Put it here. Hurry!
What are you doing?
Grab him.
What do you mean?
There's a thief among my men? You listen here!
Even if he was starving, he'd not steal!
We caught him and he's in my camp.
Tell your leader and he can go verify.
-I'm the leader. Lead the way! -Let's go.
What's your name?
I have no name.
Where are you from?
How did you get into the camp?
I... I sneaked in.
Bullshit!
You are from Liu Ji's camp.
Who?
-I've never heard of that name. -Don't give me that!
From your accent, I'd say you're from Pei County, no?
I'm not.
Very well.
-Hit him again! -That's enough. Release him.
General Long Ju. Can I take him away now?
Does that mean...
he's from your camp?
No, I don't know him.
I promise such a thing will never happen again.
Hold on.
-Are you all right? -Take him back now!
My Lord, he was caught stealing in camp.
-What did he steal? -Food.
Where did he steal?
In General Xiang's camp.
He didn't steal from civilians. Why do they care? Release him.
Release him?
I'd do the same if I'm starving.
-Set him free. -Yes, sir.
Please.
My time is completely wrapped up in this war.
I haven't been able to take the time to talk to you.
It seems you are discontented.
I wonder if my men did something wrong,
or if something else has happened...
Thank you, Duke Xiang.
I'm fine, and generally all goes well.
But there's something that troubles my mind.
That is why I look displeased.
What troubles you, sir?
Now that you have crowned Prince Xin as the rightful king of Chu...
people of Chu are in high spirits indeed.
Even other states, like Wei, Zhao and Qi, have returned as well.
Only Han remains unrestored now.
If you can't help the old Kingdom of Han restores itself,
I'm afraid someone else will.
If that happens,
Han could very well become Chu's largest competition.
This possibility is what worries me most.
I've thought a good deal about this possibility.
But Mr. Zhang...
do you know of any heirs to the Han bloodline?
Among the Han princes...
Prince Cheng would do.
If you helped him become king,
he would be in your debt.
He would surely be your greatest support in the future.
Good. If that's the case I'll do as you said.
I'll send my men to find Prince Cheng right away.
Duke Xiang, I'm acquainted with Duke Cheng.
I'm the man to get in touch with him.
Let me talk to him for you.
What's more, I want to restore my state.
I must take this chance to help Han.
Excellent. Then I'll entrust you
to find the prince in lands of old Han.
-Thank you for your understanding. -It's nothing. Who better to do it?
I hope to see you soon.
I have much to learn from you.
I'm flattered.
-Please. -Please.
Mr. Zhang, I wonder when we will meet again?
Mr. Liu, when I spoke to Mr. Xiang,
he asked me to join him.
But you're well aware that this is not my goal.
But it'd be rude to refuse directly.
We then talked about the restoration of Han.
He said he could do some help.
I suggested visiting the lands of Han to find Prince Cheng, he agreed.
So it's for this, I must be on my way.
Well played, indeed.
I'm afraid that's the only way for now.
Mr. Liu, let me reiterate this.
As long as you need me, I can come to your aid.
Mr. Zhang, I shall say the same to you.
Wherever you go
or whatever troubles you encounter, come to me anytime.
There will always be a place for you here.
Thank you, Mr. Liu.
Before I leave, I have an advice for you.
Please, say.
Xiang's family is like a towering tree.
If you want great achievements in the future,
you need to take refuge under this tree to avoid the storm.
Though Xiang Yu is an arrogant man,
but he is honest and generous.
Mr. Liu, I hope that you'll be polite,
patient, and be cautious.
I'll ignore him. He can just do what he always does.
Good.
I have only the best intentions. I hope my advice can be of use.
Don't worry.
Mr. Liu, I shall take my leave.
General Zhang.
-General, I shall leave now. -It's all right.
How is the princess?
She's fine.
Did she send a letter?
The princess told me to bring this to you.
You may leave now.
Yes, sir.
General, I shall leave as well.
Sure.
I bet on the big.
I bet on the small.
