Episode Summary
The escape plan from the labor camp is finalized, centered on blowing up a gasoline depot during a festival. Gao Yunhu continues his revenge mission, killing two men and learning the name of his true enemy, You Shilong, a mysterious figure he now suspects is the local police chief. Meanwhile, an alliance forms between Lan Hua'er and the bandit leader Xiao Baima, who discover they share a past fighting the Japanese. The ginseng plot thickens as Lao Shandong and Tian Xiaogui realize they've been followed, confirming their suspicions of a trap.
Spoiler Alert
The Escape Plan
The Japanese bring in a new batch of laborers at the work site. Fujimoto has a new job for them. He wants them to dig a massive pit on the mountain.
Li Zhihao isn't stupid. He knows exactly what that pit is for. The Japanese are planning to bury them all alive. He finds Tang Deyuan and tells him they need to plan an escape. Tang Deyuan is already one step ahead. He used the earlier work strike to scout the entire camp.
Here is the layout. The camp has four watchtowers. Two guards are on duty during the day. At night, only one guard is in each tower. The main gate has two more guards. There is also a gasoline depot nearby. Tang Deyuan has a solid plan. The Japanese are holding an "Autumn Festival" soon. During the celebration, they will blow the gasoline depot. This will create a diversion. Li Zhihao and Wan Fuqing will lead the other laborers out during the chaos.
Katayama Shinji wants in on the escape. Wan Fuqing speaks up for him. Katayama even offers to be the one to blow up the depot. That seals the deal. Tang Deyuan agrees to bring him along.
A Trail of Bodies
Liu Dabiao shows up at Da Kuo Zhi's tavern to get drunk. She knows Gao Yunhu is hiding there. She worries Liu Dabiao will spot him. She gives him a bottle of booze and shoves him out the door. It doesn't work. Gao Yunhu sees Liu Dabiao through a crack in the door and decides to follow him.
Liu Dabiao is driving his cart back to Jingou. He stops in the woods for a bathroom break. Gao Yunhu ambushes him. He forces Liu Dabiao to take him the rest of the way to Jingou. Once there, Gao Yunhu kills him.
The Hunt for You Shilong
Gao Yunhu corners Jin Batou in his house next. He wants to know what happened to Wan Fuqing. Jin Batou tells him Wan Fuqing left Jingou a while ago. Gao Yunhu demands to know who set him up. Jin Batou finally cracks. He admits a man named You Shilong was behind the whole thing.
Jin Batou has never seen You Shilong's face. He only knows him by the sound of his voice. He says You Shilong sings opera like a woman. Jin Batou's only contact was a man named Niqiu. Just then, someone knocks on the door looking for Jin Batou. Gao Yunhu suffocates him and leaves.
He gets back to the tavern very late. Da Kuo Zhi was waiting up for him. She warns him not to do anything stupid. She says no one has ever seen You Shilong's real face. Gao Yunhu doesn't care. He swears he will find and kill him.
An Unlikely Alliance
Niqiu, the contact man, shows up at the tavern for a drink. At the same time, someone delivers a large fish for Da Kuo Zhi. Niqiu wants her to cook it for him. She flatly refuses. Then, the Songlin Town police chief, Pang Sihai, walks in. He tells Da Kuo Zhi that Jin Batou has been murdered. He warns her to be careful. After he leaves, Da Kuo Zhi has someone deliver the fish to Pang Sihai's house.
Gao Yunhu thinks Pang Sihai might be You Shilong. Da Kuo Zhi says that's impossible. She already knows Gao Yunhu killed both Liu Dabiao and Jin Batou. She tells him to stop before he gets run out of Songlin Town for good. Gao Yunhu tells her he is only in town to meet his old comrades. This just makes Da Kuo Zhi angry. She turns her back on him.
A Shared Past
Lan Hua'er continues to take care of the Third-in-Command. His wounds are healing well. He is very grateful to her. He tells her he's not a bad guy. He only became a bandit after the Japanese were responsible for his parents' deaths. With nowhere else to go, he joined Xiao Baima's group.
It is the 49th day since Lan Hua'er's mother died. She thinks about everything that happened and starts to cry. Xiao Baima sees this. He gets some paper money for offerings. He offers to go with her to visit her mother's grave. She is moved to tears.
At the grave, Xiao Baima bows his head respectfully. Lan Hua'er swears she will get revenge for her mother. Xiao Baima promises he will help her.
Later, Lan Hua'er cooks a meal for them. She drinks three quick cups of wine. She thanks Xiao Baima for saving her life. Then she tells him the truth. She is a soldier in the anti-Japanese resistance. She was visiting her mother when Japanese soldiers surrounded her home. Xiao Baima saved her. He tells her he already knew. He admits he used to be in the Volunteer Army and fought the Japanese, too. He suspected she and Lao Shandong were resistance fighters all along. They find common ground and continue to drink and talk.
The Ginseng Trap
An out-of-town merchant arrives in Songlin Town. He is looking for Shopkeeper Pu. He wants to buy the legendary century-old ginseng. In response, Shopkeeper Pu hangs a banner outside his shop. It says he is willing to pay a high price for old ginseng.
Tian Xiaogui sees the sign. He tries to convince Lao Shandong to sell the root they have. Lao Shandong is cautious. He thinks it might be a trap.
Tian Xiaogui goes to see Shopkeeper Pu by himself. Pu tells him about the wealthy merchant. He pressures Tian Xiaogui to bring the ginseng soon. Tian Xiaogui hurries back to their hideout. But Lao Shandong saw someone follow him. He grabs Tian Xiaogui, and they quickly hide.
