Original subtitles

[English subtitles are available]

[Palace of Devotion]

[This drama is based on historical data and legends.]

[The story and characters portrayed are fictitious.]

[Episode 17]

Your Majesty, General Cao Wei of Daming Province

has been working under Wang Chao

and knows him well.

With Wang Qin Ruo cooking up a plan,

I believe the two of them

will be able to intercept Wang Chao at Daming Province.

On top of that,

[Council Chamber]

although Xiao Ta Lin is known as the God of War of Liao,

Li Ji Long and Yang Yan Zhao, the generals of Chanyuan,

have also fought against him many times.

Each of them has their victories

and they can rival Xiao Ta Lin.

If Your Majesty gives up halfway,

that will greatly reduce the morale of the troops.

It'll really be hard for us to repel the Liao army.

If it really comes to that,

who's going to bring

Consort Liu and the Eldest Prince home?

Report!

Here's a report from General Li of Chanyuan City!

It's urgent!

All right. You're dismissed.

Your Majesty.

Xiao Ta Lin is about to arrive at Chanyuan.

Your Majesty, please deploy the entire military forces.

Otherwise, Chanyuan will be at stake.

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

You! Get lost!

Sooner or later,

Song will be ruined in the hands of scums like you!

Lord Kou, it's inappropriate for you

to make such insulting remarks.

Your Majesty!

If Chanyuan falls, so will Dongjing!

If Dongjing falls, that will be the end of Song!

Ping Zhong.

-Your Majesty! -Lord Kou!

Your Majesty!

Lord Kou.

Calm down.

Lord Kou.

How dare you offend His Majesty?

Your Majesty, please give the order to punish him!

Shut up!

[Council Chamber]

I'm aware

of the situation in Chanyuan.

Convey my order.

Order the Three Armies

to set out at once

and march towards Chanyuan at full speed.

No matter how valiant Wang Chao is,

and regardless of the political unrest at the capital,

I'm going to have a showdown with Xiao Chuo

at Chanyuan.

Anyone who tells me to return to the capital

will be shown no mercy!

Yes, Your Majesty!

Yes, Your Majesty.

Fellow comrades!

Who did you bring with you?

Lord Sao, the Song envoy.

Let him through!

This way, please, Lord Cao.

Your Majesty.

The general is leading the vanguard troops

and will soon arrive at the northern bank of the Yellow River.

After crossing the Yellow River,

they'll then capture Chanyuan.

With our army marching northward,

this shall be the decisive battle.

If we take down Chanyuan,

our army can quickly march forward

and take over the Central Plain.

Your Majesty.

Cao Li Yong, the deputy envoy of Chongyi, wants to request an audience.

It took the Song envoy so long

to get here

from Kaifeng.

It's clear they aren't sincere to negotiate peace.

Our troops are here and will be launching the attack tomorrow.

What is he here to discuss?

Since he's here, we'll keep him.

Let him stay.

After we capture Chanyuan

and take over Kaifeng tomorrow,

he can come and see me then.

By then,

he'll know how to negotiate peace with me.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Lord Cao.

Her Majesty isn't receiving guests today.

You may rest in the barrack first.

Her Majesty will summon you again.

Emperor Dowager Xiao ordered Wang Ji Zhong to write letters to Lord Kou twice

urging us to send an envoy.

Now that I'm here,

Her Majesty is refusing to meet me.

What's the meaning of this?

Her Majesty said that you were too late.

The Liao army is reaching Chanyuan City.

War is inevitable.

Save the peace talks after the war.

His Majesty sincerely sent me here

to have peace talks.

If such peaceful means can turn swords into ploughshares,

why does Empress Dowager Xiao want to risk the lives of tens of millions of soldiers?

Say no more, Lord Cao.

Since Her Majesty asked for you to rest in the barrack,

Her Majesty will summon you again.

Lead the way for Lord Cao.

Entertain the guest.

Yes.

I come with sincerity...

This way, please, Lord Cao.

Sister!

I think the Song envoy is here!

Hurry!

Hold on.

