Original subtitles

Adapted from the manhua of the same name, The Ravages of Time

Prologue

People sincerely believe in dreams

Once, someone with the surname Cao

Translator's Note: horse in Mandarin is pronounced as "Ma", stable as "Cao" saw three horses eating in

Translator's Note: horse in Mandarin is pronounced as "Ma", stable as "Cao" the same stable in his dream

Translator's Note: horse in Mandarin is pronounced as "Ma", stable as "Cao" Since stable and the surname Cao are homonyms

Translator's Note: horse in Mandarin is pronounced as "Ma", stable as "Cao" he feared being consumed by a horse

Thus all who had "Ma" in their name were shunned

so much that some had their lives taken

Unfortunately, he only knew of

the horse beyond the Great Wall

and not the horse inside the imperial court

Recently, I often have the same dream

a dream so crazy that no one dare believe in it

Everything in the dream surpasses imagination

I hope that this dream

will become a reality

I believe it'll make things very interesting

Xiao Meng

I saw the Fire Phoenix in my dream again

The Grand Tutor called Sima is dead

Opinions on the cause of death differ but one thing is certain... On that day, the people in the royal capital saw it...

The spear, who has it not harmed in the numerous battles

The halberd, its rise and fall is impermanent

The blade, incomparable in this garish world

The long lance, the man from Yan rages in these dark times

The imperial army kills people like grass mown

The warrior defeated is like a mountain toppled

Only when the arrow is used do you regret not having enough of it

The phoenix lost its nest, the azure dragon's horn is severed

Gazing at the Divine Land, nothing remains when you look back after a thousand years of rises and falls

While steering a small boat, create poems over wine describing heroes

Eternal worries blind one to the beauty locked deep in the palace

In every possible strategy, things constantly change and fade away

Past and present matters become topics for idle chatter and enter my dreams

Human life is but a fleeting moment as the times fly past

Translator's Note: the last line of the opening poem of Romance of the Three Kingdoms It is better to keep an open mind with respect to right and wrong or success and failure when evaluating historical developments

Episode 1 The Handicapped Warriors

Henei Commandery Sima Manor

Xu Lin only wants money and provisions

We should just give it to him

Give it to him?

The Sima family painstakingly accumulated all of this

What on earth should we do?

Every time they discuss important matters

all I hear is are some old platitudes

and superfluous words with no basis

(Luoyang)

It puts me to sleep

(Hulao Pass)

But every time I wake from my dreams

I'll be bolder

(Wen County)

So bold that I could never imagine myself as such

And my conclusion this time is...

Sima Yi courtesy name Zhong Da

Sima Yi courtesy name Zhong Da We'll kill him then

My jade horse from the Qin Dynasty

Killing him will solve all of our problems

We can avoid this headache

Zhong Da

Are you joking?

Xu Lin is Dong Zhuo's top adviser

Who would dare touch him?

Furthermore, he is coming here

under Dong Zhuo's orders to enlist us

If we lean on them now

when Dong Zhuo becomes the ruler one day

our Sima family will have a promising future

Xu Lin is

one day away from the Wen county

In a short few months

in every place you have been to

the rich families of Henei have

all eagerly submitted to you

raising enough funds and

provisions for our Xiliang Army

Lord Zhao

once we return to Luoyang

we will definitely be promoted to a higher rank

However, there is a Sima family in the

Henei Commandery who refuses to be enlisted

How dare these insignificant merchants

disobey the orders of the

Xiliang Army's top military adviser?

The Sima family is the richest family

in the Henei Commandery

and occupy a crossing that is advantageous for

the Guandong Rebel Army to advance to Luoyang

The fact that Lord Xu personally

traveled to the Wen county this time

shows that he sees the Sima family as important

I see

It's strange

Lord Xu has not said a word

since he got onto the ship

Could it be that the top intellectual has

an especially deep sense of self-respect?

Looks like the Sima family

will face an impending disaster

Now Dong Zhuo controls others

using the name of the emperor

Additionally, he has Xu Lin and Lu Bu to help him

in civil and military affairs respectively

The officials and the people have no choice at all

The only good strategy is to offer him tributes

and pledge our allegiance to him

Outstanding talents emerge in every era

Past dynasties have not

lasted more than a few centuries

The Han dynasty is weak

the consort kin have a monopoly on power

and the court eunuchs control the government

Its destruction will not be surprising

Well...

