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 17]

Has communication with the Southeast Command not been restored yet?

Reporting, the waterways are impassable.

The Chancellor has already dispatched four groups of messengers:

two sent to the army,

and two dispatched to Wenzhou.

However, due to continuous rains, many roads have been muddy,

difficult to travel.

If we await a reply, it will still take some time.

When a general is out, he may not always follow the sovereign's orders.

Since you have granted the authority of independent command to Yang Renquan and Shuiqiu Zhaoquan,

they should definitely exert their utmost efforts.

Regarding military affairs, you need not worry too much.

What do you think, Lord Du?

[Du Jianhui, Director of the Secretariat] Generals shouldn't be controlled from the center;

[Du Jianhui, Director of the Secretariat] armies shouldn't be directed from the court.

What Lord Hu said is the correct principle of military strategy.

Both Lords are correct.

If ministers have no other memorials, today's court session is adjourned.

Regarding the matter of Taizhou, you have entrusted me to handle it.

Now, due to the heavy rain, it's delayed, and the assignment has not been completed.

It's my negligence and laxity, a dereliction of duty.

I'm willing to accept punishment.

Delays caused by heavy rains damaging roads are not limited to this one matter.

Do you have a plan after the autumn flood, Minister?

I have thorough plans.

As soon as the autumn flood stops, within one month, I will certainly complete the task.

Very well.

Thank you for your effort.

These past days, I have been deeply concerned about the war situation,

distracted and can't attend to everything

Please take on more responsibilities.

Selected by you in person, how dare I not serve with my life?

[Ouyang Kuan, Wenzhou Prefect] I, the acting Prefect of Wenzhou Military Prefecture,

[Ouyang Kuan, Wenzhou Prefect] Ouyang Kuan,

lead the Commissioner of Monopolies and Taxes Sun Yu,

[Sun Yu, Commissioner of Monopolies and Taxes] lead the Commissioner of Monopolies and Taxes Sun Yu,

[Sun Yu, Commissioner of Monopolies and Taxes] Commissioner of Land Office, Zhang Wei,

[Zhang Wei, Commissioner of Land Office] Commissioner of Land Office, Zhang Wei,

[Wang Jian, Prefect of Yongjia County] and Yongjia Prefect Wang Jian,

pay respects to you.

Please rise.

Take your seats.

We received a directive from the central government a month ago,

that you would be stationed in Wenzhou.

We made some preparations early on, but did not know the specific date.

Hence, we failed to welcome you.

This is truly our discourtesy.

We earnestly beg your forgiveness.

This is not your fault.

I arrived without proper notice.

The Great King appointed me as the Military Inspector and acting Transport Commissioner of Six Prefectures.

There is an urgent affair.

I hope you all can unite and assist me.

Please give your orders.

We will certainly exert our utmost to serve.

We will certainly exert our utmost to serve!

The autumn floods are fierce, causing widespread inundation, and severe the army's supply route.

Our front line soldiers who fight with their lives

cannot go into battle on empty stomachs.

There is an urgent need now to raise one hundred thousand hu of grain and transport it to the front.

I hope you all can assist me.

Please forgive us.

Under Wenzhou's jurisdiction there is one Ever-Normal Granary and four county granaries.

One month ago we just dispatched the collected autumn taxes to the Western Court.

The remaining grain reserves were also sent to the front ten days ago

Now, throughout the prefecture and counties,

we only have emergency rations left, amounting to less than five hundred hu.

I will order subordinates upon returning today

to load the grain onto carts and deliver it to the Transport Office.

Five hundred hu...

How can a prefecture be in such dire straits?

Administrator Cui, after the autumn grain was delivered to the capital,

the granaries throughout Wenzhou still have seventy-eight thousand hu.

All of which was delivered to the Transport Office seven days ago.

This matter was handled by me.

Here is the receipt from the Transport Office, bearing Administrator Cui's signature.