Greetings, Your Highness. I'm Cao Li Yong.

Cao Li Yong?

Forgive my abruptness.

Your Highness has never seen me before.

By the order of His Majesty,

I came for peace talks.

But little did I expect

that Empress Xiao refused to see me.

Where's His Majesty?

As far as I know,

His Majesty will arrive in Chanyuan today.

Sister.

His Majesty is finally here.

Don't worry, Your Highness.

This way, please, Lord Cao.

It must have been a long journey.

Take care, Your Highness.

May God

bless Yuan Kan

and Chanyuan.

What did you see?

Lead the way.

Xiao Ta Lin?

Xiao Ta Lin is coming.

Hurry! Report it!

General.

Our spies reported

the sighting of Xiao Ta Lin's black eagle.

It looks like the Liao vanguard troops are approaching Chanyuan.

The Liao army marched southward

and attacked Suicheng, Wangdu,

Qizhou, Dingzhou, Yingzhou,

Deqing, and Daming Province.

Right now, they're approaching the Yellow River.

The Liao army claimed that with 200,000 soldiers,

they'll arrive at the Yellow River in less than a day.

But we have only 20,000 soldiers in Chanyuan.

Wang Chao defied His Majesty's decree

and sat on the deployment of an army of 200,000 soldiers.

His Majesty and the reinforcements have yet to arrive.

How are we to defend against the enemy?

I didn't expect the Liao army to come so quickly.

Xiao Ta Lin's intentions are very obvious

which is to take down Chanyuan

before His Majesty and the reinforcements arrive.

I've sent five memorials in a row to His Majesty

requesting reinforcements.

His Majesty was expected to arrive today.

I wonder if something happened on the way.

Earlier, the soldier reported

that His Majesty has arrived in Weicheng

and is half a day away from Chanyuan.

Report!

Xiao Ta Lin’s vanguard troops

are about 20 li away from the Yellow River!

Xiao Ta Lin's troops consist of elite armoured cavalry

which allows them to travel at high speed,

whereas our army consists mainly of infantry units.

Xiao Ta Lin's troops will surely arrive sooner.

General.

We'll have to fight

since the reinforcements aren't here.

Since we're heavily outnumbered,

we have little chance of winning.

Only by preventing the Liao army from the north of the Yellow River,

can we buy time while waiting for the arrival of the reinforcements.

General, what's your plan?

The Liao army must go through the Yellow River

to travel from north to south.

Dismantle all the pontoon bridges and chip away the ice.

If the Liao army wants to cross the river,

they must wait until the river freezes up

or travel through the mountains to get to Chanyuan.

That way,

we can stall the Liao army.

That's a good idea.

I'll lead our troops and get to it now.

There's no time to lose.

Mobilize the people to chip away the ice together.

Yes, sir!

Let's go.

[Chan Prefecture]

The Liao army is here! Run!

The Liao army is here! Run!

Don't run! Stop!

Don't run! Stop!

Stay calm!

Only by cutting through the glacier

can it stop the Liao army

and allow His Majesty to enter the city safely!

This time, His Majesty

is leading us into the battle to repel the Liao army

and defend our homeland!

So we need to step it up a notch

and smash these ice cubes, all right?

-All right! -All right!

Smash!

-Smash! -Smash!

Do you have a death wish? Fall back!

Kill!

Get into formation!

Pikemen!

Attack!

Kill!

Help!

Help!

Help!

Help!

-Help! -Help me.

Help!

-His Majesty is here! -Your Majesty!

Long live Your Majesty!

[Song]

His Majesty is here!

His Majesty is here!

-It's His Majesty. -His Majesty.

Long live Your Majesty!

His Majesty is leading the troops into battle

and has arrived Chanyuan City!

Long live His Majesty!

Long live His Majesty!

Long live His Majesty!

Listen.

What's... What's that noise?

The noise seems to come

from the Song army.

Report!

Your Majesty.

Our spies in Chanyuan reported

that Zhao Heng, the Emperor of Song, had reached Chanyuan

and showed up at the city gate tower.

So quickly?