As for Dong Zhuo

he's merely a minor character

who will ignite the flames

It's improper and unreasonable

of Dong Zhuo to personally

install the King of Chenliu as the Emperor

The ambitious individuals of the realm

will surely rally against him

Henei is a strategic area

To march into Luoyang

every army in the realm has to

station their troops in Henei

When the time comes,

these armies will plunder wantonly

in the name of toppling Dong Zhuo

The Sima family is a very wealthy family in Henei

If we were to pledge our allegiance to Dong Zhuo now

we'll become everyone's target of scorn in the future

I'm afraid we'll lose our wealth and lives then

Why is there a fog now when it was perfectly fine before?

My Lord

Order the soldiers to take extra precautions

Understood

Hurry!

Hurry!

A thick fog has obscured the river

and the situation is unclear

My Lord, please take shelter

in the cabin for the time being

No matter what happens,

you must not leave the deck

Then we can just tactfully refuse Dong Zhuo

Why should we kill Xu Lin?

Yes, it might be unwise to anger Dong Zhuo

Xiao Meng

the tea you brewed today

is very good

Dong Zhuo seems powerful

but not powerful enough to maintain

a foothold in the Central Plains for long

If we cooperate with him

we'll definitely be taken out by the

Guandong Coalition army against Dong Zhuo

It would be better

to kill Xu Lin

We can take out one of Dong Zhuo's aides

and also make the various powers

apprehensive of the Sima family

so that they won't rashly plunder us

It's a risky move

that will bring the Sima family the greatest benefit

You gain wealth from taking risks

People living in troubled times can't hesitate

they can only take necessary risks to win

Taking down Dong is what the people want

When the Coalition army against Dong Zhuo arrives

they'll want public support

Then

the Sima family is the public support

Do we really

have to kill Xu Lin?

The handicapped have no prospects despite surviving

The warrior defeated is like a mountain toppled

That's the assassins organization rumored

to have never failed to kill their target

The Handicapped Warriors

Don't panic!

Get into formation now

and stop him!

Ah Huo!

Come save us!

Young Master Zhao! Young Master Zhao!

Young Master Zhao!

Young Master Zhao!

Young Master Zhao!

Young Master Zhao!

Lord Zhao sent an order asking that

you go protect the main ship now

I got it

You don't have to shout so loud

My ears have always been very sharp

Protect Lord Xu Lin now!

Guards

S-Save me!

Move aside

Huo'er, well fought!

I was slow to come to your rescue

Apologies for startling you

My son and I will definitely keep you safe

Huo'er, be careful!

Kill him!

Not a problem

I'll take your wretched life in less than two moves

Changshan sword technique

Left swing, right riposte

Die!

Watch out! There's danger

Father!

Third Uncle

do you want safety or wealth

when you do business?

Wealth of course

Thank you, Second Brother

Come on! Pass me the ball!

Catch!

If they were in this position

what would they choose?

Young Master Zhao Huo has knelt for six hours

Young Master Zhao is extremely filial

It's a pity that Master Zhao Xian is not blessed

Who are you people?

A lord wants to meet you

Young Master Zhao, please follow us

What's this place?

Young Master Zhao, I am Ma Fang,

a merit officer and assistant scribe

This is a secret room

Without Lord Xu Lin's permission

no one is allowed to enter

Lord Xu Lin?

Those meant to die, will die in the end

Xiliang's Top Military Adviser Xu Lin

Xiliang's Top Military Adviser Xu Lin Those meant to live, will survive

Was the one who died

your body double?

Chancellor Dong worries about state affairs,

eliminates evil ministers and assists

the Emperor of the Han dynasty

However, he became a target of public criticism

As Chancellor Dong's military adviser,

I am also considered an eyesore by these rebels

People who want to harm me are everywhere

so I have to be cautious

It is just a pity that a trusted general

was killed for a useless body double

When we return

I will inform Chancellor Dong about

the loyalty shown by you and your father

Thank you, my Lord

This is a battlefield

The dead are gone

but the living need to inherit their mission

We do not have time to grieve

Yes

Don't worry, my Lord, I'm not in grief

Why is that?

If you had really died on my father's ship

those who fail their duties will die thus

our entire Zhao family would definitely be executed

Since Father died in the line of duty

he has saved over 80 lives in the Zhao family

Well said

You are the same as my close friend Lu Bu

you consider every matter very precisely

Just that Lu Bu is very ruthless in his actions

He did not even spare his father

Zhao Huo, you have outstanding martial arts skill

and you are also very perceptive

I like that a lot

Are you willing to become

my adopted son today?

So many people want to kill you

I'm afraid...

Are you afraid of losing another father?

Even the Handicapped Warriors failed to take my life

who else will be able to kill me?

Then I hope you won't regret this

Your answer is very interesting

My Lord, the Handicapped Warriors have

a one-eyed leader that has yet to show up

There is no need to be flustered

The Handicapped Warriors have

already killed me, haven't they?

