Episode 4
The Xiliang army's strength lies in its armored cavalry.
This force of over a hundred thousand cavalry is divided between the commands of Li Jue and Guo Si,
and are called the Dragon Rider Camp and the Swift Tiger Camp respectively.
Report!
Lord Leader, General Yu only dueled a bout wit Hua Xiong before he was cut down from his horse.
One bout? One bout?
Hua Xiong really is valiant.
Who will dare to fight Hua Xiong?
Lord Yuan, I have an intrepid warrior called Pan Feng.
He wields a great battle-axe of immense weight, and can hold off a whole army by himself.
He will certainly cut down Hua Xiong.
Where is General Pan?
I am at your command.
Do you dare to go fight?
Why wouldn't I? My battle-ax has long been thirsting for battle.
Good. If you manage to cut down Hua Xiong,
you will be rewarded with a hundred taels of gold and fifty steeds.
Yes, sir!
Bring us the wine. We will toast to General Pan's success.
In order to conquer Luoyang,
we must first fight through Hulao Pass and Sishui Pass.
We may divide into five contingents.
Our leader. Lord Yuan, can lead an army to attack Mengjin.
General Sun Wentai can lead an army to take Chenggao.
General Gongsun can lead another army to attack Taigu.
A disaster! A disaster! A disaster!
Lord Leader-General Pan did not even finish one bout with Hua Xiong before he was killed!
What? Killed again?
If even this lowly Hua Xiong could give us so much grief,
what will we do when we run into Lu Bu later?
Who dares to go fight Hua Xiong?
The reward is 1,000 taels of gold and 100 steeds.
Who dares to go fight?
Elder Brother.
Wha ta pity that my top warriors, Yan Liang and Wen Chou, are not here.
If only one of them were here, Hua Xiong would not have had his way so easily.
I, Guan Yu, ask for permission to go fight Hua Xiong.
What? You are just a lowly archer.
How dare you speak such arrogant words?
Do you really think that not one of us lords have any able warriors left? Drag him out.
Brother Gonglu, pray don't be angry.
Look, if this man dares to volunteer, he must have some ability.
Why don't we let him try?
To have a lowly archer go meet the challenge is to ask for Hua Xiong's ridicule.
Brother Gonglu,
please take a look.
This man's brows are thick, his eyes are like that of a phoenix, his complexion exudes an aura of valor.
How would Hua Xiong know that he's just an archer?
This Cao fellow is right.
My archer of a brother is superior to all you generals and lords.
If I cannot cut off Hua Xiong head,
then I ask you to cut off my head as "a recompense.
We three brothers have pledged to Share life and death.
If my brother is not victorious, you may decapitate all three of us.
Very good.
Liu Xuande lives up to his royal name and is a hero beyond measure.
Officer! Bring the wine!
Here.
I wish to toast to the success of this brave man.
Please.
There is no need.
Hua Xiong is nothing. Wine is unnecessary.
Lords, please wait. I will return shortly.
Brother, be careful.
Elder Brother, don't worry.
Who is this? Do you think he'll make it?
I don't know. That Hua Xiong is really something..
I guess...
It'll be another one cut down.
General Ma Teng, lead 5,000 troops as support.
Aye!
If this archer dies as well, then who will go fight? Lead your troops towards Sishui Gate.
That's right. The Xiliang army lives up to their fame.
Right!
Dong Zhuo will not be an easy enemy.
He won! He won! He won!
Hurray! Hurray!
I hereby declare
to add a nineteenth force to the alliance.
The leader of that force shall be...
Liu Bei.
I humbly accept.
Brother, allow me to toast to again.
You cut down.Hua Xiong and made your name in one fight,,
and made the lords look at us with new eyes.
That's right, that's right.
Second Brother, when you flung Hua Xiong's head into the hall,
all those lords there were stupefied.
All those inspectors and governors and generals-damn them
I say they are all useless good-for-nothings.
Second Brother, He toast to you too.
Brothers, I am glad that I was lucky and didn't let you down.
Cheers. Cheers.
Elder brother, let me set something straight in advance.
Second brother, you have already killed an enemy commander and made your name.
When we come to that brat Lu Bu, you stay out of it.
It will be my turn.
Agreed, I leave him to you.,
Brothers, when we came to join the alliance.
we were shamed and bullied ever since we arrived at the gate.
The 18 lords all turned their noses up at us.
In this era of chaos,- if we are to obtains foothold in the world,
we must rely on ourselves to exterminate brigands and earn glory.
Only then can we accomplish worthy goals.
Elder Brother, you have already become one.of the lords,
the leader of the 19th army.
From now on, we will be able to sit equally among the various lords.
