I'm in grave trouble, all because of a traitor!
A traitor?
Honestly, this is what happened. One of my men betrayed me
as I chased some Qin soldiers.
He took Pei County.
Now all my men are homeless.
I come here to ask for your help.
Please lend me some of your warriors
-so I can kill him. -Are you kidding?
As a responsible general, how could I lend you my warriors?
I know it's unconventional. But what I, Liu Ji, hate the most...
-is this kind of petty-- -Hey!
Is that your seat?
It's Yong Chi.
He betrays me just for some trinkets, and takes refuge in the Kingdom of Wei!
General Xiang.
Where are we from? We're all from the old Chu.
How can we surrender to the king of Wei? I can never accept that.
-How many men do you need? -5,000.
-Only 5,000? -Yes. It'll be enough.
General Xiang, if you help me,
I'll never forget it.
I can lend you soldiers, but on one condition.
I lend you 5,000, you return with 8,000.
General Xiang, I don't have that many men.
-How many do you have? -3,000.
With those that I lend you, you'll have 8,000 in total.
You mean, all 3,000 of my warriors...
After the war, they'll all be at your command?
-I accept. -Good.
It's a deal.
Thank you, General!
Wait a moment.
What if I lend you 3,000?
Three thousand?
-Fine. -Two thousand?
-Fine. -How about 800?
General Xiang, no matter how many you lend me,
as long as I can punish Yong Chi, I'll be happy.
Even if I don't give you a single one of my warriors,
you'll still do it?
I'll do it.
I must punish him.
Mr. Zhang! Mr. Zhang!
I managed to get us some soldiers!
Mr. Liu, General Xiang agreed to help?
-But he didn't lend me 5,000 men. -Then how many?
He promised to lend me 800.
-Only 800? -800?
Mr. Liu, with this 800 on top of your 3,000,
you're still not strong enough to defeat Yong Chi.
Even if we can't defeat him, we'll still fight him. We must fight!
Obviously, if Xiang Yu gave me 5000 men,
then I'd scare Yong Chi to death!
But he didn't.
Even if it's just 800, that's better than nothing.
Every additional warrior gives us that much more force.
So why not bring the battle to him? He's going down.
Great! Let's go.
Mr. Liu!
From now on, all my men are at your command.
Princess, he's here.
My greetings, Princess.
Rise.
I'm one of General Zhang's bodyguards.
How is General Zhang?
He's doing fine.
Do you have a letter, by chance?
No.
Nothing?
He worried it might fall into the wrong hands,
and make you a target.
Then he must have sent some words for me.
General Zhang said
that everything is going well and you need not worry.
Everything is going well, I need not worry.
Is this true?
Princess, forgive me for lying.
General Zhang is in great danger!
Things aren't going well at all!
What happened?
General Zhang is severely wounded.
Arrow wounds all over him,
and an even deeper wound in his heart.
Even now, Zhao Gao's spies are surrounding him.
If he wins, they'll undermine him. If he fails, they'll frame him.
They've already found ways to frame the general. I'm afraid...
What are you afraid of?
I'm afraid that even if General Zhang wins the war
and wipes out every last rebel, he still won't come back alive.
Princess, General Zhang's life, or death,
is in the hands of Zhao Gao.
Please try to save General Zhang.
Help him. I'm begging you, please!
-Princess! Princess! -Princess!
Princess?
Princess, you're torn up with anxiety.
What happened?
Zhuhua.
You can leave now.
Yes.
Princess, I've watched over you since you were a child.
Seeing you this upset and fatigued...
It seems like something serious is troubling you.
If I hadn't fainted just now,
then I'd probably never see you.
Is this something to do with General Zhang?
Since I was a child, medicine has been my only friend.
Father and Mother never asked after me.
You were the only one there for me through those painful years.
In my heart,
I considered you a father.
There's no one else but you who can help me now.
If you don't,
these 20 years of life will have been meaningless.
Princess,
as a doctor, all these years I've only served you and the king.
I've avoided politics,
and I've never had any conflict with Zhao Gao.
But I understand
what kind of royal court we have now.
Then do you think General Zhang will return safely?
If the general eventually fails,
he'll either die on the battlefield or be banished.
What if he wins the war?
What if he takes back our lost land?
Winning would be much worse!
Why?
Zhao Gao controls the entire state and he has a perverse mind.
He'll kill anyone for even the smallest achievement.
Even if a minister wears a slightly nicer robe than him,
they'll be executed, drawn and quartered, or cut in half.
It'd be worse if General Zhang recovered our lost land,
if his achievement was too great.
I'm afraid the closer General Zhang brings us to victory,
the more danger will envelop him.
