1
00:00:09,900 --> 00:00:15,600
♫ Raising the wine cup, I toast to the boundless sky ♫

2
00:00:16,266 --> 00:00:21,100
♫ In talks and laughters are vast mountains and rivers. ♫

3
00:00:22,666 --> 00:00:27,233
♫ Love and hate, debt and feuds, have all dissolved. ♫

4
00:00:28,533 --> 00:00:33,100
♫ Where's my soul's hometown and my kindred spirits? ♫

5
00:00:35,566 --> 00:00:40,133
♫ Seasons rolling by, we dream for harvest. ♫

6
00:00:41,966 --> 00:00:46,533
♫ Warriors and warhorses howl across the sky. ♫

7
00:00:48,333 --> 00:00:52,900
♫ If only I could turn into the wind, ♫

8
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♫ to blow away all the pain in mortal coil. ♫

9
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♫ I toast to the blue sky, to courage in solitude, ♫

10
00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:09,066
♫ to migrating gooses, to boats heading home. ♫

11
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♫ With even three thousand days and nights, ♫

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

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[Swords into Plowshares]

14
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[Episode 42]

15
00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:36,033
[Kaifeng Prefecture, Bianliang City]

16
00:01:36,033 --> 00:01:36,833
Mr. Xu.

17
00:01:37,500 --> 00:01:38,233
I'm here.

18
00:01:40,566 --> 00:01:42,066
On your last coming to court,

19
00:01:42,900 --> 00:01:45,833
was it that I failed to make myself clear to you,

20
00:01:45,866 --> 00:01:48,766
or was it that you yourself failed to
make it clear to your lord?

21
00:01:49,933 --> 00:01:51,200
Your Majesty, please forgive me.

22
00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:56,400
All causes,

23
00:01:57,433 --> 00:01:59,133
lie with me, your guilty servant.

24
00:01:59,133 --> 00:02:01,966
I beg Your Majesty, with your heaven-like benevolence,

25
00:02:02,666 --> 00:02:03,766
not to shift the blame

26
00:02:04,933 --> 00:02:05,966
onto my lord and ruler.

27
00:02:06,633 --> 00:02:08,100
I summoned him to the capital,

28
00:02:08,433 --> 00:02:12,066
intending to clarify some matters with him face to face.

29
00:02:13,066 --> 00:02:14,766
Yet he claims illness and refuses to come.

30
00:02:15,733 --> 00:02:17,033
Is he doubting the court,

31
00:02:17,633 --> 00:02:18,700
or is he doubting me?

32
00:02:19,700 --> 00:02:20,766
I dare not.

33
00:02:22,233 --> 00:02:23,366
Of course you dare not, Mr. Xu.

34
00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:26,466
The one who dares is your lord.

35
00:02:26,866 --> 00:02:27,466
Your Majesty,

36
00:02:28,733 --> 00:02:35,733
my lord has always been humble and respectful, would never
dare harbor any intent to offend your heavenly authority.

37
00:02:36,700 --> 00:02:38,033
Southern Tang is but a small state.

38
00:02:39,300 --> 00:02:41,400
We willingly cede prefectures and commanderies,

39
00:02:42,166 --> 00:02:45,833
voluntarily request a lowered state title,
and reverently submit a letter of oath.

40
00:02:46,333 --> 00:02:50,033
We only wish to be your subject every year,
and pay tribute every year.

41
00:02:50,566 --> 00:02:53,166
Our descendants, will never rebel against Song.

42
00:02:54,933 --> 00:02:58,333
I beg Your Majesty to show mercy,

43
00:02:58,333 --> 00:03:01,433
and preserve our ancestral altars.

44
00:03:04,700 --> 00:03:05,500
I have said,

45
00:03:06,866 --> 00:03:10,066
the common people of Jiangnan are also my children.

46
00:03:11,333 --> 00:03:13,200
These are my sincere words from the heart.

47
00:03:14,133 --> 00:03:14,800
It is a pity,

48
00:03:15,466 --> 00:03:17,166
that your lord does not understand them.

49
00:03:18,700 --> 00:03:19,400
In the past,

50
00:03:20,133 --> 00:03:22,966
I said another thing to the Meng clan of the southwest:

51
00:03:24,433 --> 00:03:25,766
"Beside my own bed,

52
00:03:26,433 --> 00:03:28,666
how can I allow others to sleep soundly!"

53
00:03:30,033 --> 00:03:32,566
I wonder if your lord can understand this.

54
00:03:33,333 --> 00:03:34,533
Your Majesty,

55
00:03:34,533 --> 00:03:36,400
Your Majesty is a virtuous Emperor.

56
00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:39,800
How can you raise an army without just cause?

57
00:03:41,333 --> 00:03:43,533
Warfare is an instrument of violence.

58
00:03:45,066 --> 00:03:46,900
Sages use it only when they have no other choice.

59
00:03:49,300 --> 00:03:51,533
Mr. Xu, you too have long endured the chaotic times.

60
00:03:52,466 --> 00:03:55,566
You should know the common people of the world
have long suffered from division.

61
00:03:57,633 --> 00:03:59,433
Do you truly believe that what I want

62
00:04:00,033 --> 00:04:01,833
is the land and wealth of Southern Tang?

63
00:04:05,133 --> 00:04:07,466
What I want is all lands under heaven,

64
00:04:07,566 --> 00:04:08,866
as a whole unbroken.

65
00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:12,666
What I want is the leftover grain in small households' jars.

66
00:04:13,700 --> 00:04:17,400
What I want is a court and government
that can reclaim wasteland in good years

67
00:04:17,433 --> 00:04:18,833
and provide relief in famine years.

68
00:04:18,833 --> 00:04:20,266
A court and government

69
00:04:21,300 --> 00:04:23,200
with which farmers can farm with peace of mind,

70
00:04:23,866 --> 00:04:25,700
artisans can work with peace of mind,

71
00:04:26,100 --> 00:04:27,900
merchants can trade with peace of mind,

72
00:04:28,100 --> 00:04:30,566
and scholars can study with peace of mind.

73
00:04:32,733 --> 00:04:35,200
A world where diligence can lead to wealth and honor,

74
00:04:36,333 --> 00:04:38,400
and goodness can prevail under heaven.

75
00:04:40,333 --> 00:04:46,533
A world where every person under heaven
can live like a human being, in an age of peace.

76
00:04:49,133 --> 00:04:50,166
This is what I want.

77
00:04:51,433 --> 00:04:56,233
It is also what the late Emperor Shizong
of the previous dynasty wanted.

78
00:04:56,233 --> 00:04:58,133
It is what all people under heaven want.

79
00:05:00,333 --> 00:05:02,233
Your Majesty is wise.

80
00:05:08,366 --> 00:05:09,500
In your view, Minister Xu,

81
00:05:11,333 --> 00:05:12,366
is this war，

82
00:05:13,700 --> 00:05:14,566
unavoidable?

83
00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:16,533
Your Majesty,

84
00:05:18,866 --> 00:05:20,800
I am an old and incompetent minister.

85
00:05:22,233 --> 00:05:25,966
I failed to persuade the Song ruler to cease hostilities.

86
00:05:28,366 --> 00:05:31,266
I have brought worry and fear to my sovereign,

87
00:05:31,300 --> 00:05:34,100
and disaster upon the state and its people.

88
00:05:34,100 --> 00:05:35,100
I beg you

89
00:05:36,500 --> 00:05:37,966
to punish my crime,

90
00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:41,533
according to the law.

91
00:05:46,533 --> 00:05:51,533
With the state in dire peril,
you sleeps quite soundly, old general.

92
00:05:52,333 --> 00:05:53,666
I am advanced in years.

93
00:05:54,700 --> 00:05:55,833
Old people need more sleep.

94
00:05:57,600 --> 00:05:58,933
I beg Your Majesty to forgive me.

95
00:05:59,733 --> 00:06:02,666
Song is sharpening its weapons and feeding its horses.

96
00:06:02,700 --> 00:06:03,966
The ministers are anxious,

97
00:06:05,066 --> 00:06:07,200
yet only you, old general, can sleep peacefully.

98
00:06:08,700 --> 00:06:09,633
Do you have some

99
00:06:11,166 --> 00:06:12,833
plan to save us from this crisis?

100
00:06:13,300 --> 00:06:14,100
I do.

101
00:06:15,266 --> 00:06:17,766
I have three strategies: superior, middle, and inferior.

102
00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:19,300
The superior strategy for now

103
00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:27,233
is for you to survey the land, the troops and people,
the money and grain, and compile clear registers.

104
00:06:28,066 --> 00:06:31,500
Then offer these thirty prefectures to the Song state,

105
00:06:31,933 --> 00:06:33,633
so their ruler can pacify Jiangnan

106
00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:36,033
without shedding blood.

107
00:06:36,933 --> 00:06:38,933
I understand your superior strategy.

