Original subtitles

Episode 01

Three Kingdoms

In the final years of the Eastern Han dynasty,

the Yellow Turban Rebellion had commenced for eight months before it was quelled.

However, old habits die hard, and the Han Empire did not prosper again.

In A.D. 189 the fourteen-year-old Emperor Shao of Han, Liu Bian, succeeded the throne.

His power-wielding maternal relative, Commander-in-Chief He Jin,

in order to exterminate the power of palace eunuchs.

adopted Yuan Shao's idea

and secretly ordered Dong Zhuo to lead his army towards the capital.

The era of the Three Kingdoms, a period of over 100 years that was full of battles and chaos,

thus began.

In A.D. 189, Dong Zhuo deposed Emperor Shao, Liu Bian,

and appointed Prince Chenliu, Liu Xie,

to succeed the throne as Emperor Xian.

Dong Zhuo was appointed the Chancellor, wielding the entire power of the court.

provoking the wrath of heaven and men alike,

thereupon igniting the indignation of the whole country.

His Majesty has decreed

that all officials are to send off Chancellor Dong!

We respectfully send off Chancellor Dong.

End of session!

Court dismissed!

My Lord, today is Minister of the Interior Lord Wang Yun's birthday.

Lord Wang has prepared a banquet in his house. He has invited you.

Has he invited Dong Zhuo yet?

I see. Tell him that I will attend the banquet.

I definitely will.

Young eunuch.

Lord Cao.

I've waited for you for half a day.

and you still have no message for me?

You whispered to everyone earlier.

But why did you not tell me anything?

Are you looking down on me. Cao Cao?

Lord Imperial Tutor, you should be able to tell.

The invitees of Minister Wang's birthday banquet

are all veteran officials of the late Emperor.

Naturally!

I think the purpose of Minister Wang's banquet...

Lord Yuan! I think the purpose of Minister Wang's banquet...

Lord Yuan!

Cao Mengde!

We take our leave.

Please do.

Goodbye. Please do.

Aren't we all colleagues of the same court?

Yet, some brothers are ashamed to have me in their company.

Mengde, you indeed have a keen insight.

If Imperial Tutor does not mind my company,

may I walk with you a little?

As you wish.

Please.

Imperial Tutor Yuan,

is it Minister Wang's birthday today?

Not only do you have a keen insight, but you have good hearing as well.

Why do you think those eunuchs. who were passing the message for Minister Wang,

invited all of you but left me out?

You must know that I respect you veteran officials of the late emperor the most,

especially Minister Wang.

Before I answer you.

I have something to ask you.

Please ask.

Just like what you've said. Minister Wang invited everyone.

But why didn't he invite you, Cao Mengde?

Good question.

If you think it's a good question; please enlighten me.

I think it's because the invitees are all from noble backgrounds

and are respected by the emperor.

Yet I, Cao Cao, in everyone's eyes.

am merely from the filthy family of a eunuch.

How can such a lowly person keep company with you nobles?

It is quite incredible that you are able to say it that way.

Yet, there are other reasons.

Lord Yuan, do you really want me to spell everything out?

It was you who wanted to walk with me.

Is there any meaning if we walk together. but our paths are different?

All right.

Then I will say it.

The invitees are all veteran officials of the late emperor.

and also are part of the Emperor's trusted clique headed by Wang Yun.

But in your eyes, I, Cao Cao; am but a man of lowly conduct,

a willing lackey, who bows down to a villain.

Why did you stop talking?

Why don't you go on?

Why are you of lowly conduct?

How did you bow down?

To whom are you a lackey?

Which villain are you working for?

The National Villain Dong Zhuo!

Y-y-you... Be quiet.

What is it, Lord Yuan?

Isn't this "national villain'' treated with contempt by old ministers like you,

and he constantly makes you worried?

Why don't you dare to say it out loud,

in broad daylight in the capital palace?

