Episode 82
Three Kingdoms
Youchang.
The Southland is truly blessed with a wealth of talent and resources.
After Sun Jian, there came Sun Quan.
After Zhou Yu, there was Lu Su.
And now, after Lu Meng, there's this Lu Xun.
Although Lu Xun has no remarkable reputation,
he has maintained an unshakable perseverance.
He has been unflustered by repeated defeat.
untouched by suffered humiliation.
and has thus succeeded in leading His Majesty into a fatal trap.
His astuteness and courage match that of Zhou Yu of days bygone.
Yes, as long as he is alive,
the Southland is guaranteed security for another 20 years.
If His Majesty suffers defeat this time.
what sort of new dynamic do you expect to emerge among Wei, Shu, and Wu?
I believe that after this battle,
both Shu and Wu will suffer a great blow in military power.
The balance will again tip toward Wei.
For both Wu and Shu, the only way to ensure survival is to let go of past grudges and reinstate the alliance.
Not bad. Ma Su.
That you have such insight relieves me greatly.
This proves your aptitude is not below that of Lu Xun's.
Master, you flatter me.
Right, do you recognize this formation?*
This is a diagram of the Eight-Trigram Maze you created in earlier years.
It has eight gates. Rest, Life, Injury, Limit, Joy, Death, Fright, and Opening.
find it impossible to extricate themselves.
Those who do not know it, once trapped inside,
There is a valley across from the Jia River called Fishbelly Meadows.
The terrain there is varied and textured. ideal for the arrangement of formations.
Take 2,000 men with you to Fishbelly Meadows immediately.
stack rocks or dig trenches
Do what you must, according to this diagram
and build the Eight-Trigram Maze.
While this maze will not defeat Lu Xun's army.
it is sufficient to frighten them into a stupor and slow their attack.
Yes, sir.
Wait.
Take this and lay it in the maze
for the Wu army to open.
Master, what is in the box?
A small greeting from me to Lu Xun.
Your Excellency, Your Excellency!
General Zhao Yun has come from Xichuan.
Admit him at once.
Aye.
Your Excellency,
why have you sent for me with such haste?
Is it finally time for us to attack Jing Province?
Zilong, within a few days' time.
report of His Majesty's defeat will reach us.
I fear that there may not be much left of our 700,000 men.
What?
How can this be?
We have received news of one victory after another these past few days.
Did not His Majesty ask you to consider relocating the capital?
Fortune and failure are but two sides of the same coin.
His Majesty has battled for months, refusing to return.
To escape the scathing heat with the advent of summer.
he moved all the troops into the forest.
If my guess is correct,
Lu Xun will surely attack with fire.
Soon, grave disaster will strike our entire army.
Attack by fire?
Previously, at the Battle of Red Cliff,
you aided Zhou Yu in praying for the east wind
and helped them vanquish Cao Cao with a great blaze.
Such an earth-shattering event
is still vivid before our eyes.
How could His Majesty have forgotten?
Even the wise are not immune to error.
Since His Majesty ascended the throne,
he has became convinced of his invincibility.
Enough. Let us not speak of this anymore.
Zilong,
you have rescued His Majesty from countless dangers
I must burden you with the task of protecting His Majesty once again.
Sir, please tell me what to do.
How many men have you brought with you?
Ten thousand on foot, ten thousand on horses.
The foot soldiers will not help us now.
Lead all of your cavalrymen to the front lines of Xiaoting and block Lu Xun's pursuit.
After you join His Majesty, head,immediately for Baidi Castle.
Yes, sir.
Once you see the signal,
immediately launch a fire attack toward the enemy camp.
Once the enemy troops are in turmoil.
follow me and charge into the enemy camps!
On the orders of the Grand Commander. Pursue the enemy relentlessly
until we take Liu Bei alive!
Yes, sir! Fight! Fight! Take Liu Bei alive!
In this battle
we will only have victory! We will not lose!
Victory! Victory! Victory!
Now.
Aye
Light the fire!
Begin!
Quick, put out the fire! Hurry! Hurry!
Everybody, don't panic!
All captains follow me!
Everyone, follow...
Head straight for the main camp. Take Liu Bei alive!
Charge!
Your Majesty!
Your Majesty, the Wu army launched a surprise fire attack.
The fire is too big.
Our troops have lost all order!
A fire attack?
Yes. Our camps are all located within forest, and the dry weather has made everything flammable.
On my way here, I saw that all our camps within 100 miles have been engulfed by a sea of fire.
Bring me my sword
Your Majesty!
Your Majesty, hurry and go!
