This is...
where we’ll have to part, I bid you farewell.
Mr. Chen, even though you’ll settle at Nanpi,
I hope you’ll not forget Xiang Yu’s kindness.
Don’t fail him.
He granted you a state.
But he only granted me three counties in Nanpi.
Do you think that’s fair?
It’s unfair?
We’re in the east of Hangu Pass already.
What we are talking is beyond his ears. And I’d rather he heard.
You, the king of Zhao and I,
the man you were loyal to.
What are you in his eye? Am I right?
You and your 40,000 warriors...
sat and watched at Julu.
Did you forget it?
When my state was in trouble,
and you sat by watching, did you ever ask yourself about loyalty?
In his eyes, we are nothing but bugs.
He despises us.
Do you remember Mr. Tian?
Xiang Yu granted him the state of Qi, but what is it?
Xiang Yu can destroy that state easily.
And do you know Zang Tu? Xiang Yu granted him
the most desolate land of old Yan. Xiang Yu regards him as a beggar.
And do you know Liu Ji? King of Huai?
None of them was decently granted.
Hearing you, makes me realize why we have nothing in common.
I bid you farewell, sir.
It seems you are too rude to remember courtesy.
What?
When we meet in battlefield someday,
you’ll know what the courtesy is.
My orders, march to Julu at top speed
and we’ll join the king of Zhao.
Be careful, my wife.
Be careful.
I’m fine, my Lord.
This way. Warm your hands.
I didn’t expect...
that Xiang Yu is so generous.
He appointed me as the King of Western Wei in Pingyang.
I thought he’d only appoint me as marquis.
My Lord, you’ve been talking all through the journey. Have a rest.
But I found something odd. Last night, I studied the map...
and found that my fiefdom’s not as big as before.
I wonder whether Xiang Yu is out to bully me.
My Lord, were you ever granted fiefs?
Of course.
A large tract of land.
In autumn, the scenery is quite beautiful.
Did you feel that it was yours? The way you felt with what Xiang Yu granted you?
You didn’t...
listen to me at all.
I do listen to you. Whatever you said is in my heart.
You told me not to argue. Fine, I didn’t argue with them. I accepted!
-That’s what you should do. -You told me...
that when wild dogs are fighting,
we should follow the winner.
But am I a wild dog?
I don’t think I’m weak at all.
They just don’t see it yet.
They don’t! They don’t know!
My wife…?
Dong Yi is on the way to Shangjun, isn’t he?
He left for Shangjun the day after he got his title.
He acted swiftly.
That year, I led 400,000 warriors to station here.
At the time, he was looking forward to attacking Chen Sheng.
It’s already old news.
General, don’t be sad.
Do you think that I’m sad?
No. Sadness is a luxury I can’t afford.
Since our men were buried alive,
I no longer feel anything.
Xiang Yu granted 30,000 warriors to me.
But most of them are elderly or weak.
What’s more, he gave me a rather strange order.
He said,
that my warriors can either escort Liu Ji to the north of Sichuan
or keep order in old Qin.
Do you know why he gave me such an order?
I think that order was given by Mr. Fan...
and later by Xiang Yu.
Sima Xin! Sima Xin, you are really a clever man.
No wonder you survived so long in the Qin palace.
What you said is dead on.
What a vicious trick!
They found a way to place Liu Ji under surveillance.
They won’t do it themselves.
You are their scapegoat.
Don’t worry. I’ve divided the 30,000 men into three groups.
And I gave Dong Yi,
the first group. Now they're marching towards Shangjun.
I’d like the second group to be at your command.
You shouldn’t do that. That’s a violation of military order.
The land of Qin. That’s what Xiang Yu granted me.
In a battlefield, the general is exempted from the order of his sovereign.
As a general,
I've my right to use my military forces how I see fit.
And as for the mission to escort Liu Ji, the king of Han, I have other plans.
Mr. Fan may hate you.
Hate me? What can he do?
Since your sworn sister married Ying Bu,
it seems you’re taking it rather hard. Should I have arranged that marriage?
It's just that I, miss her a lot.
When I have the time, I’ll take you to visit her.
Yu'er!
Mr. Fan is coming for a visit. I’ll leave.
You don’t like him?
He’s actually quite an interesting man.
