Episode Summary
This episode is a bloodbath. Li Heng blackmails Shen Yihe to free Lu Shufen. The team attempts to escort Deng Xilin to safety, but the operation goes sideways immediately. Ma San, Lu Shufen, and Zhang Yunhu are all killed in action while covering the retreat. Jia Yunying is surrounded and likely captured or killed. Deng Xilin survives and, witnessing the sacrifice of his protectors, commits fully to the liberation cause.
Spoiler Alert
Li Heng Plays Hardball
Li Heng doesn't blink. He walks right up to Shen Yihe and calls his bluff. He flashes a secret ledger and drops Mr. Cao's name like a hammer. Shen realizes he is cornered. He has no choice. He hands over Lu Shufen.
Shufen is actually humble for once. She gets back to the Deqing Society and apologizes for the mess she caused earlier. She promises to stop acting rashly. She wants to help liberate Chengdu.
The Convoy from Hell
A big mission is on the horizon. Li Heng and Jia Yunying need to move a VIP. Shufen insists on joining the team. Li Heng gets the green light from Jia. He loops in the elders. Ma San backs the play completely. Qingtian stays behind to hold down the fort.
The operation starts messy. Lu Wenlu is already making moves. He has agents watching Deng Xilin. He even kills one of Deng's aides. The team meets up to move Deng. Ma San takes the rear guard position. It costs him his life. A sneak attack takes him out. Deng Xilin watches this happen. He realizes the party he served his whole life is now killing loyal men. It breaks him.
Bodies Drop on the Mountain
Li Heng clears a checkpoint and races toward the river. The main group isn't so lucky. They hit a roadblock and have to scramble up a mountain path. The guerrillas try to hold the line at the bottom.
Lu Wenlu’s agents are swarming. Jia Yunying tries to stay back to cover the retreat. Shufen stops her. She takes the Deqing brothers and stays behind instead. She hears gunfire. Li Heng is in trouble. She runs to help him.
Shufen takes bullets meant for Li Heng. She is bleeding out. She hands him her watch. She talks about a life they won't have. She wanted a future with him. She dies in his arms.
The Last Stand
It keeps getting worse. Zhang Yunhu walks into a trap. Jia Yunying takes a shot to the leg. She knows she can’t run. She orders Zhang to get Deng Xilin out of there. She has a message for Li Heng. Take care of Jia Chang'an. She runs out of bullets. She sits by a tree and watches the agents close in.
Zhang gets Deng to the ferry. They meet up with Li Heng. But the enemy is right on top of them. They are outnumbered. Zhang makes a command decision. He knocks Li Heng cold. He throws Li Heng and Deng onto the boat.
Zhang stays behind. He fights until he has nothing left. He is wounded. He pulls the pin on his last grenade. He takes the bad guys with him. Li Heng wakes up on the boat just in time to watch his friend explode.
A Grim Resolution
The boat reaches the other side. Help is waiting. Deng Xilin is alive. But he saw the cost. He saw the Nationalists kill their own people. He saw good men die to save him. He is done with the old regime. He swears to Li Heng that he will do whatever it takes to liberate Sichuan peacefully.
