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 37]

Lords,

convey this to the armies on my behalf:

Tell those soldiers

that the Emperor today

is just a commoner whose entire family is dead,

a man without father or home.

If anyone wishes to rebel or start a revolt,

just come.

I will be sitting right here in the Daning Palace waiting.

What kind of emperor is he anyway?

If not for us fighting men,

where would the Guo family's empire be?

Dismantling the Longjie and Hujie armies [Longjie Hujie: refer to the core army]

is just paving the way for that damned Palace Command. [Longjie Hujie: refer to the core army]

It must be that scoundrel Marshal Zhao scheming behind the scenes.

Pah!

What a load of crap, "Marshal"!

Relying on his Marshal father, he struts around the camp.

That Zhao Kuangyin was never any good, even back then.

Chop him to pieces!

Let that emperor see some blood too!

[Zhao family's residence]

Zhang Da!

Liu San!

You all,

in the dead of night, left camp without orders.

Have you drunk too much

and lost your minds?

Old Marshal,

We've followed you through life and death for over a decade,

risking our necks to fight for you.

That's how you and your son achieved today's glory and prestige.

Now, not only have you stopped speaking up,

but even Zhao Kuangyin has become a Marshal.

Yet you ruthlessly smash the rice bowls of your sworn comrades.

Right now, today,

if you don't give us an explanation,

we will absolutely not accept it.

Right!

We want to see Zhao Kuangyin!

The times have changed.

Acting the same way as before

won't work anymore.

All of you, now,

return to your respective camps

and each receive eighty military canings.

I will then consider today

as if nothing had happened.

The court can also show you leniency.

Nonsense!

Kill him!

Kill! Kill! Kill!

Kill! Kill! Kill!

Kill! Kill!

So the Old Marshal means...

today, justice...

is absolutely impossible.

Fine!

Comrades!

Ever since we left that camp gate, we never intended to return alive.

Since that's the case...

today, I bid farewell to you all.

Farewell.

Kill! Kill! Kill!

Your Majesty, there is a rebellion in the city.

Has the detailed report on the military garrison quotas of Southern Tang

been sorted out?

The Commander of the Palace Guard Command,

Zhao Kuangyin, requests an audience.

I report to Your Majesty, regarding last night's military event in the city:

the rebel officers totaled one hundred and seventy-one.

Ninety-four were executed,

the rest surrendered.

They are now escorted outside the palace gates.

Execute them all.

Yes.

Minister Fan.

I am here.

Draft an edict.

Execute those soldiers who committed wanton slaughter,

brought calamity upon the people, and rebelled.

I obey the decree.

In the year 955 AD,

Guo Rong, Emperor of Later Zhou,

the new army of the Palace Command as the main force,

mobilized the entire Imperial Guard to campaign against Southern Tang.

Qian Hongchu, King of Wuyue,

obeying the decree of Emperor Guo Rong,

mobilized his troops and marched north to Huzhou, Suzhou, and other areas,

coordinating with the imperial army to pin down Southern Tang's eastern front.

In November, Emperor Guo Rong personally led the expedition,

initiating his third campaign against Southern Tang.

The Zhou army advanced along the Huai River, by both land and water.

By early 956 AD,

they had captured the prefectures of Chu, Yang, Tai, and Shu.

However, during the siege of the strategic Huainan stronghold of Shouzhou,

the Southern Tang general Liu Renshan put up a desperate resistance,

and the Zhou army found themselves stalled.

In April, the rainy season arrived.

the Huai River water level rose sharply, and Guo Rong was forced to withdraw temporarily.

In February of 957 AD, Guo Rong attacked Southern Tang again.

During the Battle of Zijin Mountain, the Zhou army intercepted and crushed the Southern Tang relief forces.

General Zhao Kuangyin fought valiantly,

leading his troops to rout the Southern Tang Prince of Qi, Li Jingda.

Shouzhou was thus isolated.

In March,

Liu Renshan fell gravely ill, and his subordinates opened the city gates and surrendered.

I, Zhou Tinggou, Supervisor of Shouzhou...

I, Sun Yu, Deputy Commissioner of Huainan Land Office,

welcome Your Majesty, Emperor of this victorious Dynasty.

Long live Your Majesty!

Long live Your Majesty!

Marshal Liu is gravely ill and cannot get up.

We beg your forgiveness.

Was it your decision to surrender,

or your Marshal's?

Report,

it was our Marshal's.

Tell me the truth!

I will spare your lives!

Report,

we

have long wished to submit.

