Counselor, this letter...
Lord Mount invited us to go to Mount Zijin for a jade seal challenge.
What? We can get the imperial seal if we break the formation?
If they dare make such a promise,
they must have a failsafe plan.
The formation defenders mentioned here,
we know most of them.
Yuwen Chengdu, Shang Shitu, Ding Yanping,
and Luo Yi of Beiping prefecture.
Of course this is a trap,
the ball is now in our court.
But the formation will use up almost all of Sui's military strength.
If the formation is broken, then Sui is doomed.
I heard other rebel leaders also got this invitation from Yang Lin.
The other seventeen rebel leaders are looking to us to decide whether to accept.
We should accept the challenge.
Why?
I know my father,
what he cares about is Beiping prefecture's safety.
That time he couldn't say no to the formation defense,
for fear of retribution.
Though he did his part,
Yang Guang still picked on the House of Beiping.
This time Father still won't say no, it's for self-preservation.
If Uncle has this intention in mind,
it'll enhance our chance of breaking the formation.
But the other three defenders are talented warriors.
Fighting them will mean casualties.
Right.
To enhance our chances,
let me talk to my father,
and see if he'll let me take his place.
You'll meet no resistance if I'm a defender of the formation.
Right, it's best to have help from inside.
Buddy, with you as our mole, Sui is doomed.
It'll be our reign.
Let's not delay.
Call up our men, we're going to Mount Zijin.
It's make or break for us.
We must put the last nail into Sui's coffin.
Set out! Yes!
Brother...
Let me go to the battlefield with you.
What battlefield?
You have not fully recovered, just stay here.
But I'm worried... Shixin...
Shixin, come on, go back with me.
Don't make Mother worry about you.
But I want to go with you.
You're going to the battlefield,
what if the god of thunder gives you a hard time?
Shixin, don't worry.
I'm fully prepared. Nothing will go wrong.
Be a good boy and stay here.
Take care of the family, alright?
Shixin, listen to your brother, listen to me,
go back with me.
Mother misses you.
If she doesn't see you, she'll be worried.
Wait for the next campaign,
your brother will bring you along, alright?
Right... Really?
Yes, I'll bring you along next time.
This time, stay home and take care of Mother.
You're a big boy now, a grown-up.
Mother needs you to take care of her, right?
Alright.
Brother, I'll stay home and take care of Mother.
You're going into battle, take good care of yourself.
Don't worry, I have to go.
Shubao...
What is it?
You're going to fight, be careful.
Don't worry.
As for my father...
Don't worry.
Yellow Boy, take good care of your master.
I have to go.
Yellow Boy, come on, let's go.
Sire, here we are, Mount Zijin.
Sire, we've been waiting for some time.
Greetings from Liu Wuzhou of Dingyang.
Greetings from Wang Shichong of Yangzhou.
It's getting late,
I think you should set up camp here first,
then we'll talk about how to break the formation.
Yes, good.
Give my order, we'll set up camp here.
Anti-Sui rebels are gathered here in Zijin Mount,
the assault of the Brass Standard Formation will begin any time.
As for the stance of Lord Beiping,
we need Generalissimo Qin and General Luo
to go to the villa to confirm.
As Deputy Luo, I won't be stopped,
but Cousin...
Right, after the assault of Yang Guang's dragon boat in Mount Siping,
the security of his villa should be greatly fortified.
It won't be easy to slip in.
Report.
Two men are outside, they asked for an audience.
Have they announced themselves?
No.
Ask them to come in. Yes.
General Luo.
Father, greetings.
Get up.
I meant to go to you with Cousin
to talk about the formation.
Shubao, see who's here.
Father...
Yong'er...
Father, I missed you so much...
Yong'er.
I waited for you in Wakou Pass,
now we finally meet.
My wish has come true.
Come on, get up...
Yong'er...
You're a big boy now.
Lord Beiping, Li Mi at your service,
please sit.
You're too kind. After you.
After you.
I'm here to ask you to withdraw.
Yang Lin has gathered a force of 500,000,
with more than a thousand warriors for this Brass Standard Formation.
He has also invited more than ten rebel leaders to come.
He intends to catch every one of them, to finish then": off once and for all.
I understand this formation is a trap.
We raised the anti-Sui standard
to overthrow the tyrannical Sui,
to give the people peace.
We won't shirk in the face of difficulties.
The tough thrive in adversities.
But it's not just about fighting on the battlefield.
This formation is not just a showdown of strength.
It's a game of alienation.
What do you mean?
The jade seal is the bait
to lead your fledgling rebel forces to turn on one another.
Once you've killed one another for the seal,
you'll be in no position to fight back,
and you'll annihilated.
It is a wicked formation.
Don't underestimate it, the gain is not worth the loss.
You should conserve your strength,
and catch the Sui force off guard.
