We'll get what we deserve.
Why didn't you obey?
You told them to drop the bombs.
According to military discipline during battle,
anyone who disobeys the squadron leader's order will be executed.
Where's my baby?
He's going to be reincarnated.
He'd chase you to your mother's womb.
What are you doing?
BASED ON PAI HSIEN-YUNG'S WORK A GREAT LITERARY FIGURE OF TAIWAN
Write up the report on Zhi-cheng's death.
Why don't you write it?
You write it
and I'll sign it.
Who pulled the trigger?
You did.
There was anti-aircraft fire, but you kept fighting.
The vice-captain ordered a retreat.
Who's the lieutenant colonel?
I am.
I said no turning back.
Write the report!
How do you expect me to write that I shot my own men? How?
You killed your own men. Don't pretend you can't write.
I said, write it!
Write it!
I'm the only one left in the 1st Squadron.
I'm the only one!
I am the one having to live.
-I'm the only one! -Bastard!
Listen to me!
If you don't attack today, they'll tell you to do it tomorrow.
-You will still have to live through it. -Hey!
What the hell are you two doing?
A rookie is reporting for duty.
Zhen, do you want to go to jail?
Going to jail isn't so bad.
When I was in jail with this dude,
we had good food and good sleep.
We promised each other
to lead a peaceful life after we leave the military.
That's right.
It was a little chilly in the cell, wasn't it?
The chill helped calm the heart.
I almost forgot.
You were my junior in prison.
I should've taught you a proper lesson then.
How you should behave when meeting the boss.
I do apologize.
Why don't we pretend we're still in jail?
And you can teach me now!
-Come on. -Sir.
Sir.
Go get some air.
Get some air!
I'm waiting for you, Sir.
-Sorry. -Get out!
I'm waiting for you, Sir.
Are you married?
Yes, sir.
Too bad.
Who told you to get married?
Don't you know things get complicated after you marry?
Do you still remember
how your wife looks?
Yes, I do.
I don't quite remember how my wife looks anymore.
The one that slept on the bed has died.
Gang, your senior pilot.
He was blown to smithereens while on an escort mission.
The one on that bed died this morning.
I killed him.
The King of Hell is ticking off the names one by one.
I can't be bothered to care about you.
I don't even want to ask for your name.
You won't live long anyway.
I'm trying to save some energy
to write my will.
When the King of Hell takes attendance,
he won't be able to find you
if you're lying on the ground.
Sir, don't sleep on the floor.
New soldiers will be reporting for duty later.
It's good to sleep on the floor.
I feel more at ease when I'm on the floor.
It's like being in jail.
I'm going to retire soon.
Sir.
I'm going to the headquarters.
"Your husband, Zhi-cheng Zhao,
was killed in action while serving the country.
We are deeply saddened by your loss."
Why don't you give this to Lady Qin?
Take a look.
Zhen sent this telegram.
According to protocol,
the lieutenant colonel is responsible for reporting a death.
But I heard from the people in Dongbei
that Zhi-jian will most likely take over the 11th Wing.
Wei-cheng
has lost his mind.
While carrying out a mission,
he threatened to kill the vice-captain.
About Wei-xun,
she has never been keen about Zhi-jian running the show.
As for Qian-yi,
she's been pining for Wei-cheng's retirement.
Now, her husband has gone crazy.
I think Zhen is the only sane one left on 11th Wing.
I decided to inform you
so you could notify the others.
You sent them off to war.
Don't try to push it on me
when something has happened.
They volunteered.
My job is to pay out compensation.
I don't owe anyone any answers.
Qing.
Lady Qin.
Is it...
No.
It's Zhi-cheng from Zhen's squadron.
I'll leave now.
Zhi-cheng is dead.
Goodness.
Li was just asking about him.
Lady Qin.
Qing.
Is Zhen okay?
Li.
Your husband is...
Zhi-cheng said that Zhen was injured.
My husband wrote to tell you?
Okay, good. I'm glad he's fine.
No, it's not good.
Zhen's been through worse.
Don't worry, Qing.
It's only an injury. I'm glad everyone's fine.
That's what matters.
Am I right?
Lady Qin.
The curfew will be lifted for the day tomorrow.
I'd like to go out for a few days.
There will be an announcement tomorrow.
Zhi-cheng's mom wrote to ask about his condition.
I'm happy to know that he's fine.