But our Marshal insisted and refused,

which caused the long delay.

We beg Your Majesty to forgive our crime.

Liu Renshan. Liu Renshan.

Did you hear that?

Your reputation of integrity,

I will not take from you.

Rest and recover.

This world,

is not yet at peace.

Minister Li.

Your Majesty.

Draft an edict.

Appoint the Southern Tang general Liu Renshan as Military Governor of Tianping Army

and Secretariat Director.

Yes.

Notify all troops:

Camp outside the city.

Do not enter without an edict.

Anyone who injures, loots,

or rapes

shall be executed.

Understood.

[Jiangning Prefecture]

In the Battle of Zijin Mountain,

our nation's elite forces are lost.

The Huainan territory is no longer ours.

We cannot fight on.

Send an envoy to sue for peace.

[Li Jing] Minister,

[Li Jing] surely it's not that dire?

[Han Xizai] Though the Zhou army holds Huainan,

[Han Xizai] they have no navy.

Minister Han, you are mistaken.

The Guo may lack a navy,

but does the Qian have none either?

With Zhou troops in Huainan,

and Wuyue's navy blocking the river at Runzhou,

we face a pincer attack from north and south.

Consider this, Your Majesty.

Our conflict with the Guo is merely a dispute over legitimate succession.

But with the Qian house of Wuyue,

it is a true generational feud.

Only while my Great Tang endures,

does the Central Plains court continue to bestow favor and protection upon the Qians of Wuyue.

If the Great Tang falls,

and that whelp Guo Rong turns his spears,

do you think the Qian clan will still enjoy their carefree life in the southeast?

King Qian surely will understand the principle that if we die, they'll be in danger.

Wishful thinking!

The family instructions,

left by Qian Liu, what do they say?

By the Emperor's decree, I, Xu, bring greetings to the King of Wuyue.

and inquire after the King's well-being.

Mr. Xu, you are mistaken.

All in Wuyue know

our late King Wusu left this instruction:

Serve the great Central Plains state well, and honor only the Zhou calendar's legitimacy.

A usurping dynasty with a false surname, what imperial decree can it issue?

My lord has a letter for King Qian.

Hand it over.

This is a state letter for King Qian.

I, though lacking talent, dare not betray my lord's trust.

I must present it to King Qian personally.

Then you may have a long wait, Mr. Xu.

Minister Wu,

what do you mean?

The Great King is not in the camp.

The Virtuous Pacifier of the Nation, Meritorious Minister of Governance, Loyalty, and Uprightness,

Senior General of the Left and Right Imperial Guards, Grand General of the Army,

Grand Marshal of All Military Forces, Concurrently Military Governor of Zhendong and Zhenhai Two Armies,

with honor equal to Three Departments, Secretariat Director,

concurrently Grand Governor of Hangzhou and Yuezhou, Pillar of State, Marshal,

King of Wuyue, Your subject, Qian Hongchu,

pays respect to Your Majesty.

Long live Your Majesty!

King Qian, rise.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

A seat for King Qian.

Yes.

Thank you.

It has been ten years

since we parted in the capital.

You have grown thinner, Your Majesty.

Ten years ago,

you were still a spirited youth.

Now, holding firm in the southeast land,

you somewhat resemble Sun Quan.

I'm a mere monkey wearing a crown.

I am an indolent man.

Many things, to tell the truth, I am incapable of doing.

But such is the fate of bearing the name Qian.

The Southern Tang envoy seeks an audience to plead for peace.

What is your opinion?

Weapons

are instruments of calamity.

A sage uses them only as a last resort.

The thirty-three prefectures of Southern Tang, the million soldiers and people of Wuyue, are all your children.

So you have now learned to speak the language of court as well.

I speak only the truth.

Good.

Today, I will, out of respect for you, King Qian,

grant him an audience.

His Majesty decrees:

Summon

[Li Gu] the Southern Tang envoy for an audience.

[Li Congjia]

The guilty subject of a lesser state kowtows to the Emperor of the superior state.

I have read the Spring and Autumn Annals,

yet never have I heard of "superior" and "lesser" states.

My life is forfeit.

I

on behalf of my lord,

beg Your Majesty

to quell your thunderous wrath, lay down arms and cease war, and spare the people's livelihood.

My lord wishes to offer the wealth of Jiangnan to honor the calendar of the victorious dynasty,

to pay annual tribute,

to atone for our transgressions.

I fear it may be somewhat late for that.

Your servant has heard that Emperor Tang Yao possessed virtue;

his benevolence was like the heavens.

