Episode 67
Three Kingdoms
Prepare to die, Ma boy!
Want to burn me, Ma boy? Here's my fire!
This fierce battle between Yide and Ma Chao
will surely go down in history.
When did you arrive, Sir?
I arrived just now. As Yide and Ma Chao were locked in combat,
I entered the city through the West Gate.
Look at this.
At this rate,
I'm afraid it'll end in one of their deaths.
Ma Chao hates Cao Cao for killing his father. and could be a great help to us.
My lord, are you fond of Ma Chao?
Who can help but love such a fierce warrior?
Even his Xiliang cavalry is an unrivaled force.
Well then. Watch this little ploy of mine.
I'll have Ma Chao surrender to us willingly.
Really?
On the way here, I kept thinking.
Zhang Lu has a family feud against Liu Zhang. Why would he send aid?
He must have accepted a large bribe from Liu Zhang.
Zhang Lu has an adviser named Yang Song,
who is by nature greedy, extremely greedy
Jian Yong,
your lord Liu Bei is only Han's General of the Left.
How can he recommend my lord to be Prince of Hanning?
While my lord is only the General of the Left,
the emperor has honored him as the Imperial Uncle.
As the esteemed Imperial Uncle,
he will surely succeed in recommending your lord Zhang Lu to be Prince of Hanning.
This is truly precious.
But I fear that, if I take this generous gift but do not succeed,
Liu Bei will scoff at me.
You are too modest, sir.
Here in Hanzhong,
who doesn't know that you are second in power only to your lord?
As long as you are willing to speak, your lord will heed your words.
Furthermore, my lord has said.
even if this does not succeed,
he is keen to make a friend of you, sir.
Consider these trifles a greeting gift.
I feel uneasy about this.
Consider.
Ma Chao is fighting on the frontlines,
and here I am slandering him behind his back.
It would be unfair of me.
I've long heard that you are a righteous man,
but Ma Chao is not.
Just think, sir.
If Ma Chao is successful in his western campaign,
his position in Hanzhong will rise above yours.
Besides, Ma Chao has lost Xiliang already,
so wouldn't it stand to reason that he'd want to take Hanzhong for himself?
Good.
My lord.
Here, you've come just in time.
Come look at this.
Ma Mengqi has engaged Liu Bei in battle for several days,
and has managed to stop them from pressing forward.
With such a talented general to subdue the enemy,
and with Liu Zhang in the west, coordinating with us to attack from both sides.
Liu Bei will surely be defeated.
My lord,
even if Liu Bei is defeated,
there is no guarantee that Yi Province will belong to you.
What is that supposed to mean?
Just think, my lord,
why has Ma Chao come running to us in Hanzhong?
It is because he was defeated by Cao Cao,
and lost his base in Xiliang, that he is forced to seek a temporary refuge.
I am afraid that
once Ma Chao takes Yi,
he will have no reason not to claim it for himself.
Do you have any evidence of this?
Our scouts report
that the reason Ma Chao stalls at Jiameng Pass, neither advancing nor retreating,
is that he is secretly negotiating with Liu Bei.
Liu Bei wants to let Ma Chao take Hanzhong for himself, while Liu Bei himself takes the Riverlands.
On Ma Chaos end, he hopes that Liu Bei will take Hanzhong,
while he himself takes the Riverlands.
This is why they maintain this stalemate on purpose.
The two are fighting over who gets Hanzhong, and who gets the Riverlands.
Once the two come to an agreement,
then both Hanzhong and the Riverlands will have been carved up.
Either Ma Chao or Liu Bei
will certainly attack you, my lord.
Right, right, right...
Now is not the time to alarm Ma Chao.
Here.
Immediately send word to Ma Chao saying that... uh, Cao Cao has attacked here.
Have him withdraw at once.
We'll deal with him once he's back.
Yes, my lord.
Zhang Lu has suddenly ordered,me to withdraw.
Why?
He says that Cao Cao has suddenly attacked.
Impossible!
Cao Cao is at Jing River battling Sun Quan.
How can he possibly attack Hanzhong at the same time?
Even if he did attack, Zhang Lu should have heard about it much earlier.
Zhang Fei is here again. Quick, to arms!
What is the matter?
Report!
General, Zhang Fei has come to challenge you to duel again.
