Episode 03
A murderer! A murderer!
A murderer!
Mengde!
We have committed a terrible crime.
We misunderstood them!
It wasn't us whom they were going to kill. It was the pig.
Mengde, you were too suspicious!
We killed innocent people and committed a great offense!
What's done is done. Grieving about it is pointless.
We should leave quickly.
Lets go.
Which way??
We can't go on the highway.
Then...
What's that noise?
Noise?
This way, you stupid, obstinate ass!
Lü Boshe!
Where?
Quickly, Co!
Nephew Mengde!
What are you doing?
Are you leaving already?
Nephew Mengde!
What are you doing?
Where do you think you're going?
Uncle!
The soldiers have been pursuing us too hotly in the last few days.
If we stayed,
we would bring trouble to you.
It'd be better if we left.
That wouldn't do!
Look I've bought us some good wine.
And they are just killing a pig to cook at home!
Tonight, we shall feast until we can feast no more!
Nobody's leaving!
What are you standing there for? Let's go home!
Don't just stand there.
Look at you, it's so cold out here...
Cao Mengde!
Lü Boshe was our savior and an honorable man!
Correct.
He's also your father's sworn brother and your uncle!
Correct.
We have already killed a dozen innocent people in his family by mistake.
Why did you have to kill Lü Boshe as well?
Precisely because we have already killed innocent people by mistake.
We can't leave him alive.
What are you saying?
Think about it.
If Lü Boshe got home
and saw that we've slaughtered his whole household,
how shocked and furious would he be?
Would he then not bring others to kill us?
Only by killing him will we avoid future trouble.
You!
Oh, Cao Mengde!
You ingrate, killing while^knowing.it's wrong...
Can you still claim any loyalty and honor?
I'd rather betray the world
than the world to betray me.
What did you say?
I'd rather betray the world,
than the world to betray me.
What?
Brother Gongtai, looks like we must go back.
Co back where?
Chenggao County.
Why?
It's a few hundred miles between here and Chenliu.
We haven't eaten for two full days.
If we keep walking like this, we'll die of cold and hunger.
And here I was thinking that you found your conscience,
that you were going to go back to bury Lu Boshe and his family.
Brother Gongtai, no need to get emotional.
The dead cannot be brought back to life, yet those who live still shoulder a great burden.
He's already prepared things to eat and drink.
If we don't go back, wouldn't he have died in vain?
Lets go.
Uncle, it wasn't I who killed you.
It's this era of chaos that did.
Your kindness to us, your benevolence
I'll remember these for as long as I live. How I will miss you!
O calamity, O woe! O woe, O calamity!
First you kill a man,
and then you mourn him.
What unheard-of shamelessness!
Uncle!
I will surely avenge this injustice done to you.
I will rally the righteous to overthrow the traitor. and erase iniquity from the realm.
When I have fulfilled my ambitions,
I shall give you a plaque of honor.
and grant you a rank among the nobility,
so that your soul in heaven
may receive sacrificial offerings forever.
You don't sound much like a fugitive on the run,
but more like the emperor of tomorrow.
Brother Congtai.
Man's heart is unfathomable; none can predict what's to come. Who can be sure about the future?
Done. The memorial is over.
We can eat now.
I haven't had meat in a fortnight.
You?
What are you thinking about?
I'm thinking about those crickets of mine.
They were at least faithful and honorable.
And yet you abandoned them, and ran off with me.
Why is that?
Doesn't it mean that I am superior to those crickets?
So that's why I say, in an era of chaos,
only those superior in strength can talk about faithfulness and honor.
The weak will only be abandoned.
Are you regretful, Congtai?
While in that jail room of Zhongmou County,
you should have just cut off my head.
Pack it in a box, bring it to the Capital,
go to Dong Zhuo's and trade it in for some pocket money.
Yes!
At first, I thought you were a hero.
And so I risked my life, left my family and my rank behind and followed you.
To this day, I still cannot tell
if you are an righteous man or an cunning scoundrel!
Brother Gongtai,
the greatest traitor has always resembled an honest man, and the greatest falsehood come across as truth.
Righteousness and evil cannot be discerned by their appearances.
Perhaps yesterday you decided wrongly about me, and perhaps today you misjudged me too.
However, I remain myself.
I have never cared about others misjudging me.
Meat's done. Let's eat.
He killed a dozen innocent people,
yet he could still sleep so soundly.