Uncle, let us be frank.
We are not here to fight with other rebels for the jade seal or the reign.
Shubao, if you're not here for the throne, why are you here then?
Because Yang Guang the tyrant left the country in turmoil.
We're here to break the formation and overthrow Sui,
to relieve the people from the plight.
Uncle, on your way from Beiping to Yangzhou
you must have seen the suffering of the people.
The people are mired in their sufferings,
how can we just sit here and do nothing?
If we can break the formation when Yang Guang is still in Yangzhou,
it'll kick start the momentum for Sui's downfall.
So if it means my life, I'm willing to pay for it.
I understand how you feel,
but the formation is treacherous.
There are formations within the formation,
and they're interlinked,
not to mention contraptions, arrows and cannons.
If you don't know how it works, going into it means certain death,
there is no coming back from it.
Please forgive my audacity.
Father, please lend us a hand, and help us break the formation
so we can remove the tyrant and wicked courtiers.
Granduncle, I may be young, but I know right from wrong.
It is Father and Uncle on one side,
and the tyrant on the other.
Of course we must take the side of the just
This Brass Standard Formation is unique.
You need a breakthrough point within the four sides
if you want to minimize casualties and get to its heart.
Yong'er, stay here and help Wagang.
Cheng, you'll replace me as a formation defender.
Thank you, Father.
With Lord Beiping's help and Brother Cheng in the formation,
we'll break the formation. The tyrant must die.
Uncle, you're understanding, I'm grateful indeed.
Though Cheng will fill in for me,
the formation is complicated and it's versatile and elusive.
You'll need to know how it works before you can find its weak points for attack.
Your Lordship, how can we get the formation plan?
The formation plan is with Lord Mount.
Defenders won't get it until the assault begins.
When the defense begins and I get my part of the draft
I'll pass it to you through Cheng.
As for the drafts of the other three sides,
there's nothing I can do.
Your Lordship has already done us a great favor, we're grateful.
Lord Mount, Luo Cheng at your service.
Deputy Luo...
don't stand on ceremony.
Where's your father?
He's not feeling well,
so I'm here to fill in for him to exterminate of the rebels.
I see. I hope it's not serious.
The physician has seen him, it's not serious.
He just needs some rest.
That's good.
Deputy Luo is known as to be ever victorious, and a martial arts adept,
not to mention formation strategy.
With your help, I couldn't be happier.
You're too kind.
I'm not very bright, I don't know much about this formation.
Could you explain the tricky parts to me?
This formation is complicated,
it can't be explained in a short time.
Wait till we've wiped out the rebel leaders,
then I can tell you all the details.
For the time being, just carry out your orders and hold your position.
Just do your part.
I will. Good.
Deputy Luo, if there's nothing else,
you may go back to your camp.
But remember, the fight is imminent,
be fully charged and prepare for it.
Yes. Then excuse me. You may go.
We're here to break the formation.
We've reached an agreement.
Just like the assassination of Yang Guang in Mount Siping,
we look to Wagang and see Emperor Wei as our leader,
Qin Qiong as commander-in-chief and Xu Maogong as counselor.
Wu Yunzhao, Wu Tianxi, Xiong Kuohai as vanguards.
We'll follow the military orders of our leader.
Today, anti-Sui comrades are gathered in Mount Zijin,
we swear to be of one mind and work to overthrow Sui.
Kill the tyrant, overthrow Sui for good...
Report.
Lord Mount Yang Lin is here for a visit.
Guys, take it easy.
Yang Lin must have his reasons to be here.
Let's hear him out first.
What do you think?
Alright, let him in...
Please sit.
Your Honor, we're going to meet on the battlefield,
what brought you here? What can we do for you?
Emperor Wei, Lords,
I invited you to come to Mount Zijin for our showdown.
My Brass Standard Formation is set under Mount Zijin.
You're welcome to try to break it starting the third day of the third month.
On behalf of Sire,
I am here to invite you to a pre-challenge tour.
I wonder if you care to go?
Should we go?
Your Honor, we can't wait to go.
Well then, Counselor Xu,
let us meet tomorrow at Sam at the pass, I'll show you around.
What do you think?
Good. We have a deal.
A deal.
Excuse me.
Yang Lin asked us to go for a tour, it must be a trap.
Indeed. If we go, we may be ambushed,
if we don't go, we may look like cowards.
Right...
Counselor, you're learned and smart,
you think about it, just tell us what to do.
Right...
Heaven bless us.
Yang Lin asked us to go for a tour
to show off his might.
What we'll be able to see is superficial,
we won't be able to see anything important.
Formations are versatile.
But with strengths come weaknesses.
Lords, don't be overwhelmed by its appearance.
And be on your toes for sudden attacks.
We must go fully prepared.
Counselor is right.
But how can we be prepared?
