【Multi | FULL】EP33 | A Love Never Lost 人生若如初见 | iQIYI
[Episode 33] Great! Great! Alright. Today isn’t about me talking and everyone else listening. I want to hear from you guys. Hey, you, rearrange the seating. Let’s make a circle. No need for that. The speaker can stand where I am. I’ll sit down and listen. The topics are not limited. If you have suggestions for me as your new commander, whether it’s about military discipline, training strategy, improvements and reforms, living conditions, and so on, just say whatever’s on your mind. I want everyone to speak freely. And if you’re not ready
to say it out loud, you can submit a report to me. I promise to take every word seriously. Great! Great! Great! Everyone, our new commander-in-chief is kind and approachable, truly kind and approachable. As subordinates, we’re deeply inspired, so deeply inspired! Mr. Yang’s explanation of a soldier’s duty was clear and concise, truly concise! Why is that? Because the man is educated. Truly educated! Highly educated! He also has passion and resolve, true passion and resolve, unmatched passion! The arrival of the new commander-in-chief is a blessing for our Sixth Division, truly a blessing indeed. Such talent, such rich knowledge, such passion and resolve— what does it reflect? It reflects
the Emperor’s great benevolence. It shows the Emperor and the court’s deep concern, genuine favor, and high regard for all of us in the Sixth Division! Great! Well said! Great! [Residence of the Commander-in-Chief
of the Sixth Division] Maichen. Have you noticed that in the Sixth Division, there seems to be a shadow commander? Yeah, I noticed. In the second half of the meeting during the day, a few voices threw out hollow flattery and endless praise, but most people were dead silent, watching someone’s every expression. Whose expression? Tell me. Commander Zhou of the 12th Brigade. Yeah. Even Commander Wu of the 11th Brigade is deferential to him. Some people even say he’s the uncrowned king
of the Sixth Division. Who said that? The meeting today went quite well. Let’s keep it that way. Butter him up so much that he doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. As the saying goes, “You don’t hit a smiling face
with a hard fist.” He came in swinging, but we’ll stay calm and collected, putting on a smile before him and showing him all due courtesy. Now let’s see what he’ll do next. Sir, you’re so clever. That Yang boy has powerful backing, but we won’t butt heads with him. We’ll take the soft approach. Know what that’s called? It’s called the “Formless Formation.” Has tomorrow’s schedule been set? Yang’s aide from Beijing, Staff Officer Gu, informed me they won’t need any company tomorrow. They’ll inspect the troops on their own. Going solo, huh? I’ve already notified the troops. Wherever Yang goes, we’ll get timely updates. No need to be so cautious. We still have a long way to go. The key is to keep a close eye on those few dissenters. As long as they don’t join forces with Yang Kaizhi, the rest won’t be much of a problem. You mean… Fang Quanlin, Xu Liqun, and especially the colonel of the 24th Regiment, Feng Hanhai. [Base of the 24th Regiment,
Sixth Division] I’m Feng Hanhai,
colonel of the 24th Regiment. [Feng Hanhai, colonel
of the 24th Regiment, Sixth Division] Good morning, sir. Hello, Colonel Feng. Hello, sir. Why so few men out here? The Brigade Office sent word last night, saying that today, you might come for a visit. They told me to have a few soldiers out for show to avoid the parade ground looking too empty. That would look bad. You heard that? They were worried
I might drop by unannounced. So tell me, at yesterday’s meeting, why didn’t you speak up? What was there to say? It was all hollow talk for the higher-ups, just a load of hot air. You’re quite frank. How many live-fire drills
do you have in a year? Just once this year. Which month is it now? You’ve only practiced once? What about trench building and field engineering? He… Never. Never? That’s right. All those shovels, spades, and iron tools are painted spotless, sitting in the armory waiting to be counted when visitors show up. Sir, why don’t you count them too? Since you’ve prepared well enough to deal with me, what’s the point of me checking? Indeed, there’s no point. Let’s go. Take me to the soldiers’ mess hall. This way, please. It’s so bland. Not even a whiff of meat. There is meat. Right here. That’s it? For 500 people? It’s fine that it’s not much, but they should’ve
