Sire, Yuanba at your service...
Ling live Your Majesty.
At ease.
What is at ease?
Yuanba, Sire asked you to get up.
Thank you, Sire.
Li Yuanba, you were yelling for me,
what were you yelling about?
I want to be made a lord...
Lord, what kind of lord?
A lord is a good thing.
You made my brothers lord,
so I want to be a lord too.
Alright, I can make you a lord,
but you have to earn it.
Your father just said you have immense strength,
let me see how strong you are.
I'm really very strong...
I can lift the lions.
Don't just sit here, get up.
Your turn now. Get up.
He's not made of flesh and blood?
He's Hercules incarnate?
Lord Tang, you raised a good son.
Yuanba, you are strong indeed.
You just said you want to be named a lord,
what do you have in mind?
A very big lord.
How big is big?
People you see here are all big lords.
What do you have in mind?
What I have in mind? Then...
Sire, this gold medal looks nice,
I want this.
Yuanba, behave yourself.
No...I want this.
Yuanba, that's not for everyone.
I don't understand.
You have to be invincible to get it.
Alright, let me fight him.
If he loses, then I'm number one.
If he wins, he's number one.
Smart.
Sire, Master Yuanba is as thin as a rail,
and Chengdu has immense strength,
if something goes wrong, Lord Tang may lose a son.
I don't think a fight is a good idea.
Honorable Yuwen is right.
Tianbao General is renowned warrior,
my naughty son is not on his par.
Sire, please cut him some slack.
Let me take him home to straighten him out,
so he won't get in trouble again.
No...I want this gold medal.
Gentlemen, the young like to get physical.
If there are both willing,
let them duke it out.
If you two find it inappropriate,
we can have a contest, and see who is the stronger one.
Sire, that's a good idea.
Then, let's have a finger tug-of-war.
Alright, you can start on my third clap.
Come on.
Come on over.
Come on, take it off.
Take it off...
Sire, finger tug-of-war is a children's game,
it's not a way to test real strength,
nor the way to find out who's stronger.
Sire, please understand.
Yuanba, you're the first who could pull Tianbao General.
Awesome.
But, do you have anything else to show me?
I know a hammer routine.
Hammer routine? How cool.
Tianbao General, you hear that?
He knows a hammer routine.
Why don't you have a round with him with your phoenix trident.
Don't disappoint me.
Yes, Sire.
Brother, just give me your gold medal,
then we won't have to fight, and you won't have to die.
Kid, if you can beat me,
then it won't just my gold medal, you can have my life as well.
But if you lose,
then my phoenix trident will take your life.
Alright...come on...
Come over.
Get me more men,
if Tianbao General loses, charge up and kill that Li Yuanba.
Yes.
Come on, bring it on...
Kid...
Get him... Yes...
Halt.
Back off.
Yuanba, your martial artistry is unsurpassed,
I'm sure you'll do me great service.
I'm counting on you to uphold my reign.
I'll have another gold medal made for you.
Sire...which of us is invincible?
You and Yuwen Chengdu are both invincible.
You're both heaven's gifts to me,
you're my right and left arms.
I can't be a one-armed man, right?
Let's see how you both fare in a few years' time.
But you have not named me lord yet.
Just do it.
Make me lord.
Alright, I name you Lord Zhao.
Lord Zhao? Is it big?
Let me give you a horse as well.
Get me Distant Smoke.
Yuanba, what do you think about this horse?
Sire, it's a good horse indeed. It can stand my thighs.
Master Shimin, why do you look so worried?
Share it with me.
I don't think the water ghost case was that simple.
It seems someone was behind it.
When we got to the shed,
the incense ash was right there for us.
When we got to Ma Shumou's study,
children's clothes were lying around.
You mean Li Mi?
He's a meticulous man,
he has made us his pawns.
Whatever, the removal of Ma Shumou is a good thing.
We must be on our toes when we meet him again.
Yes.
Honorable Li, how clever of you.
You rallied the people and used them to kill.