What manner of a man is he?
Is he even human?
Id rather betray the world
than the world to betray me.
Cao Cao's words are crueler than the sharpest blade.
The blade only killed the Lu family
but with those words he can persecute the whole world!
This man is even more treacherous than DongZhuo
more dangerous, more to be feared!
He will surely bring harm to people if he lives.
Why don't I kill him now and rid the world of a scourge?
I just saved him yesterday and today I'm killing him.
Am I right to do this?
Wouldn't that make me an inconsistent person?
Though Cao Cao is dishonorable, I cannot be faithless.
If you wanted to kill me, just do it. Why hesitate and make yourself miserable?
Father before our e es is chaos unheard of in the last few hundred years.
In the capital, Dong Zhuo destroys the court and massacres the upright.
He took it upon himself to depose the emperor and upset the order of the realm.
Outside the capital,
the various lords and generals, upon seeing how Dong Zhuo abuses his power,
are all seething with anger, indignation, and jealousy.
This era of chaos is precisely when men of ambition arise.
As the saying goes, heroes are made by the times.
I want to raise an army and make my name in the world.
Son, Dong Zhuo is very powerful.
¦(¦»¦¦¦¦iiraMaamii tmm E It wouldn't be that easy to go against him.
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While the Xiliang troops are brave,
their leader, Dong Zhuo, lacks foresight and wisdom.
He has power over Luoyang and holds the court in his hands.
but all he does is rape, kill, and pillage.
He lacks ambition in his heart.
Son, I have already sold all the family properties
for 25,000 gold.
Take it to recruit soldiers and prepare arms and banners.
That's not enough by a long shot.
Those who accomplish great things must have money.
However, not all depends on money.
Of paramount importance is having the right people.
Having one hero's support is better than having 100,000 gold.
Report!
Old master!
Brave souls from far and wide heard,about the return of Cao Mengde, and rushed here to meet him.
I am Yue Jin, styled Wenqian, a native of Weiguo.
I have come to follow Cao Cao and to do my duty to the country.
I am Li Dian, styled Mancheng, from Julu.
Il III ¦ I am Li Dian, styled Mancheng, from Julu.
Allow me to serve Lord Cao
and dedicate my life to his cause.
We, Xiahou Yuan and Xiahou Dun,
and our one thousand men are here to join you/Brother Cao, and to exterminate the traitor together.
That I am able to obtain all your help
means that Heaven's will is favorable to our success.
" MM HI I Wß> Iflllllit W I WM WPPW I
¿te m ) wm if »min uni mi \ Please have a seat and let us decide on the course of action.
#unrecognized text#
r\*mr\ » Elder Brother! Elder Brother!
Brother, Yuan Shao sent us a letter saying that he has already marched forth from Bohai,
and invited 18 lords to campaign together against the villain Dong Zhuo.
He is inviting you to join the alliance.
All 18 lords of the Central Plains have joined the alliance.
That's already half the realm.
I think Dong Zhuo and his Xiliang army will be exterminated without too much trouble.
Brother, let's get ready to go. We'll all go with you!
Brother, we'll all go with you
Think about it.
These 18 lords are
all local warlords originally.
Each of them boasts at least tens of thousands of troops.
How could we, with just a few clansmen in tow,
claim a seat among the lords of the alliance?
However, without a place among the lords,
what would we gain, even if we manage to defeat Dong Zhuo?
These lords' only intent is to fight for rank, for supplies, for land.
Who would even care an ounce for us?
Elder Brother, you truly have foresight.
Though the villain hasn't yet been overthrown, you've already foreseen what will happen after.
The wise knows the future by observing the present.
Then what do you propose? That we don't join the alliance?
We will, of course.
Because I have already prepared a gift for the 18 lords.
And this is exactly the most important thing for them.
It is worth more than a hundred thousand elite troops.
Brother, what is it?
A decree from the emperor.
Think about it.
The lords have everything imaginable.
Troops.
Provisions.
Arms.
But they are sorely lacking the emperor's mandate, so necessarily in such an endeavor.
Without it,
in whose name would they overthrow the traitor?
In whose name would they rally the realm?
Whence would they derive legitimacy?
And I, who have just come out from the capital
I am the only one who could have smuggled out a secret edict.
That's to say.
only through me, Cao Cao,
would the lords have a legitimate alliance,
and could they claim Heaven's support in the campaign.
