Three Kingdoms
Episode 52
I already know of the messenger's purpose.
Please accept the marriage proposal, my lord.
It's not appropriate, isn't it?
For the sake of the greater good, it is appropriate.
I will send someone to the Southland tomorrow and convey my thanks to Sun Quan.
Jiankang
My lord greatly appreciates your lordship's kindness.
He's delighted to take your sister as wife.
The betrothal gifts will be delivered soon.
The houses of Sun and Liu are not only allied in repelling Cao Cao,
but are also allied in marriage.
On the day of the wedding, Cao Cao will surely tremble with fear.
How right you are, Marquis!
My lord asked me to inquire as to when the wedding can take place.
Whenever Liu Bei arrives at Jiankang, the wedding shall take place then.
Marquis, why would my lord come to Jiankang? Wasn't the lady supposed to be married over to Jing?
My lord can welcome the bridal party by the riverside.
My sister is young.
My mother is loath for her to be married off to a distant place.
She insists that Liu Bei marry into our family instead.
Oh, so she wants my lord to marry into the Southland.
I Tell the Imperial Uncle,
from Jiankang,to jingzhou is no more than two days voyage by boat.
After the marriage, he can stay as long as he likes,
and if he doesn't want to, he can take the bride home with him at any time.
What did you say?
He wants our lord to get married in Jiankang?
That's right.
Sun Quan said that his sister is young and his mother couldn't bear to part from her.
and so they wanted our lord to marry into their family.
After the marriage, he can stay there as long as he likes,
and if he wants to take the bride back with him, he could do that too.
Last night I didn't have a wink of sleep,
but have been pondering over this.
I have come to a decision.
I will marry Sun Xiaomei, and enter into a marriage alliance with the Southland.
Elder Brother,
are you really going to agree to this?
But... you can't!
Why not?
Elder Brother, think about it.
When we were campaigning against Dong Zhuo back then,
we were sworn allies with Sun Jian, the Marquis of Wu's father.
Going by that, the Marquis should count as your nephew!
But now... now...
you're marrying into their family
and you'll have to honor that twenty-something-year-old to be your older brother.
Wouldn't... wouldn't you be demeaning yourself too much?
That's right, Elder Brother.
This is overly humiliating.
You will become a laughingstock.
Humiliating?
Are we not used to humiliation after all these years?
For the sake of this land that we fought so hard to obtain,
so what if I have to be married into their family,
and call Sun Quan my older brother? What's the big deal?
My lord,
I don't think this is right either.
Why are you changing your tune too?
Haven't you been urging me to agree to this marriage?
I had not expected that Sun Quan would have you marry into their family.
The situation has changed too quickly,
and I worry that it is a trap.
If you go, and some misfortune befalls you.
who could ensure your safety, then?
The Director General is right.
This must be Zhou Yu's idea.
That rascal is always up to something.
Isn't that true!
Elder Brother, this is exactly like a battle.
They have already laid an ambush.
That rascal Zhou Yu is using the Marquis's sister as bait
to lure you into his trap!
You all worry too much.
In my opinion, it really is just that Sun Quan, after losing the Battle of Hefei,
worrying that Cao Cao would continue to press forward.
And that's why he wanted to build an even stronger alliance with us.
Besides,
they have just permitted us to borrow Jing to be our foothold.
If we decline this marriage proposal,
we'd offend them and make them angry.
For the greater good, I must accept it.
What a dilemma!
What is the dilemma?
It's a problem if he goes; it's a problem if he doesn't.
If our lord declines the marriage alliance and doesn't go to Jiankang,
he would offend the entire Southland.
And when Zhou Yu turns out in full force against Jing,
their army would be fueled by a common rage.
When our forces clash in battle, both sides will suffer great losses,
and the only one to benefit from this would be Cao Cao.
And what if my elder brother goes?
Then Zhou Yu's clever ploy will have succeeded.
He had lost many a man before the gates of Nanjun.
He himself was<shot, and even so he couldn't conquer the land.
And now, he's going to have our lord in his hands.
He'll use him as a hostage to force us to return the nine commanderies of Jing.
Right, right!
The Director General is right!
Elder Brother, you mustn't go!
Elder Brother, we mustn't walk straight into their trap.
