Liu Ji ran away?
Yes.
General.
Perhaps my lord Liu Ji drank too much
and he forgot to say goodbye before leaving.
General.
My lord has prepared a pair of white jade pieces for you...
and a pair of drinking vessels to Mr. Fan as our respects.
Mr. Fan...
-Get Ying Bu. -Yes.
Liu Ji left unexpectedly. Was it because of...
a guilty conscience?
General.
In such a case, I have to tell you the truth.
General, to be honest,
my lord Liu Ji excused his leaving indeed.
But it's not out of guilt.
The real reason is…
someone here...
is planning to kill our lord Liu Ji.
In your eyes, who are they?
Zhang Er, Chen Yu, Wei Bao, and the like.
Haven't you heard that...
those feudal kings want to kill Liu Ji?
Indeed.
General.
I would hazard a guess that you've been fooled by them.
They attempt to drive a wedge between you and Liu Ji.
General, there is something that couldn't be clearer.
After Qin's collapse you have a say in almost everything.
These feudal kings show you great respect merely on the surface
because what they really want is
more fiefdoms and cities in the future.
So what?
General.
In my opinion, in terms of contribution,
you contributed the most to our victory, followed by Liu Ji.
In terms of friendship,
you and Liu Ji are sworn brothers.
None of those vassals,
has such close tie with you.
Have you've forgotten?
During the battle in Julu, these vassals disregarded your safety.
Instead, Liu Ji risked his life and ours
and marched our small force toward Dingtao.
May I ask,
did any of these vassals helped you like he did?
Now that everyone knows...
that you will decide, how the world will be divided.
If you become the king, you have to tolerate those you dislike.
You should know who would benefit most from the killing of Liu Ji.
Would it be you?
No.
Would it be Liu Ji?
Certainly not.
Go down the side path
and hand this message to Mr. Fan of Chu. You must hurry.
Yes, sir.
Where's Mr. Zhang?
I've sent him away.
Mr. Fan, come here and sit down.
We planned to kill Liu Ji!
Why did you change your mind?
Because of his clumsy show in the banquet?
Because of Mr. Zhang's nonsense just now and made you change your mind?
Mr. Fan.
Don't you feel...
any truth in Liu Ji's words?
He didn't say anything wrong. His words are reasonable.
The Xiaoguan Pass incident is nothing serious.
If I kill him, I'd be condemned by the world.
It's a matter of life and death. You cannot be so impulsive.
Even if he didn't show proper respect to me,
even if he may become my greatest enemy in the future,
he is my sworn brother after all.
Everyone knows what he did.
For the moment, my biggest enemy is not him.
Zhang Er, Chen Yu and the others are completely unreliable.
If I must, I'd kill them first!
I'm telling you, whether now or in the future...
Liu Ji will be your most dangerous adversary!
Mr. Fan, forget!
Just forget your hostility toward Liu Ji.
Think clearly about what's happened these past few days.
These feudal kings said they'd support me,
but how about the banquet?
None of them attended.
Why did they retreat and station at such a distance?
It's simple.
They want me to be the one to kill Liu Ji.
Thus, in the future
they can use it as an excuse to oppose me.
I don't want to discuss about feudal kings with you.
Let's talk about Liu Ji.
He fooled you with his silly act.
How can he fool me?
I knew he was planning to run, I set him free on purpose.
Why?
After listening to his explanation during the banquet,
I hit upon an idea. It's no fun to kill him at the moment.
You saw him. He almost wet his pants.
He was in terror and left without telling us.
I'll play with him.
I'll play with him until he has no warriors left,
until he's the only one left.
He'll feel uneasy and terrified all the time.
Before I kill him, I'm going to tell him this,
"Liu Ji...
everything you gained is nothing but a dream.
Some people are born to rule the world...
but some are nothing but patrol officers.”
Mr. Fan, don't worry. Have a good night.
You'll regret. He'll become a tiger and return to bite you!
Liu Ji is only an ugly worm. I'll kill him. But not today.
GENERAL XIANG
What do we do?
Put him in a cell.
-Guards. -Yes.
Take him away.
Rise. Move.
How long have Lu Wan and Guan Ying been gone?
About 15 minutes.
Hurry. Give my military seal to Lu Wan.
Let him take over Cao Wushang's warriors.