108
00:06:40,233 --> 00:06:42,666
But what of the middle and inferior strategies?

109
00:06:43,533 --> 00:06:46,700
Rather than waiting for death, it is better to strike first.

110
00:06:47,300 --> 00:06:49,233
The Longxiang Army has been formed for two years.

111
00:06:49,833 --> 00:06:52,733
The Song navy's ships are all at Jiangling.

112
00:06:53,633 --> 00:06:54,566
I wish to emulate

113
00:06:55,233 --> 00:06:59,533
Lü Meng's strategy of crossing the river in disguise,
mobilize the Longxiang Army,

114
00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:02,633
sail upstream, catch them unprepared,

115
00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:05,600
and set fire to their boats,
burning them in their own stronghold.

116
00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:08,033
The Longxiang Army

117
00:07:09,500 --> 00:07:11,833
is the state's sole reliance on the Yangtze.

118
00:07:13,233 --> 00:07:14,300
If we lose it,

119
00:07:15,266 --> 00:07:18,366
the court loses the strategic advantage
of the Yangtze River.

120
00:07:18,366 --> 00:07:21,200
The peril of destruction would be upon us in an instant.

121
00:07:22,333 --> 00:07:23,000
I

122
00:07:24,366 --> 00:07:27,200
cannot risk the entire state on such a gamble.

123
00:07:27,233 --> 00:07:30,700
Then what is your inferior strategy, old general?

124
00:07:32,466 --> 00:07:33,333
The inferior strategy,

125
00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:39,600
is to cede Jiangzhou, Hongzhou,
and other prefectures in Jiangxi region.

126
00:07:40,433 --> 00:07:44,233
to the Qian clan in the southeast,
allying with Wuyue to resist the Zhao clan.

127
00:07:44,866 --> 00:07:46,400
Why the Jiangxi region prefectures?

128
00:07:47,300 --> 00:07:50,533
Shouldn't it be Runzhou, Changzhou, and Suzhou?

129
00:07:53,133 --> 00:07:54,600
Ceding land to ally with Wuyue...

130
00:07:57,033 --> 00:07:58,666
You have considered this before.

131
00:08:01,266 --> 00:08:04,500
But why would you consider ceding Runzhou and Suzhou?

132
00:08:05,266 --> 00:08:06,300
For decades,

133
00:08:07,466 --> 00:08:08,766
our two states have fought,

134
00:08:10,166 --> 00:08:12,666
repeatedly contesting these three prefectures.

135
00:08:14,133 --> 00:08:15,866
Back and forth for so many years,

136
00:08:16,366 --> 00:08:18,066
these three prefectures are war-torn.

137
00:08:18,900 --> 00:08:19,800
I thought,

138
00:08:20,866 --> 00:08:24,166
if Wuyue is willing to take them,
we might as well give them away.

139
00:08:24,533 --> 00:08:26,800
You know why have they been fought over for decades?

140
00:08:27,366 --> 00:08:29,566
Because they are an eastern barrier.

141
00:08:30,300 --> 00:08:32,000
Once these three prefectures are lost,

142
00:08:32,466 --> 00:08:36,900
Wuyue's warships could sail upstream and within
a day and night reach the walls of Jiangning.

143
00:08:37,466 --> 00:08:38,300
Then,

144
00:08:39,233 --> 00:08:41,900
with the Song army to the west locked
in stalemate with our main force,

145
00:08:43,333 --> 00:08:45,033
if the King of Wuyue personally leads a division

146
00:08:45,266 --> 00:08:46,933
to attack Jinling from behind,

147
00:08:47,700 --> 00:08:49,633
you and the imperial clan and nobles in the city

148
00:08:49,666 --> 00:08:52,333
would, in an instant, be left with nowhere to be buried.

149
00:08:54,066 --> 00:08:58,800
So that is why you advise me to cede
the prefectures on the right bank.

150
00:08:59,533 --> 00:09:00,666
The Song navy,

151
00:09:02,100 --> 00:09:05,100
sailing downriver from Jiangling,

152
00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:10,933
will first strike Jiangzhou, Hongzhou,
and other Jiangxi region prefectures.

153
00:09:11,666 --> 00:09:16,000
These places have long been seen by the Song ruler
and his army as their possessions.

154
00:09:16,833 --> 00:09:19,233
Once Wuyue troops garrison these prefectures,

155
00:09:20,500 --> 00:09:23,133
discord will surely arise between
the Qians and the Song court.

156
00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:25,300
By then,

157
00:09:25,933 --> 00:09:28,566
it will be Wuyue's navy on the front line.

158
00:09:29,366 --> 00:09:33,700
Our Longxiang Army and main force
can await the opportune moment to act.

159
00:09:33,733 --> 00:09:35,800
We could advance to reap the benefits,

160
00:09:37,766 --> 00:09:42,366
or retreat and still have the option
to watch and see who prevails.

161
00:09:46,366 --> 00:09:47,233
Old general,

162
00:09:47,666 --> 00:09:50,100
these are truly words that plan for the state.

163
00:09:51,033 --> 00:09:54,433
I dare not accept your undue praise.

164
00:09:55,033 --> 00:09:56,466
Do not be so modest.

165
00:09:56,866 --> 00:09:59,766
I will now bestow upon you the ceremonial axe and banner,

166
00:09:59,766 --> 00:10:02,433
and appoint you Military Governor
of both Fenghua and Zhennan,

167
00:10:02,466 --> 00:10:05,500
as envoy to Wuyue, to follow the precedent of
Shu and Wu of Three Kingdoms period,

168
00:10:05,500 --> 00:10:09,700
establish an alliance between our two states,
and jointly resist the tyrannical Song.

169
00:10:14,633 --> 00:10:15,766
The state faces difficulty;

170
00:10:17,766 --> 00:10:19,900
I will strive to do my best.

171
00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:24,533
Three hundred twenty-one dragon boats
were built at Jiangling.

172
00:10:25,100 --> 00:10:27,466
The navy numbers twenty-seven thousand eight hundred men.

173
00:10:29,300 --> 00:10:31,166
If we use the Yangtze as our supply route,

174
00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:32,366
with naval protection,

175
00:10:33,133 --> 00:10:37,666
six hundred thousand hu of grain can support an army
of one hundred thousand for half a year.

176
00:10:37,700 --> 00:10:43,200
If we abandon the water route for land, using the Huai and Si
as supply lines with continuous boat and cart transfers,

177
00:10:43,866 --> 00:10:47,300
we would need to recruit
extra over two hundred thousand civilian laborers.

178
00:10:47,300 --> 00:10:53,000
For every hu of grain delivered to the front,
two to three hu would be wasted on the road.

179
00:10:54,500 --> 00:10:59,533
To support one hundred thousand troops for half a year,
no less than two million hu of grain is needed.

180
00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:05,200
Wuyue pays annual tribute of
two hundred thousand taels of silver and silk bolts.

181
00:11:05,633 --> 00:11:08,133
Over these years, how much has been accumulated in total?

182
00:11:09,066 --> 00:11:09,633
Your Majesty,

183
00:11:10,433 --> 00:11:11,966
from the first year of Jianlong to now,

184
00:11:12,233 --> 00:11:14,666
the total is one million four hundred fifty-eight thousand.

185
00:11:15,533 --> 00:11:17,666
If you use the reserve funds to buy grain,

186
00:11:18,033 --> 00:11:19,933
I urge you to consider it with extreme caution.

187
00:11:19,933 --> 00:11:24,033
You must understand that the money and grain
among the people exist in a fixed quantity.

188
00:11:24,066 --> 00:11:25,733
More grain makes money cheaper;

189
00:11:25,900 --> 00:11:28,033
more money inevitably drives up grain prices.

190
00:11:29,066 --> 00:11:31,700
Flooding the market with
one and a half million tales of silver and silk

191
00:11:31,700 --> 00:11:35,766
will only compel the wealthy and grain merchants
to seize the chance to hoard and inflate prices,

192
00:11:35,766 --> 00:11:37,633
monopolizing the court's benefit.

193
00:11:38,633 --> 00:11:39,833
For the realm,

194
00:11:40,100 --> 00:11:41,833
the price of grain is the price of all goods.

195
00:11:42,300 --> 00:11:45,033
If grain becomes expensive, everything becomes expensive.

196
00:11:45,066 --> 00:11:48,200
In the end, those who suffer will be
the poor and humble households.

197
00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:53,033
We will not buy grain in the Central Plains.

198
00:11:53,033 --> 00:11:53,633
Draft an edict:

199
00:11:54,433 --> 00:11:58,466
Appoint Cao Bin as Commissioner of Pacification and
Control of the Southwest Front Camp at Shengzhou,

200
00:11:58,466 --> 00:12:02,966
and Pan Mei as Army Supervisor of the Campaign,
to command a combined force of one hundred thousand

201
00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:06,333
to campaign against Jiangnan,
to console the people and punish the guilty.