at least given us the full amount. Where did you buy it? It’s supplied
by the brigade quartermaster. He was generous today. He heard you might come. So it was issued. How much does it weigh? According to the records, it’s 21 catties and 5 taels. This morning, we just got it from the Brigade Office. 21 catties and 5 taels? Does this look like 21 catties? Bring a scale. Let’s weigh it. 14 catties. 7 catties short. 7 catties short out of 21. The brigade quartermaster’s scale is a bit too rigged, huh? Colonel Feng, it seems like you have a lot to say to me. If you don’t feel comfortable speaking openly, you can write a report to me. Say everything on your mind. Don’t hold back. An official has the duty of fixing what’s broken. Goodbye, Colonel Feng. Everyone, today’s meeting will address only one issue. Every supply unit and mess unit in the entire division must use standardized scales. General Zhou. What’s the name of your quartermaster in the 12th Brigade? His name is Chen Furen. Right. When you get back, tell him that a catty is a catty. One catty is 16 taels, not nine taels or 11 taels. I think improving the Sixth Division’s soldier supplies should start with fixing the issue of short-weight rations. Start by making sure a catty is 16 taels. Wu, you heard that? You know how to weigh things? I grew up selling peanuts! I know all about scales! So you know one catty is 16 taels, right? General Zhou, are you messing with me? Wu, what are you doing? If the brigades’ scales
need to be accurate, shouldn’t the Division Office’s scale be accurate too? Are you saying the Division Office’s
scale isn’t accurate? Well, accurate or not,
we have to test to know. How do we test that? One bullet weighs one tael and three qian. That’s a set standard. Whether the scale is accurate, we’ll weigh the bullets and know. Commander-in-Chief, look at him. What a troublemaker. Wu actually wants to check the scale of the Division Office. Staff Officer Gu. Yes. Have the division quartermaster come now. Tell him to bring a scale. Right away. Yes. Commander-in-Chief, I don’t mean to speak ill of the previous commander-in-chief, but the scale used by the Division Office isn’t accurate most of the time. Take last year for example. The Ministry of War,
through the division quartermaster, gave us 10,000 catties of soybeans as premium feed, distributed to each brigade
to feed the horses. They said my 12th Brigade was allotted 2,500 catties. But when it arrived and I weighed it, guess how much it was? 1,750 catties. 750 catties vanished right under the Division Office’s scale. General Zhou is right. That’s why, to solve this problem, we don’t start from the bottom. We start right here with the Division Office. Commander-in-Chief. Let it go. You’re really going to weigh them? Yes. Right now. One catty is exactly 16 taels. The scale of the Division Office is no exception. Commander-in-Chief. Five bullets weigh
six taels and five qian in total. The sun must be rising from the west. D-Dead accurate. How could it not be accurate? Quartermaster Li, you don’t have
two different scales, do you? That’s not possible. Quartermaster Li. Yes. From now on, the scale in your hand will be the standard scale
for the Sixth Division. I order you
to use this scale as the benchmark to calibrate all scales in every brigade, regiment, and mess unit in the entire division. If any shortchanging happens again, once confirmed, the penalty will be tenfold. [Headquarters] Wu. We’d better be careful. I’m afraid this may not just be about scales. New officials want
to hit the ground running. It’s always like this. Be careful. Don’t land yourself in trouble. By the way, how’s your relationship with Ma Buzhou from the cavalry battalion? I trained him. What do you think? That’s good. Yang just picked Ma Buzhou to be his guard captain. This person is crucial. You need to win him over for me. Just in case. Is that really necessary? Yang’s background is very complicated. We’d better plant this piece early. It might come in handy
