"China in the mid 19th century the suffering of its people under the corrupt rule of the Qing dynasty set the stage for the Taiping Rebellion. 70 million people died in battle or from starvation" "The casualties equaled the recorded death toll from WWll." "He said the day he crawled out from the pile of corpses" "he was a dead man" "He also said it was an age when death came easy" "but living was hard" "All my men died" "I alone survived" "You were lucky" "I played dead" "My brothers more than 1600 men fought for three days and nights" "They all died" "The Kui army were inhuman" "They only stood behind us and watched" "My brothers were slaughtered one after another" "No one survived" "He met a woman that day" "They spent the night in a deserted house" "He didn't know if it was the woman or the soup that brought him back to life" "Where can I find food?" "Try the main street" "He said the first time he met me like his mood" "But I remember clearly that it was a glaringly sunny day" "Eat your food and let's get going!" "Eat and get to work!" "Dig in!" "You sure know how to fight" "I should introduce you to my big brother!" "Where are we going?" "To rob!" "from the rebel army!" "He later told me he was outraged that bandits like us dared steal from troops" "What did we care?" "Famine is everywhere" "We either robbed or died" "Ride out!" "Kill them!" "hurry!" "He saved my life that day and taught me a lesson" "Strike the head and the body will fall" "Brother Jiang" "Look!" "That man gave them to you" "They're for generals" "Brother Jiang has become a general!" "Brother Jiang has become a general!" "What are you thinking about?" "My home" "They've returned!" "Come with me!" "We've got food!" "tonight we feast!" "Why are you alone?" "I ran away from home" "Is that a Yangzhou accent?" "You noticed?" "How could you tell?" "Have you ever heard of Yangzhou Ponies?" "You mean pretty young girls who are trained as courtesans and sold to rich men?" "Yes" "But when I turned 15 and was about to be sold a man came and stole me away" "He was my childhood playmate" "He killed a few people" "We went into hiding and he became a bandit but you were no longer the same peasant girl" "He's a good man" "Go in peace!" "Go in peace!" "Big brother laid down the rule to save seats and wine for the brothers who died" "Were you a general in the army?" "Not anymore" "Why did you desert?" "Drink up!" "My troops and the Kui troops planned to join forces against the enemy" "But they betrayed us" "We were outnumbered and all my brothers were killed!" "There's nothing more important than the love between brothers" "That I agree" "without brothers you can't survive" "dinner's here" "Are the new recruits staying?" "No one wants to leave when there's food he 's not our kind" "I don't know if he's staying or not" "isn't it?" "I snatched it from a dead man" "Do you know what this is?" "No" "It protects you" "Did that night really happen?" "I waited there for you wondering if it was all a dream" "why did you come back? had it all thought out" "But I always ended up back here" "Why did you come back?" "You should decide for your own life" "Stay here!" "Kui" "Why are you robbing our food?" "I dare you to hit me?" "Go ahead!" "Stop fighting!" "I'm old enough to be your grandmother!" "Stand back or I'll shoot!" "I dare you!" "I swear I'll shoot" "Go ahead!" "Kill me too!" "You!" "Nobody moves!" "Look at me when I speak" "You think you can keep the food you robbed?" "Consider this as a pay back to your country" "Let's go!" "If only we had guns we could fight them!" "That's suicide!" "I'd rather die than live like this!" "Thieves are always on the run" "Why not join the army?" "Once you're in the army you'll receive wages to feed your families" "You'll get guns so that no one will bully you" "This village will finally have peace will the army take us?" "The Kui army is grandiose and powerful" "They couldn't care less about us" "But Lord Chen's army is desperate for men" "He wants to increase his power to rival the Kui army" "He should welcome us with open arms seize this opportunity" "Then today's event will never happen again" "Alright!" "As bandits" "We have to be the biggest! now you want us to join them?" "You're a two faced man" "Why shall we trust you?" "Take the blood oath!" "we kill an outsider to show our loyalty to the brotherhood" "Only the lives of our brothers