Shadows and Echoes (2019) Movie Script
Senior Brother.
I believe this is where we talked through the night
and decided to join the Warriors Society
back then.
A lifetime seems to have passed in the blink of an eye.
If we had traded places,
I would have killed you too,
without hesitation.
I understand
the rules of this world,
whereas you follow the rules.
Keep up the good work.
May our efforts turn out
to be more than shadows and echoes.
(Shadows and Echoes)
(29th Corps Camp, Shanxi, China,)
(White Dew [15th solar term], 1932)
Sir, a martial artist has come
to request an audience with you.
He said he was here to kill.
Not dodging?
Having been through life-and-death trials,
I only dodge deadly blows now.
How bold of you
to attempt murder in the camp of the 29th Corps.
I came to give you three gifts, General.
What are the gifts?
Please come to the field kitchen.
Martial artists cultivate qi
to regulate their breath.
Their breath affects their strength and speed.
Death can happen in a breath.
I'm surprised to see someone who knows
how to suspend their breath in this time and age.
The old folks say
a catfish can grow to over three meters long
and weigh five hundred kilograms.
An animal like that has gained intelligence
and will come ashore at night to eat humans.
If you run into the catfish, kill it for food,
and it will keep your eyes keen and your head clear.
It will even enable you to see fifty kilometers
into the distance at night.
Old bulls become sentient a few days before death.
They often wander back to the field they plowed
and recollect their lives.
Use a sharp knife to slaughter a bull like that
before it can react,
so that its vital essence
stays trapped in the flesh instead of dissipating.
Eating the meat strengthens your physique
and removes fatigue.
I've had the great luck
of getting both ingredients today
and turned them into a pot of broth.
It's my treat.
I hear that beef and catfish
make a deadly poison.
You've prepared enough broth
to poison the whole company to death.
Who are you?
Who are you?
Enjoy.
Thanks to your help,
we have escaped a disastrous fate.
May I make your acquaintance?
I'm a baseborn martial artist
whose name doesn't deserve your attention.
How did you know
the cook was a spy?
A dead person told me.
I didn't know
your first gift
would be so generous.
What are the other two gifts
you wish to give me?
(Warriors Society)
Gong Fenghui of Shanxi Bagua came to pay his condolences.
(Warriors Society, Central China, 1928)
Gong Fenghui of Shanxi Bagua came to pay his condolences.
(Gong's bagua sect)
People used to fight for a chance to light a lantern.
His following has dispersed in the wake of his death.
In the decade
after the old master He took over the Warriors Society,
the martial artists came together
and the sects combined their efforts
to spread Nanquan to the north,
promote Chinese martial arts,
and solidify the foundation of the Chinese people.
Such achievements.
Unfortunately,
now that he has passed, the lanterns have blacked out
and the martial artists have lost their leader.
Our current priority
is to elect a new president
who can preside over our organization.
The president just died.
Instead of avenging him,
you covet his position.
You have no care for your dignity.
There must be priorities.
Besides, the killer is a ghost
and has died for over twenty years.
Chen Yuanshan,
Senior Brother to the late president He Changchuan,
former outstanding member of the Warriors Society,
reputed to be invincible in the north,
was executed by shooting twenty years ago
and his head was hung on the Fengtian city wall.
Playing on superstition, I see.
If you can't take revenge,
I'll do it myself.
The Warriors Society is the flag of martial artists.
We must run the Warriors Society well
and follow in the old master He's footsteps.
A person who seeks revenge senselessly
is no different from the hooligans
who fight on the streets.
Hooligans?
Luo Guitang, you keep objecting to taking revenge.
What evil intentions do you harbor?
What did you say?
I know
you and Chen Yuanshan were close in private.
We really should dig deep
into He's cause of death.
Mo San!
You're trying to use revenge as an excuse
to rally support for yourself.
You'll have to obtain my approval
before you can become the president!
If revenge is on the table,
I'll be the one who takes it.
You jest!
Mr. Mo San,
how long has it been
since my father's murder?
If you really wish to avenge my father,
just do it.
There are rules for everything.
Whoever goes to the killer for revenge
will be representing the Warriors Society in public.
We can't make light of such a matter.
It's disappointing to see the grand Warriors Society
filled with people scrambling to dump on one another
the responsibility of avenging their president.
Who are you?
What brings you here?
Stop.
The Warriors Society headquarters is not a place
you can enter and exit at will.
Who are you?
Yang Nian.
Mr. Sanada,
I'm so sorry to bother you with my visit
when you just returned from Korea
and the strain of travel
still wears on you.
I'm just serving my country.
There is one remaining problem
that requires your attention.
The Warriors Society?
Exactly.
Chinese people are generally weak.
We can turn this to our advantage
once we get rid of the stronger ones.
This is more meaningful than
your persistence in overturning the Sword Abolishment Edict.
The military command agrees with me.
I understand.
Then excuse me for taking leave.