Please have a look, Excellency and Advisor.

Seventy-eight thousand hu...

This... this...

This...

But how can this be?

What do you mean by this?

I, I, have never seen these seventy-eight thousand hu of grain,

nor have I ever issued a written receipt.

Never!

Administrator Cui, this affair was handled by me, Wang.

This receipt was also given to me by you in person on that very day.

How dare you tell lies in front of Ninth Prince and all the senior officials?

Clearly, there was no such matter!

Seventy-eight thousand hu of grain is a mountain of rice.

How could I be so careless?

Seven days ago, this county did indeed deliver a batch of grain,

but it was only one thousand eight hundred hu.

Where did seventy-eight thousand hu come from?

Administrator Cui,

could it be that the signature on this receipt,

is fake?

This... this... this signature...

Seize this thief who embezzled military provisions!

Put him in custody!

I truly has never seen these seventy...

Administrator Cui,

I must offend.

I have never seen it.

Isn't this a bit too easy?

Afraid?

Not exactly afraid,

just feeling that this Ninth Prince is perhaps too trusting.

Since the receipt is genuine,

why wouldn't he believe it?

To trust others' words so rashly,

this Prince... is truly too incompetent.

I have long heard of the reputation of this Fisherman Prince.

Whether he truly believes it or not,

the evidence is irrefutable.

I want to see for myself what mettle this young hero,

who draw a blade against a military governor in the capital of the Central Plains, truly possesses.

Sir.

Guard the door.

No one is allowed to approach.

Yes.

Prince.

Where is the grain?

I truly

have never seen that grain.

Isn't this grain?

With such a trifling incident, you’ve already lost your appetite?

I truly have never seen it.

That is not important.

What is important is that these officials in Wenzhou are beyond redemption.

Prince,

you know they are lying?

What else could it be?

Sit.

That was seventy-eight thousand hu of grain.

Could it have vanished

in the blink of an eye?

I am not clear on the capabilities of these scoundrels in Wenzhou.

But as for your capabilities,

I believe I have a good understanding.

Prince, you know that I am a cautious person.

Seventy or eighty thousand hu of grain is such a vast quantity.

You would certainly inspected and verified it in person.

Without your approval, how dare I arbitrarily sign and affix my seal on the receipt?

I dare not!

However,

on the receipt,

it is indeed my own handwriting.

Could it be that

there is a mole within the Transport Office?

They dare to be so audacious, presumably because they have powerful backing.

The work must have been done meticulously.

Even if we investigate, for a time,

we might not be able to uncover it.

If Shen were here, it would be better.

These dirty, despicable tricks might fool you and me easily,

but fooling Shen would not be easy.

Shen has his methods,

and I

have mine.

How will you proceed, Prince?

I will follow your command.

Even if I'm torn to pieces,

I will get to the bottom of this matter.

Since we know it's a sinister scheme, why bother investigating it?

Why bother?

How they tampered with things is not important.

What you said just now is the crucial point.

You said,

"That was seventy-eight thousand hu of grain,

a mountain of rice!"

Such a huge mountain...

Where could they have moved it to?

Greed is such a pernicious vice...

None of Zhang Wei’s poems never appealed to me,

except one that truly resonated deep within my heart:

"When people forge bonds, they crave gold untold;

The less the gold, the thinner grows the fold.

Though vows and promises may for a while abide,

Their hearts remain as distant as the passing tide."

Gold is a fine thing, isn't it?

Within the prefecture, rice shops are closed,

people are showing signs of hunger.

What does this indicate?

Wenzhou lacks grain.

What I'm asking is, why does it lack grain?

The grain from the people has all been requisitioned by the government?

Regarding the Taizhou affair, you were also a witness.

Collect first, measure later; land annexation...

What a terrible policy that was.

But did you see any rice shops closed?

Indeed...

Even in Taizhou, the common people still had grain.