But he doesn’t like me.
-Yu'er. -Mr. Fan, what’s wrong?
Zhang Han violated your order.
He has no intention to watch over Liu Ji.
Also, he divided his men into three groups and stationed them all over Shaanxi.
I see.
You knew? You knew his plan?
I ordered him to lead the 30,000 warriors.
Then you should take back the order while Liu Ji is still in Bashang.
I've given the military orders. I can’t just go back and forth.
This can only lead to trouble.
What trouble? You mean Liu Ji? Can he bring me trouble?
It was your idea to send him to Bashu territories.
Now it’s you who wants to change the plan. What do you actually want?
You can’t be too cautious.
I've killed 200,000 of Zhang Han’s men.
It’s only proper to give him 30,000.
He can help me to manage old Qin. I hate the place
and prefer someone else deal with it.
Mr. Fan, don’t bring it up again.
You’re feeling guilty. But you shouldn’t.
Those people will block your way to be an emperor. They are our enemy!
I’m an adult, I know right from wrong.
I have nothing to be guilty for.
Mr. Fan, that day on the top of the city wall,
I told you...
that I’ll not be another Qin emperor.
I’m the king of Chu. I’m the king of Western Chu!
Mr. Fan,
let’s return to our home. Our home. You remember?
I remember.
Your words ring like thunder. How can I forget?
I’ve decided. Tomorrow at daybreak...
we’ll set off to Pengcheng.
Let’s go home.
General...
I come here to say goodbye.
You’re deserting?
I’m just leaving.
Who said you could?
Xiang Yu has granted fiefs to all vassals.
Not all armies belong to Xiang Yu. And there is no war at the moment.
You don’t want to make something of yourself?
Heaven failed me.
I was at Julu, but I did nothing to be proud of.
I think soon another war will break out.
But I’ve had enough. I want to go home.
Military pass. You can leave now.
What does the bulletin say?
Pension for veterans.
-Pension? -Really?
Han Xin...
you retired?
-Yes. -And you?
Me too. And how much retirement pension can you get?
I don’t know.
-This is all they gave me. -Man, you got more than me.
That whole time, you didn’t go to war and just stood there.
You didn’t suffer coldness and hunger.
It might be good to retire. Now you don’t have to serve anybody.
Xiang Yu granted all fiefs to other kings.
We are common soldiers. We followed him all the way here
but we just get treated like stepchildren.
With that money, you can buy what you like.
It can support you for a year. Never go hungry!
After you've used it up, who knows. Heaven knows where our future is.
Only Heaven can tell.
Yes.
-Han Xin! -Han Xin!
I didn’t expect you’d be together.
Who said after we quit the army, we can’t be together?
You also quitted the army?
There is no war to fight!
Now we have money. We should do something fun. Shall we?
To that place?
What do you mean?
It’s in the alley.
-It’s really cheap there. -Right.
Every time I used to spend two bucks. But now with one buck, I can go twice!
No, no, no. Count me out.
-Come with us! -No. No. No
Just come with us!
He knows how to deal with horses.
But he may not know how to deal with a girl.
Han Xin. Han Xin. Listen to me!
You’re right. I know you’re clever.
Don’t be fooled by them.
50 copper coins can’t sustain you for long.
But you can buy a wife with it.
If you have a wife already, you’ll have more help.
She can help you do chores. Also, you can be with her every day.
No. No. No!
Don’t leave, Han Xin.
Now my Lord is appointed the king of Han.
Soon we’ll march to Shaanxi.
With all these years of war, now we are short of military provisions.
We need men to join us.
We buy food and quilts from commoners.
Mr. Xiao promises we’ll never fail any of our warriors nor commoners.
I hope you can support us.
My fellow countrymen...
my Lord Liu Ji
will lead us to the southwest of Shaanxi. We need young men
who want to join our army.
We will also need much food, clothes, and leather.
We can buy all those things
at the latest market price.
If you have extra in your home which you can lend to us...
I hereby promise to pay you back someday.
Here, I show my thanks to you. Thanks.
Guys, these are the girls.
You can take any of them
with only 50 coins if you like.
-Fifty. -Forty.
No, no.
Fifty. You can take any of them. She can help you do housework.
-and she can be your wife. -All right. I’ll buy one at 50 coins.