Come forth with me! Take Liu Bei alive!
Take Liu Bei alive!
Your Majesty. Your Majesty.
Your Majesty, please mount your horse!
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty, please hurry and mount!
I will escort you out of here!
Your Majesty, please mount your horse, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty, please mount your horse. Your Majesty.
Take Liu Bei alive!
Your Majesty, please mount your horse, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty, please mount quickly!
Hurry and help His Majesty mount!
What is the Wu army yelling?
Take Liu Bei alive!
Your Majesty!
I am asking you, what is the Wu army yelling?
The Wu army is saying
that they want...
want to take Your Majesty alive.
Your Majesty, hurry and go now! Your Majesty!
I am not leaving!
Kill Lu Xun!
Order all camps to fight the Wu army to the death!
Your Majesty, hurry and go!
Yes, Your Majesty lets go!
Charge!
Your Majesty!
Your Majesty! Protect His Majesty!
Your Majesty!
Die! Die!
Kill Sun Quan! Kill Lu Xun!
Your Majesty!
Annihilate the Southland! Slaughter Sun Quan!
Grand Commander, with just a few old horses you managed to break the Eight-Trigram Maze.
And so?
You are truly a divine being.
I am no divine being.
but Kongming is a true sleeping dragon.
Report!
Grand Commander. I found a box laid on a pile of stones and have brought it back.
Lets open it and have a look.
Sir, a cicada and a mantis. Both dead.
unaware of the oriole lurking behind itself.
The mantis stalks the cicada.
What does that mean, sir?
This is Kongmings way of Earning us
to be wary of Cao Pi striking us while we are unguarded.
If so, both the mantis and the cicada will perish.
Grand Commander, our lord has arrived. He is waiting for you in camp.
While you were chasing Liu Bei, Grand Commander,
Cao Pi also begun to mobilize his troops.
He appointed Cao Ren as Commander-in-Chief,
leading a force of 100,000 out from Ruxu,
Cao Xiu as General of the Left,
leading a force of 50,000 out from Dongkou,
and Cao Zhen as General of the Right,
leading a force of 50,000 out from Nanjun.
A total of 200,000 troops are making straight for Jing.
I believe that
my lord has predicted this in advance.
May I ask how my lord met the attack?
Cao Pi dared aggress against us
because he hoped to catch us unawares.
If he knew that we were well-prepared,
he would surely think again.
I have commanded Lu Fan to lead an army of 30,000 to resist Cao Xiu,
and Zhu Huan to lead an army of 30,000 to resist Cao Zhen.
They've already secured all strategic strongholds.
In addition, Zhu Huan laid an ambush
and slew Wei's vanguard leader Chang Diao.
How wonderful!
Zhu Huan and Lu Fan
are among the best of the Southlands young talents.
May I ask, my lord,
who took on Cao Ren?
None other than yourself. Grand Commander.
Lord Sun ordered all of Jing's cities to fly your banners
while refusing to engage the enemy.
Cao Ren saw this and was bewildered and unsettled.
thinking that you, Lu Xun, have returned to meet him.
Also, reports of defeat for the two other Wei forces reached him one after another.
After a few days,
Cao Ren had to retreat without giving battle.
Our lord is most brilliant.
I am greatly awed.
Boyan and Ziyu,
let us first have a drink.
I have a few words to say.
At the battle of Yiling,
we scored a complete victory.
Liu Bei suffered great loss.
The dynamic between Wei, Shu, and Wu has changed drastically.
In your opinions,
what plan of action shall our forces assume?
After the battle of Yiling,
Liu Bei suffered heavy casualties.
and very little remain of his 700,000 men. His resources have been exhausted.
But while the Southland emerged victorious.
we have also suffered casualties of no less than 100,000.
More importantly.
this battle has depleted the provisions that the Southland accrued for years.
At the same time, Cao Pi can meet our weariness with ease,
having had time to prepare his armies for battle.
My lord, speaking from the facts,
right now among Wu, Wei, and Shu,
Wei is strongest.
Wu and Shu are both weaker than Wei.
Let me ask you one more thing.
How do we fight a strong enemy in our weakness?
My lord wishes to...
restore the Sun-Liu coalition?
Ziyu.
Id like to trouble you with a trip to Baidi Castle
taking all of our recaptured troops, ships, and chariots to return to Liu Bei.
My lord is wise. I shall do as you commanded.
Your Majesty,
you haven't eaten anything this whole day.
Please have a bit of porridge.
Your Majesty.
You must keep in mind your great aspirations
and take good care of your health!