Crazy bastard! What impudence!
I've been a fighter my whole life.
If I cannot even handle this Zhang Fei, how can I possibly live it down?
Have the messenger reply to Zhang Lu that I will withdraw after I've taken Jiameng Pass.
Ma Chao refuses to return,
and even asked me for more fodder and munitions.
This is an outrage!
My lord,
the fact that Ma Chao refuses to return is further proof that he is disloyal.
My lord cannot afford to not guard against him.
All right then.
Go to Ma Chao yourself and tell him that if he does not wish to return, fine.
Give him one month to complete the following three tasks.
One, take the Riverlands.
Two, slay Liu Zhang and obtain his head.
Three, defeat Liu Bei.
If he cannot complete these three tasks, I will cut off his supplies.
Yes, my lord!
Each and every one of these three tasks is impossible!
How can Incomplete these three tasks within a month?
How is that not forcing me to my doom?
General, he is not forcing you to do anything.
You yourself made a formal pledge
saying that you will capture Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang alive.
And now? It's been several months already.
Yet you're stalling in front of the gates, neither advancing nor retreating.
Our lord asks this because he cherishes you. General.
That is why he requests your return to Hanzhong.
And if I don't?
The food and weapons are waiting within the borders of Hanzhong.
Without food, how can you continue to do battle?
Please reply to our lord
that I will return immediately.
That's the right idea.
I believe he will come 30 miles out of the city to welcome you.
Give orders to return.
To prevent a rear attack by Liu Bei, leave all heavy items behind.
We'll retreat northward with a light load,
and return to Hanzhong as fast,as possible.
Yes, my lord.
Ma Chao has returned under orders.
In three days time,
he has already crossed the Hanzhong borders.
The speed of return is most fast.
That is what I worry about.
My lord, please imagine,
is this Ma Chao withdrawing or advancing?
Earlier, my lord requested his return.
yet he made all sorts of excuses and refused to return.
This time, he is returning quite hastily.
Couldn't this be a trick?
My lord, you can't afford not to be on your guard.
Quickly, send more men to reinforce the gates.
Do not let Ma Chao enter Hanzhong!
Yes, my lord.
Hear me!
I am General Ma Dai,
returning as ordered.
Open the gates at once!
Our lord has commanded us not to open the gates.
He has commanded our return.
Why refuse to let us enter?
You may enter,
but first, General, please surrender all your weapons and enter empty-handed.
How dare you!
You think we're the enemy?
Fire!
Watch out!
Fall back! Now!
Cease fire.
General, General.
What can Zhang Lu be thinking?
I think that Zhang Lu must be suspicious of you, Elder Brother.
It has to be that Yang Song's doing.
He always had an odd way about him, and never trusted me.
Remember?
Last year, Zhang Lu wanted to marry his daughter to me, and it was also him that stopped it.
Elder Brother,
let's not speak of the past.
Right now, our army cant advance or retreat, and we're stuck in the middle of nowhere. What should we do?
General.
Zhuge Liang is paying us a visit.
Zhuge Liang?
Zhuge Liang pays his respects to General Ma Chao.
Why have you come here, sir?
I have come to persuade»your
My sword has just been sharpened,
and is thirsting to take a head.
You way test your words, sir.
If your speech is unconvincing,
then you can test my sword.
General, you are not far from disaster.
I fear this newly sharpened sword will not try my head
before it takes your own. General.
What disaster do I face?
I heard of Xishi of Yue
that even those fond of disparaging her could not obscure her beauty.
Whereas, with Wuyan of Qi, even those good at flattering her could not conceal her ugliness.
The midday sun will soon decline. The full moon will wane.
These are universal truths.
You have a blood feud with Cao Cao
and a deadly grudge against Longxi.
You are now stranded here,
gazing at your sword and sighing heavily.
You can neither rescue Liu Zhang by repelling the Jing armies,
nor can you restrain Yang Song in order to meet Zhang Lu in person.
You have no refuge nor a lord to serve.
Your losses of Wei Bridge and Jicheng will be reenacted today.
How can you bear to face the world, General?
You are right.
I, Ma Chao, have been a man of courage my whole life,
but today I am truly at the end of the road.
If General is receptive to my speech,
why are there armed guards in the tent?
Leave us.
Aye.
