Original subtitles

♫ Raising the wine cup, I toast to the boundless sky ♫

♫ In talks and laughters are vast mountains and rivers. ♫

♫ Love and hate, debt and feuds, have all dissolved. ♫

♫ Where's my soul's hometown and my kindred spirits? ♫

♫ Seasons rolling by, we dream for harvest. ♫

♫ Warriors and warhorses howl across the sky. ♫

♫ If only I could turn into the wind, ♫

♫ to blow away all the pain in mortal coil. ♫

♫ I toast to the blue sky, to courage in solitude, ♫

♫ to migrating gooses, to boats heading home. ♫

♫ With even three thousand days and nights, ♫

♫ Will it be enough to drain this cup I toast to peace? ♫

[Swords into Plowshares]

[Episode 12]

[Jinyang, Taiyuan Prefecure]

You

are Zhao Kuangyin?

Yes.

"Zhao the muddlehead" of the Imperial Guard is your father?

My father serves in the Imperial Guard.

His given name is Hongyin.

Your mother's surname is Du.

She is from the Du family, prominent in Dingzhou.

Her mother was Lady Fan.

Your eldest brother,

who died young,

is called Guangji.

Yes.

The letter says that Zhang Yanze, the current Marshal, a veteran general of many years,

[Guo Wei, Commander of Imperial and Cavalry Infantry] on the day of the grand court assembly,

[Guo Wei, Commander of Imperial and Cavalry Infantry] was stabbed and wounded by a youth barely of age.

[Guo Wei, also called Guo the sparrow for his sparrow-shaped birthmark]Such an absurd story...

[Guo Wei, also called Guo the sparrow for his sparrow-shaped birthmark]How did they come up with it?

The Qian clan of Wuyue has no enmity with Zhang Yanze.

Why would they wound him in the court hall?

I can't stand you!

You're sitting in prison, with so many people sending food here, more cozy than in the office.

This place is originally government office, and it's the Censorate, a top-tier one.

It rectifies court discipline and impeaches all officials.

Just think that one outside the Lijing Gate in King Wu's time,

how many civil and military officials turn pale mentioning it.

It seems a guest has arrived.

Jungui.

Hongchu.

Since the establishment of the imperial prison,

you must have been the most unbridled imperial prisoner.

Then what about you staying for some days and be unbridled too?

No thanks.

Go get a bowl and chopsticks.

My rank is low; I could not attend the court assembly.

I only heard the actual situation from my father.

Zhang's crimes are innumerable.

Those who wish to kill him are far more than just Young Master Qian alone.

I suppose,

that day in the grand hall, it must have been utter chaos.

He's certainly not the one who wounded Zhang.

But that blade was indeed brought into the hall by him.

So he takes the blame and this accusation.

That's more like it.

Your father is also from a noble family.

He has been on the battlefield.

He commands at least several thousand troops.

When spoken of,

he is called a Marshal.

Yet he let a youngster from the south draw a blade right in the court.

How absurd.

Is there no true man left in the city?

Lord Liu and Marshal in Hedong lead far more than tens of thousands troops,

yet we have not seen them march south to rescue the capital.

My father and I, though lacking talent, fought for ten full days under the military might of the traitor Zhang,

to stop the rebel army outside Xuanyang Gate.

You burned Zhang Yanze's granaries, right?

Right.

Leading that useless Imperial Guard

to hold on for ten days against Zhang Yanze without losing ground,

you are indeed better than your useless father in terms of ability though you are young.

But, boy,

your father is smarter than you.

This time

he bet on the right horse.

You can be said to have placed the right bet for the Qian clan of Wuyue this time.

So many people died just for a gamble?

The world is like a chess game, like a gamble.

Living in such an era, we originally had no other path to take.

What does the world affairs have to do with me, a lazy boy,

who usually won't even bother to read documents?

Isn't Wuyue a part of this world?

The King of Wuyue is my elder brother.

Although I hold the title of a commander,

it's merely a formality.

I have never been involved in military and state affairs.

Who becomes the emperor here in Bianliang City

has nothing to do with a leisurely foreigner like me.