But here in Wenzhou, not only is there no grain among the people,

even the official granaries have only five hundred hu of grain left.

Grain can't grew wings and flew away on its own.

It can't fly.

Yes.

That's right.

This tampering was done seven days ago.

Before obtaining your signed receipt,

would they dare to transport this grain out of Wenzhou?

Absolutely not.

After obtaining the receipt, they dared to transport it.

But could they?

They couldn't get it out.

With continuous heavy rain, water routes are cut off, plus the fierce sea winds...

Even military provisions can't be transported in. Certainly they couldn't transport it out either.

The grain...

is still in Wenzhou?

Where could it be hidden?

Grain molds once it gets damp.

So the storage place must be dry and ventilated,

and free from pests and rats.

There's so much grain.

Ordinary rice shops or granaries simply can't hold it all.

Near Wenzhou, there are two places

that can store this much grain.

One,

is the government's granary.

The other,

is the warehouse of the Trading Office.

Exactly.

Renji.

I need to trouble you to take a trip to the Water Stronghold of Yuhuan Mountain.

Naval forces? Luo Sheng?

I need to borrow troops.

How many troops does Ninth Prince wish to borrow?

The Ninth Prince wishes to mobilize the Naval Infantry.

Who!

So...

With so many shops and warehouses,

I'm afraid we'll have to wait until tomorrow morning to search them.

We can't wait until tomorrow. Where is the Managerial Office?

Over there.

Lead the way.

Let's go.

So it's an old acquaintance after all.

You dare to loot the Trading Office under cover of night?

Wuyue is not the Central Plains.

We won't tolerate you acting recklessly!

Wenzhou Prefect, Mr. Ouyang, is here.

Who dares to be disrespectful?

Ouyang and Wang have arrived.

Invite the two of them in.

By order of the Ninth Prince,

Prefect Ouyang, County Prefect Wang, please come in for a talk.

Honorable officials,

the Ninth Prince awaits you inside.

Ninth Prince, what is the meaning of this?

Ouyang Kuan.

Is this how you talk to me?

I, Ouyang Kuan, Prefect of Wenzhou, pay respects to the Prince.

Kneel.

I am an official of Wuyue, not a servant in your household, Prince.

You are a royal scion of the state.

Why humiliate an official with no reason?

Prince

After all, he is a border-defending official appointed by royal decree.

In that case,

I'll ask you one thing.

If you answer truthfully tonight, I'll spare your life.

You!

How much money did Cheng Zhaoyue give you?

I do not understand what you are saying.

Then do you know?

You don't know either.

Administrator Cui.

Yes.

Then,

go to the Shanyue House special storage and take a look.

Yes.

Crouch!

Pull it open.

Taking such a great risk,

acquiring so much grain...

Even if you burst your belly,

you couldn't eat it all yourself.

So it must be taken out and sold.

In this state of Wuyue, buyers who can afford this much grain are not many.

In the Wenzhou Trading Office, there is only one such buyer.

I'll give you one more chance.

Exactly how much money did you take,

that it was worth risking your own life to get involved?

Prince!

Found it!

Found it!

All!

Prince!

Prince, I confess!

I confess!

I confess everything!

No chance.

Drag him out.

Enforce military law.

Behead him.

Prince! I confess everything!

Prince!

Prince!

Prince!

I am...

Prince!

You cannot kill me!

Prince!

Go! Go!

Let go of me!

Enter the Qingtian Stream from the Yongjia River, pass through Xi, Piao and Chang Stream,

disembark and load the carts at Ningde, then deliver directly to the army.

You must obtain the official receipt from Manager Shen of the Supervisory Office before October the 9th.

Military law is ruthless.

Fail to meet the deadline,

you shall lose your head!

Yes.

Get up here! Hurry!

Prince.

Not only are there seventy-eight thousand hu of official grain in the warehouses of the Shanyue House,

but there is also private grain collected from rice shops in various counties.