I want to save the general. What can I do?
No matter what it takes,
I'll find a way to save him.
There's only one thing left to do.
We must...
bring down Zhang Gao.
Princess, don't say that! Watch your words!
Dr. Zhang, I understand clearly
the risk of saving the General.
I may indeed fail and die.
But if I can't save him,
and he dies, I won't be able to live alone.
For a chance of living a long life together,
no matter how cunning Zhao Gao is,
I'll risk my life to defeat him.
Princess, I never thought...
there'd be a day...
when you'd become so strong-willed.
Dr. Zhang, please help me.
Princess, don't be too impulsive. Watch your back.
In a few days, I'll go to the harem
and try to gather some information
from the ministers and the eunuchs.
Then I'll come and discuss my findings with you.
Now both our lives...
depend on that little medicine pouch of yours.
Reporting!
My Lord, our warriors are ready to go.
Boys, this is our only chance. Let's do this.
Yes, sir.
Let's go.
Let's go. Hurry, hurry, hurry!
-Let's go. -Hurry! Keep up!
Hurry! Keep up!
-Hurry up! -Let's go!
-Let's go! Hurry! -Let's go! Hurry!
XIANG
Mr. Liu,
I, Zhongli Mei and 5,000 warriors from General Xiang's camp
will be at your command.
At your service, Mr. Liu.
At your service, Mr. Liu!
Mr. Liu, let's go and get your revenge.
Don't forget what you promised.
General Xiang,
believe me when I say
every single one of these 5,000 warriors will return to your camp.
Thank you, General Xiang.
Thank you, General Xiang!
What happened? Who are they?
-What's wrong? -Sir, Liu Ji really did get more soldiers.
General Xiang's men.
Don't panic. We'll guard this town. They can't enter.
Request warriors from the king of Wei. The more, the better.
-Quick! -Yes!
Battle stations!
Sir! Sir,
there are no warriors of the king of Wei.
The moment they knew Xiang's warriors were here,
they fled from the east gate.
-Fled? -Yes.
Stay here. I'm going to check it out.
Yong Chi!
Bastard! What are you doing?
I did nothing to harm you.
Mr. Liu did not harm you, either!
You bastard!
Go ahead and kill me.
Hurry! Hurry up!
Hurry, hurry, hurry.
Yong Chi.
Anything to say for yourself?
Yong Chi, why did you betray me?
I just wanted to hear them call me Lord.
What?
I want to be called Lord.
All right, I can make your dream come true.
Lord, your servant Liu Ji pays his respects.
Are you satisfied now?
Tomorrow we'll work out how to deal with you.
Let's go.
-Where are they? -Inside.
Father, I'm late!
-Rise. -I'm sorry you've suffered so much.
-You've suffered too much. -We're fortunate to be alive.
I didn't expect to see you again.
I'm fine. Come here and sit down.
-Say Daddy. -Daddy.
-Say Daddy. -My son.
Liu Ji.
Come here. This is Shen Yiji.
Were it not for him, we could have been killed already.
-My respects, sir. -Rise, rise.
Shen, in future, I'm entrusting my family to you.
Father, here.
Father.
Pei County will be under our control now.
You can lead a comfortable life here.
-Good. -Zhou Bo.
-My Lord. -If you need anything, you can ask him.
Father.
I have some official business.
I'll be back in a while.
-Do what you need to do. We're fine. -I'll get going.
Go ahead.
They came to beg for your mercy.
The Pei commoners worry
that you'll kill them.
There they are! The ones who betrayed me!
I see.
Mr. Liu, if sheep are driven into the crop field,
what will the sheep do?
Obviously, the sheep will eat the crops.
But should the sheep be blamed?
These Pei County commoners are just a group of people
whose main desire is to keep on living.
Whatever they did in the past was not their decision.
They were forced and exploited by Yong Chi.
You're right, they do have their own weaknesses.
But if you can win their support,
when times get rough, they'll be sure to help you keep going.
What's more, they're the closest countrymen you have.
Then what do you suggest?
Killing is costly. Kill with caution.
Execute Yong Chi. It'll be enough.
Mr. Liu, please think twice.
I feel that Princess Chen Xi has been acting a little strangely.
Be sure to watch her closely. Pay extra attention.
Oh, I'll watch her, sir.
Stop.
My Lord.
What's in the box?
Medicine for the princess.
Open it.
It's for the princess, to suppress a cough and replenish energy.
This is made from bezoars, and this is from borneol flakes.
Guard.
Sir.
-Watch him. I'll report to the premier. -Yes, sir.
Premier, I apologize if I talk too much.
There's something I find quite curious.
Tell me.