202
00:12:06,333 --> 00:12:06,966
Yes!

203
00:12:07,366 --> 00:12:08,100
Your Majesty, I...

204
00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:10,866
Kuangyi, Master Pu, you will oversee the army's provisions.

205
00:12:11,700 --> 00:12:14,466
Establish a Land and Water
Transport Commission at Jiangling.

206
00:12:14,500 --> 00:12:20,833
Release six hundred thousand hu of grain from
the Three Departments' reserves for the southern campaign.

207
00:12:20,866 --> 00:12:22,600
Six hundred thousand hu is not enough.

208
00:12:27,666 --> 00:12:29,166
Draft another decree:

209
00:12:30,233 --> 00:12:33,600
Appoint the Grand Marshal of All Forces,
the King of Wuyue, of the Qian clan,

210
00:12:33,633 --> 00:12:37,733
as Grand Commissioner for Pacification and Control
of the Southeast Front Camp at Shengzhou,

211
00:12:37,733 --> 00:12:41,466
and concurrently
Chief Transport Commissioner of the Yangtze.

212
00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:44,333
Also, send a state letter to Chu.

213
00:12:45,433 --> 00:12:50,566
Return the one million four hundred fifty-eight thousand
taels and bolts of silver and silk to him.

214
00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:52,866
Have him prepare for me

215
00:12:52,866 --> 00:12:55,933
three million hu of grain.

216
00:12:57,866 --> 00:12:58,666
Heir, forgive me.

217
00:12:59,033 --> 00:13:02,833
The King is currently discussing important affairs
with the ministers and marshals.

218
00:13:03,066 --> 00:13:04,733
[Ma Youcheng]
A strict order has been issued:

219
00:13:04,733 --> 00:13:05,433
[Ma Youcheng]
without command,

220
00:13:05,733 --> 00:13:06,833
[Ma Youcheng]
all nobles, clan members,

221
00:13:06,933 --> 00:13:09,800
civil and military officials, are not permitted to enter.

222
00:13:09,833 --> 00:13:12,766
I, the heir, cannot enter,
so why is the Eldest Brother allowed in?

223
00:13:14,033 --> 00:13:14,833
Heir, forgive me.

224
00:13:15,533 --> 00:13:16,666
[Jiang Duoxun]
The Eldest Prince has recently been

225
00:13:16,700 --> 00:13:18,700
[Jiang Duoxun]
participating in Chancellor's Office affairs.

226
00:13:18,700 --> 00:13:19,966
He is also a minister now.

227
00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:21,333
I am the King's heir apparent.

228
00:13:23,233 --> 00:13:25,600
Heir, forgive us. The King's command cannot be disobeyed.

229
00:13:33,466 --> 00:13:37,733
Who will be in overall charge of military provisions,
armor, weapons, and equipment?

230
00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:40,700
King,

231
00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:42,366
this is a national war.

232
00:13:42,366 --> 00:13:44,300
Everything must be handled with care.

233
00:13:44,333 --> 00:13:48,566
I will personally serve as Commissioner of the Transport
Office for the Southeast Front Camp of Shengzhou.

234
00:13:49,466 --> 00:13:52,766
As Commissioner, Minister, you are to keep control
at the central command.

235
00:13:55,033 --> 00:13:58,333
We still need a competent
Deputy Commissioner to accompany the army,

236
00:13:58,766 --> 00:14:00,166
to handle affairs at the front.

237
00:14:00,833 --> 00:14:01,733
I believe

238
00:14:02,266 --> 00:14:06,066
the Eldest Prince could serve as Deputy,
to accompany and serve by your side,

239
00:14:06,233 --> 00:14:10,166
coordinating at the front matters of
provisions, armor, weapons, and equipment.

240
00:14:12,100 --> 00:14:12,566
Approved.

241
00:14:14,333 --> 00:14:18,266
Your son receives the instruction.

242
00:14:18,300 --> 00:14:18,833
King,

243
00:14:19,700 --> 00:14:20,566
I believe

244
00:14:21,066 --> 00:14:25,100
the Eldest Prince is steady, resolute, wise, and discerning,
possessing your former style.

245
00:14:26,100 --> 00:14:29,333
Since participating in major governance,
he has handled affairs appropriately.

246
00:14:29,733 --> 00:14:32,666
He should remain at the Western Capital, acting as regent.

247
00:14:33,433 --> 00:14:36,166
As for the post of Deputy General Transport Commissioner,

248
00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:38,933
why not let the heir apparent gain some experience?

249
00:14:40,266 --> 00:14:43,100
The Western Capital has Shen in charge.

250
00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:45,733
There's no need for any troublesome regency.

251
00:14:48,100 --> 00:14:51,033
Appoint Weizhi as Deputy Transport
Commissioner at the front.

252
00:14:51,666 --> 00:14:52,300
It is decided.

253
00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:14,733
[Southern Tang has sent an envoy,
indending to ally against Song.]

254
00:15:14,733 --> 00:15:16,433
This Li Yuanqing has come again.

255
00:15:17,066 --> 00:15:19,633
This matter involves relations between two states.

256
00:15:19,666 --> 00:15:21,800
The due courtesies must not be neglected.

257
00:15:23,200 --> 00:15:24,833
Weizhi, meet him on my behalf.

258
00:15:25,766 --> 00:15:27,766
See what he has to say.

259
00:15:28,733 --> 00:15:30,733
Act according to circumstances.

260
00:15:30,733 --> 00:15:31,200
Understood?

261
00:15:33,466 --> 00:15:34,466
I understand.

262
00:15:37,366 --> 00:15:40,200
Your lord wishes to form an alliance with my king?

263
00:15:41,100 --> 00:15:41,800
Indeed.

264
00:15:43,300 --> 00:15:45,333
The state of Wuyue has established rules.

265
00:15:45,333 --> 00:15:48,100
The Qian clan also has ancestral teachings:

266
00:15:48,133 --> 00:15:53,566
diligently fulfill tributary duties, revere and serve
the Emperor, serve the great central state well.

267
00:15:53,600 --> 00:15:55,600
Regarding your lord's request, please forgive...

268
00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:59,633
Eldest Prince, I have learned your breadth of mind
and strategic calculations well.

269
00:16:01,233 --> 00:16:03,533
So, as to these formal, diplomatic words,

270
00:16:03,533 --> 00:16:05,466
there is no need to say more of them.

271
00:16:05,500 --> 00:16:06,633
In any case,

272
00:16:07,433 --> 00:16:09,100
you cannot decide this matter.

273
00:16:09,933 --> 00:16:10,800
You

274
00:16:11,333 --> 00:16:12,666
only need to relay,

275
00:16:13,466 --> 00:16:16,466
the terms of the alliance proposed by my lord on his behalf,

276
00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:19,000
to your father, the King.

277
00:16:20,233 --> 00:16:21,600
Please state your proposal, Marshal.

278
00:16:23,066 --> 00:16:24,466
If we can agree to an alliance,

279
00:16:25,633 --> 00:16:26,266
my lord

280
00:16:26,933 --> 00:16:29,566
is willing to send his son as a hostage to Hangzhou,

281
00:16:30,333 --> 00:16:35,700
and cede the six prefectures of Jiangxi region,
including Jiangzhou and Hongzhou to Wuyue,

282
00:16:37,266 --> 00:16:38,266
as a gesture of goodwill.

283
00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:40,300
Marshal,

284
00:16:42,466 --> 00:16:44,233
do you take my father and me for fools?

285
00:16:48,366 --> 00:16:52,500
Whether this matter succeeds or not
must be decided by your father, the King.

286
00:16:53,933 --> 00:16:57,433
You only need to relay the message verbatim.

287
00:16:58,533 --> 00:17:01,966
If it were other matters,
they would require my father's sole decision.

288
00:17:03,766 --> 00:17:05,466
But if you only have this proposal,

289
00:17:06,300 --> 00:17:09,900
I can tell you right now, it is absolutely impossible.

290
00:17:12,433 --> 00:17:14,700
If you and your lord can agree to one thing I propose,

291
00:17:15,533 --> 00:17:20,033
I might be able to bring the discussion of an alliance
up to my father.

292
00:17:22,200 --> 00:17:23,133
May I ask, Prince,

293
00:17:23,933 --> 00:17:25,366
what matter are you referring to?

294
00:17:26,433 --> 00:17:31,300
If your state can provide our state
with three million hu of grain,

295
00:17:31,300 --> 00:17:34,633
the matter of the alliance might be possible.

296
00:17:36,300 --> 00:17:37,400
What are you thinking?

297
00:17:38,666 --> 00:17:40,466
Even if he were born a fool,

298
00:17:40,933 --> 00:17:44,133
he wouldn't be fooled by the same person twice in a row, would he?

