Now is the time to comfort the commoners.
You should allocate some military provisions to commoners
and win their favor.
I agree with Mr. Fan.
General, let’s just do what Mr. Fan said.
Yes.
But I can’t be at peace so long as Liu Ji is out there.
Your 30,000 warriors almost destroyed Liu Ji’s camp.
Almost no one in the world can tolerate such a defeat.
I think...
even if Liu Ji were alive...
he'll lose his courage and confidence.
General, think about it. For a man who has lost courage and confidence,
how can he start afresh?
All right. Mr. Fan, I’ll take your advice and placate the commoners.
I’ll send our men to hand out food.
Ying’er.
Ying’er! Time to eat!
Ying’er.
Come on.
Hurry.
Come on. Hurry.
Eat.
Father, why aren't you eating?
My stomach kind of hurts. I have no appetite.
Careful, it’s hot.
My Lord! My Lord.
My Lord.
Lu Wan.
Yes.
Don’t call me “Lord” anymore.
Who are we now?
We are starving refugees. We are nothing but bandits.
-My Lord? -My Lord. But...
What’s up?
Mr. Xiao sent messengers. He's at Pei County Magistrate's Office.
They brought us food.
-Food? -Yes.
Then we can return to Pei County.
How long can the provisions sustain us?
Three or four months.
Then where can we get food after that?
Then spring will come.
Harvesting time is in June.
we can either collect grains or purchase grains then.
Yes. Yes.
-Lu Wan. -Yes.
Tell our men to tidy up this place.
We’ll put up here for a while.
But Mr. Xiao said these grains are for our consumption on our journey.
He wants us to escort you to Xingyang now.
-The messengers are waiting for us. -I’m not going to Xingyang.
Tell our men to close the gate and raise no banner.
Don’t leave the city or enter the homes of commoners.
I’m afraid we may have to stay here for quite a while.
Tell Mr. Xiao that...
I’ll not be going to Xingyang.
-But-- -Just tell him that.
Yes.
Close the gate!
Mr. Zhang, since we lost the war in Pengcheng,
our Lord grew stranger by the day.
I just can’t wrap my head around what he’s thinking.
Mr. Chen, it’s not that you lack intelligence...
but that Liu Ji’s priorities are different from ours.
Why?
You and I are his strategists.
What we think about is how to help him win the world.
But now he has lost the ambition to rule.
Mr. Zhang, be careful about what you say.
Mr. Chen, think about this.
After we lost Pengcheng and retreated to Xingyang, we should pick ourselves up.
It’s not exactly easy,
but, strategically, it’s what we should do.
Yes.
And I think he is very clear about what should be done.
But why is he in this state now?
It seems his ambition was traded in for despair after our defeat.
At such a moment, Mr. Xiao shouldn’t have sent him provisions.
What's wrong with that?
There's nothing wrong with that.
But with the provisions,
our Lord will choose to stay in Pei County and be a county magistrate.
This is why Mr. Xiao shouldn’t have sent him provisions.
Then we should dissuade our Lord immediately!
Mr. Chen, now our Lord is in great despair.
He's not going to listen to anybody. How can we dissuade him?
Mr. Chen, don’t worry.
I think there is a man who can dissuade him.
Oh really?
Mr. Zhang, why don’t you go inside?
You’re worried about the same thing as we are.
We are ill-educated, we don’t understand theories.
But you’re different, you're eloquent.
If you can’t convince our Lord,
no one in this world can do so.
I know what's on everyone's mind now.
But I’m afraid everyone doesn’t know what's on our Lord's mind.
Perhaps what he needs is some good rest.
But it’s not the time to rest.
Ever since we returned to Pei County...
our Lord has been in despair for seven days.
Can you bear to watch him live in depression for the rest of his days?
I’m only an ordinary strategist.
I can provide strategies on how to rule a state.
But now what he needs is a dose of medicine that can calm his mind.
You’re the most intelligent amongst us. Can’t you help?
Don’t worry.
I’ve sent a messenger
to invite Mr. Xiao here.
He may well be the medicine that can cure our Lord.
Thank you, Mr. Zhang.
Mr. Zhang.
My Lord.
You have not gone to rest yet?
Not yet.
Anything to tell me?