You are not willing,

to pledge allegiance to Lord Liu?

Didn't I just say?

State affairs are not for me to decide.

Even to pledge allegiance, it should be my sixth and seventh brothers, not me.

Mr. Shuiqiu has pledged allegiance on your brother's behalf.

Then, Jungui,

for what you come to see me?

Wuyue is Wuyue.

You are you.

The Jin emperor has abdicated for over a month,

yet Lord Liu has still not dared to proclaim himself emperor.

Do you know why?

Insufficient troops?

Lack of provisions?

The Khitan are too strong?

Whether, it's his business.

He doesn't dared to proclaim himself because he hasn't won people's support.

Then, Jungui, tell me,

how can one win people's support?

Nr. Shuiqiu, on behalf of your brother,

with over a hundred thousand armored soldiers of Wuyue, pledged allegiance to Lord Liu.

This shows quite the prestige.

However, all this cannot compare to one clear word from you.

From me?

Do you still think you are who you were?

Could I am no longer myself just after a month in prison?

You injured Zhang Yanze.

So what?

Hongchu,

so many people every day bringing you food here.

This is people's support.

Do you know for what Minister Sang choose to sacrificed in Kaifeng?

For people's support.

Minister Sang used his life to let the Khitan ruler know

the will of the people in this land,

to let the Khitan troops know, that the soldiers and people of the Central Plains,

never stand traitors who oppress and betray like Du and Zhang.

Throughout the capital, everyone wishes they could eat their flesh and peel their skin.

Yet, the only one who truly dared to draw a blade before the Khitan emperor, was you.

So now,

you,

have won people's support.

Having experienced the state's collapse,

Zhao Kuangyin, deeply understood that figures like Liu Zhiyuan and Guo Wei,

these powerful ministers and military governors had far too many interests to weigh.

[Liu Zhiyuan, Hedong Military Governor] Beyond Hedong, there was Hebei;

[Liu Zhiyuan, Hedong Military Governor] outside the capital,

[Liu Zhiyuan, Hedong Military Governor] there was the covetous

Khitan army.

[Shi Hongzhao, Military Commander of Hedong] After all, Lord Feng had no troops in hand;

[Shi Hongzhao, Military Commander of Hedong] to have achieved this much was already an unexpected delight.

You hold the twelve prefectures of Hedong, with an army of a hundred thousand and plenty provisions,

If we wait until there's a clear outcome before collecting easy gains,

wouldn't we be laughed at by everyone?

Hongzhao,

how's the enemy situation?

I, Yongde, pay respects to Marshal.

Marshal,

this is?

[Liu Jiye, Scout Commander of Infantry] He is Liu Jiye is from the Infantry Command,

[Liu Jiye, Scout Commander of Infantry] the newly appointed Scout Commander.

He is also my newly adopted

grandson.

He has urgent military intelligence from the north to report.

Open the gate.

Yelü Talie is not in the camp.

Reporting to the Lord, he is not.

How do you know?

I heard it with my own ears.

He disguised himself as a Khitan slave and lingered in the camp at the Hui River for over a month.

You can speak the Khitan language?

Marshal, I hail from the borderlands. I've been accustomed to their languageS since childhood.

Which languages can you speak?

The Qiang language of the Tangut, Khitan language, Xi language, Black Mountain Zubu language,

I each know some.

Serving as a scout in the Infantry Command is truly a waste of your talent.

He is the eldest son of Yang Hongxin from Linzhou.

Zhe Sanlang from Fuzhou took him as a son-in-law.

He is not an ordinary scout.

Seeing is believing.

How do you know the truth just by hearing it?

I saw it with my own eyes,

thus I know it is true.

How do you know the visitor is an envoy from Shangjing?

[Xiao Siwen, Yelü Deguang's son in law, Khitan general] The visitor was Xiao Siwen himself.

[Xiao Siwen, Yelü Deguang's son in law, Khitan general] He previously served as an envoy, traveling between Lin and Fu.

I know him.

Reward him with a Deputy Commander.

For such a great merit, even a Commander would be a fitting reward.

