Episode 55
Three Kingdoms
My lord.
My lord?
My lord, the Marquis of Wu has sent us our allowance for the month.
How much?
They added another 20,000, for a total of 60,000 cash.
How can 60,000 cash be enough?
Look, I just got an extra five cooks and six musicians.
All of this costs money.
Go and tell the messenger to ask for an additional 20,000 cash.
That...
As you wish.
Zilong, what's going on with our lord?
It's like he's turned into another person.
I think something's wrong, too. It's like he's turned into another person.
It's already the end of the year.
When will we be able to return to Jingzhou?
Right. It is the end of the year.
I almost forgot something .important.
What is it, Zhao Yun?
My lord? you've changed.
You're dreaming your1life away while you indulged worldly pleasures.
Could you really have forgotten your aspiration to revive the Han?
I am our lord.
How dare you speak like that to me?
If you continue like this,
you are no longer my lord
Preposterous!
My lord.
You simply can't keep this up.
If the Director General and the others find out,
they will resent you bitterly, and the Southland will mock you!
Insolence!
Are you lecturing me?
I've spent my life at war! I can't enjoy myself now?
My lord, you may enjoy this lifestyle,
but I can't bear it. I can stay no longer!
If that's the case, then get out!
My lord!
Considering that you have been faithful, I will not punish you.
Now get out and go back to Jingzhou
My lord!
Get lost!
I am not your lord!
Men!
Here!
Get rid of him!
Aye!
My lord...
My lord!
My lord
My lord, you can't continue like this!
This has nothing to do with you.
Continue with the music and the dance.
Grand Commander.
Today, our lord sent Liu Bei his allowance.
Liu Bei thought 60,000 was too little, and asked for more!
How much more does he want?
He asked for 20,000 more.
And what did our lord say?
He seeks your opinion.
Well, then... I think an increase of 20,000 is too little.
Round it up and give him an even 100,000.
Grand Commander.
We are pressed for cash.
Officers of all ranks have had to cut back for the military.
This is a huge expense.
We won't be able to maintain it in the long run.
To spend 100,000 every month on a son-in-law is indeed too much.
But if it can buy us back Jing Province,
it's too good to pass up.
Wait a little longer. When this lifestyle has utterly corrupted him,
he'll be mine to control.
Grand Commander, you are wise. Oh, also...
be like this, and had a word with him.
Zhao Yun got tired of watching Liu Bei
The two started quarreling,
and Liu Bei sent Zhao Yun packing.
That's great!
Let him go.
Zhao Yun is sure to tell everyone in Jingzhou about Liu Bei's licentious life.
It will affect their morale.
Once they are demoralized,
taking the province will be mere child's play.
Director General, we heard Zilong returned.
He has.
Where is he then?
He's outside.
Zilong!
Zilong?
Scram!
Director General, what is this all about?
Zilong abandoned his lord, neglecting his duty.
In accordance with military law, he was given 30 strokes.
Zilong, are... are you hurt?
Zilong, how's my elder brother doing over there?
He has sunk into a life of comfort, spending his days with wine and women.
I remonstrated with him, and he sent me back.
What? That's impossible!
Elder Brother isn't that kind of person!
Isn't it obvious?
They are using a "beauty scheme" to entrap him.
If this continues, there may be trouble.
Director General, give us the order. We'll rescue him.
Second Brother is right!
Director General.
Give us the order! I'll lead the vanguard.
I'll go to the barracks right now and gather my men!
Stop!
The Southland has an army of 100,000.
The few men we have are barely enough to guard Jing.
How can we attack them?
And there's still Cao Cao to the north, hungering over our land.
It's an army's skill, not size, that counts.
Give the word and I will attack Jiankang using stealth.
We'll surprise them and rescue our lord.
The Suns have ruled their land for three generations. Their spies are everywhere.
How could a sneak attack work against them?
This won't work, that wont work!
Are we supposed to just sit and watch our elder brother be a hostage forever?
The issue isn't if it'll work.
Rather, I think, it's that someone has ulterior motives.
Yunchang, you mustn't think that.
It's true that our lord is in a precarious situation.
But Jing's situation is even more precarious.
shipping troops and grain to Baling.
On my way back, I saw the Southland
They could strike west at any time.
the Director General and you two,
Since he entrusted the province to
your minds should be united and acting in unison.
Zilong! Where on earth do you think you're going?