Are you interested in listening to me at this hour?
Go rest.
-Lu Wan. -Yes.
-Come here. -Yes.
Have a seat, Lu Wan.
Yes.
How are our men?
They are fine.
And you?
I’m fine too.
-Lu Wan. -Yes.
We’re old friends, right?
Yes.
Am I your sworn brother?
Yes.
Then can you tell me what you really think?
Sure.
All these years,
you followed me through thick and thin, to every dark corner.
Was it hard?
Yes.
Was it exhausting?
Yes.
Were you afraid?
Yes.
Good. That’s my brother.
Have you ever thought of leading a simpler life?
Yes.
A life with plenty of food...
with a wife and kids?
Yes.
Have you ever thought of giving up?
No.
What?
Never.
You've never thought of giving up?
Not at all.
Are you sure?
Yes, I thought of this.
Not only you, but me as well.
To be frank...
that’s what I’m thinking of now.
I’m tired.
I don’t want to go on.
No. My Lord, we must go on.
There is no turning back!
Lu Wan, I'd like to know...
if I give up one day...
will you still follow me?
Yes. I’ll follow you wherever you go.
My good brother...
that’s the very answer I want.
But my Lord, I have something to say to you.
Go ahead.
My Lord...
I’m incompetent.
I’m useless.
I can’t share your sorrows...
and I don’t know how to talk you round.
But my Lord, we haven’t lost yet!
We can still fight!
Our guys want to fight on. We're awaiting your orders.
My Lord, keep your chin up.
My Lord, please take heart.
I am begging you, please.
Get up.
Get up!
Right now...
I don’t want to listen to such clichés!
My Lord!
Enough. You should go rest.
Mr. Xiao, thanks for rushing and making a trip here.
Mr. Zhang,
your detour may hold up our plans to rule the world.
There are things you don’t know. It’s not that simple. Come along, please.
You know our Lord well.
You should tell him anything you want.
Our Lord is in complete despair.
He turns a deaf ear to my advice.
If things go on like this, the outlook for our forces is grim.
I'm at a loss as to what to do, so I invited you here.
You’re his friend and he respects you.
I need you to reason with him. Then I can advise him...
so that we can turn the situation around.
How does that sound?
All right. Let me give it a try.
What a smell. Sweet!
Liu Ji, come out now!
Wow! Mr. Xiao, why are you here?
Liu Ji, are you happy goofing with women?
I guess.
Feeling rested then?
Sure.
How about the food?
Not too bad.
Do you sleep well?
Yes.
Bullshit!
What the hell is going through your head?
You wanna be a magistrate in Pei County for the rest of your life?
Mr. Xiao, calm down. Calm down. Don’t be angry.
Mr. Xiao...
to be frank, I've thought about it.
What's wrong with being the magistrate of Pei?
There’s delicious food and beautiful women
What’s wrong with that?
If I go to war, I’ll suffer daily
and lead a life full of bloodshed. One fine day, I might just die.
I think giving up is pretty good!
Liu Ji, do you know
why you have warriors? You’re the King of Han!
You have generals, because you’re the King of Han.
You command cities, people, all because you’re King of Han.
If you give up on winning the world and choose to be the magistrate of Pei,
someday you may have to become
the chief of Sishuiting again.
Do you want to go back to being a peasant?
What world? It has nothing to do with me.
I’m tired. I don’t want to go on.
Here, once I close that gate, I’ll be the leader of this place.
No one dares to offend me.
I know, our guys are unhappy with me.
But Mr. Xiao, if all our guys leave me, would you still follow me?
Liu Ji, remember...
when we rebelled in Pei County,
I told you that...
I’d follow you all my life.
Did you forget?
Mr. Xiao, then I’m content!
Oh, you’re content? But what about our guys?
They followed you for years from Mt. Mangdang to Pei County,
Huling, Xiangyang and Xianyang,
They almost lost their lives together with you at the Feast of Hong Gate!
But now you're saying you’re giving up. Then what should they do?
Where’s your sword?
Where is it?
Liu Ji, if you can’t hold on tight to your sword today,
someday, you be stabbed right through your throat
by our opponent Xiang Yu.
Can you imagine his happiness when he slaughters you?
You know he hates you deeply.