299
00:17:45,033 --> 00:17:47,700
Li Yuanqing definitely would not be deceived again,

300
00:17:47,700 --> 00:17:48,633
but the Tang ruler might.

301
00:17:49,500 --> 00:17:50,400
Eldest Prince,

302
00:17:50,900 --> 00:17:54,233
this is not a question of whether one will be deceived or not.

303
00:17:54,266 --> 00:17:55,333
Within Southern Tang,

304
00:17:55,566 --> 00:17:57,833
they have suffered three floods in five years.

305
00:17:58,866 --> 00:18:01,300
To raise funds for the Longxiang Army navy,

306
00:18:01,766 --> 00:18:04,266
the granary reserves have been completely depleted.

307
00:18:06,333 --> 00:18:07,200
Furthermore,

308
00:18:07,733 --> 00:18:10,833
due to the floods and famine,
starving people who lost land and property

309
00:18:11,266 --> 00:18:13,533
have mostly fled into Wuyue's prefectures and counties.

310
00:18:13,533 --> 00:18:16,566
The number is nearly one hundred fifty thousand in total.

311
00:18:17,066 --> 00:18:20,966
The people are the foundation of the state,
and also the source of tax revenue.

312
00:18:21,500 --> 00:18:23,133
Losing people means losing wealth.

313
00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:27,033
For five consecutive years,
tax revenue has sharply decreased.

314
00:18:27,933 --> 00:18:28,766
I'm afraid

315
00:18:29,333 --> 00:18:32,133
even if the Li clan were willing to be fooled this time,

316
00:18:32,833 --> 00:18:36,733
they no longer have the capacity to be fooled.

317
00:18:36,733 --> 00:18:40,566
As you, Minister, have rightly said,
in the current Southern Tang state,

318
00:18:40,566 --> 00:18:43,366
it is certainly impossible to
produce three million hu of grain.

319
00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:45,866
As the saying goes,

320
00:18:46,500 --> 00:18:49,133
ask a high price from the sky, bargain for land on the ground.

321
00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:54,033
Demanding grain from the Southern Tang envoy
is merely a smokescreen.

322
00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:56,233
What I truly want

323
00:18:57,300 --> 00:18:58,400
is actually Chongming Town.

324
00:19:01,566 --> 00:19:03,866
Chongming Town is nominally a military garrison,

325
00:19:04,900 --> 00:19:08,200
but in reality, it's just two sandbars exposed above the water.

326
00:19:08,933 --> 00:19:10,500
[Sun Chengyou]
It's situated at the river mouth,

327
00:19:10,533 --> 00:19:12,066
[Sun Chengyou]
mostly consisting of shallows.

328
00:19:12,900 --> 00:19:14,700
[Sun Chengyou]
The surrounding sea routes and channels,

329
00:19:15,100 --> 00:19:16,033
are broad,

330
00:19:16,500 --> 00:19:17,366
but too shallow.

331
00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:20,133
They can only accommodate small boats and light vessels.

332
00:19:21,033 --> 00:19:22,933
Most larger seagoing vessels entering

333
00:19:23,266 --> 00:19:25,100
would run aground almost immediately.

334
00:19:26,333 --> 00:19:29,833
In earlier years, when Huanglong
and Qinhuai House divided trade routes,

335
00:19:29,866 --> 00:19:31,700
we used Chongming as the boundary,

336
00:19:32,533 --> 00:19:36,266
precisely because riverboat designs and
seagoing vessel designs are incompatible.

337
00:19:37,066 --> 00:19:37,966
West of Chongming,

338
00:19:38,566 --> 00:19:40,000
only riverboats can pass.

339
00:19:40,833 --> 00:19:41,766
East of Chongming,

340
00:19:43,066 --> 00:19:44,600
only seagoing vessels can pass.

341
00:19:45,666 --> 00:19:46,466
Chongming

342
00:19:47,466 --> 00:19:48,600
is a place of little value.

343
00:19:49,300 --> 00:19:51,100
What use does Wuyue have for it?

344
00:19:52,033 --> 00:19:54,266
It may be militarily useless,

345
00:19:54,266 --> 00:19:56,066
but it can be used to store grain.

346
00:19:56,066 --> 00:19:57,766
Why store grain in Chongming?

347
00:19:58,233 --> 00:20:00,433
You have never led troops, Prince.

348
00:20:00,433 --> 00:20:02,866
If we march north to take the three eastern prefectures,

349
00:20:02,866 --> 00:20:05,200
the supply route would have to go overland.

350
00:20:05,633 --> 00:20:06,900
Storing grain at Gujunsha

351
00:20:07,133 --> 00:20:09,366
places the supply line within enemy territory.

352
00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:11,100
Not only is it impractical,

353
00:20:11,700 --> 00:20:16,700
but a single detachment from Zheng Yanhua's Zhenhai Army
and Du Zhen's Jiangyin Army sailing down the river

354
00:20:16,833 --> 00:20:19,933
could burn all the grain on Chongming Island.

355
00:20:21,133 --> 00:20:22,300
Storing grain in Chongming,

356
00:20:23,633 --> 00:20:25,333
is not for the three eastern prefectures,

357
00:20:26,100 --> 00:20:26,533
is it?

358
00:20:27,866 --> 00:20:28,333
No.

359
00:20:29,266 --> 00:20:30,566
You are discerning, Father.

360
00:20:35,100 --> 00:20:39,000
Your plan targets Jiangdu Prefecture north of the river.

361
00:20:41,633 --> 00:20:42,800
But if you can think of it,

362
00:20:43,100 --> 00:20:45,800
an old hand like Li Yuanqing might think of it too.

363
00:20:46,633 --> 00:20:47,266
If you ask for it,

364
00:20:48,066 --> 00:20:49,066
will he give it?

365
00:20:50,066 --> 00:20:50,933
If I ask,

366
00:20:51,666 --> 00:20:53,400
Li Yuanqing certainly will not give it.

367
00:20:55,266 --> 00:20:57,466
But if Uncle Chengyou goes to ask,

368
00:20:57,466 --> 00:20:58,533
he might be willing.

369
00:21:01,100 --> 00:21:01,633
Me?

370
00:21:03,033 --> 00:21:04,766
Three hundred ninety-five.

371
00:21:06,500 --> 00:21:08,900
[Qian Ying, Qian Chu's eldest daughter]
Three hundred seventy.

372
00:21:11,033 --> 00:21:12,700
Three hundred...

373
00:21:13,766 --> 00:21:14,633
Mother,

374
00:21:15,133 --> 00:21:16,166
it doesn't add up.

375
00:21:16,833 --> 00:21:18,966
If it doesn't add up, someone is playing tricks.

376
00:21:20,033 --> 00:21:22,900
These contracts and cargo lists are all signed by your uncle.

377
00:21:23,566 --> 00:21:26,000
Surely he isn't deceiving himself?

378
00:21:27,500 --> 00:21:28,600
That certainly is not the case.

379
00:21:31,666 --> 00:21:33,333
But the numbers really don't match.

380
00:21:35,633 --> 00:21:37,366
Then you must have calculated wrong.

381
00:21:37,833 --> 00:21:38,766
No, I didn't.

382
00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:44,566
Mother, look.

383
00:21:45,300 --> 00:21:48,600
The total value of goods in the contract is
three thousand six hundred strings of cash.

384
00:21:49,033 --> 00:21:53,633
But on the cargo list, based on the types of
goods, quantities, and unit prices,

385
00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:54,866
it comes to

386
00:21:56,433 --> 00:21:58,566
over four thousand six hundred seventy strings.

387
00:21:58,566 --> 00:21:59,800
This single deal

388
00:22:00,100 --> 00:22:01,533
lost nearly thirty percent.

389
00:22:02,300 --> 00:22:03,933
Who is the contract with?

390
00:22:04,133 --> 00:22:05,800
The buyer is

391
00:22:06,866 --> 00:22:09,200
Fujiwara Yoshimitsu from the Genji House of Heian-kyo.

392
00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:11,100
How many coins in a string here?

393
00:22:11,833 --> 00:22:12,700
Seven hundred and seventy.

394
00:22:13,700 --> 00:22:15,466
How many coins in a string in Heian-kyo?

395
00:22:18,266 --> 00:22:18,966
Oh!

396
00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:22,100
Heian-kyo has always revered the Great Tang.

397
00:22:22,500 --> 00:22:24,900
They follow the old system of one thousand coins per string.

398
00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:28,633
I see.

399
00:22:28,866 --> 00:22:29,566
That explains it.

400
00:22:29,866 --> 00:22:31,933
Your ancestors are named Qian, meaning "money".

401
00:22:31,933 --> 00:22:34,166
If you are this confused about money,

402
00:22:34,833 --> 00:22:36,366
and outsiders hear of it,

403
00:22:36,500 --> 00:22:38,366
tarnishing the family's reputation,

404
00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:42,133
you'll invite ridicule as a tiger father's dog daughter.