Why don't you thank for his grace?

I thank the Lord for grace.

Dismissed.

Great King, thus we will make it.

Zhang Yanze is severely wounded and Yelü Talie has departed.

If this is not fortune,

then what is fortune?

Xiao Siwen came to the Huishui River in person

to summon Talie away.

This means Shangjing has encountered a big event.

To be able to summon away someone like Talie with a single document,

only two people can do this in Khitan.

One is currently in the capital, hesitating and wavering.

Then,

only one remains:

Empress Dowager, Lady Shulü.

First, send someone to the capital.

Yes.

To see who people support?

To submit to,

the Khitan ruler.

[Kaifeng prefecture, Bianliang City, the Eastern Capital]

Empress Dowager recalling official from Yunzhou to Shangjing

is a reminder to Your Majesty.

It is time to return north.

Affairs here are settled. Please lead the army back.

We should leave someone here in charge.

Your Majesty, if you do not want Du,

then Liu Zhiyuan of Taiyuan is the only other choice.

Please decide quickly, to calm people's doubts.

Even if bestowing the silver pillow , the chosen one must want to sleep on it..

As for Taiyuan, so far not even a single memorial declaring submission has been delivered.

To hastily proclaim the Liu Clan would make it seem as if the imperial throne of our dynasty is worthless,

and as if we were begging him to take it.

What about Your Majesty and our dynasty's dignity?

You...

Your Majesty.

The envoy from Taiyuan, Hedong Deputy Military Governor, Wang Jun, has entered the capital

by order of the Lord of Beiping, Lord Liu, waiting outside the Mingde Gate with a memorial declaring submission.

Wang Xiufeng is outside the Mingde Gate.

Su Yuanxi and Guo Wei,

Did not come in person?

The envoy delegation is led by Wang.

I didn't see Surveillance Commissioner Su and Marshal Guo.

You may leave.

Yes.

Lord,

the Lord of Beiping is...

This is false.

Pay it no mind.

If Lord Liu truly intended to submit,

it should be Commissioner Su, or my father who come.

Yet now,

it is Uncle Xiufeng who has come.

It is merely a pretense of compliance.

If he is unwilling to submit, why make such a grand display and send an envoy?

To see how people think about?

People's support in the capital lie with Lord Feng and Hongchu.

Envoy Shuiqiu, Taiyuan envoy has left the palace.

With an decree or not?

Lord Liu is granted the title of Grand Preceptor and Prince of Jin to eternally guard Hedong.

Your Majesty.

Fan Zhi.

Yes.

Instruct the Kaifeng Prefecture to set up two more porridge kitchens in the southern city.

Do not use the name of relief aid.

The weather is about to turn warm and ice in the river will soon melt.

Recruit strong and young men and provide relief through work.

Yes.

My apologize.

Lord.

Accompany me for a walk.

You can get it there as well.

Thanks.

Give me more.

I'm afraid there are a hundred thousand people.

There are not so many.

In the twelve counties of the capital region, only Chenliu's city walls are still somewhat intact.

But no one remains there.

The weather is bitterly cold, the ground frozen.

Poor families runing out of food can only leave their homes,

heading towards the capital to beg for some food.

This

is only just the beginning.

Why?

The weather is gradually warming up.

In past years at this time,

the court would have allocated seed grain to prepare for spring plowing.

This year the stored grain in the government granaries and seed grain

have all eaten by the soldiers and refugees.

We miss the farming season, and there will be no hope for a harvest.

These common people,

for now,

can still come here to beg for some porridge and barely get by.

In another two months, when the granary reserves are all eaten up,

they will ultimately starve to death.

Lord oversees affairs in this city.

Isn't this within your responsibilities?

I am ashamed.

But I cannot make bricks without straw.

The reserves of the inner and outer treasuries are all in your hands, Lord.

What else do you need?

I am

just a muddle-headed old fool.

For food, a single bowl is enough.

To sleep, a simple bed suffices.

I need nothing else.

They need something.

They need something.

Need what?

A proper court.

One that can purchase grain at fair prices in harvest years,

distribute food and provide relief in famine years.