count" "The rest are expendable" "I asked him that day" "There's no turning back" "Are you certain?" "He said nothing" "Let me what is it?" "!" "What are you bastards doing?" "!" "We were only passing through!" "Mercy me please" "Remember my face and take revenge in your next life!" "Pang Qing Yun" "Zhao Er Hu and Jiang Wu Yang join the brotherhood today" "We take the blood oath" "We pledge our lives" "Those who bring us harm must die" "A brother who harms another brother must die" "Heaven and earth bear witness and strike dead any man who breaks his oath" "We share one heart" "He told me later that he didn't believe in the pledge" "I asked him what he believed in" "He said Er Hu and me" "Wait!" "Take these shoes with you" "Take care!" "Mother may never see you again ma" "Er Hu!" "Shi and his men are leaving!" "He said that he'd rather die than serve the Qing army!" "Your entire battalion perished in the battle against the Taiping rebels in Hechuan and you disappeared for 2 months!" "How dare you return now?" "My Lord Chan" "Lord Jiang sent the Kui army to aid us in the battle at the Hechuan" "But they left us to fend for ourselves" "My men were slaughtered on the battlefield" "All your men died but you alone survived?" "I stayed alive just to see you again" "Lord Jiang" "How many men do you have?" "Give me another 800 and I will capture Shu City within 15 days" "Don't jest with me!" "10!" "I will capture Shu City in 10 days!" "Well then" "500 fine soldiers but no wages" "We don't need wages;" "we get half the spoils once we capture Shu City" "Pang Qing Yun" "Name your army "Shan my lords" "You're gambling with 800 lives" "War is a gamble" "I won't gamble" "My 1500 men are the last of Lord Chen's army" "If we lose them my lord will be powerless at the imperial court" "Make me an offer!" "My army will only give you a semblance of multitude" "This is your only chance for victory" "Otherwise you'll forever be at the mercy of the Kui army!" "Big brother!" "They're all useless" "We'll be facing 200 rifles" "The odds are against us" "we need to attack" "Break through their firing line" "Engage them in hand to hand combat" "Brothers!" "Tell him who's the toughest?" "We are!" "The enemy will be 300 paces away" "Rifles have a range of 200 paces arrows have only 100" "We'll need a vanguard of 200 men to run straight at the firing range" "They must not dodge the bullets but must use their bodies as shields so that our archers who run behind them can get within range" "Many brothers will die in the process" "I'm in!" "Who's with me?" "Die and your family will receive double your wages!" "Live and you receive triple!" "Don't you want to be rich?" "Where are the real men?" "!" "Come on!" "count me in!" "I'm in" "Count me in me too" "I'm in" "Take Shu City!" "their women!" "Take Shu City!" "their women!" "You're vastly outnumbered victory is already ours" "Surrender and your life will be spared" "Kill them!" "Fire!" "Kill them!" "Fire!" "Fire!" "Fire!" "Kill them!" "They're dying out there!" "Let's go!" "Shut up and listen!" "There's only one commander in a battle!" "Kill them!" "Shoot!" "Shoot!" "Brother!" "Brother!" "Prepare!" "Blinders on!" "He's using himself to goad me into combat" "Go!" "Big brother!" "Brother" "No!" "Don't pull that out!" "Hold steady!" "We're really going to die this time" "We're blood brothers!" "We die as one!" "That's right!" "We might as well take a few with us as we go down!" "Let's go" "Kill them!" "It's madness!" "800 men manage to upset an army of 5000" "We can win!" "We really need a victory badly!" "Follow me!" "Wu Yang!" "Wu Yang!" "Lord Di" "Pang Qing Yun must be blessed" "Pang" "Fate has brought us together again" "How fortunate of you to capture Shu City you have made a name for yourself" "Pang how does 5 more battalions sound?" "On top of that" "Lu Da Shan Sir will be under your command" "My Lord" "Pang Qing Yun" "Your old friend from the Kui army is waiting for you" "He Kui" "Sir" "my lords" "General Pang lt'll be a reunion of old allies with you leading the attack and him bringing up the rear" "How do we divide the spoils?" "Lord Di and" "Lord Chen no objections I trust?" "I'm afraid he won't be able to keep up!" "and then Nanking!" "What are they laughing at?" "Nanking is the enemy's capital we must first take Suzhou" "Since they have nothing to gain when the war is over they won't let us take