As smart as Li Shimin is, he could do nothing about you.
Highness, what do you mean?
I'm not that ignorant.
The man who testified against Ma Shumou was your man.
But you did a great job-.
I didn't praise you to Sire in vain.
Just carry on with the canal construction,
Once it's complete, you'll have another credit under your name.
I'll ensure you leapfrog to a high position.
Your Highness is too kind, I don't deserve it.
I wonder what else I should do?
You really don't know what's on my mind?
I'm curious how you did it.
At first, I instigated disruptions just to make it difficult for Ma Shumou.
Then I realized that Yuwen Huaji would back him,
so I thought I could use Sire to remove him.
In your position, it's not easy to get Ma Shumou removed.
Right, but heaven was on my side.
Li Shimin showed up at the right time.
So I could use him.
I let him get ahold of the dead person's hair and remnants of poisonous incense.
I knew he'd follow the leads and dig to the bottom.
How smart.
I knew Ma Shumou would stop Li Shimin from carrying out his investigation at night
I put children's clothes in prominent places in Ma Shumou's room,
so Li Shimin would suspect he had something to hide.
Striking while the iron is hot,
I further presented the worker with the poisonous incense.
But he denied it in the very beginning.
I had bought him off.
I had him deny it at first, so Ma Shumou would let his guard down.
Then he'd point the finger at Ma Shumou in front of Sire.
So you planned everything.
What about the men that worked for you?
Have they been taken good care of?
I'm always tidy and leave no loose ends.
Those that disguised as workers...
So no one can bear witness against me.
Spectacular.
But Li Shimin is a smart man,
he almost ruined my plan.
If I had not gotten there in time that night,
my plan would have been blown.
So, Your Highness, we must be extra careful from now on,
we shouldn't underestimate him.
Your Highness, that's what happened,
I wonder if you are satisfied?
That depends on what you will do next.
While Emperor Yang was busy with his decadent pursuits,
millions of people were toiling for the canal construction.
In order to move the completion forward,
overseers used beatings to make workers work harder.
Many died from exhaustion on the spot.
The canal was lined with dead bodies.
In the Huanghuai region, uprisings were frequent,
and people rallied to the cause.
There were rebellions everywhere,
and rebel leaders declared their independence.
Sire, the canal to Yangzhou is complete,
the dragon boat has been built, Sire can sail anytime.
I'm impressed by you the young.
You managed to get the job done in such a short time.
Good!
Veteran courtiers should take a leaf from you.
Honorable Li is remarkable indeed.
Sire, how will you reward him?
He's named Generalissimo.
Join me on the Yangzhou tour.
Thank you, Sire.
Lord Tang, you, Shimin and Yuanba join us as well,
you can keep me company.
Sire, my son Yuanba suffers from a mental disorder.
It comes to the fore from time to time,
Shiman and I have to keep an eye on him.
He needs to take regular medication or he may harm the innocent.
We cannot join Sire on the trip.
Alright.
Sire, the dragon boat's been built specifically for Sire,
please order Li Mi to recruit 500 boys and 500 girls as pullers,
so they can pull the boat into the water, for a spectacular launch.
Yuwen Huaji, you always manage to come up with such awesome ideas.
Good!
Li Mi...
I'm sure you won't disappoint me.
Sire, it will be carried out.
Leaving so early? Stay longer.
It's not early, I have to find Sire boys and girls as pullers
Yuwen Huaji deliberately made it difficult for you.
Is it alright on your side?
Don't worry, it just takes up some time.
Be careful.
Sui, what a glorious reign!
The Huai River flowing, the dawn mist glowing,
river and land as one, basking in the morning sun,
The bright sun now an island high the boat leaves Changqi behind.
Jumping fish dot the foamy water, Fowls ready to leave their sandy shelter.
When the autumn evening falls, it's time melancholy calls.
Great poem!
Sire, we're ready to set sail.
Set sail!
That Yang Guang is so decadent.
In order to appreciate viburnum flowers in Yangzhou,
he spared nothing to get the canal built.