No, I must go.
Elder Brother!
My lord!
It's been laid clearly before us.
If I go, we'll be allies.
If I don't, we'll be enemies.
We can't turn hostile against the Southland now.
If I don't go get married,
Zhou Yu will mobilize his forces westward.
Jing will be in jeopardy, and that would be the end of everything.
But if I go,
Zhou Yu would not have any reason to resort to arms.
My dear brothers.
We've been on the battlefield for over a dozen years.
We've experienced the bitterness of being homeless. living under another mans roof.
Today, we finally obtained this bit of land to call our own.
How could I possibly give it up?
Elder Brother.
If Zhou Yu detains you
and forces you to hand over Jing,
we'll lose the province just the same.
That's right!
So what if he detains me?
With you and the Director General here,
Jing is safe.
Besides,
I highly doubt Zhou Yu can do anything to me.
I shall lay down a rule now.
After I leave for the Southland,
the Director General will have the final say on everything in Jing.
You can ignore all commands of mine coming out from the Southland.
What if they never release you?
Don't you worry.
Simply focus on building up and training the army.
As long as we have a solid foundation here in Jing,
as long as we have a strong army,
they will have no choice but to release me.
Elder Brother! Elder Brother!
All right, this is settled.
Don't try to talk me out of it anymore.
Brothers, I will be departing tomorrow.
It was no simple matter to put together so many men.
You must train them well.
Elder Brother, please reconsider.
Is it possible for you to not go?
Yunchang, I know what's on your mind.
But I have no choice.
Heaven has never been kind to us.
We've always had to fight for everything ourselves.
Even if it is just a sliver of hope.
I will not let go of it.
Elder Brother, if you insist on taking this risk,
there's nothing more I can say.
However, I'd still like to say one thing to you.
Second Brother,
there's no need to be that hesitant when speaking to me.
Whatever it is, just go ahead and say it.
The Director General, Zhuge Liang...
Keep going.
Before he joined you, he was known as the "Sleeping Dragon".
A dragon is a symbol of royalty.
He is extraordinarily intelligent.
and neither Third Brother nor I can stand up to him.
If, after you leave.
all military power is placed in his hands.
and if even the two of us have to obey him...
Wouldn't you be worried that he'd use this opportunity to take over as master of Jing?
Second Brother is right!
Kongming is full of tricks.
Zilong, Huang Zhong, and Wei Yan
have nothing but admiration and reverence for him!
Zhao Yun, in particular!
He took a wife recently, and his matchmaker was no other than Kongming!
He holds the Director General in higher respect than anyone else does.
and would obey every word he says.
Maybe respecting him more than he respects you!
Elder Brother, you are candid by nature,
and we really shouldn't say too much.
However, once you leave, we won't know when you'll return.
As time goes on, people's hearts will turn to him,
and perhaps the master of Jing will no longer be you.
Elder Brother! Elder Brother!
My brothers.
From now on,
if I hear such words from you again,
if I hear you slandering Master Kongming once more.
I will stab myself in the ears first!
Elder Brother! Elder Brother!
Don't move!
I never could have imagined
that you would talk about Master Kongming that way.
Think back to the past.
Before Master Kongming came to help us, what were we like?
We were confined to the little town of Xinye.
We had less than 2,000 troops,
and no more than 1,000 measures of grain.
But now?
Each of you commands over ten thousand elite soldiers.
Is that not all thanks to him?
That is all III say today.
In private matters, we are brothers.
But in official matters, we are lord and vassals.
to assume all authority after I leave,
Since I already commanded the Director General
you must take that as law.
If you dare to defy my order...
Whether I'm in the Southland or back here in Jing,
I will use this dagger to take my own life.
Elder Brother! Elder Brother!
The two of us will simply do as you say.
We'll do as you say.
Third Brother, I'll keep this dagger for now.
My brothers.
Elder Brother.
Master.
My lord.
Master, please stay seated.
I hope I'm not intruding?
My lord, don't worry about it.
It's really nothing.
Just that... I'm going to Jiankang tomorrow,
so I came to say goodbye.
Master, are you making a divination?
Yes, I've already made three divination?.
And they all portend evil?
My lord.
I'm still going to say the same thing.
