[Nirvana in Fire 2: The Wind Blows in Chang Lin]
[Episode 48]
Informing Prince, this place is at most just one day travel from Jinling City.
Gather the troops at the front to raise my Prince of Chang Lin Army and follow me to travel overnight towards the capital.
Yes!
Brother Xun, I will leave you to handle the people at the main camp.
Pingjing, there are only 500 soldiers in the front line.
You are separating from the main force and going to the capital by your own.
How are you going to respond to 70,000 rebel soldiers?
From the information I got during our travel, the life of His Majesty is already hanging by a thread.
I just want Xiao Yuanqi to see the Prince of Chang Lin Army Banner earlier.
Do not worry. If he dares to exit the city, I then would dare to fight him.
I heard that a lot of government officials have agreed to submit to Prince Laiyang.
There are also no movement at all outside the city.
- If by today-- - Nonsense!
I was wrong. I will not say it anymore.
Even if Xiao Yuanqi will forcefully ascend to the throne today,
he still has not reach the state of being invincible from defeat.
We still have a lot of things that we can do. Do not despair.
[Chaoyang Palace]
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty got your throne based on the past emperor's last will.
Since you ascended, there was lack of supreme morals and there is seething discontent.
As requested by hundred of officials, I request Your Majesty
to reflect on your mistakes and abdicate the throne for a more skilled ruler.
To stabilize the government of the Xiao family, to follow the will of the Heaven and the people.
Hope Your Majesty will allow it.
For a government to be in peril is the fault of the ruler.
Your Majesty has already personally wrote an imperial decree
and ordered me to read it.
Since Your Majesty has given the decree,
then just read it.
Hurry and open the gates! Emergency military report!
Prince Laiyang is the direct descendant of the past emperor.
He is good looking with imperial bearing, highly skilled and virtuous.
I am willing to entrust my government to him. Hope he will not refuse.
I am grateful for Your Majesty's graces and trust
in entrusting the government to me.
It is just that I have always been slow-witted.
I fear that I will not be able to bear such heavy responsibility.
I really feel very frightened.
Prince Laiyang, you are being too humble.
We all are earnestly requesting Prince Laiyang to consider it for the sake of the government and the citizens
and stop refusing it.
Reporting!
Informing Prince. There is a Chang Lin Banner that is already pressing near the capital.
Chang Lin?
This...is it not it is already gone? This is not right.
Say it more clearly. What banner?
Chang Lin.
What is going on?
This...
Why are you panicking?
The Chang Lin Army is long gone!
Xiao Pingjing is currently far in Langya Mountain.
Where he can get an army? How can there be a Chang Lin?
General!
- General, something has happened. - Don't rush. Say it slowly.
There are movements in the city walls. Xiao Yuanqi personally led some men up the city walls.
The rebel army in the city is currently gathering. Even the Patrol Guards went there.
- What about the abdication ceremony of His Majesty? - I still have no clear news.
But, what I am sure about is Xiao Yuanqi was not able to ascend to the throne.
Could it be...
It is really Chang Lin Banner. As a soldier of Great Liang,
I never thought that one day, I will be going against the Chang Lin Army.
This is not the Chang Lin Army.
Take them away!
Imperial brother!
- Imperial brother! - Watch them well! - Yuanjia! Yuanyou!
- Pull him back! - Quickly take them away! - Imperial brother!
- Let go of me! - Imperial brother!
Prince!
Prince, let's hurry.
Move!
Pull him up.
Let's go.
The Chang Lin Army of Xiao Pingjing has already been disassembled into pieces.
It is impossible for him to pull them all from thousands of mile away back to the capital.
These ones are just a mob that he urgently assembled
carrying the Chang Lin Banner.
I have a 70,000 Yulin Imperial Army.
General Di is also a mighty warrior yourself.
With a small number of army like that, they can be crushed into pieces in just a blink of an eye.
Yes.
Prince.
Prince, I think that we must not allow him to keep placing his army outside the city like that.
This will waver the morale of the army inside the capital.
May Prince give the order. I am willing to go out and fight him.
The area outside the city is open and vast. The number of the Yulin Imperial Army was exceeds his.
May Prince do not worry. I have the confidence to win.
Of course, I believe that with General Di's bravery,
you surely will return victorious.
Prince.
Prince, look.
Impossible.
