Miss, here is your coffee.
I didn't order one.
A gentleman ordered it for you.
Which one?
He was here earlier.
He probably left.
Please enjoy.
Thank you.
I'm done. Let's go.
What's the hurry?
There is more food coming.
Did you order steamed pork ribs?
Do you want something else?
You're the boss.
A death sentence is a death sentence.
It won't change whether we're early or late.
Have some more.
We will drive faster.
Yoshikawa is going back to Japan.
You weren't at last night's dinner.
I don't drink.
You missed out on his stories.
Yoshikawa was a farmer in Niigata Prefecture.
He was recruited
in the 26th year of the Republic.
He had never heard gunshots before.
It was winter when he landed on the Yangtze River.
The Nanjing massacre happened,
then he went to Hankou.
He and six fellow soldiers
broke into a jeweler's shop.
The jeweler had two daughters
who were quite pretty.
He begged the soldiers
not to lay a finger on the girls.
He would give them everything.
But the soldiers refused.
They raped the girls
in front of their parents.
It went on for hours.
They even found a well.
There, they drowned the family of four.
Where are the ribs?
Hey, where are our ribs?
Hurry up.
"Did you order steamed pork ribs?"
In the end,
I only had two tiny pieces.
You should've told me.
I could've ordered another plate.
They serve such tiny portions.
Sneaky restaurant tricks.
I'll never go back.
Don't rush to conclusions.
We were having breakfast.
And what's that?
A single serving of a meal.
You order what you want.
You eat off your own plate.
It's not for sharing.
That's called breakfast.
A
KI
I thought I got it right.
Three knocks.
Then two.
And one.
You must be Mr. Zhang.
I'm Mr. He,
your handler.
Thank you for picking me up.
You're early.
Anyway,
I'm ready.
We don't want unwanted attention.
I know we said you would go to our place,
but travel is risky.
I thought it was best that I came instead.
Is that okay?
What would you like to drink?
What do you have?
It looks like we only have water.
Sure.
I'll need some information first.
It's standard practice.
Name.
I'll fill that in for you.
Age.
I was born
during the 26th year of Guangxu's reign.
Guangxu 26.
The year of Gengzi.
Voluntary surrender.
What was your job?
I was a confidential secretary.
"Confidential secretary."
Why did you change sides?
I'm sure you have your reasons.
We all make choices
that are hard to explain.
These forms
are mere forms.
They are plain words on rough paper.
Don't mind me.
Speak freely.
I wish for peace.
I empathize with Mr. Wang.
Would you care to elaborate?
That sounds a bit scripted.
I think I heard it years ago.
Elaborate?
Which aspect?
For instance...
It escapes me too.
That's all right.
We can circle back.
Can you tell us
what you know at the moment?
I am a weak man.
I can never keep up with change.
I was born in Guangxi.
When my father died,
he left me a parcel of land.
It was on the mountain.
You could see the Lijiang River from it.
All these years,
I've been involved in the revolution in Shanghai.
Yes, I've been busy.
But deep down,
I still think about building that house.
I'm sorry.
What are you trying to say
right now?
I'm still pondering
why I changed sides.
That's too much detail for us.
We can go back to that.
May I have these?
Of course.
Is there anything else?
Our party...
The Communists.
Their head of operations in Shanghai is Mr. Li.
He lives
at No. 6,
Lane 567,
Xiafei Road.
There is a confidential secretary.
That's me.
The underground messenger
is a woman,
Ms. Chen.
UNDERGROUND MESSENGER, MS. CHEN
We live together
at No. 811, Beidang Road.
Apart from me,
have you told anyone else about this?
That's good.
Are you armed?
Guns? Do you have guns on you?
- Yes. - How many?
- One. - What model?
Model?
I don't know.
It's your firearm,
yet you don't know the model?
It's not mine.
It belongs to Ms. Chen.
I don't like guns.
How did you come into possession
of Ms. Chen's firearm?
Welcome, sir.
The usual?
Yes.
We're currently 150 nautical miles
from Guangzhou.
Guangzhou is overcast today.
The cloud coverage is acceptable for bombing.
The bomb run sequence is number three.
Have a nice flight.
You'll be greeted by showers on your way back.
For today's lunch,
we'll serve Japanese and French cuisine,
with Mexican as our special meal.