Not necessarily.
My position is without substance.
Have you even seen a trace of the provisions that Lord Yuan Shao promised us?
I have already sent a subaltern to ask for them.
As Yuan Shao comes from a noble,lineage and is of world-wide fame,
I don't suppose he would go back on his word.
In addition, brother, you have just killed Hua Xiong for him.
If that bastard Yuan Shao dares to go back on his word, I'l box his ears good
Master, master, master!
They hit me!
They hit you?
They boxed my ears.
Who hit you? Why did they hit you?
On the order of Master Guan, I went to the main camp to claim our provisions.
But that General of the Rear, Yuan Shu, refused to give us a single grain.
Did you tell them that it was Lord Yuan Shao who promised, in front of all the lords,
to grant us a thousand gold, a hundred steeds, and five hundred measures of grains?
I explained clearly to them. But Yuan Shu said that the supplies were in Luoyang,
and if we wanted them, we should fight into Luoyang and take them ourselves.
I argued with him, and then his men beat me up, and insulted my lords as well.
What did they insult us with? Don't you leave out a single word. Tell me what they said.
They insulted... They insulted my lord to be... to be a mat-weaver or something...
to be a peasant who slaughters pigs...
Damn them! That bunch of bastards!
Brother, hold on.
Second Brother, you just risked your life for them and obtained glory on the field.
And those bastards don't honor what they said!
You stay out of this. Let me go and stab ten thousand holes in that Yuan Shu!
Hold on. We should go reason with Yuan Shao.
That brat Yuan Shao is all talk.
It's no damn use to waste your breath reasoning with him.
Only our swords will work.
Third Brother; you must not be rash.
In my opinion, neither reasoning nor fighting will get us anywhere.
Why?
Yuan Shu is Yuan Shao's cousin.
And it's also Yuan Shao who appointed him to be , in charge of supplying the alliance.
I worry that Yuan Shu's refusal to give us our supplies is known to Yuan Shao,
who pretends he doesn't know about it.
Who would have thought that the famous Yuan cousins are such untrustworthy people in action?
With this worry,
why are we still tagging orr to them to suffer such damned insults?
Lets take off and leave this damn place!
Third Brother, don't be hasty.
Let's hear Elder Brothers idea.
Elder Brother.
Do you still remember Cao Cao?
Of course.
That man conceals his true ambitions, but has great strategy and insight.
He's a man of honor, and has been fairly kind towards us too.
I'm thinking, we could ask for his advice first, and decide after that.
That fellow is full of pretended affection.
I don't think he's anything good either.
Your Excellency,
«y im i tí.,
General Hua Xiong was killed by ä rebel commander called Guan Yua
¦ IIB tai !¦¦
Our vanguard of 30,000 is completed routed.
and are great in momentum.
The 18 lords have over 500,000 troops among them,
Their vanguard is led by Sun Jian, governor of Changsha.
He is leading 20,000 elite troops himself and marching in the front.
Yesterday he overcame our stronghold at Baima.
Also, I have just received word that Hulao Pass is also in a state of emergency.
Lu Bu
Yes.
Muster the entire Xiliang army.
I will lead them to battle myself.
Yes, my lord.
If my lord leads the army to battle himself, we are guaranteed a swift victory.
However, I worry that if Your Excellency mobilizes all the troops away from the city,
something unexpected may happen here.
Make yourself clear. What do you mean?
As Your Excellency knows.
most of the current ministers of the court have served the previous emperor.
To you, Your Excellency, they have always feigned courtesy and compliance.
They pretend to be obedient, but their hearts harbor sedition.
Take for example Yuan Shao's uncle, Yuan Kui, who is now the Imperial Tutor.
When he found out about Hua Xiong's defeat, he was dancing with joy.
Your Excellency, please think about it. Once you empty the city of its troops,
if those ministers collaborated with Yuan Shao and acted,
wouldn't we be greatly inconvenienced?
Guo Si!
Here!
Arrest Yuan Kui and his entire family immediately.
have their heads cut off in front of the gates
As we march forth tomorrow,
as a sacrifice to the banners, so that we will depart in style.
Let those lords and ministers from the previous reign see
this is what happens to those who plot in secret against me!
Yes, my lord!
Convey my orders to the troops. From the day I march from the city gates,
we must take Sun Jian's head within five days.
and Yuan Shao's in ten
Yes, my lord!
Your Excellency, I have one more suggestion.
In this battle, Your Excellency need not rely solely on military strength.
Oh, come on, Li Ru, speak more clearly.
The 18 lords of the alliance have a long history of scheming against each other in the past.
How can they be of one united mind and purpose today?