Zilong!
The Director General was right to punish me.
It has brought me back to my senses.
My duty is to protect our lord.
I must stay by his side.
Even if it means crawling all the way there, I will go back.
Zilong!
After Zhao Yun went back, e was punished by Zhuge Liang, and received 30 strokes.
And after that, he climbed awkwardly on his horse and made his way back to the Eastern Residence.
Zhao Zilong is truly a fine warrior of our times.
Dedicated and courageous.
No one else, after suffering such a beating...
would ever come back.
It's a pity
that such a man would dedicate his heart and soul to Liu Bei.
Since Zhao Yun went back,
they should know how their lord is doing here.
Anything to report from that side?
Our spies reported that
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei argued with Zhuge Liang.
They wanted to come save Liu Bei,
but Zhuge Liang wouldn't let them.
It seems that the military power in Jing Province is controlled by Zhuge Liang.
Guan and Zhang would not submit to him,
and abandoned their duties, instead spending their days reveling.
Zhuge Liang had to get Huang Zhang and Wei Yan to drill the new recruits.
Send people to Jing to spread rumors.
Say that Zhuge Liang has a secret arrangement with me.
and that he wants to make himself lord.
Once they start to fight among themselves.
we can just sit back and enjoy the show.
I will do that immediately.
Zilong, how are the wounds on your back?
The Director General didn't have them beat me in earnest. I'm fine.
This is a letter from the Director General.
The Director General is talented.
He gathered so much grain in just half a year's time.
Not just grain.
We gained 50,000 men as well.
50,000?
Yes.
That much?
The Director General had Ma Su go around
and recruit talented men living as recluses.
He also employed a group of former Jing officers.
They have long lived in the area and have many connections.
All will respond to their call.
Also, the troops they trained are highly suited for battle in this area.
Good.
My old troops are not used to fighting in the south.
Cao Cao, let alone Zhou Yu.
They couldn't give us an advantage against
However...
However?
Yunchang and Yide cannot appreciate the Director General's situation.
They raise a racket every day, wanting to lead troops here (to rescue you.
The temper of those two will eventually lead to trouble when I'm not around.
But the Director General said it's not a problem,
as it will make Zhou Yu lower his guard even more.
Kongming truly has a difficult job.
My lord. When do you plan to return to Jingzhou?
What is the Director General's opinion?
He said it's up to you.
Once you've decided,
he will bluff that Cao Cao is invading and Jing is in danger.
That way, you'll have an excuse to go back.
Good.
I say sooner is better than later.
Lets leave soon, lest delay lead to complications.
I have long waited for you to say that, my lord.
So will,we go by boat, or travel by land?
We can put a decoy on the river route, but we can't go that way.
Zhou Yu commands the Southland navy, and most of the naval commanders are his supporters.
If we go by boat, he will spare no effort in pursuing us,
and it'll be impossible to escape.
It's a different story on land.
The officers along the way, such as Chen Wu, Pan Zhang, Jiang Qin, and Zhou Tai, are close to Sun Quan.
If misfortune befalls us there...
we might still have a chance.
You have a good point, my lord.
However, there is one more thing.
What is it, my lord?
The lady.
What you're considering, my lord, is bringing her back with us?
One day as a couple is a lifetime of devotion.
Between us is more than,a husband and wife's love.
I owe her,my very life.
Do you like these flowers?
They're pretty.
But they are nowhere as pretty as my darling wife.
Dear husband, have you learned how to flatter, too?
What is it?
My lady...
Jing is in trouble.
What happened?
Cao Cao is invading with a large force.
Jing is in very grave danger.
You want to return to Jing?
My lady, once I've gone there
and fended off Cao Cao, I will return immediately.
It will take three months at most, but it could be as short as twenty days.
Is that all right?
Lies.
Once you go back, you will never return.
Furthermore, Cao Cao is not invading at all.
You want to return to Jing,
so you made this excuse to fool me.
You tossed and turned all night, and didn't sleep at all.
I could tell that you had something on your mind.
Say it. Tell me the whole truth.
All right, my lady.
I will tell you the truth.
This wedding arranged between you and me
was a trap set in the guise of a banquet.
If it weren't for your playing the flute at the Sweet Dew Temple,
I would have been decapitated long ago.
And now, I must return to Jing.
If you are to come with me, my lady,
you and your mother will be kept apart forever.