We await your triumphant returns.
Eternal good luck in war.
Hey!
Wake up.
I'm sorry.
I know it's beautiful outside.
But when you see it every day,
it becomes boring.
I guess I'm lucky
to be free of such troubles
because I have the company
of Roosevelt.
Director.
Hello, Director.
Do your people have shit for brains?
The guy whose neck got slit yesterday
was my man.
When you plant eyes and ears
without telling us,
things like this may happen.
If it weren't for my spies,
do you think you could've captured
Kuomintang's chief of station?
Your Kuomintang ceased to exist
just some ten years after the Republic.
What you're witnessing
is its decomposition.
I survived the bombing
back in Guangzhou.
It was solely by sheer luck.
They bombed Guangzhou for over a year.
Was there any anti-air artillery?
Were there any anti-aircraft guns?
No.
Did anyone do anything to stop it?
No.
Today's Chongqing
is what Guangzhou was back in the day.
Does Chongqing have anti-air artillery?
What about anti-aircraft guns?
Is there any hope
for Chongqing to stay as it is?
No.
Mr. Chiang has been battling
against warlords since 1926.
But he is a warlord himself.
No matter how many lands he conquers,
he's only capable of running
what's under his nose.
He's a local warlord.
He's not a leader.
And he can never be one.
He's stuck in the dream of being a leader.
The way I see it, his greatest agony
is his denial of the fact
that he's only leading a local regime.
Make no mistake
about Mr. Wang's endeavors.
Mr. Wang
is not against the Chinese people.
He's striving to make peace.
What's wrong with peace?
Is it a sin to make peace?
Mr. Chiang had been in Shanghai,
Nanjing, and Wuhan.
He didn't hesitate to abandon those cities.
What about the people there?
There should be a shield
between the people and the Japanese army.
Mr. Wang is that shield now.
We are that shield.
Just confess.
Can't you see who is winning?
You're not worth killing.
Things are changing every day.
You never know what might happen.
We might as well wait and see.
What a dumbass.
Good morning.
It's May 1945.
We're live on Base Camp Radio
for the China Expeditionary Army.
The sky is clear in Shanghai today.
Today's high and low temperatures
are 37 and 25 degrees Celsius.
Nanjing will see more clouds
later in the day.
Today's high and low temperatures
are 38 and 27 degrees Celsius.
It's you again.
How many times have you stopped?
Yes, it's me again.
What's your problem?
The Imperial Navy
continues to dominate the Pacific.
LONG LIVE CHAIRMAN CHIANG
I found water!
Rush the order.
I have to catch a red-eye flight to Nanjing.
Japan and China are inseparable partners.
It's our shared goal to boost the economy,
join hands against the Communists,
and achieve prosperity in East Asia.
We wish that more and more Chinese people
could understand Japan's true intentions.
To be honest, I favor Ishihara.
It's a pity Tojo doesn't like him.
Of course,
Ishihara isn't a fan of Tojo either.
I also struggle to understand
the military operations after 1937
because they did not specify any goal.
How do you win a war without a goal?
However,
that's the cabinet's decision.
His Majesty signed off on it.
Hajime Sugiyama promised His Majesty
in 1937
that he would end the warfare in China
within a month.
It has been four years now.
I've...
always loved the year 1931.
Manchuria must declare
its independence from China
so Japan can take Manchuria for its own.
That is non-negotiable.
Why?
Manchuria is the fortress of East Asia.
If you lose Manchuria,
the Soviets will invade from the north,
spreading Communism
across Asia and the globe.
His Majesty takes China as a brother
and the Soviet Union as an enemy.
I shall imbibe more today
to celebrate
the doomsday of your neighbor.
Germany--
You're drunk.
It's fine.
Why hold back on good news?
Besides,
he's your cousin.
Germany will attack the Soviet Union soon.
There are always rumors.
Germany will likely handle Britain first.
Sending troops to Britain was just a ruse.
It's said
that the Führer has set his mind on it.
We are on the brink of war.
If everything goes well,
the Japanese Army shall embark
from Manchuria
and attack the Soviet Union
via Siberia.
The Soviets are going down.
Yan'an will no longer be an issue by then.
Tell me.
Do you always eat so little?
I'm not used to the food here.
Well,
it's time you started changing that.