Can't you change your mind?"
Oh, Kongming.
I have no choice.
From the day I raised an army in Zhuojun to now,
it has been over twenty years,
and I've accomplished nary a thing.
For a man who is almost fifty years old,
how much more time can he count on Heaven giving him?
If I don't risk my life to keep this piece of land which we fought so hard for,
my dream of restoring the Han will remain nothing but a dream.
My lord.
Allow me to^tell you my innermost thoughts too.
Although I keep saying that I disapprove of your decision to go,
in my heart I've really been hoping that you could go.
So why do your words not match your thoughts?
I held you back out of personal feelings. I was concerned about your safety.
But I will let you go because of reason.
I know this is for the greater good.
Please forgive me, my lord.
I am in a dilemma as well.
It's been hard on you.
My lord.
You have entrusted all authority over Jing to me.
I fear that I am not experienced enough to command everyone's cooperation,
and that I would betray your trust.
I know what you're worried about.
You are worried about my brothers.
After swearing the oath with me at the Peach Garden,
they've fought all over the realm, and made a bit of a name for themselves.
When you left your reclusion to join us,
they were impressed by your knowledge and talent,
but their ties to me were still too strong.
I said that, after I left,
they could ignore all commands of mine coming out from the Southland.
However, if I really do fall into danger,
the might very well ignore our commands and do something foolish.
My lord, so you've thought of that too.
That is indeed the source of my worries.
Kongming, don't worry.
I will give you a secret order right now.
If those two brothers of mine defy your orders.
give this secret order to Zilong
and have him do as I commanded.
My lord, this is impossible!
Yunchang and Yide have followed you through thick and thin for many years.
No matter what they do.
we can't treat them like that!
Oh, Kongming.
I have drifted hither and thither all my life. suffering failure after failure.
It was only after meeting you that I come to own what I have today.
I know very well in my heart...
that you alone can help me fulfill my dream of restoring the Han.
If I really can't come back this time.
Jing can only be entrusted to you.
My lord!
Kongming.
As for those two brothers of mine...
If you can make use of them, use them.
If you can't, abandon them.
Do not have any misgivings about it.
In comparison to the restoration of the glory of the Han,
the fraternal ties between my brothers and me are nothing.
My lord!
Kongming
You are truly...
My lord, do not worry but go.
Your fate is tied to the Heavens.
My divinations can foretell the doom of common men,
but not the secrets of Providence.
I think you will definitely return safely.
But if... if there is no divine justice
and some misfortune should befall you.
I will, together with Yunchang and Yide,
dedicate our efforts in supporting your young son,
to punish the traitor and bolster the throne.
Oh, Master.
In the past, I had only known of your intelligence.
Only today did I fully understand your loyalty.
Well and good.
I feel much better now.
I can go without worries.
From here to the Southland, the journey is treacherous.
My lord, why don't you take Zilong with you?
He is a skilled fighter, courageous beyond measure, and prudent in all he does.
With him by your side.
my heart would?rest easier.
As for this secret order...
I don't need it anymore.
Oh, Kongming.
Can you play a piece for me?
I have not heard you play for a long time.
This zither...
has remained untouched since the Battle of Red Cliff.
But tonight I will play a piece
as a farewell to you, my lord.
It's been a while since I had the mood to play.
I'm really out of practice.
Grand Commander, your zither music is graceful and soothing.
It's just like the moonshine streaming from the skies.
Really?
Have you learned how to flatter as well?
Grand Commander, it's time to take your medicine.
Any news from Jing?
Gan Ning's spies reported that
Zhuge Liang has secretly deployed Guan, Zhang, Zhao, and Huang and their men
to converge at Gong'an.
They have about 20,000 troops in total.
Zhuge Liang is indeed unique among men.
He figured out that the marriage is a hoax,
and that my true intention is to recover the lands of Jing.
It's just as well that he figured it out.
Liu Bei will probably not dare to come to Jiankang now.
and we'll be able to launch a punitive campaign against him.
Notify all camps.
Once Liu Bei declines the marriage proposal.
we'll move immediately towards Gong'an,
and recover Jing in one swoop.
Yes, sir.
Zilong, you are brave and dauntless
The safety of our lord will be in your hands.