Your Excellency, why don't you sow discord among them,
and let their alliance crumble on its own?
Lord Wang Yun, Minister of the Interior.
I'm about to march against the rebels. Don't you have any words of well-wishes for me?
Your Excellency marches forth in righteousness and majesty unequaled under the heavens.
I wish Your Excellency a swift success and eternal fame.
Well said, well said.
You do have a glib tongue, don't you?
Wang Yun,
see that?
See what happens to disloyal ministers?
I have seen.
Are you scared?
I am scared.
I am trembling all over with fear.
I'm glad you are.
Stay here in the city and behave yourself.
Don't go looking for trouble, understood?
Yes, my lord.
Do you all understand?
We do.
Within 10 days, I will defeat Yuan Shiao and return victoriously.
Get ready to partake of the wine in the victory feast.
Execute.
Execute the rebel Yuan Kui along with his whole.family/
in order to send His Excellency off. Executioners!
We wish Your Excellency an early-triumph.
Please spare Yuan Kui and his family!
I know why you are going to pay Liu Bei a visit.
Why?
Elder Brother, you're planning to recruit those three to work for you.
That's right.
In the era of chaos, some strive for imperial power,
fight for troops and provisions.
some contend for cities and land, some
based on having the right people.
However, you must remember that ultimate success is
Talented men are more important than anything else.
Each of these three men is a hero.
More significantly, they are currently heroes stuck in a tight spot.
worth ten in normal times.
In times like these, an ounce of good you do for them is
they are but a meager force.
But Brother, even though these three men are brave,
If you want to recruit them. all you'd need is a letter and a hundred pieces of gold.
Why humble yourself in visiting them in person?
What ignorance.
Some people will come as soon as you summon them.
But there are others who might not come no matter how you call to them.
These three are no ordinary men.
Didn't you see how they were like at the council?
Liu Bei was seated at the very end, and yet he maintained a majestic air.
The other two also looked at all the lords with an air of disdain.
Do you know, when Guan Yu threw Hua Xiong's head into the hall,
what I was most astonished by?
What was it?
Liu Bei's eyes.
He didn't even bat an eye, as if all that was to be expected.
This kind of man will not blanch even if Mount Tai crumbles before him.
His mind is profound.
Yes, I remember now.
it was exactly as you said.
Brother, if you don't manage to recruit them, what would you do?
Can't recruit them?
Then HI make them come to me of their own accord.
Fantastic! The way I see it, Brother, you are not only heroic, but a wise ruler too.
The three brothers are merely heroes for your use.
Cao Cao is here to pay his respects to General Liu.
for your esteemed visit, General Cao.
Please forgive us for not having prepared in advance1
Oh? So this is the residence of the General of the 19th Army?
So it is.
Magnificent.
I think it is much more classy than Yuan Benchus commander's platform.
Why/do you say that. General Cao?
Because, proud as the commander's platform is.
it encompasses only a band of mediocre men and petty/fellows.
In this straw hut,*though, are housed three brothers with an exceptional sense of honor.
It has been said that these three, though of separate ancestry,
have vowed to die on the selfsame day.
the heroic aura emanating from this hut.
Even from a hundred miles away I could sense
Cao Cao, you have said well!
And to think that I was cursing you just a minute ago!
May I ask what Brother Yide was cursing me for?
I was cursing you for being full of pretended affections. Accept my apologies.
Brother Yide, you were right in cursing.
I'd rather listen to you curse at me than to listen to their feigned affections and sweet talk.
Well said, very well said!
What you said makes me so happy inside!
You know what, Yuan Shu and his brother are such damned*scum...
Third Brother.
So it seems that Yuan Shao broke his promise.
Perhaps Yuan Benchu just let it slip his mind.
Gentlemen, please take a look.
On this cart is a thousand catties of grains and a hundred catties of cooked meat.
And ten jars of/good wine.
Oh? Yuan Shao is delivering the reward to us?
Not Yuan Shao, but my elder brother.
When my brother heard that Yuan Shu dared to give you gentlemen a hard time,
he.ördered me to select a portion-of supplies {from our own stores to help you out.
Thank you, General Cao. Thank you.
It's just a small token of my respect.
Though, allow me to boast that
these 10 vats contain the best brew from Pei State, aged for a hundred years.
Each of them is worth a hundred gold.
Really? That's fantastic!
It is the good fortune of this wine to be enjoyed by such heroes.
Cao Ren.
Here.
Co have a drink with Yunchang and Yide.
I will have a chat with General Liu.
All right.
Excellent!
Come, come, take the wine.
Lord Cao, pray come in.
Please.
Come, this way. This one.
