Delicious! Come on, try it!
Try it.
Tonight we’ll have a good meal. Let's drink and be merry!
-Delicious! -Drink up.
Come on. Drink up.
Here. Some more wine.
Here you go.
Drink.
-Great. Bottoms up. -Fill it.
-Good. -Here you go.
Great! It’s delicious.
It’s lucky we have this wine.
I’m cold.
Who’s isn't?
Let's eat. Don’t mind him.
Cold? Go find a shelter then.
But I’m hungry.
Eat the pastry in the cart.
The pastry stinks. I--
Damn it!
Want the meat? Come and get it. Come on!
I can do without food. But can you give me water? I’m thirsty.
Thirsty?
Come on. Water! Here you go! Come on!
I’m Zhongli Mei. Don’t worry, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
You’re a righteous man.
I knew there were righteous men still in the world.
General, thank you for saving my life.
Sorry that I’m late and you had to put up with such a great insult.
I see. I see.
General, I’m extremely hungry now.
Let me eat that chicken over there before I express my gratitude, all right?
Wait a moment, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
Please enjoy your chicken.
Your Majesty,
how do you like the meat?
It’s delicious.
General, you're truly my life savior!
It’s so delicious.
Do take your time. After that, you can set off.
Yes. Then we can set off! Set off!
And if I can have some wine, that would be really great!
Xiang Yu ordered me to kill you. I’ll keep your dignity and preserve your body.
Guys!
My Lord. My Lord. My Lord.
Guys!
We're about to wage a punitive expedition against Xiang Yu.
He killed Emperor Yi by the riverside near Chen County.
Really? Is this true?
It’s a proven fact.
It was Xiang Yu who sent his men to kill Emperor Yi.
We've put up with Xiang Yu time after time. It's been long enough.
In order to weaken our Han army,
he exiled us as criminals.
We suffered greatly along that endless steep road to Bashu.
We’re lucky that in these past few years, we could build up our forces.
Now, we must wage war against Xiang Yu.
Great. Great. Great.
How dare Xiang Yu assassinate Emperor Yi! He’s too cruel.
We must punish him. Otherwise he may find a chance to attack us.
Now he’s busy sending his warriors to attack Qi. His hands are tied.
And the vassal states have long hated him.
But none is strong enough to defeat him.
It's the best time to mount an attack against him.
Right. Right. I agree.
Xiang Yu has gone against heaven’s will, and incurred the wrath of everyone.
Right now, we must gather all vassals
and form a united front. I believe, our allied forces are sure to crush him.
He must pay for Emperor Yi’s death. A life for a life!
Mr. Xiao is absolutely right.
For our punitive expedition against him, we must harness the tides of discontent.
This means that we have to ally with all vassals.
They are not just vassals from the six states,
but also rebels from all over the land.
They vassals may not obey our orders
but we can unite them.
In the past, we brought Qin down to seek peace and justice for commoners.
This time, we attack Xiang Yu to seek justice for Emperor Yi.
Tomorrow, we’ll hold a funeral for Emperor Yi
and tell the world that we’ll set off to attack Xiang Yu.
Yes, sir!
Heaven is unjust. Emperor Yi endured many hardships.
Under his leadership, we conquered Qin and restored our states.
He won the world’s respect. He should have become ruler of the world.
Yet for his own personal agenda, Xiang Yu murdered him in Chen County.
Man is governed by ethics and morals. We should respect elders.
Heaven has its natural order. The sun, moon and stars have their own places.
But Xiang Yu is a violator. He killed Emperor Yi.
This cruel, heartless beast who betrayed his king cannot be allowed to live.
To maintain order, to uphold justice, we must do away with him.
Today, we make a blood oath
to avenge Emperor Yi. Xiang Yu must pay for his crimes.
The world has acknowledged Emperor Yi. as our emperor.
But Xiang Yu exiled and killed him in Chen County.
We held a funeral for Emperor Yi.
All vassals wore white mourning sashes.
We set off from Xianyang and along the way, we united
vassal states to punish Xiang Yu for murdering Emperor Yi.
From that moment, Liu Bang's four-year war with Xiang Yu had begun.
This period was known in the history of ancient China, as the Chu-Han Contention.
Madam.
Why haven’t you changed?
Where are we going?
Toward Xianyang.
Do you mean,
we should join Liu Ji?
No. We’ll should be on Xiang Yu’s side.
Xiang Yu only has 200,000 warriors and 150,000 of them are stuck at Qi.
How can he possibly defeat Liu Ji’s 500,000 warriors?
Madam, it seems you’re wrong this time.
If Liu Ji plans to attack you, how soon can his warriors arrive?
20 days. No. 30 days.
How about Xiang Yu?
Five days. And it only takes three days for his mounted troops to get here.
Then who can you defeat?
Neither of them.