Forgive my impertinence.
Luo Guitang acted so hostile toward me today.
What do you make of it?
This is the money for the month.
What is the background of that man?
On the third day of the World Martial Arts Competition
in the seventh year of the Republic,
a man came from the south
to challenge the old master He.
People tried to stop him,
but he defeated over ten strong martial artists in a row.
The old master He had no choice
but to fight him in the bamboo woods privately.
What's the outcome?
The old master He won, of course.
Damn the weather.
It's going to rain again.
Why did you come back?
We had a ten-year promise.
So what?
The old master He has passed.
The promise has nothing to do with the Warriors Society.
I remember your sword was very fast.
A swordsman is only a swordsman
if he never goes anywhere without his sword.
It doesn't matter
if you are a swordsman nowadays.
Where are you going?
There are people who care about my destination more than you do.
Yang,
you'd hold your blade while eating?
Since I started learning dao fighting,
this hand of mine has never touched anything
except my dao blade.
You show loyalty to my father
by traveling so far to pay your respects.
Were you an old friend of his?
Knowing each other is befriending each other.
Actual dealings are not necessary.
I have a favor to ask of you.
Please avenge my father.
The Warriors Society has tons of good fighters.
I'm just a mediocre martial artist.
No need to ask me.
They all have ulterior motives.
Revenge is merely an excuse for them.
I can't depend on them.
Besides, my father was the president of the Warriors Society.
We need no proof of his skills.
If Chen Yuanshan killed my father,
then no one at the Warriors Society can defeat Chen Yuanshan.
What if
I refuse?
My grievance demands retribution.
If I had eyesight,
I wouldn't rely on anyone.
Guess the Warriors Society has really run out of talents.
Yang,
my father gave me this thing
three years ago,
saying Chen Yuanshan wanted this more than anything in the world.
Please look at it for me.
My father said
this thing was of great importance.
It could affect the fate of this country
and the prosperity of a martial arts organization
or a family name.
What is this?
(Shadows and Echoes: A Martial Arts Manual for Dao Users)
As long as it can lure Chen Yuanshan out,
what it is
doesn't matter.
Please keep it safe for me.
Miss He,
I'll do my best to avenge your father.
Yang Nian, you broke into the Warriors Society headquarters.
We were mourning that day,
so we didn't stop you.
Today you must explain yourself.
He is my guest.
That makes him a guest of the Warriors Society too.
Miss He,
your words would make sense in the past,
but your father has passed
and you should be careful of what you say.
If people know...
Who are you?
(Long live martial arts)
Master, the job has been done.
He has been disposed of?
Master.
Master died peacefully yesterday.
He had three large bowls of food at noon,
but then he went to sleep
and never woke up.
Folks,
excuse me.
Truly, it never rains but it pours.
Master Luo left this world
right after the old president He's death,
The backbones have passed one after another.
How can the Warriors Society survive in the future?
A Japanese man has arrived in the hall,
claiming he is here to mourn President He.
Japanese man?
What is a Japanese man doing
at the Warriors Society headquarters?
We have had few dealings
with the Japanese people.
He couldn't have come with friendly intentions.
Mr. Mo San, please preside over the situation.
Who are you?
I'm the Black Dragon Society's Director of China,
Tamekage Sanada.
What are you doing here?
I came as a friend
to mourn President He.
The Warriors Society doesn't welcome Japanese people.
Mr. He was more than
a casual friend to us.
Ridiculous.
Our president
would never be friends with Japanese people.
I didn't expect the Warriors Society to lose its tolerance
upon Mr. He's death.
There's something else I came for.
Twenty years ago,
one of you
defeated the Black Dragon Society's instructor
Ichisoku Yagyu.
I know he is not dead.
I'd like to find him
and learn from his extraordinary skills.
No such person exists.
The Warriors Society doesn't just accept challenges from anyone,
much less a defeated foe.
If anyone is willing to come forward,
I'll be ready to fight.
Wait.
Let me see what you are capable of.
Thank you for the opportunity.
So the Warriors Society still has good fighters.
Thank you for helping the Warriors Society
out of the predicament.
Who are you?
Hello, I'm Sun Yanying.
I came for Shadows and Echoes.
You know about Shadows and Echoes too?
In the sixteenth year of Emperor Guangxu's reign,
an Imperial Honor Guard was imprisoned in a dungeon in Suzhou.
His origin was unknown.
He ended up dying in the dungeon,
leaving a damaged notebook at his side.
Three people read the notebook.
One was the dungeon guard Wang.
One was a horse thief.
One was an incarcerated military man.
And?
Later, one of those three people
joined the Boxers
and got shot to death by the Eight-Nation Alliance.
Another one went to the south
and died in the Wuchang Uprising.
The last one's whereabouts remained a mystery.
The notebook somehow
fell into the hands of the Warriors Society.
I think
the horse thief caused it to change hands.
What does it have to do with Shadows and Echoes?