Elder Brother, did the emperor really give you an edict for this?
Of course not.
But I can draft an edict on His Majesty's behalf.
A forged decree?
Forged decree?
A fake one.
Sometimes, a forgery is more useful than the genuine article.
The first force-Yuan Shu, Governor of Nanyang, bringing twenty thousands to the alliance.
The second force-Han Fu,ilnspector of Ji Province, bringing twenty thousands to the alliance.
Thesixth force-Zhang Miao, Governor of Chenliu.
The seventh force-Qiao Mao, Governor of Dongjun.
The eighth force-Yuan Yi, Governor of Shanyang.
The tenth force-Kong Rong, Governor of Beihai.
The thirteen force-Ma Teng, Governor of Xiliang *
The fourteenth force-Congsun Zan, Governor of Beiping.
The sixteenth force-Sun Jian, Marquis of Wucheng and Governor of Changsha.
Liu Daivof Yanzhou here at>your service, Lord Yuan.
Excellent: This way please.
Ma Teng of Xiliang here at your service, Lord Yuan.
Good, good. This way please.
Sun Jian of Changsha here at your service. Lord Yuan:*
•Excellent. This way please.
Congsun Zan of Beiping here at your service, Lord Yuan.
% This way please.
Brothers,
that is Chengliu Castle.
Yuan Shao is just meeting up with the lords of the realm.
Lets go and join the alliance.
I will go,
but I need Elder Brother to agree to one thing.
Go ahead.
If/were joining the alliance^Elder Brother will have to be the alliance leader.
Otherwise, I'm not joining.
Third Brother, you may not'know,
but Yuan Shao comes from a noble lineage and his name is well-known throughithe realm.
Each of the 18 lords he summoned are either governors or/imperial inspectors.
Any one of them would have a name greater than mine.
I dont care.
I will only ask.
among the 18 lords, is there one scion of the Han house like you, Elder Brother?
Probably not.
/ Is there one as compassionate and righteous as you?
Probably not either, i \
Then that's settled!
Who can be the alliance leader, if not Elder Brother?
It certainly can't be me.
I hate nothing^more than these formalities.
So, after we enter the castle.
t the position of alliance leaderkgoes to Elder Brother,
and vice-leader goes to Second Brother.
And me... I'll be a general of the vanguard!
Enough, Third Brother, nomore of this. Let's hurry to the^castle.
Third Brother, Elder Brother has high ambitions. but his time has not come yet.
Lets hurry to the castle.
Since all the lords and heroes are there already,
we should go and meet them.
Lets go
Elder Brother!
I need to know for sure! Are you going to be the alliance leader or not?
Third Brother, our intent in joining the alliance
is to exterminate the traitor Dong Zhuo and to revive the*House of Han.
Were not after rank nor do we covet wealth.
Understood, Elder Brother!
Off to the castle!
I arrrvery grateful to all of you for joining the alliance andrdoihg your duty to the country.
Our meeting today is a sign that the Han Dynasty will be restored to its former glory.
It is an occasion like none before!
Even in Luoyang, the capital. when have'so many heroes ever gathered in one place? T*^
If the traitor knows that we have gathered to campaign against him, he would be terrified witless!
For our gathered troops to march towards Luoyang and take Dong Zhuo's head,
it would be as easy as taking something out of a bag.
When we 18 lords stand together, we have over half the realm under our feet.
The remaining part can bejtaken with little effort. ^
Generáis,
right now,
all together we have 450,000 foot soldiers and 90,000 horsemen.
This is over twice the strength of Dong Zhuo's Xiliang army.
With such a powerful force, there is no doubt that we will destroy the traitor.
That's right. That's right.
Right. That's right. That's right.
That's right!
That makes sense.
Ma esténse. That makes sense.
Makes'sense. That makes sense.
Makes sense. That makes sense.
Lord Yuan, generals.
I hâve something to say.
As we are gathered here as an alliance,
we need to selectysdmeone of wtue and prestige to be our leader \
and to establish one command, before we can march forward.
What he said. Right.
Right! What he said. Right.
We shouldallobey the orders of the leader.
Yuan Benchuicomestfromra noble family and is descended from a former prime minister of the dynasty.
He is well-connectedyinralhparts.of*the realm.
his wisdom and'virtue are known through the land.
My proposal is thus,to ask Lord Yuan to be theleader of the alliance.