Suzhou they can't stop us" "The Kui army was precisely sent to keep an eye on us" "They've returned!" "Xiao Wu" "Xiao Wu" "Xiao Wu's shoes" "Xiao Wu" "Xiao Qi?" "!" "Xiao Qi my boys" "We were no longer bandits" "He said a bandit kills for his own interests" "But a hero sacrifices for others" "I wanted to be a hero" "You've lost weight" "we'll only be away for 3 years" "I know you've never liked it here" "When the war is over" "I'll find us a better place to settle down" "Where's Brother Pang?" "He's staying outside the village tonight" "We'll leave tomorrow morning" "Remember" "Winning is all that matters!" "Begin!" "Kill them!" "We're here to take over" "Give the men 3 days leave to pillage!" "their women!" "the war is over" "Come don't be afraid" "Have you eaten?" "You hungry?" "Let go!" "What are you doing?" "!" "Don't just stay there!" "Give me a hand!" "No!" "Don't touch me!" "I'm leaving!" "Let me go" "Brother Pang" "Move!" "What is it?" "Why am I being arrested?" "Go!" "What is it?" "!" "Gather the people for a public execution!" "Brother Zhao!" "what's this about?" "They raped 2 women this was bound to happen!" "I will not tolerate such conduct under my command!" "It's what we've always done not bandits" "We must better ourselves or we won't achieve anything!" "If we allow this to happen we're no better than those Kui bastards!" "Today is the day we start setting down some rules!" "We've just killed their families!" "Now you want to protect them?" "By killing our own?" "No one will risk their lives fighting for you after this!" "Brother look at them!" "They've learned their lesson right?" "Don't just kneel there!" "Say you're sorry!" "we're so sorry" "Gouzi!" "Say it again!" "say you're sorry!" "Say it!" "Gouzi we're sorry!" "they know they're wrong" "Have mercy" "When I was still a civil servant" "I saw a soldier beating a peasant on the street until the man was covered with his own blood" "There was no reason for it except that the man was poor" "But the poor man never retaliated" "He accepted it as part of his lot in life" "I promised myself that day" "I would never allow something like that to happen again!" "You joined the army because you don't want to be bullied" "Let me tell you not only you but everyone men and women alike should be free from oppression!" "That's what we're fighting for!" "That day he finally revealed his dream for the future" "He said he waited because he was afraid we wouldn't understand" "But I did Stop!" "Don't you touch my men!" "Back off!" "Brother" "Please" "Who do you owe your lives to?" "Who?" "!" "Big brother!" "What will you tell my mother?" "Closes your eyes" "I'll be quick" "Brother Jiang What will you tell my mother?" "Don't tell my mother!" "How I wish I could sacrifice my life for this future of his" "I used to think we only kill to survive" "Now I see that we must also kill in order to do good" "We must end this war in 3 months" "We must take Suzhou!" "Look!" "The abandoned!" "You're behaving like Pang too ambitious" "Thinks he can take Suzhou with a few thousand men?" "Lord Chen" "With no supplies or reinforcements" "He's dead for sure!" "There's a fine line between winning and losing" "If I add the right piece here" "Pang might just climb to the top and then" "Do you think I'd let Pang return to the fold?" "Leaving him stranded benefits everyone" "One Year Later" "I saved you once in Ji An you ungrateful bastard!" "What's keeping all of you?" "!" "Suzhou is at an impasse;" "both sides will starve to death" "The Kui army are waiting to swoop like vultures!" "How much longer can you afford to gamble?" "Butcher sing me a song" "I heard that there is a man named Jesus" "Each day at noon" "He gives the Taiping general Huang in Suzhou 5 loaves of bread and 2 fat pigs" "He would then divide the food casually and somehow he feeds all 5000 people" "Everyone is fed" "Their bread never runs out" "And new piglets are being born everyday" "Sit down!" "Sit down!" "I'll steal into the city and kill Huang" "Those who tried never came back" "I won't put more lives at risk" "I'll go ask Lord Di for food and weapons" "But we've defied their orders by attacking Suzhou" "I'm still of some use to them" "Please leave now" "Give me provisions and I'll seize Suzhou!" "My men may die in battles but not from hunger!" "I beg you!" "My lord says he didn't know Suzhou was at war" "To the Kui army!" "We