Three days... My several years of hard work,
at the time that I am already at my most glorious moment,
he is just shattering them with one strike.
In the end, he only granted me 3 days...
Xiao Pingjing...
Prince, behind Xiao Pingjing
is a fame created by two generations of his father and older brother.
Unlike you, you only have my backing.
Do you regret it?
I followed Prince in your revolt not out of a moment of impulse.
I already have thought about the worst possible situation.
Fortunately, I already do not have any relatives that will get affected with my crime.
Either way, it is just one life.
Wrong.
We do not need to pay with our lives.
As long as Xiao Yuanshi is still in my hands,
we can wait for Xiao Pingjing to fall into our trap.
If we are unable to eliminate Xiao Pingjing,
I will not sleep at ease even if I become the emperor.
Prince, I have one thing I do not understand.
No matter how much their army strength is outside, Jinling City is already under your control.
Since the Jinling City gates are sealed, how would he be able to sneak in?
Why do you think he is giving me 3 days when he has thousands of armies under his rule?
Jinling City is too vast.
It can seal off an ordinary person,
but it might not be able to block him.
I am sure that he will come.
Looks like Prince of Chang Lin has indeed come.
The things we have done in the city these past days were not in vain.
- Keep all your spirits up. - Yes.
Once I go out, you all should be careful in hiding.
Try your best not to have any encounter and do not make rash moves.
Yes.
Stay alive.
You can release it now.
Let us go.
Pingjing.
Brother Xun.
Following your orders, the setting of the camps of the whole army has been completed.
Brother Xun, you have worked hard.
I heard that you gave Xiao Yuanqi 3 days
for him to make his exchange conditions. Is that right?
What else can we do?
His Majesty, the imperial clan, government subjects, and the imperial ancestral temple
are all in Xiao Yuanqi's hands.
If we pressure him too much, he might just destroy everything.
For a traitor like him who connived with foreign kingdoms, what is there to talk about?!
As long as His Majesty is still in his hands,
we have no choice but to have misgivings and proceed cautiously.
Sit. I happen to have something to ask you.
Tell me then. What are you planning next?
Those 3 days is not for Xiao Yuanqi. It is for us.
What do you mean?
I plan to sneakily get His Majesty out.
What? Sneakily get His Majesty out?
- Pingjing, are you crazy? - For the palace,
- Brother Xun surely know it better than me, right? - I do know it very clearly.
But what is the current situation, I totally do not know.
General!
General.
General. There is someone outside requesting for an audience. He said that he came from the city.
From the city?
- Hurry and let him in. - Yes.
I am Yue Yinchuan. Respectfully greeting General of Huaihua.
Yue Yinchuan? Qianzhou's Yue Yinchuan?
I am indeed.
His Majesty entrusted me the Son of God Treasure
and ordered me to gather troops to rescue him.
[Ji Feng Hall]
Move!
[Ji Feng Hall]
This point is a blind spot in the border wall inspection security of the Yulin Imperial Army.
If you want to secretly enter the city by climbing over the wall, this point is the most suitable place.
May I ask Prince how many you want to send in?
If we bring too many people, there is a greater chance of failing.
Brother Xun and I are the best in terms of fighting skills.
The palace is also High Commander's territory. Nobody knows that place better than him.
- Only the two of us will go. - Prince wants to personally go?
Brother Xun has been frowning since the start. Do you still have any doubts?
Pingjing, with our skills,
it is not difficult to sneak into the palace and see His Majesty.
But have you thought about that in the face of the 70,000 soldiers of Xiao Yuanqi,
it is completely impossible to take His Majesty out of the city.
Why must we take him out of the city?
Is it painful?
Being born in the imperial family, you never experienced such pain, right?
That is right too.
Upon being born, you are already the Crown Prince.
Your life is really great.
But with me here now, you are nothing.
No weight at all. I can kill you anytime.
Kill me then.
Do not worry. I will not kill you now.
Xiao Pingjing is here.
You think that your savior has come.
But I never thought too
that Xiao Pingjing will be able to call forth so many people overnight.
I know what he is planning.
Do you want to know what is outside here?
The corridors here,
steps, and walls have 1/3 of the Yulin Imperial Army guarding it.
If you move farther out, the Chang Lin Manor, Ji Feng Hall,
any places that had connections with Prince of Chang Lin have all been controlled by me.