We will all obey his command,and fight to destroy the traitor.
Well...
It must be Benchu.
It must be Benchu. It must be you.
That's right. Must b^Benchu.
Please dont decline. You mustmot decline.
^It must be Benchu.
It must be Benchu!
Very well.
Since you have all obliged me, I shall obey.
Stop there. \
Who are you?
Lad! Go tell Yuan Shao to come welcome us!
My elder brother is here to join the alliance.
You!
Third Brother, dont be rude.
Brother, please send word in,
that Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei of Pingyuan are here to join the alliance.
Liu what? Guan what?
Never heard of you.
/Did General Yuan invite you?
Every man is responsible when his nation's fortunes are at stake. Why need aminvitation?
Since you're not invited, then please leave quickly.
Those within these gates are the very best men ofthe world. There is no place for you.
Go, go, hurry off now.
You blind bastard!
Arrest them! You blind bastard!
Rebels! Rebels!
How dare you hit me?! Arrest them! Arrest them!
Back then when I went to Lord Wang Yun's birthday celebration,
I was also kept out of the door because I was not prestigious enough.
Who would have thought that you gentlemen would encounter the same thing as me today?
I ämliirBei. My humble greetings.
May I ask who you...
Cavalry Commander Cao Cao.
Are you that Cao Mengde*whoiassassinated Dong Zhuo?
I was not.successfuhs
Your righteous deed in attempting that is known throughout thenland.^s
I stand injawe'and respect.
General, since you have never heard of the noble names of those three gentlemen.
have you heard of mine?
Lord Cao, your exalted name is known to all.
Before I attempted to assassinate Dong Zhuo, I was just like them, a nameless person.
How would you know that a nameless person today
wouldn't have his name sung in praise by the world tomorrow?
If, one dayrtheir names come to be exalted by all.
would you regret what you have done today?
Lord Cao, you're right, you're right. \
Gentlemen, come in with me.
Thank you, General Cao.
Gentlemen, this way please.
Cao Cao\ Cavalry Commander,
brings four thousand braves from his clan to join the alliance.
Mengde, you're here at last!
We've been waiting forever foY* ou.
f Cao'Mengde's attempt to assassinate'Dong.Zhuo is praised throughout the la'nd.
Allow us to pay our respects.
Note: 1 Chine Mengde, they've put up wanted posters for you everywhere in a?800 mile^radius.
Howtcoulckanyorie not know you?
Brother Benchu, Brother Gonglu,
General Sun Wentai,
General Gongsun,
General Ma Teng,
please accept my greetings.
Very good. Generals, to your seats please.
Mengde, please take a seat.
Please!
Didn't you see that my elder brother is here?
Third Brother, dont be rude.
Mengde, are these three brave souls your people?
Not really.
I met them at the gate.
The gatekeeper was giving them a hard time.
So I thought I might as well bring them in with me. Heroes may meet in unexpected ways.
ï Come, gentlemen, allow me to introduce you.
This is the leader of our alliance of 18 lords.
General Yuan Shao, Yuan Benchu.
And this is...
Sorry, but I really don't remember your name.
Lord Leader, I am Liu Bei, styled Xuande.
This is my second brother, Cuan Yu,'styled Yunchang.
This is my third brother, Zhang Fei, styled Yide.
May I inquire as to your background?
I am a scion of the Han House, descended from Liü Shen ^ Prince Jing of Zhongshan and son of Emperor Jin
This man claims to be an imperial scion? Impossible.
^He's most likely a fraud. .
A fraud^for sure a frauda
May I 'ask where you have corrVe.from,
what position you hold,
and what you do for a living?
My family has lived in a country village for generations. and we hold no rank.
I make a living by weaving mats and selling sandals.
My brother Guan Yu is a native of Xieliang in Hebei
and works as a guardsman.
My third brother, Zhang Fei, is from Zhuozhou.'in Hebei,
and sells wirie and pork for a living.
One is a mat-weaver, another a guard, the third a butcher
isn't it funny that they dare to speak such bold words here?
Third Brother! \
In my opinion.
if a scion of-the imperial family can—in front of such a gathering. before all the heroes of the realm
be so calm when speaking about weaving mats and butchering pigs.
he must be an extraordinary man.
Hear, hear!/
That's right! Its true. Hear, hear!/
Mengde is right.
Liu Bei, what is your purpose of coming here?