According to the horse thief,
the notebook can teach you how to hit birds,
catch up with apes and cut stones in half.
You are saying
Shadows and Echoes is a martial arts manual for dao users?
You can verify that
by taking a look.
I have no right to read
something another person deposited with me.
Why did you tell me all that?
I'm also looking to kill Chen Yuanshan.
Even if Shadows and Echoes
is as good as you said,
I'm not interested in it.
I'll use my own skills
to kill Chen Yuanshan.
Good.
Well said.
A man should have that much pride in himself.
I'm just surprised that
no one gives a damn about the manual
Chen Yuanshan risked his life to protect
twenty years ago.
I was just thinking that
He Changchuan had died,
but the Warriors Society still had good fighters.
It makes sense my senior
held so much concern for them.
We should force all the good fighters
of the Warriors Society to show themselves.
Yang.
Follow me.
Yang.
You,
get out of here!
Pay no mind to me, Yang.
Don't be distracted in this life-threatening situation.
Are you Chen Yuanshan?
Our country has been
staking its future on luck.
We feel invincible every time we win a victory.
The high morale has permeated
every level of society from the Emperor
to the nationals of Japan.
It has even become our soul.
However, too much water can drown the miller.
That's a law of nature.
The Great Japanese Empire needs more than confidence
to win the war.
The warriors who went there tonight
are martyrs to the national cause of the Great Japanese Empire.
It's inevitable for today's warriors
to end their lives
this way.
Hand over Shadows and Echoes.
We have not determined which one of us is stronger.
Today we'll fight and decide
who deserves to live and who deserves to die.
Your rusty dao is still of use?
This dao
still wishes to prove its worth.
Chen Yuanshan!
I will kill you.
Ten days later,
I'll be waiting for you in the wild land
ten kilometers away from the city.
Back in the day,
no one dared
to step forward.
That emboldened the Japanese bandits to run amok
and encroach on Northeast China.
No one cares about this country
and its territorial integrity anymore.
General,
why don't you fight on the front line?
How could I fight?
Over the turbulent years,
our corps has been dependent on others
with no military budget,
weapons or compensation.
My brothers-in-arms are dressed in rags
and look like beggars.
How could we fight?
What if you have firearms and ammunition?
Everyone in the Northwest Army is ready to sacrifice themselves.
There is no death-fearing coward among us.
General, this is my second gift for you.
What is this?
Shadows and Echoes.
We need machine guns and cannons on the battlefield.
What's the use of a martial arts manual for dao users?
Guns and ammunition don't take lives,
nor do martial arts.
The human nature is what kills.
So many of our brothers have been killed.
What do you think
of this atrocity?
The Japanese are tough to handle.
That's right.
The Warriors Society enjoys unparalleled fame.
So what if we are up against the Japanese?
We'll kill them just the same!
I'll give you three days to prepare.
Three days later,
we must destroy the Black Dragon Society
no matter what.
What on earth do you want?
We couldn't let the warriors die in vain.
It's not the time yet.
Not the time?
If the Japanese wanted to wipe out the Warriors Society,
they wouldn't have sent so few people.
They were only seeking trouble.
I don't care about their motive.
I can't let my men
die for nothing.
What can you do then?
Even if you destroy the Black Dragon Society,
you can't chase all the Japanese out of China.
Don't place too much importance on yourself.
Excuse me.
I can put you in such a high position.
I can also drag you down.
Think hard.
Don't risk significant losses for something so trivial.
What is trivial?
What is significant?
Miss, can Yang Nian really avenge your father?
Ruonan,
wait here.
I'll be back soon.
I came to borrow
one thing from you.
What is it?
Your head.
I have talked to the northern sects.
They will support my endeavor
to become the next president of the Warriors Society.
Good.
All I need is one last push.
The incident involving Ichisoku Yagyu
caused pressure from the Japanese.
The commander-in-chief promised
to provide me with everything I needed
if I brought your head to him.
I need the support of the powers that be.
I'll kill someone who looks like you
and let him know I have finished the job.
But from now on,
Chen Yuanshan will cease to exist in this world.
I don't matter.
Things have changed time and again over the past years.
The Dragon Flag. The Iron Blood Flag. The Five-Colored Flag.
Change keeps happening.
I don't know how far the Warriors Society can go.
Maybe you'll have use for this.
Is this...?
I hope our efforts will turn out
to be more than shadows and echoes.
Your child has grown into such a big girl.
Father, can we go home now?
Father, what is this?
This is my gift for you.
It will protect you like I do.
You never read it?
Why aren't you using your killer move?
Fate must have never meant for martial arts to flourish,
bringing me into this world twenty years too late
and you into this world twenty years too early.
Why did you kill He Changchuan?
You are a member of the Warriors Society,
yet you killed the president.
Did something
force your hand?
You're the only person who would still call me
a member of the Warriors Society.
Martial arts evolved from lethal combat skills.