Bet. Bet. Bet.
I bet on the big.
-You won again. How can we win? -Come on. Again.
Big. I bet on the big.
That should be the house.
Here?
I think so.
Come on.
-Count, count! I bet on the big. -Hurry up.
-Place your bet. -Sir.
-Come on. Come on. -Big, big.
Oh, girls. Do you want to play?
No.
-Come, come. -Excuse me, who is Chimian?
Chimian? Chimian? Are you there?
Yes?
Come on. Keep going!
Who's looking for Chimian? I'm Chimian. What do you want from me?
Some private matters. We'd like to speak with you.
You? Me and her? How do we know each other?
Do you know the royal physician Zhang Lin?
Both of you, please wait. Please wait.
Everyone out! Get out!
Go! Go! What the hell?
Fine. Let's go.
Hurry. Hurry. Let's go. Hurry.
How dare you! What are you doing?
Let's go. Hurry!
My respects, Princess.
Rise.
It's for you. Take it.
How do I dare to accept such a lavish gift?
Don't be silly. You can take it.
Did Zhang Lin tell you why we're here?
He said do anything you ask.
Doctor Zhang has helped me a lot.
Without him, I couldn't live here safely.
If there's anything I can possibly do, I will do my best.
Good. We appreciate it.
Are you in the service of Chongxin's residence?
Yes. Seeing you are here personally today, Princess,
may I ask what I can do for you?
I'd like to meet Chongxin.
-Princess. -How was it?
Dr. Zhang's prescription worked like magic.
Look, they're all asleep.
-They are passed out completely. -Yes. These ungrateful dogs!
I just wish I could kill all of them right now.
No, we'll decide after we meet Chongxin.
Oh, gosh! This--
Who's there?
It's me. Lord Chongxin has returned
and requested you to prepare his bath.
What's wrong with you?
Oh, no!
Something's wrong with my stomach.
It hurts. It really hurts.
Please do me a favor and ask a leave for me.
All right, all right. Just have a good rest.
I'll tell Lord Chongxin.
Mr. Zhang has left.
I wonder if this has affected the morale of our warriors.
Indeed. They are not in such high spirits.
And why is that?
You should just say they'd rather be anywhere but here.
Is it that bad?
My Lord.
Why can't Mr. Zhang stick around?
Why?
Will you die without him?
Can't we do anything without him?
It's not that bad.
It's true he is a very noble man.
I think it's a shame that he left.
But Officer Xiao told me we shouldn't force him to stay.
Moreover...
why should he follow me right now?
We are just not strong enough yet.
I completely understand this.
Mr. Xiao, don't you think
he's not one of us actually?
No, he's the progeny of nobility.
I think...
he has more in common with General Xiang Yu.
It doesn't matter.
At some point, once I've succeeded,
I think not only him...
but many of the world's noblemen will join us.
By then...
we'll have a thousand Zhang Liangs.
Also...
the camp we're living in...
the food for our soldiers and horses and even our swords and weapon
are all provided by General Xiang Yu.
Do you know why he's giving us these?
He wants us to do the dirty work.
He wants us to charge the enemy lines.
I've been clear for quite a while.
Sooner or later, we'll have to leave.
We must leave.
How can we move forward under his command?
How can a sparrow know the will of a swan?
Mr. Xiao, are you praising me?
Nobody but me who knows your mind.
General, King Jing Ju has been killed.
-Who killed him? -Xiang Yu and Zhongli Mei.
The warriors they lead have never lost a battle.
They are very outstanding indeed. Guards.
Yes, sir.
-Hurry to invite General Sima Xin here. -Yes, sir.
In Xiangcheng, we have 5,000 soldiers
who were the labor servants from Mount Li.
That year when we recruited them, we equipped them with spears and shields.
We also instructed General Wang Li to train them himself.
They are very resilient soldiers.
General Sima Xin has arrived!
-General Zhang. -General Sima is here, General.
From that day on,
I entrusted you with the mission to collect enemy information.
Did you find anything?