One that allocates seed grain in spring,

repairs river infrastructure in summer ,

fills granaries in autumn,

and relieves the cold and needy in winter.

Today not even a Bodhisattva can keep these common people alive.

Only you

can keep them alive.

Lord, are those your sincere words?

Can you?

Zhang Li.

I am here.

Announce to all palace camps and to ministers:

From this day forth, south of the great river, no one shall plunder the commoners.

All military needs must be recorded in writing, compiled into registers, and submitted to the palace for decision.

I receive the decree.

Lord,

is this acceptable?

Rioting troops entered the city,

giving three days' leave.

let the strong broke down doors,

plundering coins, silk, and rations,

slaughtering women and children,

setting houses ablaze,

tearing down courtyard walls to build camps...

Lord,

is this the crime of Zhang Yanze,

or of me?

You've using too heavy words.

But

at this moment,

with you simply saying "No more plundering, no more killing,"

will that suffice?

What exactly do you want?

Three hundred thousand hu of grain and wheat

thirty thousand hu of seed grain,

Do you have them?

No.

Since you do not, the hundred thousand soldiers and civilians here and I

cannot let you do something you can't.

But

we can settle for the next best thing.

What is it?

Debts must be repaid, lives taken must be atoned for.

Since you have no grain or seed,

you may instead offer Zhang Yanze's life in compensation.

Lord Feng, you are threatening His Majesty?

Your Majesty,

if you do that, Du Zhongwei may incite unforeseen turmoil.

That's reasonable.

Du Zhongwei holds heavy troops.

Even Bodhisattva won't defy him, let alone you.

Is this your intention,

or Liu Zhiyuan of Taiyuan's intention?

If you are unwilling to be the ruler,

then move back to your Shangjing immediately.

Lord, you have not yet answered.

A person who cares for the world

would not ask such a question.

If I kill Zhang Yanze,

dare you guarantee that Du Zhongwei will not rebel?

I dare not.

But

I dare wager.

Du Zhongwei

is in Yexia.

I am in the capital,

with no city,

no troops.

If Du Zhongwei dares to rebel,

you may just take

my life.

Dare you wager?

The authorities have investigated the crimes of Zhang Yanze.

Zhang is greedy and covetous, plundering people.

He has been ruthlessly killing civilians at will.

He allows soldiers' atrocities, people suffering.

He embezzles military pay, leading to the army's morale collapsing.

He seizes farmland and deprived people of their property,

He also sells official positions, corrupting governance.

He drives soldiers to rebel, causing disasters.

He defies imperial decrees, disobeying the emperor's orders.

He frames loyal officials, persecuting the virtuous.

He indulges in lechery, corrupting social morals.

He forms cliques, disrupting court order.

He robs and kills envoys, provoking neighboring states.

These are twelve major crimes.

His crimes is too many to be each listed and recorded.

Even drained the Sea,

his evil can't be washed away.

to such a great villain, how could I spare him from the punishments?

He shall be immediately caged and sent to the market to be publicly executed,

to serve as a warning, proclaimed to all.

Lord

Zhang Yanze

was executed under the clear edict of the Khitan emperor, publicly executed according to the law.

people of Bianliang City are all witnesses.

In the clear annals of history,

it will be recorded thus in the future.

What a pity for Qian's Young Master,

so loyal and brave.

In these chaotic times,

human life is cheap.

Staying alive,

is more important than anything else.

Should we release him?

Not yet.

Disrespect in court is not minor offense.

Take good care of him.

Do not let anyone see him,

and do not let anyone

be reminded of him.

It's roasting so slowly.

What are you thinking about again?

If I survive and return this time,

I will go to the island with you and become a live-in son-in-law.

Okay?

What nonsense are you talking about?

In this world,

there are too many people who want to shoulder great responsibilities, but too few with self-awareness.

Otherwise,

it wouldn't have been this chaotic.

I won't get involved.

After much thought,

this world seems to have no second Arcadia besides Huanglong Island.

Do you

really think so?

What do you think?