General Ma,
my lord treats his subordinates with courtesy and cherishes men of talent as his own life.
The whole realm knows of his proclamation:
"No rest for the traitors; no retreat for the Han!"
My lord's life's work
is to destroy the traitor Cao and revive the Han House.
Your late father and mylord swore a blood-oath together over the Emperor's Jade Girdle Edict,
vowing to destroy the traitor.
Surely you are aware of this, General!
General, you are a valiant warrior, a chivalrous soul of our times.
It was merely for survival's sake that you submitted yourself to Zhang Lu.
This is a true tragedy for you, General.
Why not forsake darkness for light. and turn to the Imperial Uncle?
This way, you can continue your father's work and avenge him,
and make a name for yourself by ridding the world of a plague.
General Ma Teng's soul in Heaven
will certainly smile upon you in approval.
I am willing to surrender to the Imperial Uncle.
Please rise. Please rise.
My lord gains another valiant general.
Yizhou will soon be within our reach.
Sir, allow me to seize Yizhou
to render my service to the Imperial Uncle.
My lord.
Ma Chao has led his army in front of the city, and asked you to come to the city wall to parley.
Ha ha! You see? I've said before that
Ma Chao can surely defeat Liu Bei, right?
And now, here he is!
We ask to speak with Liu Jiyu!
General Mengqi, please wait a moment.
I'll go open the gates now!
Hurry and open the gates,
or else, I will attack the city!
What did you say?
I have joined the Imperial Uncle,
and have come under orders to seize Yizhou from you today!
You, sir, had better make haste to open the gates,
lest blood be spilled
Otherwise, before the day is half done. you will lose your city and your life!
jade and stone alike will be destroyed!
My lord! My lord, my lord!
Gongheng.
All the others have left me here and fled.
Why haven't you gone yet?
Does my lord suppose that there is not one loyal subject left in Yizhou?
When I first invited Liu Bei to enter the Riverlands,
you were adamantly against it.
Now I regret it deeply.
I should have listened to your loyal counsel then.
What does my lord plan to do now?
It's over.
Let's open the gates and surrender.
At least that will save the people of the city.
My lord,
there are 30,000 troops still in the city.
Our provisions can last us a year.
Why not stand firm and wait for a change of fortune?
Oh, Gongheng...
If everyone were as loyal as you,
forget the thirty thousand
even if I had only three thousand, I would fight to the end.
But loyal subjects are too scarce in this world.
First there were Zhang Song and Fa Zheng.
Then there were Li Yan and Li Hui.
Who knows who else will be next?
Report!
Bad news, my lord!
My lord, my lord, bad news.
The guard of East Gate surrendered the gate. Liu Bei's army has entered the city, my lord.
How's that? I was right.
If I do not open the gates,
there will be those who will.
This is all Heaven's will.
My lord,
I will escort you and fight our way out the West Gate.
Even if today we fight our way out of the West Gate.
Where will we go tomorrow?
My father and I have ruled Shu for more than twenty years.
We did not do much for the people here.
If the battle continues at this rate,
blood and corpses will cover the fields.
How can my heart be at peace?
We'll surrender.
My lord...
My lord!
My lord ..
Imperial Uncle Liu.
Here are Yi's seal of office and provincial records.
Henceforth, the Riverlands are in your hands.
Dear brother, please treat the people of Shu with kindness.
It is not that I wish to be unkind.
Taking Yi Province is truly an action compelled by circumstance.
Please do not hate me for it.
Hate you?
I hate the Heavens,
I hate the Earth,
ah... I hate myself.
But you alone. Imperial Uncle, I dare not hate.
He was the ruler of the Riverlands,
and yet he indulged himself all day in wine and women
How could he but fail this great land of his?
Play-acting the part of a lord!
Kneel!
I'd rather lose my head than bend my knees!
Kneel already!
Leave us.
Aye, aye.
You, sir, are Huang Quan, Huang Gongheng?
I've invited you here
to ask you a few things.
Go ahead.
I heard
that when all the court officials
abandoned Liu Jiyu and fled the city.
you were the only one
willing to escort him in breaking out.
That is correct.
I heard also,
that it was your idea to behead Zhang Song,
and send his head to me as a warning.
A villain who betrays his master deserves to be slain
I heard also
that the ambush at Fallen Phoenix Slope was also your idea.
it's a pity you were not the one riding Hex Mark.