General, Xiang Yu and Zhongli Mei are generals of Chu.
Do you know them?
The water here is too salty.
I often feel quite dizzy.
General Zhang, General Dong,
I'd better get some rest in the camp.
Sure.
Since you are not feeling well, you should go back and rest.
Thank you.
We're facing a major enemy yet he's trying to avoid participation.
He doesn't want to help.
General Sima Xin is not a bad person.
He is only a very cautious man.
Don't blame him.
Yet you've long been aware of Xiang Yu's movements.
Why are you asking him?
It's true I've heard of Xiang Yu for quite some time.
But if I can get General Sima Xin to talk about the issue,
I think it would be better.
What's more, General Sima Xin is very familiar with them.
If I can get more details from him,
it'd be a great help for my plan to attack them.
What do we do about Xiangcheng?
If Xiang Yu attacks Xiangcheng, he'd have to come from the west,
The west is surrounded by hills and the walls there are weaker.
We have insufficient warriors and there are too many points of exposure.
We cannot mount an effective attack.
We have 5,000 warriors there,
and I'll send another 15,000.
The existing 5,000 warriors
will lay ambush on these western slopes to hold the Chu warriors.
When only 2,000 men remain,
we'll stop the attack and retreat to the west.
You still need to send 15,000 warriors to Xiangcheng.
Yes.
You may not be aware. Xiang Yu is powerful and valiant.
Even our 20,000 valiant warriors might not be able
to defeat his 10,000 warriors.
Therefore I need strength estimation.
You'll appoint Wang Li to lead the warriors?
Wang Li was the one who successfully trained laborers to be warriors.
When it comes to leading these unconventional warriors,
only he knows how.
General Wang Li is very experienced in battle.
He is a well-known general among the six states.
-But he's too old now. -I have made my decision. Guards!
Yes, sir.
Send my orders.
General Wang Li should hurry to Xiangcheng to attack Xiang Yu.
Yes, sir.
I'm afraid Liu Ji will never amount to much.
It's true that he doesn't have a strong army.
But his advisor and his men are highly trained.
Some are quite talented.
Think about it. A leader chosen by such an unruly mob...
he may have something outstanding.
In my opinion,
Liu Ji and the other bandit leaders...
are very different.
-Why is that? -Come.
He has different faces for us and for his men.
General Zhongli Mei once told me,
he was actually going to Jing Ju for help but came to us instead.
This kind of analytical skill is rare indeed.
With all these battles, everything is unexpected.
If he didn't turn to us for help, I might respect him.
But it seems he's playing games now.
General Xiang Liang lied to him
and pushed Zhang Liang to leave.
But he acted as if nothing happened at all.
We must be wary of a man...
with such self-control.
You're right, Mr. Fan.
Tell me. What should we do with him?
We can deal with him as we dealt with Ying Bu.
Ying Bu is a reckless man.
He's fearless but lacks strategy.
When I divided his men into three different groups,
he didn't even notice.
But Liu Ji would not be that stupid.
Then, what does your uncle think?
My uncle said that you and I can decide.
We can test what kind of man he is.
Xiangcheng has firm walls and plenty of food.
Yet they want us to attack it.
Are they not trying to get us killed?
Five thousand soldiers to attack a small city?
We probably have a decent chance success.
We should have a hundred percent chance of success.
But what kind of soldiers do they give us? Damn it!
They only want to insult us.
This is ridiculous.
Fan Kuai, take it easy.
I can't.
If you want to lead those weak soldiers, you may go ahead.
Give me a horse and a sword, I'll fight alone.
Enough. Sit down.
Guard the door.
Don't let anyone in.
Yes.
Zhou Bo, what about your men?
I have 2,000 crack soldiers.
But Xiang Yu assigned me two assistant generals
and took away 70 percent of my men!
What about those he sent you?
Those he sent me are weak.
They're practically just some men off the street!
How can we fight tomorrow?
Oh, please. At least you got some generals.
Xiang Yu didn't send me any.
But he took away all my valiant men!