Lord,

Lord,

Wang Jun, the envoy from Taiyuan, requests an audience.

He's finally here.

I won't see him.

Lord.

Fan Zhi,

you go meet him.

Wang Jun wants to see you, Lord,

not me.

Everything that can be asked and said,

I have discussed with that Guo boy.

Meeting again wih him would just be repeating the same words.

Better not to meet.

You go see him.

Tell him:

millet and wheat, six million liters each, and six hundred thousand liters of seed.

This is the price I offer.

This world,

at present,

is only worth this much.

Lord is a senior minister of three dynasties.

Why be so discourteous?

Xiufeng, be careful with your words.

Lord leads the court.

His thoughts and actions are not for us to comment on.

The humiliation of you and your Lord today,

I will

surely repay it someday.

Lord refuses to see me.

Yes.

His exact words were:

"If he

still cherishes his life,

he should not go anywhere these days ."

Please inform the Lord, Marshal.

Guo Rong has a few heartfelt words for him.

This concerns his reputation.

I beg him to spare some time for a meeting.

Just give up.

Tomorrow, at the grand court assembly in Hall,

he will go to the hall and declare submission.

The Great Khitan Emperor decrees:

By the grace of Heaven, I have ascended to throne.

To govern the great realm, it's necessary to have virtuous ministers to assist.

You, Marshal, Director of the Secretariat,

Military Governor of Kuangguo Weisheng Army, Duke of Yan,

having served three dynasties with splendid knowledge and reputation,

as a crucial minister to the state,

are hereby appointed Grand Tutor, recorded with a golden register, and granted Prince of Changle.

There's another eight thousand households for you as fief, twelve hundred to be taxed,

You shall serve as Military Commissioner, overseeing affairs of the Southern Han Office,

commanding the troops of Bianliang.

You shall be granted an ivory tablet and an ox-head token,

permitted to ride a horse within the palace and attend court,

Approved.

Your subject, Feng Dao, receives the decree.

Having obtained the great succession, I would trouble you as to the matter of the dynastic name.

The Yang clan obtained the succession as Duke of Sui,

the dynastic name was Sui.

The Li clan obtained the succession as Duke of Tang,

thus establishing the Tang of three hundred years.

Your Majesty's foundation was obtained from your father and grandfather.

The ancestral temples and shrines, though not granted by Tang decree,

follow the old system of the Songmo Governorate.

Songmo had its governance in Liao territory.

For Your Majesty to name the state, the name could be Liao.

Liao.

Great Liao.

Grand Tutor's proposal fits the traditions.

I concur that the state name shall be Liao.

I concur!

Good.

Then the state name is settled, Liao.

May our ancestors bless us.

May the Great Liao prosper forever.

Long live Your Majesty.

May the Great Liao prosper forever.

Long live Your Majesty.

A senior minister of three dynasties bowed in submission ,even offering a state name.

Truly beyond my words.

I wonders will Lord Feng feel ashamed the day he meet Minister Sang again in the underworld.

If Minister Sang had not died,

Today, I'm afraid he too would have submitted.

The Han culture has been moved to south for seven hundred years.

The integrity of the realm is not in the north of the Huai River.

Now,

The Khitan emperor establishes the Liao and has become the master of the northern lands.

The only remaining concern,

is Liu Zhiyuan in Hedong.

Guo Wei.

What do you intend to do?

To accomplish great deeds, of course.

Kuangyin.

I am here.

Go and take down that banner.

Yes.

Guo Wei.

What do you mean?

The Khitan came south.

The capital lies in ruins and chaos.

The dynasty's fortune is not long.

The Jin has ended.

The ancestral spirits have no heir.

The state faces the danger of collapse.

The people suffer the hardship.

The soldiers and people of Hedong respectfully request you,

for sake of the people,

to receive the Mandate, inherit the imperial lineage.

march your banners south and pacify the Central Plains.

Wang Jun is back?

Guo Wei.

What...

Guo Wei.

Lord Feng said deliver six million liters each of grain and wheat,

six hundred thousand liters of seed grain, to the capital,

and you can be the emperor.