I’ll buy her.
She’s mine.
Follow me. Let’s go.
Sir, we’ll leave now. Thanks.
All right. You follow me. Let’s go.
There’s one more here.
I don’t want her.
You’re good for nothing. You fool.
What the hell!
You dare to run? You wasted my food
Let go of me!
You wasted my food! You can’t earn me money!
Stop!
Don’t follow me.
You bought me so I must follow you.
-I have no money to support you. -I don’t need your money.
With me, you’ll starve.
Don’t worry. I’ll not let you die.
I only wanted to help you.
Hey!
You think I’m ugly?
But I’ll be good to you. And I don’t need much food.
Only half a bowl of rice a day is enough.
Half a bowl for two days?
I can’t even support myself.
But I can help you.
I’m super strong! I can do many things for you.
I can wash clothes, do your dishes, I can cut grass for your horse!
I’m not your master and you’re not my servant.
Please don’t leave me alone, will you?
You can beat me or criticize me.
But don’t leave me here.
Where are you from?
The State of Qi.
Your name?
Li Yuan. And you?
Han Xin.
From now on, I’ll be at your side.
Thank you.
Can you read?
No, I can’t.
I have been watching you for a while. What does it say?
It says,
a man named Liu Ji is recruiting soldiers.
He wants to buy food and quilts from commoners.
His assistant is Mr. Xiao...
who is very kind to commoners.
Your turn.
So you want to join him?
You can’t come with me.
That star is shining brightly.
The one over there is very bright too.
But I think that one’s brighter.
Right. It’s brighter.
The one over there is also bright.
Both are bright.
I think you miss your home.
You should go home.
If only you could ride a horse.
And so what?
Then you could get home very quickly.
I don’t want to go home myself.
You promised me.
Do you have a wife?
No.
Do you have a girl in your heart?
Yes.
Where’s she?
I don’t know.
You even don’t know where she is? Does she like you?
Don’t put all those 20 coins in the same pocket.
Don’t lose them. Well, I've to say goodbye. Okay, take care of yourself.
Tell me her story.
That’s a long story. I hope I can tell you later.
Take main roads. Avoid hidden paths.
Set them free.
General, they are deserters.
They are serving at Fan Kuai’s camp. If we killed them,
Fan Kuai would not spare us.
Retreat.
Yes, retreat.
Are you from Liu Ji’s camp?
Is his camp over there?
Why don’t you tell me?
Let’s go.
How many have deserted today?
Over 200.
Xiahou Ying.
Yes.
Give the deserters’ rations to other camps.
Yes.
Mr. Xiao, I can’t manage military discipline.
Since you took this job...
how many times have I heard you say just that?
Mr. Xiao, you know what I mean.
I’m empowered to manage military discipline,
but none of our generals obeys me!
Especially Lu Wan and Fan Kuai.
Liu Ji considers them brothers.
But do you know how they command their warriors?
The deserters this afternoon were from Fan Kuai’s camp!
How can I manage this camp if they just ignore me?!
Fan Kuai shows no respect to anyone in this place except Liu Ji.
When I give him orders his eyes glaze over!
And that Zhou Bo is the same. He’s always playing that damn flute.
It drives me mad! But when I tell him to stop him,
he says, “I take orders from Liu Ji.” How can Liu Ji manage everything?
Okay, you need not persuade me. Give the job to someone else. I’m done!
Stop there.
Have you finished your complaints?
Yes.
If you finished, take your sword.
Just go back to your camp and do your job.
Mr. Xiao, can’t you help me?
Not only can’t I help you,
but I have to warn you...
these complaints of yours,
you can only tell them to me. Don’t let anyone else hear you griping,
especially Liu Ji!
Why?
None of your business.
Mr. Xiao, you know how to manage military provisions.
You can feed 1,000 warriors
with the food for 100 warriors.
So I doubt you came here for food provisions, am I wrong?
You’re right indeed.
Since we set out to Bashu...
it has been hard on everyone.
We’re short of food and warm clothes. Going further,
I don’t know how many men and horses will die through starvation or cold.
But all that is physical. What I worry about is--
I see.
Mr. Xiao, you mean the morale of our soldiers. Am I right?
Mr. Zhang, you are intelligent.
