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 39]

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Read it.

Yes.

I received the Mandate of Heaven, and ascended to the great throne.

I ended calamities, halted wars,

and settled the people in peace.

Burdened with worries and perils, I toiled diligently day and night,

single-minded in benefiting the people.

I had intended to wield long-term strategies and pacify all lands.

Alas, Heaven did not grant me more years.

My illness is now beyond recovery.

Such is the Mandate of Heaven.

I decree that my fourth son, Prince of Liang, Zongxun, shall succeed to the throne.

Let Fan Zhi, Wang Pu, Zhao Kuangyin, and Han Tong

serve as regent ministers.

Guide him with care, to bring fortune to our people.

Let each of you obey solemnly, and do not defy my command.

You two ministers, please rise.

Your Majesty has ascended on high.

I am young,

and lack experience.

In the future,

I will need to rely heavily on you both.

Now,

with affairs complex and numerous,

I hope you both

can sort out a clear plan.

Only then can we

prevent chaos in the state.

A state cannot be without a ruler for a day.

The foremost task

is to invite the Prince of Liang to inherit the throne.

We invite His Highness, the Prince of Liang to inherit the throne.

I trouble you, Minister Fan,

to draft a final edict

for the late Emperor.

Minister Fan.

Minister Fan,

Liao and Northern Han troops are allied and marching south.

Waqiao Pass,

Yijin Pass,

Yukou Pass—

all three passes report emergencies!

Dispatch Inspector Zhao immediately to lead the army from the capital to reinforce the three passes.

Inspector Zhao.

The three passes are in crisis.

Please make preparations swiftly.

History serves as a warning.

This great banner...

is not a lucky thing at all.

Eldest Brother, have you decided what to do?

Summon Zhao Pu.

The Prince of Beiping,

Lord Liu Zhiyuan of Taiyuan—

was he willing to take on the burden of this realm?

Lord Liu

was a man of vast vision and deep plans.

I dare not speculate.

And you?

Are you willing to take on

the burden of this realm?

Kuangyin,

go and take down that banner.

This weather is freezing us to death.

Yes.

What does the Eldest Young Master want us for?

I don't know.

It's so cold outside.

Where is Second Young Master going?

He's going to stand guard outside as a precaution.

Come in.

Come in, come.

Have a seat.

What matter is to be discussed tonight, that needs such caution?

Gentlemen,

have you heard the prophecy circulating in the capital?

On the day the army marches forth, the Inspector shall be made Emperor.

Since there is a prophecy, it is Heaven's will.

The Mandate is set, so it should be made known to the entire army:

Make the Inspector Emperor.

Do you agree,

or do you oppose?

I agree!

If anyone dares disagree,

I'll kill him right now!

I agree too!

Make the Inspector Emperor!

Make the Inspector Emperor!

Lord.

Lord.

Lord, please wait.

You...

are you going to arrest me?

A man must know his limits.

I know I cannot bear the weight of this realm.

But I know someone who can.

Do you think this realm is still the same as it was decades ago?

Whoever holds the sword

can become Emperor.

Whoever wears the armor

can become Emperor!

You wear armor.

You too can become Emperor.

"Father, you have always been frugal and enjoys great respect in the army,

yet you are never appointed military governor.

Do you harbor any regret?"

What did Marshal Guo say?

He said,

"High titles and generous stipends mean nothing.

In this life,

if I could drink again a cup of warm wine in peaceful times,

that would be enough."

Brother,

it's midnight.

Eldest Young Master,

all the officers outside are ready.

The world is in turmoil,

the sacred vessel lacks a master.

The Khitan march south.

The lives and fortunes of all generals cannot be tied to a mere child.

I make bold to ask:

Commander, think of the suffering people of this world.

Ascend the throne as Emperor, to bring peace to the state and its people.

In autumn, when horses are strong,

the Khitan did not come south.

But now, in bitter cold, when no plants grow,

they choose to march south instead.

Have they stopped caring about their own survival?

Once in Taiyuan,

another time in Chanzhou—

tonight is the third such performance.

Deceitful lies that fool the world,

told once or twice, some might still believe.

To say them again today—

is it to deceive others,

or to deceive ourselves?

I can become this Emperor,

but not for the sake of your wealth and honor.

It is so that you

will never have to stage another scene like today's.

It is so that this world where order is overturned,

where power is reversed, and the people are scattered and suffering, will never return.

It is for the two late Emperors, who painstakingly stitched together for over a decade this tattered realm,

to make it somewhat decent.

Today, I grant you the merit of supporting my ascension,

solely so that in the future you

will never again be able to claim such merit for supporting a throne.