Ma Liang.
You've traveled from Chengdu to the battle site.
and from the battle site to here.
You must be tired.
Go and get some rest.
I... take my leave.
Zilong.
To be honest with you.
both my body and heart are broken now.
l may not last through this trial.
Your Majesty,
you must not talk like that.
You must not.
You must not!
Why haven't Kongming and the others arrived yet?
I've already sent messengers to deliver Your Majesty's orders.
The Prime Minister and the Crown Prince should be here in the next day or two.
Zilong, take your fastest steeds to escort them here.
Have them come at once,
the sooner the better.
I will go right now. I will be back in no time.
Promise me that you will eat.
I promise to eat. Now go.
Your Highness, Your Excellency, Minister Li is here.
My respects to Your Highness and Your Excellency.
Zhengfang, how many more troops do we still have in Chengdu?
There are 15,000 imperial guards left.
Some are guarding the city,
and the rest have gone to oversee the preparation of food supplies.
Transfer these troops over to Wei Yan's command.
But...
But why?
You don't have to prepare supplies anymore.
You will accompany the Crown Prince and myself to Baidi Castle.
What happened?
Father was defeated at Yiling
and has fallen gravely ill at Baidi Castle.
He has summoned us to go see him.
This is the Commander's Tally.
Please take good care of it, General Wei.
Wei Yan,
I am leaving Chengdu's defense in your hands.
It must not fall.
to report to me at Baidi Castle.
If there's anything, immediately send someone
Yes, sir.
You may leave.
Zhengfang, go home and gather your things as well.
We will set out as soon as day breaks.
Please rest well, Your Highness.
Our trip to Baidi Castle
will require three days of travel.
Pr... Prime Minister, will my father die?
Your Highness must not entertain such strange thoughts.
Please do rest early.
Prime Minister, can I bring some personal belongings?
Your servants will prepare your personal belongings for you.
No need to worry.
What about my crickets?
I beg your pardon?
These two jars of crickets have never been separated from me.
Your Highness,
His Majesty is in critical condition.
If he see Your Highness carrying these frivolous playthings to see him.
don't you suppose he would be angry?
I guess so.
I wont bring them then.
Your Majesty, I have come too late.
Father.
Kongming, please rise.
Your Majesty.
These days,
I've reflected often on this painful lesson.
But still...
even now it pains me to the core.
Your Majesty, you must take good care of yourself.
You still have much time ahead of you.
Twenty years ago, when I first sought your help in Longzhong,
I listened to your every word.
But in this eastern expedition against Wu,
I held stubbornly to my own ideas, and did not heed your advice.
And that caused this devastating defeat.
I... I regret it to no end.
Your Majesty, it is my fault.
If I had only cautioned you earlier.
you would certainly have defeated Lu Xun.
I have let Your Majesty down.
Kongming,
the fault is mine.
The root of the matter
is that after I ascended the throne,
I was no longer able to tolerate loyal advice disagreeable to my ears.
I am sorry to have treated you so poorly.
Your Majesty...
Your Majesty!
Your Majesty.
What is it?
Wu battleships are sailing upstream
and will soon reach Baidi Castle.
What are their numbers?
The sentries reported that, from afar.
it looked like the ships were packed with soldiers and horses, no fewer than 20,000 in number.
Kongming.
Sire.
Give orders to prepare for defense.
Your Majesty, please lie still.
Please lie still.
Please leave matters of defense to me.
Zilong.
Shut all city gates. Have everyone go up to the city walls and be ready for the enemy.
No one is to leave the city without orders.
Yes, sir.
Your Majesty.
My respects to Your Majesty.
Youchang, what is it?
Your Excellency, the guards at the East Gate sent an urgent dispatch.
The Southland's emissary, Zhuge Jin,
has come on Sun Quan's orders, and requested entry to the city,
I... suggest that Your Majesty grant Zhuge Jin entry for an audience.
Kongming,
would you meet him in my place
and hear what he has to say?
Your Majesty, Zhuge Jin is my elder brother.
At a time like this,
I must not see him in private.
Whatever Zhuge Jin has to say.
he should address Your Majesty directly.
His Majesty summons the Southland emissary Zhuge Jin.
Yes.
The emissary of Wu, Zhuge Jin, pays his respects to Your Majesty.
Thank you, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty,
by the order of the Prince of Wu,
some 20,000 captured Shu troops
I have come to return to you
along with weapons and horses chariots and ships.
The Prince of Wu also bade me bring a message
that the Southland's victory in the Battle of Yiling was due to luck alone.