Director General, don't worry. As long as I'm around, our lord will be safe.
My brothers, we should say farewell now.
Elder Brother, you must take care of yourself.
Zilong, I have three silk pouches here,
each containing a stratagem.
Hide them well.
Open there in the order of red, yellow, and white.
When the boat arrives in the Southland, open the first one,
and do as it's written inside.
If you manage to stay in the Southland until year's end, open the second one.
Do as it is written inside as well.
The third one...
Open it in a time-of grave danger.
You must remember this well.
I will remember it.
Hopefully they will be of help.
Take care, Director General.
Report!
Grand Commander, we just heard that
Liu Bei has departed for Jiankang.
What?
Are they going by land or by water.
By water. They are sailing in a swift three-masted boat.
Zhuge Liang is a wily fox!
He had Liu Bei sail straight for Jiankang,
and just marry the lady first.
If Liu Bei really becomes the Southland's son-in-law,
it will be tricky for us to act against him.
That wretched Zhuge!
Grand Commander.
I ask for permission to lead a fleet to intercept Liu Bei.
They have a tail wind.
You won't be able to catch up with them.
Then what should we do?
I understand.
My lord.
The town of Lujiang is just ahead.
The Southland is a prosperous land.
We've left in a hurry, and didn't prepare any betrothal gifts.
Perhaps we should go ashore and purchase some?
Why not do that in Jiankang?
That is the capital of the Southland, and the shops would be better stocked.
Then Sun Quan would realize that we are doing it at the eleventh hour.
That wouldn't be very respectful to the host.
Very well, let's go ashore, and have our men go make some purchases.
Yes, my lord.
Lujiang
The five hundred of you will split up into groups of ten.
Carry sufficient gold and coins,
and put on a big show of shopping.
You must let the whole town know that
the Imperial Uncle has come to the Southland to get married.
Yes, sir!
Shopkeeper! Do you have any good quality brocades?
Oh, sir!
We deal in nothing but the best quality brocades!
Even the ones used by the State Mother are supplied by us!
I'm taking all these brocades then.
Have someone take them to the boat by the river.
You're... you're taking all these brocades?
That's worth 300 pieces of gold
What's the big deal about;300 gold?
The Marquis of Wu's sister is marrying my lord.
She is precious beyond all golcl
Then... then who is your master?
The Imperial Uncle!
Can't you see that I'm here to buy betrothal gifts?
Goodness! That's really a cause for celebration!
Boys! Hurry and load the goods! Get a move on it!
Sir, enjoy.
My lord, everyone on the streets is talking about it,
talking about how Liu Bei has arrived in the Southland to get married.
Also, they're making a big show of buying gifts.
Yesterday, they've almost emptied all the shops in Lujiang.
They'll most likely arrive in Jiankang by tomorrow morning.
How could they have come so fast, really?
Oh no!
Liu Bei made a show of buying betrothal gifts, and caused a commotion in town.
The news will certainly find its way to my mother's ears.
If she gets angry, what are we going to do?
She's been iri the dark about all this!
M...Mother?
Zijing.
Your Ladyship.
Leave us.
Mother.
I was just going to...
Silence, you!
Do you still consider me your mother?
Though it's proper for men and women
to marry when they're of age,
I'm your mother, after all.
and your sister is my daughter.
daughter without even telling me?
As my son, how could you marry off my
How brazen of you! How dare you!
Mother, I'm sorry.
It was all Zhou Gongjin's idea!
He wanted the houses of Sun and Liu to be joined in a marriage alliance,
in order to repel Cao Cao's force.
Have all the men of the Southland died off?
That you'd need this daughter of mine to be a pledge
to exchange for an alliance with Liu Bei?
I remember that Liu Bei was the same generation as your father.
He must be quite old by now!
And you can marry your own sister off to him
without feeling guilty at all?
Mother, I...
Send someone to fetch Zhou Yu here.
I will give him an earful too!
Oh, and you.
Being a councilor of the state.
how could you watch your master do something so stupid. and not say a proper word of advice to him?
You...
Tell Zhou Yu to come. Ill be waiting for him.
Zijing, Zijing! Hurry and get up!
Help me figure out how to get out of this mess!
My lord.
