Sorry to keep you waiting.
Mr. Zhang, good that you’re back. Come with me.
We’re running out of time. Hurry!
Xiang Bo, Liu Ji wants to see you.
What? What a man you are!
You once saved my life.
I don’t want you to be killed.
You're putting me in a dangerous situation.
What are you up to? Is this how you repay my kindness?
-You-- -Xiang Bo, I'm glad to meet you here.
Xiang Bo.
The last time we met in Xuecheng was to discuss about crown of Chu, correct?
Yes.
Don’t blame Mr. Zhang.
You came from afar.
We should have a talk. I should pay you a visit, no?
I-- I--
We should have a good discussion. Come, sit.
Xiang Bo.
Xiang Yu decided to attack us in Bashang tomorrow, isn't it?
Mr. Xiao, this is just a gathering of old friends.
Let's talk about us instead of warfare.
Liu Ji, I know you value friendship.
You never did anything that failed the Chu,
nor anything that failed other vassals. What makes him attack us?
Mr. Xiao!
Xiang Yu and I are sworn brothers!
If he wants to condemn me,
he must have been blinded by someone’s lies.
Someone must be provoking him.
Someday, he'll understand.
Am I right, Xiang Bo?
Yes, listen to me.
There must someone who tries to incite him against you.
If he attacks his sworn brother, how will he explain this to his followers?
How will he retain his prestige?
How is he qualified to lead the world?
All right, that's enough. You may leave. Leave.
Fine. Since he’s decided to attack,
we will face him. Let him come. We will be waiting.
How could he make such a foolish and absurd decision?
Leave.
Goodbye.
-I-- -Mr. Xiao! Mr. Xiao!
Xiang Bo, Mr. Xiao was overly direct perhaps,
but what he said is actually quite reasonable.
Xiang Bo, I just want to know...
why does Xiang Yu hate us so much?
You!
Liu Ji, I’ve watched Xiang Yu grow up.
He's always moving forward without considering the consequences.
Now that it has come to this, I'm afraid I can't be of help.
Liu Ji.
-Sit down. -I--
I actually do not want to bring this up.
But, I have to tell you the truth now.
I don’t want to die without knowing my faults.
You might not know this.
You don’t know what we went through.
We’ve suffered much on the way.
Liu Ji, since we rebelled...
you’ve come out on top every time.
You were the first to reach Xianyang. How'd you possibly have suffered?
You mean we haven’t suffered, correct?
I--
True. We were the first that conquered Xianyang.
But did you ask what happened after that?
We didn’t do anything...
to offend Xiang Yu, did we?
We maintained military law.
We sealed the treasures in preparation for Xiang Yu’s arrival.
Don’t forget that King Huai actually promised
the first to reach Xianyang would be king.
Xiang Bo.
Did I proclaim myself king?
I didn’t...
I waited for his arrival to proclaim him king.
I never expected that...
waiting would actually lead to our demise.
Why?
I just don’t understand.
What was our mistake actually?
-It’s-- Liu Ji, allow me to-- -Xiang Bo.
Liu Ji... Now that it has come to this...
it’s too late to explain.
So long the Qin is out of power,
we don’t fear death at all.
Xiang Bo, thank you. You might as well leave.
I have decided,
to share my life and death with Liu Ji’s and his men.
Mr. Zhang, you-- Liu Ji--
Can’t we find a way to solve this matter?
Not necessary. Let’s not talk about this anymore.
Let’s stop here.
Liu Ji.
I don’t fear death at all.
It’s a pity that I can’t fight to repay Xiang Yu's kindness.
It's all right.
Xiang Yu will understand someday.
Time will tell. People will appreciate what I did.
Mr. Zhang, I’ll explain to Xiang Yu. I must let him--
No! No! I don't want to be the cause...
that ruins your relationship with him.
Liu Ji.
Xiang Bo.
I know what I should do.
Mr. Zhang, I’ll return to my camp now.
I’ll make Xiang Yu stop the attack and turn hostility into friendship.
Many thanks to you.
Farewell.
Mr. Zhang, it’s not easy to change Xiang Yu’s attitude.
Xiang Bo, Liu Ji is a kind-hearted man.
If you get a chance to know him someday.
