Episode Summary
In this final episode, Wu Shi defies his captors and refuses a deal for his freedom. After a series of emotional goodbyes, he, Zhu Feng, Chen Baocang, and Nie Xi are executed. Chiang Kai-shek simultaneously learns his military campaign has failed, marking the end of his ambitions.
Spoiler Alert
Wu Shi Owns It All
The episode kicks off with Gu Zhengwen trying to play games. He pressures Wu Shi. He wants him to point the finger at Chen Baocang and Nie Xi.
But Wu Shi isn't a rat. He refuses to sell out his friends. Instead, he does the exact opposite. He confesses to everything. He tells them he is the head of the East China Sea intelligence group. He takes all the heat himself.
And guess who's in the audience for this whole show? Chiang Kai-shek. The big boss himself came to watch the interrogation.
A Lecture for the Generalissimo
Wu Shi then does something wild. He draws Chiang's top-secret battle plans perfectly from memory. Right in front of everyone. It's a huge flex.
Then he starts talking. He doesn't hold back. He calls out the Nationalist government for its deep-rooted corruption. He gets into it with Mao Renfeng. Wu Shi says he never betrayed his country. He says the currentgovernment betrayed the country's original ideals.
Chiang Kai-shek can't handle it. He's been completely shown up. He gets up and leaves the room without a word.
The Last-Ditch Effort Fails
After Wu Shi's wife, Wang Bikui, is released, Chiang Kai-shek tries a different tactic. He sends his son, Chiang Ching-kuo, to make Wu Shi an offer.
The deal is simple. Publicly condemn the Communists, and they'll forget this whole thing ever happened. Wu Shi could walk away.
He's not interested. He completely rejects the offer. He reminds Chiang's son that the Nationalists are the ones who refuse to work for the people. He says the Communists actually have the people in their hearts.
Chiang Ching-kuo reports this back to his father. Chiang Kai-shek is furious. Any chance of a deal is gone. He orders severe punishment.
A Series of Gut-Wrenching Goodbyes
This is where the episode really twists the knife. We get a few prison visits that are just brutal to watch.
Nie Xi and Gao Xiumei
Gao Xiumei comes to see Nie Xi. She brings a photo of their daughter. She doesn't even know what to say.
Nie Xi apologizes for being a terrible husband and father. He tells her to divorce him. He wants to set her free. She refuses. She tells him that she and their daughter will wait for him. It's a truly heartbreaking moment.
Zhu Feng and A-Ju
We also see Zhu Feng get a visit from A-Ju. To protect the young woman, Zhu Feng insists they aren't mother and daughter. She's saving A-Ju's life, even at the very end.
Wu Shi and the Pineapple Cakes
This scene is tough. Wang Bikui brings Wu Shi his favorite snack, pineapple cakes. She sees he's been beaten, but he tries to hide it.
The guards are suspicious. They smash all the cakes, looking for hidden messages. She is crushed. She manages to find one single cake that wasn't destroyed.
Wu Shi eats it slowly. He asks her to sing a folk song from their hometown. She starts singing through her tears, and he starts crying too. This is their final goodbye.
The War Is Over
The focus shifts back to Chiang Kai-shek. He receives a telegram. Hainan Island has fallen. The losses are catastrophic.
His grand plan to reconquer the mainland is officially dead. He's completely defeated. He tells his son that his only hope now is to be buried in his ancestral home. He has given up.
At the same time, Wu Shi reads a newspaper in his cell. He sees that the Zhoushan archipelago has been liberated by the Communists. He feels a sense of victory. His sacrifice meant something.
No Mercy
Zhou Zhirou makes one last appeal to Chiang Kai-shek. He suggests they sentence the four spies to life in prison instead of death.
Chiang refuses. He wants them executed. No mercy.
A military court reads the death sentences for Wu Shi, Zhu Feng, Chen Baocang, and Nie Xi. They are given ten minutes to write their last words. Nie Xi and Chen Baocang already have theirs ready. Wu Shi quickly writes down a few lines.
As his final act, Wu Shi announces to his comrades that Zhoushan has been liberated. The four of them then walk to their execution, completely unafraid.
In the final scene, Li Qing is released from the hospital. She's recovered. She officially changes her name back to Lin Qing, signaling a new chapter.