405
00:22:42,133 --> 00:22:45,400
I don't want to be a fisherman selling fish anyway.

406
00:22:45,433 --> 00:22:46,433
Say that again.

407
00:22:47,833 --> 00:22:48,566
Your daughter...

408
00:22:49,066 --> 00:22:50,366
said nothing at all.

409
00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:54,066
Greetings to the heir.

410
00:22:55,100 --> 00:22:56,366
Mother, Weijun is here.

411
00:22:57,133 --> 00:22:57,833
Is Mother here?

412
00:22:58,333 --> 00:22:58,800
She is.

413
00:22:59,233 --> 00:23:00,133
Let him in.

414
00:23:05,500 --> 00:23:06,200
Greetings, Mother.

415
00:23:08,100 --> 00:23:09,400
Elder Sister, you've worked hard.

416
00:23:11,533 --> 00:23:12,733
Indeed I have.

417
00:23:14,266 --> 00:23:19,000
The Tenson King of Ryukyu presented a five-colored
conch shell. They say it can produce musical notes.

418
00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:22,600
I specifically sought it out to congratulate you
on your eighteenth birthday.

419
00:23:22,633 --> 00:23:23,266
Where is it?

420
00:23:23,466 --> 00:23:24,700
Bring it here for me to have a look.

421
00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:32,066
Set it aside.

422
00:23:32,666 --> 00:23:33,933
You are the heir to the state.

423
00:23:34,500 --> 00:23:38,133
Such frivolous pursuits can be tolerated once, not twice.

424
00:23:40,766 --> 00:23:41,300
Yes.

425
00:23:41,733 --> 00:23:44,700
I will respectfully heed Elder Sister's admonition.

426
00:23:47,533 --> 00:23:48,166
I'm tired.

427
00:23:48,666 --> 00:23:50,466
I'll go out for a walk to stretch my limbs.

428
00:23:51,500 --> 00:23:52,966
Your son will accompany Mother.

429
00:23:59,100 --> 00:24:01,166
Palace affairs are complex and numerous.

430
00:24:01,633 --> 00:24:04,233
You have been overexerting your mind and energy.

431
00:24:04,533 --> 00:24:06,833
You really should move around more.

432
00:24:21,333 --> 00:24:24,133
Think your father is showing favoritism?

433
00:24:25,233 --> 00:24:26,300
I wouldn't dare.

434
00:24:27,566 --> 00:24:30,166
You're his son, he's your father.

435
00:24:30,466 --> 00:24:31,466
What is there to not dare?

436
00:24:33,433 --> 00:24:34,700
As the heir of Wuyue,

437
00:24:35,266 --> 00:24:37,866
my every word and deed must not be disrespectful or improper.

438
00:24:39,533 --> 00:24:43,366
Save those formal words for when you're with outsiders.

439
00:24:44,066 --> 00:24:46,266
Don't bring them back home.

440
00:24:47,766 --> 00:24:50,466
Your father is usually busy with court affairs.

441
00:24:51,100 --> 00:24:54,200
The attention he gives you brothers is little to begin with.

442
00:24:54,900 --> 00:24:58,600
If you have thoughts or complaints and don't tell him plainly,

443
00:24:59,133 --> 00:25:01,700
waiting for him over there to guess and wonder,

444
00:25:02,033 --> 00:25:03,533
when will that ever end?

445
00:25:04,533 --> 00:25:07,833
If this goes on for long, between father and son,

446
00:25:08,500 --> 00:25:09,900
even where there's no rift,

447
00:25:10,100 --> 00:25:12,166
one will appear out of thin air.

448
00:25:13,900 --> 00:25:15,266
My father is the sovereign.

449
00:25:15,300 --> 00:25:16,800
Be it thunder or nourishing rain,

450
00:25:16,833 --> 00:25:18,100
I dare not complain.

451
00:25:21,233 --> 00:25:22,233
You,

452
00:25:22,900 --> 00:25:24,033
you've got it wrong,

453
00:25:25,066 --> 00:25:26,366
and you're being too narrow.

454
00:25:39,200 --> 00:25:41,000
After Minister Yuan passed away,

455
00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:44,566
the old ministers have dwindled, most are gone.

456
00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:48,200
Minister Shen seems hale and hearty,

457
00:25:48,633 --> 00:25:51,166
but in truth, he's over twenty years older than your father.

458
00:25:52,333 --> 00:25:53,066
Now,

459
00:25:53,566 --> 00:25:55,700
he's also an old man in his sixties.

460
00:25:56,866 --> 00:25:58,466
The world is in turmoil,

461
00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:00,533
disturbances haven't ceased.

462
00:26:01,666 --> 00:26:02,900
Court affairs,

463
00:26:03,500 --> 00:26:05,600
must be shouldered by the young.

464
00:26:06,900 --> 00:26:07,533
I know.

465
00:26:08,866 --> 00:26:12,400
Weizhi entered the court earlier than you two brothers.

466
00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:16,766
Now he's in the ministerial office,
formally participating in governance.

467
00:26:16,766 --> 00:26:18,200
Seeing this, you brothers

468
00:26:18,266 --> 00:26:20,766
feel anxious, resentful,

469
00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:22,700
that's quite normal.

470
00:26:23,533 --> 00:26:24,966
I hold no hidden resentment.

471
00:26:25,633 --> 00:26:27,966
I just feel I cannot share Father's burdens.

472
00:26:28,733 --> 00:26:31,800
Seeing Eldest Brother's achievements pile up, I feel ashamed,

473
00:26:32,233 --> 00:26:33,766
and wish to offer my meager efforts.

474
00:26:33,766 --> 00:26:35,766
Talking to you is exhausting.

475
00:26:36,233 --> 00:26:39,500
All this beating around the bush,
isn't it just that you want to join the court?

476
00:26:40,300 --> 00:26:41,433
You want to join the court,

477
00:26:41,866 --> 00:26:43,600
you want to work, that's good.

478
00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:47,866
When our own son wants to make something of himself,
as parents we can only be happy.

479
00:26:48,233 --> 00:26:50,933
Be bold, and tell your father directly.

480
00:26:55,700 --> 00:26:56,466
Mother,

481
00:26:57,200 --> 00:26:59,733
I am the heir, in a sensitive position.

482
00:27:00,133 --> 00:27:00,866
Some words

483
00:27:01,300 --> 00:27:02,033
you can say,

484
00:27:02,233 --> 00:27:03,133
Eldest Brother can say,

485
00:27:03,933 --> 00:27:05,133
but I cannot.

486
00:27:05,933 --> 00:27:08,833
So today you've set your sights on your old mother, is that it?

487
00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:10,900
Fine, fine.

488
00:27:11,666 --> 00:27:13,100
I'll speak for you.

489
00:27:14,766 --> 00:27:16,300
Your father is a straightforward man.

490
00:27:16,900 --> 00:27:17,700
All my life,

491
00:27:18,066 --> 00:27:22,066
I've hated people who hesitate and waver,
who are indecisive and wishy-washy.

492
00:27:22,933 --> 00:27:24,466
Who did you get that from?

493
00:27:26,766 --> 00:27:27,366
I knew

494
00:27:27,633 --> 00:27:28,966
Mother loves me most.

495
00:27:34,433 --> 00:27:36,166
Wanting to work is a good thing.

496
00:27:36,566 --> 00:27:37,700
Why wouldn't you dare say so?

497
00:27:39,666 --> 00:27:40,766
Is it because of Weizhi?

498
00:27:42,866 --> 00:27:44,733
Weizhi is a good child,

499
00:27:45,133 --> 00:27:46,500
and a capable one.

500
00:27:47,333 --> 00:27:52,666
Throughout the court and beyond, inside and outside
the palace, everyone sees clearly

501
00:27:52,700 --> 00:27:54,433
that he has clear plans in mind.

502
00:27:56,433 --> 00:27:58,500
You always say he's like Sixth Brother.

503
00:27:59,033 --> 00:27:59,966
But in my opinion,

504
00:28:00,933 --> 00:28:02,500
he's more like you in your youth.

505
00:28:03,666 --> 00:28:04,666
You use him.

506
00:28:04,900 --> 00:28:08,333
Up and down, inside and out, everyone is convinced.

507
00:28:09,033 --> 00:28:11,533
Those who can work should of course be given major roles.

508
00:28:12,100 --> 00:28:15,633
But to those who can't, if you don't let them learn,

509
00:28:15,933 --> 00:28:18,866
then in thirty or fifty years, they still won't be able to.

510
00:28:20,133 --> 00:28:22,200
Did you think of these words yourself,

511
00:28:23,700 --> 00:28:25,166
or did Weijun say them?

512
00:28:26,433 --> 00:28:27,233
What do you think?

513
00:28:28,500 --> 00:28:29,633
Your own son,

514
00:28:29,833 --> 00:28:31,300
don't you have a sense of him?