The only reason it has lasted to this day
is people are still killing people.
But there are better ways to kill now.
Martial arts as a whole are going downhill.
No one can reverse the trend.
I will give you fame,
but I have two tasks uncompleted.
What are your tasks?
The first task
is to kill a traitor.
He fled in the disguise of a cook.
I don't know where he is yet.
What is your other task?
Break into the Black Dragon Society's lair
and kill Tamekage Sanada.
Get out.
You like to watch people sleep?
How do we handle the Warriors Society?
Let them be.
Aren't you worried that conflicts will arise?
That will give me an excuse
to get rid of the Warriors Society.
How should I deal with Yang Nian and Chen Yuanshan?
Do I need to send someone to collect Chen Yuanshan's head?
Got something to tell me?
I'm sorry, Yang.
I not only couldn't do anything,
but burdened you.
Yang,
no words can express my gratitude for your great kindness.
When the dust settles,
I'll pay you back.
Why are you so convinced
I can kill Chen Yuanshan?
I have faith.
I wasn't friends with your father.
I'm not going after Chen Yuanshan
to avenge your father.
Tangquan Hengdao,
I'm the only person left in this world
who can perform the style.
I've lived all these years
with a single goal in mind:
to promote this martial arts style
I have no money.
I can't do business.
All I know is how to wield the dao blade.
So
I had no choice but to challenge your father.
If I could defeat the president of the Warriors Society,
then I could prove
my martial arts skills.
You can defeat me today.
But I can't
give you fame today.
The world is in turmoil and martial arts are declining.
More and more people
lose respect for the legacy of our ancestors.
I just became the president of the Warriors Society.
I'll use the Warriors Society
to prove the value of martial arts to the world
and revive the national legacy
that has been around for thousands of years.
How long do you need
to fulfill your ambition?
Ten years.
Very well. I'll wait for ten years.
Ten years later, I'll come for you.
Thank you.
(Long live martial arts)
It's you again.
I came to see you off.
Who exactly are you?
Have you heard
of the Central Investigation Department?
To put it plainly,
I'm sent to control the Warriors Society.
Control it on your own?
The Warriors Society
presents itself
as a martial arts association that fights to save this country.
But in actuality,
it has been carrying out assassinations
from when the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China
and foreigners were getting killed
to the present.
Since antiquity, scholars have been
using their words to disturb the rule of law
and martial artists have been
using their strength to break the law.
"Hanfeizi" mentions five scourges
that disrupt social order,
including sword carriers.
The Republic has been in place
for twenty years.
The country is now ruled by law.
The sword carriers who skirt the law
won't be tolerated in this day and age,
not to mention a force like the Warriors Society.
Some things can stand the test of time and last forever.
Some other things can only remain part of history.
Planes and cannons will dominate the future.
Martial arts should have been weeded out long ago,
including your Tangquan Hengdao.
Want to have a taste of my blade?
This is the reality.
Why did you tell me that?
I just find you
interesting.
You intend to use me as a pawn.
Can anyone in this world
avoid being used as a pawn?
This way.
Slowly.
Master.
All the people on our side have arrived.
I'm not seeing anyone else.
Liquor!
Master,
what do we do about Sun Yanying?
Kill him.
Yes.
(Warriors Society)
I hope I'll get to see that man again.
Senior Brother.
(Twenty years ago)
That Japanese man has gone too far.
If the Warriors Society doesn't intervene now,
I'm afraid the situation will deteriorate further.
Things develop by leaps and bounds nowadays.
The things our ancestors spent hundreds of years researching
have suddenly lost their use
in front of the western guns and cannons.
The martial arts clans are still putting on airs
and hiding their special skills.
They have turned martial arts into a trade.
Now a foreigner has used his blade
to mark a piece of our national territory
as his land
and nobody can stop him.
If we don't step up and uphold justice,
I'm afraid the legacy of martial arts will be lost.
I'll kill him.
That Japanese man
is the best fighter of the Black Dragon Society.
If you kill him
and cause trouble at this juncture,
both the Japanese side and Commander Zhang
will hunt you.
But, Senior Brother...
Killing one man
or administering an organization successfully,
which is easier?
Killing is easier, of course.
Very well.
I'll do the easier job
and leave the harder one
to you.
Senior Brother.
Finally, I'm faced with a good fighter.
This blade of mine is called Ansetsu Onimaru.
To be killed by this blade
is your good fortune.
What is your blade called?
What kind of blade is that?
A fine blade doesn't need a name.
Mr. Sanada,
the men of the Warriors Society have arrived.
Please give your instruction.
Defeat them in the name of the warriors.
Yes.
Head that way.
Yes.
Come.
The grand plan of the military command has been put into action.
My work is done.
The cranes in China
must have gone to the south
in this season.
Meanwhile, the cranes in your native place Hokkaido
are resident birds.
They never go away,
just like you.
You've followed me
all these years
and never complained
no matter how hard life became.