Give it to me. Come, this way. This one
Please. Come, this way. This one.
Slowly, slowly.
The traitor Dong Zhuo wreaks havoc in the capital.
Beacons of war are lit in every corner of the land.
Officers and commoners alike have been plunged into an abyss of suffering.
The 400-year-old House of Han comes closer day by day to utter demise.
How could I, a descendent of the Liu house,
face my imperial forefathers in the afterlife?
O woe, o unbearable sorrow!
I see things differently than you do, sir.
On one hand, I see sorrow. On the other, I see joy.
Whence this joy, Lord Cao?
The Xia Dynasty lasted 500 years and was replaced by the Shang.
Note: The S
The Shang lasted 500 years and was replaced by the Zhou.
The Zhou lasted 300 years and the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States arose.
The world was plunged into chaos, from which heroes emerged.
From this we can see that the fortunes of a dynasty are dictated by Heaven.
Without chaos, whence come heroes?
Sir, pray imagine, if this were a time of peace and prosperity,
you would remain only a mat-weaver and a sandal-peddler,
and I would only be just a commander serving at the whims of another.
It is precisely because the world is in chaos,
that you and I can achieve eternal glory and fame.
Lord Cao, it seems then that you live for the chaos.
To live in a time of chaos is a misfortune.
But if we can turn chaos into order,
would that not be turning misery into a great fortune?
Allow me to ask you, Brother Xuande, what are your goals in joining the alliance?
Though I may be devoid of talent,
I dare to take upon myself the task of preserving the realm,
to rid the country of traitors and to restore the glory of the Han.
Very well.
Then what must be done to realize this aspiration?
The current chaos stems from the fact that people have lost faith and principles.
Therefore, to restore order to the world, one must regain the hearts of the people.
And the hearts of the people are best guided by following Heaven's way,
being kind and just, loyal and filial.
In my humble opinion, it is no longer possible to restore order.
However, it is very possible to create a new order.
The way to create a new order lies in strategizing.
When one has strategized well, talented men will flock to him.
creating a world led by an wise ruler and able ministers.
Do you, General Cao, harbor imperial ambitions?
Do you plan to take the Han throne for yourself?
How would I dare to have such presumptuous desires?
However, as soon as I entered the city.
I could feel that while the lords are here nominally for the alliance,
they are really scheming and designing against each other.
Those who have secret ambitions are not in the minority.
I agree with you very much on that point.
I have been thinking.
why is it that the 18 lords flocked so immediately to the alliance,
as soon as Yuan Shao put out the call to arms?
Do they truly wish to eliminate the traitor and rebuild the Han?
Not necessarily.
The traitor Dong Zhuo was originally an inspector from Xiliang,
with power less than these lords here.
And now?
assuming and abusing imperial power.
He towers above the capital city,
This makes the other lords cry foul.
They are thinking, how could this cur from Xiliang deserve to live in the Dragon Palace?
To put it bluntly.
rather than saying that the lords hate Dong Zhuo,
it's more correct to say that they are jealous of him.
and hurried to the alliance.
Wherefore they hurried to muster their men,
Their intention is to take advantage of the fractured realm and claim a part for themselves,
so as to increase their own power.
In no way are they saving the realm.
Rather, they are taking the opportunity to contend for the realm,
and divvy it up among themselves.
And that is why I believe firmly that the source of the chaos
lies in the people's having lost faith and principles.
Elder Brother, how did your chat with Liu Bei go?
First tell me how your drinking with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei went.
It went well.
Those two are truly men of honor and courage, rare gems among heroes.
Such heroes, but they would not belong to me.
Instead, they fell into the hands of Liu Bei.
A pity and a most wretched shame!
So, that...
Liu Bei... could not be*recruited successfully?
He will not suffer to be confined as a fish in a pond.
He holds too great an ambition in his heart to be used by me.
I only wish that he does not come to be my enemy in the future.
Father, we overcame the stronghold at Baima with a single effort.
That goes to show that the Xiliang army is not what they are made out to be.
Father,*whyrdonit you ride on the momentum and proceed to Hulao Pass?
We'll conquer Hulao and march straight into Luoyang.
If our troops are the first in entering the city,
Father, you will obtain the top honors.
Son, I commend you for your courage.
Our army is alone and deep in enemy territory.
We are far away from our allies.
However, the provisions and reinforcements promised by Yuan Shao have yet to be seen.
May I humbly suggest that we take time to rest and recuperate,
and wait until Yuan Shao's main force arrives before we attack Hulao Pass together?
General Han's opinion is reasonable.
However, even after Yuan Shao's troops arrive,
we will still perform the task of the¡vanguard.