515
00:28:32,733 --> 00:28:33,433
I knew it.

516
00:28:34,233 --> 00:28:36,733
These words, Weijun couldn't have said them himself.

517
00:28:38,400 --> 00:28:40,500
Knowing that, you still keep him in the dark?

518
00:28:40,500 --> 00:28:41,600
After all, you've been

519
00:28:41,700 --> 00:28:43,133
a father for nearly twenty years.

520
00:28:45,500 --> 00:28:46,800
Weijun is a good child.

521
00:28:47,333 --> 00:28:48,333
I know that in my heart.

522
00:28:49,766 --> 00:28:50,833
I was considering,

523
00:28:51,566 --> 00:28:52,966
to let him grow a few more years,

524
00:28:53,333 --> 00:28:54,366
and be mature a bit more.

525
00:28:59,033 --> 00:29:00,700
Last time he went to Huanglong Island,

526
00:29:01,400 --> 00:29:03,766
he insist on pick the time of the Dragon Banner Assembly.

527
00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:08,833
Spent all day mingling with the Sheng, Tian, and Jiang families,

528
00:29:09,633 --> 00:29:12,766
and those ship owners, hanging around together.

529
00:29:12,766 --> 00:29:16,200
Privately promising official posts,
he did many outrageous things.

530
00:29:17,533 --> 00:29:20,266
Chengyou was there too,
and didn't rein him in at the time.

531
00:29:21,500 --> 00:29:24,700
But then again, it's his own uncle and nephew;

532
00:29:25,100 --> 00:29:27,566
some favoritism is unavoidable.

533
00:29:30,766 --> 00:29:32,266
I think he's itching for a beating.

534
00:29:33,733 --> 00:29:36,000
Your subject Qian Weijun pays homage to the Great King.

535
00:29:38,533 --> 00:29:40,233
Greet Minister Shen.

536
00:29:42,866 --> 00:29:44,900
Weijun pays respects to the Minister.

537
00:29:47,433 --> 00:29:50,066
Your subject dares not accept the heir's courtesy.

538
00:29:52,200 --> 00:29:53,533
Shen, you deserve it.

539
00:29:54,566 --> 00:29:55,633
This son of mine,

540
00:29:56,500 --> 00:29:57,966
his scholarly ability is average,

541
00:29:59,066 --> 00:30:00,700
and he has no great talent for governance.

542
00:30:01,033 --> 00:30:03,966
He only became heir because he was born at the right time.

543
00:30:05,633 --> 00:30:07,300
I am, after all, his father.

544
00:30:08,033 --> 00:30:08,933
Though I don't expect

545
00:30:09,300 --> 00:30:10,800
him to achieve great things,

546
00:30:11,333 --> 00:30:13,800
I still hope he will become capable,

547
00:30:14,666 --> 00:30:17,733
so that in the future, he won't bring harm
to the state and its altars.

548
00:30:19,233 --> 00:30:20,500
Master Han Yu said:
[Han Yu: a famous scholar of Tang Dynasty]

549
00:30:21,033 --> 00:30:21,700
A teacher's role
[Han Yu: a famous scholar of Tang Dynasty]

550
00:30:22,233 --> 00:30:23,333
is to transmit the principles,
[Han Yu: a famous scholar of Tang Dynasty]

551
00:30:23,333 --> 00:30:25,266
impart knowledge, and resolve doubts.

552
00:30:26,466 --> 00:30:28,700
Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Parent, Teacher.

553
00:30:28,700 --> 00:30:31,000
These are the pillars of human relations.

554
00:30:31,033 --> 00:30:31,933
Today, I

555
00:30:32,333 --> 00:30:34,266
entrust my heir to you.

556
00:30:35,233 --> 00:30:39,133
With the ritual gift of dried meat, I ask you to be his tutor.
[Ritual gift of dried meat is used to seek discipleship.]

557
00:30:41,833 --> 00:30:45,533
Literature and composition are secondary.

558
00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:51,466
Teach him some methods and rules for handling affairs,

559
00:30:52,700 --> 00:30:55,433
so he may understand the difficulty of state affairs,

560
00:30:56,400 --> 00:30:59,133
the hardship of the common people,

561
00:30:59,133 --> 00:31:00,466
and the order of high and low.

562
00:31:02,033 --> 00:31:02,500
My

563
00:31:03,200 --> 00:31:04,333
earnest heart,

564
00:31:05,100 --> 00:31:07,800
my deepest intentions, come from utmost sincerity.

565
00:31:07,833 --> 00:31:10,366
I hope you, Shen, will understand.

566
00:31:12,433 --> 00:31:14,066
Your subject is overwhelmed.

567
00:31:29,500 --> 00:31:30,300
Sir, you are above.

568
00:31:31,100 --> 00:31:33,600
Your student, Weijun, from this day forward,

569
00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:36,033
will inquire after your well-being everyday,

570
00:31:36,033 --> 00:31:39,633
attend morning and evening,
and reverently listen to your teachings.

571
00:31:44,300 --> 00:31:45,566
Your subject is old and frail,

572
00:31:46,500 --> 00:31:48,300
and came from a humble clerk's background.

573
00:31:48,300 --> 00:31:50,333
My talent is crude, my learning shallow.

574
00:31:50,466 --> 00:31:52,333
I fear I may misguide the heir.

575
00:31:54,866 --> 00:31:57,466
At the dawn of the Han, three heroes emerged.

576
00:31:57,466 --> 00:31:59,866
Among them, Xiao He was also a clerk,

577
00:32:00,566 --> 00:32:04,166
yet he laid the four-hundred-year foundation of the Han.

578
00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:08,133
At the end of Han, the Three Kingdoms divided the realm.

579
00:32:08,133 --> 00:32:09,433
Lu Zhi was a clerk,

580
00:32:10,300 --> 00:32:11,533
yet from his school came

581
00:32:12,266 --> 00:32:14,900
the Zhaolie Emperor, Liu Bei, a hero of the realm.

582
00:32:16,100 --> 00:32:17,733
To have a clerk as tutor and guardian,

583
00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:22,066
is my son's good fortune.

584
00:32:24,833 --> 00:32:25,866
If that is the case,

585
00:32:27,733 --> 00:32:28,333
I, your subject,

586
00:32:29,033 --> 00:32:29,866
accept the command.

587
00:32:35,533 --> 00:32:36,233
Let it be decreed:

588
00:32:38,100 --> 00:32:39,233
From this day forth,

589
00:32:39,733 --> 00:32:43,200
the heir, Weijun, is appointed Observer of Governance,

590
00:32:44,300 --> 00:32:49,200
to attend the ministerial residence every
five days, to learn official affairs.

591
00:32:49,233 --> 00:32:51,333
We, your subjects, accept the decree.

592
00:32:55,100 --> 00:32:58,600
Has the Old Marshal considered this clearly?

593
00:32:58,633 --> 00:33:01,766
Three million hu of grain,
to turn a generations-old enemy into an ally.

594
00:33:03,533 --> 00:33:04,800
For your state, this deal

595
00:33:05,566 --> 00:33:07,666
can hardly be called a loss.

596
00:33:07,700 --> 00:33:11,133
Interstate relations are conducted with state ritual.

597
00:33:11,133 --> 00:33:15,800
Even the current King of Qian,
in years past when jointly discussing peace,

598
00:33:15,833 --> 00:33:18,500
dared not mock and ridicule a great state's envoy like this.

599
00:33:19,466 --> 00:33:20,166
Young Prince,

600
00:33:20,566 --> 00:33:22,433
you participate in the ministerial council,

601
00:33:22,466 --> 00:33:23,366
yet engage in

602
00:33:24,433 --> 00:33:26,333
such childish and undignified antics,

603
00:33:28,066 --> 00:33:30,966
disregarding the gravity of state affairs.

604
00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:33,300
Is this the intention of the King of Wuyue?

605
00:33:33,300 --> 00:33:38,300
My royal father's heart holds only
the great righteousness of the realm.

606
00:33:38,300 --> 00:33:40,833
The Southern Tang carve out territory, claim vassalage,

607
00:33:40,866 --> 00:33:43,400
split the land, divide the state, defying Heaven's Mandate.

608
00:33:44,566 --> 00:33:46,433
[Zhang Li, Imperial Edict Secretary]
My King does not recognize this.

609
00:33:46,466 --> 00:33:49,233
[Zhang Li, Imperial Edict Secretary]
So-called diplomatic relations are a pure joke.

610
00:33:49,900 --> 00:33:51,400
How can there be any talk of profit?

611
00:33:52,100 --> 00:33:55,633
The proposal of three million hu of grain
is something I offer, regarding that you,

612
00:33:55,666 --> 00:33:57,933
advanced age yet unwavering loyalty to your lord,

613
00:33:58,533 --> 00:34:01,033
with arduous travels, which cannot have been easy.