Get changed now.
Mr. Chen, Xiang Yu’s messengers are here again.
I know, I know!
Can’t you see how anxious I am?
Previously Xiang Yu ordered me to attack Sima Xin,
and with minimal effort, I persuaded him to surrender.
Xiang Yu was very happy and rewarded me with gold.
But now, Sima Xin is rebelling against Xiang Yu again.
How can I answer to Xiang Yu?
Will he trust me?
Will he spare my life?
Give this seal back to Xiang Yu.
Once he sees this, he’ll understand my decision.
Wait.
This is the gold Xiang Yu rewarded me with,
and what I got for serving the Chu army all these years
Mr. Chen, that’s your salary. You should keep it!
Nonsense! It’s not that I don’t want to keep it.
But if I keep it,
in Xiang Yu’s eyes, I will be reduced to someone who sells his soul for gain.
He's bound to send warriors to take my life.
Tell me.
Will I still get to live?
Take it all away!
Yes.
These men are here to join us. We should take them in.
-General. -General.
Seems like all of you are here to render service to my Lord.
Yes, General.
Good. All are welcome to join.
However, be careful.
If I find that there are spies amongst you, I’ll not spare you.
All right. This way, please.
Thank you, General.
Since you're here to join us, I’ll take you as my brothers from now on.
Come on. Drink up!
Enjoy! Drink up. Bottoms up!
Come on! Have some food!
All right. Tuck in!
General, can I have a private talk with you?
Sure.
General.
Can you bring me to meet Liu Ji?
You can’t see him without his order.
Please wait for his order.
General, please tell him
that I’m Chen Ping. He’ll surely meet me.
I can try to help you, but I can’t promise if he’ll meet you or not.
Thank you, General.
This way.
Greetings to my Lord.
Rise. Rise. Rise.
So you’re Chen Ping?
Yes.
I’m very pleased that you've come to join me.
Thank you, sire.
My Lord, this is the recommendation letter from my friend Wei Wuzhi.
I see. Have a seat.
Thank you, my Lord.
Good. Good.
Good.
Chen Ping.
Yes, My Lord.
What made you so anxious to meet me?
My Lord, you planning to attack Chu now. I wonder where you'll be targeting first.
What do you think?
My Lord, in my opinion, we should attack Pengcheng first.
-Pengcheng? -Yes.
But that’s the capital city of Chu.
My Lord, it’s precisely why I think, you should attack it.
Do you know why Xiang Yu made Pengcheng his capital? He had a very good reason.
Pengcheng is surrounded by broad plains.
It is very convenient to attack other cities from there.
But its advantage is also its very disadvantage.
Attacking other cities from Pengcheng may be convenient,
but it's also equally convenient for other cities to launch an attack.
My Lord, if you set off now and besiege Pengcheng,
I believe even the most well-guarded city will give way to our encirclement.
Who’s the general who is defending Pengcheng now?
My Lord, Xiang Yu is attacking Qi right now.
Mr. Fan is the one defending Pengcheng.
Mr. Fan?
Right.
Chen Ping, Mr. Fan is extremely cunning.
Anything we can come up with, he can easily foretell ahead of time.
My Lord, it’s true that Mr. Fan is an intelligent man.
But no matter how intelligent or how capable he is,
It's reality that Pengcheng is easy to attack while hard to defend.
You’re right.
But I have to think it over.
-Chen Ping. -Yes.
What is your official title in Xiang Yu’s forces?
I’m was an assistant general.
-Assistant general? -Yes
From now on, can you stay by my side to be my counselor?
What? Counselor?
Why? You don’t want to accept it?
I’m humbled!
I’m deeply grateful. I’m just a refugee who has done nothing,
yet you're putting me in such an important role.
I promise to repay your kindness with my loyalty.
It seems that before we get to fight Chu warriors, we have to fight Wei Bao.
Our scouts reported that Wei Bao’s men are preparing to attack us as we speak.
Be seated.
My Lord, in my opinion, Wei Bao doesn’t actually want war.
He only wants to protect himself.
Otherwise, he could have sprung a sneak attack on us much earlier.
But he didn't do so.
I think we can persuade him to join us.
Persuade him to join us? That’s a good idea.
But who can persuade him?
I willing to make the trip.
Zhang Er, you can’t. You are a king after all.
If you go to his camp and he refuses to meet you,
it'll be a great humiliation to you.
And If he agrees to meet you,
how can you persuade him,
when we are not sure if we can defeat Xiang Yu?
My Lord, I once served Wei Bao's father.
We are acquainted with each other. I’d like to do the job.
-Chen Ping. -Yes.
Since you joined us, you’ve not had the chance to show us what you're made of.
Your time has come.
I see. I need to make some preparations first.
Good. You may go now.
-Yes. -I'll take my leave.
Please.