The Prince of Wu sends his apologies to Your Majesty.
Your Majesty, what the Prince of Wu wishes
is for Your Majesty to overlook our former enmity,
and resume your alliance with the Southland in resistance against Wei.
Have you come to mock me?
Your Majesty!
Father!
Your Majesty.
Ziyu, leave us for now. We will talk later.
Thank you so much for coming to offer peace after His Majesty's humiliating defeat.
I shall be forever grateful for your kindness and consideration.
Don't mention it, Second Brother.
Is all well with His Majesty?
His Majesty was struck by a fit of rage, but he is now sleeping peacefully.
Thank goodness. Thank goodness.
Second Brother,
in your opinion,
will His Majesty still wish to resume his alliance with the Southland?
His Majesty may,not wish to,
but he will agree to it.
What do you mean?
Because we are now left with no other choice.
Oh.
Son.
Father, you're awake.
How long have I been sleeping?
Father, you've been sleeping the whole day.
A whole day.
Have you been here like this the entire time?
Come sit up here.
Don't keep kneeling.
The floor's damp.
Where is Zhuge Jin?
Oh, the Prime Minister has arranged for him to settle in at the guest house.
Did the Prime Minister agree to the peace talk?
Peace talk? What peace talk?
To resume our friendship with the Southland, and unite against Wei?
Oh... now I remember.
The Prime Minister said to ask your opinion after you wake up.
Ah-dou,
what do you think?
I will abide by Father's orders.
Why can't you ever manage
to have an opinion of your own?
Don't forget.
You are the Crown Prince.
I... I... I dare not act without your consent, Father.
I ask you.
if I no longer live.
can you carry on the legacy of the Han,
and restore the dynasty to glory?
It won't happen.
You will not die. Father. Most definitely not.
Do not evade the question.
I asked...
if you have the courage to inherit the throne.
I have never thought of these things.
I only want...
Want what?
I only want to be your child and subject forever.
Father... Father, that light went out.
Since the light has gone out.
what should you do?
I will do whatever you say. Father.
Oh, Ah-dou,
had you been born to a commoner's family.
you would probably be much happier.
No, no, no, no.
I... I don't want to be born to a commoner's family.
I just want to serve you my whole life.
I want to be your child and subject forever.
Tell the Prime Minister.
I consent to the renewal of the alliance with Sun Quan, Prince of Wu.
Please remove your sword, Sir.
Li Yan pays his respects to Your Majesty.
Rise.
Thank you, Your Majesty.
As you can see, I am dying...
and will soon go where His Late Majesty has gone.
Your Majesty, do not speak such words.
As the proverb states.
a life over fifty is not considered short.
I have passed my sixth decade.
What more can I hope for?
I only regret that my work remains unfinished.
Your Majesty is blessed by Heaven and will surely recover.
Zhengfang.
Your Majesty.
I have a few words to say to you.
I am listening, Your Majesty.
I have traversed the earth for 40 years
and observed countless people.
You, Huang Quan, and your cohort
are among the most talented men of the Riverlands.
Especially you...
you have been the most outstanding minister I have gained since entering the Riverlands,
talented in both administrative and military affairs. full of wisdom and foresight,
and deeply loyal to me.
In the hearts of the Riverlands' officials,
you wield significant influence.
But why...
why must you clash with the Prime Minister?
I would not dare to.
Zhengfang,
the Prime Ministers talents
exceed my own by tenfold.
You are not his match.
If I pass away.
you and the other original Riverlands staff
must be of one heart with the Prime Minister
and face the troubled times ahead together.
This way, not only will the Riverlands thrive and prosper.
but your name will be praised in history forever as well.
I respectfully obey your command, Sire.
Li Yan, heed my orders.
Yes, Your Majesty.
I now appoint you as Imperial Tutor to the Crown Prince
and confer upon you the title Marquis of Yi.
I hope that you will teach Ah-dou well.
Do not commit an evil deed even if it is minor,
nor omit a good deed because it seems insignificant.
Only through virtue and wisdom can we preserve ourselves.
It is also my hope that you can bring together the hearts and minds of the Shu officials
in supporting Kongming, and work in concert to serve our great cause.
Your Majesty...
you have been most considerate to me.
Even if my body is shattered to pieces,
I still cannot begin to repay Your Majesty's great kindness to me.
I pledge upon my life to be of one heart and one purpose with the Prime Minister,
to honor him as my better, and to assist the Crown Prince
in achieving your dream.
Dear sir, your words...
bring me much relief.
Thank you.
Your Majesty, take care.