Every single one!
As for the new warriors he sent, they're merely farmers
who've never even touched a sword. It's pointless to fight!
Lu Wan, what about you?
Didn't I tell you earlier?
We have to be patient.
How can I be patient? They want us dead.
You...
General Fan, calm down.
We need to figure out
Is this Xiang Yu's or Xiang Liang's
or that cunning old Fan Zeng's doing?
All three of them arranged it.
They are doing this to divide us and weaken us.
What should we do?
-Go talk to them? -Would they even listen?
The three of them planned it.
It's a trap.
Officer Xiao is right.
I've heard of Xiang Yu doing this before.
When he was in Xiapi,
he vanquished tens of thousands of Ying Bu's warriors.
He used the same divide-and-conquer method
to weakened Ying Bu's hold and took all those soldiers for himself.
It's an old trick.
He's too confident. Why should we follow him?
Tomorrow,
he will send Xiang Bo here to help me.
Help?
He's coming to watch over me.
My Lord, you should make a decision.
Tomorrow when the cock crows,
we'll rise and prepare food...
then attack Xiangcheng.
Seriously?
Charge!
General, take it easy. Xiangcheng will soon be in our grasp.
I'm watching, but can't fight.
It's not a strong enemy. If I took this mission,
I'd win this battle in a heartbeat.
It seems you're unaware of why we made such arrangements.
This little city,
is not even strategically necessary.
We only want to estimate Liu Ji's ability in arranging warriors.
Don't worry.
Once Liu Ji conquers Xiangcheng,
it means that
he'll totally give up the power
to lead those warriors from Pei.
General Xiang Yu and I have been through a lot together.
We grew up together.
I know him very well.
I know what he wants,
but this is not a good sign.
What do you mean?
Lord, Lord! The east gate has been broken.
In one more hour, I'll conquer the city.
-Come back! -What?
Bring back all of my warriors.
-Retreat! -Lord, but why?
Reporting! Reporting!
General!
General Liu's warriors did not break through the defense.
-What? You-- -They are retreating.
Generals, you should retreat!
What did I say? General Cao,
have we taken Xiangcheng then?
No! Zhou Bo's soldiers attacked from the west but most were killed.
They have retreated. I'm here to seek for help!
Tell me,
is Lord Liu still on the frontline?
Mr. Liu went to the frontline. Now they are behind our enemy's lines.
Go help them.
Send my orders! We must rescue Mr. Liu!
Charge.
What a fool! As the vanguard general,
he dares drop armor and retreat?
Warriors of my camp can die when we attack enemies,
but we can't die in retreat.
Guards, bring Fan Kuai here.
Calm down, General.
Where's General Zhou Bo?
Has he attacked the city with his men?
Zhou Bo is...
Tell me!
We have no news of him.
-You may leave. -Yes, sir.
What kind of crack warriors are they?
They are this vulnerable?
I regarded them too highly.
It's a little strange.
Even if we divided his force,
Xiangcheng is weak.
He should be able to conquer it easily.
This debacle can only prove one thing.
Liu Ji is useless.
How pathetic!
When Xiang Bo returns, we'll see what he has to say.
Reporting. Xiang Bo and Mr. Liu have returned.
I failed you, General!
Come in.
Thank you.
Tell me!
Give me an explanation for this failure.
I...
Xiang Bo, explain yourself.
In the battle for Xiangcheng, Mr. Liu led his men...
and they tried their best.
But we'd lost momentum, and failed shamefully.
As a commander, I am responsible and I should be blamed.
What's more, the warriors guarding the city gate
are ferocious and tough.
Send my orders, Mr. Liu shall return to the camp.
-Long Ju, Ji Bu. -Sir.
Each of you, take 5,000 warriors.
Conquer Xiangcheng in four hours.
If they don't surrender, none of them will be spared when we raze the city.
-Yes! -Yes.
I don't think we failed.
Indeed your warriors are valiant, resilient and efficient.
Your men are different than my men.
Usually when we fight,
my men have no rules.
