Chapter 125: The Great Battle Begins!

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(Special thanks to ‘Coffee1846’, ‘srpg5’, Brother Ma Dan, ‘Technical Problem’, and all others for your generous tips—thank you so much. However, I truly owe an apology to Brother Coffee. I honestly cannot update as much as promised today. I have been burning the midnight oil for the past few days and am feeling quite exhausted. I am truly sorry and hope for your understanding; if I keep pushing myself like this, I might just collapse. To sum it up, as Empress Cai once said: I’m sorry, but this concubine is incapable of doing so! Sob!)

"I’m pregnant!"
"Pregnant?!"
"What? Don’t you want it?"
"How could I possibly want this? You know full well about that shrew I have at home... I’ve done all I could for your Wei family; I’ve helped in every way I could. What more do you want from me?"
"I’m not asking to be your legitimate wife—a concubine would do!"
"That won’t work either. Your status is problematic. If I were to..."

*Slap!* With a crisp sound, the fat man who had just been lying on the bed was sent tumbling to the floor by Li Bingbing.

"You crazy woman! Go to hell!"
"You bastard! My eyes must have been blinded to ever fancy a pig like you!"

Needless to say, the fat man was certainly Huo Zhongru, and Li Bingbing’s portrayal of Wei Shao’er was incredibly feisty.

Wu Xiang had no intention of including explicit "bed scenes"—his film didn't rely on such things to succeed—but a shot of a partially exposed shoulder was perfectly fine, wasn't it?

Well, Wu Xiang’s integrity might not be at its peak, but that was no big deal, right?

The scene shifted to the conversation between Wei Zifu and Wei Shao’er; this part had been filmed first, while the bedroom scene was shot later. The image of Wei Shao’er as a strong single mother was successfully established, and her personality was adapted to better resonate with modern audiences, creating a strong sense of immersion.

However, the turning point for the Wei family arrived swiftly. Emperor Wu of Han returned to the palace and summoned Wei Zifu, while Wei Qing also entered the imperial court as a minor official.

What followed was the story of the patient Emperor Wu, who used various schemes to gain the upper hand in political struggles. Naturally, he relied most heavily on his uncle, Tian Fen.

Although Tian Fen was a petty man, small-minded people are meticulous. Once he gained power, he naturally sought revenge. Moreover, Tian Fen was no fool; he was adept at maneuvering and had amassed significant capital, giving him the strength to challenge the Dou clan.

Furthermore, Tian Fen had to confront the Dou clan, as they were a powerful faction of maternal relatives. Since the current Emperor was his nephew and his own sister, Wang Zhi, would become the future power, how could two rival maternal factions coexist?

The influence of the Dou clan could not be shaken as long as Empress Dowager Dou was alive; there was no justification to move against her, and since she was blind, she remained untouchable. Thus, they could only strike at the pillar of the Dou clan: Dou Ying.

To deal with Dou Ying, Tian Fen chose a perfect target: Guan Fu.

Guan Fu had walked right into the trap. He was a crude man who, emboldened by his close relationship with Dou Ying, loved to berate others. Later, at a banquet, he insulted Tian Fen and several others in a particularly vicious manner.

Naturally, he was marked. Once a flaw was found in Guan Fu, he was thrown into prison. Since he had offended so many people, many were quick to kick him while he was down, and it seemed there was no hope for him.

Dou Ying tried to save his friend, but it was to no avail; Guan Fu and his entire clan were executed.

This was the nature of political struggle—an endless stream of conspiracies and schemes.

Conflict also erupted within the palace. Wei Zifu became pregnant, and how could Chen Jiao stand for that? She joined forces with her mother, Grand Princess Liu Piao, to launch an offensive against the Wei family.

First, they detained Wei Qing, looking for any pretext to have him killed.

This woman’s heart was truly ruthless. The actress playing Chen Jiao was none other than "Zhu Qiqi" herself, Zhang Yanyan. Truth be told, she felt she had been completely set up by this role as Chen Jiao.

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Her screen time was too limited, and she had to play a mother-daughter duo with her classmate, Wen Zhengrong—this was just… well, Wen Zhengrong was even more distressed.

However, this only intensified her hostility, and her constant dissatisfaction with everyone perfectly matched Chen Jiao’s mental state at the time. After all, she hadn't conceived a child. But then again, it was probably for the best that she hadn't; let’s not forget that her marriage to Emperor Wu was essentially an incestuous one.

In reality, Zhang Jingchu, who played Wei Zifu, didn't have much screen time either. She simply portrayed the demeanor of a virtuous wife and mother. Of course, as a young woman who didn't have children yet, it was fine; Wu Xiang hadn't intended to film too many scenes involving children. As long as she remained gentle and sensible, that was sufficient.

To put it bluntly, she was a "vase" character. Zhang Jingchu was quite angry about it, but she had to perform nonetheless. As for whether the consequences would be severe, that was unknown at the time.

When Emperor Wu learned that Wei Qing had been arrested, he was furious. The Grand Princess was going too far, and his own legitimate wife was even more outrageous—how could they commit such an act?

Consequently, Emperor Wu rescued Wei Qing and appointed him to a high position as a *Taizhong Daifu* (Grand Palace Grandee). Not only did he bestow honors upon him, but he also favored many members of the Wei family. Wei Shao’er was granted a marriage to Chen Zhang, the great-grandson of the founding hero Chen Ping, and Wei Zifu became an Empress. In short, the entire family benefited.

These rewards were, in fact, an omen of Emperor Wu’s growing power; he had already secured significant authority in the political arena.