can't go begging to them!" "Then I will go alone!" "Let's go!" "Quick!" "Hurry" "Take my hand!" "They tried to steal into the city;" "they all said there was food inside" "I must go in for myself" "Give me provisions and weapons" "I'll make you a deal" "I don't need that" "Suzhou is already mine" "I'm talking about" "Nanking" "My men do the fighting and the dying!" "All you have to do is stand behind us" "We divide Nanking between us;" "we enter the city together unless you want to be under the power of those three old men forever" "We must capture Nanking before the Kui army arrives to take credit" "But we only have 10 days' supplies" "We act quickly" "We capture Suzhou within 2 days!" "The heavens are good to me sending you to me tonight" "It can protect you" "If you don't see a red flare by dawn from inside the city my men will take you to safety" "Tell big brother and Wu Yang that" "Er Hu wanted to be a hero" "General Pang is back!" "the provisions have arrived!" "General Zhao has entered the city" "He said if we see a red flare by dawn it means he has succeeded" "did you bring the goods?" "They say we have food in the city" "But we may start eating each other soon" "I promised they would be clothed and fed and could go home within 3 years" "It's been 5 years now" "We attack at dawn" "Lian" "I like to study different faces but I haven't seen a new face since Suzhou came under siege a year ago" "I hear the opium dealer is a new face" "but I don't use opium anymore it only eases the pain" "My wife's grave is just outside the city in the woods" "I long to see her but can't" "Do you know what it's like to be a prisoner?" "Suzhou has become one big prison" "I can't get out you can't get in either unless" "I let you in" "Remember Shi?" "he followed me" "Hurry!" "Sir it's past dawn" "Prepare the horses" "Escort Lady Zhao away" "Er hu said that he wanted to be a hero" "I will marry you" "000 soldiers are outside crazed with starvation" "If you kill me you will all die in a blood bath" "000 men" "They'll defend every inch of the city to their last drop of blood" "Stand down" "Lay down your arms" "Please surrender!" "11 years ago" "I closed my business and sold everything to join the Taiping rebellion" "From that day on the word "surrender no longer existed for me!" "As long as I live the people of Suzhou City will never be free" "Spare my soldiers let them go home" "Don't make the civilians suffer" "May you go in peace!" "Get ready!" "Er Hu Er Hu!" "Zhao Er Hu!" "I want to see Zhao Er Hu!" "We want bread!" "Bread!" "Are we going to conscript them?" "They will never agree 000 captives" "How much of our food will you give them?" "Brother" "They surrendered only because" "I promised to let them live and we have only a 10 day supply of food" "We must save it for Nanking" "Nanking?" "Are we attacking Nanking?" "The Kui army decamped yesterday;" "they will attack Nanking at any moment" "I can't read!" "Just tell me where the supplies are from?" "Where?" "!" "The Kui army" "How could you make a deal with He Kui?" "!" "These solders will never join our army" "If we attack Nanking" "Suzhou will be defenseless" "Can you leave the city in their hands?" "Listen to me!" "you listen!" "These soldiers are our enemies!" "We want bread!" "Bread!" "Open the stores!" "Give me what I need" "No!" "Pang Qing Yun!" "I knew you were a liar!" "This bread was meant for our brothers" "But you want to give half to the captives and then the other half to the civilians" "Our brothers have fought for 9 months and starved for 9 months!" "You tell me them or us?" "I don't care!" "Give them food!" "Now!" "Let them eat" "It's their last meal" "But I promised to spare their lives!" "Winning is all that matters in war!" "A man who breaks his word is an animal!" "Brother" "He's right" "Move!" "He's right" "Get out of the way!" "He's right" "Let me go!" "Let me go!" "I promised to spare their lives!" "Archers!" "Quiet!" "Don't kill them!" "Again!" "Again!" "Again!" "Don't kill them!" "Don't kill them!" "Again!" "From that day on" "Er Hu never said another word to me but big brother was right" "Let's go home!" "Who's with me?" "you can't go" "We still have to take Nanking" "What for?" "To kill more defenseless people?" "They were soldiers" "They surrendered!" "They were still soldiers!" "Do you remember what you said to us?" "You said everyone deserves to be free even