Mr. Zhang, please say no more.
I know what I should do. I have to say goodbye now.
Farewell.
That’s what happened in Liu Bang’s camp.
I think it’s of vital importance.
Yu’er, you should think it over.
You should get some rest, Uncle.
I’ll discuss it with Mr. Fan.
All right. Mr. Fan, see you.
They fooled Xiang Bo. It’s a show played by Liu Ji.
He thought we'd be fooled by those words. What a clumsy show!
-If that’s the case, proceed as planned. -No, we can't.
Why did you change your mind again?
Whether we wronged Liu Ji or not,
we must kill him. Mr. Xiao is right.
We should have a discussion with other vassals.
Mr. Fan, have you forgotten what we suffered in Julu?
Chen Yu and Zhang Er did nothing but hide from danger.
It was me who defeated Zhang Han and Wang Li!
It’s me who conquered Qin!
Why do I have to consider their point of view now?
Ruling a state is different from fighting a war.
On the battlefield, you need bravery
and your soldiers should not fear death.
But what do you do when the war ends?
You need to rule the state. It needs stability.
Liu Ji is ambitious.
Will he willingly obey your rules?
Wei Bao and Chen Yu are only mediocre men.
But states need people like them.
You can despise them but you should not offend them.
I just need one word. What should I do?
Beat him at his game. We invite vassals and ask their ideas about the matter.
It was terrifying.
It was terrifying!
Luckily, I didn’t speak first!
It's nothing serious. It’s time to rest.
It was scary. It was too scary.
Darling, how did you know
that I don’t want to kill Liu Ji?
How did you know that all the others want to kill him?
Actually, to Xiang Yu’s, your ideas are trivial.
Right now, Xiang Yu is nothing but a ferocious tiger.
We have to go along with him.
Do you think he doesn’t know what to do?
Darling, you mean,
Xiang Yu only pretends to care what we think?
What do you think?
My darling.
I'm asking you because I don't know.
At first, when you captured me, you had a great army.
I was a delicate girl.
Would you have set me free if I didn’t want to marry you?
Darling, if it was now,
and I captured you again, would you marry me?
It’s just as I said. They are a bunch of timid mice.
They are even more coward than I expected.
None of them dared oppose me.
It’s not fear. It’s self-interest.
Mr. Xiao is clever, but he’s mistaken.
He’s overestimated Liu Ji’s strength and can’t see the truth.
King Huai’s promise is only to appease the victors.
All vassals want fiefdoms. Dividing fiefdoms is like dividing a cake.
The cake is small. The more they are, the less they get.
They all know well that it’s in their interest to kill Liu Ji.
Thus, they get bigger pieces of the cake.
What you're saying now
sounded just like Su Qin, Zhang Yi and their ilk.
I know you despise them.
It’s true they are not as valiant as you in battlefield,
but if we can avoid bloodshed and warfare
with their minds and words, isn't that better?
I just feel that these are just petty calculations.
Liu Ji used tricks to arrive at Xianyang first.
Shouldn’t he be despised?
All right, all right. We need not argue.
Order our warriors to get prepared.
No, I’ve got a new idea. We don't need to attack Liu Ji.
What made you change your mind?
If the other vassals want him dead...
you won’t hear the end of it.
I have a much better way to kill him.
He wants to talk to you, right?
Then invite him here. During dinner…
Under what pretext do we invite him?
You own the palace. He’s a thief stealing antiquities!
Do you need an excuse to invite a thief?
All right.
I’ll do as you said. I’ll not attack him.
Send the messenger to invite him to our banquet.
Liu Ji, the messenger has left.
Xiang Yu is inviting me to a banquet.
Why did he suddenly invite me?
Liu Ji, Ji Bu and Zhongli Mei remained in their camps.
It doesn't seem like they’re coming to attack us.
The other vassals retreated 5 kilometers and remained in their camps.
The same old trick! They're trying not to get themselves involved.
Liu Ji, you can’t be too careful. Do not be tricked.
It looks like Xiang Yu has gathered the other vassals for a discussion.
What would they discuss?
Killing.
-My lord, you can't do. -You can't go. It's dangerous.
You can't go.
-It’s too dangerous. -You shouldn't go.