So then,

do you still want to make me Emperor?

I was born in a fallen age,

and grew amidst chaos and separation.

To have the fortune of serving a ruler for a prosperous era, an Emperor of peace,

is my good fortune.

It's also the fortune of the three armies, the myriad people, and all under heaven.

I beseech Your Majesty

to understand the hardships of the common folk,

and ascend to the great throne.

Long live Your Majesty!

Since that is the case,

you must agree to three conditions.

First,

after we enter the city,

you must not disturb the palace or the ministers.

Second,

after we enter the city,

there will be no looting or rape.

Third,

after we enter the city,

not a single person is to be killed without authorization.

Agree to these three conditions,

and I will become your Emperor.

If you do not agree to them,

even if at the cost of my life,

I will not comply.

Long live Your Majesty!

The Inspector is the Military Governor of Guide Army, stationed in Songzhou,

where the descendants of Yin Shang were enfeoffed, their state named Song.

Now,

the three armies obey commands, the hearts of people are united.

He should be made the master of the sacred vessel.

I,

Zhao Pu,

presume to speak frankly.

I beg the Inspector to think of the common people in the realm.

I beg you to ascend the imperial throne.

I beg you to ascend the imperial throne.

I beg you to ascend the imperial throne.

I beg you to ascend the imperial throne.

I beg you to ascend the imperial throne.

I beg you to ascend the imperial throne.

I beg you to ascend the imperial throne.

Long live the Emperor,

of Great Song!

Long live the Emperor of Great Song!

Long live the Emperor of Great Song!

Long live the Emperor of Great Song!

Long live the Emperor of Great Song!

Long live the Emperor of Great Song!

Long live the Emperor of Great Song!

Long live the Emperor of Great Song!

In the first month of 960 AD,

Zhao Kuangyin launched a mutiny at Chenqiao Post,

led his army back to Bianjing,

and ascended the throne as emperor.

He established the state's name as

Song.

May Your Majesty be eternally well.

Zhu Quanzhong replaced Tang with Liang.

Li Cunxu replaced Liang with Tang.

Shi Jingtang replaced Tang with Jin.

Liu Zhiyuan replaced Jin with Han.

Guo Wei again replaced Han with Zhou.

Through the prolonged Five Dynasties, now the Zhao family replaces Zhou with Song.

It's merely following the same pattern, a common sight, nothing out of the ordinary.

Zhao's Eldest Young Master,

was always known for his loyalty,

honesty,

benevolence,

and courage.

Now,

he too has become a usurping minister.

Thinking of it makes one sigh.

Feeling a bit troubled inside?

Nothing to be uneasy about.

People

will change.

Have they changed,

or have you changed?

I'm afraid we all have changed.

The saddest thing in the world,

is just this.

Jingnan and Hunan

have both sent envoys to Bianjing to offer congratulations and tribute.

The Li father and son in Jinling sent ten cartloads of pearls and treasures.

For the past three months,

almost every month,

they have dispatched envoys to the capital with memorials,

their words most humble.

Zhao Kuangyin is a hero of our time.

Back in Shouzhou,

with one army he smashed ten camps,

breaking the spirit of every Southern Tang general.

The Li family fears provoking him,

lest he march south and slaughter this Southern Tang,

to warn all the others in the world.

Great King,

submitting memorials and declaring allegiance should be delayed no longer.

Great King,

serving the great central court well is our ancestral instruction,

and our state policy.

Back in Bianliang,

I and the Military Governor of Guide Army considered ourselves as if brothers.

I honored his father Zhao Hongyin as an uncle.

Now,

he has become the Emperor.

The Zhao family is now the imperial family.

Out of respect and kinship, it is proper to avoid taboo.

So, the character 'Hong' in my name

should no longer be used.

From this day forward,

I change my name

to Qian Chu.

The Great King only spoke of the name taboo.

As to when to submit memorials, when to declare allegiance, when to send tribute,

not a word was said.

This is a matter of grave importance.

He must not act on whim.

Madam, please persuade him.

Still not asleep?

You're awake too,

and you come to advise me.

I'm fine.

You say you're fine?

You've been absent-minded all day,

and refuse to give clear instructions to those below.

You've got all those ministers and marshals suspicious and apprehensive.

Clearly, you're stuck in your thoughts again.

Have I

made another mistake?

Who are you?

You are the ninth boy of the Qian family.

Even though you have been our ruler and Great King for ten years,

holding the titles of Secretariat Director, Commander of all armies, so what?

You are still Qian Chu,

Passionate, principled,

chivalrous and responsible.

Whenever you cannot understand or accept something,

not even the heavens themselves can sway you.