After that, detain Cao Wushang...
and wait for Liu Ji's order.
Yes.
Let's go.
My lord.
Cao Wushang.
Yes.
Did you write this letter?
Yes or no?
Yes.
Listen. Today's been a great day.
Liu Ji fled in panic.
Our general is great.
Liu Ji ran away in terror.
You see, that's not quite accurate.
If it was in the battlefield,
once our general see him,
do you think he'd be able to escape?
-That's right! -Isn't it?
-Come on. -Drink up.
Ying Bu reported that he almost captured Liu Ji
but some cavalry appeared out of nowhere.
It seems he has arranged it before he came.
-Did they fight Ying Bu? -No.
They didn't shout Ying Bu's name. They only chased him away.
They knew everything, yet they behaved very calmly.
They act like they didn't know our plan. Liu Ji's men are tricky indeed.
Why do you speak so highly of our enemy?
Liu Ji is a very capable man. We must get rid of him.
Where's Xiang Yu?
He's drinking with Yu Ji.
He's drinking at a time like this?
Liu Ji will certainly rule the vassal states in the future.
When that time comes, we'll have to obey him.
We missed our only chance to kill him today.
General Xiang Yu listens to you.
Though we missed the chance today. We can still do it tomorrow.
There'll be no more chances.
Even if there is...
I'm no longer able to change his mind.
I can teach him how to fight in a war.
I can teach him how to rule a state.
But I can't change his temper or how he deals with people.
He indulges in love and brotherhood. He'll never be resolute.
I cannot help him.
I've never seen such a coward like Liu Ji. He's such a weenie.
How shameful Liu Ji is.
If I were his general,
I'd rather die than suffer such intolerable disgrace.
General.
If you were him, you'd probably find suicide more tolerable.
What's most important to us?
It's dignity.
Come on.
Come on. Drink up.
A man who can tolerate the intolerable...
must be a very ambitious man.
What did you say, Han Xin?
Cheers, General!
Come on. Cheers. Come on. Drink.
XIANG
Where have all the commoners of Xianyang gone?
They've sealed their houses. They are hiding like rats.
They probably think by doing this, we'll forget what they did to Chu.
We're at Xianyang already.
My darling.
See? We've heard a lot about it, but it's just a very common place.
What a shameless man!
He sounded like he conquered Xianyang.
I bet he didn't even draw his sword in the entire battle of Julu.
Watch your words.
Xiang Yu seems to value him very much.
What about you? You only stationed your men near Julu.
You didn't even try to rescue us. What's your contribution?
How many times must I explain? Don't you know?
I sent 5,000 soldiers and all of them were killed in battle.
How are you going to repay me?
5,000?
They lost their way, didn't they?
It's a day for victory celebration.
Don't be such a killjoy.
I get what I deserved. That's why I'm here.
I don't need to tolerate any insult.
Sooner or later, I'll pay back what you did to me.
XIANG
Standing here...
I have a better understanding of what once drove Ying Zheng.
He was always reminding himself,
to unify the world, was his life mission.
He intimidated the world.
He disallowed any state to challenge Qin.
He wanted to pass on this honor to his later generations.
Generations and generations to come.
I can imagine how proud he was at that moment.
General.
You have avenged the humiliation once suffered by all the other states.
Xiang Liang would be proud of you.
If he was here...
he'd certainly praise you, "Good job, boy".
He's here with us.
My uncle...
is always...
by my side.
General, I have sent someone to invite Liu Ji to Xianyang
to discuss state affairs with all the feudal kings.
What did he say?
He said many of his men have broken military rules recently
and he's busy training them so that they know how to behave.
Therefore, he wishes to stay in Bashang,
and be at your command anytime.
He's trying to stay away from the upcoming power struggle.
He is such a sophisticated fox!
What use is sophistication?
Only fists truly have a say.
He's scared and dares not come here.
Let him stay in Bashang and sweat it out.
How dare they start looting in the city?
This seems to be the only thing they are interested in.
On the battlefield, you're the general-in-chief.
Now that we are not at war, you should have a new title.
Only with a proper title, you'll have a good reason to rule them.
We can't afford to delay.
How?
We can set a rule.
Request Ziying to surrender to you now.
Surrendering to Liu Ji was meaningless.
We almost die fighting the Qin warriors.