But if you don't come,
we will be on opposite ends of the world.
Whether you stay or go...
it will be like a knife being plunged into my heart.
I didn't know how to tell you this.
You truly cannot bear to part with me?
I have lived amidst blood and horror, struggling to stay alive, for thirty years.
I was like a blade of grass without roots.
Not until I met you, my lady,
did I see the joys of a settled life.
Looking at you...
I feel like I am beholding a crystal dewdrop.
Even the Lightest breeze threatening to blow you away
would terrify me.
Now, I have no choice but to return to Jing.
Yet I can't bear to part with you, either.
I will go with you.
You must remember this.
Before, I was the Marquis of Wu's sister.
But now, I am the wife of Liu Xuande.
A woman has to stand by her husband's side.
Wherever you go, I will gladly follow you.
Even if I only have one piece of straw to keep me warm,
I will share it with you.
My lady.
Don't talk any more about Cao Cao invading Jing.
Not even I believe that story.
How could you deceive Zhou Yu with it?
I don't know what to do.
My greetings, Mother.
What made you decide to come pay me a visit today?
I thought my daughter had forgotten her mother now that she's married.
What do you mean, Mother?
Am I any less your daughter after marriage?
Let me have a look at you.
Has Xuande been treating you well lately?
He's always by my side.
This husband wasn't chosen poorly.
So he's learned to dote on you, eh?
However, he hasn't been in a good mood lately.
Oh? What is the problem?
His parents' graves are far away in Zhuojun.
Tomorrow's the anniversary of his father's death.
Xuande grieved about it all night last night.
It made me feel so bad.
I would like to go with him out of the city to the bank of the river,
so we can send our prayers northward and do our filial duty.
Maybe that will make him feel better.
May we have your permission, Mother?
So you want to leave the city?
It is your filial duty, after all.
It's time for you to go.
I thank you, Mother, on behalf of my husband.
It's been quite some time since live combed your hair.
Let me do your hair for you.
When you were little...
your hair was actually quite thin.
I would wash it with a tonic of flowery knotweed every night.
But I had hardly expected...
that you would come to grow such thick and lustrous hair.
It's so beautiful.
Mother, are you crying?
I'm all right.
When you get older, you can't stop thinking about the past.
I was just thinking about how you looked when you were little.
And before I knew it,
these tears just came rolling down by themselves.
This bit of hair is too long.
I'll cut it.
General, please remove your sword.
My humble greetings, Your Ladyship.
Is that you, Youping?
What orders would you give me, Madam?
I have a mission for you.
I am at your command, Madam.
The spring food shortage approaches. Do we have enough grain stored?
We do.
Even so, we should try to save whatever we can.
We just had a year-long war,
and the people are impoverished.
If we have a crop failure this year,
we might have to relieve the people with grain.
If people turn to banditry, we'll never have enough troops to go around.
You are quite right.
Director General!
Are you saving my elder brother or not?
General Zhang.
Be honest with me!
Do you want my elder brother to die before his time?
General Zhang, you're drunk.
I'm not drunk!
Go out and listen!
Listen to the rumors!
Everyone on the street has heard
The Director General
and that brother of his working for the Southland, Zhuge Jin,
have been in cahoots all along!
He wants to take over!
General Zhang,
it's just a rumor. How can you believe it?
Rumor?
If it really is just a rumor.
send troops right now to rescue my elder brother!
I think sitting behind this little desk has gone to your head
General Zhang is drunk! Help him go lie down and rest!
Aye!
Zhuge Liang! Listen carefully to me!
If anything should happen to my elder brother,
I'll make you regret it!
Move!
Master, don't you concern yourself over him.
He just had too much to drink.
Just pretend you didn't hear any of that.
Why pick that up?
tomorrow and throw another fit!
Pick it up today, and he'll come back
Master, what's wrong?
It's not like you to show your temper like this.
Right. You are absolutely right.
I soon won't even be able to recognize myself.
I remember my farming days in Nanyang.
I refused to take office just to earn a salary.
I counted myself among the noble-minded.
And now?
I have to put up with this butcher's insults every day!
What kind of man you are, Master,
is known to me, but Yunchang, Yide, and the others don't know you that well yet.
They have misconceptions because their lord is everything«to them.
They are all uncultivated people.
Master, why bother getting upset because of them?
I'm not upset because of them.
I'm getting upset with myself.