From the looks of it, Yang Yan Zhao's strategy of chipping the ice worked out.

The general was obstructed on the northern bank of the Yellow River

and the Emperor of Song

managed to get to Chanyuan first.

It looks like Zhao Heng

isn't as weak as I thought.

He still came.

That's right. Not only the Emperor of Song

brought reinforcements,

it even boosted the army morale.

Coupled with Wang Chao's 200,000 soldiers,

it makes it harder to capture Chanyuan City.

Crushed ice will freeze up.

Our army will cross the river, one way or another.

Convey my order.

Strike camp at once.

The entire army is to march south non-stop

and meet up with General Xiao to attack the city

and capture Chanyuan.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Since Zhao Heng is here,

I would love to have a showdown with him.

Liao and Song have fought for so many years

and it's been a nip and tuck.

We shall put an end to this

in the battle tomorrow.

Long live Your Majesty!

The soldiers in the north

don't seem to fear the Liao people.

Long live Your Majesty!

There'll be victory wherever Your Majesty is.

With the right strategy,

it's only a matter of time before we repel the Liao army.

If we win,

Song shall prosper.

If we lose,

Song shall perish.

This battle shall determine the fate of Song.

Don't worry, Your Majesty.

With the strategy for city defence, we'll win this for sure.

Listen up, Xiao Chuo!

I've arrived in Chanyuan!

Show yourself, Xiao Chuo!

It's a do or die!

[Chan Prefecture]

Long live Your Majesty!

Long live Your Majesty!

Long live Your Majesty!

General.

General.

Two days in the prison and Lord Wang has already lost his mind?

Lord Wang.

War is coming.

Why would you still be in the mood for this?

The Liao army has fled south.

Why would there be a war?

Lord Wang, see for yourself.

Wang Chao, the Regional Commander of Jianxiong Army, assembled a personal army

and defied His Majesty's order.

He harbours evil intentions and has caused a huge disaster.

With the war against Liao, we can't afford internal strife.

Without firing a shot, thou and Wang Qin Ruo

shall intercept Wang Chao at Daming Province.

Strip him of his military power and get rid of him.

This is...

Wang Chao rebelled against the court?

Will you be able to stop

his army of 200,000 soldiers?

His Majesty issued five decrees

and ordered me to demobilize Wang Chao's army.

I had no choice but to send someone to negotiate with Wang Chao

with His Majesty's decree.

It's fine if he withdraws his troops.

But if he resists and refuses to comply,

I'm going to take him down at Daming Province

even if he has millions of soldiers!

General Cao, you can't do that.

If that happens,

that will abet Wang Chao in his rebellion.

In my opinion,

if he decides to rise in revolt

and defect to Liao,

you'll stand no chance of winning.

This is a battle between Song and Liao.

That said, we'll be defeated by the Liao army.

This is a huge matter.

Don't let emotions cloud your judgement.

Me?

Do you have a better idea then?

Find Wang Chao's weakness.

Make him

go down without a fight.

[Xi Yuan Gate]

Greetings, General. I'm Wang Qin Ruo, the Vice Counsellor.

Greetings, General Wang. I'm Cao Wei, the General of Daming Province.

Thank you for coming out here to welcome me.

I truly appreciate it.

It's freezing cold.

Why are you two waiting here?

This place is over ten li away from Daming Province.

You've been travelling all day.

General Cao and I are worried that you'll be exhausted.

So we came to welcome you

so that you can rest in the tent,

and we even prepared a feast

for the soldiers.

It's been snowing for two days.

Thank you for your kindness.

This way, please.

The people of Daming Province are overjoyed

to hear that you're marching south to fight the enemy.

Here, General Wang. This way to the tent.

Please.

Please.

General Wang.

Welcome, General Wang.

Here.

Have a seat, General Wang.

Lord Wang, is this appropriate?

Just a gesture of appreciation from us.

All right.

Please.

General Wang, let me help you.

Here.

-Here. -Take a seat, General Wang.

Pour the wine!

General, warm yourself up.

It's a shame we hadn't met sooner.

Let's drink our fill today.