GERMANY, ALONG WITH ITALY, FINLAND, AND ROMANIA
DECLARED WAR ON THE SOVIET UNION
Your Kuomintang ceased to exist
just some ten years after the Republic.
What you're witnessing
is its decomposition.
I survived the bombing
back in Guangzhou.
It was solely by sheer luck.
They bombed Guangzhou for over a year.
Anyway,
I needed to stay ruthless
and never let emotions get in the way.
It may seem
as if I failed
because we were disorganized.
Because of the shop window's glass.
Because he was overly cautious.
The truth is,
if I could choose again,
whether it's by gun,
knife, or poison,
he would have been dead months ago.
I hesitated.
Maybe I did so on purpose.
I couldn't even tell
whether I wanted it to succeed or not.
I failed in the end.
Because I let emotions get in my way.
There's no cure for this one.
She's hopeless.
The Kuomintang always prefers female agents.
A lady like her
could have lived a wonderful life.
At least she stays true to her ideals.
She lives for politics.
We, on the other hand,
make a living from politics.
But love meant nothing to him.
I hold nothing against you.
We bear no grudges against each other.
I don't want to put you in a tight spot.
I'm certainly not doing that right now.
He tortured me.
It was a misunderstanding.
We have handled it.
It won't happen again.
What's going to happen?
That depends on the two of you.
I'm not here to judge.
Even if I wanted to, I cannot.
You plan to execute me.
You should talk to him.
Your cousin doesn't want
to see me anymore.
He went to Nanjing.
Honestly, I don't want to see him either.
These things should go without saying.
If he wants me to live,
I won't have to beg.
If he wants me to die,
then there's no point in begging
and throwing my dignity out the window.
It's easy to forgive an enemy.
It's impossible to forgive a friend
who betrayed you.
It's probably written in my destiny.
If that's really what you think,
you might find relief in it.
Your mom delivered some dessert.
Take your time.
Do you mind taking me somewhere else?
The dogs bark incessantly.
I'm scared.
Take her somewhere else.
Is there anything I can do to save her?
She was there to kill the minister.
She almost did it.
The minister is in no position
to forgive her.
Today is her last day.
We have to execute her before sunset.
Did the minister sign off on it?
Mr. Wang did.
It must've been painful for Mr. Wang.
He used to write poems.
Now, he signs execution orders.
Which is more delightful,
writing poems or killing people?
That I do not know.
The minister said
President Wang has made his decision.
He's in no position to negotiate
due to his involvement in this matter.
Please forgive him.
He also said
that despite all those lives you've taken,
if you have any questions
regarding Ms. Jiang's verdict,
or if her beauty
is simply too precious to you,
the only way
is to plead in front of President Wang.
Those were his exact words.
I'm simply passing them on.
I'm out of options.
He knows too well
that I won't bring it to Mr. Wang.
The sun is setting.
Thank you for sparing my life.
I'll leave the dessert for you.
It may be of help.
LIST OF IMPORTANT JAPANESE PERSONS IN SHANGHAI
I found water!
Captain, have some water.
You idiot!
The water stinks!
I'm sorry.
Ten!
LONG LIVE CHAIRMAN CHIANG
Nine!
Eight!
Seven!
Six!
Who did it?
I don't know.
But whoever did it
is definitely not among us.
No one would toss dirty dead bodies
into one's own well.
Dirty dead bodies?
Five!
Four!
Three!
Two!
One!
I didn't know you had drinks on you.
It's whiskey.
A product of our despicable enemies,
but it's a good spirit.
Eternal good luck in war!
Long live His Majesty the Emperor.
- Banzai! - Banzai!
It's my first sip of whiskey
and my first taste of mutton.
Me too.
My first as well.
Same here.
Mutton was rarely seen
before the Meiji era.
Actually, any meat was hardly seen at all.
I heard that France makes dishes
with lamb chops.
France...
is the weakest enemy.
What made you think of French cuisine?
Have you ever had it?
No, I'm just an ordinary soldier
responsible for my brigade's water supply.
But my brother
is a proud Imperial Air Service pilot.
He eats French meals all the time.
Pilots see the world.
He even named his dog Roosevelt.
You're just blabbering.
Where is your brother now?
On a rainy day in September 1938,
he, his wingman,
and Roosevelt,
were returning from bombing Guangzhou.