It's been a while since I visited her anyway.
I'll take the chance to inform her that her son is fine.
That he's great.
I'm hoping to get some fresh air myself.
I've been stuck here too long with the curfew and whatnot.
It's suffocating.
All right then.
Come and tell me
before you leave tomorrow.
I will.
Zhen is injured.
My husband sent a telegram to notify us.
It's fine. There's nothing to worry about.
We need to get some paper money.
We can't go out because of the curfew.
Qing.
Go and buy some before daylight tomorrow.
Come back before sunrise.
As for Li,
Wei-xun and I will take care of it.
Okay.
Oh my...
Even the lights are malfunctioning during the curfew.
Sir, can you hurry up?
The sun is coming up.
Okay.
Qing.
Qing!
Something happened. Madam Zhou is looking for you.
Come back with me now.
What do you mean it has nothing to do with you guys?
Go back!
And remove all those flyers.
Gong.
I told you to bring the paper money back and hide Qing at the New Society Club.
Why did you bring her back here?
Hey!
You!
I'm talking about you. Were you sleeping at your job?
How did you let people from the underground stick these?
Madam Zhou.
They probably snuck in in the middle of the night.
The guards at the end went missing too.
Look, they even discarded their guns.
Remove them. All of them.
Everything was well when he left.
Now, all I have is a telegram.
And one flyer.
Is that Zhen?
Did Zhi-cheng die at the hands of his squadron leader?
The flyer isn't very clear.
It might not be Zhen.
Let his wife take a look then.
Is it him?
Kuomintang does the unspeakable. Squadron leader kills his own men.
Yes.
Li!
Li, don't do this.
This is what you get for volunteering to go to Dongbei.
-Yes, this is what he got. -All right. Calm down.
The lieutenant colonel refused to send the telegram.
That's enough.
-A squadron leader sent it instead. -No.
-Don't do this. -Is this what Zhi-cheng deserves?
I want an explanation!
Please.
You need to give Zhi-cheng's mother
and my husband an explanation.
They volunteered to go to Dongbei.
Even if you had tried to stop him,
he would still have gone.
The plane was burning.
Zhen didn't want Zhi-cheng to suffer.
So, am I supposed to thank him for it?
Li.
Li bought her train ticket.
We'll send her to the train station
after she burns the paper money.
Lady Qin.
I'll go.
You can't go when she hates you.
I am responsible for what Zhen did.
She should remember my face.
She needs someone to hate.
It will be easier for her.
How come Zhen
was the one to send the death notice?
What's wrong with Wei-cheng?
Lady Qin!
Come up, quick.
Kuomintang does the unspeakable. Squadron leader kills his own men.
How many more do you have?
I'll paste them for you.
It'll be better if you paste more at the house's entrance.
Take a clearer photo next time so we don't have to guess.
Stop it! Don't run!
I'm going to shoot if you don't stop!
What are you doing? Stop pasting.
I'll fill up all the empty spaces so they can stop.
They will still paste them if you took them down.
The one in the photo is Zhen.
Everyone knows that.
It doesn't change anything.
Qian-yi.
Look at her. She must have gone crazy.
Hey.
What's wrong with you two? Have you lost your minds?
HAPPINESS
Kuomintang does the unspeakable. Squadron leader kills his own men.
Without air defense, there is no national defense.
Haven't you guys eaten?
Louder!
Eyes on the Five Sacred Mountains
Splendid rivers and mountains
Embodying the spirit of the fleet
Louder!
Cherish the effort Of the martyrs from the past
Spread the name Of the Air Force with pride
-Comrades, let's work hard -The 9th Wing
and the 6th Reconnaissance Unit are all here.
The war is not ending anytime soon.
-Han. -Wei-cheng.
You still look normal.
The vice-captain is still here.
Hello, sir.
He failed because he couldn't aim straight due to the wind.
Let's go for a drink.
Zhao-jun.
Did you come to Dongbei after a transfer?
How is Qing?
Is she well?
Is she?
I need to go to a meeting.
I'll look for you later.
I'm busy.
Reporting.
Sir, I just finished a meeting. I grabbed this for you.
I'll show you how to operate the camera
and how to put the film in.
You should learn
so that you can follow me for our next mission.
Okay.
Did anyone look for me from the 11th Wing?
No, sir.
Go on with your work.
