Episode Summary
The party plans to stage a patriotic play to raise funds and recruit allies, cleverly securing approval from a hesitant local official. Zhou Enlai sends An E to manage the production, but she barely survives a dangerous encounter with Japanese soldiers at a checkpoint. Upon arriving, she learns their lead actress, Miss Qin, has been abducted by a cruel Japanese major who wants to force her into a propaganda play.
Spoiler Alert
A Plan to Fund the Fight
We start with a new script. Xia Yan wrote a patriotic play. It's apparently very good. Guo Moruo reads it and sees an opportunity. Their newspaper is short on cash. He thinks they can stage this play to raise money for the war effort. It's a solid idea.
Li Kenong hears about the plan and agrees. He sees another angle, too. A popular patriotic play could inspire people. It might even help them recruit more fighters for the front lines. So, the play is a go.
Shuffling the Deck in Guangxi
New Leadership, New Vibe
The political situation in Guangxi is changing. Yang Dongchun just became the head of education in Guilin. He's not wasting any time. He immediately starts making reforms. He appoints smart people like Tao Xingzhi to run local universities.
This creates a ripple effect. New schools are opening. Cultural events are happening. You can feel the morale shifting. Ren Suning is on the ground, reporting on it all. She sees people rebuilding their homes and getting involved in the resistance.
A Cautious Politician
Then you have Huang Xuchu. He’s the guy left in charge while Bai Chongxi is at the front. He's playing things very carefully. For now, he isn't getting in the way of the Communist Party's work.
Bai Chongxi gave him some serious advice before he left. Huang remembers it well. He’s worried about a political shift from above. He doesn't want to lose his position. So, he's staying out of the way.
Getting the Show on the Road
The Art of Persuasion
Guo Moruo wants this play to happen now. They decide to stage it in both Chongqing and Guilin. First, they need local approval. Secretary Xie goes to talk to Huang Xuchu. Huang is hesitant about a big public performance. He’s worried it could cause trouble.
Secretary Xie saw this coming. He was prepared. He pulls out a list. It’s the play’s performance committee. It has thirty or forty names of the most respected cultural figures in the area. Huang Xuchu looks at the list. He also knows the Guangxi military commission is okay with it. He realizes he can't really say no. He immediately changes his tune and promises his full cooperation.
Finding the Right People
You can't have a play without actors. Zhou Enlai reads the script. He gives An E a mission. She needs to go find actors from all over. She also has to solve any other problems the production runs into. An E gets her assignment and leaves from Changsha right away.
An E's Dangerous Journey
Trapped at the Dock
An E’s trip hits a major snag. She gets to a dock controlled by the Japanese. They are checking everyone's papers. An E doesn't have a pass. She was supposed to meet a contact on the boat, but she can't find them.
She's getting very nervous. The line is moving. The soldiers are getting closer. Just as it's her turn, a woman in the crowd does something incredible. She shoves her baby into An E's arms. Then she secretly slips a pass into An E's hand.
A Tense Interrogation
An E holds the baby and shows the pass to the Japanese military police. But a Japanese officer gets suspicious. He looks at An E's expensive clothes. Then he looks at the dirty, poorly dressed baby. The two just don't match. He stops her and starts asking questions.
The woman who gave her the pass steps forward. She calmly explains that An E was just helping her by holding the child for a moment. The officer doesn't believe they are mother and child. He tells the baby to call An E "mama." The child says nothing. The soldiers raise their guns and aim them at the women and the baby. The tension is unbearable. Finally, the child shouts "mama!" The Japanese officer lets them go. An E is completely shaken but safe.
One Problem Solved, Another Begins
Bad News at the Theater
An E finally arrives and meets the director and the cast. She explains how important this play is for the cause. But the director gives her terrible news. The actress they had lined up, a Miss Qin, was just taken away by a Japanese major. This major has a reputation for being exceptionally cruel. Miss Qin is in real danger.
An Offer She Must Refuse
The scene cuts to Miss Qin. She is in an office at the Japanese military police headquarters. They want her to star in a propaganda play. The play is about "co-prosperity" between Japan and China. Of course, she refuses. The Japanese officer becomes enraged. Looking at his face, Miss Qin realizes she probably won't be leaving that room alive.