They crashed into the sea.
Come on.
If your brother were a pilot,
then I could be Roosevelt.
If you were Roosevelt,
then I'm the prince.
Seriously?
Don't you see who I look like?
Who?
I don't know.
I see.
The Imperial Navy attacked Pearl Harbor
a few hours ago.
Japan has declared war
on Britain and the USA.
We couldn't have informed you earlier.
The China Expeditionary Army
will take over the Concession.
The Empire of Japan has declared war
on Britain and the USA.
Japan will take over the Concession.
All military police officers
that are not German or Italian
shall put down their weapons
and surrender to the Imperial Army.
All foreigners
other than Germans and Italians
shall move to the designated camp at once.
All carry-on luggage shall not...
It may look like the climax of victory.
In fact, it's a sad turning point.
Has Tojo finally decided
to do something dumb?
It's not entirely Tojo's fault.
He only took the seat last October.
Konoe was behind most of it.
He escalated the 1937 conflict.
He was the one who decided
not to negotiate with Mr. Chiang.
He helped Mr. Wang with his government.
He took over French Indochina.
He also put a time limit
on diplomatic negotiations with the USA.
With these said and done,
he simply resigned.
Still, we created miracles.
At least the British Empire is no more.
They must be parading
with lanterns in Tokyo.
The public is ignorant and blind.
The Empire still has a chance.
The surprise strike was to instill fear
to get the USA on the negotiation table.
We did the same in the war against Russia.
The world works in mysterious ways.
Who would have thought that decades
after the victory against Russia,
the Imperial Navy would find the courage
to take on the USA?
But you didn't get Chongqing to surrender.
You're right.
It is ridiculous to rely on surrender
to win a war.
But as Tojo once said,
sometimes you have to muster the courage,
just as people believe
that jumping from Kiyomizu-dera Temple
can make their wishes come true.
Why were you so late?
Didn't we leave at the same time?
I stopped to get some pastries.
There were gun fights.
The shop was closing.
It took some time.
Where are the pastries?
It's in the car.
Do you want some?
Wait.
Hey, hang on.
President Wang passed away
on November 10th
at Nagoya Imperial University Hospital.
The Air Force has transported the casket
from Naval Air Facility Atsugi to Nanjing.
The Emperor of Japan,
Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe,
General Hideki Tojo,
and General Korechika Anami
were present for the farewell.
As the plane took off,
they stayed on.
I sent someone to Chongqing.
They said I could make amends.
I shall represent Chongqing
to conduct secret negotiations
with the Japanese Army.
Should it go as planned,
the Japanese Army will move its troops
to the islands in the South Pacific.
Chongqing can then
focus on dealing with the Communists.
What's on your mind?
Nothing.
I'm a little concerned.
You may get yourself killed.
In turbulent times,
people die one way or another.
You refuse to give up Manchuria.
We refuse to work with Wang's government.
Think about Mr. Chiang's dignity
and the public's limited understanding.
If all we did was go back
to how things were before 1937,
why did you declare war in the first place?
What have we been fighting for
all these years?
Let's leave it behind.
How does that sound?
We shall set aside issues
regarding Manchuria.
You can withdraw your troops
at your preferred time.
That's our most generous offer.
They are eager to get away from China.
The negotiations are promising.
LIST OF IMPORTANT JAPANESE PERSONS IN SHANGHAI
How is everything?
Good.
Good night.
Seriously?
Don't you see who I look like?
Who?
Because of our friendship these past few days,
I will only share it with you.
I'm in Shanghai for the experience.
As a prince,
I will be leaving soon.
But...
I will
miss you all.
- Your Excellency, please follow me. - All right.
Where are the ribs?
Hey, where are our ribs?
Hurry up.
"Did you order steamed pork ribs?"
In the end,
I only had two tiny pieces.
Prince Oyama, the substitute member of the House of Peers,
died in an accident
in the Fengxian District of Shanghai.
I guess
I'll have to disembowel myself in apology.
You won't.
People thinking of suicide
don't say it out loud.
The Japanese didn't show up.
There won't be any more negotiations.
Dinner is ready.
Go get your sister.
Dinner is ready.
Dad hasn't spoken a word
since this morning.
What happened?
We used to host big birthday parties.
Now, it's just us
and we have to do it discreetly.