Don't you all consider the "Hall of Golden Chimes" a holy ground?

What a flock of sanctimonious ministers!

All kept silent out of fear, all terror-stricken!

This really opens my eyes to,what is seniority and subordination.

letting me to see another concept of the difference between the two.

Just a mere sneeze

can reduce the so-called morally upright to cowards!

You! You! You!

My Lord, you're here.

Please! Please!

Please!

Great. Please!

Please! Please walk carefully.

My Lord, please!

Congratulations on your sixtieth birthday, Lord Wang.

Thank you. Thank you. Please! Please!

Please! Please! Sure, sure.

Are all the invitees here?

Master,

all of the invited are already here. No one is absent.

Good.

Close the gate and extinguish the lanterns.

Stop the music.

Do not alarm patrolling lackeys.

Yes, Sir!

Congratulations, Lord Wang, on your sixtieth birthday!

iGentlemen, please!

Please!

Great wine! Great wine!

Come! Come!

Open the door and welcome a guest!

Please! Please!

Master.

A man who calls himself the Cavalry Commander, Cao Cao,

came uninvited and insists on congratulating you.

Cao Cao?

Cao Ahman is acting so rudely.

Almost completely shameless!

/ Once Dong Zhuo entered the capital, Cao Cao allied himself with the villain,

obsequiously and shamelessly currying for favor.

He's a complete embarrassment to all the officials!

That's right! He used to pay respect every day when he first started, but now?

He presents himself twice a day, following him everywhere.

He's indeed the Chancellors lackey.

I think this man is almost like Dong Zhuo's adopted son.

Lord Minister,

Cao Cao must have come here to eavesdrop and get news for Dong Zhuo.

Yes, My Lord! Please drive him away.

Just chase him away. Drive him away.

That's right!

Not necessarily.

In my opinion.

Cao Cao doesn't appear to be Dong Zhuo's lackey.

At least, he'd be unwilling to live his life like that.

Cao Cao has always been ambitious.

He may appear obsequious, but secretly, he conceals his ambition.

He may be acting as a trusted aide. yet in his heart he may harbor other intentions.

That's right. What you said is right. My Lord.

That's right! That's right! That's right. What you said is right. My Lord.

To come back to the topic,

he clearly said that he's here to congratulate me.

How could I chase away a congratulatory guest?

Housekeeper.

Yes.

Add one more seat next to the door,

place one small table there and add a set of goblets.

Allow Cao Cao to join the banquet.

Yes.

Lord Cao.

Lord Minister has invited you to the banquet.

Show me the way.

Please. Lord Cao, please.

I, Cao Cao,

congratulate you, Lord Wang, on your sixtieth birthday.

Thank you.

Please be seated.

Cao Cao really doesn't know his place. Why is he here?

I thank you for the seat!

Gentlemen, please!

Please! Please!

Please!

Good wine! Good wine!

Gentlemen,

today is not my birthday.

On the contrary,

this will be my death day.

I invited all of you to my humble abode, using my birthday as an excuse,

because I want to tell you that.

our great Han dynasty of 400 years

is coming to its end.

The Empire has deteriorated, its days no longer shine,

the ancestral shrine is destroyed, and evil rules the nation.

The emperor is humiliated, and his officials bear the shame.

Inside,the villain Dong Zhuo runs amok in the court.

Outside, ambitious hegemons play bully.

Alas! Our society is deteriorating.

I'm deeply in grief.

Moreover, Dong Zhuo barges into the palace every night,

sleeping on the emperor's bed and raping ladies of the palace as he pleases.

He's no better than a beast.

Cao Cao, why are you laughing?

I am laughing because

all the men here are acting like women.

What? This...

Even if you weep from dusk to dawn.

will the villain Dong Zhuo die because of all this crying?

What talent do you have? How dare you speak so frivolously!

I'm untalented, but

in a snap, I can hang the head of Dong Zhuo on the gates of the Palace of Longlasting Joy!