Even in his dreams, he wants your head.
I know.
I know Xiang Yu, will not spare me.
Right?
My Lord, what the hell are you thinking?
To give up or not?
You should at least tell your men.
My Lord, we’ve said what we should.
You can ignore our brotherhood, if you like.
But you should know
that the failure in Pengcheng was not in our strategy,
but in the breakdown of the alliance of the vassals.
This failure has taught us
that we shouldn't rely on allies that don’t share our goals.
If vassal states are not united, failure is inevitable.
Defeat may be a disgrace,
but it’s not your disgrace.
But now the tides are turning in our favor.
Han Xin has maintained discipline.
He has restored our forces South of Jushui.
Most of our routed warriors have joined him.
My Lord, most of our warriors survived,
our forces are not damaged.
Also, though Xiang Yu defeated the vassal states,
but he didn’t follow up with victory and march on Xianyang.
He took Pengcheng but he didn’t want to stay.
He didn’t establish supportive policies to help commoners.
He’s truly short-sighted. He's just a robber.
What’s more, though Pengcheng is occupied by Chu warriors,
but as it is located in the plains,
it has no obvious advantage either in guarding or attacking.
We’re based in Xianyang, which is good for both attacking and defending.
So, in terms of geographic location or military power,
we have the advantage.
I think this is the third point Mr. Xiao wants to make.
My Lord, with these three points of considerations,
it's clear that we can at least stand up to Xiang Yu as an equal.
Let me think it over.
My Lord, we need your decision quickly.
My Lord...
our guys are waiting outside.
It’s time to decide.
Brothers...
I’ve been feeling sorry for myself.
I’m not as ambitious as you are.
I almost ruined our forces.
I hereby...
apologize to all you.
My Lord. Don’t. My Lord.
Let me ask, brothers, with regards to defeating the Chu army...
and winning the world, do you still have the confidence?
Yes!
Good. Tomorrow, let’s leave Pei County and go to Xingyang.
Yes!
Mr. Xiao...
what will the commoners in Xingyang say about us?
Your return will inspire the commoners. They’ll come to greet you.
Let’s have more humility. Don’t forget we lost.
-Lu Wan. -Yes.
-Tell our warriors to stop for a while. -Yes.
Why, my Lord?
Wait a while.
For one thing, I don’t want to bother the commoners here.
Another thing, we lost the war.
We should enter tonight without much fuss.
XINGYANG
Our Lord is back. They are back.
-Nothing has changed. -Yes, right.
Xiahou Ying.
Make way for the King of Han!
Greetings, my Lord!
Do I look like a king?
You are the king.
You are the King of Han.
What king? I don’t want to deceive myself anymore
Did title come from Xiang Yu? Or was it from King Huai?
It’s only a false title.
My Lord, you destroyed Qin then attacked the brutal Xiang Yu.
You deserve the title of a king. You enjoy widespread support.
You should ascend the throne and lead the world to attack Xiang Yu.
Our men all await you.
It’s true we conquered Qin.
But against Chu, we lost.
Our 500,000 allied forces were routed by Chu warriors.
We lost completely.
But I think it’s a good lesson.
We should start anew!
We must defeat Xiang Yu and conquer the world. Then I'll be king.
The real king.
Otherwise, I just be a laughingstock.
Let’s go and see our warriors.
Yes.
Guys!
-My Lord, My Lord. -Sit down, sit down.
Guys, you’ve been waiting for the grand coronation, haven’t you?
Yes. Yes. Yes. We’ve been waiting for a long time.
But I’ve thought about it over and over...
and I’ve decided we can’t hold this ceremony.
Think about it.
Whether we were rebelled against Qin or fight with Chu.
or holding the funeral for Emperor Yi,
we didn't hold any grand ceremony.
Still, we won great support from the commoners and even vassals.
They are the reason why we’re here today.
Obviously...
my incompetence led us...
to lose in Pengcheng.
Today, I’ll tell you all
failure is not to be feared.
I owe you all an apology.
My Lord. My Lord.
Failure almost caused me to lose my fighting spirit...
and almost destroyed the honor of Han.
My Lord. Don’t do that.
Since we’re going to restore our forces...
and start anew,
we’re got a lot to do.