614
00:34:02,333 --> 00:34:03,066
Hence I proposed.

615
00:34:03,666 --> 00:34:07,166
According to your words, this is not the King's position.

616
00:34:07,833 --> 00:34:12,133
Even if an agreement is reached,
it would be nothing but a private pact.

617
00:34:13,066 --> 00:34:13,933
Associate Chancellor,

618
00:34:16,066 --> 00:34:18,666
how can you decide matters for the State of Wuyue?

619
00:34:19,333 --> 00:34:21,433
The current Great King of Wuyue is indeed my father.

620
00:34:23,133 --> 00:34:24,966
If this matter can be agreed to,

621
00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:28,166
I will then petition him and facilitate the alliance.

622
00:34:28,900 --> 00:34:30,066
If it cannot be agreed to,

623
00:34:31,300 --> 00:34:34,766
Old Marshal, you may return
to your country today and report back.

624
00:34:44,633 --> 00:34:45,566
In those years,

625
00:34:46,433 --> 00:34:48,100
when I was drinking with Cheng Zhaoyue,

626
00:34:48,533 --> 00:34:51,733
the King condescended to personally
take up the kitchen duties.

627
00:34:53,266 --> 00:34:54,800
The wine was strong, the fish fragrant.

628
00:34:55,466 --> 00:34:56,733
Time flies and things have changed.

629
00:34:59,033 --> 00:35:01,533
To think it has already been an event thirty years past.

630
00:35:02,333 --> 00:35:03,766
I was young then.

631
00:35:04,866 --> 00:35:05,533
I heard

632
00:35:06,166 --> 00:35:08,900
the Great King and my elder sister recount the old days.

633
00:35:08,933 --> 00:35:09,966
If not for you, Marshal,

634
00:35:11,233 --> 00:35:14,766
my elder sister would have had no chance
to become the ruler's wife.

635
00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:16,933
Speaking of it,

636
00:35:19,233 --> 00:35:23,333
you could be considered the matchmaker
for the Great King and my sister.

637
00:35:25,433 --> 00:35:27,733
You, sir, are the esteemed maternal uncle of Wuyue,

638
00:35:28,566 --> 00:35:30,200
Deputy Salt and Iron Commissioner of Zhedong.

639
00:35:31,533 --> 00:35:32,333
This time,

640
00:35:32,733 --> 00:35:34,266
having invited us to this place,

641
00:35:35,400 --> 00:35:38,166
surely you're not merely to reminisce about the past?

642
00:35:47,800 --> 00:35:50,100
The Qian family has an ancestral teaching:

643
00:35:50,100 --> 00:35:52,033
serve the great central plains dynasty well.

644
00:35:53,233 --> 00:35:55,833
If Wuyue forms an open alliance with Southern Tang,

645
00:35:55,833 --> 00:35:58,433
proclaiming it to the world to resist the Song ruler,

646
00:35:59,433 --> 00:36:00,300
such a thing,

647
00:36:01,633 --> 00:36:04,366
let alone the six prefectures west to the river,

648
00:36:04,400 --> 00:36:05,400
even if your ruler

649
00:36:05,900 --> 00:36:07,733
were willing to cede the three in the east,

650
00:36:08,700 --> 00:36:10,766
the Great King would absolutely never agree.

651
00:36:12,300 --> 00:36:13,300
Some things,

652
00:36:14,033 --> 00:36:14,900
can be said

653
00:36:15,933 --> 00:36:16,566
but not done.

654
00:36:18,566 --> 00:36:19,466
Other things,

655
00:36:19,666 --> 00:36:20,866
can be done

656
00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:22,933
but not said.

657
00:36:24,133 --> 00:36:25,466
The King has done nothing,

658
00:36:25,900 --> 00:36:28,933
yet effortlessly gained six prefectures from your ruler.

659
00:36:29,566 --> 00:36:32,166
The Song ruler, though a military man,

660
00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:34,333
is no fool.

661
00:36:35,400 --> 00:36:37,066
So you mean,

662
00:36:38,233 --> 00:36:40,700
to gain the six right-bank prefectures for free,

663
00:36:40,700 --> 00:36:41,700
the King dares not;

664
00:36:42,666 --> 00:36:45,600
but to secretly share a common enemy with our dynasty,

665
00:36:46,333 --> 00:36:48,600
and jointly resist the Song court,

666
00:36:48,633 --> 00:36:49,933
the King is willing.

667
00:36:52,333 --> 00:36:53,833
Marshal, allow me to explain.

668
00:36:55,100 --> 00:36:55,900
In all matters,

669
00:36:56,233 --> 00:36:59,533
once they involve the court and the government,

670
00:37:00,433 --> 00:37:02,733
bound by ancestral teaching and legitimate succession,

671
00:37:03,433 --> 00:37:04,533
Wuyue cannot agree.

672
00:37:06,633 --> 00:37:07,366
Conversely,

673
00:37:08,800 --> 00:37:10,733
if they don't involve the court or government,

674
00:37:11,333 --> 00:37:14,066
then we can still do business.

675
00:37:17,900 --> 00:37:19,966
In that case, I wonder,

676
00:37:21,333 --> 00:37:23,966
what can Wuyue offer our Great Tang?

677
00:37:24,433 --> 00:37:25,333
That depends

678
00:37:27,900 --> 00:37:29,833
on what your ruler currently lacks.

679
00:37:29,866 --> 00:37:30,566
Lacks troops,

680
00:37:31,133 --> 00:37:31,800
lacks grain,

681
00:37:32,400 --> 00:37:33,300
lacks silver and silk,

682
00:37:33,900 --> 00:37:34,733
lacks gold and brocade.

683
00:37:35,866 --> 00:37:36,866
What Wuyue has,

684
00:37:38,166 --> 00:37:39,633
Great Tang lacks all of it.

685
00:37:40,133 --> 00:37:42,566
Wuyue has ancestral teachings:

686
00:37:42,566 --> 00:37:44,766
not a single soldier or guard

687
00:37:46,033 --> 00:37:46,866
can be lent out.

688
00:37:48,533 --> 00:37:49,400
Then,

689
00:37:50,233 --> 00:37:51,700
apart from soldiers,

690
00:37:52,800 --> 00:37:54,233
everything else can be lent?

691
00:37:55,166 --> 00:37:56,700
If you are asking about Wuyue,

692
00:37:58,700 --> 00:37:59,900
with ancestral teachings in place,

693
00:38:01,133 --> 00:38:02,166
none can be lent.

694
00:38:16,666 --> 00:38:17,700
What if I

695
00:38:19,666 --> 00:38:20,966
do not borrow from Wuyue,

696
00:38:22,033 --> 00:38:23,500
but from the Huanglong House instead?

697
00:38:31,466 --> 00:38:34,466
The enterprises that were once under the Shanyue House

698
00:38:34,466 --> 00:38:37,166
are now all placed under the Huanglong House's banner.

699
00:38:38,133 --> 00:38:40,866
The Qinhuai House, is personally founded by you, Marshal.

700
00:38:41,700 --> 00:38:45,600
Within the Huanglong House now, I,
a junior of little talent, happen to be in charge.

701
00:38:46,866 --> 00:38:47,733
Since it's business,

702
00:38:49,033 --> 00:38:53,133
whatever the Shanyue House could do
for the Qinhuai House back then,

703
00:38:53,700 --> 00:38:54,533
the Huanglong House,

704
00:38:56,433 --> 00:38:57,366
can do it all.

705
00:39:01,733 --> 00:39:02,600
However,

706
00:39:03,666 --> 00:39:05,300
I currently have no ready cash.

707
00:39:06,633 --> 00:39:07,500
Can this business

708
00:39:08,266 --> 00:39:09,400
still be done?

709
00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:12,233
Without ready cash,

710
00:39:13,000 --> 00:39:14,333
we can mortgage for a loan.

711
00:39:15,033 --> 00:39:18,300
May I ask, what would serve as collateral?

712
00:39:20,033 --> 00:39:21,133
This junior has heard

713
00:39:22,266 --> 00:39:23,800
that this Gujun Shoal,

714
00:39:25,166 --> 00:39:28,366
is under your name, Marshal?

715
00:39:29,933 --> 00:39:30,866
Chongming Town?

716
00:39:31,300 --> 00:39:33,333
What use does Wuyue have for Chongming Town?

717
00:39:34,800 --> 00:39:35,433
Your Majesty.

718
00:39:36,300 --> 00:39:38,766
The so-called Chongming Town is in fact nothing more than

719
00:39:38,833 --> 00:39:43,100
two sandbanks at the Yangtze River estuary, named Gujun Sand.

720
00:39:43,633 --> 00:39:46,100
On each sandbank, there is a military stockade,

721
00:39:46,433 --> 00:39:50,066
garrisoned with one squad of fifty men,
serving as a river mouth sentry post.