For the land of Wuyue,

serving the great central empire is ancestral instruction and state policy.

That is all true.

But there is one condition:

my Chu

must acknowledge it as "great".

I only acknowledge you.

The Li has sent another ten cartloads of goods?

Yes.

This is already the third time this year.

Reward them with gifts as usual.

I obey the decree.

Do the same for Wuyue.

Your Majesty, Wuyue has not...

I know.

Grant Southern Tang as much as you grant Wuyue.

Also send a state letter.

I obey.

Summon a Hanlin Academician.

No need.

This letter,

I will write it myself.

Great King,

this is already the eighth state letter.

By both sentiment and reason, you should not remain unresponsive.

Great King,

Minister Shen's counsel is for the good of the state.

A state letter written in the Emperor's own hand deserves a reply written in your own.

I am not skilled with brush and ink.

The reply...

you two shall write it for me.

Reading at night strains the eyes too much.

These were printed by the Great Song's Hanlin Academy.

Someone from the Huanglong House traveling to the capital on business recently saw a preserved copy.

My younger brother have it transcribed and sent here..

I'm tired.

Time to sleep.

[Zhou Emperor Shizong Biography]

Pass my order.

Yes.

Have the Chancellor's Office and the Tongru Academy draft a memorial declaring submission,

prepare tribute goods,

and appoint the Judge of the Marshal's Office as tribute envoy to go to the capital.

Understood.

Li Chongjin's rebellion is a refusal to acknowledge me as Emperor.

I shall personally campaign against Yangzhou to make him understand once more

what imperial authority truly is.

Issue an edict to King Qian:

request the state of Wuyue to send troops to Runzhou as a distant containment force.

Tell Chu, I miss him.

I hope we can meet on the river.

All ministers,

deploy troops and commanders.

Send the army and cavalry to Runzhou

to support the Imperial Army.

Great King,

the Emperor invites you

to meet on the river.

I am unwell.

This time,

I will not lead the campaign personally.

I impeach Qian Chu, King of Wuyue, for secretly harboring treacherous ambitions and lacking the deference of a subject.

What is your name?

I

am Palace Censor, Wang Huang.

Minister Fan.

Yes.

Where is the most remote county now?

Jiezhou, Fujin County.

Palace Censor Wang Huang is appointed Supervisor of the Fujin County Wine Tax.

The loyalty of King Qian of Wuyue is certain. You petty men can never try to sow discord among us.

The mutiny case in the Liaoqian Company has been fully investigated.

Deputy Commander Cheng Yue embezzled soldiers' pay,

sold off military supplies, and treated the soldiers harshly ,

which ultimately provoked the mutiny.

Among officers at squad leader level and above in the entire company, six died and eleven were injured.

The Inner Surveillance Office, according to the penal code, recommended death by hanging.

However, considering his late grandfather, Cheng Ji, Grand Tutor and Military Governor of Zhangyi,

who had merit in founding the state under King Wusu,

[Qian Weijun, Qian Chu's eldest son] leniency and a reduced sentence seemed appropriate.

Grace and favor must come from above. Therefore,

I have not granted him a pardon.

Have Lu Yanzhu

take the late king's sword,

drag him before the old Grand Tutor's tomb, and behead him.

Yes.

Report,

there is an urgent memorial from the Anguo Yijin Army.

Seventh Prince,

The Deposed King is critically ill.

Seventh Brother.

I am here.

Be at ease, Seventh Brother.

With your younger brother here,

I will never let your wife and children worry about food or clothing.

Weizhi.

Great King.

Call me Father.

[Qian Weizhi, Qian Zong's Eldest Son] From this day forward,

Weijun is your own younger brother.

Ying is your own younger sister.

Your subject...

Your son...

kowtows in gratitude to you, Father.

Weizhi is very good.

You have the bearing of your Sixth Uncle.

Father.

Father.

Father.

Father.

Father.

Father.

Father.

Father! Father!

The Tongru Academy shall draft the edict.

I receive the instruction.

My eldest son, Weizhi, is intelligent and observant of propriety,

has achieved success in his studies,

and as the eldest, sets an example.

He is hereby appointed Commander of the Inner Army,

in charge of military provisions and lands.

Great King...

I

receive the instruction.

Come here.

Father.

Call me Father.

Father.

Military provisions and lands are vital matters of state and military.

I do not understand them.

Have you mastered the Nine Chapters Mathematics?

I have only a rough grasp.

Then that is sufficient.

This is your eldest brother,

Weizhi.

[Qian Ying, Qian Chu's Daughter] Ying greets Eldest Brother.