We must bolster civilian morale.
We must train our soldiers.
We’ll absolutely not allow the commoners and vassals to laugh at us.
Truthfully...
all of you went through a lot with me these years.
Most of you followed me from Pei County all the way here.
In Mt. Mangdang, we ate wild grass, didn’t we?
And many of you
joined me because of the oppression of the Qin tyrants.
We stand united because of that.
Anyway, all of you contributed.
Mr. Zhang, were it for not you...
I might have been killed in Hongmeng. Correct?
Li Yiji, without you,
how could we conquer Chenliu without any bloodshed?
We couldn’t have done so. All of you think highly of me.
I’ll never forget your help.
And in a peaceful world, you all should have been marquis or dukes.
You could be a duke or a marquis.
And you, a marquis or a count.
But don’t you see?
Fluff titles are of no use!
We still have no right to claim such titles!
Self-conferred titles will only invite mockery.
I discussed with Mr. Xiao.
We’d just skip the coronation.
I don’t want to give the commoners or vassals any excuse to mock us!
I’m telling you that I’ll not sit on this throne now.
But, if someday we win and there is peace,
you guys must not stop me from sitting on the throne.
And even if you refuse titles conferred on you, I’ll not agree!
Also...
Mr. Xiao told me that you all want me to appoint my heir.
I appreciate the thought.
You're worried that there will be no heir for Han?
But have you considered this?
Even if I proclaim myself emperor...
will the world really belong to us?
Not at all!
So there's no need to appoint my heir yet!
I’m sorry to be a wet blanket.
Today’s a happy day, but I had to speak those suffocating words.
But guys...
those were my heartfelt words.
Again, I’ll restate that...
if you think I’m not good enough...
just toss me away and find a good leader.
I won’t stop you!
Hey! Come on, come on. Come, come.
Anyway, today is of significance for us.
Let’s go have a drink.
-Let’s go. Great. -Let’s go. Go.
Mother, I want to sleep.
Not now. We must talk.
Do you want to be king?
Be king? Is it fun?
Can’t always think about fun. Your father will appoint a crown prince someday.
I’ve told you before. What is crown prince?
Crown prince? Crown prince is the son that gets to be king.
As long as you become crown prince...
you’ll not be killed and I’ll stay alive.
Do you want me to die?
No, Mother. I don’t want you to die. I want you to stay alive.
Good boy.
But if your father wants to appoint the crown prince...
you have two elder brothers, Liu Ying and Liu Fei.
Your father will appoint one of them.
You’re not entitled to become crown prince. Do you understand?
Mother, don’t speak like that. I’m scared.
From now on...
everything and every word I say, you must remember them, will you?
You are a good-natured boy and you are credulous.
In the palace, no one will help us.
If you can’t become the crown prince...
why should they allow you to live?
Mother, I don’t care.
I don’t care if I live or die. So long as you live, I’m happy.
I don’t fear death. I need you to lead a good life.
So long as you live, I’ll have hope of living a decent life.
You must lead a good life, you hear me?
My Lord!
-Hey! Where’s Ruyi? -In the room.
Doesn’t he look like you?
If he didn’t, you’d be in trouble.
Thank you. It must have been a long journey.
It was fine.
Come, I’ll reward you.
Chop, chop, cut sandalwood. Piled on the bank raw and crude.
River ripples in a solemn mood.
Neither sowed nor reaped. How have you so much corn heaped?
You’ve never hunted all year round. How is game in your court found?
Heigh-ho, noblemen and knights. Aren’t you eating idle rice?
Good. You, recite again.
Chops and chops, we cut some sandalwood.
Piled on the bank-- Raw and-- Rude?
Teacher, don’t be too strict. He can almost recite it.
That’s my way of teaching.
If you can’t accept it, I’d rather leave.
Don’t. Don’t. I dare not offend you.
You’re right.
Liu Ying, go on.
Go on from “Chop, chop, we cut the sandalwood”.
Chop, chop, we cut the sandalwood...
Oh, Qi Ji?
Lu Wan.
Ruyi.
Ruyi, look. He’s your brother, Liu Ying.
She’s your sister, Liu Le. Greet them.
Brother. Sister.
Subtitle translation by Min Wei Wong