Are you Liu Zong Qi?
That name sounds impressive.
Your parents are waiting for you to seize success, right?
Here.
You can make it through.
San!
We have to until 7 o'clock to use Commander Su...
as decoy again.
This forsaken place has a much longer daytime.
Chang'an is already in curfew...
while it's barely nightfall for us.
We can only show them the figure of Commander Su.
They will buy it.
They think the soldiers of Great Tang...
are invincible.
They wouldn't dare to take this stronghold.
We are invincible.
There are 200 men in the Eighth Squad.
We will all survive.
" The Longest Day in Chang'an "
Episode 38
Did we run out of food?
They told us it would be a patrol duty.
We only brought three days worth of food.
Did we run out of food?
Let's finish our breakfast for today.
Who knows if we can actually get our dinner tonight.
Stop, all of you!
I will give you your share!
Old Man Wen.
You told me a story about a man of Chang'an selling a horse.
What happened to him later on?
Zhao Hong Ying.
Do you still remember the name?
They say Zhao Hong Ying...
took a special whistle from his pocket.
Just outside of the persimmon orchard of Paradise Height,
he blew a long whistle.
Do you know what happened next?
What happened?
Have a guess.
Just tell us, Old Man Wen!
For another day we live,
we get to listen to more tales of Chang'an.
Who said that?
Look at your sorry face!
Zong Qi, listen to me.
Listen closely. This is the best part yet.
It was...
during autumn in Chang'an.
The hill covered with persimmon trees,
and on those trees are brilliant red persimmons.
After the man blew his whistle,
he started waiting under the tree.
And at a blink of an eye,
-There are some left. -Something moved in the woods.
This thing can lift the spirit, but you can't eat it all day.
It can knock out a bull.
But I will feel sleepy.
You haven't slept in over a week.
Get some rest, I can cover your shift.
That can't be done.
Will you give me your crossbow if I ask?
I will give it to you if you want.
You are a better archer than I am.
Guarding the flag is my duty.
I guard where it stands.
If the flag is gone,
I will face court-martial.
Commander Su was killed in action.
No one will have your head.
Why don't you guard it for me?
If the flag pole falls,
you can have my head.
take my eyes and bring them back to Chang'an.
Be serious about this.
Guard the flag well.
When we watch the lantern together in Chang'an,
it won't be fun without you.
Do you really believe the stories Old Man Wen told you?
Those stories are not made up.
Those are real.
Ever since Chang'an was built during the Sui Dynasty,
it was designed by the legendary Yuwen Kai,
the Minister of Work from Sui Dynasty.
It's more than just a city.
Chang'an!
It's where the Dragon Head Plain gazes down on the livings...
and protect them with the heart of an Empire.
When the Tang Dynasty began,
in order to settle down the war refugees from Jiangnan,
Chang'an was built to become...
an unprecedented marvel of a city...
that surpasses all others.
It will be a display of lustre for our nation,
all the other kingdoms will come to pay their tributes.
Chang'an...
consists of 108 streets.
There are the Eastern and Western Districts,
and people from all walks of life.
The population alone is over one million.
One million!
There are only 200 men in the whole Eight Squad.
We each has own speciality. Think about it.
A city where a million people live.
Imagine the sight of it.
The stories about Chang'an Old Man Wen told you...
might not be true.
Your family served under the Ministry of War.
You suffered the hardship of the city...
and your family were banished to Kuche.
You may know a lot about the darker side of Chang'an.
But don't tell me anything.
I would rather believe Old Man Wen's story.
Our brothers would rather believe that as well.
Human beings...
need to have some kind of dream with them.
That is what's drive the forward.
I want to be in Chang'an.
Can you?
Sure.
Just stay alive.
As stated by the Vice Minister of Rite Sir Zhang,
a banquet will be held for the fellow officers.
All the people will enjoy the brilliant lights of lanterns.
May we be free from any misfortune and prosper for generations to come.
