -Zhihui Liu.
Do you like the sake?
Yes.
How about the cuisine?
Good.
If you like the sake
and the cuisine,
why should you keep on talking?
Why can’t I talk?
The cuisine is cooked by my sister-in-law,
so is the sake.
If you marry her,
you will be the happiest man in the world.
Shut up.
Did you hear how she addressed me?
She called me Zhihui.
It implies that we are close.
How do you call me?
Zhihui Liu.
Zhihui Liu. Cheers.
Zhihui, we have to part here.
Brother.
This is Colt M1911A1 made in U.S.
It is my gun.
Please take it.
This gun will be the proof
that we’ll fight the Japs together.
When you see your Brigadier,
tell him that we are all Chinese people,
and we shouldn't fight each other.
I understand.
I will never aim my gun at a Chinese.
Zhihui,
could you do me another favor?
I’d do anything for you; don’t call it a favor.
You are my brother
and now we are comrades
fighting against the Japanese army.
-Thanks. -Not at all.
OK.
Please give me ammunition for an Arty Coy
and 20 boxes of medicine.
I’ll try my best.
-It is not enough to try. -OK. I must make it.
It is time to go.
Let’s go.
Thanks.
Oh, it is incredible.
Yeah.
The gun seems better than that of the Japs.
Oh my god.
The KMT army is incredibly rich.
A bandolier consists of 20 clips,
which are 100 bullets.
It is amazing.
A battalion in KMT army has so many cartridges.
Finally, we’ve got the ammunition.
Coy Commander, you are so resourceful.
You said you’d rebuild Arty Pl in half a year,
and it takes less than 2 months.
Look.
We’ve got heavy machine guns and mortars.
We’ve got 4 more machine guns.
Shanyao, it's equipment for a whole company.
It is not yours.
Not mine.
It’s OK. I can do with the mortar.
What if you wouldn't be given the mortar?
Oh. I couldn't even get the mortar.
Well. It pleases me to just look at it.
Weiguo, I have to admit
you were right to spare
the KMT army.
We’re both Chinese people.
We shouldn’t be fighting each other.
It is ridiculous.
We should be fighting the Japs.
Yes, Pl Leader is right.
Yeah.
Mr. Zhou,
let me see the pistol you received.
Good.
Can I have it?
No. It is mine.
Don't you think of taking it from me?
Miser.
Can’t you ask for another from your brother?
How can I do so?
Have you no self-esteem?
Your bother is so stingy.
He gave you a pistol
without holster.
Shame on you.
The holster is tied on the belt.
He would have to untie the belt
to give me the holster.
OK. I won’t argue with you.
Did you notice
that the safeguards of Zhihui Liu
were equipped with German Mausers?
They had 14 Schnellfeuer.
And
you just gave them back.
You were so generous.
Commissar, when do you become a profiteer?
No, you should say “another profiteer,”
because I've learned it from you.
Please come in.
He is a good man.
You've made the right choice.
In fact,
it wasn’t a multiple choice question
between he and you.
I love him. He is my only choice.
Can you tell me
when did you fall in love with him?
In college years.
It was years ago.
And you’ve been waiting for him for so long.
Yes.
For so many years,
I haven’t got the chance to meet him.
And I couldn't do so.
The war has changed everything
But I have been keeping my promise.
I have been waiting for him.
You are a good girl.
Zhu Zhang,
you are my best friend
and comrade.
Yi, I totally understand.
I
am not the kind of person
who is stuck in past failures.
May love be with you.
Thank you.
I’ll go now.
Sir,
I’m Yuzhong Guo,
from Qingyuan garrison.
I’m here to deliver the gift.
Please have a check.
There is no need to check.
It is a present from my younger brother.
I trust him.
Jie Zhao, take the gift with a few men.
OK. Come with me.
Sir,
I’ve also brought you a letter from Brigadier.
Here it is.
Please tell Brigadier Tang
I will visit him in Qingyuan on the 14th.
Also, tell Zhihui
that I like his present
and I’ll buy him a drink next time.
Yes. I’ll convey the message
to Brigadier Tang and Bn Commander Liu.
Gosh.
10 thousand cartridges of 7.92mm Mauser.
14
German Schnellfeuers
with 2800 cartridges.
A box of medicines.
Two boxes of medical supplies like bondages.
Who complained to me yesterday
that I gave back the Mausers?
Now, we've got them back
along with ammunition and medical supplies.
Where is the letter?
I knew you wanna see it.
What is the matter?
Brigadier Tang treats you well.
It says that he sheds tears for you.
Do you know each other?
Nope.
But it is possible for him to know me.
Why?