Why do we use golden utensils to fill,
store, and carry water and flower petals,
but use a silver basin to wash your feet?
Because of the filth.
Filth? But what filth?
Think about it.
The water, the medicine, the flowers, all these are clean.
However, these old feet of mine are far too abominable.
They would only spoil the gold.
Premier, do you mean to say that human beings are filthy creatures?
Of course they are.
Think of the hair,
mouth, face, fingernails.
And, you know, nature's call...
-Oh, Premier! -These are all just filthy.
Reporting!
Premier, Zhang Lin is here to visit the princess for a check-up.
Should I allow him?
-Zhang Lin? -Premier,
he's the doctor who prescribed the herbal soak for your feet.
What did you find?
I found two herbal pills, two scraps of cloth. Nothing strange.
Allow him in.
And send some men to watch over him.
Yes, sir.
Wait.
Once he's done checking on Princess Chen Xi,
tell him to hurry over here and treat me.
Don't forget.
Yes, sir.
Premier Zhao's orders, once you're done with the princess,
you're requested at his residence to treat him.
My great thanks to the premier. I'll never forget this honor.
Dr. Zhang, the princess has been waiting.
Please hurry.
Princess, your qi has flared up. Something is clogged.
Your liver is inflamed and pulse's short. You're restless.
This pill is made from borneol. It'll quench thirst and replenish saliva.
Princess, please keep it in your mouth.
Dr. Zhang,
you only have 30 minutes.
Fear not, Princess. I have another pill for you.
What's with all these pills?
If you take this pill, you'll sweat profusely.
Sweat profusely? But it's only February!
It'll make you sweat whatever the season.
After that, you'll feel relieved
and balanced both inside and out.
The princess is sweating from the pill.
Why are you standing there? Go and prepare some warm water!
Yinghua, prepare some flower petals.
Both of you, prepare some towels. Hurry, hurry!
Yes.
Dr. Zhang, hurry up and tell me.
Lately, all I see are dogs serving Zhao Gao.
The ministers are his puppets. We can't go to any of them.
What should we do?
In order to take out Zhao Gao,
we must win the support of his right-hand man.
I think the man for the job
is his most trusted servant, Chongxin.
-Chongxin? -From now on,
we should use code names to speak about them.
We can call Zhao Gao 'Bezoar,' and Chongxin 'Borneol.'
Dr. Zhang, hurry up and finish.
I'm afraid if you stay any longer, Bezoar will suspect us.
Bezoar and Borneol are both in the same pill.
How should I use them?
Princess,
because Bezoar and Boreal are combined in the same pill,
they can reinforce and neutralize each other.
Can you be more specific?
Princess, the Borneol is very effective.
It may even replace Bezoar.
I'll leave the prescription with Zhuhua.
Princess, I do hope you can analyze the prescription with care.
I'm fed up with being so seriously ill.
If I can truly be cured,
then even the most poisonous wine
I'll drink without hesitation.
Look at those toes. There aren't any calluses.
Like the smooth body of a snake. They're very soft.
When I walk, nobody can hear my pitter-patter.
Premier, it means you are greatly blessed.
Look, your feet are even softer and sweeter
than the most beautiful maiden's hands.
-What? -So sweet.
What did you say?
-A maiden's hands, eh? -Yes.
Oh, you flatter me. Harder!
Oh!
My respects, Premier.
Minghua.
How is Chen Xi doing? And Zhang Lin, how about him?
Premier,
Dr. Zhang simply treated the princess's illness.
He said nothing else.
Why do you speak so haltingly?
Most of their conversation was about bezoar and borneol.
But their expressions suggested they barely cared about the illness.
I've told you before...
that we must pay close attention to this Chenxi.
She has quite a calculating mind.
In light of her weak body and spirit, we're lucky she's this ill.
What can she do to oppose me?
You're right, Premier.
Princess Chenxi is a nobody, like a wispy willow branch.
That girl couldn't do anything.
Please be assured of that.
When you have a moment,
give me a tally of how many have been executed.
They tried me, and now they're gone.
Anyone else who dares to oppose me...
will die like the others.
I married Yong Chi, so I'll follow him to the death.
In life, I'm with him.
In death, I'll be with him. I'm better off dead.
I don't want to be a widow again.
Move. Move. Hurry.
Yong Chi!
Move.
-Yong Chi! -Move. Move.
Move up.
Kneel!
-Kneel! -Yong Chi!
The traitorous Yong Chi is guilty of the following crimes.
He is ungrateful. On Mount Mangdang, he planned to undermine morale.
This is his first grave offense.
Secondly, he created fallacies about the commoners, took credit for their exploits.
He harassed civilians...
and wreaked havoc in the village. This is his third offense.