But
I can't let you continue
to live in such turmoil.
I've made arrangements.
You'll go aboard tonight.
May you be home soon.
Thank you very much.
You've taken good care of me.
Chen Yuanshan.
Chen-Chen Yuanshan.
I'm sorry, Mr. Sanada.
An open attack launched to cover up the surprise raid.
Brilliant plan.
Turn around.
I don't kill a person
from behind.
The process of drinking tea
is the process of human communication.
The Japanese tea ceremony
focuses on harmony, respect, purity and tranquility.
Take yourself lightly and revere your opponent.
That has always been our moral principle.
But the same can't be said for countries.
Our countries have gone through a similar patch
in the past fifty years.
When the westerners used guns and cannons
to force their way into our countries,
we had a rude awakening
that we'd lagged far behind the time.
You have a vast territory
and countless self-generating resources,
so there's room for you to maneuver.
We don't have those things,
so my country
is seeking survival.
What are you trying to say?
The strong survive and the weak die.
It's a law of nature.
It can be applied to people and countries alike.
It can also be applied to the Warriors Society.
You don't decide how long
the Warriors Society will last.
He Changchuan said the same thing
when he came to me for cooperation.
He Changchuan?
We'll leave our actions for posterity to judge.
A warrior should have principles he can stick to.
Giving his all for that
is a great achievement in itself,
even if this era doesn't need warriors.
This blade is called Ansetsu Onimaru.
It broke over twenty years ago
and has never been used to kill after repair.
Impressive dao skills.
Where is the east?
On your right.
Thank you.
You were going to kill Sanada
for He Changchuan, right?
The Warriors Society
was meant to be a strategy,
but ended up being a sect,
which was against its original purpose.
Original purpose?
Guns and cannons may replace martial arts,
but they can't replace martial artists.
That's the original purpose of establishing the Warriors Society.
Our generation
didn't achieve that goal.
I hope someone
will continue down
this path.
May our efforts turn out
to be more than shadows and echoes.
Come with me.
(Warriors Society)
Why did you come back here?
I said
I'd give you fame.
I can clear your name.
No need.
Why?
You killed He Changchuan because he turned to the Japanese.
If you expose the truth,
the Warriors Society
will lose its credibility
and total chaos will break out,
leaving no means of rectification.
The Warriors Society is already rotten to the core.
The Warriors Society is the representative of all martial artists.
As long as it exists,
there will be martial artists.
I'm Chen Yuanshan.
Please grant me the honor of combat.
Chen Yuanshan?
He's the killer of the president.
I'm Kong Yiping,
adept at Tongbeiquan.
I look forward to learning from you.
I have lost.
Gao Jianli.
Nanquan.
I look forward to learning from you.
I'm Cao Kun.
I look forward to learning from you.
Anyone else?
I look forward to learning from you.
I'd like to know the might of your Tangquan Hengdao.
Yang Nian,
I'll be giving my all in this fight against you.
I look forward to learning from you.
Bring it on.
Yang Nian,
make your move.
Master Chen.
Master Chen, you didn't have to do this.
This is right.
Chen Yuanshan was quite extraordinary.
As a ghost, he did the work of a man.
That is all.
What do we do about Yang Nian?
Let him go.
He possesses the real Shadows and Echoes.
Don't you want it, Mr. Sun?
Shadows and Echoes
is just as meaningless
as its name.
Where are you going, Mr. Sun?
The Japanese Kwantung Army
occupied the Northern Barracks yesterday.
A war is about to begin.
What about the Warriors Society?
(Long live martial arts)
(Warriors Society)
(Academy of Chinese Martial Arts)
(Academy of Chinese Martial Arts)
(He Ruonan followed the path of loneliness from then on.)
(She never married or left the Warriors Society.)
(She died of illness in the freezing weather)
(of Dahan [24th solar term] in 1943.)
The world is vast and the heroes are abundant.
How is the Warriors Society doing?
It was dissolved by the Academy of Chinese Martial Arts.
As the name suggests,
there will only be
Chinese martial arts
and not warriors.
What's your plan?
I could ask you the same question.
Eventually, I'll be fighting the enemy on the front line
and performing my duties as a military man.
You'll be making contributions from your high position.
You have extraordinary abilities
and ought to serve your country by joining the military.
Do you care to join us?
Using Chinese martial arts
to strengthen the common people's physiques,
grow their courage and shape their spirits.
I'm a martial artist.
That's what I should do.
Good.
You'll be making contributions from your place among the people.
General,
I have a third gift for you.
What is it?
Open Shadows and Echoes.
Look.
This is
the real Shadows and Echoes.
When my seniors established the Warriors Society,
part of their mission was to promote Chinese martial arts,
but they also trained assassins
to defend the Republic.
He selected over a hundred warriors
and sighed a liability waiver with them.
He hid them in the Warriors Society
as dare-to-die warriors
and named them Shadows and Echoes.