I was famous.
Bullshit.
The whole letter can be summed up
in one sentence.
On the 14th of this month, I’d like to meet you
in Qingyuan to talk about our cooperation.
That is his main point.
I admire the Brigadier
for his ability of talking nonsense.
That is officialese.
An officer talks all the nonsense
to prove his learning, right?
Yes.
Mr. Zhou, you do wanna go to Qingyuan.
Of course. Why not?
I'm not afraid of his dirty tricks.
Actually, I am eager to see
what he wants to do.
Do you mean to take the risk alone?
Of course not.
I’m not the god of war.
Why should I take the risk by myself?
I know what to do.
I’ll let the task force
to get into Qingyuan secretly
and work with underground party members.
Thus, we will be prepared
in case we are in danger.
That will settle my worries.
If Brigadier Tang
intends to harm us ,
he will be damned.
Welcome, Weiguo.
I’m sorry I didn't greet you earlier.
I beg your pardon.
Not at all.
Let me introduce.
This is Chief of Staff.
I’m Deshui Yu.
Nice you meet you.
Brother, please.
Weiguo,
Zhuihui always talks about you.
He says that in the battlefield
you are courageous and full of wisdom,
and that you are a gifted commander.
I’m honored to meet you. You’re handsome.
You flatter me.
You deserve it.
Since you are Zhuihui’s elder brother,
you are also my brother.
True. Although we serve different parties,
we are brothers fighting the Japs.
Do you really think so?
I am straightforward.
If you do think so,
do you mind
swearing for brothers with me today?
This young man seems to have something to say.
Brigadier Tang.
You don't know him.
My pal
cannot help smiling whenever he sees a hero
fighting against Japanese army.
I was wondering
why everyone in this room
looked familiar to me.
Now I see
it is because
we are comrades against the Japan.
We are closer than brothers.
Now that we are closer than brothers,
there is no need for us to make any swear.
Good.
Yet, your friend is interesting.
Interesting.
Yeah.
I agree that we are comrades against the Japan,
and we don't need to adopt any ritual.
Since we’ve agreed
that we will fight against the Japanese together,
we should consider further cooperation.
Your force in Hill Hutou
should be reorganized to join the regular troops.
This is the prerequisite of cooperation.
As the old saying goes,
brothers of the same mind are almighty.
The reorganization
will not only strengthen our friendship,
but also allow us to fight the Japs together.
I cannot think of a reason for objection.
I am afraid I have to object here.
Even brothers
will live separately when they grow up.
This will benefit the development of the family.
Despite the separation,
as long as we work together,
we can still make great achievements.
I’m afraid I cannot agree with you.
If brothers are separated for a long time,
they will become strangers.
If this happens,
there will be disagreements.
When disagreements develop into conflicts,
it will be hard to handle.
And it is a universal truth
that things being apart will be united one day.
We should follow this principle.
Brigadier Tang, I totally agree with you.
I’m glad you say so.
But I have a question: Who should be the leader,
the elder brother or the younger brother?
The elder brother.
And who is the elder brother?
Is it the one born earlier
or the one born later?
Are you kidding?
The elder brother is surely the one born earlier,
and the younger brother the one born later.
Then the Qingyuan garrison
should undergo reorganization.
Pal, I didn’t get it.
Brigadier Tang, you said the elder brother
should be in charge of the reorganization.
In Hill Hutou, Eighth Route Army
has been fighting the Japs for 4 to 5 years;
but your army has been in Qingyuan
for less than a month.
Judging from the time we came here,
our troops are the elder brother,
and your troops are the younger brother.
So, the reorganization should be led by us.
I don’t think it is proper.
Why not?
You said the earlier one is the elder brother.
Our troops are founded earlier,
so we are definitely the elder brother;
your troops are founder later,
so you should be the younger brother.
From a different perspective,
KMT is founded earlier,
and CPC later.
Thus, your troops should follow us.
Chief in Staff Yu, you are right.
KMT is the elder brother; CPC the younger one.
According to this metric,
our troops should be the elder brother.
This can’t be wrong.
Brigadier Tang, which one is founded earlier,
the Ministry of National Defense
or Sulu Theater of Operations?
Of course, the Ministry of National Defense.
Do you know our designation?
18th Army Group of KMT Army.
What about yours?
Qingyuan garrison in Sulu Theater of Operations.
When is your troop founded?
The Eighth Route Army was created
on Aug 2th 1937
from the Chinese Red Army.
It was officially designated as 18th Army Group
on Sept 11th 1937.
Your troop, however, was founded in Jan this year.
Besides,
8th Route Army belongs to Ministry of Defense,
whereas your troop belongs to Zulu war zone.