Where are the executioners?
Come take my head.
Sir, you are the most capable subject of Yi.
It's said that Huang Quan governs the Riverlands
as well as Zhang Zhao administers the Southland.
In the 41 counties of the Riverlands,
all details regarding grain, taxes, troops and equipment are most well known to you.
Without your cafe, Huang Gongheng, this vast expanse of the Riverlands would have fallen long ago.
Yes, that is quite true.
Alas, vile servants and a mediocre ruler
have ruined this great land of ours!
I have a letter here.
Please have a look, sir.
A letter from whom?
A person you murdered
left this letter behind before his death.
Who?
Pang Tong.
After I die, my lord will certainly settle the Riverlands.
The land is known for talented men.
My lord, please use each according to his merits,
and enable them to become true pillars of the state in governing the River lands and reviving Han.
Huang Gongheng in particular
is the most capable out of all Riverlands officials.
My lord mustn't hold my death against him.
Loyal subjects are hard to come by.
If my lord cannot employ Huang Gongheng appropriately
will not rest in peace.
I boldly entreat you to
assume the rank of General of the Right,
and take responsibility for all civil affairs of the Riverlands.
Imperial Uncle, I am willing to serve you.
Pang Shiyuan...
can smile in the other world now.
Protector of Yi Province, Liu Bei, by the grace of Heaven, appoints
Guan Yunchang as General who Destroys Rebels, and Lord of Hanshou,
Zhang Fei as General who Conquers the Caitiffs, and Lord of Xinting,
Zhao Yun as General who Maintains Distant Lands,
Huang Zhong as General who Conquers the West,
and Ma Chao as General who Pacifies the West.
The Tablet of Pang Tong
Kongming...
do you still remember...
your three proposals of Longzhong?
I do.
First, take Jing Province.
Second, take the Riverlands.
Third, take the realm under Heaven.
And now...
we have completed the first two steps...
and obtained half the lands in this tripartite realm.
My gratitude toward you...
cannot be expressed in words.
Why is my lord still melancholy?
The Fledgling Phoenix, Pang Shiyuan...
along with 2,000 men...
their dead bodies lie in decay at the Fallen Phoenix Slope.
Today...
I brought some incense and offerings...
to honor their memory.
Yet I was unable to tell...
which body belonged to Shiyuan.
Kongming...
at this rate...
can I really unite the country?
My lord...
the world has been at war for almost a century now.
All within the Four Seas yearn for unification.
They all dream of peace.
None but an enlightened ruler can achieve that goal.
And you, my lord, are the enlightened ruler that Heaven sent us.
Let us hope I will not be unworthy of Heavens command.
My lord, our next step...
should be to allow the Riverlands and Jing
several years to rest and recover.
First, we can strengthen the armies and enrich the people.
Secondly, we can store up food supplies and weaponry.
When the opportunity arises,
we can then lead a force of millions to seize Chang'an and Luoyang,
pacify the realm in one strike and achieve the greatest endeavour.
Good.
Kongming.
These are the clauses of Shu law that Fa Zheng drafted up.
Have you seen them?
I have.
Fa Zheng spoke with me before he wrote them.
I am in complete agreement with Fa Zheng's proposition of mercy and leniency in our laws.
Why so?
Four hundred years ago,
when the Supreme Ancestor entered Hanzhong,
he created a pact with the people there and promised them three things.
honesty, love for the people, and an alleviation of the tax burden.
For this, all were grateful to him
and joined him in completing his great work.
Today, my lord enters the Riverlands, much like how the Supreme Ancestor entered Hanzhong in his time.
My lord should also strive for mercy and leniency in laws to reassure the people.
I have already vetoed these clauses.
Why is that? '
Fa Zheng sees the trees, but not the forest.
The reason the Supreme Ancestor was merciful and lenient in his laws
was that the Qin Emperor was so tyrannical
that he was hated by all.
Hence he took the opposite approach.
But during the many years Liu Zhang and his father governed Shu,
they could neither establish virtuous rule nor command proper respect.
but resorted to indulging with favors and appeasing with kindnesses.
The relationship of ruler and subject was gradually compromised,
and many evils arose, both in court and among the people.