We just win unexpectedly.
This is like a fight between tigers.
Can a tiger fight a stray dog? They're not in the same league!
Well, then, what should we do now?
Allow me to take my own men to attack Xiangcheng,
I promise I can conquer it!
Mr. Liu!
General Xiang,
please give me one day, just one day?
I'll conquer Xiangcheng with my men. If I fail, you can have my head.
-Never joke in a military camp. -Thank you, General.
Mr. Liu. Mr. Liu...
General.
Lord Sima Xin, why do you pay me such great respect?
General Zhang,
in Xianyang...
Dr. Zhang cured my mother's severe disease
at the risk of Zhao Gao's punishment.
I've heard you are quite the filial son.
It seems this is true indeed.
I also feel very glad for your mother.
But your mother was cured by Dr. Zhang.
I didn't help her.
Why do you show me such respects?
I can tell you in detail.
Dr. Zhang helped my mother
because of Princess Chenxi's orders.
She not only asked Dr. Zhang to cure my mother himself.
She even gave my mother the talisman
that she kept for curing her own illness.
The princess is my mother's savior.
I see.
That means... the princess is also ill?
She missed you too much and worried herself sick.
She is already rather weak.
I heard she fainted several times.
I see.
Lord Sima Xin, please rise. Rise.
General Zhang,
Princess Chenxi and my family are neither related nor friends.
I'm sure you know the reason she tried her best
to cure my mother's illness.
Chenxi...
Princes Chenxi did all this for me.
General Zhang, we are in the same boat.
My family members are also controlled by Zhao Gao.
So I didn't help you before.
But now, I will not fear him.
To be frank, Xiang Liang is my friend.
But from now on, I'll forget that.
I will follow you
so that I can return the gratitude.
Rise, please.
Thank you Lord Sima Xin.
Thank you, General.
Lord Sima Xin, it's great that agree to help General Zhang.
General Zhang deserves your help.
You should know that General Zhang is treated unfairly by our royal court.
Even when General Zhang is severely wronged,
he will not complain our royal court.
Yes, but what should we do?
We must let him know...
the spies of the royal court in the camp...
are as dangerous as our enemies.
It's very simple, but it seems that he can't understand.
He knows it clearly.
But he can't admit it to himself.
We must make him understand, the earlier, the better.
Right.
Why haven't we heard any news from Chimian yet?
Did Zhao Gao actually discovered about our plan?
Princess, what worries me is your illness.
You were coughing the whole night.
Princess, Premier Zhao Gao has come.
Let him in.
My respects, Princess.
-Rise, Premier. -Thank you, Princess.
Sit down, Premier.
Recently I've been too busy with palace affairs.
I received news that you are not feeling well. So, I came to visit.
I hope I'm not too late.
I very much appreciate that you're here.
Is there any reason for the visit?
Dr. Zhang cured Sima Xin's mother's disease.
Did you know this, by chance?
I should be blamed. I should be blamed.
Prepare another bowl.
But the bezoar is no longer effective.
I don't know whether we should keep using it.
Just put it aside.
Yes.
It was me...
who sent Dr. Zhang to cure Sima Xin's mother.
Why did you do that?
I'll be frank.
Now that General Zhang is in the battlefield.
I hope his subordinates can do their best to watch out for him.
What's more...
my illness has aggravated already.
I want to do more good deeds.
Since I was little, I always have this feeling.
I always feel like I might fall sick someday...
and won't be able to wake up again.
Princess...
I raised you.
When you were just this little,
you would ride on my shoulders.
Then, I taught you how to walk.
You tottered.
And I even took you to count the steps
outside of the palace hall.
All those memories...
are still fresh in my mind.
Premier Zhao.
Princess, you are not feeling well.
Don't fill your head with useless things.
You should take care of yourself.
Don't worry yourself...
with matters of the royal court.
Otherwise you may suffer, and it will do harm to your health.
It wouldn't do us any good.
I'll have to leave now.
Princess, please take care.
Subtitle translation by Loretta Kok