All in all,
Brigadier Tang,
considering founding time and rank,
our troop is the elder brother.
Pal,
let’s set aside the reorganization.
We are a family
even without reorganization.
Brigadier Tang, you are smart.
OK. Neither troop will be reorganized.
But now that we are both against the Japanese,
it is natural for us to send a detachment
to defend Hill Hutou.
Good.
If that is the case, we should also send a force
to Qingyuan to protect your brigade.
As a matter of fact, there is no need for merger.
Neither is it necessary for either troop
to send soldiers into another area.
Yet, since we will fight the Japs together,
there should a united front.
A united front
means united commanding.
I suggest to build headquarters
with officers from both parties
and select a commander in chief
in charge of the united front.
How will the commander be selected?
It should be a high-ranking officer
from the more powerful troop.
May I know the strength of your troop?
What do you mean by “more powerful”?
Does it mean headcounts or fighting capacity?
What if it means headcount? Every single person
in Hill Hutou is an anti-Japanese soldier.
It should be over 10 thousand in total.
What about fighting capacity?
The answer lies in
the commander of Japs in Laiyang.
No one is clearer about this matter than him.
Brother, let’s call it a day.
We don’t have to make a final decision today.
We may arrange another meeting.
As you are a guest here in Qingyuan,
I should be a good host.
Let’s go for a drink.
Brother, you may take it
as your own home.
Enjoy yourself.
Come on. A toast to you.
Brigadier.
Here are 100 silver coins as a small gift.
Please accept it.
Dali. Take it.
I’ll glad you accept my gift.
Brigadier Tang,
it is natural for the garrison
to share a tiny portion of its wealth
with its poor brothers.
Brother, if you are free after dinner,
why not stay here tonight?
I’d like to emulate gentlemen in the past
to sleep with you and have a bedtime talk.
Brigadier Tang,
I appreciate your hospitality,
but unfortunately, I cannot get asleep
when I am in bed with a male.
Brother, rest assured,
I am not a gay.
If you wouldn’t stay,
I won’t push you anymore.
Come on. Help yourself.
-Comrades. -Officer.
Comrades,
this is Commander Zhou
from Eighth Route Army in Hill Hutou.
He is here in Qingyuan
to negotiate about fighting the Japs together.
-Welcome. -Good.
Good. Good. Good.
Officers.
I knwo you. You are from Eighth Route Army,
and you are here for negotiation.
It is an honor for us to receive you.
The 3rd Room of the Sky Series.
OK.
Take these two officers to Room 3 of Sky Series.
OK. This way, please.
Dali.
Why did you laugh?
I thought Brigadier was so funny.
He meant to be sworn brothers with you.
Funny.
You may continue to laugh.
Dali, listen,
from now on,
you are not allowed to utter a single word
without my permission.
If you won’t shut up by yourself,
I’ll stitch up your mouth.
Open the door.
It’s fine. Third Brother is guarding outside.
-Sir. -Sit down.
How is everything in the town?
Everything seems just all right.
The garrison has been recruiting
and claims to defend the country,
which wins the support of the people.
Young men are willing to join the army.
KMT army rarely
troubles the residents here.
It is good for the residents.
Yes.
Oh,
Third Bother and I
met an acquaintance yesterday,
surnamed Liu.
He is the leader of agents in Laiyang,
and it seems that he has a high rank.
Mr. Liu,
why is he in Qingyuan?
I was curious too.
He has done many evil things
for the Japanese army.
How dare he come to an area governed by KMT?
Was he alone?
No. He was with 2 other men.
Oh, right, Mr. Liu seemed to be afraid of
one of his companion
for he frequently bowed to him.
I followed them secretly
until they got into a inn.
Then, I came here.
It is weird.
Yeah, I also think it is weird.
I have asked underground party members
to keep an eye on them secretly.
Our men will hide opposite of the inn,
and monitor them on the sly.
Good job.
Tell Third Brother
we will set out in 10 minutes.
Brother Wang,
when will we do it?
Please tell us.
Give me some more time.
Haven't you decide yet?
Too much thinking will make you confused.
To do or not to do,
please tell us.
We must do it,
but Weiguo
is not to be underestimated.
I know you are loyal to KMT,
but our joint action
is beneficial to both sides.
If we succeed,
Eighth Route Army from Hill Hutou
will fight against KMT army.
Not only is it a feat for you,
but it will win me the praise of the Japanese.
Japanese?
I don't think the Japanese are anything good.
Japanese.
The Japanese are not to be disdained.
Mr. Liu,
didn’t we agree to act by ourselves?