So arrogant! Extremely arrogant!

Men!

Drag this audacious Cao Ahman out of this hall and this house!

Get out! Get up!

Go! Go!

Wait! Wait! Lord Minister, please listen to my words!

Speak up!

Though you're a stubborn old fogey,

your wine here is not bad.

How could such a stubborn man like you be worthy of such great wine?

Pity. What a pity!

Drag him out! Pity. What a pity!

Get out! Drag him out!

What a pity! It's good wine! Get out! Drag him out!

Get out!

Scram quickly! Scram! Scram!

Cowards! Cowards! Cowards...

General Cao! General Cao! Please stay!

General Cao?

What a sudden change in the blink of an eye.

How did Cao Ahman become General Cao again?

The inconsistent human nature can change in a flash.

Servant, what do you want to say to me?

General Cao, My Lord ordered me to apologize deeply to you.

He said there were lots of people in the banquet.

It was unwise to talk about taking Dong Zhuo's head then.

So, he pretended to be angry and chased you away.

This was to save your life as well.

Please wait in the study.

Once the guests have dispersed. My Lord will apologize personally to you.

This is more like Lord Wang Yun.

All right. Ill wait in the study then,

but bring me two jars of the banquet wine.

Don't let me sit thirsty.

Sure. Sure.

Brother Mengde.

Brother Mengde, you've waited long.

I feel very bad.

Let me apologize to you again as an expression of my regret.

Lord Minister, you're being too modest.

May I ask if/the other ministers have gone?

They just left.

There were a lot of people in the banquet.

It was not convenient for me to talk at great length.

May I ask, Brother Mengde,

do you have a plan to eliminate the villain?

Of course. do you have a plan to eliminate the villain?

Please!

I, Cao Cao,

am not one who will betray my master for wealth.

Nor am I someone who makes empty promises.

In the banquet,

the ministers actually misunderstood me.

I bow down to the villain in order to kill him.

How can you kill him?

My Lord. How can you kill him?

I've obtained the complete trust of the villain, Dong Zhuo.

Although his mansion's security is tight and always guarded by many soldiers,

I can gain access to the inner hall even without being announced.

But Dong Zhuo always wears an armor under his garment.

Ordinary weapons cannot harm him.

I wonder if you still remember the event from last spring.

when Wu Fu stabbed Dong Zhuo with a sharp blade.

Because he could not pierce through the armor.

his effort fell short and his family was exterminated.

So, Brother Mengde, you mean...

I heard that in your house,

you have a heirloom, the Seven Star Dagger.

It can cut gold and jade and is extremely sharp. Correct?

If you can lend me this dagger,

I'm willing to conceal it and enter the Chancellor's mansion.

I'll get close to Dong Zhuo's side.

Once I have the chance, Ill slaughter him like I'm slaughtering a pig.

With him dead,

the Xiliang troops will be without a leader and will surely disband.

Then, great things can be settled with a snap of the fingers.

Assassination attempt at the Chancellor's house?

That means.

Brother Mengde, you won't be able to return alive, either?

How can a warrior who wishes to rid his country of evil be concerned about his own life?

If I can hang Dong Zhuo's head on the city gate,

my name will be etched in history.

If I can't,

the head hanging on the city gate will probably be mine instead.

Even so, I will still do it willingly.

Cao Mengde, General Cao.

If you really can eliminate that villain,

it'll definitely be an extremely meritorious deed that will be remembered through the ages.

The fate of the 400-year-old Han dynasty

now rests in your hands. Brother Mengde.

I'll go and take the dagger then.

Wait.

Brother Mengde,

you think that's the Seven Star Dagger?

Its not?

Please wait.

The number one dagger looks so simple and unadorned.

The worth of valuable treasures in the world is usually not in their looks.

In three days,

I'll make it be remembered in history and covered in blood.

The Han Dynasty of 400 years is depending on you. General Cao.