Outside this hall, General Di is in-charge of it.
Inside...
I will personally accompany you.
Do you know why I must make such grand arrangements?
Because of you.
You are currently my greatest stake and bait.
The area inside and outside the palace is too vast. I may be able to seal off a normal person,
but I am unable to seal off Xiao Pingjing and Xun Feizhan.
For martial arts masters like him and Xun Feizhan,
any kind of defense is not excessive.
If he does not come personally, how can he showcase his House of Chang Lin style of good faith, virtue, and patriotism?
But I also know that if he comes,
he will not be able to leave.
Do not worry. I will think about giving you two brothers a chance
to say goodbye to each other.
I understand Prince's point already.
The risk of leaving the city is indeed very high. There is almost no chance of being successful in it.
But if we can find a chance
to hide His Majesty in a place that Xiao Yuanqi will not think of for a short time,
then is that not equivalent to rescuing him already?
General Yue, I know Xiao Yuanqi's capabilities.
But that Donghu Yulin's Di Ming...
That is right. Di Ming is strict, impartial, valiant, and good in fighting.
During the Battle of Donghai, he was a fierce warrior.
But the Donghu Yulin is still an inexperienced army.
I am sure that right now, there are some soldiers whose morale is wavering.
Then General Yue, why don't you try to estimate
if we start to attack the city with all our might, how long can we take it down?
At most, 6 hours.
- 6 hours? - Yes.
But Prince, the person that Xiao Yuanqi is guarding against the most is you.
- Why not let me and High Commander Xun-- - No.
You cannot go. You know about the zone of influence of the enemy army the most.
That is why, during the attack of the city, I still need you to stay and give instructions.
Do not worry. The place where Brother Xun and I will be hiding
is a place that Xiao Yuanqi surely do not know of.
Kneel! All of you, kneel!
General Di.
Deserters?
Prince was already very gracious and has given great rewards.
Yet these people still dared to escape mid-battle?
They really are asking to die.
Commander He.
Prince.
Prince...
Since you followed me to revolt, then all of you should have understand
that this is a no return path.
Do you know what crime is waiting for you outside these walls?
Rebellion, a crime where 9 generations of your clan will be executed.
Only by persisting until the end can you have any chance of survival.
If you are unable to understand even that,
then there is indeed no need to continue living.
Prince! Give me us one more chance!
Deserters should be executed and shown to the public!
Order the centurions and soldiers with higher ranks than them to come and observe the execution.
Prince! Prince! Have mercy!
The plan to sneak into the capital is only known by a few in this army.
That's why, when Brother Xun and I set out tonight, you all must continue acting normally.
Let General Yue directly lead the front line camp.
I already introduced the other camp leaders to you.
There is also Uncle Yuan and General Wei who will help you.
I believe that while I'm not around,
General Yue will be able to stabilize the situation outside the city.
Prince, I think--
What I said earlier is a military order
and not asking for your opinion.
I will follow your order!
May Prince forgive me.
Get up.
General Yue, please wait.
High Commander.
I know that General Yue is not a person that will question a military order.
What I am against is not the plan to sneakily enter the capital.
What I am against is Prince of Chang Lin personally going.
Why?
May High Commander think about it. Xiao Yuanqi is already a criminal that betrayed the kingdom.
Since His Majesty fell into his hands,
we might not be able to rescue him alive.
If things really reach that step,
what the government will need the most
is someone like Prince of Chang Lin who can stabilize the government.
But if he also goes in,
who among the imperial clan can have the same weight as him?
I fear that by that time,
it will be a chaotic fight on who has the greater right and higher status.
And, if the imperial clan is in unstable, the government will be in disarray too.
An internal strife will surely harm the strength and fame of the kingdom. For the citizens,
that is again another calamity.
General.
- How is the situation? - No movements at all.
Brother Xun, with my understanding of him,
His Majesty's life will surely be in danger once we attack the city.
By that time, who then is this rescue army of ours
fighting for?
But what General Yue Yinchuan said is also reasonable.
Once he decided to destroy everything,
I fear that the future of Great Liang...
Brother Xun, when this more than a million rescue army reached the walls of Jinling,
Xiao Yuanqi already failed.
Even without me,
the citizens in this world will not let this treacherous subject get what he wants.
- Let's go. - Let's go.
It is very quiet above the walls.
Looks like everything went smoothly.