[Qian Ying, Qian Chu's Daughter] This is eldest brother. Why haven't you paid your respects?

Weijun greets Eldest Brother.

Greetings, younger sister.

Younger brother.

A small token of my regard.

Sister, Brother, please do not find it too meager.

Thank you, Eldest Brother.

Thank you, Eldest Brother.

Among brothers and sisters, you must observe the order of seniority,

but more importantly, the rites of mutual affection.

As you grow older, if you develop your own thoughts and schemes,

and damage family bonds, I, your father, will not stand for it.

Your son respectfully obeys your instruction.

Your daughter respectfully obeys your instruction.

Yes.

Weizhi is indeed pitiable.

Since you have made your decision,

you must not regret it in the future,

and beware of showing favoritism.

What you said,

is quite interesting.

Are you afraid that Weizhi will meet the same fate as Third Brother?

My brother has Mother. Eldest Brother has Fifth Uncle.

Each has their backing.

But Weizhi has nothing.

I see.

Rest assured.

I am not like Father.

In the year 964 AD,

the second year of the Qiande period, November,

Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin,

using Later Shu's collusion with the Northern Han and their plot to invade as pretext,

dispatched senior generals Wang Quanbin and Liu Guangyi with an army of sixty thousand,

advancing in northern and eastern routes.

The Later Shu army collapsed almost immediately.

In January of the following year, the ruler of Later Shu, Meng Chang, surrendered.

However, the Song commander-in-chief, Wang Quanbin,

ordered the brutal massacre of nearly thirty thousand surrendered Shu troops.

This horrifying atrocity immediately alienated the people of Shu

and sparked a large-scale military revolt.

When the news spread,

the states in the south were shocked and fearful.

The Song's great project of unification

was also overshadowed by this.

Though the Meng clan surrendered, the support of the people of Shu were not won.

The Prefect of Wenzhou, Quan Shixiong, rose in rebellion,

declaring himself Military Governor of the Xingguo Army.

Many in Shu answered his call.

Across Shu's prefectures, there was widespread panic.

The situation became unstable.

Wang Quanbin,

deserves to die!

Your Majesty, with our main force still in the field,

it is unwise to punish its commanding general.

Issue an edict reprimanding him and strip him of his command.

Let Cao Bin and Liu Guangyi take temporary command of the central army.

Your Majesty!

If he had not slaughtered those thirty thousand surrendered men,

would Shu be in such chaos?

Thirty thousand men!

That's thirty thousand able-bodied men.

Even if sent to reclaim wasteland, in a short time

they could have opened up ten thousand qing of fertile land.

Within three to five years, the court could have gained over a million hu in grain taxes.

Not to mention

that behind these thirty thousand men were several hundred thousand women and children.

The Meng clan has already surrendered.

So they are all my people now!

The Wang and Meng families in Shu had governed for decades.

The population and households had flourished.

Grain, fodder, and armor were stockpiled.

To use Yizhou's wealth to fund the southern campaigns

was the court's established strategy.

But Wang Quanbin,

he just slaughtered wildly!

He killed until there was no labor left for the fields,

until women and children all viewed the court as a mortal enemy.

And now, with Quan Shixiong's rebellion,

the land of Shu,

may need thirty or fifty years to recover.

I fear that even when the realm is unified,

The Shu region,

will remain a source of trouble for the court.

One hundred years,

two hundred years...

I do not know when it will be pacified.

Your Majesty, please suppress your anger.

He killed thirty thousand people,

bequeathing a disaster for three hundred years.

That I did not have him executed on the spot

was only out of regard for my father.

Arrogant troops and unruly generals, soldiers loyal to commanders, mutual coercion—

these are the deep-seated ills since the mid-Tang, for two hundred years.

It was true at Baima Station, [Baima Station: Zhu Wen killed many virtuous ministers there]

and also at Xingjiao Gate. [Baima Station: Zhu Wen killed many virtuous ministers there]

The Emperor in Chang'an, the Military Governors' soldiers—

over the five dynasties, every change of power has followed this pattern.

Wang Quanbin

is an old-timer from the days of the Xingjiao Gate incident.

Old habits die hard, that's all.

It's not a matter of loyalty or treason.

I

am not concerned with his loyalty.

What concerns me is precisely what you just said, Minister:

"old habits die hard."

What is your view, Juzheng?

Your Majesty.

[Xue Juzheng] Autumn is approaching,

[Xue Juzheng] whic is the time for selecting scholars.

I request your decree

to open the regular examinations to recruit scholars from the realm,

and meet the court's needs for selecting talent.

I asked you how to handle military generals,

and you say to open examinations to recruit civil officials.

Lord Xue, you feign ignorance rather well.