But they are still here!

What?

All guards are to

protect the entrance!

Send an order to the soldiers

on deck to be on the alert

Do not panic

The enemy may not necessarily

be aware of our actual situation

Do not act rashly

My Lord

is the enemy trying to fool us?

The enemy is at quite a distance,

do not be nervous

Who exactly is the leader of

the Handicapped Warriors?

I know him

One year ago, he came to my home

What?

Did your father associate with

the Handicapped Warriors?

Why did he go to your home?

Did he want to make use of

your father to get close to me?

Yes

This scoundrel is indeed treacherous

He knew that it is difficult for

unrelated personnel to get close to my Lord

Your father would not have agreed to it

Zhao Xian is definitely not this kind of a person

Father didn't know he was a killer

He just felt a kinship with him upon first meeting

and really liked him

So?

So he adopted him as his son

Adopted son?

But Zhao Xian said you're his illegitimate son!

Zhao Xian only had daughters and no sons

He was afraid that you would laugh at him

so he didn't tell you the truth.

It's almost time

Xiao Meng

The Handicapped Warriors!

The Handicapped Warriors came back!

This is terrible

That guy is on fire

What exactly happened?

Look

This is the signal that

they're coming to pick me up

This has attracted the attention of all those idiots on deck

Correct, now I'll focus on dealing with you all

You are not blind in one eye

Not only am I not blind,

my ears are also very sharp

Xiliang's top military adviser, wisest in the world,

shouldn't be this afraid of death

Guards

S-Save me!

When he said "Save me"

the voice was very similar

but it couldn't fool

my ears

Enough

State your name

Liaoyuan Huo the leader of

the Handicapped Warriors

Did you expect this?

To be able to plan out today's events one year ago

it seems that the strategist behind you

is not beneath my level

I am really curious as to who he is

There's no point for you to know that anymore

You are calm in the face of danger

You are indeed not ordinary

I really like you

Unfortunately...

Unfortunately, I insist on throwing my life away?

Yes, it is truly very unfortunate

People who become my father

all die very unfortunate deaths

Lord Xu Lin

prepare to die

You cannot

take my life

How can he be known as Xiliang's top military adviser

without having some backup plans?

Zhao Huo, do you have any chance of winning

if you have to fight fifteen of us?

Boy

Even Lu Bu

might not be able to survive our attack

It's too late for you to regret this now

I've never met Lu Bu

but I would argue that

it's easier to defeat a few dozen experts

than hundreds of underlings

Everyone knows that I have many fierce generals

and experts under my command

If you do not have the strength

that is a match for ten thousand enemies

killing me is easier said than done

Once he succeeds, I'll pull him up

Sister Meng, are you ready?

I'm done

The actions of the leader of the Handicapped Warriors

have all fallen outside of my expectations

If this boy is not a madman

I am afraid he is

a monster who can rival Lu Bu...

Xiliang's top military adviser died yet Dong Zhuo felt excited because...

Dong Zhuo courtesy name Zhong Ying

A monster who had originally lost interest in killing was awakened

I, Lu Feng Xian,

swear to avenge

the murder of my brother

Lu Bu courtesy name Feng Xian

Afterword: The "Records of the Three Kingdoms", one of the "Twenty-Four Histories", is written by Chen Shou, a historian from the Western Jin dynasty. It covers the dynastic histories of Cao Wei, Shu Han and Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms Period in a biographical style. It is one of the "Early Four Historiographies" and most acclaimed of the "Twenty-Four Histories". If you have the perseverance to finish the "Records of the Three Kingdoms", you will find that many of the events in the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" are fictional. In fact, almost no literary work about the Three Kingdoms is based on the "Records of the Three Kingdoms". Every author creates their story about the Three Kingdoms based on their own perspective. \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h- Someone\n

Leave home, your father is safe

The stylus carves out the landscape, depicting the thousand mile journey home in every inch of the drawing

Part ways with your father, your wife is safe

The bride stays home alone, how many lines have been written in the letters over these ten years

Part ways with your wife, the children are safe

The sword leans propped up against the fence, facing a line of geese returning home

Men who have left home miss their families

If this parting cannot be overcome, you remain closed off to the vastness of the world

Men who have left home miss their families

One night of a reed pipe playing brings pain to the faces of the soldiers in the entire camp

Separation in life is painful for the soldiers on the ground

Separation in death is painful for the dead under the banners

Having no family is painful, no clothes can't be mended

Having no wife is painful, who will I be buried with?

Being childless is painful, there is no place to return to

Having no roots is even more painful