Master, didn't you use to say that
even Han Xin suffered the humiliation of having to crawl between someone's legs?
Master, in your heart you carry the dream of reviving the Han.
If Han Xin could tolerate that...
you must be able to tolerate this as well, Master.
Reviving the Han...
Right.
When compared with that...
these insults are really quite a trivial matter.
State Mother, what is the occasion for this feast today?
Do I need an occasion to throw a feast?
all in their service to the Southland.
Day after day everyone has given his
Should I not treat you to a little wine?
All right.
These ten jugs of wine have been in the cellar for three years.
Everyone,<drink to your hearts content!
Thank you, Madam!
Madam, with such a delightful banquet being held,
why not invite the Imperial Uncle to join us?
That son-in-law of mine?
He spent all of last night drinking,
and he still hasn't woken up yet.
I'll just send him a jug later.
I see. I see.
Gentlemen.
For years, the Southland has seen propitious weather, and the people have flourished.
This is partly due to Heaven's favor,
but it is also due to the grace of the State Mother!
be a toast to the State Mother,
I feel that our first cup of wine should
and the longevity of mountains!
wishing her happiness boundless as the oceans,
We wish the State Mother a long and happy life!
Wonderful. I will drink to that.
Cheers.
However, I am unable to drink much,
and you should be toasting your lord instead.
Now he can drink plenty of wine!
Mother, I can't hold my wine, either.
I get drunk after two or three cups.
If they're toasting to you, you should drink.
You should get drunk once a year anyway.
been drunk a couple of times?
Can you call yourself a man if you haven't
Allow us to toast to our lord!
We toast to you, our lord! We toast to you, our lord!
Very. well. And I shall drink to you.
Thank you, my lord!
Hurry, to the river!
Look! Is that man Zhao Yun?
I think so.
Liu Bei must be in the carriage.
Hurry back and tell General Lu that Liu Bei is going to the river.
My lord, allow me to toast to you again.
I cant drink another drop.
Zhongmou! How can you turn down a,toast from Zibu?
I'll drink it. I'll drink it.
Thank you, my lord.
Come, have another cup.
Lord Sun is drunk
He really is drunk!
He really did get drunk!
Fine, then. Carry the Marquis in to rest.
Sir Zhang, come, come. Let me toast to you.
I'll toast to Sir Zhang,too.
My lords, let us toast together to the State Mother!
Sir. Liu Bei's carriage has left. He went to offer a prayer by the river.
What?
Send my orders.
Have Jia Hua lead 500 troops to keep a close eye on them.
Yes, sir.
Lii Meng, what put you in such a panic?
Sir, Liu Bei has left the city for the river.
They're heading west on a boat now!
Are you serious?
Of course I am!
Then why did you come here instead of reporting to Gongjin?
He is in Chaisang and won't be back for two more days.
Sir, please hurry and report to Lord Sun! >
If this is true, then our lord should be informed.
But you saw him.
He got drunk and passed out.
How can I report to him?
How about I speak with the State Mother?
Sir, considering the circumstances, can't you see
that the State Mother is in league with her son-in-law?
In that case,
you decide what to do.
Such a thing can only be decided by our lord.
However you look at it, it still comes back to him.
Wait for him to sober up, then.
Sir Zhang!
What?
Liu Bei took my sister and ran off without telling us?
What's wrong with all of you? Why wait until now?
My lord, you were asleep until just now.
I was obliged to wait in the corridor.
What do you think is going on?
You should have woken me.
Send someone to pursue them immediately.
My lord, Jia Hua has an urgent report.
Aye. Send him in.
My lord. The Grand Commander already sent troops to the river to intercept the boat.
Have they apprehended Liu Bei?
Liu Bei and the others were not on board.
There were only a few of his soldiers from Jing.
We went to the Eastern Residence as well. Liu Bei and the lady were not there, either.
The Grand Commander believes they escaped using the "golden cicada shedding its skin" ploy,
and fled for Jingzhou by land.
What a clever little ruse he has performed.
By doing so, they've set us back a whole day.
Liu Xuande!
I've treated him so well,
and he plays such tricks on me!
Send my orders at once!
Have Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin take 500 men and give pursuit on land.
Arrest Liu Bei and my sister!
Yes, my lord.
All right. Clean that up.
Yes.
My lord! There's an ambush ahead!
Zhou Yu has planned for everything!