The way of civil and military affairs involves both relaxation and tension.

How can that be called feign ignorance?

Military officers win fame on horseback,

but civil officials must all seek it through the examination hall.

Since our dynasty's founding,

the regular exams select jinshi no more than ten or twenty a year,

and special exams even fewer.

The fierceness of their struggle is truly no less than fighting in battle.

Breaking a man's heart is better than killing him, is it not?

[Wang Shen, Palace Gate Duty Officer]

Your father

was a pillar of Emperor Shizong.

Had he not devised the strategies,

there would be no Palace Command,

and no Commander like me.

Naturally,

I wouldn't have become Emperor.

I dare not.

You dare not,

but your father might not have dared not.

If your father were here,

he could control the military men, and weaken the military governors.

If your father were here,

I would not be wearing these robes.

This year, eighteen jinshi were selected.

The rest, who sank to lower ranks,

were all eliminated.

In my youth,

I was fortunate to serve by Lord Feng's side, attending and standing in formation.

At that time,

Lord Feng spoke to me

about the way of being a general.

He quoted

a sentence from Han Feizi.

To this day,

I still remember it well:

"Therefore, of the officials of a good ruler,

the chancellor must rise from local administration,

and generals must emerge from the common soldiers.

In reply, Your Majesty,

Lord Feng's words are a timeless principle.

However,

it is not that we will not,

but that we truly cannot.

Why?

Since the mid-Tang Dynasty, military governors were granted authority to governed their regions,

Most local officials came from their personal staffs.

Furthermore, today,

the realm is fragmented, with separate states holding power.

The counties under our dynasty's rule number just over six hundred.

The officials the Ministry of Personnel can appoint are actually fewer than two hundred.

I rule over six hundred counties.

Now that Later Shu is pacified,

It's over seven hundred counties.

The regular exams select jinshi,

only ten to twenty people each year.

Too few. Insufficient for our needs.

Local administrators

still need to be educated men.

We must proceed gradually.

I have read all these poems and articles.

They are well written.

But not being able to compose poetry doesn't mean one cannot handle affairs.

Criteria of regular exams should be appropriately relaxed.

The regular exams are the institution for selecting talent.

Appearance, speech, calligraphy, judgment, both virtuous and worthy.

Selecting through poetry and prose is the old system of the Great Tang.

Those lacking virtue and talent cannot ascend among them.

This is the law of the land.

Even the sovereign

cannot easily change it.

Just now you said

those sinking to lower ranks should be weeded out.

How many were actually weeded out?

This year, those taking the regular exams totaled three hundred seventy-eight.

Eighteen were selected.

Three hundred sixty were weeded out.

One in twenty.

This is not the method of a prosperous age.

Since they lack talent and strategy, how can they govern the land and manage the people?

They are still better than men who wield blades.

Xue Juzheng presided over the examinations.

[Fan Mansion, North Yujie] Allusions slightly inferior,

[Fan Mansion, North Yujie] you were ranked as lower grade.

[Fan Mansion, North Yujie] Let alone poetry and prose.

There's never a first in poetry.

Frontier poetry,

why must it be considered inferior to Li Bai's?

Exactly!

You misspoke from the start.

Since Lord Feng, only Du Fu has been exclusively praised.

What frontier fortresses, what Li Bai, are all like clouds.

"The fish and turtles in the pond congratulate each other;

From now on they know they have a master."

Lord Feng himself composes poetry,

yet he doesn't emulate Du Fu.

He deliberately makes things hard for us.

The "fish and turtles" Lord Feng spoke of are precisely you people.

You!

Sima Pu.

Old friend, you've been taking the regular exams for forty years now, right?

You understand Lord Feng's poetry so well.

He served as chancellor for thirty years,

yet he never saw fit to have you pass as jinshi or obtain any official post.

As a young man,

I have little strength and can do no heavy work,

incapable of mathematics, ignorant of the people's hardships.

No matter how fine the poetry and articles are, I'm still useless.

Lord Feng...

why would he want to appoint me as an official?

Forty years without a single success.

Indeed, a useless man.

Seven hundred years ago,

a Sima became Emperor.

Forty years later, the realm fell into great chaos. That was useless.

Now, seven hundred years later,

another Sima clan takes the exams.

Forty years without passing.

Also useless.

This seven-hundred-year span of uselessness is truly unprecedented in history

and unlikely to be matched in the future.

Come on. Have some tea.

Failing again this time, I have no choice but to return to my village.

Sir.

My master invites you.

[Sima Pu, a juren, qualified for taking exams] Please, sir, do not hesitate to impart your wisdom.

♫ 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. ♫