This is a chance to prove our innocence in the Xiaoguan Pass
If you don't attend, it's like admitting to the whole word
that you have betrayed King Huai.
They can trump up any charge!
So, it’s just Xiang Yu and Mr. Fan
who intended to kill our lord.
-Lord, you shouldn’t go. -Don't go. It's too dangerous.
My lord, it’s too dangerous. Don’t go.
If he means to kill me,
I'd be dead even if we stay here.
If I have a chance to live...
why shouldn't I try?
I must attend.
-Yu Ziqi. -Yes.
When Liu Ji arrives, you are to meet him.
You should stay with his guards outside our military camp.
Arrange for them to drink. Keep them distracted.
Yes, sir.
-Ji Bu. -Yes.
Arrange two groups of executioners to lay ambush at both sides of my camp.
Mr. Fan will throw the jade out as a signal...
and then I’ll order you to rush into my camp and kill Liu Ji.
Yes.
It'll be hard to determine what will happen.
Do not take action until you hear Xiang Yu’s final order.
Yes, sir.
Liu Ji, we can still go back now.
Let's go.
General Xiang Yu, my greetings.
The king of Xianyang has arrived, eh?
Oh, I'm not.
I’m only a humble soldier in your camp.
Do you know why you're invited here tonight?
Of course, to drink!
Not only that. We must talk.
Let's talk about what happened at Xiaoguan Pass.
Xiaoguan Pass?
The world knows what happened at Xiaoguan Pass.
You are a man who bears no gratitude, nor righteousness.
You killed our men, defied our general. Did you not rebel?
You've misunderstood, Mr. Fan. I admit it was my subordinate's mistake.
I am truly sorry for what happened.
I am here tonight especially to beg your forgiveness.
To beg for forgiveness? How? Tell me!
I’ll accept any punishment from you, my brother.
You call him brother.
He takes you as brother yet you take him as a fool.
Mr. Fan!
As a general of allied forces against Qin...
you stationed your men at Xiaoguan Pass...
and attacked Xiang Yu’s men as they approached.
You ignored King Huai’s orders and even broken into the emperor’s palace.
You treated Ziying kindly and protected his wicked officials.
You're saying Xiang Yu's your sworn brother.
Yet where were you when he was in danger in Julu?
As a man who betrayed his king and has no regard for justice,
how do you justify your life in the world?
General, there are indeed people in the world...
who are as you described but I’m not one.
What I did in Xianyang is known by the world.
I never disobeyed Xiang Yu’s order.
If you can’t see that, perhaps you have neglected your duty.
What’s more, both Xiang Yu and I are King Huai’s ministers.
We should unite, but there are men who want us to fight each other.
What’s their goal? Isn't this disloyalty?
Further, after I stepped into Xianyang...
to protect commoners I enforced strict military rules.
But some generals only listen to slander.
I’d like to know how benevolent is that?
My men overthrew the Qin rulers and restored peace to the capital.
No general has acknowledged this but I have no complains.
But I don’t deserve to be wrongly accused either.
Aren't your words the very definition of injustice?
General, you’ve invited me here to humiliate me, haven’t you?
This is a banquet. Don't get too excited. Have a seat, Liu Ji.
Thank you, General.
Liu Ji, I’m not sure if you are telling us the truth.
Are you sure you did not fail Xiang Yu since you set off to Xianyang?
Just as in Dingtao, all other vassals ran away.
I was the only one who went to help but failed to rescue Xiang Liang.
I shall live with that regret forever.
We digress farther.
No. What I mean is that in Dingtao...
Xiang Yu and I became sworn brothers.
I've told you...
though we weren’t born together, we vowed to die together.
Xiang Yu also said that if I betrayed him one day...
he would not kill me.
Am I right, General?
Of course.
If I really betrayed you, you must kill me.
But I didn’t.
I was wrongly accused.
General, if you believe this accusation, I’ll accept any punishment you see fit.
I heard after you arrived in Xianyang, other vassals weren't allowed to enter
and you schemed to be king. Is it true?
General!
How could you believe such groundless rumors?
You know who I am and what I am.
I could enter Xianyang easily
because you held back the main forces of Qin and won us time.
The credit of our triumph goes to you!