Besides Your Lordships,
key commanders will go tomorrow too.
Some of them will go on the tour with you for your protection.
Others will station outside with their men
in case something comes up during the tour.
We need to watch one another's back.
What do you think?
Counselor, so be it then. Just do as you see fit.
Heroes' Corner
Son of Heaven
You're heroes of our time,
now that you are all here,
I name this place Heroes' Corner,
I think it's appropriate.
Alright, now let me introduce you to the defenders of the formation.
Ever Victorious General Luo Cheng.
Twin Spear Commander Ding Yanping.
Sibao General Shang Shitu.
Brass Standard formation host Tianbao General Yuwen Chengdu.
If you break their defense,
you can claim this standard.
The Brass Standard is in the heart of the formation.
Lords and commanders,
whoever you are, once you get the brass standard,
you'll be the son of heaven.
I'll recognize him as emperor,
Sire will give him his dragon robe
and the imperial seal.
It's a wicked trick indeed.
Yang Lin is using the seal as bait for the leaders to fight for over.
The anti-Sui cause will be forgotten.
You mean it?
Lords and commanders,
I mean every word I said.
I'll recognize him as son of heaven,
we'll be his subjects.
Counselor, what do we do?
What's so tricky about this formation?
Counselor, just get straight to the point, don't beat around the bush.
Heaven bless us.
This formation is set according to the eight trigrams with eight openings.
Going in through the life opening will meet no resistance,
going through the death opening will meet ambushes all the way.
Then there are the wood, water, fire and earth subsets,
again they're set according to the eight trigrams.
They can fight individually or follow the host's orders and join forces.
There are many variations.
What? Brother Ji, allow me to chip in, what you just said,
I think it's beyond many of us.
Right...
What life and death openings?
Just tell us what to do, how to fight, alright?
Indeed...
Counselor, so are they ways to break it?
It's not entirely invincible.
The way to break it lies with the defenders.
If the defenders are killed,
breaking it is a piece of cake.
No, not only is Tianbao General Yuwen Chengdu is formidable,
the other three are talents.
The commanders guarding the four sides are not to be underestimated.
Also, in addition to the defenders,
there are 500,000 Sui soldiers.
They have the advantage of the terrain.
If we're not cautious,
we may be swarmed by Sui soldiers attacking from all sides.
Be it the troop or the defenders,
just give me the order,
I'll be the first to charge into it.
Bravo...
Lord Nanyang is brave indeed... My admiration.
If we are of one mind,
we can stand up to the Sui force.
What worries me is the brass standard inside the formation.
What's so special about that? Why does it worry you?
Lord Mount said whoever takes it will get the imperial seal,
he wants to use it to split us.
The seal is the bait, so that we'll turn on one another.
The Sui force will stand to benefit.
I think you're reading too much into it.
When we first started out, it wasn't for the seal or reign.
Right...
We rebelled because the court had pushed our backs to the wall.
If there is peace, I don't care who's emperor...
Right...whoever... Right...
I don't care about the seal...
I just want Yang Guang dead,
whoever gets the seal means nothing to me.
Counselor, just give us the order...
You are right.
But I still have not a strategy.
Please have patience.
Let me think about it.
It's late, please go back and rest.
Let's talk about it tomorrow.
Excuse me...
Go back and rest... Yes...
Excuse me too.
This Brass Standard Formation is treacherous indeed,
there are dangers everywhere.
If our eighteen rebel troops are not of one mind,
we will not find a way out,
we'll panic,
and give our enemy the chance to beat us.
Right.
We have to wait for Luo Cheng's draft now.
Only then can we have assurance.
Come. Yes.
Give my order,
no one is allowed to go out without permission.
Your Honor, greetings.
Not a moment too soon. At ease.
I am in need of elite troops,
You came at the right time.
Your Honor, our 5,000 men are outside at your disposal.
5,000?
Did I hear wrong?
Your Honor, Jinyang is sparsely populated,
and my father gives emphasis to agriculture.
It wasn't easy for us to gather 5,000 men.
Is your brother Li Yuanba here as well?
He's a Sui warrior. Of course he's here.
Good. Let Yuanba take his position,
we'll leave the actual figure for later.
Yes.
5,000?
Yes.
Li Yuan didn't take your decree seriously.
We demanded 100,000 and he came with 5,000.
It's quite obvious what he's up to.
5,000 makes a troop.
He has made a contribution.
He should be rewarded.
I heard he has brought along his two sons.
I am free today,
ask them to come keep me company.
As for the 100,000 men,
tell him to send them here as ordered.
Sire, what if he still refuses?
Sire's decree demanded 100,000 men from your father,
but you have disobeyed Sire and brought only 5,000.
Sire is very upset.
He ordered your father to send the men right away.
Before they're here,
you are not allowed to leave the camp.