His insatiable avarice and utter betrayal are his fourth offense.
He coerced civilians and killed his own men. This is his fifth offense.
As he committed so many great offenses, he should be executed.
However, the Lord of Pei is lenient. We come from the same stock.
He will not face execution. He will be released...
and exiled from Pei County.
Untie him.
Yong Chi.
You heard Lord Liu's order. Open the gate and you may leave.
Go! Go!
Go away!
Liu Ji.
You'll not kill me?
Sooner or later, you'll regret this.
You'll regret it!
People, I know some of you helped Yong Chi and betrayed me, right?
Don't worry.
You are my people.
I will not punish you.
What's more,
we'll be leaving soon.
We'll join the Chu army to overthrow Qin. When will we return? I cannot say.
Will we ever return? I cannot say.
Yet what concerns me the most is the safety of the people of Pei.
Lyu Ze, you'll be in charge of Pei.
Guard the town, assure a steady life for its people.
Don't cause trouble.
My Lord, don't worry. I'll do my best.
My countrymen, we have brought quite a bit of trouble.
I, Liu Ji, beg for forgiveness and bid farewell.
Mr. Liu is a very kind-hearted leader.
He set Yong Chi free. Benevolent indeed.
And he didn't punish the commoners who joined Yong Chi.
I never expected that he'd be such a forgiving man.
Indeed. Great virtue carries all things.
His virtue will spread far and wide.
-Mr. Zhang! -Mr. Liu.
Mr. Zhang, something has been bothering me.
What is it?
General Xiang Yu lent me 5,000 men. I agreed to bring back 8,000.
That's some of my 3,000, including your followers.
I didn't tell you this. I hope you don't mind.
I told you before, my warriors are your warriors.
If that's the case,
I wonder if you'd wish to join us?
What you suggest is what I desire.
But as a man of Han, my hatred for Qin runs deep.
Although you are willing to accept me, I'm afraid I couldn't stay for long.
I can't give up my mission midway.
It'd be better to have me as a back-up.
Someday, if you need me, I'll be sure to hurry and join you.
What do you say?
That'll have to do.
We've arrived!
Liu Ji.
The main hall is at the front.
There's a cell here, and one there. Many criminals are locked inside.
This is the back hall.
This is the study room.
I've never been to this hall.
The magistrate meets the civilians here.
Yong Chi shall be my deputy general,
and all of you must obey his command.
-I'll kill him! -I'll kill you!
I'll fulfill your wishes. Get your swords! Charge!
-Lu Wan? -Yes.
-Take a seat over there. -Sure.
No, I'd rather not.
-Don't worry! -Liu Ji. Liu Ji.
I'll do it, I'll do it.
Well, do I look like an emperor?
-Yes! -Yes!
Emperor, please accept my respect.
Why do you betray me?
I just wanted to hear them call me Lord.
I can make your dream come true.
My Lord!
Your servant Liu Ji pays his respects.
Are you satisfied now?
Liu Ji!
Our men are in formation.
Off to the Chu camp.
We won the battle without shedding a drop of blood,
thanks to the help of Xiang Yu's soldiers.
Taking down that traitorous Yong Chi was almost too easy.
From now on, I'll do my best in General Xiang Yu's camp.
Mr. Liu, you are a man of your word.
I'm looking forward to attacking Qin together.
I'll contribute in whatever way I can.
Xiang Bo told me...
that Mr. Zhang is a learned and far-sighted man.
If it's all right,
I'd like him to stay in my camp for a while longer.
I'd like to ask for his advice.
Your words flatter me.
But Mr. Liu is already at your command.
We'll have many occasions to meet.
-We'll have plenty of time. -Right.
Don't be so modest, sir.
My brother Xiang Bo will be here soon.
I'm sure he'll want to meet you.
Then I'm greatly honored.
Let me introduce you.
This esteemed gentleman is Fan Zeng.
He is a very virtuous man with remarkable talents.
I'm honored.
It's my honor to meet you, sir.
-This way. -Please.
Sod off!
What a smell!
Is this a place for humans?
How could Liu Ji tolerate such shame!
Xin, man, just be patient.
Zhou Ke, even if we were criminals,
we'd at least be well fed, right?
But since we joined Liu Ji, we barely ever get enough to eat.
It's just getting worse. We'll be staying in stables.
Following him has been a pain in the ass!
Stop complaining! Staying alive is good enough.
Staying alive?
How?
Eating horse dung?
Wait here. I'll get us some food.
Where are you going?
We're in the Chu camp. Don't cause any trouble.
All right, all right.
-I'll just take a nap then. -All right.
Subtitle translation by Loretta Kok