Since Liu Bei is already here,
regardless of how this business will end.
you should still.do your part as a host.
As for everything else...
let's wait for Gongjin's return and discuss it then.
You will go receive them at the pier,
and have them lodged in the guesthouse for now.
Yes, my lord.
General Lii, look!
Isn't that Liu Bei's boat?
Let me go and arrest him!
Wait.
We're too late.
We can't do anything now.
General Zhao.
My humble respects, Sir.
Imperial Uncle.
Imperial Uncle, you must be tired from your journey.
Zijing, I trust you've been well?
We didn't expect you to come so fast.
You didn't even send word ahead.
Look, we haven't even prepared a proper welcome ceremony for you.
Please accept our apologies.
I was eager to be married.
And, by Heaven's blessings, we had favorable winds all along the river.
It would have been a five-day voyage, but we arrived in three.
Very good.
Imperial Uncle, this way please.
I've already ordered for the guesthouse to be tidied up.
Please rest there for now,
and my lord will come to pay his respects shortly.
Retreat.
Zijing, even though there's no welcome ceremony. you sure did bring quite an honor guard.
It must be that the news of your arrival spread quickly.
Look,
even the Provincial Inspector's troops are here to ensure your safety.
Our Southland friends are so thoughtful.
Please accept my thanks.
After you.
Is that the Grand Commander?
How is everything?
Grand Commander, I was still too late.
Liu Bei had already been taken to the guesthouse by Lu Su.
How could Zijing have gone ahead of me again?
Grand Commander, are you all right?
I'm fine.
Let's*go to the city.
Yes, sir.
My lord, your supper.
Just leave it there.
Has Lu Su returned?
He is at the guesthouse setting up a welcome banquet for Liu Bei.
Zijing? Is that Zijing there?
Zhou Yu pays his respects, my lord.
Gongjin?
Gongjin how's your health?
Not too bad.
Gongjin, you've come just in time.
Liu Bei has already arrived in Jiankang, and caused quite a commotion in the city.
This marriage business has put us in an awkward spot now.
My mother flew into a rage.
I already found out about all that.
My lord,
how did you explain to Her Ladyship?
I was going to tell her that the marriage was to build an alliance between our forces.
But, before I could even utter a word. I got a scathing upbraiding.
My lord, in our current situation,
we must be completely frank and tell Her Ladyship the whole story.
Tell her that the marriage is a ruse
to take Liu Bei hostage and exchange him for Jing.
Also, my lord, you may put all the blame onto me.
Say that Gongjin has acted on his own
and that you didn't know anything about it.
That's not too good, is it?
If Her Ladyship realized that we were deceiving her,
wouldn't she get even angrier?
And all the Southland officials would be shocked, too.
As long as we can take Jing back,
everyone will be delighted.
Is that not so?
There is one more thing which I must report to you, my lord.
Gongjin, why are you doing this?
Stand up and speak.
As soon as Liu Bei set sail,
I secretly ordered a force of 60,000 to mobilize towards Jing.
What?
You're launching a sneak attack? Zhuge Liang has already prepared for that!
Won't this cause war between our forces?
My lord, this war is inevitable,
and the timing is advantageous to us right now.
Liu Bei is already in Jiankang. He couldn't escape even if he grew wings.
The men in Jing have no one to lead them.
I've prepared for all eventualities.
We will surely prevail.
If my lord is worried about any censure, there's a solution.
After Jing is taken,
my lord may put all the blame onto me.
and have me executed.
If this head of mine can satisfy the people of the world,
I will not begrudge death.
Since my lord assents,
I will go speak to Her Ladyship now.
Gongjin!
What is it, my lord?
I feel that this is not the way to go about doing this.
Why not?
If Her Ladyship hadn't learned about this,
we could still proceed as you suggested.
However, she has already found out that Liu Bei has come to Jiankang to get married.
Ever since we were little, she taught my brother and me
to be loyal and filial, kind and-just.
If she finds out that I'm marrying off my little sister to Liu Bei
only as a ploy to take Jing,
she-will never forgive me.
My lord, are you truly worried about Her Ladyship?
Let's say... not completely so.
I am the Marquis of Wu.
How could you take military action without my consent?
Are you the lord of the Southland...
Or am I?