In this campaign, there are eighteen-or nineteen-lords vying for glory.
Who wouldn t want to claim the top honors for himself?
Who wouldn't want to be the first to enter Luoyang and obtain the emperor's-reward?'
Therefore, we sons of the Southland must be the first among all men.
so as to build up our power in this campaign against Dong Zhuo.
We will obtain land on which to base our future development.
Report!
My lord, a messenger from Dong Zhuo desires an audience.
Dong Zhuo's messenger?
Very well, we'll hear what he has to say.
Aye!
I,am Imperial Courtier Li Ru.
My humble greetings, General Sun.
Li Ru, what is your intention in coming here?
I came expressly to congratulate you, General Sun.
Congratulate me on what?
On me crushing your Xiliang army in one blow?
That is only the first reason for congratulations.
But, General Sun, the second reason is even more worthy of congratulating.
I am all ears.
Lord Dong has a beloved daughter, in the spring of her youth and just coming to a marriageable age.
And you. General Sun, have a.beloved son named Sun Quan.
Lord Dong has long held you in respect,
and desires to give his daughter in marriage to your son,
so that you may become one family,
and fulfill noble ambitions together.
To be married to which son of mine?
Sun Quan.
Lord Dong also said if General Sun would so desire.
he will petition the emperor immediately to grant you the rank of regent-general.
You will be ranked among the Three Excellencies.
Also...
also, you will also be made Inspector of Jing Province,
and have all the cities in the nine commanderies of Jing Province*under your rule.
Tell Quan to come in.
My lord summons young master Sun Quan.
Daddy, here I am.
Son, come over here.
Son, Dong Zhuo sent someone to propose a marriage with you.
So that is Sun Quan?
Word has it that Sun Quan excels in both literature and the martial arts,
and is both intelligent and ibrave.
But he... he... is just a baby!
Each of my sons is both intelligent and brave, excelling in everything.
If you don't believe>it, we can test him. (Son, come here.
Let daddy ask you,
why dbes'this messenger want to give you a wife?
Dong Zhuo is beaten silly by my daddy, so he wants me to be his son-in-law.
so that he can order my daddy around.
/Daddy, don't you say yes to him!
Hear that?
Even my nine-year-old can figure out Dong Zhuo's malicious ploy.
Who do you think you can fool with this kind of discord-sowing scheme?
I have misspoken.
I beg your pardon.
Li Ru, scram.
Co teil Dong Zhuo to wash his neck,
and prepare it for my blade.
Daddy, I was just thinking again,
we could've said yes to Dong Zhuo.
Why?
It«s like this, we're not agreeing for real, but just pretending.
Th Tmilitary books say that in war nothing is too deceitful.
After you 'pretend to agree, wait until the Xiliang army lowertheir guard,
and then lead our men straight into Luoyang.
Marvelous!
You all heard that?
#unrecognized text#
Even this young son of mine is so fullotfstrategies.
#unrecognized text#
Even this young son of mine is so full offstrategies.
#unrecognized text#
Who can doubt the greatness that the Southland will attain in thé future?
Congratulations, my lord!
My lord! Sun Jian, General of*the Vanguard, has dispatched a third letter,
requesting supplies and reinforcements urgently.
#unrecognized text#
I see. Tell Yuan Shu to come see me.
Aye.
Report!
My lord! Sun Jian sent an officer to have an audience with you.
Who is this officer?
His top commander, Huang Cai.
General Huang, you've come in person!
Lord Yuan, please have a look. My sword here has cut down 25 Xiliang rebels.
The body of the sword is worn out; and thevblade*haslost its keen.
At this very moment, tens ofahousàridsbf our Southland men, Jike this sword,
are doing battle with the Xiliang army beneath Hulao Pass.
And yet, where are the grains, horses; ahdarms thaUybu promised?
Do not worry, General Huang.
I have asked Yuan Shu long ago to send provisions and arms to General Sun.
I suppose they will arrive in a few more days.
A few more days!
How many "few more days'1 have passed?
My lord has still not seen grains, or armsrbr reinforcements.
And yet;:when I came in hère,'. I saw the lords drinking and making merry in their camps.
There is no sign of troops being/mobilized.
You jest, you jest.
Five lords have already marched forth.
Soon they will meet up with General Sun.
All'right,)*
why don't you go and have somefrest, General Huang,
and let me make some arrangements? v
No.
Lord Yuan, my lord has said that, until the provisions,are sentrover,
I am to remain by your side.
Very well. General Huang,
I will give you the grains and arms by sunset today.
Good! Lord Yuan, you must'be true to£your,word. f
My word is as true as this sword.
General Huang, you might as well go get some rest.