at a critical moment. Come in. Buzhou. [Ma Buzhou] What’s the matter? Colonel Feng Hanhai is here to see you. Colonel Feng? What do you think of Colonel Feng? He’s got solid military skills and is very upright. Just a bit of a maverick. Brigade Commander Zhou
doesn’t really like him. Does Brigade Commander Zhou like you? The cavalry battalion is
an independent unit. He doesn’t have authority over me. When Duan was in charge, I answered to him. Compared to my predecessor, Duan, what do you think of me? Hard to compare. Every commander has their own style. What’s my style? Can’t say yet. We haven’t worked together long enough. You’re quite honest. We’ve got time. Let’s get along. Ask Colonel Feng to come in. Yes. Wait. Here’s a letter. It should be sent to Shanghai. Mail it for me. Yes. Colonel Feng. I read your report. You pointed out six specific problems in the army that need fixing. Very good. However, someone is not happy about it. Who might that be? You know who it is, sir. I’d like to know what Brigade Commander Zhou’s background is. Why is he so arrogant in the Sixth Division? When Duan left, he explicitly stated that the Ministry of War wanted Zhou to succeed him as commander of the Sixth Division. He’s one of the earliest officers
for the military training at Xiaozhan. Most of the officers in the two brigades were trained by him. He naturally assumed that he would be the new head of the Sixth Division. Unexpectedly, you showed up. I see now. Turns out I ruined someone’s plans. Of course. This man is domineering and likes to pull strings and bestow small favors. As long as someone is his man, regardless of his vices, he’ll still be given key positions. And with that, the Sixth Division became rotten to the core. Lack of knowledge or no real grasp
of military affairs is fine. Using army funds for personal gain is okay. Splitting up supplies meant for the troops like horse feed and firewood for private profit is totally ignored. As long as you win favor with Zhou, you can rise quickly and smoothly. How can this go on? But let me ask you. Feng Hanhai, how did you become a colonel? Did you climb up by pleasing Zhou too? I was promoted by Duan. Duan himself was a clean man. His ambitions lay elsewhere. He also knew Zhou was a corrupt officer. But Duan needed Zhou to control the troops. In that dilemma, he promoted me to balance things out and keep Zhou from going too far. This is the first time I’ve heard about the real situation. Then how should we change the current situation? I’m just reporting the situation. As for changing it, it depends on your resolve. If I remove him from his post… do you think that would solve the problem? Well… That depends on who will replace him. If it’s just one of his men, I’m afraid… It’s you. You’ll replace him. Can you guarantee that you’ll turn the situation around? They’ll never appoint me. Why not? You may not know this, sir, but I wasn’t part of the Wuwei Corps Right Division. Although I graduated
from Baoding Military Academy, I wasn’t in the inner circle. They’d never trust me to take Zhou’s place. We haven’t even tried yet. How do you know it won’t work for sure? From top to bottom,
they’ve got their people everywhere. And who are “they”? Mr. Yuan’s die-hard supporters. What if I send a telegram to Lord Zaitao at the Military Advisory Council? I didn’t think of that. Sir, can you really get through to Lord Zaitao? Let me give it a try. But first, you should be mentally prepared to take responsibility. Help me truly take charge of the Sixth Division. We can’t let this toxic mess go on any longer. [Military Advisory Council in Beijing] Sir, we just received this, a signed telegram
from Commander Yang Kaizhi of the Sixth Division, addressed specifically to the Chairman and General Liang Xiang. Leave it here. Both of them are on a visit to Europe. All telegrams will have to wait until their return. The telegram is marked urgent. It seems pressing. Then forward it to the Ministry of War. Let Mr. Yinchang handle it. Understood. This is the main duty office of the Military Advisory Council. Go ahead. Hurry! Master. Master. Master. What’s the matter? Mr. Yinchang
from the Ministry of War in Beijing has sent a confidential letter. You may go now. Master. Has something happened? Mr. Yinchang personally