The Cavalry Commander is here to pay respects to the Chancellor.

My Lord, please!

You're not planning to search my body for weapons?

That's for outsiders. For you, we don't need to adhere to the rules.

My Lord, please!

Lord Chancellor, apologies. I am late.

Mengde is here.

Good. Good.

Come. Come.

Mengde, I'd like to introduce you.

This is my adopted son, Lü Bu, styled Fengxian.

He just led his troops from Xiliang to the capital.

Your famous name has long been known to me.

People say, amongst men, Lu Bu, and amongst steeds, the Red Hare.

Moreover, you wield the Trident Halberd.

Indeed, you are extraordinary, second to none.

Fengxian, you heard that?

Cao Mengde's way with words should be called "second to none" instead.

Mengde, you over-praise me. I don't deserve it.

Mengde, why did you just come?

I've waited for you for half a day.

My steed is very frail and weak.

So, I'm late.

I apologize.

Aren't you the Cavalry Commander?

Why don't you have a good horse?

Your Excellency may not be aware that

there was a drought at the start of this spring.

There's a shortage of rice in the capital for the people and horses have no feed.

My steed is almost dying of hunger.

That's not right. Not right.

Anyone can starve, except for the steed belonging to you, Cao Mengde.

I've received several Ferghana steeds from Xiliang.

Fengxian,

go and personally choose a good horse for Mengde.

Yes, Sir!

Thank you, General.

Thank you. Your Excellency.

Mengde.

Come. Come.

Let's have a talk.

Mengde, let me ask you.

Do*you know Yuan Shao, Yuan Benchu, well?

Yuan Benchu and I have known each other since we were young.

But we're of different social strata.

That bastard Yuan Shao!

I should've destroyed him once I got into the capital.

At the time, I had qualms about his great fame.

So I was soft-hearted and let that brat escape from the capital.

I wouldn't have expected, but

now he has gathered 18 lords to rise up against me!

Your Excellency, please don't be alarmed.

Yuan Shao has empty reputation, and no real talent.

Also, the 18 lords are not on par with the Xiliang troops.

You just need to send General Lü Bu

with 30,000 cavalry, and you'll surely have a great victory.

Of course. Of course!

Other than Lu Fengxian, I also have Generals Li Jue and Guo Si.

(They1 re also brave and peerless generals.

They'll slaughter the 18 lords like they're slaughtering pigs.

I think,

the most important thing is you, Your Excellency.

You've led the army like Han Xin and governed the kingdom like Xiao He.

In the entire 400-year history of our Great Han,

no one has been like you, Your Excellency,

who has such all-encompassing skills.

Cao Mengde, Cao Mengde.

Listening to you really makes me happy.

Mengde,

I want to ask you one more thing.

Please do.

I know:that the ministers are ostensibly respectful of me,

yet in their hearts they hate me.

They hate me so much they want to hang my head on the city gate.

You're quite well acquainted with these ministers.

Let me ask you.

After news came in of Yuan Shao mustering the army,

did those people behave strangely?

There were no big movements.

It was Minister Wang's sixtieth birthday the night before last.

The ministers were invited to the banquet.

I went uninvited.

I wanted to scout for news on your behalf.

But I didn't expect to be driven away.

Those folks are good-for-nothings!

They grow fat and lazy on their prince's bread, but

other than cursing me in their hearts, they have no other abilities!

I hate them so much that I'd like to behead them and make a broth with their flesh.

No, Your Excellency.

In general, those of high honor are mostly sour people.

Sour? Sour indeed.

The thought of it makes my teeth ache.

This blasted place, Luoyang, is much hotter than Xiliang.

Look, look. Summer has not yet arrived,

and it's already so hot.

Mengde.

I'm going to lie down in my room for a while.

Be careful. Your Excellency.

Your Excellency.

Your Excellency?

Mengde, what are you doing?

Report, Your Excellency.

I've recently obtained a very valuable treasure.