He grieved for the people's suffering and worried that all living beings were unfulfilled.

Emperor Yu Shun upheld righteousness; his forgiveness was like abundant water.

He served his blind father and cared for his brother Xiang, who wished him dead.

Your Majesty's sage virtue is lofty, your magnanimity vast.

You show benevolence and righteousness to the world.

Why be concerned with early or late?

You are...

Li Congjia?

Yes.

You have misread the classics.

This is no private grievance.

This is a public crime.

The court holds no endless grudge over your usurpation,

but your Li family bears the crime of fracturing the land and dividing the state.

This cannot be glossed over by a few disingenuous pleasantries from you.

Not to mention that I'm not sage rulers of the Three Dynasties. [refers to rulers of Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties]

Even if Yao and Shun themselves were here today, [refers to rulers of Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties]

your family would still face the banishment of the Four Culprits.

King Qian,

what is your opinion?

Abandon the imperial title,

open trade routes, resume tribute payments.

Then, for the lands of Jiangnan,

Your Majesty might grant his family grace and honor for a generation or two.

Do you understand?

This guilty minister understands.

I will now take Your Majesty's edict and return to Jiangning.

My lord is wise

and will surely not disappoint Your Majesty's expectations.

Kuangyin.

The night grows late.

You should rest, Great King.

Kuangyin,

speak freely if you have something to say.

I am here, listening attentively.

My position is lowly and my words carry little weight. I dare not overstep to criticize my superior.

You blame me

for not advising His Majesty today to crush Southern Tang completely, to unify the realm?

Do you know how many years the court prepared for this war?

Do you know how many have died in this battle?

You, Great King,

are the ruler of the southeast,

Grand Marshal of All Armies,

a pillar of the state.

A word from you can strengthen a nation, a word can destroy one.

If you wish to keep Southern Tang as a buffer for Wuyue,

His Majesty could not refuse.

It is only a pity.

For years, Rong has toiled through wind and rain, striving tirelessly, worrying day and night.

He has poured out his heart's blood to achieve today's resounding victory.

Who could have thought,

that with just a few words from you,

Southern Tang would keep its thirty-three prefectures and over a hundred thousand troops.

You gave them the means to carve out their own territory and rule independently.

Do you think

His Majesty does not understand this?

This war,

has lasted over a year, right?

How much grain and fodder does the army still have?

Among the troops in each camp, how many have fallen?

How many are wounded or ill?

Away from home for a year,

how many long for their wives and children?

You are a general.

These things—

surely you know them?

The imperial army lacks provisions,

but Wuyue has.

The imperial army is weary from long war,

but Wuyue has troops.

Whether Southern Tang can be conquered, whether the Li family will surrender,

depends on what lies in the heart of Wuyue's ruler:

the welfare of all under heaven, or the selfish interest of a petty southeastern court.

This has nothing to do with Hongchu!

Lowering his title from Emperor to Ruler is already agreed upon.

As for opening trade routes,

we can establish trade markets in Shuzhou,

Hezhou, and Yangzhou to facilitate commerce.

Exchanging southern grain in the north is not too difficult now.

Only the matter of tribute payments.

To fund this war,

the court has already emptied its coffers.

To make up the tribute arrears now,

the left treasury of the Ministry of Revenue simply has nothing left to give.

We must do our best.

First, let us get through this year, then we'll see.

Not just one year.

In front of the Zhou ruler, Li Gu, the Commissioner of the Three Departments, made it clear:

It is the accumulated tribute arrears from the first year of Guangshun until now, a total of six years,

that the court

must pay in full, at once.

What?

Six years? This is preposterous!

How can?

Six years... One million two hundred thousand in silver and silk.

If give out so much at once,

within ten years,

our Great Tang,

will never recover.

I pondered carefully on the return journey.

I fear we can only issue an edict to the powerful clans and wealthy families,

demanding contributions and donations.

And suspend rewards for all troops for three years.

Barely might we scrape it together.

Have you lost your mind?!

What do you think the court is?

The court is but a dilapidated house.

Instead, the powerful clans and wealthy families are the pillars holding up that house.

Then increase taxes.

Your Majesty!

What?

My lords,

do you have a better plan?

I will exempt all prefectures and counties in Henan from taxes for three years.

Huainan is newly pacified, so it too must be exempted for three years.

Which means that for these three years,

the court can only rely on tribute payments, commercial taxes,

and the tax revenues from Guanzhong and Hebei to sustain itself.

It's not that I don't wish to fight on,

we simply can't continue.