Approximately one point two million hu.

Enough to feed the entire command with forty thousand troops for over half a year.

The soldiers will have enough to eat.

But what about the people?

Without these of grain, what will my brother

rely on to handle the mess in Taizhou?

Matters must be dealt with one by one.

However many affairs, here must always be a distinction between priorities.

Yes.

We still must get things done.

I will now issue an order in the name of the Military Inspector,

appointing you as Acting Supervisor of Affairs in Wenzhou.

From today, you will take over the Wenzhou Prefectural Office.

Prince.

I, merely have a background as a county school scholar.

The governance of a prefecture is complex and difficult, I'm afraid it is beyond my capabilities.

First, this is only a temporary measure.

As the Military Inspector, I have no authority to bypass the Chancellor's Office and the Command

to appoint a prefectural official.

Once communication with the capital is restored,

they will select a new governor to come.

Second,

now that the front is at war,

Wenzhou is the location of the Transport Office.

It cannot be without someone to oversee prefectural governance.

Third,

I do not trust the local officials.

Those I trust, and those my brother and the Chancellor's Office trust, are not here.

In comparison,

I would rather trust you.

There are two things you must remember.

First,

I don't care whether you love money or not,

you are not allowed to take any here and now.

Second,

I don't care what method you use,

or I don't even care if you have a method.

Within the four counties of Wenzhou, not a single person is allowed to starve to death.

Otherwise,

since I can chop off a Prefect's head,

I can also chop off yours whenever I want.

I,

will definitely not fail your trust.

Without requesting the king's order, he killed the Prefect.

When did this Ninth Prince grown so bold?

It was a matter of expediency.

If he didn't kill Ouyang Kuan, how could he intimidate all the officials in Wenzhou?

If these people were to play tricks behind our backs,

the army of thirty to forty thousand troops, without even engaging in battle

would already have wavering morale.

Then there's no need to fight.

After the battle is over, these matters will be handled by the Great King and the ministers.

Given the current situation, inside and outside Fuzhou City,

this tension is probably stretched to its limit.

The preparations for war are sufficient and delay will breed change.

When it's time to fight, then fight.

From the Censorate.

The disaster situations in each prefecture and county vary.

Minister Wu and I have roughly calculated.

Next year,

at least twenty-one counties will need tax exemptions.

Plus the expenses of raising a large army this year,

the annual budget for next year is unlikely to look good on paper.

The Ninth Prince sent two letters to the Chancellor's Office from Yongjia, requesting fifty thousand hu of grain

to relieve the famine in Wenzhou.

I discussed with Dezhao, if we count in the grain previously transported by the Transport Office,

the army now has nearly a full year's supply of provisions.

Military supplies are abundant.

The Ninth Prince's request can be granted.

All are impeaching the Ninth Prince,

for arrogance, usurpation of power and unauthorized killings.

Let's discuss this.

At that time, the situation was urgent.

The army was on the verge of running out of food.

[Guo Shicong, Associate Chancellor] The Ninth Prince

[Guo Shicong, Associate Chancellor] seizing the Prefect's authority

[Guo Shicong, Associate Chancellor] was also a necessary expedient.

This matter concerns military affairs.

We need to hear Lord Yang and Lord Shuiqiu's opinions.

However,

Ouyang Kuan was after all a official personally appointed by the Great King.

Even the two commanders of the Company could not impose punishment without

seeking the King's instruction.

The Ninth Prince's action does indeed have somewhat usurped authority.

He was a Prefect of a Prefecture.

Without seeking instruction or going through judicial procedures, Ninth Prince killed him.

Since the state established, when has there ever been such an arbitrarily arrogant Prince?

Now there is one.

I cannot understand.

The Ninth Prince has had a reputation for mischief since childhood,

known for absurdity.

He has never been involved in court politics.

This time on the campaign,

he was given the title of Military Inspector.