You've been promoted to the second lieutenant. You're a senior now.
The Reconnaissance team, right?
You seem to be doing well.
Second Lieutenant.
Can I have a seat?
Don't be scared.
I didn't ask anyone from the 9th Wing to come.
The 9th Wing is useless.
They took a long time to explain to me.
I told them
that it doesn't require two squadron leaders
to take care of a bastard like you.
One is enough.
How dare you harass Qing?
You killed my baby too.
What?
Are you hoping for your seniors from Reconnaissance to save you?
Go on.
All the useless bastards from aviation school
end up in Reconnaissance.
Go and get them.
Even better, ask your leader to come too.
I just beat up our lieutenant colonel.
I can beat up yours too.
Are you not asking for help?
Fine.
You caused the death of my child.
I'll make you pay for that later.
First, let me ask you something.
You said Qing is yours.
What's up with that?
Give me an answer, Second Lieutenant.
You'll know when I show you.
Do you want to kill me, scum?
I'll kill my own people.
Nobody will do it for me!
Take a good look at that plane outside.
I just got rid of its pilot.
The note is in there. Qing gave it to me.
It's the same as what I wrote.
I was hospitalized at Zhejiang High too.
A year before the Japanese surrendered,
I had just started aviation school.
I was on a transport aircraft when it was shot down.
I was saved and sent to Zhejiang High for treatment.
I was given
the third bed from the window at the girls' dorm.
It was Qing's bed.
A few days later, the higher-ups came to get us.
Before I left, I wrote the first line.
"Staying here to mend my wounds."
I was going to write the second line
and include the date.
September 18.
But the higher-ups were rushing for us to report in.
I couldn't finish the note.
With just one line,
I left the note under the pillow and left.
You must have arrived after me.
September 20.
Two days after you.
When your plane was shot down,
didn't you see my mate and I were going to help?
There were two planes.
One of them was mine.
The place was swarming with Jap planes then.
I got injured in the end too
when I was shot down.
Two days later, I found myself
at Zhejiang High too.
Were you lying on the same bed too?
No.
At first, I was on the next bed.
But I later realized
that I could see the field from Qing's bed.
The girls were gathered at the field.
They were cute.
So I changed my bed to Qing's.
Before I left,
I decided to write a note too.
I put my hand under the pillow
and your note was there.
It was a good line.
But too bad, you didn't finish it.
I wrote a new one
after tearing up your note.
I copied the first line.
Then, I added my own.
"I hope to meet someone
to spend my entire life with.
From 513."
I was just going to try my luck.
But as fate would have it, Qing Zhu came looking for me.
I miss her so much.
I can only remember
how she looked like when she was a student.
I don't remember anything
after we got married.
From what I can remember,
she wore earrings.
Does she still wear them?
Yes.
Tell me more. What else do you remember?
For instance, did she win or lose when playing mahjong with Lady Qin?
Things like that.
If you could talk for 1,000 days,
I'd let you live for that long.
It's okay for you to pay
for my child's death right at the end.
There was one time
when I wanted to erase the 513 signage.
The Qing Zhu signage.
She wouldn't let me.
Was she really fierce when she told you to stop?
Did she look pissed?
At the beginning, yes.
But after I spoke to her,
she smiled at me.
And she became gentler too.
That's right.
That's the way she is.
Yes.
What else?
Besides that, she took Mo-ting to school on the jeep.
If our child hadn't died,
she'd be doing the same in a few years.
She'd take our kid to school.
And then?
I got transferred.
No.
My friends from the 9th Wing told me
that you left her shattered and bloody in the road.
My gun doesn't seem to work.
It's always jammed.
It's best to fire it smoothly
when you kill your own men.
Why don't you give me your gun?
You have no use for it anyway. There won't be a chance to use it.
I haven't finished writing my will.
I won't kill you yet.
I want to be in a good state of mind when I write my will.
I don't want to mess it up.
But next time when I come looking for you,
you'd better think of 10,000 ways to die.
You can then choose one of them
to pay for my child's death.
For the pilot and madam,
the total is 76,300 plus 100.
Since 300 plus 100 is not auspicious so I don't want to charge that.
I'll round it down to 76,000.
Why is it so expensive?
Inflation is terrible right now.
A sack of money will only get you two catties of paper money.
Here, take a look.
Okay.
I'll go get it.
-I will pay you the money in full. -Okay.