If the war dragged on for another year,

destroying states and capturing capitals might not be hard,

but the heartland of the Central Plains...

would spawn hundreds of thousands of refugees again.

We must leave a path of survival for the common people.

Only if people live,

can they continue to farm and cultivate land.

Only if people live,

can they continue to pay taxes.

Only if people live,

can they bear children and nurture those future labors.

I, as the Emperor, seek the unification of this land,

but must also consider the people's livelihood.

Only then can a court

be called the legitimate dynasty.

In the state of Wuyue, the tax farming system has been employed in recent years,

accumulating some reserves of money, grain, silver, and silk.

This year's tribute can be doubled.

I accept it.

Though the common people may struggle,

the powerful families and great clans

will not starve to death.

I know what you mean.

The tax farming system may work in Wuyue,

but in the Central Plains,

it is unworkable.

The prefectures of the Central Plains have warred for decades. Zhu Wen, Li Cunxu, five dynasties rose and fell.

You came, he came,

the Khitans came too.

No matter how powerful your aristocratic family was,

after all these years their wealth has been drained dry.

To have preserved their clan,

is already heaven showing mercy.

For nearly a hundred years now,

the Central Plains has had no more great clans.

After the army returns, I will survey all farmland across the country,

continue to weaken the military governors, reduce the troops,

and allocate thirty percent of military land as seed loans to grant to the common people,

so they have surplus strength to reclaim wasteland, to tend the land,

to raise livestock, to plant mulberry trees, to plant fruit trees, to grow vegetables.

Within three years,

we must let the common people gain a tangible, palpable,

true peaceful and prosperous year.

Just these four words, "peaceful and prosperous year",

Rong,

prove that you are truly the master of this realm.

I know, Hongchu,

you speak from the heart.

But even so,

I,

am not yet worthy.

I have heard

that the late King Wusu of Wuyue

once sent a letter to his queen:

"The flowers blooming along the path,

you may take time on your way back."

That is indeed true.

The scholars in our state all say,

though my late grandfather read little,

this sentence,

was truly spoken with elegance,

unlike me, this fisherman, crude and mercantile.

I hope for the flames of war across the realm to cease.

I hope for the people to live and work in peace.

"The flowers are blooming along the path, you may take time on your way back."

Hongchu,

I have so many things to do.

To pacify the realm,

to revitalize the land,

to,

achieve peace.

Take care of yourself.

When the flowers bloom on the path,

I and Kuangyin,

will await you outside Bianliang City.

I,

Qian Hongchu,

obey your decree.

In the year 958 AD,

the fifth year of the Xiande era of Later Zhou,

the King of Wuyue, Qian Hongchu,

issued a decree to open ports and promote trade, vigorously developing maritime commerce,

trading native products from Wuyue such as grain and silk to north by sea.

For a time, ships were as numerous as threads in a weave, merchants gathered like clouds.

Coastal people all benefited, state revenues thus greatly increased, and treasuries were filled.

Last year's north-south maritime trade, the value in grain, silk, and goods already exceeded

the total value of the three trade routes of Huanglong House to Heian-kyo, Goryeo, and Siam

by more than double.

And the Central Plains?

Last year, the various prefectures had a great harvest.

In the maritime trade at the Laizhou monopoly market,

the total volume of southern grain transported north fell short by nearly fifty percent.

Great King,

Lord Hu is gravely ill.

I fear...

Father.

The Great King has come to see you.

Great King.

Great King.

Great King.

Lord.

Great King...

I can no longer eat meat.

In those days,

the Tang dynasty still stood.

Huang Chao had not yet raised his rebellion.

Having failed the imperial examination,

I returned home crestfallen

and said to my father,

"Your son is useless.

I could not earn an official rank."

That day,

my father steeled his heart,

slaughtered a young goat,

cooked it,

and I ate it,

mouthful by mouthful.

Great King,

I

also read the classics.

The Book of Songs, Documents, Rites, and Music,

the Spring and Autumn Annals, the Book of Changes—

I read them all when I was young.

Back then, the old king was still alive.

He once teased me,

"You've read all these texts,

yet you have too seek the rank on the battlefield.

Isn't that a waste?"

I said to the old king,

"I'm alive,

and I can eat meat—

what waste is there in that?"

Now I can no longer eat meat.

I am going to see the old king.

My lord, please rest well and recover.

The state and I,

still cannot do without you.

I am about to die.

Do you only have such empty drivel to say to me?

It seems

my King, you have

nothing to say to me.