Kneel!
A belief...
is the admiration and trust you have...
in a person or an ideal.
It help you realize who you really are.
It helps you forget your own flaws.
It let you see your value.
It let you know you are worthy of being alive.
A belief will give you strength.
Because of it,
you will never give up.
Long live the Emperor!
Pull yourself together.
Wake up.
The enemies are here!
I must survive!
Old Man Wen!
Tell us about the horse of Chang'an!
The horse-keeper met Zhao Hong Ying after 30 years!
The horse survived! Can we make it through?
Yes!
Enemies of Great Tang must die!
Charge!
Four men.
We have defended this place for 21 days.
We did what we could.
We are here for reconnaissance, not to fend off enemies.
When we first encountered the enemies,
we should have retreated.
The Defence Beacon...
has impregnable defence.
We can't fall back.
The nearest stronghold is over 30 miles from here.
The Third Squad is in charge of the defence.
The beacon has been burning for over 20 days!
No reinforcement came to us!
Chen Xing Fan left to get us backup ten days ago.
They would have been here if they were coming at all!
We should retreat!
No!
No.
Men of Chang'an are stubborn.
Gai Jia Yun won't leave us here to die.
You are feeding the men with only this handful of grains?
Where is the reinforcement?
They wander on the street and die from sickness and starvation.
Do you know how he survived that?
I am only interested in the girl.
Bright eyes and an enchanting figure.
A true beauty to behold.
-That guy has no money, -My parents can't harvest the paddy!
How did he survive?
My parents will starve to death!
Zong Qi?
No retreat!
We are the Eighth Squad!
We die in no regret!
No retreat!
We die in no regret!
We are the Eighth Squad!
We die in no regret!
We are the Eighth Squad!
We die in no regret!
We are the Eighth Squad!
We die in no regret!
Ding Lao San!
Another day passed.
Where are Gai Jia Yun and his reinforcement?
Get down!
This is a bait. They know we ran out of provisions.
Get down. Why are you here?
Lao San.
Did you enjoy the meal?
What?
I have a big appetite!
I am not going to Chang'an while starving!
Go down there and lure them.
Bring it on!
-Lao San! Run! -Hurry up!
-Great! -Send a man down there!
Send a man to pull him up!
How was that shot?
Pull Lao San up here!
You could be the best archer in whole Anxi.
You are almost as good as me.
That is not my concern,
we will never be enemies anyway.
Prepare for the siege!
Get ready!
Let this fort be their grave!
-Get ready! -Kill them all!
There's nothing left.
Captain Wen.
Why aren't they attacking?
What are they waiting for?
I will get us a wolf.
Old Man Wen can make us some roasted wolf meat.
We got all the stragglers.
All that is left is the pack of a hundred wolves strong.
You will become their snacks.
The Eighth Squad.
Armour Troops of Anxi.
And now we will all starve to death in this fort.
Such a disgrace.
Such a disgrace!
Those who wish to live, come with me!
Lao San, what are you doing?
I am going home!
We are the Eighth Squad.
We die in no regret.
If I am starved to death,
every time my mother has her meals,
it will remind her of me.
My home is in Kuche.
We can walk there in a day.
Are you trying to desert your post?
The commander was killed in action.
The reinforcement never came.
I did all I could.
Allow me to lay down my armours and resign.
You are a disgrace to our squad!
Save the pride for yourself!
I miss my parents.
I want to go home too!
I, Nan Nu Zi of Huzhou,
joined the army of Great Tang on my own will.
I would die in battle,
but not in starvation.
I am taking you with me.
We are the Eighth Squad.
We never quit!
I will kill whoever that tries to leave!
Nan Nu Zi, hurry up.
Chen Xing Fan, it's been over two weeks.
I thought you became the vultures' dinner.
If I die, you will never get your dinner.
Listen, the reinforcement will be here soon.
Chen Xing Fan!
Come to the beacon with me.
The backups will be here soon.