It was merely to leverage his status as a member of the royal family,

so that in the future he could nominally govern an outer commandery.

When was he ever allowed to act willfully and unrestrainedly, punching and kicking officials at will?

If he continues to act so recklessly, in the eyes of those ministers in the central government,

it will simply be seen as arrogance.

And if it falls into the eyes of the Great King,

it will surely be a great taboo.

Such a clear and simple principle,

does this Ninth Prince not understand it?

Do you understand?

Do you understand principles?

I...

The principles you speak of are only about one man's life,

or at most,

one family's lives.

This is war,

my foolish son.

It is no trivial matter of the life of one man, one family, one clan.

It is a gamble where tens of thousands people die, and an entire state falls to ruin.

This is war!

A matter of life and death!

For days, rain brought floods.

Supplies are cut off, leaving the troops deep in enemy territory, facing the peril of annihilation.

They need to two hundred thousand hu of grain delivered there,

yet local officials defy the deployment orders and delayed.

How can they afford to waste time on paperwork?

Military affairs at stake, everything must be handled expediently.

Lord Guo, you have been familiar with military affairs. How could you not understand?

Wu Cheng,

when have I ever said the Ninth Prince should not act expediently?

What I am saying is he should not have killed people without authorization.

If military commanders all follow this example,

killing a few prefects every time they march to war,

then what about laws and principles?

Furthermore,

I find it inappropriate to have an Administrator of Transport Office oversee affairs of a prefecture.

The finances, punishments, the competence of officials,

the livelihood of the people, and government affairs,

how can a mere administrator handle them?

The court appoints people and assigns offices according to laws and regulations, and convention.

How can one act arbitrarily?

Dezhao, your opinion?

Regarding Ouyang's case,

whether it's from the army or the Ninth Prince, there has been no detailed report yet.

The details are still unclear.

So, I currently have no judgment in my heart.

However, one thing Lord Guo just said

that was correct.

The position of prefect is not something a mere administrator can undertake.

Military affairs can be handled expediently, but when it comes to appointing officials...

Wenzhou is the location of the Transport Office, responsible for the supply of the army.

How can expediency be inappropriate?

Lord Wu,

the Ninth Prince appointed an administrator as prefect because of heavy rain blocking the roads

and cutting off communication with the central government.

Although improper,

it was a necessary action in special times.

Now that the rain has stopped and the grain routes passable,

the personnel selection must follow the laws, adhere to established precedents, and follow tradition.

Great King, this is no ordinary personnel matter.

Now the war is at its peak, the army's supplies are immense tasks, resting solely on the Ninth Prince's shoulders.

If Cui's prefect position is revoked, it would be a public criticism to the Ninth Prince.

I fear all the officials in Wenzhou, upon hearing this, will think the court has lost trust in him.

They will become more negligent and deceitful,

paying lip service while acting contrary.

If it delays the supplies for the army, severe consequence could occur.

Dezhao, do you think Minister Wu's words make sense?

Lord Wu speaks with great reason.

Therefore, I believe we should issue a clear decree to dismiss Cui from his appointment

as Acting Supervisor of Affairs in Wenzhou,

promote him to Prefect of Linhai,

and retain him in the Transport Office as an administrator.

After the war ends, he can then take up his post in Taizhou.

Additionally, we should carefully select a new prefect to temporarily govern Wenzhou,

and hold the position of Deputy Commissioner of the Transport Office.

Whoever the new Wenzhou Prefect is, everything must be stated clearly in advance:

The most important affairs in Wenzhou at this moment are military affairs.

Wenzhou and the Southeast Field Company, prosper and decline together.

This is truly good advice in governing a state.

What all of you have said are all correct principles.

They are all words that plan for the state.

We shall follow Academician Yuan's proposal.

Thank you, Great King.

I respectfully accept your instruction.

You are promoted from eighth rank to seventh. Congratulations, Renji.