wrote you a letter. Yang has taken action to take me down. Commander-in-Chief Yang? He sent a secret telegram to Lord Zaitao, accusing me of being a heavy opium addict, calling me no better than a thief, and recommending Feng Hanhai to replace me as the commander of the 12th Brigade. Then what’s Mr. Yinchang’s response? Lord Zaitao is on the rise, and Mr. Yuan has retreated to Zhangde. Mr. Yinchang doesn’t dare
to openly oppose, so he can only respond evasively. How evasively? We send him so much silver every year. He can’t just sit back and watch! Enough. Get the carriage ready now. I need to talk with Wu. We need a plan. Go! It was so quick. Someone in Beijing has tipped him off. Yet here we are, still waiting for any kind of reply. It’s not our fault. We didn’t know
before sending the telegram. No one expected
Liang Xiang to be out of the country and the telegram to be sent to the Ministry of War. The timing wasn’t right. Listen. Go bring in the guard captain. Yes. Commander-in-Chief, you wanted to see me? Something’s come up. People on General Zhou’s side probably hate my guts now. Just in case, from now on, we need to tighten security at both the office and the residence. Notify the guards to be ready for duty at any time. Yes. There’s nothing shady going on here. General Zhou and I have no personal grudges. It’s purely a matter of different leadership philosophies. Make sure your men understand that. Tell them not to be overly hostile. Understood? Understood. This isn’t just about me. He’s targeting all of us old officers from the Wuwei Corps Right Division. In his eyes, we’ve always been “Yuan’s faction.” We cannot just sit back and do nothing. We must push back. He can’t think that just because
Mr. Yuan has stepped down, we’re now helpless rabbits waiting to be slaughtered. No. None of you here are ordinary. You command troops. Your voices still carry weight. We need to speak up. We need to voice our opinions. We need to push back against Yang. Yeah, we must speak up. Now that you’re in trouble, it’s only right for us to stand with you. But the question is, how do we speak? Who do we speak to? Yeah. Our words need to hit the mark. We need a plan. We can’t proceed without one. Stay calm. That Yang boy might have done that to draw us out, planning to take us all down in one go. Exactly. I have always treated you all well. But now, in this moment of life and death, you’re still clinging to false hope? Wake up! Let me tell you something: if Yang can take me down, then from here on out, in the Sixth Division, he can go after anyone he wants. He can mess with whoever he wants! Zhou. Sit, sit. Calm down. Sit, sit. You and Mr. Yinchang are close, right? Just have him reject Yang’s request. That shouldn’t be hard. Mr. Yinchang sent me a message overnight. That is his stance. What more do you need to be convinced? Of course, the higher-ups
have their own way of doing things. Mr. Yinchang will surely speak up, but he won’t do it blindly. Everyone plays their part. You need to escalate this conflict all the way up to the Army Office. Only then can Mr. Yinchang step in. You mean… we need to submit something in writing? I’ve already prepared it for you. It needs your signatures
before submission. Yang Kaizhi isn’t some spotless figure. Back when he was studying in Japan, he had ties to the revolutionary party. We’ll use that. We’ll say he slipped anti-Qing revolutionary rhetoric into his inaugural speech. Slipping in? Zhou, I don’t think that’s proper. Then change it. Make it “openly inciting anti-Qing revolution.” That’s not proper either. If it was open incitement, then why didn’t we stop him on the spot? Moreover, everyone applauded. The room was thunderous with applause. A complaint full of nonsense… Zhou, we really can’t sign our names on it. What do you mean? You’re shutting me out? No. General, the commander-in-chief
asked me to wait here for you. Please. General Yang. Stabbing me in the back like this is a bit too cruel, isn’t it? An opium addict who’s no better than a thief? It’s utter nonsense! General Zhou. Who told you this? Don’t think you’re the only one with connections, Yang Kaizhi. I’ve got backing too. This isn’t some dice game where we compare whose number is bigger. We’ve got to compare when necessary. When I was training troops at Xiaozhan, where were you, boy? I’ve crossed more bridges than you’ve walked roads.