It's undeniable! If anyone disobeys you, I’d rather kill him!
General, you shouldn't judge solely based on what you hear...
but consider what you see as well.
I stationed in Bashang with the hope that someday...
you would lead your warriors to settle in the palace...
and lead the whole world.
Xiang Yu, Mr. Fan, since we parted in Pengcheng,
we've seen how warriors fought and finally overthrown Qin.
It’s time for celebration! We should drink up, don’t you think?
Right! Drink up! Drink!
General.
I’m Xiang Zhuang. I’d like to demonstrate a sword dance for you.
Gentlemen.
seeing him dance all alone sounds uninteresting.
I'll perform sword dancing with him. We wish all of you a pleasant night.
Uncle, what are you doing? Stay out of this.
Xiang Zhuang, watch your behavior. Leave.
Please.
Great. Great. A toast.
Fan Kuai.
I'm sorry to disturb you.
Fan Kuai, Xiang Yu wants to see you.
Xiang Yu invites me? I can’t refuse. Please, excuse me.
Fan Kuai! Fan Kuai!
Generals, please stay.
Fan Kuai will return soon.
Fan Kuai, Liu Ji is in great danger.
You have to escort him to Bashang safely.
Remember, don’t let him come back to bid farewell.
I see. Now we’re the meat waiting to be butchered.
Hush.
Don’t worry, Mr. Zhang. I’ll do as you say.
Good.
Who are you?
Who's there?
I’m Fan Kuai of Liu Ji’s camp.
Leave.
I--
I heard that a valiant man from Liu Ji’s camp
scaled steep city walls and single-handedly killed many generals.
Is that you?
That's me.
Bring him wine and meat.
Raw meat is my favorite!
I have fought many wars, and killed quite a few generals.
Yet still, I have yet to meet my match.
Would you like to have a friendly match with me perhaps?
I know you are matchless in valor.
I’m not your match.
But I do have something to ask you, if you don’t mind.
Go ahead.
As you’ve allowed me to speak, I will not hold back.
Do you actually know what loyalty is?
How dare you!
I’m a military warrior.
If I am ordered to attack, I attack. If I’m ordered to kill, I kill.
I don’t know military strategy and politics,
but I do know one thing and that’s loyalty.
Go on.
One man’s valor is nothing much.
If we can see loyalty in his valor, then he is the real man, real hero.
My lord Liu Ji is not as valiant as you in battle...
but in Dingtao, he leads a weak troop to attack Zhang Han’s army.
He wasn't crazy. He just knows what loyalty is.
As I stopped him from helping you, he even decided to kill me.
You’re the man who suffered lashes at Dingtao?
Correct. To save Xiang Liang, Liu Ji risked his life.
So, why couldn’t I risk my life to save him?
I stopped him at the risk of being severely punished.
Yet he didn’t kill me. That’s also because he values loyalty.
That's enough.
Here. Drink up.
I need to pee.
Turn left once you go out.
Please, Xiang Bo.
Mr. Fan. Mr. Fan?
Please.
Mr. Zhang.
Yong Chi?
Liu Ji, not bad at all.
I heard you’ll become a king. Congratulations.
How’d you end up here?
I'm in Xiang Yu’s camp for some time.
Traitor.
Liu Ji.
You can’t escape this time. Xiang Yu wants to kill you.
Kill me? Why does he want to kill me?
You're on the verge of death, don’t play innocent.
Tell me, do you want to keep your life?
Beg me. Beg me and I can save you.
You can save me, eh?
I mean what I say.
Beg me.
Kneel!
-Yong Chi-- -Kneel.
I beg you. Spare my life, all right?
You are such a shameless man.
Get up.
Liu Ji.
Do you know why Xiang Yu wants you dead?
Your man betrayed you. There's a spy among your men.
Who?
Cao Wushang.
He wrote a letter to Xiang Yu.
Do you think Xiang Yu would spare you?
Read the letter yourself.
Cao Wushang? This is impossible!
Get lost.
Yong Chi, I’d like to show my great thanks to you.
I’d rather you died. I'm letting you go today
because you spared me back then. Now, get lost.
-This way. -Yes.
Thank you.
Get lost!
Subtitle translation by Loretta Kok