Your thoughts?
Mr. Xiao, Xiang Yu’s men are very different from us.
His warriors find joy and glory in war.
Take Lü Matong from Xiang Yu’s camp, as an example.
If he left the battlefield...
he would find no more joy in life.
He’s a soldier.
But most of our warriors were originally poor farmers.
They joined us mainly to get some food.
Now Qin is destroyed.
They want to go home, and have a peaceful life.
None of them,
is willing to go to desolate Bashu.
That’s the greatest challenge...
in our entire operation.
And what’s more,
generals such as Lu Wan, Zhou Bo and Fan Kuai...
do not fully know
what Bashu means to us.
So it’s natural...
that our morale would take a precipitous dive.
But we’ve no choice but to keep going.
How can we appease our warriors
and assure our arrival to Bashu?
Indeed. It’s a big problem.
We must find a way out.
Are you that halberd holding guard?
You also joined the king of Han?
Am I different from you?
I’m not sure yet.
Wow, what a breath of arrogance you are!
Look at you. What you wear and eat are all from the Lord.
And you say you don’t know yet. Who’s not sure?
If a man’s hungry, he’ll follow whoever offers him food.
That’s true.
And you, still the cavalry leader?
Now, I’m a cavalry general in Guan Ying’s camp.
A general?
You are a general!
Can a general sit with common soldiers?
Why not? Don’t laugh at me.
It’s the rule of Liu Ji’s camp.
Listen to me. Except when we’re in battle or on guard,
in Liu Ji’s camp, men aren’t segregated by ranks.
Ranks aren’t segregated? Can such an army fight effectively?
I think it’s fine. It’s fine. I like it.
You want to be a general?
-I’m a general. -Take it. One blanket for each of you.
Thank you, Mr. Xiao.
Take one for you.
Take it.
I don’t need it. I’m not cold.
Each of you should take one. The further we go, the colder it will be.
Take it, and yours.
Thank you, Mr. Xiao.
Mr. Xiao! Mr. Xiao!
Can you recommend me to Liu Ji?
You want to see him?
Or can you recommend me to Mr. Xiao? I’m from his village.
What do you want to meet Mr. Xiao for?
I have something to discuss with him.
What do you want to discuss?
World affairs of course!
Mr. Xiao has no time to discuss world affairs with you.
But we’re from the same place.
What did he say?
He’s not available. Back to your tent.
Not available? I’ll go to see him myself.
He said he’s busy.
Hey, I’m really confused. We’ve conquered Qin already.
Why are we still going to wild places? We’re not the roaming dogs we were
on Mount Mangdang. Why should we go back to living like that?
Our Lord said that it’s strategic to live there.
Strategic my ass!
If we go on like this, all our soldiers will flee.
Then there'll only be the few of us left and he’ll really be alone.
You are blaming our Lord?
Shouldn’t I blame him?
I’m a general. I should speak for my warriors.
Hey, I’ll say that to your face,
and I’ll say it to Liu Ji’s face.
You don’t trust me, do you?
I’ll go see him.
General Fan! General Fan! There’s a problem.
Cao Can detained some of your warriors.
He ordered them to be executed.
What! He dares to execute my warriors? Show me the way!
Yes, sir.
Cao Can, how dare you kill my warriors? Get lost!
Get out of my way! I must punish them.
Otherwise, other soldiers will also desert our camp.
-How dare you! -I must kill them.
You should first kill me.
-Get out of my way. -Stop!
Damn you.
Mr. Xiao, Cao Can intends to kill my warriors.
They’re deserters!
Why do you want to leave the army?
Life is too hard here. We want to back to our farms.
Where are you from?
Handan.
And you?
Qin is conquered already. We want to go home.
Set us free.
Allow us to leave. We want to go home.
I see. I shouldn’t interfere in this.
But today if I were not here, they might be killed.
Fan Kuai, don’t blame Cao Can.
His duty is to manage military discipline. If all our soldiers left,
He’ll be responsible.
But since we left Pei County,
Liu Ji had decided
that anyone can leave us as long as he does not take weapons.
If anyone wants to return home,
we should give them money to assure their return.
Well...
give them food and let them leave.
Mr. Xiao, it’s....