I have received the state's favor for two generations from the Shi family. I cannot commit such an unrighteous act.

Hedong is where the hopes of the people lie.

Yet you are bound by sentiments, unwilling to ascend to the throne.

We have received your grace and promotion,

should plead with tears of blood again and again.

If you don't ascend, what shall the poeple do?

If you don't ascend, what shall the poeple do?

What's the point in shouting here?

Break the door.

Carry Your Majesty out.

Guo Wei.

What are you doing?

Guo Wei.

Guo Wei!

Let me go!

Guo Wei!

Let me go!

Guo Wei!

You will trap me in unrighteousness!

That's just petty righteousness.

The state and the welfare of the people are the great righteousness.

I, Su Yugui, requests you to ascend the imperial throne.

You all will trap me in unrighteousness!

We request you to ascend the imperial throne.

We request you to ascend the imperial throne.

Zhao Kuangyin never could have imagined.

that the founding of a new dynasty

could be so hasty and rushed,

and that a new emperor ascending the throne

would wear as his first yellow robe

a military governor's banner flag.

After Liu Zhiyuan declared himself emperor in Jinyang,

military governors and former Jin generals rose in response one after another.

The people also rose up in rebellion,

killing the Khitan officials.

Wang Qiong, leader of the volunteer army in Chanzhou, led troops to attack the city.

besieging the Khitan defending general Yelü Langwu.

The volunteer armies in the east broke through the three prefectures of Song, Bo, and Mi.

Hearing the news, Emperor Taizong of Liao, Yelü Deguang was astonished,

intended to abandon the city and flee north.

This Liu Zhiyuan declaring himself emperor is one thing.

But he specifically named the state 'Han'.

What do you think?

Is it an unintentional act or a deliberate one?

The Former Han, the Later Han, and Third Han were all the Liu clan's empire.

Liu Zhiyuan bears the surname Liu and uses "Han" as his reign title,

intending to use tradition to legitimize his rule.

Zhang Li,

you think I have little knowledge?

The founding emperor, Gaozu of the Former Han was from Fengyi, Peiguo.

The Guangwu Emperor of the Later Han was from Cai County, Nanyang.

The Zhaolie Emperor of the Late Han was from Zhuo County, Youzhou.

So what is Liu Zhiyuan?

Just a Shatuo barbarian.

Even his surname Liu is of dubious origin,

stolen from who knows where.

How dare he claim to be a descendant of the Han imperial clan?

If we were to test his blood, I suspect even Liu Yuan the hun would be more legitimate than him.

Yes.

The rebel usurped the title, like a monkey wearing a crown—

naturally, he has no such scruples.

Li Keyong,

Li Cunxu,

Li Siyuan—the three father, sons—

became emperors as Shatuo people,

and that was fine.

Shi Jingtang and his son were also Shatuo people

and held the throne for over a decade.

Now,

when it comes to us Khitan people becoming the emperor,

it has only been a little over two months, yet Hedong has rebelled, and Hebei has rebelled too.

Indeed.

We Khitan people

are of Hu descent.

But were the Shatuo Zhuye clan

not also of Hu descent?

I simply cannot understand

what constitutes "Hu"

and what constitutes "Han",

in the hearts of those hypocritical southerners.

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles strech towering mountains. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles run surging rivers. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles cry warhorses. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles there are emotions unspoken. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, flowers are blooming along the road. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, gooses are returning to the north. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, we stand through storms. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, we hope for a safe return. ♫

♫ Tens of thousands of miles is not enough, ♫

♫ for a lifetime's sorrows and joys. ♫

♫ Tens of thousands of miles is not enough, ♫

♫ for the endless seas and rivers. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, ♫

♫ love will overcome all barriers. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, ♫

♫ we are together in life and death. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, ♫

♫ the moon shines in the boundless world. ♫

♫ My heart has its hometown to return. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, ♫

♫ who is the one crossing the waves with me, ♫

♫ with our hearts unrepentant, through countless lifetimes. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, ♫

♫ oceans and lands witness that♫

♫ the world will be safe and sound. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, ♫

♫ my heart is unchanging. ♫