Why are the Japanese involved?
Brother Wang, you well understand
we are in cooperation with the Japanese.
The Japanese should be in this action.
Don’t do this again.
Murakami,
Mr. Wang has decided to work with us.
Would you please...
We should act immediately
in case the situation would change.
Yes. Brother Wang, what do you think？
I will lead the way,
but please try to avoid
alerting the patrol.
Brother Wang, be assured.
With these two officers,
Weiguo is doomed tonight.
Let's set out now.
This way, please.
Pl leader,
Third Brother and I eavesdropped on Mr. Liu,
and learnt
that they were planning to murder you.
What? Murder?
There were 4 people in the plan,
one of which was the Chief of Staff
we met today named Deshui Yu.
Two of them
were Japanese agents to assassinate you.
The murder was planned at tonight.
Third Brother sent me back to report to you,
and he is still monitoring them.
They should be
on the way to our inn.
I’ll announce the task plans.
Work with men lurking around the inn
to attack Mr. Liu.
Remember, catch Deshui and Mr. Liu alive.
Understand?
Yes.
Dude.
We don't know you. It must be a mistake.
Can you stop for a moment
to figure things out?
We’ve never met you before.
Why should you be so hard on us?
If you want money,
you can get as much as you want.
Mr. Liu.
Third Brother, I’m glad to meet you.
You still remember me.
How can I forget you?
Do you recognize him?
No.
I'm Weiguo, the person you wanna kill.
Officer Zhou,
I’m greatly honored to meet you.
Stop it. I wanna hear no nonsense.
Later on,
tell the truth when questioned,
understand?
I will tell you whatever I know, truthfully.
He looks smart.
Tell me
why didn't Mr. Wang come with you?
He was with us,
but he changed his mind half way.
He asked us to go to the inn,
and he disappeared.
Do you know his real identity?
No,
but it seems that he is resourceful in the town.
Why do you call him as Brother Wang?
Zuo Wang was said to be his code name.
He said he chose this name after the hero
who bore the sufferings of life with a hard will.
That is why I call him Brother Wang.
He wanna emulate Zuo Wang..
Was it him who informed you
I would come to Qingyuan?
Yes, he told me
Mr. Zhou will visit Qingyuan on 23th
and met with the Brigadier
to talk about anti-Japanese cooperation.
He asked me to report to the Japanese.
And it was a fool of me
to have thought of murdering you
to incur resentment between two parties.
Then, I suggested the Imperial Army in Laiyang...
Oh, no, the commanders of Japs
to send people to aid us.
So, two masters of martial arts
were sent to Qingyuan
for the murder.
It sounds reasonable.
But I don’t know if it’s the truth.
It is absolutely true. I promise.
If I tell a lie, I will be doomed.
Remember what you just said.
Commander Zhou.
You are not alike.
What are you talking about?
You are not like Zuo Wang.
What do you mean?
In the opera,
Zuo Wang cut off his arm,
but both of your arms are intact.
If you really wanna emulate him,
you should cut your arm too.
If you can’t do it yourself,
I’m willing to help.
Sorry, I don't need your help.
Weiguo.
Sir.
What are you talking about?
We are discussing opera.
You like Peking opera.
Which act are you talking about?
The act of Zuo Wang cutting off his arm.
Come on. Brother.
I know this one.
Zuo Wang is a man of courage.
To deceive his enemy,
he cut off his arm and bore extreme pain.
Finally...
Brother.
You don't wanna emulate him, do you?
Oh, so much for that.
Brother, sit down, please.
Yesterday, I met an acquaintance in the town,
and I’ve brought him here.
Your friend. I’m eager to meet him.
He is right outside the headquarters,
accompanied by my soldiers.
Please let them get in.
Let them come in.
Man, what's up?
His surname is Liu.
He is the head of Japanese agents in Laiyang.
He has done many evil things
for the Japanese army.
Last night,
he even tried to work with a traitor
to assassinate me,
but he was caught by me.
Really?
Did you catch the traitor?
The traitor was sly,
and he was not an ordinary person,
so we failed to catch him.
But Mr. Liu knows this guy
and can recognize him.
Good.
Tell us
who the traitor is.
Sir,
as the Chief of Staff,
I did not get any intelligence
about the assassination
during the negotiation.
I failed to do my duty.
I would take any punishment.
You shouldn’t be blamed.
I cannot believe
someone dared to commit murder in my town.
He is doomed.
Sir, let me deal with this guy.
I promise I will find out the murderer.
Since Weiguo has caught him,
we should listen to him.
Weiguo, what do you think?
Brigadier Tang,
please do me justice.
Please do me justice.