the poor!" "What have you done now?" "You have ordered right here 000 poor people?" "!" "You know that?" "!" "Only the poor are willing to go to war!" "Which one of us weren't poor!" "Those men were soldiers" "Soldiers are prepared to die" "But the millions in Nanking are civilians they're dead!" "I need your help to take Nanking" "Please don't go it will be mutiny" "The Shan brothers will turn on each other!" "Think about the consequences!" "Don't force my hand!" "I'll kill anyone who touches Er Hu!" "you must not leave" "If you leave now ours pledge will be broken" "Er Hu!" "The Kui army has already left" "We must leave now or we'll be too late!" "I promise you after Nanking" "there'll be peace" "One day you'll see that my decisions today were right" "Fine" "I'll be watching you in Nanking" "I'll kneel before you" "I'll kill you" "Let's go!" "We" "Zhao Er Hu Pang Qing Yun" "Jiang Wu Yang three brothers as one" "Attack!" "Nanking is ours!" "Long live the Empress Dowager!" "One month after the capture of Nanking" "Go in peace" "We swore an oath to remain loyal to the Shan regiment oppression" "and injustice the Shan regiment will fight!" "Dole out the wages!" "5 taels" "Wang Xiao San what are you doing?" "!" "The money belongs to the imperial coffers!" "We agreed to take Nanking and give half of the spoils to our men" "If you won't do it!" "I will!" "Remember!" "The Shan regiment has only one leader!" "And that's General Pang!" "Show him your gratitude!" "Thank you General!" "Again!" "Thank you General!" "Back to the wages 3 taels 4 mace" "4 taels" "My lord" "He needed your help to take Nanking" "Now you're at his mercy" "I will kill him eventually!" "You're always a step behind" "The Empress is making him Governor of Jiangsu" "So what?" "even I can't help you this time" "We just need to get Zhao Er Hu on our side and Pang's downfall is ensured!" "Zhao Er Hu Pang Qing Yun Jiang Wu Yang three brothers as one" "Drink up!" "Heaven and earth be our witnesses" "pledge our lives" "We were born apart but die as one" "Loyalty through good times and bad" "you did the fighting but he took the credit" "How can you live with that?" "So what?" "This opera is about brotherhood yet he had you in chains?" "He forced you to break your word and made a fool out of you" "Make him pay" "If we join forces and Nanking can be ours" "Give it some thought" "General He is only thinking of your future" "Come over here!" "Revenge is sweet!" "Shallow wounds heal but deep wounds fester take your time to think it over" "General He" "You must be wondering how long it takes to get from the gates to here?" "I had the same thought the first time" "I stood outside the palace gates" "By the time I reached this far my hair had already turned gray it took me 30 years" "Now I'm too old to walk" "Li Lianying" "The Empress said your youth is an asset;" "you will serve us for a long time" "The Empress also said" "Pang should be commended for the capture of Nanking" "He will receive the Golden Robes and appointed Governor of Jiangsu!" "Show your gratitude!" "Your servant Pang requests that the people of Jiangsu be exempt from 3 years of taxes to recover from the war" "Request granted!" "Thank you your Highness" "You're responsible for the Suzhou massacre yet you saved the people of Nanking you're surely adaptable" "The Empress favors Lord Pang because he does not belong to any fractions" "Nanking may be yours" "But you've offended Lord Jiang and He Kui along the way without allies how long do you think you'll last?" "I checked the lunar calendar" "The 8th day of the 4th month will be the most auspicious time for your inauguration and for all" "Before you can do good you must look after yourself!" "You must look after yourself" "My lords but the local militias wield too much power" "the Empress is concerned" "The Shan regiment will be the first to disband" "Good!" "Once you sever your old ties you can devote yourself to your duties as governor" "Your brother Zhao Er Hu threatened to desert the army in Suzhou" "He almost created a mutiny there he doled out funds meant for the royal coffers" "Does he own your regiment?" "!" "my lord!" "I've walked on thin ice my whole life" "Do you think I can safely cross over?" "You're awake" "I am" "Perhaps they're right" "Nanking doesn't need someone like me" "I want to go home" "Will you come with me?" "I don't need this anymore" "What