But I have a few words

that I must say to you.

Now,

the state enjoys peace.

In governance, there is Yuan Dezhao.

I am not worried.

You are also a wise ruler.

The foundation laid by generations of past kings,

with you to inherit it—

that is Wuyue's good fortune.

My lord...

I have not finished speaking.

What I am about to say next

is of the utmost importance.

You must keep it in mind.

The current Emperor in the Central Plains,

is a man of fierce ambition.

Southern Tang and Western Shu

in recent years have suffered greatly at his hands.

You have a past with him.

That is good.

But personal ties are just personal ties;

state affairs are state affairs.

The Central Plains

already has

the aura of a unified realm.

One day,

his gaze will turn this way.

He will see you,

he will see Wuyue.

You must devote your utmost effort

to observing.

Before the altars of state and land,

brotherly affection counts for nothing.

The foundation established

by generations of our past kings

was built through countless hardships.

Only then did we achieve

the strong and prosperous Wuyue of today.

Your Majesty,

you must never lightly abandon it.

I know

what you care about

is not just Wuyue,

not only the southeast land.

But for over a hundred years,

people everywhere

have only been able to mind their own affairs.

Their own survival and foundations

are struggle enough to manage.

How can they speak of anything else?

The southeast enjoys a peaceful and prosperous age.

My King

you must never surrender it to others!

My lord, be at ease.

I understand everything.

I would risk my life,

to beg you, in my presence,

to swear an oath to our late kings.

Lord Hu says

he wishes to rest awhile.

Do not call for him again.

Father!

The powerful minister of an era, Hu Jinsi,

died at the age of ninety-seven.

In youth, he abandoned letters for arms,

aiding Qian Liu in founding his enterprise, and together they forged the Wuyue realm.

Thereafter, he quelled the rebellion of Xu Wan,

escorted Qian Yuanguan back to Hangzhou, and through righteous counsel persuaded Laizhou to submit to Later Tang.

His prestige overshadowed this land, making him Wuyue's foremost meritorious minister.

He served three generations and five kings,

assisted in maintaining peace and held a weighty court position.

Yet he also monopolized power and acted despotically.

Ultimately, whether he isa loyal or treacherous minister is hard to judge,

leaving a complex legacy in Wuyue's historical records.

[Kaifeng Prefecture, Bianliang City]

Now, Southern Tang is not yet pacified, Western Shu not yet destroyed.

If we rashly raise troops for a northern expedition,

it would be no different from forfeiting the initiative and being controlled by others.

Once Southern Tang and Western Shu seize the chance to plot against us,

we would be attacked front and rear.

Then, never mind the outcome of the northern expedition,

even the recently stabilized lands of Huainan and Guanzhong would be lost.

Minister Fan speaks most rightly.

If we wish to campaign north, we must first secure the southeast.

Though Southern Tang has renounced the imperial title, its strength is undiminished.

It offers submission but has not surrendered its land; its ambition is clear.

It could turn and bite at any moment.

To contain Jinling and keep the Li clan from reckless moves,

we must have the Qian clan of Wuyue take the first step to surrender their land to the court,

to take their taxes to fill our granaries, their troops to replenish our armies.

With over a hundred thousand soldiers and millions in silver and silk in hand,

[Zhang Yongde] then whether for northern expedition or southern campaign,

[Zhang Yongde] we could proceed with ease and make careful arrangements.

Zhao Kuangyin.

I am here.

What is your view?

A northern expedition to You, Yan and Wuyue surrendering its land

are two separate matters.

The northern expedition must mobilize the nation's full strength.

But regarding the southeast, we must still rely on the Qian clan.

Since its founding, Wuyue has served the central dynasties faithfully for fifty years to this day.

Their loyalty to the court is no different from that of your own ministers.

If the grand army marches north and trouble stirs in the south,

I believe the Qian clan will not stand idly by.

The Qian clan are rulers of Wuyue.

How can state affairs be decided by personal ties?

The governance of a state should not be based on personal affection.

The interests of a state should certainly not be built upon brotherly affection.

The wind-cold has penetrated to the bone.

I am but rotten wood now.

Since falling ill,

even your spirit has dissipated.

Just now in the inner court, regarding northern expedition, His Majesty is taking reckless risks.

In the past,

you would have been the first to stand and state the pros and cons.

Why today

are you silent instead?

You haven't uttered a single word.

If you have some time, Zhi,

perhaps

you should visit the Hanlin Academy.

Take a look,

at the Emperor's medical records.

♫ 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. ♫