What if the men come back tomorrow?
We'll be back then.
It's better if there are some men in the village.
The village is a little scary right now.
Zhi-cheng and Li.
The total is 70,000.
The shop owner said that paper money
is more expensive than real money right now.
Lady Qin, let us go home.
We'll wait for their news at home.
I really don't want
to stay here any longer.
I won't keep you girls here then.
Have a safe journey.
She's agreed. Let's go.
Wei-xun.
How much money do you have left?
Enough to settle this bill.
I'm talking about everything.
-How much do you have left? -What?
Death in the Air Force spreads like wildfire.
When this one dies,
the one on the next bed is next.
Once all of them are gone,
death knocks on the next door.
I'd better keep some stock.
If something happens,
I wouldn't be able to afford the paper money
if the price goes up more.
Tell me something.
Why was Zhen the one who sent the telegram
regarding Zhi-cheng's death?
If something had happened to Wei-cheng, the next in line should be Zhi-jian.
The chief was at your house for a long time.
What did he say?
He said that the lieutenant colonel hasn't been acting normal.
He was going to...
So, people who miss home are abnormal?
I would call that normal.
If they didn't feel homesick,
that would be abnormal.
Ignore what he said.
There aren't many people left in the village.
The flyers made this place look like a ghost town.
The curfew is in effect tomorrow.
Let's go out and play.
We won't stay in the village today.
Qing.
You need to learn the ropes properly.
Of all the wives,
she's the only one
that can't hold her own in front of people.
The shop owner couldn't find anyone
and left the paper money at the entrance of the village.
Mo-ting was trying to move them herself.
Come here, my baby.
We're not going home today.
Come and accompany me.
What is wrong with you guys?
Lady Qin.
Why don't I move these later tonight?
I'll leave it here for now.
After everyone's asleep tonight,
I'll bring them back to the village.
Mo-ting, come.
Listen to me.
Later, give me a call
when all three of your mothers are drunk, okay?
Can I call Dongbei from here?
Dongbei?
Maybe.
Why don't you try it?
Hello? I'm looking for the 11th Wing.
The 11th Wing?
Hold on a second.
The chief is on the line. Go ahead.
My three mothers are acting weird.
Is it Mo-ting?
Where are you guys?
At the New Society Club. They're drunk.
Are they drunk?
It's normal to be drunk.
Call me again when they're passed out.
I'll go and take care of it then, okay?
Okay.
That day,
I had wanted to look for Uncle Jiang, Father and Uncle Guo
to come and fetch my three mothers.
I even thought of an answer.
If they had asked what the problem was,
I'd tell them that my three mothers have lost their sanity.
You won't land?
I can't see clearly. It's impossible to land.
If I had known,
we shouldn't have destroyed the airstrip just now.
We should've landed there and then.
Fool.
The Communist Party doesn't have an air force.
They're waiting for people like you to defect and land there.
That's why we've been ordered to destroy everything.
It's to stop you from joining their side.
So, where are we flying to now?
Where are we going to land?
We'll head south.
Back to Nanjing.
Back home.
Wei-cheng Jiang, you're abandoning your duty.
There has been no order to leave the battlefield.
This is the last warning.
Turn back now.
I want to go back to Nanjing.
You're welcome to fly back with us.
I've already taken off.
I'm behind you.
Have you gone crazy, Zhi-jian?
I will avenge my brothers.
You got all the men to come to Dongbei.
You said we'd finish up the job quickly and go home.
We're left with less than half the men
and the war is not even over.
Now you're going to flee on your own?
Today is different from the day you tried to kill me.
The wind is on my side. I will not miss.
Take your hands off the rudder now and go back!
Zhi-jian.
Do you still remember the coordinates for the village in Nanjing?
Zhen.
Do you remember the coordinates?
Did you forget too?
Lady Qin's coordinates.
I've forgotten it too.
I won't get there.
Turn back.
Ms. Zhu.
My friend said that the 11th Wing is the public's enemy.
They simply destroy villages and have become all trigger-happy.
Bao-ru.
You've been here for a few days.
You've been told to get Lady Qin's permission
before you leave the village to meet your friends or bring them here.
Who was it at the New Society Club that day?
You're always gone for hours on end and I have to go look for you.
That was my friend from college.
I too had friends from college.
I stopped contacting them when I came to the village.
I'm just worried about my husband.