(Chen Yuanshan)
Why are you giving me command of them?
Once upon a time,
a warrior must train for tens of years
before they could master a skill
and declare their achievements or rise to fame.
Times like that have passed.
Still,
I'd like to prove their worth.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
(The 29th Corps formed the Great Dao Squad)
(in which everyone possessed a dao.)
(Six months later, the 29th Corps)
(organized a defense at Xifengkou Pass)
(and fiercely resisted the Japanese Kwantung Army.)
(After twelve days of battle, the 29th Corps dealt a heavy blow)
(to the Japanese army by eliminating five thousand of its troops.)
(However, the victory came at the price)
(of losing the entire Great Dao Squad in battle.)
I believe this is where we talked through the night
and decided to join the Warriors Society
back then.
A lifetime seems to have passed in the blink of an eye.
If we had traded places,
I would have killed you too,
without hesitation.
I understand
the rules of this world,
whereas you follow the rules.
Keep up the good work.
May our efforts turn out
to be more than shadows and echoes.
(Shadows and Echoes)
(29th Corps Camp, Shanxi, China,)
(White Dew [15th solar term], 1932)
Sir, a martial artist has come
to request an audience with you.
He said he was here to kill.
Not dodging?
Having been through life-and-death trials,
I only dodge deadly blows now.
How bold of you
to attempt murder in the camp of the 29th Corps.
I came to give you three gifts, General.
What are the gifts?
Please come to the field kitchen.
Martial artists cultivate qi
to regulate their breath.
Their breath affects their strength and speed.
Death can happen in a breath.
I'm surprised to see someone who knows
how to suspend their breath in this time and age.
The old folks say
a catfish can grow to over three meters long
and weigh five hundred kilograms.
An animal like that has gained intelligence
and will come ashore at night to eat humans.
If you run into the catfish, kill it for food,
and it will keep your eyes keen and your head clear.
It will even enable you to see fifty kilometers
into the distance at night.
Old bulls become sentient a few days before death.
They often wander back to the field they plowed
and recollect their lives.
Use a sharp knife to slaughter a bull like that
before it can react,
so that its vital essence
stays trapped in the flesh instead of dissipating.
Eating the meat strengthens your physique
and removes fatigue.
I've had the great luck
of getting both ingredients today
and turned them into a pot of broth.
It's my treat.
I hear that beef and catfish
make a deadly poison.
You've prepared enough broth
to poison the whole company to death.
Who are you?
Who are you?
Enjoy.
Thanks to your help,
we have escaped a disastrous fate.
May I make your acquaintance?
I'm a baseborn martial artist
whose name doesn't deserve your attention.
How did you know
the cook was a spy?
A dead person told me.
I didn't know
your first gift
would be so generous.
What are the other two gifts
you wish to give me?
(Warriors Society)
Gong Fenghui of Shanxi Bagua came to pay his condolences.
(Warriors Society, Central China, 1928)
Gong Fenghui of Shanxi Bagua came to pay his condolences.
(Gong's bagua sect)
People used to fight for a chance to light a lantern.
His following has dispersed in the wake of his death.
In the decade
after the old master He took over the Warriors Society,
the martial artists came together
and the sects combined their efforts
to spread Nanquan to the north,
promote Chinese martial arts,
and solidify the foundation of the Chinese people.
Such achievements.
Unfortunately,
now that he has passed, the lanterns have blacked out
and the martial artists have lost their leader.
Our current priority
is to elect a new president
who can preside over our organization.
The president just died.
Instead of avenging him,
you covet his position.
You have no care for your dignity.
There must be priorities.
Besides, the killer is a ghost
and has died for over twenty years.
Chen Yuanshan,
Senior Brother to the late president He Changchuan,
former outstanding member of the Warriors Society,
reputed to be invincible in the north,
was executed by shooting twenty years ago
and his head was hung on the Fengtian city wall.
Playing on superstition, I see.
If you can't take revenge,
I'll do it myself.
The Warriors Society is the flag of martial artists.
We must run the Warriors Society well
and follow in the old master He's footsteps.
A person who seeks revenge senselessly
is no different from the hooligans
who fight on the streets.
Hooligans?
Luo Guitang, you keep objecting to taking revenge.
What evil intentions do you harbor?
What did you say?
I know
you and Chen Yuanshan were close in private.
We really should dig deep
into He's cause of death.
Mo San!
You're trying to use revenge as an excuse
to rally support for yourself.
You'll have to obtain my approval
before you can become the president!
If revenge is on the table,
I'll be the one who takes it.
You jest!
Mr. Mo San,
how long has it been
since my father's murder?
If you really wish to avenge my father,
just do it.
There are rules for everything.
Whoever goes to the killer for revenge
will be representing the Warriors Society in public.
We can't make light of such a matter.
It's disappointing to see the grand Warriors Society
filled with people scrambling to dump on one another
the responsibility of avenging their president.
Who are you?
What brings you here?