Thank you, Lord Wang and General Cao.

A meal served with meat and wine is more than enough.

It's what we should do.

[Xi Yuan Gate]

Fellow comrades, thank you!

Dinner is ready!

Enjoy yourselves!

-Great! -Great!

Good wine.

General Huyan.

Get lost!

Here.

Go to General Wang

and help massage his legs.

Look how happy General Wang is.

Let's leave him be so he can enjoy himself.

We shall take our leave then.

All right. Go on.

General Huyan.

I've prepared another tent

for you.

Why don't you go

and rest in another tent?

General.

-General. -Here.

General Wang loves his wine and women.

Both of you sure know how to rub him the right way.

General Huyan, I have something to say.

This way, please.

[Order to Cao Wei.]

[Wang Chao of Jianxiong Army]

[has assembled a personal army.]

[He harbours evil intentions.]

[We can't afford internal strife.]

This is a handwritten letter from His Majesty

ordering us to take down General Wang

and let His Majesty deal with him.

Rebel!

I'll get rid of him on His Majesty's behalf!

This is...

Hold on.

General Huyan, calm down.

Wang Chao is the court's appointed official.

None of us can kill him.

We have to capture him alive

and let His Majesty deal with him.

I was wondering why he was being such a coward

and refused to deploy the army!

I've long wanted to get rid of him!

General Huyan,

if you lead the army of 200,000 soldiers into Daming Province

and let General Cao take command

to jointly fight against Liao,

we can then easily take Wang Chao down.

It all comes down to your decision

to pacify his rebellion without a single casualty.

That's right.

In the future, I'll put in a good word for you

with His Majesty.

That's right.

That's easy! Leave it to me!

General Cao. Lord Wang.

What's the meaning of this?

Huyan Zan!

Take down Wang Chao!

Send him to Chanyuan and let His Majesty deal with him.

How dare of you!

I'm leading troops to reinforce Chanyuan!

If you take the liberty to detain me

and cause a delay in military aid,

can you afford the consequences?

When the Liao army attacked Daming Province,

you refused to send help!

His Majesty issued the decree, but you refused to deploy the army!

How do you explain that?

A field commander must decide even against His Majesty's orders!

Li Ji He has confessed!

Say no more! His Majesty will decide!

Take him!

Cao Wei!

Lord Wang.

I was making preparations

to go to war with Wang Chao.

Never did I imagine

that you would easily

take down Wang Chao

and his army of 200,000 soldiers.

I've got to hand it to you.

I'm flattered.

Trust in the wrong hands

brought about Wang Chao's downfall.

A narrow-minded person like Li Ji He can't accomplish great things.

You seem to know Wang Chao really well.

General Cao.

Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated.

The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.

That's a real eye-opener.

A few days ago,

I was disrespectful to you.

Please forgive me.

This is...

It's a small matter. Don't mention it.

The war is coming.

We have to stand united

to fight against the Liao army.

Here. Please.

Your Majesty.

Wang Chao has been planning a rebellion for a long time.

The Vice Counsellor, Lord Wang, used a clever ruse

and took him down outside Daming Province.

He has been put in jail

and awaiting Your Majesty's order.

Wang Chao's army of 200,000 soldiers

has been incorporated into the troops at Daming Province.

Great. That's really great.

With Wang Chao gone,

that's a really huge relief.

What a great contribution.

Your Majesty.

How should we deal with Wang Chao?

What do you think?

Wang Chao defied the order and hindered military operations.

In grave difficulties,

Wang Chao colluded with Li Ji He and conspired to rebel.

Such heinous crimes cannot be pardoned.

If he's not killed, it will cause a loss of morale within the army.

Your Majesty.

Lord Kou has informed me

about my brother's, Li Ji He's rebellion.

My brother has committed a crime,

and I'm responsible for failing to discipline him.

Please punish me as well.

General, please rise.

I've exonerated Li Ji He from the death penalty,

stripped him of his rank, and relegated him to a commoner.

He was temporarily put in jail

and would have been pardoned after the war.

But Li Ji He killed himself in prison

to atone for his crime.