Having heard that Yuan Benchu summoned all to gathervhere and campaign against the traitor,
I am here to join the alliance.
How many troops have you?
Including myself, three men and three horses.
Cuan Yu is a mounted archer, and Zhang Fei is an archer too.
We three brothers have sworn to live and die together, through honor and shame.
Among us lords, the one with the fewest troops brings at least fifteen thousands.
You have bufcthreejmen, and you're thick-skinned enough to ally with us?
To save the fortunes of the dynasty,fa sense ofjloyalty and righteousness is more^important than numbers.
Since you're an imperial scion, go take a seat.
Thank you.
Elder Brother...
Lord Yuan, gentlemen; even though we have already begun our-xampaign, *
our move has not'ye't'been justified.
Why, you mayask?r
Because we lack the mandate fromnhe emperor.
If we don't have the emperor's mandate,
wouldn't we be a rebel force?
Wouldn't we be as illegitimate as Dong Zhuo?
However, the emperor is under the control of Dong Zhuo.
How could he grant us a decree?
Before I left Luoyang, the emperor personally gave me a secret decree,
to summon the heroes of the realm to go to the capital and serve the emperor by
eliminating the traitor and saving the nation.
Ye eighteen lords, receive His Majesty's orders!
The treacherous minister Dong Zhuo has usurped power from the court.
He has defiled the inner courts and massacred innocent lives.
He is a scourge to the country, and a harmer ofrhisJord.
We, weeping many tears, thus decree.
We hereby summon the heroes of the realm to bring their collective forces to the service of the emperor,
to rid the court of this evil, to exterminate all traitors,
and to restore the glory of the Great Han.
Something doesn't sound right in this decree.
What doesn't sound right?
His Majesty is young,
and has been kept in the inner palace by Dong Zhuo.
He has not held audience with his subjects. «C
How could he have granted thisdecree to you?
General Gonglu is right.
The emperor is only nine years old.
How could he have penned such a majestic decree?
This decree was written by me on his behalf.
So it's a forged decree.
May I ask General Gonglu one thing.
if that Dong Zhuo can confine the emperor to the inner pala'cep /
and toy with him as a puppet,
then why can't we look at him equally, and use him to our advantage?
Furthermore, within this decree in my hands,
is there a single phrase that is not what the emperor would like to say, but dare not to say?
Thoughuhis is a forgery;:it is more real than a real decree.
I am certain that as soon as this decree is announced throughout the realm.
every treacherous man will cower in fear, and every loyal man heartened.
He's right, he's right.
Fantastic, fantastic.
They say^that.Cao Mengde can be an able minister in times of peace,
and a crafty hero in times of chaos.
Thusjhave I witnessed for myself today.
Thank you for your flattery, General Gonglu.
Not only have I designed a decree for the emperor.
but I have also designed a plan of action for us all.
yAt the time l^leftiLuoyang,/Miad already'hiimbled myself in^the service of*the traitor for overlhalf a year.
During that time, I have found out all the details of the stationing of the Xiliang troops,
stores of provisions, and areas of strength and weakness.
With these, I believe we hold the key to victory.
Please have a look.
You boys on the walls, listen up!
I am Hua Xiong, General of the Front.
I come here on His Excellency's orders to punish the rebels. ,
If one among you brings to me the head of that vermin Cao Cao,
I will spare your lives.
Report!
Lord Leader, Dong Zhuo's General of the Front, Hua Xiong is here with the Xiliang army,
claiming to be here to punish Cao Cao, and are issuing taunts before the gates.
What kind of man is Hua Xiong?
How dare he be so impudent?
Don't take this man lightly.
He is from Guanxi, and is known as the fourth most stalwart warrior'under Dong Zhuo's command.
The fourth?
Then who are the other three?
The first is Lu Bu. The second is Li Jue. The third is Guo Si.
This Hua Xiong is only the fourth.
Generals.
We have only just gathered here, and the Xiliang army has already come to challenge us.
This is the first battle between us and the traitor.
In this battle, we must kill their commander and perform valiantly,
so that the might of the alliance may be"established.
I volunteer to go meet them in battle.
I will definitelytake Hua Xiong's worthless head within ten bouts.
This is my top general, Yu She.
Very good.
Bring the wine, so that we may toast to General Yu's success.
Mengde, continue telling us about your plan.
The Xiliang army...