Is it because you work for the Japanese?
Where are the others?
Don't you know any jolly tunes?
Unlike army songs,
Japanese poems are sad in nature.
It seems that we shall not continue.
Our apologies.
Maybe I'm not cut out to be an agent.
But you have to know,
there is one simple rule.
Whoever doesn't join in on the killing is suspicious,
whatever their excuses are.
He told me
that it was his dad's birthday today.
The minister doesn't kill either.
He's different.
He doesn't need weapons to kill.
Everyone else seems to be looking for a way out.
I'm not an asset to them.
I can only keep going
until the end of the road.
Maybe...
I can kill my way out.
You're right about one thing.
You're an asset to me.
However,
we're running out of time,
even for payback.
Things are getting tense.
You have to stop.
You don't have to come.
We will kill the Japanese
and the traitors.
Do you think you can kill them all?
As long as they stay on our land,
we will continue fighting.
Don't forget that we are engaged.
That was so long ago.
It was before 1937.
I had long forgotten about it.
I despise you when you're all dressed up.
When we take your side out
and our victory comes,
we will build a simple world.
A world for laborers.
As for me,
I will find myself a new lover.
He may be a laborer
or an intellectual.
Let's talk this through.
Just die already.
Stop.
What do you want?
Why ask an obvious question?
Of course I'll make a clean sweep of you all.
Let go!
Let go of me!
I'm sorry.
At this late hour,
no one will hear you.
Everybody is sleeping at home.
Look at you.
You have such a pretty face.
I have to say,
I quite fancy you.
But...
you're my friend's wife.
To make things easier,
I suppose
I'll have to kill you now.
Or...
I could...
I heard
you went berserk yesterday.
You wounded a Japanese person.
Why?
I had a bad day.
A bad day?
Look at you all grown up.
What was the matter?
Was it about a girl?
How did you know?
You're a grown-up.
Girl problems happen.
I asked, how did you know?
It's just a wild guess.
What?
LIST OF MISSING PERSONS
FEMALE DANCER FOUND DEAD IN ALLEY WITH CLOTHES TORN AND BODY ABUSED
It's about the death of the prince.
Go check the dock.
The dock is compromised.
I could have walked away.
But I didn't want to leave you alone.
I'm tired.
I'm too tired to go on.
I'm hanging in there
all because of you.
I know that you waited for me
every day.
I wasn't waiting for you.
I was merely doing my job.
Besides, I have a husband.
When did you get a husband?
I've been living with you for five years.
I never knew you had a husband.
In times like these,
even if you had a husband,
he would have died by now.
Or...
he would've forgotten about you.
What are you trying to say?
I am a weak man.
I can never keep up with change.
I was born in Guangxi.
When my father died,
he left me a parcel of land.
It was on the mountain.
You could see the Lijiang River from it.
For the revolution,
for our history,
I've made my fair share of contributions.
In Nanjing,
I know someone with a high rank
who can guarantee our safety.
Is this Minister Tang?
It's Mr. Zhang speaking.
You've probably forgotten about me.
I recognize your voice.
It's never too late to change sides.
I have intel.
I also know
something about the prince.
I will make arrangements.
I prefer that you deal with it personally
since there is a mole in your agency.
Who is it?
I don't know yet.
He said he had intel about the prince.
He also mentioned
they had an agent among us.
Put him in the Hongkou District's hotel.
I'll get someone to pick him up.
You go.
Don't tell anyone else.
This stays between us,
just in case.
A
KI
How did you come into possession
of Ms. Chen's firearm?
We had a fight.
So you...
I just took her gun.
May I have a look?
Mr. Zhang,
are you right-handed?
My right hand is injured.
It shakes.
I normally use my left hand.
This was supposed to be my farewell.
But my discharge application was denied.
Because of the prince's incident,
they probably want me buried in China.
But I won't die here.
Because inferior people
are more careful.
The Chongqing government
will follow the Geneva Convention
more carefully
than the Western countries.
Thus, I have nothing to worry about.
I may even enjoy some privileges.
So maybe we'll meet again.
Maybe...
I shall return to China
as a friendly ambassador.
Don't come back.
You said you were with Ishihara
instead of Tojo.
They're all the same to us.
They're all war criminals.
What are you doing?
It's getting cold.
I wore too little.
Are you cold?
