Episode Summary
A new front opens, and Ren Suning leads a group of women to join the war. She has a tense reunion with Han Dayong, who is now a commander. His unit is ordered to hold a position without support, facing a heavily fortified enemy pillbox. In a final, desperate act, Han Dayong sacrifices his life to destroy the pillbox and secure a victory. Ren Suning finds his body, her resolve hardened by the immense loss.
Spoiler Alert
A New Front and New Soldiers
The Women's Brigade
The war isn't just in Changsha anymore. A new front has opened up in southern Guangxi. The army is stretched thin and needs more people. So, Ren Suning steps up. She gathers her friends and a bunch of other women to help.
These aren't just any volunteers. Many of them lived through the horrors in Nanjing. They are driven by a deep sense of patriotism. Their dedication forces a change in the rules. The army officially starts allowing women to join the fight. Ren Suning then leads this new women's unit to the front lines.
A Tense Reunion
When they arrive, Ren Suning immediately finds Han Dayong. He's been promoted. He is a battalion commander now. He sees her and the other women. He is not happy about it.
He pulls her aside right away. He tries to explain how brutal the fighting is. He tells her this is no place for women who aren't trained soldiers. But Ren Suning doesn't back down. She reminds him she has seen war before. She is staying.
The Brutality of the Front Lines
Questionable Orders
The situation at the front is grim. Han Dayong's unit gets a terrible order. They must hold their position no matter the cost. No reinforcements are coming. They are completely on their own.
We also learn why they might be getting hung out to dry. The Nationalist Party's intelligence is bad. It's putting their own armies in bad spots. On top of that, the Nationalists have a strange strategy. They often surround the enemy but don't attack. They want to preserve their own elite troops. Some officials are confused by this. But the word from the top is that it's Chiang Kai-shek's plan for a longer war. This doesn't help Han Dayong's men at all. They are stuck in a meat grinder.
A Final Goodbye
During a lull in the fighting, Ren Suning finds Han Dayong. He's been injured, but he's still on the line. She just breaks down seeing him like that. She feels totally powerless against the chaos of the war.
She stays with him for a few moments. Then he gets new orders. He has to go back into the fight immediately. Ren Suning has to leave the position. As she goes, she sees the blood soaked into his uniform sleeve. She cries out his name. There is so much she wants to say, but she can't get the words out.
The Last Stand
The Pillbox
The enemy has a heavily fortified pillbox. It's tearing Han Dayong's unit apart. They can't get close to it. Even a reinforcement unit saw the intense firepower and had to fall back. They are running out of time.
Han Dayong makes a desperate decision. He orders a full-frontal assault. It's a suicide mission. One group will lay down cover fire. The other will charge, using their own bodies to create a path forward. Someone has to get on top of the pillbox to destroy it.
A Hero's Sacrifice
Han Dayong leads the charge himself. He uses his body as a shield for his men. He manages to get close enough. He throws a satchel charge into the pillbox, blowing it up.
The charge works. The Chinese army takes the position. It's a victory.
After the battle, Ren Suning rushes to the captured ground. She is looking for Han Dayong. She finds his body. He died taking out the pillbox. In his hand, he is still clutching the scarf she knitted for him. Ren Suning, completely heartbroken, lifts his body onto her back to carry him home. All she can see are the moments they shared. She has already watched her parents die. Now she has watched her lover die for their country. Her grief only makes her revolutionary beliefs stronger.