I’ll discuss with Liu Ji on how to deal with this issue in the future.
You can leave now.
-Yes. -Yes.
-Thank you, Mr. Xiao. -Thank you, Mr. Xiao.
Thank you, Mr. Xiao.
One, two.
Give me a hand.
Good.
Carry it there.
-Liu Ji. -Mr. Xiao.
Bring it here.
This way. This way. Here. Come on. Give me a hand.
Mr. Xiao, back in Pei County,
we only had a few thousand warriors.
We only needed to assure their safety,
and basically just keep them alive.
Things are different now.
With this many warriors, and plus, with me being a Lord now,
what we’re doing is to vie with Xiang Yu for power over the vassal states.
We’ve got a lot to oversee.
Relying just on you and me aren’t enough to handle everything.
We need talented men...
to oversee the warriors.
Yes. Lately things have been dire...
I think we actually need someone to be responsible for leading our generals.
We need a real general-in-chief.
Right.
We’ll return to the central plains eventually.
Such a general is a must.
In your opinion...
any of our men is proper for the post?
Our discipline is loose.
More and more warriors are leaving.
Perhaps Cao Can can execute some violators to enforce rules.
Execution?
Mr. Xiao, I trust
you can deal with it. I’ll not interfere.
All right.
Let’s take a break, guys.
Mr. Xiao,
a man called Han Xin wants to see you.
He said he is your distant relative.
A distant relative?
He said he has a letter from your uncle.
My uncle even can’t read, much less write.
Let him in.
Yes.
You actually did come to see me.
You’re Xiao He?
Liu Ji’s right-hand man!
In my memory, I have no distant relative named Han Xin.
We’re in the same camp and experienced the same hardship.
We should treat each other as brothers.
Recently...
many people want to see me and the Lord.
But you’ve stubbornly made up excuses to come, that’s unusual.
Tell me, why do you come see me?
I want you to recommend me to Liu Ji.
You think you can see the king any old time you please?
I’m Han Xin. My hometown is in Huaiyin.
I know you’re Han Xin.
I was a halberd guard in Xiang Yu’s camp.
Now I left the overlord of western Chu.
I came to join the all-but-exiled king of Han.
I can help him.
Then why did you leave Xiang Yu?
Because, Xiang Yu is an epic hero.
So what do you think of the Lord then?
He’s just a guy.
You confuse me.
You left the famous hero Xiang Yu,
and came to join the seemingly exiled king of Han.
What do you want?
A hero doesn’t need help.
He thinks that he can do anything all by himself.
In his mind, he thinks he single-handedly defeated Zhang Han.
But for a commoner, he needs help.
I have no complaints for Xiang Yu...
because I was never involved.
Han Xin, since we left for Sichuan,
every day, there are newcomers and every day there are deserters.
I know some people only join up to get some food.
Can you tell me what made you join us?
I can help Liu Ji manage warriors.
And if you can answer some of my questions,
I will choose to stay in Liu Ji’s army.
What makes you think that we’d accept you if you choose to join us?
But you might as well ask.
Firstly...
those deserters and thieves
you didn’t punish them. Instead you gave them food and let them go home.
Isn’t that undermining military discipline?
Such an undermined army, will they fight effectively?
How can they win?
All right. I will explain.
We’re marching to Bashu.
The road ahead will be rough.
A number of soldiers starve, or even fall off the cliffs.
If a soldier is not determined to follow us,
he might as well go home.
Then why do you give him food and money?
Soldiers are human, humans need food.
In such a desolate place, if we allow them to leave but don’t give them food,
then we might as well be killing them.
Our Lord is kind and doesn’t want that.
Okay, I see. So when can I meet the Lord?
When did I promise you that?
I understand clearly. I’m off then.
Wait.
I can take you on as an assistant under my wing.
But I have no military post for you.
Under such circumstances...
it was a hard time for Liu Ji.
While he and his soldiers were making their way through the steep cliff,
he received a message from the king of Han...
requesting Zhang Liang’s prompt return.
I know your sincerity,
and I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me.
But as a subject of King Cheng, I have to go.
-I have no choice. -Of course, I understand.
I’ll return as soon as I can, once things are settled.
I hope you’ll come back as soon as possible. We need you!
Subtitle translation by Hwee Lin Wong