I'm so sorry about that.

I know where your loyalty lies.

I've never doubted it.

You've always been so loyal.

In the face of such a formidable enemy,

I hope you'll fight with me to defend against them.

Even if I offer my life in sacrifice

isn't enough to repay Your Majesty's grace.

General, please rise.

Eunuch Zhang.

Yes, Your Highness.

My child is gone.

Your Highness, why would you say that?

I'll summon the imperial physician now.

I had a nightmare.

I dreamt that my child is gone.

Your Highness.

Your journey in the past two days has been rough.

It's normal to feel fatigued.

Here. Drink the medicine and it'll all be fine.

Eunuch Zhang, let me ask you.

Have you heard the latest about His Majesty?

Have they arrived in Chanyuan?

Did the Liao army launch an attack?

I can't help feeling uneasy.

I'm really worried about them.

I can't do this.

Your Highness.

I want to go to Chanyuan and find His Majesty.

I want to find His Majesty.

Your Highness!

You can't do that.

Eunuch Zhang, look.

I have to go to Chanyuan today.

Your Highness.

Your Highness.

You can't go.

His Majesty ordered me to look after you.

His Majesty is going to punish me.

Say no more.

It doesn't feel right.

Prepare the carriage.

Your Highness!

This is going to get me killed.

Hurry! Go now!

This way, Your Majesty.

This way, please.

This crossbow is made of jujube wood

and the string is made of the leopard tendon.

The core is made of refined copper.

Its range is much longer than ordinary bows and arrows,

which is up to 340 paces far,

and it can fire dozens of arrows at the same time.

It's extremely lethal.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty, this way, please.

Your Majesty.

This is the bed crossbow.

Because it has three prods mounted,

it's also known as the triple bed crossbow.

Seeing is believing.

I didn't expect the bed crossbow to be so huge.

When the bed crossbow is opened, the twisting shaft needs to be stretched,

and it takes eight buffaloes to pull it.

That's why it's called the eight-oxen crossbow.

Your Majesty.

This crossbow has been modified.

A single launch range of 200 yards,

and it can also launch dozens of shots at the same time.

It's swift like thunder and it makes sounds like a jackdaw.

It's also known as the Jackdaw arrow.

It has a range

of 120 paces.

A skilled archer

can only shoot about 150 paces far.

30 yards at most.

But this crossbow can shoot over a distance of 200 meters.

No matter how valiant Xiao Ta Lin is,

I'm afraid he's no match for this Jackdaw arrow.

Jackdaw arrow?

It's obviously a spear.

This crossbow might be powerful.

But to use it on the battlefield,

it's time-consuming and labour-intensive.

After the first shot, I'm afraid the Liao army

would have captured the city

before we could load the arrow.

There's no need to load the arrows.

It's specially designed to be used against Xiao Ta Lin.

To catch the bandits, we must first catch their ringleader.

As long as it's shot at Xiao Ta Lin,

the Liao army will lose their leader.

With these two bed crossbows

plus the fortifications outside the city,

we can surely defeat the Liao army tomorrow.

General.

Are you confident to take Xiao Ta Lin down with one single shot?

Your Majesty.

Timing is the key to launching the arrow.

With the right calculation

and perfect timing,

we can win with one single shot.

Your Majesty.

Lord Kou is right.

In the past few days,

I've been taking measurements

and marking the spot outside the city.

Once Xiao Ta Lin is within the shooting range,

we'll launch the arrow at once.

It's a sure-fire plan.

It looks like you have made a well thought out plan.

Tomorrow,

our army shall triumph.

Your Majesty.

[Chan Prefecture]

Kill!

Kill!

Artillery, get ready!

Artillery, get ready!

Kill!

Kill!

Kill!

Kill!

Kill!

Shoot!

Shoot!

General, what kind of weapon is this?

You cowards!

Come out here and fight me if you have the guts!

Kill!

Not even the bed crossbow is effective against Xiao Ta Lin?

Artillery, get ready!

Kill!

Kill!

Archers, get ready!

[End of Episode 17]