The famous stir-fried rice of Taiyuan.
It helps with digestions and airy stomach!
Where did you get the food?
Fort Kuche.
Trust me, the soldiers that opened the farmland...
at Fort Kuche are full of hospitality.
I got a handful of load with me,
otherwise they will let me take the whole silo.
If the reinforcement is coming,
why didn't someone escort you here?
You should ask General Gai for that.
Fort Kuche is only 30 miles from here.
You can reach there in half a day.
Why did you spend over a week there?
Fine, I will tell you the truth.
The enemy caught me.
I deserted.
I am scouting for the enemies.
I came back here just to see if you guys have starved to death.
If you are still alive, I could feed you.
You can die with a full belly.
As for the talks about reinforcement,
I was just trying to cheer you up.
How exactly did you come back here?
Let the others...
enjoy the moment.
Let them have foods for another two days, okay?
Come on.
-Good. -Get your food.
Come on, have some food.
I get a share too?
Sure, everyone does.
You heard what Chen Xing Fan said,
we have enough food to wait for the reinforcement.
Don't pick those up.
-We have plenty of food. -Giving me food...
is already a waste of time.
It's delicious.
It's just like the crop my parents plant.
Here.
Take your time.
The food Chen Xing Fan brought us...
is enough for us to last for another two days.
There are about 30 enemies left.
We need to get rid of 15 of them each day.
Zhang Xiao Jing and Xiao Gui...
can each kill one on their own.
We need a dozen of arrows each day.
We are staying.
The reinforcement will be here.
The army of Great Tang didn't abandon us.
We can just fill our bellies and wait for them here.
He You Lu.
You coward.
Spit out all those provision you ate.
Who are you calling a coward?
Who are you calling a deserter? Who's the coward?
You are eating food provided by army of Tang.
You are a soldier of Great Tang.
You would rather wait here than fight your own battle.
How does that not make you a coward?
All right.
Forget it.
-Fine. -Let's eat.
Finish your food.
The enemies' arrows have thicker shafts.
It won't work on our crossbow.
The arrows we shot...
should be within the radius of 150 metres.
I will retrieve them after dark.
The enemies is less than 50 metres from us.
You will never come back alive.
I just need to bring back the arrows.
But I need your help.
Pass the arrows from me,
I need one man at every 10 metres...
to bring the arrows back.
If that would work, we would have done it.
Do you even know how much time you need to get 15 arrows?
You'll be a corpse with arrows sticking in before you do.
We still have another way.
We take the enemy's crossbow.
We only need one.
The archer never leaves the camp.
You are planning to sneak into their camp?
In your dreams.
Either the way,
I am not a free-loader!
You are right.
Who would want to die if he can stay alive?
Make way.
My plan is to wait for reinforcement after I am full.
Are you hurt?
I really don't want to die.
Let's go.
-Get the rope! -Hurry up and go for the rope!
Pull them up!
-Your Highness. -Your Highness.
Your Highness.
They are all watching you.
Xiao Gui! Do we have any arrows left?
No!
We can't leave Old Man he behind!
-Get down! -Get down!
-All of you, get down!
Get down! All of you!
Zhang Xiao Jing, draw your blade!
Kill anyone who tries to run!
-Get down! -I told you to get down!
Chen Xing Fan!
When will the reinforcement be here?
I just want you to have some decent meals!
I just want you to have food for another two days!
Tell me, where are the reinforcement? Is it tonight or tomorrow morning?
Don't bother saving He You Lu.
We will all die either the way.
What does that mean?
What do you mean?
There is no reinforcement!
No one is coming for us!
What do you mean?
-There will be no reinforcement! -What do you mean?
The reinforcement are not coming!
What about the food you brought?
It's military provision!
The logo of Fort Kuche is on the bag!
For the past few days,
I went to all the strongholds around Fort Kuche.
All five beacon towers are empty.
Even the military farmlands run by 200 soldiers are now empty.