General Yuwen is just carrying out orders,
Let's go back in.
Once my father's men are here, we'll be fine.
Master Shimin is right, it's a setup.
They want to keep us under house arrest.
We don't have to defend the formation for them.
Sui's days are numbered.
There are uprisings everywhere.
Sire may be able to gather 500,000 men for deployment,
but he has lost popular support,
the Sui force will lose.
I'm worried Father will break under pressure and send the men.
Then he'll miss the chance for an uprising.
It's what I think as well.
Let us answer the signs of the times,
and persuade Honorable Li to declare himself emperor.
Brother Shimin...
When are we going to defend the formation?
I can't wait any longer.
Yuanba, let me ask you two questions.
Be honest with me.
Go ahead.
Yuanba, would you fight your benefactor Qin Qiong, or kill him?
I'll kill anyone except my benefactor.
Will you do heaven's wish and save the people from their plight?
Yes.
Good brother, let's go to the formation.
But we're not here to defend it, we're here to break it.
Then...
Will Father be mad at us?
Yuanba, we're doing it for him.
Others are here for the jade seal,
what is it?
The jade seal is a piece of jade with a dragon engraved on it.
Dragon...
I dream of a dragon every night.
Brother Shimin, you turn into a dragon.
Let me get you the jade seal.
Red Duster, go back to Jinyang right away.
Tell my father we've switched allegiances.
He should go capture Chang'an.
Yes.
Godfather, my obeisance.
Cheng, get UP-
When I heard you were here to defend the formation,
I prepared you a treat.
Come on...it's been some time since we last met,
let's drink to our fill.
Sit down.
Godfather, my toast to you.
Come on, cheers.
Cheng, come on, dig in. Yes.
Cheng, last time we met it was in an inn in Xinglong town.
We had a good time and drank a lot.
We had a sparring on spear versus twin spears.
I wonder if you still remember that.
Let's have another spar.
Your martial artistry has greatly improved.
You were just holding back.
No one has countered my twin spears all these years,
but aside from you, there's another man who can do it.
He almost killed me.
What? No way.
I was hosting the Snake Formation in Mount Jinji.
There was a challenger from Wagang.
A masked man called Cheng Yaoyin.
He's of your age and he used a spear.
He knew the way to counteract twin spears with a single spear.
He beat me with it.
The more I think of it, the stranger it seems to me.
He's finally getting suspicious.
What should I do?
Cheng, what do you think?
Report.
Lord Mount asked General Ding to go over,
to discuss the formation defense.
Alright.
Cheng, I have to leave you here, wait for me.
We'll carry on with our drinking when I'm back.
Godfather, let me go with you.
Come on.
General Ding, please. Please.
Deputy Luo, please halt.
Gentlemen, I'm here to defend the formation on my father's behalf.
Why I an": being kept outside?
Highness. Father.
My dear friend,
your father has fallen ill and can't come.
You're new to the formation and you're still green.
I have spoken with the other generals,
we've decided to let you take your position with General Ding.
He's the commander and you're the vanguard.
I see.
As for your father,
I've arranged his recuperation in the villa.
He can join us after he's recovered.
I'm taking up position very soon,
but I don't know much about the formation,
could you enlighten me about it?
The Brass Standard Formation?
I've left the set up to General Ding.
Just follow his orders.
Cheng, the fight is looming,
but you don't have to worry,
you have me and the other generals to back you up.
Just go back and prepare for it.
Excuse me.
Master Shimin, I bid you goodbye.
Be careful. Yes.
A deserter, get him. Yes.
Fleeing? Tie him up. Yes.
Take her away. Yes.
Go. Let go of me.
Red Duster?
Behave yourself.
If you run away again, you'll be killed.
Take her away.
Shimin, what do we do?
Brother Li, don't worry.
Before my father's troops are here,
her life is not in danger.
I'll get her out.
Now that Red Duster's been caught, the security will be even heavier.
Since the letter can't be delivered to Jinyang,
we have to use another option.
Brother-in-law, Brother Li,
I'll go ask for an audience with Lord Mount.
You two use the chance to wake Yuanba.
Let him fight a way out for you.
Use oppression as the excuse and demand you be let go.
Stir up a row, the bigger the better.
No, what if something happens to you?
Then how can I...
Master Shimin must have his reason for doing this,
we should just do as he says.
Alright, be careful.
General, I'm here to defend the formation with my men as ordered.
Before I came, my father had several messages for Lord Mount,
I have yet to pass them to him.
Could you take me to him?
Delay may affect the military outcome.
Take him.
Your Honor, Lord Qin asks for an audience.
Your Honor, greetings.
You may go. Yes.
What do you want to see me for?
Your Honor, please set us free.
And please tell Sire to withdraw his demand for our troop in Jinyang.
What nerve!