Episode Summary
The episode starts with a political and cultural victory as a massive patriotic play festival succeeds in uniting different factions. This triumph is shadowed by the personal loss of Shen Yanbing. The mood then shifts dramatically as the war effort collapses. The failure to reinforce Hengyang leads directly to the fall of Guilin, forcing our main characters to flee the city as countless civilians are killed.
Spoiler Alert
A United Front (For Now)
This episode kicks off with a small but satisfying victory. The saboteur Liu Hancao is finally out of the picture. The Nationalist party, feeling the pressure, ships him off to a new post in Chongqing. It’s a clean win for our side.
With that distraction handled, the focus shifts back to the war. In Guilin, cultural activists are gearing up for the toughest part of the fight against Japan. They have a seriously ambitious plan. They want to stage a massive patriotic play across five different provinces at the same time.
The Big Play
This is a huge undertaking. The logistics alone are a nightmare. But Xia Yan is confident. He believes their secret weapon is the United Front. This shaky alliance between the Communists and the Nationalists is what will make it all possible.
An E gets her orders. She heads to the Guilin West Station to pick up a contact named Sanyuan. Sanyuan brings incredible news. The Communist leader Zhou Enlai loves the idea of the play. He is fully on board.
Getting the Nationalists On Board
Zhou Enlai also has a brilliant suggestion. He says they should invite high-ranking Nationalist leaders to be honorary chairmen of the festival. This is a genius political move. It forces the Nationalists to publicly support the patriotic cause. It proves the United Front is real and strong.
Xia Yan sees the proposed list. It includes Chiang Kai-shek's son, Li Jishen, and even the local Guilin governor. He is ecstatic. This is the biggest success the cooperation has seen so far. Everyone immediately gets to work, buzzing with excitement.
A Bittersweet Success
The work pays off. The opening night of the play festival is a massive event. All the important artists and writers in Guilin are there. You couldn't find an empty seat.
A Month of Triumph
Li Jishen and his fellow Nationalist officials are sitting right in the front row. They look pretty pleased with themselves. The local governor gets on stage and officially kicks things off. The festival is a runaway success. It runs for an entire month. Nearly ten thousand actors participate over that time. Even foreign journalists are there. They report that it's an event unlike anything they have ever seen.
A Personal Loss
But the celebration is cut short by personal tragedy. Shen Yanbing’s health has taken a turn for the worse. He has been in a coma for several days. Xia Yan brings a group of friends to the hospital to see him. His wife, Qin Ying, stands by his bed. She looks at his pale, sick face and just crumbles. She can only think about how full of life he was before he got sick.
Someone has an idea. They suggest singing a song from the play for Shen Yanbing. As they sing, the mood in the room gets heavy. Everyone is fighting back tears.
Soon after, Shen Yanbing dies. An E arrives with a letter of condolence from Zhou Enlai. Qin Ying tearfully reads the personal tribute Zhou Enlai wrote for her husband. Along with the letter, Zhou Enlai sent a large sum of money. It’s enough to ensure she can take care of their three children.
The War Comes to Guilin
The brief moment of cultural victory is over. The reality of the war comes crashing down. The Battle of Hengyang has been raging for over a month. The Chinese soldiers are badly outnumbered. The fighting is brutal.
The Battle of Hengyang
We learn that Chiang Kai-shek is deliberately not sending reinforcements. He wants to save his best troops for other fights. This is a death sentence for Hengyang. If Hengyang falls, Guilin is the next city in the path of the Japanese army. The front has held for a month. It can't hold much longer. People who understand the situation start quietly leaving Guilin.
The local Guilin governor receives a battle report. He is furious. He sees the Nationalist leadership as weak and corrupt. They are more concerned with internal politics than with fighting the Japanese invasion. He knows that once the front line breaks, Guilin will be overrun.
The Evacuation
Just then, Xia Yan shows up with Li Renren. They urge the governor to issue an immediate evacuation order for the city. The governor doesn't hesitate. He agrees and issues the order right away. He tells all civilians in Guilin to leave.
It’s too little, too late. The Japanese army breaks through and sweeps into Guilin. Xia Yan, An E, and a large group of artists and patriots manage to escape. But they soon receive the terrible news. Guilin has fallen. Countless innocent people were slaughtered by the invading army. The weight of the loss is heavy on everyone.