I wonder how he's doing after reporting for duty
at the 11th Wing in Dongbei.
My husband, Zhen, is the squadron leader.
He'll take care of him.
You should stop hanging out with those troublemakers.
Women don't get involved in politics.
I'm putting up 'happiness' posters.
There's no need to take down the flyers.
They'll paste them again sooner or later.
Lieutenant Colonel asked me to return to the team.
I'm not going on another mission with that lunatic.
He said he wants to go back to Nanjing.
But he can't remember the coordinates.
Right after you two landed,
the lieutenant colonel went to the headquarters
to see the chief of the staff.
He's not coming back.
Did you report him?
You said it yourself.
He's not the lieutenant colonel.
He's a lunatic.
First, you kill your own men.
Then, you report your own men.
Who's the sane one?
I had no choice.
I'm taking over the team.
You'll be my war officer.
Why didn't you report me too?
I was going to.
But I need someone experienced to stay in the team.
What do you mean?
All of the veterans and rookies have died.
Sleeping on the floor didn't stop the King of Hell
from claiming the rookies.
I'm lying injured in the hospital.
I watch as they wheel the beds out one by one.
Team, you say?
Don't worry.
Your name will be skipped.
Over here. Watch it.
The rookie isn't dead.
He crash-landed and broke his leg.
They're sending him back to Nanjing.
A military discharge will be given.
It's not too bad staying in the hospital a few days.
You can look after your comrade.
Zhen.
Am I still alive?
Yes.
You're alive.
Congratulations.
You're going back to Nanjing on a discharge.
I'll be able to look for my wife at the Renai East Village then.
Did she move to the village?
Yes.
When I came to report for duty,
I told her to move to the 11th Wing's village.
My wife's name
is called Qing Zhu.
She's an excellent caretaker.
What's your wife's name?
Her name is Bao-ru.
Bao-ru?
Okay.
When you go back to Nanjing, pay a visit to Qing for me.
Tell her to send me a new photo of her.
Okay.
The only one I own got stained with blood.
I can't see her face clearly.
Isn't she lovely?
Yes.
She's lovely.
I think so too.
Get some rest.
We fought with the Japanese for eight years.
I considered you my brother who went through thick and thin with me.
How could you report me?
Get up.
Go sit in the lieutenant colonel's room.
You do look like a lieutenant colonel.
But listen up, Zhi-jian.
As long as I'm the lieutenant colonel,
you will never be the lieutenant colonel.
How dare you report me?
You've lost your mind.
You're really a lunatic.
I'll help you with the coordinates for Nanjing.
I told the chief of the staff about your unstable state of mine.
I did that so you could return to Nanjing.
You chose to kill me
instead of going back?
All right.
Come on!
Kill me!
None of us will be going back!
Do it!
I'll kill you later.
There's something better.
These flyers
are being circulated all over.
We destroyed so many villages.
The casualties weren't that bad each time.
But Zhi-jian, do you remember this airstrip?
We killed over 300 innocent villagers when we took out this airstrip.
The higher-ups said the Communist Army was repairing the runway,
waiting for defecting the Air Force.
I've tried to convince myself that was what happened.
Just so I could sleep at night.
Just like you in your sleep.
A deep and peaceful sleep.
That chief also said
that the 1st Squadron leader of 11th Wing, Zhen,
will be promoted to war officer.
I've been promoted too.
You reported me so I could go back?
Notice of Promotion Wei-Cheng is promoted to colonel!
Well, thank you very much.
But I'm stuck here, Zhi-jian.
I've been promoted to colonel.
I am now a colonel after killing more than 300 people,
Zhi-jian!
Too bad though.
Zhen and I have been promoted but you were left out.
You're still a vice-captain.
Damn it, Zhi-jian.
The chief said you've complained about me several times
and disobeyed orders.
You called retreats on your own so he wanted me to put you in place.
To take you to the Army's security command center.
Zhi-jian!
Are you one of the communists?
Are you from the Communist Party?
You women aren't human.
You're the wives of the Air Force.
They just got married, but her husband went to war.
So she wants to go to Dongbei to see him.
Contact the Air Force General Headquarters.
-Yes. -I'm not giving her to you.
I will go home!
Do you copy?
Do you copy, Zhen?
The 11th Wing is gone.
It's gone.
Hurry!
Subtitle translation by Jacqueline Wong