Stop.
The Warriors Society headquarters is not a place
you can enter and exit at will.
Who are you?
Yang Nian.
Mr. Sanada,
I'm so sorry to bother you with my visit
when you just returned from Korea
and the strain of travel
still wears on you.
I'm just serving my country.
There is one remaining problem
that requires your attention.
The Warriors Society?
Exactly.
Chinese people are generally weak.
We can turn this to our advantage
once we get rid of the stronger ones.
This is more meaningful than
your persistence in overturning the Sword Abolishment Edict.
The military command agrees with me.
I understand.
Then excuse me for taking leave.
Forgive my impertinence.
Luo Guitang acted so hostile toward me today.
What do you make of it?
This is the money for the month.
What is the background of that man?
On the third day of the World Martial Arts Competition
in the seventh year of the Republic,
a man came from the south
to challenge the old master He.
People tried to stop him,
but he defeated over ten strong martial artists in a row.
The old master He had no choice
but to fight him in the bamboo woods privately.
What's the outcome?
The old master He won, of course.
Damn the weather.
It's going to rain again.
Why did you come back?
We had a ten-year promise.
So what?
The old master He has passed.
The promise has nothing to do with the Warriors Society.
I remember your sword was very fast.
A swordsman is only a swordsman
if he never goes anywhere without his sword.
It doesn't matter
if you are a swordsman nowadays.
Where are you going?
There are people who care about my destination more than you do.
Yang,
you'd hold your blade while eating?
Since I started learning dao fighting,
this hand of mine has never touched anything
except my dao blade.
You show loyalty to my father
by traveling so far to pay your respects.
Were you an old friend of his?
Knowing each other is befriending each other.
Actual dealings are not necessary.
I have a favor to ask of you.
Please avenge my father.
The Warriors Society has tons of good fighters.
I'm just a mediocre martial artist.
No need to ask me.
They all have ulterior motives.
Revenge is merely an excuse for them.
I can't depend on them.
Besides, my father was the president of the Warriors Society.
We need no proof of his skills.
If Chen Yuanshan killed my father,
then no one at the Warriors Society can defeat Chen Yuanshan.
What if
I refuse?
My grievance demands retribution.
If I had eyesight,
I wouldn't rely on anyone.
Guess the Warriors Society has really run out of talents.
Yang,
my father gave me this thing
three years ago,
saying Chen Yuanshan wanted this more than anything in the world.
Please look at it for me.
My father said
this thing was of great importance.
It could affect the fate of this country
and the prosperity of a martial arts organization
or a family name.
What is this?
(Shadows and Echoes: A Martial Arts Manual for Dao Users)
As long as it can lure Chen Yuanshan out,
what it is
doesn't matter.
Please keep it safe for me.
Miss He,
I'll do my best to avenge your father.
Yang Nian, you broke into the Warriors Society headquarters.
We were mourning that day,
so we didn't stop you.
Today you must explain yourself.
He is my guest.
That makes him a guest of the Warriors Society too.
Miss He,
your words would make sense in the past,
but your father has passed
and you should be careful of what you say.
If people know...
Who are you?
(Long live martial arts)
Master, the job has been done.
He has been disposed of?
Master.
Master died peacefully yesterday.
He had three large bowls of food at noon,
but then he went to sleep
and never woke up.
Folks,
excuse me.
Truly, it never rains but it pours.
Master Luo left this world
right after the old president He's death,
The backbones have passed one after another.
How can the Warriors Society survive in the future?
A Japanese man has arrived in the hall,
claiming he is here to mourn President He.
Japanese man?
What is a Japanese man doing
at the Warriors Society headquarters?
We have had few dealings
with the Japanese people.
He couldn't have come with friendly intentions.
Mr. Mo San, please preside over the situation.
Who are you?
I'm the Black Dragon Society's Director of China,
Tamekage Sanada.
What are you doing here?
I came as a friend
to mourn President He.
The Warriors Society doesn't welcome Japanese people.
Mr. He was more than
a casual friend to us.
Ridiculous.
Our president
would never be friends with Japanese people.
I didn't expect the Warriors Society to lose its tolerance
upon Mr. He's death.
There's something else I came for.
Twenty years ago,
one of you
defeated the Black Dragon Society's instructor
Ichisoku Yagyu.
I know he is not dead.
I'd like to find him
and learn from his extraordinary skills.
No such person exists.
The Warriors Society doesn't just accept challenges from anyone,
much less a defeated foe.
If anyone is willing to come forward,
I'll be ready to fight.
Wait.
Let me see what you are capable of.
Thank you for the opportunity.
So the Warriors Society still has good fighters.
Thank you for helping the Warriors Society
out of the predicament.
Who are you?
Hello, I'm Sun Yanying.
I came for Shadows and Echoes.
You know about Shadows and Echoes too?
In the sixteenth year of Emperor Guangxu's reign,
an Imperial Honor Guard was imprisoned in a dungeon in Suzhou.