722
00:39:50,700 --> 00:39:52,566
The late Emperor considered it of little use,

723
00:39:52,566 --> 00:39:56,100
so he ordered the Old Marshal Li
to manage it through the Qinhuai House.

724
00:39:56,866 --> 00:39:59,700
For King Qian to offer us provisions, supplies, and equipment,

725
00:40:00,133 --> 00:40:01,533
just to demand such a

726
00:40:02,033 --> 00:40:03,266
useless sandbank?

727
00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:05,400
Report to Your Majesty,

728
00:40:06,433 --> 00:40:08,433
Gujun Sand is not useless.

729
00:40:08,833 --> 00:40:11,933
The Qinhuai House handles all
maritime trade affairs for the state,

730
00:40:12,233 --> 00:40:16,300
conducting sea trade with Gaegyeong,
Heian-kyō, Siam, and other places.

731
00:40:16,933 --> 00:40:19,966
The fleets all set sail from Gujun Sand.

732
00:40:20,500 --> 00:40:24,033
The Huanglong House's ships are advanced
and powerful, dominating the sea routes.

733
00:40:24,300 --> 00:40:26,766
For decades, there have been many disputes.

734
00:40:27,800 --> 00:40:28,633
The Qinhuai House,

735
00:40:29,333 --> 00:40:31,333
though unable to contend with them directly,

736
00:40:31,333 --> 00:40:32,366
has also never

737
00:40:33,000 --> 00:40:36,500
simply handed over the state's maritime trade profits.

738
00:40:37,433 --> 00:40:38,866
The Marshal means to say

739
00:40:39,500 --> 00:40:40,833
that King Qian wants

740
00:40:41,533 --> 00:40:43,000
to monopolize the profits of the sea?

741
00:40:43,700 --> 00:40:44,333
Your Majesty,

742
00:40:45,400 --> 00:40:49,533
the profits from the sea are indeed great,
but distant water cannot quench a present thirst.

743
00:40:50,900 --> 00:40:55,033
The military threat from the Song ruler is a danger pressing at our eyebrows.

744
00:40:56,533 --> 00:40:59,766
I beg Your Majesty to consider
our ancestral altars and state,

745
00:41:00,466 --> 00:41:01,033
and cede,

746
00:41:02,666 --> 00:41:04,566
Chongming Shoal to Wuyue,

747
00:41:05,566 --> 00:41:08,266
to obtain the benefit of their grain and resources.

748
00:41:08,300 --> 00:41:09,000
Your Majesty,

749
00:41:09,700 --> 00:41:12,400
the value of Chongming is not limited to maritime trade.

750
00:41:12,900 --> 00:41:17,733
That place guards the estuary, and is the boundary
between the Yangtze and the open sea.

751
00:41:18,266 --> 00:41:20,766
To the north, it borders Taizhou and the Jinghai Army;

752
00:41:20,800 --> 00:41:23,866
to the south, it connects to
Wuyue's Suzhou and the Zhongwu Army;

753
00:41:23,866 --> 00:41:26,700
to the west, it reaches our Great Tang's
three prefectures of Jiangxi region,

754
00:41:26,700 --> 00:41:28,900
as well as the Jiangyin Army, the Zhenhai Army,

755
00:41:29,133 --> 00:41:31,400
and the eastern and western wards of Changzhou.

756
00:41:31,433 --> 00:41:33,766
If Wuyue raises troops to march north,

757
00:41:34,566 --> 00:41:37,466
sending a flanking force to attack us by sea route,

758
00:41:38,133 --> 00:41:38,800
at that time,

759
00:41:39,533 --> 00:41:40,833
with the Song army in the west

760
00:41:41,266 --> 00:41:42,366
and Wuyue in the east,

761
00:41:43,100 --> 00:41:45,566
our imperial navy would be caught head and tail,

762
00:41:46,233 --> 00:41:48,366
and the natural moat of the Yangtze

763
00:41:48,400 --> 00:41:50,266
might no longer be ours.

764
00:41:51,166 --> 00:41:51,800
Your Majesty,

765
00:41:52,300 --> 00:41:53,766
sea-going ships have a deep draft,

766
00:41:53,900 --> 00:41:55,333
river ships have a shallow draft.

767
00:41:55,800 --> 00:41:58,500
Once a sea-going ship passes Chongming and enters the river,

768
00:41:58,800 --> 00:42:02,166
shoals and undercurrents will cause it to run aground
eight or nine times out of ten.

769
00:42:02,700 --> 00:42:03,700
The Huanglong House

770
00:42:03,933 --> 00:42:05,433
has roamed the seas for years,

771
00:42:05,700 --> 00:42:07,700
yet has never been able to enter the Yangtze.

772
00:42:08,066 --> 00:42:09,400
This is precisely the reason.

773
00:42:10,700 --> 00:42:11,300
Marshal,

774
00:42:12,000 --> 00:42:13,433
exactly how much

775
00:42:13,466 --> 00:42:15,100
grain, supplies, armor, and weaponry has King Qian promised?

776
00:42:15,700 --> 00:42:16,700
I report to Your Majesty,

777
00:42:17,400 --> 00:42:18,533
it is not King Qian,

778
00:42:18,733 --> 00:42:20,800
but the Huanglong House.

779
00:42:21,533 --> 00:42:23,366
From the date stipulated in the contract,

780
00:42:23,400 --> 00:42:26,333
the provisions supplies for
all the garrisons east of the capital,

781
00:42:26,333 --> 00:42:31,966
as well as for the Zhenhai Army,
Jinghai Army, and Jiangyin Army,

782
00:42:32,066 --> 00:42:34,966
including armor, weapons,
silver, silk, and gold brocade rewards,

783
00:42:35,233 --> 00:42:38,700
will all be borne by Wuyue's Huanglong House.

784
00:42:41,133 --> 00:42:41,800
Your Majesty,

785
00:42:47,633 --> 00:42:48,500
This is

786
00:42:50,633 --> 00:42:52,066
a policy to destroy the state.

787
00:43:24,433 --> 00:43:27,400
♫ Across tens of thousands of miles
stretch towering mountains. ♫

788
00:43:27,900 --> 00:43:30,866
♫ Across tens of thousands of miles
run surging rivers. ♫

789
00:43:31,433 --> 00:43:34,400
♫ Across tens of thousands of miles
cry warhorses. ♫

790
00:43:34,900 --> 00:43:39,000
♫ Across tens of thousands of miles
there are emotions unspoken. ♫

791
00:43:39,933 --> 00:43:42,900
♫ Across tens of thousands of miles,
flowers are blooming along the road. ♫

792
00:43:43,400 --> 00:43:46,366
♫ Across tens of thousands of miles,
gooses are returning to the north. ♫

793
00:43:46,933 --> 00:43:49,900
♫ Across tens of thousands of miles,
we stand through storms. ♫

794
00:43:50,400 --> 00:43:54,500
♫ Across tens of thousands of miles,
we hope for a safe return. ♫

795
00:43:58,700 --> 00:44:01,366
♫ Tens of thousands of miles is not enough, ♫

796
00:44:01,966 --> 00:44:04,866
♫ for a lifetime's sorrows and joys. ♫

797
00:44:05,500 --> 00:44:08,166
♫ Tens of thousands of miles is not enough, ♫

798
00:44:08,766 --> 00:44:11,666
♫ for the endless seas and rivers. ♫

799
00:44:12,466 --> 00:44:15,133
♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, ♫

800
00:44:15,733 --> 00:44:18,633
♫ love will overcome all barriers. ♫

801
00:44:19,333 --> 00:44:20,633
♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, ♫

802
00:44:21,300 --> 00:44:25,033
♫ we are together in life and death. ♫

803
00:44:25,966 --> 00:44:29,000
♫ Across tens of thousands of miles. ♫

804
00:44:32,700 --> 00:44:35,733
♫ Across tens of thousands of miles. ♫

805
00:44:39,633 --> 00:44:40,966
♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, ♫

806
00:44:41,333 --> 00:44:42,766
♫ the moon shines in the boundless world. ♫

807
00:44:43,100 --> 00:44:46,333
♫ My heart has its hometown to return. ♫

808
00:44:46,533 --> 00:44:47,866
♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, ♫

809
00:44:48,233 --> 00:44:49,666
♫ who is the one crossing the waves with me, ♫

810
00:44:50,000 --> 00:44:53,233
♫ with our hearts unrepentant,
through countless lifetimes. ♫

811
00:44:53,433 --> 00:44:54,866
♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, ♫

812
00:44:55,133 --> 00:44:56,666
♫ oceans and lands witness that♫

813
00:44:56,900 --> 00:44:59,666
♫ the world will be safe and sound. ♫

814
00:45:00,066 --> 00:45:03,100
♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, ♫

815
00:45:11,266 --> 00:45:15,433
♫ my heart is unchanging. ♫