is it?" "my lord!" "He Kui plans to assassinate Lord Pang!" "It's nothing" "General Zhao" "Big brother!" "General Zhao" "Big brother!" "General Zhao" "Where's he?" "Lord Pang has not returned from the imperial court" "Decided?" "Then I'm off" "General Jiang" "General Jiang" "Who are they?" "Guards sent by the imperial court" "Cover that table with the red cloth" "Move these vases as well" "Hurry!" "Brother Wu Yang You have guests coming?" "General Pang has invited General Zhao to dine" "They've reconciled!" "Is big brother home?" "He should return by the afternoon why have they replaced all the guards?" "wait!" "Sir" "We received news that" "He Kui plans to assassinate Lord Pang" "He must not return to the city now he asked you to meet him at Jianpu" "Tell Wu Yang to bring the others and meet us there" "Wu Yang" "Where's Er Hu?" "He went to see Brother Pang" "You're up to something!" "What's with all those new guards?" "You're going to kill Er Hu all because of Lian?" "!" "Have you forgotten our pledge?" "!" "When will Er Hu arrive?" "Tell me when!" "Nightfall" "He'll be here by nightfall" "Wait for me!" "You scared me" "I'm here to say goodbye" "Are you leaving?" "you are" "But where to?" "I'm waiting for Er Hu" "I've just prepared dinner" "Big brother is going to kill Er Hu over you it can't be!" "Come down here" "No" "I have to finish draping this frame" "Have you ever seen such beautiful fabric?" "I haven't seen one in years" "I saw the red one in a shop yesterday but I also wanted the green one" "I asked Er Hu what to do" "He said green for this year and red for the next" "I'll be 29 next year" "I lived through 14 years of war didn't starve to death or get killed" "I've been lucky!" "I still have to hang the red curtain next year" "I still have to hang the red curtain next year" "Come down!" "You wouldn't kill me I won't let you!" "It wasn't easy for me to survive!" "Why must you kill me?" "If I don't kill you how will I save Er Hu?" "Can you really save him by killing me?" "I don't know but it's all I can do" "I watched you grow up" "You wouldn't do it You won't!" "I know you can't kill me" "You wouldn't do it" "Anyone who harms our brothers" "You can't kill me!" "must be killed!" "5 years ago 108 men left their village to join the army risking their lives for a little food" "They were the first to join the Shan army" "The three of us were their leaders" "I found a good place to free you" "I told you there will come a day when you'll see that I was right" "I'll drink with you" "I'll tell you what I've done in the past year" "I just returned from the palace" "The people of Jiangsu have been spared from taxes for 3 years" "I promise no one will go hungry" "You'll understand eventually that Xiao Qi and Gouzi didn't die in vain" "and the massacre of the 4000 captives was necessary" "And you" "You" "You will not die in vain" "You defied my orders in Suzhou but I couldn't do it" "But now it's the imperial court" "that wants you dead" "What choice do I have?" "My brother go in peace" "Brother" "you don't need to kill Er Hu!" "Brother!" "Brother!" "you don't need to kill Er Hu!" "Lian is dead!" "You don't have to kill Er Hu!" "Lian is already dead no reason to kill Er Hu now!" "Brother!" "Lian is dead!" "The gods bless this day" "Joining the ranks of those that went before a great servant to the empire" "To lead by example and serve his people" "The inauguration of Pang Qing Yun as Governor of Jiangsu will take place the 8th of the 4th month" "A fence needs three pillars" "It's not the same without Lord Jiang here" "A quarter to 12" "Stand down!" "A brother who harms another brother must die!" "A brother who harms another brother must die" "It's time" "Don't push me!" "A brother who harms another brother must die!" "Wu Yang!" "I beg you stop!" "A brother who harms another brother must die" "Pang Qing Yun!" "Pang has talent but doesn't know how things work" "Nanking is of vital importance to the peace of the country" "The Empress would never entrust it to an outsider" "Pity such is life fire!" "Honor our pledge now!" "killed Pang Qing Yun!" "At that moment" "My mind went back to the day we took the blood oath" "We are born apart but we shall die as one" "Our origins are different but our hearts act as one in life and in death" "We honor our pledge" "Pang Qing Yun 1870." "His assassin Jiang Wu Yang was executed 2 months later."