-My Lord. -Yes?
My Lord, Chen Ping was merely a refugee from Chu,
But you didn't care about that and made him your counselor.
It's a position higher than all of us.
You think too highly of him.
How can we stomach that? We’ve followed you for years,
gone though life and death, and have countless military achievements.
-But-- -Stop it.
Why is there so much unhappiness?
Who are you all unhappy with? Chen Ping or me?
No.
Lu Wan, Chen Ping can be a big help to us. I must win his support.
Otherwise, he may go to help others. It won't be a good thing for us.
Why can’t you guys understand this?
Tell them to stop complaining. I have the final say here.
Yes. I see.
King Wei, Chen Ping requests an audience.
Chen Ping? Chen Ping from Pengcheng? What did he come here for?
It must be Xiang Yu’s idea!
If Xiang Yu sent him, he must want you to fight Liu Ji to the death.
Darling,
do you think we can win?
Why do you always have to listen to Xiang Yu?
Bear in mind that he’s not your king.
Darling, what do you think we should do?
Chen Ping,
it must be Xiang Yu who sent you here today.
King Wei, you misunderstand me.
I’m now in the service of Liu Ji.
Chen Ping, you were previously in the service of Xiang Yu,
yet you betrayed him and joined Liu Ji.
As a traitor, how dare you come here?
Your father once helped me,
and I heard that you are a king with great virtue.
I happened to be here today,
and I couldn’t resist paying you a visit to express my admiration for you.
What's the purpose of your visit?
I'm here to share my views with you.
Among the six states, Chu and Han are most powerful, but they are at war.
Be it victory or defeat, the outcome will soon be determined.
In your opinion, who will win?
From my analysis of the world trends, I guess Liu Ji will win.
The world is protesting against Xiang Yu as he murdered Emperor Yi.
At present, Liu Ji has told the world he will defeat and punish Xiang Yu.
In just two months, Liu Ji’s warriors have conquered many Chu areas
and many vassals promised to join him.
I once led the Chu forces, but have chosen to join Liu Ji to fight against Xiang Yu.
I believe Liu Ji will defeat Xiang Yu eventually.
King Wei, you should think it over carefully
and make a wise decision.
Yes. You're right in saying so.
But I have to think it over.
This is an important matter.
Chen Ping, please wait a while.
Chen Ping, come on, bottoms up.
Darling, I spoke as instructed by you. Did I say anything wrong?
I thought Xiang Yu sent him here.
Now we know Liu Ji sent him. It’s completely different.
I understand. We can’t fight Liu Ji because we’re no his match.
Even if we were to escape, I'm not sure if we can. So we have to join him.
That’s it, I’ll tell him the plan.
Hey, wait.
Don’t you want to get something in return?
Isn’t that risky?
No. You must try. The more gains you ask for, the more he will trust you.
I see. You’re right!
I’m clear that though Xiang Yu granted me this fief
it seems that I’m isolated here and that my rule wouldn't last long.
This is my worry.
Your words bring me relief.
I can join you. But I’m worried that if Xiang Yu comes to punish me,
what should I do then?
Why do you laugh, sir?
First, look at who’s strong and weak.
Second, you don’t know where to stand.
Third, you don’t know Xiang Yu.
One year ago, Xiang Yu’s fame
as a powerful general awed the world.
Now things are very different.
Between you and Zhang Han, who is the stronger one?
He guarded the western part of Qin.
He had adequate provisions and brave warriors,
but Han Xin, Liu Ji’s general-in-chief flooded Fei Qiu and defeated Zhang Han.
Do you still think such a general can’t defeat Xiang Yu?
Who is strong and who is weak? The tides have turned, times are changing!
Then where should I stand?
Time and place are vitally important for almost all the things in the world.
Either way it all seems as both are undecided.
But Xiang Yu’s tyranny has gone against the will of heaven,
so he lost momentum,
He destroyed Qin and became overlord,
but what he did angered his supporters, so he lost his support base.
But Liu Ji is different.
When he entered the capital, there were no killings and protocol was established.
Wise people became his officials. He won the hearts of people.
In this way, he earned the right to success
Chen Ping, I think you know what kind of man Xiang Yu is.
Yes. I’ll share my thoughts.
Xiang Yu remembers the tiniest offenses, and ignores your help.
He’s quite a capricious man. He often bullies others.
King Wei, now you are isolated between Chu and Han.
If Xiang Yu destroys Qi and turned to attack you,
would he allow you to keep your fief and title?
King Wei, you must think twice. Think twice!
Chen Ping, you’re most reasonable.
I've decided to follow you to meet Liu Ji right away.
If Xiang Yu learns of my whereabouts and comes to attack,
my warriors will join Liu Ji in his attack against Chu.
This is my plan.
I think your plan sounds just perfect!