We can't let Liu Ji take our victory.
Also, we must gather all the feudal kings...
and set some rules here.
From now on, only you can deal with ministers and nobles from old Qin.
No one else is allowed to do so.
I'd rather go walk my horse than talk to them.
We must name you ruler.
We cannot let our warriors die in vain.
We shouldn't indulge those who are lured by their own interests.
As you insist, I'll do it.
At noon tomorrow, gather everyone here.
All right.
I have explained to you why we're here.
It's a vital matter. I think the sooner, the better.
Gentlemen, please tell us your thoughts.
I totally agree with Mr. Fan.
I think General Xiang Yu should be the ruler of Xianyang.
Now that in Xianyang, everything is in chaos.
How do we deal with the people of Qin?
How do we allocate wealth?
How do we arrange our warriors?
All that needs to be decided by General Xiang.
We've been following you for years.
General, we will obey any of your orders.
Before the collapse of Qin,
we vassal states have united to fight Qin.
Now that Xianyang is in our hands.
Choosing a new ruler
shall assure us peace.
Nothing is better than this.
Well said. Well said.
General Xiang Yu is the very hero of the hour!
He'll protect us and assure us peace.
I believe in him.
He's qualified. He's the right man.
Yes. Yes.
We're relieved with Xiang Yu as our ruler, we'll enjoy a peaceful world.
Well then. That means you all agree to elect him the ruler.
Please accept the position, General.
All right.
As you insist, I'll accept it.
It's great. We'll have a peaceful life.
Next, on the agenda...
I have a something that's been troubling me for a while.
Just tell me what it is.
We share nothing in common.
More accurately, we despise each other.
But why do you still follow me?
Xiang Yu has appointed you a vassal.
You don't have to follow me around.
Well, well, I know what I'm doing.
Sir, don't take it seriously.
Look, what has become of Xianyang?
In such a situation...
Xiang Yu, is the right man to rule Xianyang.
I think you agree with me, don't you?
That's what you say.
I'm loyal to Xiang Yu.
Whether it's my idea or yours, everyone knows what happened.
In my opinion,
even that dumb-witted dog Wei Bao sees what's going on here.
Let alone you and me.
Him?
Definitely. Even if he couldn't recognize what happened,
that mistress at his side would tell him.
She's sharp-witted.
Ying Bu was once a prisoner,
but he appeared very proud today.
But, his loyalty to Xiang Yu has finally paid off.
Sooner or later he'll betray.
Huh?
Can't you see what's going on?
No.
Then, you don't have to.
Just remember this.
If you are ever in another situation like today,
do only what the others do.
You have to be the last man to express yourself.
All right!
When they reward money, fiefs and women, no...
I don't want women.
I'll not ask for anything.
If you want to be safe, you must heed my advice.
Xiang Yu will protect you if you don't ask for any reward.
But what if one day...
Xiang Yu doesn't protect me anymore, what do I do?
If he doesn't protect me...
Darling!
-Have you all got it? -Yes, sir.
Sir.
What did I say?
I need you to lead your men to carry the jewels to our camp.
-Remember, kill all the carriers after. -Yes!
-Hurry. Hurry. -Get it.
Give it to me.
-That's my money! -Hurry up.
-Put them into the box. -That's my money!
Hurry. Let's go.
Hurry. Hurry. Go.
Hurry.
Hurry. Let's go. Hurry. That way.
-That's my money! -Father!
That's my money.
Hurry. Let's go.
Spare me, please.
Luo Ming, Zhang Qing, Ma Qifeng.
It's time. Behead them.
You can't get away!
Help!
How dare you!
-Come on. -Help!
-Come here, girl. -No!
-Hurry. Hurry. -Help!
Mr. Fang, what are you looking at?
That group of rascals.
My men are not among them. Don't worry.
You're their ruler. How can you allow them to do that?
Do you think that I'm a fool?
They elected me their ruler because they want to do wicked things in my name.
It's true I hate everything of old Qin...
I hate its people and its land.
But I'm not an animal.
I didn't make them to do this. It's not my mistake.
You are foolish. What a fool you are!
The first emperor unified the world.
He had final say in everything in Qin.
But Qin only existed for a short time.
Before we came, our duty was to overthrow Qin.
Back then, they obeyed the man who could lead them to win war.