Knowing that he's not in the capital,
the eighteen rebel leaders are busy strengthening themselves for action.
They want to intercept Yang Guang.
I think it's time Wagang makes our move.
Yang Guang is out of Chang'an.
The defenses there must be weak.
Why don't we use this chance to capture Chang'an?
The occupation will give us an edge.
Let's go take his den.
We should plan ahead,
but Sui still has its strength,
Wagang is still short on manpower.
If we set out for battle now,
Wagang will be left defenseless.
We may find ourselves fighting on all sides
The outcome is far from certain.
Counselor, what should we do to enhance our chances?
Rebel leaders should join forces and unite.
But human hearts are hard to read, it's not that easy.
So we should be patient and wait for the right time.
Yingying...
What is it? You look unhappy.
Someone bullied you?
Let me stand up for you.
Shixin, it's beyond you.
I must kill that man with my own hands.
Then I'll leave him to you.
Father, we defeated the Gao force.
Though it took us a long time,
We're still victorious.
When Sire hears, you'll be rewarded.
Fang, what I'm doing is honoring my word to late Sire.
When he was still alive,
the last thing he asked me to do was to assist his successor
to uphold the Sui reign.
It was his deathbed wish.
As his subject, how can I fail him?
Report.
Your Honor, I did your bidding and reported the victory to the court.
But the capital guards said Sire is not in Chang'an.
What? Not in Chang'an? Where has he gone?
He left for Yangzhou several days ago.
What for?
For the viburnum flowers blossoming.
You may go. Yes.
How outrageous!
He's new to the throne,
Rebels everywhere are looking for their chance.
As the emperor, how could he be so nonchalant?
No, nothing can happen to Sire.
Luo Fang. Yes.
Gather other guardians and pick an elite team
to go protect Sire with me.
Yes.
Counselor and I have checked Yang Guang's route to Yangzhou.
Guys, look.
The part above Mount Siping is level, it's not ideal for an ambush.
The part below is swampy, making retreat difficult.
The Mount Siping pass is rugged,
it's the best location to assassinate Yang Guang.
Moreover, his dragon boat has to stop there for several days,
to stock up on food supplies and recruit girls for the boat.
If we're fully prepared,
we can assassinate Yang Guang there.
Hit it where it'll hurt.
Once Yang Guang is dead, Sui will crumble.
Good! So it's settled.
For Yang Guang's Yangzhou trip,
the person responsible for his safety is Tianbao General,
and there's a force with him.
Wagang is outnumbered.
We need the cooperation of the eighteen rebel leaders if we want to win.
The eighteen rebel leaders and forty-six regional forces
all have their own agendas now.
I don't think they can be unified.
Gathering them all together may only lead to disputes.
You have a point.
The leaders may come from different backgrounds,
but they're committed to the overthrowing of Sui.
They see eye to eye where Yang Guang is concerned.
They all want to kill him.
The purpose of this cooperation is to kill Yang Guang,
I think it's feasible.
I have counted the days,
if we send out invitation cards to the seventeen rebel leaders,
we can intercept Yang Guang's dragon boat in time.
Then we'll pull out all stops to kill this wicked emperor.
Give my order,
send out invitation cards to rebel leaders for the assassination of Yang Guang.
Heroes, the reason you were asked to come to Mount Siping,
has been written on the invitation card,
This is the right place to intercept and kill Yang Guang.
So, heroes, we should be united.
My obeisance.
You must be Qin Qiong, aka Qin Shubao, generalissimo of Mount Wagang.
I have long heard of you.
Now we can finally meet, I'm honored.
Right...
So you're Qin Qiong, aka Qin Shubao,
who is known on both banks of Yellow River and commands respect in six prefectures.
You do live up to your name.
My admiration... My admiration...
Guys...I'm counting on you.
Aunt, they were all dead,
Brother Jin Jia, Brother Tong Huan,
the uncles,and the baby Aunt was carrying...
I understand, I do.