If you gain high rank and riches in future, I hope you’ll not forget me.
General, Mr. Fan sent us a message.
What did he say?
Liu Ji’s forces have passed Anyi. King Wei joined them.They’re marching to Pengcheng.
No need to worry. Liu Ji’s warriors are nothing.
They’re only pretending they’re powerful.
They’re just a ragtag band. They can’t withstand a single blow.
Send a message to Mr. Fan, tell him not to panic.
When I kill Tian Rong, I’ll return to kill Liu Ji.
Yes
Hey, look, what a magnificent a city.
It’s built between the mountains and the sea. It's splendid.
I think its architects must have been very broad-minded
It’s too bad the descendants of Qi failed those builders’ expectations.
Gangsters and traitors are rampant everywhere now.There are no more heroes.
It’s time to teach them a lesson.
We shouldn’t allow them to taint such a beautiful capital. Am I right?
When we have conquered Linzi,
I’ll reward plenty of sweet wine to our soldiers.
-Great. -Good idea.
Ji Bu.
Yes.
Will you be the vanguard?
Absolutely! Thank you, general.
How long will it take to conquer the city?
Less than a day.
Great. Great.
Stop.
Brave warriors, your king lost. Give up and surrender.
You needn’t die.
Where’s Tian Heng?
Where’s the traitor Tian Heng?
Answer my general!
Guys, kill them all!
Hurry. Come on.
-Hurry. See if anyone’s still alive! -All right. Hurry.
We found someone who's alive! Where’s our general, Tian Heng?
He’s here. Hurry. Hurry.
General! General! General!
Where is our king? Where is our king?
He was… murdered.
My king! My king!
General. We’ll fight them till we die.
Fight them till death. Fight. Fight.
General! General! General!
No. Don't fight them.
We-- All of us will die eventually. What’s the rush?
But if we die now, we’ll die in humiliation.
I’ll entrust you to restore Qi. You’ll be the sword to protect Qi.
If we die, that’s fine,
but who will save our state? Should we allow our state to disappear?
Should we allow our commoners to be reduced to slaves?
No, no.
Even with all of this, though our king is dead and our state has fallen.
the crown prince is still around.
Qi will not be lost.
Yes, yes.
So as long as we live, we must protect our state.
You’re right. We should rebuild our forces
and in the future, we’ll restore our state.
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Help me up.
We must go our separate ways. We must not stay together.
Each and every group should try their best to go find our clan leaders
all over the city and get their help.
Every single one of us must go all out
and inspire our commoners. Find all Qi people to raise their swords.
We’ll kill Chu warriors and rob their provisions.
Unite all to attack Chu warriors. We must not allow Xiang Yu to
get away nor settle down here.
General! General! General!
Our provisions were robbed again yesterday.
Even with great effort, we only saved half.
We were attacked suddenly in Qiushan and suffered a great loss.
General, Qi soldiers are flies.
Once we chase, they fly away
but if we leave, they'll return to harass us.
Whenever our warriors are left behind, they'll be killed by Qi commoners.
A captive said that Tian Heng is still alive.
He plans to proclaim the crown prince the new king and fight us.
Leftovers and rotten meat attract flies.
If I burn the city,
and bury all those traitors in the rubble,
what can attract the flies anymore?
Long Ju, how can you say that? That’s terrible!
General, I thought we came here
to punish Tian Rong for being arrogant and betraying you.
We should be comforting commoners, and warning vassals
that they are not allowed to break their agreements.
Ji Bu, easier said than done!
Once we’re at war, what's at stake doesn’t matter, only the winner has a say.
Long Ju, to burn a city and bury commoners
can do nothing good for us but consume our strength and damage our image.
Many small groups of Qi warriors are attacking us in all directions.
They have the advantage. Our warriors are exhausted. How can we find a way out?
Calm down. Calm down. Don’t argue.
Ji Bu is right, but this is not applicable to Qi.
If the Qi people don’t want a peaceful life, they should be killed.
Right. Kill them all!
General!
For those ungrateful dogs, blood and fire are their only home.
They can understand nothing else at all.
I’ll destroy their protest outright.
Then the world will know what they’ll suffer if they disobey.
Wise decision, general!
Long Ju, in your opinion,
who is stronger, Qin warriors or our warriors?
Of course we are stronger.
Then why do these small groups of Qi fighters
make all of you seem so helpless?
Sneak attacks! Sneak attacks!
The most despicable way to fight an enemy. They are shameless!
I order you to divide our warriors into different groups, destroy them all!
We can’t divide our warriors.
Absolutely not! General!
We should not be fooled by Tian Heng.
Ji Bu, I know your worries, say no more.
I’ve decided. I’ll not take back my order.
General, think about our warriors’ lives.
We must not divide them. We’ll lose!
Subtitle translation by Min Wei Wong