Episode Summary
Zhang Zhiping goes deep undercover, a move that fools both his fiancée, Lü Ying, and the Japanese command. Meanwhile, Zhuang Qifeng confirms his brother, Zhuang Ziqiang, is a traitor and cleverly uses him to pass false intelligence to the enemy. This deception leads to a major victory for the Communist forces. With his cover blown, Ziqiang is exposed, and his furious Japanese commander, Satoshi Yamashita, vows to get revenge on Qifeng.
Spoiler Alert
Our Homeland (2025) Episode 5: A Dangerous Deception
The whole thing kicks off with a massive lie. Zhuang Qifeng tells Lü Ying that her fiancé, Zhang Zhiping, isn't actually a traitor working for the Japanese. He claims Zhang is secretly a Communist hero, just pretending to be a "Hanjiān" (a derogatory term for a race traitor, specifically collaborating with the Japanese) for a top-secret mission. Lü Ying completely buys it, and her heart just melts. She's now more in love than ever, vowing to wait for him forever. This lie is what pushes Zhang Zhiping to officially accept the undercover mission. He agrees to work for the enemy to feed intelligence back to his own people, partly to restore his image in Lü Ying's eyes and partly to protect his old teacher, Liu Zuguang.
Before he leaves, he and Lü Ying put on a big show. She pretends to have a huge fight with him in front of everyone in her village. The villagers, not in on the secret, curse Zhang out, calling him a traitor. Lü Ying has to watch him leave, heartbroken but also incredibly proud of his secret sacrifice. This little piece of theater works perfectly. A Japanese officer, Ono, reports back to his boss, Satoshi Yamashita, that Zhang was publicly shamed by his fiancée's village. This convinces the Japanese that Zhang is just a lovesick fool, making them believe he's easier to control and not a real threat.
Meanwhile, the tension between the Zhuang brothers is hitting a breaking point. Zhuang Qifeng suspects his brother, Zhuang Ziqiang, is a spy. He sets a little trap by marking a letter he's sending, and sure enough, he confirms Ziqiang secretly opened it. Qifeng reports this to his superior, Zhou Mi. They hatch a plan to expose Ziqiang. Qifeng acts casual around his brother, pretending Zhang Zhiping refused to join their side, while secretly passing a note to Zhou Mi. Their plan? Feed Ziqiang fake intel about an upcoming attack on Gucheng and see what he does with it.
The trap is sprung. Zhou Mi has Ziqiang followed, and they watch him meet with a peddler. Instead of heading to the supposed attack location, the peddler goes straight to the Rong Residence in Gucheng—Yamashita's headquarters. They've got their proof: Zhuang Ziqiang is a mole.
While Ziqiang is passing on the fake news, the real Communist plan goes off without a hitch, with successful attacks on two other towns. Ziqiang quickly realizes something is wrong and that he's been played. He escapes and rushes to Yamashita's residence in a panic. He confesses that the intel was fake and his cover is blown.
And here's the final twist: we learn that Ziqiang had once begged Yamashita to spare his brother Qifeng's life, hoping he could convince Qifeng to join him in working for the Japanese. Now that Qifeng has outsmarted them all, Yamashita is furious and hungry for revenge against the brother who got away.
On a smaller, but important note, we see Qifeng's compassionate side. His mother makes extra steamed buns, and he takes them to a starving family in the village, the Wang Mantuns. He uses this moment to recruit the father, a skilled farmer crushed by high rent, into the Peasants' Salvation Association, promising him a future where farmers can finally feed their families. It's a quiet scene that shows what they're truly fighting for.