We knew the first day we came to Wagang,
that everyone here has a feud with Sui.
When the time comes,
I'll take you to Chang'an for revenge.
You promised you would let go of the past.
If you were me, could you?
All these days, I've tried hard to let go.
I made myself look happy.
To put it behind me for the time being.
But I just couldn't.
I keep thinking of our days in Er Xian Zhuang,
when we were all alive and well...
Don't worry, your revenge is near.
Really?
Promise me, once you have your revenge,
you'll be as happy as before. Alright?
Come on, smile.
Come on...
Yingying...
Yu'er... What happened to you?
I'm fine. They are...
They were found up the mount,
they had almost passed out from hunger.
So I brought them here for to freshen up and have a bite.
Let me go with you.
It's good I have extra outfits with me.
Take them to my tent to freshen up.
Good, let me take them there.
Good.
Come on, this way. Yes.
Just go.
Come on...have a bite.
Thank you... Take it...
Take your time, don't choke.
Take your time...
Have some water...
Have some water.
Take your time, there's more.
Miss, actually... We can't tell.
But they saved us, why can't we tell?
Actually we ran from Sire's dragon boat
Dragon boat?
You mean Yang Guang?
Along his river route, at every stop,
he would have pretty girls abducted to the boat.
Dozens were taken from our village alone,
and taken to him for him to molest.
Not only that, girls that resisted him were given to his men.
They were tortured to death.
Ten of us fled together,
now it's just the three of us.
We kept running and here we are.
How outrageous! Yang Guang is a beast!
He should be chopped into pieces.
Miss, we don't know how to do anything,
we don't know martial arts,
but we can do chores.
Laundry, cooking, whatever,
please let us stay here.
Don't worry. Yang Guang that beast killed my family.
Come on, don't be sad.
You can stay here.
From now on, we're sisters.
Thank you for saving us.
Get up...
Yang Guang will soon get to Mount Siping.
We've heard nothing from Li Zitong, Tang Bi or Meng Haigong.
Right...
As soon as we got the invitation, I brought everything here.
What are they thinking?
Right...
Even if we do the dirty job of killing Yang Guang,
we may not benefit from it.
Other people may stand to benefit.
Right...
See? Where are Wu Yunzhao, Wu Tianci, and Xiong Kuohai, Lord Fengming's three top dogs
They're nowhere to be seen.
Right... Not here...
What's the point of going to war?
I say we should go back.
Right...go back...
Let's consolidate our strength first,
then we can Yang Guang.
Right...
However formidable Yuwen Chengdu is,
he can't fight all of us.
I will charge all the way in the front.
I'll kill them one by one.
I get it.
Whoever's a chicken can go.
I, Zhu Can, make it clear here.
Even if it means the annihilation of the Nanyang force,
I'll fight Yang Guang to the very end,
to avenge the 135 lives of Lord Zhongxiao.
Right... Good...
Fight to the very end...
Guys, take it easy.
Yang Guang won't be here for another three days.
It's pointless to argue about this now.
We're all anti-Sui fighters,
we shouldn't let such squabbles upset us.
Right...
What matters now is unity.
Don't be impetuous, or our efforts will be wasted,
and you'll have made the journey in vain.
Right...so very true.
What Counselor Xu and General Qin said makes sense.
I don't know about you guys,
but I'll wait for Yang Guang here.
Yingying, what are you doing here?
I happened to pass by.
Pass by?
Sit down and take a break.
How's the discussion?
When will the force set out?
Set out? Set out for what?
Three of the eighteen rebel leaders are absent.
Let me tell you, they're all cowards.
But the dragon boat will be here soon.
So? Those three rebel leaders still aren't here yet.
That's a big problem.
But, let me tell you...
Sit down...
Let me tell you, Brother Xu said,
they'll do it once Yang Guang passes Mount Siping.
You have not idea, I've been thinking so much about this,
almost all my hair fell out, look.
Yingying, you should know what's in my heart
Why don't you have a drink with me?