But things are different now.
Don't you want to be the king?
I'm the king of Chu.
-You'd be the king of the world-- -That's not what I want.
When the emperor of the first dynasty granted fiefdoms...
people enjoyed a harmonious and peaceful life.
Back then, Chu enjoyed great prosperity...
because of its geographic advantage.
Now that Qin is vanquished.
We can restore our former prosperity.
Mr. Fan, I can't give those orders.
My orders will only bring another war.
As much as I like to fight…
and take pleasure in it...
I don't like war.
If Xiang Liang heard what you said, he'd definitely criticize you.
No.
Since we rebelled...
my uncle took the restoration of Chu as his life's purpose.
To wash the disgrace before.
And now...
I have fulfilled his purpose.
-That's too-- -In the past few days,
I heard a nursery rhyme and it goes like this.
If we don't return after achieving our goal,
we'll be stuck here forever and alone.
Mr. Fan.
It's time to go home.
Yu'er!
Mr. Fan, it's getting late.
You should get some rest.
Do you like it, General?
Is this how the emperor of Qin spent his days?
It once belonged to the emperor of Qin.
Now everything here belongs to you, General.
General, what will you do with us?
All of you are his concubines.
Each of you certainly deserves...
what the Qin royals deserve.
General.
-General! -General!
Are you serious, General?
Your Majesty.
Rise.
Emperor Qin no longer exists.
You should just call me "father".
No.
The Qin Dynasty will last forever and never disappear.
How can it be compared to the other states?
Your Majesty.
Xiang Yu has arrived?
He invites you to the palace hall.
It's time.
Am I wearing proper attire?
This will not disgrace our ancestors, am I right?
Your Majesty.
Don't call me that!
You'll always be our emperor.
Qin will never disappear.
All of you may go now.
My child...
are you afraid?
Father...
I have to go now.
All right.
Emperor of Qin.
My greetings.
General, my greetings.
Chu is broken, yet will smite Qin!
Am I right?
Victory or failure is not how heaven works.
What more can I say?
What do you think of the first emperor?
He was a hero.
What about me?
I don't know.
Why?
Only later generations can judge what kind of man you are.
You're probably Qin's most benevolent emperor.
But I cannot forgive you.
I don't need anyone's forgiveness.
Qin is perished.
When Qin conquered Chu,
Chu people were not even given the chance to take their own lives.
But I will give you that chance.
How did you take his life?
I gave him a chance to end his life himself.
General.
Mr. Fan.
Is everything done?
None of the Qin descendants is alive now.
Did you find Ziying's daughter?
I heard she once plotted to assassinate Zhao Gao.
She's cunning. We must kill her.
We found a body in the well of the harem, with obviously nice robes.
Some palace maids were crying there.
After interrogating them...
the princess has drowned herself.
General, Mr. Fan, I'll leave now.
Mr. Fan, what should I do to silence those feudal kings
so that they will willingly go back to their fiefdoms?
I don't know how to answer your question.
Then tell me.
In the future, how will the history record me?
Can later generations understand what I did?
General! General!
General! Genera1!
General! Spare us, General!
-Spare us. -General, please spare us.
Genera, you promised to spare me.
I only promised to treat you like someone of Qin deserves.
Yes.
Even if the world will condemn me, I'll take the same action.
What luxurious life the Qin dogs led!
Every time I see this palace, I remember all those who died in battle.
The emperor stood right there and gave orders to his men.
He never treated us commoners as human beings.
Every last bit of it should be thrown in the flames!
Don't burn it!
No... No...
Send my orders.
Yes!
Burn everything in the palace.
All the temples and E-Pang Palace should be burnt down.
-Please don't, General. -Please don't.
I'll watch smoke flying on Lishan while these vile things are burning.
You are going to bring ferocious hostility from every man of Qin!
If they hate...
let them dare come for me!
Burn them!
Move it! Hurry!
-Please don't! -No!
Spare us. Spare us. Please don't!
You-- How can you burn them? You shouldn't.
You shouldn't burn them.
Xiang Yu did this to avenge the people of Chu.
But it also brings him grave hostility.
If we compare Xiang Yu's tyranny with your kindness,
the answer is clear enough.
He has a powerful military force, but he has already lost this war.
Subtitle translation by Loretta Kok