Believe it or not. I believe it. Then that settles it. I’m asking you to withdraw your request. Send a telegram
to the Ministry of War now. Why should I listen to you? Don’t bring trouble on yourself. Are you threatening me? Listen. Even if you drive me away, you still can’t control
the Sixth Division! Just by the way you’re talking to me now, I can’t keep you. You’re a subordinate, yet you’re trying to threaten your superior. If you were me, would you keep someone like that? General Yang, don’t take it personally. I trained in the field to get where I am. Those from the Beiyang Army are all like me. You’re different. You trained in the classroom in Japan. You want refinement? That’s easy. How about I take you to the Deyue Hotel in the city? We’ll enjoy the company
of some refined ladies, and in the cool breeze and moonlight, amidst the playing of zithers and singing, you and I can have a heart-to-heart talk. Commander-in-Chief,
an urgent telegram from Beijing. It’s from the Ministry of War, isn’t it? Ministry of War. A personal telegram from Mr. Yinchang. I suppose I need to congratulate that jerk Feng Hanhai in advance. This telegram has nothing to do with him. So you’re saying that Feng Hanhai didn’t get what he wanted? He got all worked up for nothing, huh? I didn’t expect Mr. Yinchang to value you so much. My friend, just think about it. What kind of relationship do I have with Mr. Yinchang? You sent a telegram, and I already knew how it’d go. I thought so. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have transferred you
back to the Ministry of War to be a military advisor. The new brigade commander is already on his way. He’ll arrive any day now. His name is Li Renjun. Take a look. Captain Ma, see him out. Li Renjun? Who the hell is this guy? [Shanghai] My dearest Shuhong, I received the short letter
you sent from Shanghai. I understand everything you’ve just been through. Actually, every love story inevitably comes with its own struggles and confusion for the two people in the story. We’re no different. That sweet night in Beijing was destined to demand its price from both you and me. Separation isn’t the worst thing. At the very least, deep in our hearts, there are still so many lingering feelings that make us feel warm every day, even if at this moment, you are surrounded by a bunch of idiots. Dear Kaizhi, forgive me for not replying sooner. Shanghai is in the throes of an unprecedented stock market crash. The rubber stocks people were frantically chasing have plummeted overnight. They’re worthless now. So many people and banks have gone bankrupt and closed down. There was this absurd belief that the future
would be built from rubber: tires, shoes, steamships, even roads and houses. Vice Chairman Song’s bank was affected too and suffered huge losses. These days,
I’ve been helping with the aftermath, comforting and compensating
his friends and associates. It’s been heartbreaking. Someone jumped. Quick, someone jumped! Someone jumped! Chairman Song. Did you deliver the letter? No. Why not? He jumped off a building. Right in front of me. I was just one step too late. He was already dead
before reaching the hospital. Shuhong. Do you know who I miss the most right now? Your Mr. Wu. Mr. Wu firmly believed that to deal with the rotten Qing regime, the people must hold power. Otherwise, they’ll do whatever they please. What do you mean by that? Financial crises happen everywhere, but look at how other governments handle them. Now look at us. Let’s not talk about
the first stock crash. We were all somewhat to blame. But this second crash? It’s entirely man-made! Man-made? By whom? The circuit intendant of Shanghai pulled two million taels of silver from Yuanfengrun Bank to get back at the Ministry of Finance. This caused China’s largest bank to collapse, affecting dozens of branch banks. Is this something a man should do? Just for the sake of his own pride, he once again kicked all of this city’s money straight into the river, not caring if it’d flood the whole place! Okay, okay. I understand. Baoquan, Mr. Yu just called. He wants you
to go to the Ningbo Chamber of Commerce to discuss the disbandment of the merchant militia. Disbandment? Whose idea is that? H-How would I know? Mr. Yu said on the phone that the circuit intendant
of Shanghai has resigned. Technically, he should be in charge of the merchant militia. That’s what he said. Don’t ask me to explain it. Mr. Yu has lost his mind. We poured a fortune into building that armed force. How can we just hand it over? Who knows when we might need
to change our way of speaking? Go, go, go. Call for a car. I’m going to
the Ningbo Chamber of Commerce. Okay.