Do not mind the rumors spreading outside.
All are fake.
If anyone dares to say gossips in front of the Prince's Consort,
I will not spare her.
Yes.
Bring me my jewelries.
Yes.
Oh, no!
Prince, it is better that you rest early.
There will surely be movement outside the city tomorrow.
No matter if you decide to fight or peacefully surrender, it will not be an easy feat.
Also, Xiao Yuanshi is just on the side.
What else are you worried about?
You do not know Xiao Pingjing at all.
This time before daybreak
is too quiet.
The more it is quiet, the more there is danger lurking around the corners.
He should be appearing soon.
If he does not come,
he will really be disappointing my efforts.
- Prince's Consort... - Do not come near me!
- You must not! - Do not come near me! Move aside!
- Prince's Consort... - Prince's Consort...
Get lost! Do not come near me!
- Prince's Consort... - Get lost! Get lost!
All of you, do not follow me! Do not come near me!
Prince's Consort!
Hurry! Hurry and go look for Prince.
Prince's Consort!
- Prince. - Anru.
- Do not come near me! - Anru...
Anru, what are you doing?
Hurry and come down, Anru. I am here.
I am here.
We will be victorious soon. What are you doing?
Sometimes, dying...
is way easier than living.
Anru... Anru, did someone said something in front of you?
Do not entertain foolish ideas.
The current situation in Jinling is not as bad as you think.
Jinling is surrounded by walls on all four sides.
You really think that you can safely escape here?
I am not thinking.
I am sure I can do it!
Why?
Listen to me say it to you first, Anru.
Anru... Let us not talk about personal motives first.
Xiao Pingjing is bearing two generations of fame and honor of the House of Changlin on his shoulders.
Xiao Yuanshi is still his emperor, so he cares about that little emperor's life more than anyone else.
Anru, do not be afraid. I still have the ability to fight it out with Xiao Pingjing.
Even if the Heaven will really abandon me in the end,
as long as Xiao Yuanshi is still in my hands,
I can then ask for our safety in exchange.
I will take you...and let us go far and fly high.
Go far and fly high?
Go where?
Go to Donghai?
Anru, since you understood my plans,
why are you still being this willful?
Quickly come down. Quickly come to me.
Anru! Anru!
Anru... Did I not already tell you
that you have me for everything. You do not need to worry.
Although I am a woman,
I always have others deciding for everything,
I still want to live with peace and not bring humiliation to my clan.
You started a rebellion.
I then am considered to be a disloyal subject.
Uncle raised me,
yet he got murdered because of my weakness.
That is being so unfilial.
Anru, you cannot think about a lot of things that way.
- Anru... - I already made so many sins in this life.
Hope I can have a clean reputation in my next life.
Anru! Anru!
Prince's Consort!
Anru!
Sister Anru...
♫ The long, slow song rises like wind flowing through the corridors reaching the imposing, opulent and bright Imperial Hall ♫
♫ Memories of that certain year, when far-away borders blazed with fires of war, in vast fields of ice and snow ♫
♫ From this world, the many slanders pass through the vermilion gates, over the palace walls ♫
♫ Beneath iron armor, together with silken skirts and silver spears, hair grows hoary as though with early frost ♫
♫ Luminous cherry trees, deep-rooted with long and slender frames, still sport magnificent flowers ♫
♫ Unexpected torrential rain and heavy wind, what does it matter? ♫
♫ Between the trees, the moon brightly guards peak after jagged peak ♫
♫ Banners tremble, drums roar, a ribbon of a thousand horsemen ride back up the ridge to settle the score ♫
♫ Fiery liquor consumed at the end of the world, at the limits of exhaustion, is a feast! ♫
♫ There is little intention to return the real men to the war in the north, though willing, they are not given free rein ♫
♫ Discussions about their heroism led them to be questioned, and suffer dismal complaints around them, unable to clear their names ♫
♫ Good bows hoarded; likewise, so as not to injure, sigh against the way of heaven when stored indefinitely ♫
♫ Clouds of fear calm shameful waves, the night air stops their bickering by starlight ♫
♫ There is little intention to return the real men to the war in the north, though willing, they are not given free rein ♫
♫ Discussions about their heroism led them to be questioned, and suffer dismal complaints around them, unable to clear their names ♫
♫ Hoping for the whole world to remain at peace, quench the fires of war ♫