Linhai is a metropolitan county.[Metropolitan county: a county administered in the same city as its superior prefecture]

It's not seventh rank but sixth.[Metropolitan county: a county administered in the same city as its superior prefecture]

It is entirely due to your promotion. I will repay with utmost effort.

Then congratulations are even more.

However, at present, you still cannot leave.

I understand. In Changle Prefecture, the battle is raging fiercely.

Here in the Transport Office, affairs are numerous and complex.

Even if I, Cui, were utterly incompetent,

I could not at this time abandon you and leave.

It is shameful that, I have read all these years the books of sages and worthies,

it is only when I am charged with practical affairs that I realize:

A scholar is not fit to handle military affairs.

During these days in your secretariat,

in governing and handling affairs, I am truly not one ten-thousandth as capable as Mr. Shen.

Yet, by sheer luck, I have obtained such a great advantage, surpassing him.

I...

feel somewhat uneasy in my heart.

There is no need for unease.

Shen is virtuous. He does not mind such things.

Thank you, Prince.

Lu Yanzhu!

If you still refuse to fight, I’ll run you through with my sword!

Manager, even if you were to mince all of us into pieces,

we would not dare to disobey the Chief's orders.

When we departed, he gave clear instructions.

Our mission this time is to ensure your safety.

If even a single hair on your head is harmed,

all of us shall be beheaded.

What good is listening to him?

Following his orders, can we win this battle?

Didn't you see our navy blocked by the enemy at the shore?

The enemy is all armored, our men are not armored.

They can only don armor after landing.

If the navy cannot get ashore, they will certainly lose this battle.

Only once the navy lands do we have a sure chance of victory.

Lead your men to charge there.

As long as you can lure the enemy's armored soldiers to turn back, I will credit you with a major merit.

It's not that we don't want to fight.

Who doesn't want to earn military merit?

But without the Chief's orders, the lives of our entire families are at stake.

Even the greatest merit would be meaningless then.

Right?

If you still do not advance into battle, I will kill myself.

If my life is lost,

you and your entire families will also die.

Now go!

Manager, do not force us.

Tie him up!

Do you really think I dare not?

If you show disrespect to me, I will bite off my tongue in front of you.

Those who advance, whether you kill the enemy or not,

I will report your military merit as if you had taken two heads.

Those who dare to be coward, will have your heads cut off and hung outside the camp gate.

Your entire families will be exiled to become slaves.

Jianger, Masan!

Here!

Protect the Manager.

Zhongshun Company!

Present!

Follow me to attack the enemy!

Yes!

I don't need protection. Just go quickly!

Hurry up!

Stop eating. Go.

Brother.

Commandant Yang and Lord Shuiqiu have sent a victory report from Changle about a great triumph at Baixiapu,

a list of those recommended for merit attached.

Hongchu?

It is indeed him.

Wasn't he in Yongjia?

When did he go to the front lines?

He has always been in Yongjia and never went to the front lines.

Then how did he get these seventy heads?

According to the rules established at Grandfather's time,

if a Company of soldiers beheads ten enemies, the Company commander get military merit of five.

Although Hongchu never went to the front lines, he is now Commander of Zhongshun Company.

Since they reported seventy, it means the Company beheaded one hundred and forty enemies.

This military merit seems to have come rather too easily.

Everyone understands that

this military merit is actually the generals in the army showing favor to him.

It shouldn't be taken seriously.

On the other hand,

since the generals in the army are willing to share the merit with him.

Hongchu must have been doing well there.

Otherwise,

these soldiers, these fighting men earned merits with their bodies and lives.

It's tied to official ranks and rewards.

If they dislike to you, whether you're Ninth Prince or what,

they would not share a single merit.

Has the candidate for Wenzhou Prefect been decided?

Minister Wu and Chancellor Yuan recommended the same person.

But Lord Guo has some objections.

It's now a deadlock.

Who did they recommend?

Shen Wenqi.

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles stretch 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. ♫