Because of this, we must not only reject emphasizing mercy and leniency,
but instead take the opposite approach.
Enforce severe penalties and harsh laws. Mete out reward and punishment appropriately.
so that all officers will observe propriety, and merits and errors will be strictly distinguished.
Right and wrong, honor and dishonor will all be according to measure.
Then court officials and the common people will all follow the law.
After a few years, once the Riverlands has become a prosperous, well-governed state,
we can begin to be merciful and lenient in laws.
My lord,
you have always abided by the principles of benevolence and righteousness.
Kongming...
There is a difference between petty benevolence and Great Benevolence,
petty righteousness and Great Righteousness.
Now that reviving the Han House is within our reach.
even in the midst of my happiness, I cannot help worry.
To ensure that the Han culture is solemn and upright,
that social order and moral principles return to normal,
we need to do even something that we do not desire to do.
In comparision to the foundation laid by four hundred years of Han rule.
the acts of benevolence and righteousness I did before were trifles.
Today, governing the country by strict and clear laws
is to achieve Great Righteousness by sacrificing petty benevolence.
Kongming,
please draft another version of the Shu laws
and show it to me.
I understand.
I shall go do it.
Sir, go celebrate with the others.
Let me stay a while longer with Shiyuan.
And it was in this moment
that it became clear to Zhuge Liang.
Liu Bei was no longer the same lord from in the past.
He had become a true ruler of men.
Father, your aim is impeccable. Your prowess is not one bit less than before.
Are there any messengers from Chengdu?
Yes.
At Chengdu, Lord Liu has been promoting and rewarding men of all ranks.
He rewarded our men herein Jing with 500 pounds of gold,
1,000 pounds of silver,.and fifty million cash,
along with a thousand bolts of Riverlands silk and 500 bolts of satin.
There is so much. I cannot remember it all.
Not bad, not bad.
Elder Brother is much richer now than before.
He also named Five Tiger Generals,
with you. Father, as the top general, and Lord of Hanshou.
Who are the Five Tiger Generals?
Father, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, and Ma Chao.
Yide and Zilong are our own men.
They are entitled to it. No further words needed.
Huang Hansheng is a veteran and a hero.
It's acceptable to count him as one of the Five Tigers.
Who is this Ma Chao?
He has just surrendered to us, and Elder Brother is already counting him as a Tiger General?
He is not fit for it.
Ping.
Here, Father.
Father.
I'll compose a letter for you to take to Chengdu.
Thank our lord in person for me.
Now that Yunchang heard that Ma Chao is a great warrior,
he wants to come in to the Riverlands to duel him!
My lord,
do you suppose Yunchang truly wishes to duel Ma Chao?
He is only sulking that Ma Chao is counted as one of the Five Tiger Generals.
Allow me to compose a letter
for Guan Ping to bring back.
Good. Write him a reply.
General, I heard that you wished to challenge Mengqi to a duel.
In my opinion,
Lord of the Magnificent Beard, you bear a great responsibility in defending Jing.
If anything befalls Jing while you are in the Riverlands, your crime would be great.
pray you consider this matter carefully. With humble respects, Kongming."
Look at this!
The Director General praises me as "Lord of the Magnificent Beard".
Guan Ping,
go make 50 copies this letter from Director General,
so that all Jing Province officials can see it.
As you wish.
Zijing.
Liu Bei has taken the Riverlands already.
Do you believe,
if we asked for Jing Province,
we could get it back?
Most definitely not.
We can only take it with our own hands.
Then why are we wasting our effort?
My lord, please put yourself in Liu Bei's shoes and ponder this from his perspective.
After Liu Bei takes the Riverlands,
naturally he would expect us to go ask for Jing Province.
Even the details of how he will respond to us
have been thought out by Zhuge Liang.
If we do not ask for Jing Province,
Zhuge Liang would certainly start to suspect us.
What would he be suspicious of?
to take it by stealth.
He would be suspicious that we are sending an army
This is why my lord must send someone to demand it.
Firstly, this will slacken Liu Bei's vigilance.
Secondly, on our part we would have preceded force with reason.
In your opinion.
who can we send?
I have just the person in mind.
Zhuge Liang's elder brother, Zhuge Jin.
Men!
Here!
Co seize Zhuge Jin's entire family, old and young alike,
and throw them in prison.
Aye.