The whole land has been abandoned.
It's like no one has ever been there.
They were there when we got here.
All of them ran away!
I didn't even run into one of us on the way back.
I ran out of idea.
I found these foods from the cellar of Kuche and brought them back.
There is no reinforcement?
The Great Tang has forsaken us?
You are lying.
We are the Eighth Squad.
We are the squad with most achievements...
in the whole Anxi Armour Troop.
Before we left,
General Gai came to see us off personally.
Why would they leave us here?
How could they abandon us?
Did you defect to the enemies...
and became their scout?
Me? A scout for the enemy?
I came to defend the border of Great Tang on my own will!
My parents, my wife and children...
were all relocated from the city to the town of Sayub!
They are farming for the army there!
This land is my home!
Me? A scout for the enemies?
Do you think I would do that?
Why are you wearing the enemies' uniform?
Why would they lure us out?
On my way back here,
I ran into three of the enemy scouts.
I killed them all.
Before one of them drew the last breath,
he shouted something in his mother tongue.
They thought I didn't know the meaning.
He told me there are an army of 3,000 men strong...
that will arrive in two days, that we will all die!
It was their reinforcement...
that is coming this way!
3,000 men strong with a total of ten squads!
The greatest even in Chang'an is the Lantern Festival.
The people of Chang'an is great at making lanterns.
A night brilliant lights illuminating the whole city.
When the lanterns are lighted,
the lights shine on the hill, so bright that it looks like a torch.
People within the hundred miles radius can witness this wonder.
It's a display of might and harmony of the Great Tang.
All those who died defending the border...
will have their names written on the lanterns.
The lanterns will be hung from the 14th day of spring...
to the morning of the 17th day.
Million of people in Chang'an will be there for commemoration.
Perhaps no one knows that...
on this beacon in Anxi,
such a fierce battle took place.
We will all die here.
Even in death, we will have no name.
The people of Chang'an,
the people of this nation...
is enjoying their desserts and their mutton soups.
Along with their wives and children,
they enjoy celebrating this day of festivity...
as a reward for their hard-work in the previous year.
No one will remember us.
This is the reason why we are here.
With us defending the border,
the people in Chang'an...
and our families won't have to fight the enemies.
No one wants to die.
It's hard feelings.
You can decide if you want to stay or run.
If anyone is leaving,
please bring Liu Zong Qi home.
He is still young,
I don't want his parents to celebrate New Years in tears!
Tell, on your way back here,
did you find a route with no enemies?
-You are leaving too? -Stop nagging.
With route is clear from the enemies?
On the mountain behind us,
there is a path grazed the goats.
I doubt the enemies know that route.
But we have to try.
I kill the enemy scouts.
I wonder if they found out yet.
If my calculation is right,
their main force will be here by tomorrow morning.
When they arrived, the whole mountain will be surrounded.
Run now if you want to leave with your lives.
I want you to listen closely.
You and Nan Nu Zi...
will send Liu Zong Qi back to his parents after dark.
If you don't do as I said,
I will haunt you every night after I died.
I get it now.
I am a soldier.
Soldier is meant to protect the others.
I can't sit by to wait for others' protection!
I am staying!
I want the enemies to know,
even if there is one soldier left,
we will keep them off the border of our land!
Hold the line!
I, Yang Yi Ben of Jianna, will hold the line!
I, Zhang Feng Er of Lingnan, will hold the line!
- I, Huo Yu will hold the line! - I, Duan Jun Jun, will hold the line!
I, Guan Jun of Guannei, will hold the line!
I, Bai Zhen Tuoluo, will hold the line!
Hold the line!
Your father has leg problems.
Let me do the heavy-lifting in this house.
Is that clear?
But we need firewood to boil water and cook,
can we ask for your help too?
These chores require strength.
I am too young and weak for that.
I can't be here every day.
How often can you be here?
Once every five days.
Three days.
Three days?
We have a deal.
Little brat.