"Marquis of Weiqi, how do you feel now?" Tian Fen, played by Huang Haibo, appeared in the dungeon where the prisoner was none other than Dou Ying.
"I was blind in my youth! I never saw you for the petty man you truly are!"
"Hehehe... those things are unimportant. What matters is who wins and who loses, hehehe..." You have to admit, Huang Haibo played the villain with great flair.
"You think you’ve won? You’re nothing but a dog! Just like me! Hahaha... even as a ghost, I won’t let you off!" Dou Ying appeared almost insane.
"Guards, send the Marquis of Weiqi on his way." Tian Fen didn't give Dou Ying any chance to retaliate.

The political struggle seemed to have finally come to an end. Suddenly, Emperor Wu’s power had reached a level where he could declare war on the outside world.

"Your Majesty, your ministers believe that the policy of *Heqin* (marriage alliance) is still the best path. Warfare is an ominous thing; it should not be initiated lightly. To trade a single woman for years of peace is a magnificent strategy."

The words were the same, and the person speaking them was the same. According to the subtitles, this man was named Di Shan. He was played by an old actor who had appeared in *Three Kingdoms*, though he was not widely known.

But this time, it was different, because someone stood up to oppose him.

"Your Majesty, I, Zhang Tang, believe that now that the country is prosperous and stable, we should deploy troops against the Xiongnu. If we allow such petty barbarians to continue to wreak havoc on our people, where is the dignity of our Great Han? Di Shan falsely claims to be a scholar; he is nothing but a pedantic fool. Your Majesty, do not trust his words!"

This was the ruthless official Zhang Tang, played by Mr. Zu Feng. He had made a few appearances before, but this was finally his chance to deliver some lines.

Next came a debate. Di Shan’s ability to sophistically argue was extremely strong; it was very difficult to convince him otherwise.

However, Emperor Wu suddenly interjected: "Di Shan, I ask you: if you were the governor of a commandery, could you use *Heqin* to keep the Xiongnu from entering our borders?"

At this, Di Shan became flustered. "No."
Even in his panic, he couldn't lie to the Emperor, so he told the truth.

"What if you were the head of a county?"
"No."
"What if you were in charge of a single watchtower?"
"Yes!"

He couldn't say "no" anymore, so he had to bite the bullet and agree.

Thus, Emperor Wu appointed Di Shan to guard a watchtower. You said you could do it? Then go and try.

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The scene shifted slightly, returning to the Si Hai Gui Yi Hall. Only this time, a severed head sat in the hall—it was none other than Di Shan’s.

"This is the answer the Xiongnu have given us! My mind is made up. Anyone who dares to suggest *Heqin* again will meet the same fate as Di Shan!"

Finally, it was time for the great war to begin. At this moment, a subtitle appeared:
*Ten years have passed since Emperor Wu first met Wei Qing.*

By this time, the film had been playing for over 100 minutes, yet the entire audience didn't feel that so much time had passed. The pacing of these 100 minutes was incredibly tight, with one event leading into the next, keeping viewers constantly wanting more. Now, it seemed they had finally reached the crucial, climactic battle.

The scene cut to the vast grasslands, and the narrative shifted to the Xiongnu. A very distant, haunting sound emerged—it was the sound of a *xun* (an ancient clay instrument), permeated with a sense of antiquity and boundless loneliness.

Zhang Guangbei’s Chanyu appeared on screen, as well as the "big-mouthed" Yao whom we saw earlier as a palace maid; her portrayal of the Xiongnu princess was quite convincing.

After the Xiongnu planned their southward raids, the Great Han formulated their tactical arrangements for the northern expedition.

In 129 BC, Emperor Wu dispatched four armies of 10,000 men each to strike north at the Xiongnu. Among them were the famous veteran General Li Guang and, of course, Wei Qing.

The story had reached its climax, and since it was the climax, there was no need for dragging. How to arrange supplies or march was boring; let's just get to the fighting.

Soon, Wei Qing’s contingent encountered a small group of Xiongnu soldiers who harassed them incessantly without committing to a full battle. This was because the Xiongnu intelligence was excellent; they knew the Han army's route and had split off a force to delay Wei Qing’s main cavalry.

Meanwhile, Li Guang’s army encountered the main force of the Xiongnu, and both sides began to form their battle lines.

Engagement!

"Draw!" *Snap!* The crossbows were pulled to their limits.
"Fire!" At the command, ten thousand arrows were unleashed at once!
*Thud, thud!* The dull sound of crossbows released a grand momentum; the feeling was absolutely breathtaking.

"Whoa!" Some of the professionals in the audience let out gasps, as they had never seen such a shot before—the sight of ten thousand arrows flying like a black, locust-like rain was incredibly imposing.

Well, here, Wu Xiang had to thank Mr. Zhang Yimou.

*Splat, splat...* The arrowheads struck, and the great battle began. One side relied mainly on cavalry, while the other relied on infantry. It was similar to the initial skirmish, but the scale was magnified dozens of times!

The scale had grown, but it was still infantry against cavalry. The Han side was at a complete disadvantage. Although the initial barrage of crossbows caused heavy casualties to the Xiongnu, bows and arrows eventually run out, and humans are not machines—they cannot keep drawing and firing forever.

*Clang, clang, clang...* They charged! Finally, the main force of the Xiongnu cavalry crashed into the Han army’s formation.

"Waha!"
"Oh, my!"

The professionals watching were shocked. They felt as if they were witnessing a real battle. When the cavalry charged into the formation, the sheer impact, the way men were trampled by warhorses, the sight of spears shattering under the pressure, and the brilliant sparks flying from the friction of metal weapons all combined to create an incredibly realistic combat scene!

Wu Xiang had intercut footage from high-speed cameras with standard shots, creating a beautiful and incredibly authentic battle sequence. Such a scene had never appeared in domestic cinema before *The Emperor in Han*; the effect was akin to the martial arts sequences and "bullet time" in *The Matrix*, yet it held a distinct quality of its own.

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