You left the newspaper.
What are you talking about?
I'm off.
Don't leave yet.
You forgot the lighter.
Cousin.
Why did you kill her?
She was a Communist.
The Secret Service may be dismissed.
Rumors are flying around.
How long have you been in Shanghai?
I'm guessing over five years.
You've stayed too long.
You let your cousin walk away.
It's no big deal.
There are others who won't let him.
There are always more radical ones.
Are you going to stop them?
I accept all failures.
And I respect all triumphs.
I navigate my own path.
He is nothing but a cousin.
Why would I stop them?
I might even tell them
where he is headed.
That way,
no matter who wins,
you never lose.
Did you always know he was a Communist?
I know a lot of things.
My job is to choose the right moment
to tell them what I know.
A man of power and priorities.
If I were you,
I would be extra careful.
History teaches us
that fence-sitters don't end up well.
This is it for us, isn't it?
It's okay.
We still have a chance.
Let's face it together.
Listen to me.
In a moment,
whatever happens,
don't come out.
We can do this together.
Please.
Let's face this together.
Lock the door.
The director is in our hands.
His wife,
Ms. Chen,
was killed on sight.
The minister will handle the matter.
I won't meddle.
I hope I never have to see him again.
I knew I could trust you.
Well done.
Thank you for your hard work.
It was my pleasure.
Death is not a pity.
But it's a pity
that no matter how much we strive,
what's lost is lost.
You've finally come to your senses.
We have to face reality.
The Empire
will lose its possessions in the Pacific,
East Asia, and South Asia.
We will lose everything we ever occupied.
It's all right.
It's all the same.
But the Empire will always own Manchuria.
Manchuria...
is a miracle for the Empire.
Fair enough.
We have finally circled back to 1931.
Please rest assured.
Manchuria is our last defense.
It's impenetrable.
I hope so.
It certainly is.
KWANTUNG ARMY DEPLOYMENT MAP
I can show you the map
because I applied to go to Manchuria.
I'll take you with me.
Eternal good luck in war.
Long live the Emperor.
APPOINTMENT LETTER FOR DIRECTOR
MINISTER TANG MISSING FOR OVER A MONTH
RUMOR POINTS TO SECRET EXECUTION
I didn't know you smoked.
General Yasuji Okamura sent an attaché
to visit me.
I was right.
Not only did I enjoy privileges,
but I was also recruited.
Recruited?
It's classified.
Mr. Chiang asked the general to stay
to train the army
to fight against the Communists.
I was on the general's list,
so they came for me.
However, I refused.
Why?
The Empire lost Manchuria.
I also lost my interest in politics.
I feel
like I lost my passion.
Right now,
everything feels pointless.
I want to return to Japan.
Perhaps...
I may become a farmer.
I have land in the country.
Or I may do nothing.
The attaché
respected my decision.
He will report to the administration
and prioritize my repatriation.
This will be
my last time wearing the uniform.
Wait.
What's wrong?
Hang on.
Give me a minute.
You can't take it off.
You should always wear it.
The uniform
will set you apart from the crowd.
I don't want you to take it off.
Without the uniform,
you're just a farmer.
What are you talking about?
There's one more thing
that I want to share with you.
The Kwantung Army was dissolved.
Manchuria fell so quickly.
This is all
thanks to your deployment map.
Miss, here is your coffee.
I didn't order one.
A gentleman ordered it for you.
Which one?
He was here earlier.
He probably left.
Please enjoy.
Thank you.
Are you from Shanghai?
Yes.
Did you just arrive?
No.
I came a long time ago.
The 26th year of the Republic.
I came as soon as Shanghai was at war.
That was indeed a long time ago.
You were lucky.
You stayed away from the turmoil.
We moved during the 1930s.
I've never seen you before.
I didn't live here back then.
I was somewhere else.
Where was that?
Kowloon Tong.
That explains it.
Kowloon Tong is much livelier.
You're dining alone.
Do you have a family?
You're always welcome here.
I have a son. He's still in Shanghai.
He's a few years older than you.
I haven't seen him in a long time.
Goodbye.
I did something
I had to do today.
I don't think I can cope anymore.
But we should take this chance
for you to gain their trust.
I hope you can keep your cover until the end.
Take care.
Why did you kill her?
She was a Communist.
So am I.