The Seven Star Dagger.

I was thinking, I am not worthy of using such a valuable treasure.

I know that you are very fond of weapons.

Yes!

I would like to present it to you, Your Excellency.

Bring it to me and let me have a look.

This is just a common dagger, right?

Extremely ordinary.

How could you say it's very valuable?

May I use it for a moment?

Heavens! That there's such a formidable dagger in this world!

Excellent! It's really excellent!

Who's worthy to use such a valuable treasure?

Only wise and illustrious rulers like you.

Your Excellency, are worthy of this treasure.

Mengde,

you're really loyal to me.

I shall thank you.

I only hate myself for not being able to repay you for your kindness.

Mengde!

General Lu, what's the matter?

Mengde, perhaps you've forgotten.

His Excellency wanted me to give you a steed.

What do you think of this horse? I personally chose this one for you,

a Ferghana horse from Xiliang.

It can run 800 miles a day.

Such a fine steed! Won't it be wasted on me?

You're too/modest. A valuable steed is worthy of a hero, right?

Can I try it?

Please.

Brother Mengde,

this horse is stubborn.

If you want it to obey you, you'll need to have the might of a hero.

Why don't you try shouting at it?

Father.

Fengxian.

Have you seen Cao Cao?

I just met him outside the mansion.

I followed your order to give him a fine steed.

He anxiously tried to ride the horse, galloping around non-stop.

Fengxian,

Cao Cao just gave me a precious dagger.

Look.

This thing is indeed an extremely valuable treasure.

It can cut through iron like mud!

Just now, with just one cut. Do you see that?

This copper mirror is split in two.

This dagger is a peerless item.

A peerless item.

Father, may I take a look at the dagger?

A precious dagger. A precious dagger!

Cao Cao said it was called the Seven Star Dagger.

The Seven Star Dagger?

Father, I heard the Minister of Interior, Wang Yun, also has a Seven Star Dagger

that has been handed down the generations.

Could it be this dagger?

Wang Yun?

Cao Cao just said that he went to offer his wishes on Wang Yun's birthday,

but he was driven out by Wang Yun.

In that case, why would he give him his heirloom?

Oh no! Cao Cao was here to assassinate me!

Father, please don't be too suspicious.

Too suspicious? In these days, being too suspicious saves my life.

Once an assassin draws near, I can just smell him out.

Now that I think about it,

Cao Cao was panicky just now.

When he offered the sword, his hands trembled a little.

Also, if he were sincere in giving the dagger to me,

why didn't he give it to me earlier, when we first met?

Why did he need to wait until I fell asleep to give it to me?

If this copper mirror hadn't reflected the flash and woken me up.

this dagger perhaps would've been plunged into my back.

Cao Cao acted under pretense because I woke up.

So, he pretended to give me this dagger.

Men!

Your Excellency!

Summon Cao Cao to see me immediately!

Yes!

Who is that? Dismount for the check immediately!.

I am Cavalry Commander Cao Cao.

His Excellency gave me an urgent order. Step aside!

Take the token out and let me see it!

Time is running out. If you delay His Excellency's order, don't you fear losing your head?!

Get lost!

Report!

Report, Your Excellency.

Just now, a messenger under your urgent order exited through the east gate.

I would like to clarify whether you indeed sent this messenger.

Who is the bastard?

He called himself Cavalry Commander Cao Cao.

He is an assassin! A villain!

Cao Cao came to assassinate me!

Immediately order 5,000 armed men to apprehend Cao Cao!

Yes!

Father, I'm waiting for your order.

Let me lead the heavy cavalry to capture Cao Cao.

Fengxian.

You really like this Seven Star Dagger, right?

I wouldn't dare to.

I'm just asking you if you like it, not if you dare!

Tell me honestly, do you like it or not?

I do.

It shall be yours, then. I do.

But I have one request.

You must personally use this dagger to sever Cao Cao's head!

Yes, Sir!