His origin was unknown.
He ended up dying in the dungeon,
leaving a damaged notebook at his side.
Three people read the notebook.
One was the dungeon guard Wang.
One was a horse thief.
One was an incarcerated military man.
And?
Later, one of those three people
joined the Boxers
and got shot to death by the Eight-Nation Alliance.
Another one went to the south
and died in the Wuchang Uprising.
The last one's whereabouts remained a mystery.
The notebook somehow
fell into the hands of the Warriors Society.
I think
the horse thief caused it to change hands.
What does it have to do with Shadows and Echoes?
According to the horse thief,
the notebook can teach you how to hit birds,
catch up with apes and cut stones in half.
You are saying
Shadows and Echoes is a martial arts manual for dao users?
You can verify that
by taking a look.
I have no right to read
something another person deposited with me.
Why did you tell me all that?
I'm also looking to kill Chen Yuanshan.
Even if Shadows and Echoes
is as good as you said,
I'm not interested in it.
I'll use my own skills
to kill Chen Yuanshan.
Good.
Well said.
A man should have that much pride in himself.
I'm just surprised that
no one gives a damn about the manual
Chen Yuanshan risked his life to protect
twenty years ago.
I was just thinking that
He Changchuan had died,
but the Warriors Society still had good fighters.
It makes sense my senior
held so much concern for them.
We should force all the good fighters
of the Warriors Society to show themselves.
Yang.
Follow me.
Yang.
You,
get out of here!
Pay no mind to me, Yang.
Don't be distracted in this life-threatening situation.
Are you Chen Yuanshan?
Our country has been
staking its future on luck.
We feel invincible every time we win a victory.
The high morale has permeated
every level of society from the Emperor
to the nationals of Japan.
It has even become our soul.
However, too much water can drown the miller.
That's a law of nature.
The Great Japanese Empire needs more than confidence
to win the war.
The warriors who went there tonight
are martyrs to the national cause of the Great Japanese Empire.
It's inevitable for today's warriors
to end their lives
this way.
Hand over Shadows and Echoes.
We have not determined which one of us is stronger.
Today we'll fight and decide
who deserves to live and who deserves to die.
Your rusty dao is still of use?
This dao
still wishes to prove its worth.
Chen Yuanshan!
I will kill you.
Ten days later,
I'll be waiting for you in the wild land
ten kilometers away from the city.
Back in the day,
no one dared
to step forward.
That emboldened the Japanese bandits to run amok
and encroach on Northeast China.
No one cares about this country
and its territorial integrity anymore.
General,
why don't you fight on the front line?
How could I fight?
Over the turbulent years,
our corps has been dependent on others
with no military budget,
weapons or compensation.
My brothers-in-arms are dressed in rags
and look like beggars.
How could we fight?
What if you have firearms and ammunition?
Everyone in the Northwest Army is ready to sacrifice themselves.
There is no death-fearing coward among us.
General, this is my second gift for you.
What is this?
Shadows and Echoes.
We need machine guns and cannons on the battlefield.
What's the use of a martial arts manual for dao users?
Guns and ammunition don't take lives,
nor do martial arts.
The human nature is what kills.
So many of our brothers have been killed.
What do you think
of this atrocity?
The Japanese are tough to handle.
That's right.
The Warriors Society enjoys unparalleled fame.
So what if we are up against the Japanese?
We'll kill them just the same!
I'll give you three days to prepare.
Three days later,
we must destroy the Black Dragon Society
no matter what.
What on earth do you want?
We couldn't let the warriors die in vain.
It's not the time yet.
Not the time?
If the Japanese wanted to wipe out the Warriors Society,
they wouldn't have sent so few people.
They were only seeking trouble.
I don't care about their motive.
I can't let my men
die for nothing.
What can you do then?
Even if you destroy the Black Dragon Society,
you can't chase all the Japanese out of China.
Don't place too much importance on yourself.
Excuse me.
I can put you in such a high position.
I can also drag you down.
Think hard.
Don't risk significant losses for something so trivial.
What is trivial?
What is significant?
Miss, can Yang Nian really avenge your father?
Ruonan,
wait here.
I'll be back soon.
I came to borrow
one thing from you.
What is it?
Your head.
I have talked to the northern sects.
They will support my endeavor
to become the next president of the Warriors Society.
Good.
All I need is one last push.
The incident involving Ichisoku Yagyu
caused pressure from the Japanese.
The commander-in-chief promised
to provide me with everything I needed
if I brought your head to him.
I need the support of the powers that be.
I'll kill someone who looks like you
and let him know I have finished the job.
But from now on,
Chen Yuanshan will cease to exist in this world.
I don't matter.
Things have changed time and again over the past years.
The Dragon Flag. The Iron Blood Flag. The Five-Colored Flag.
Change keeps happening.
I don't know how far the Warriors Society can go.
Maybe you'll have use for this.
Is this...?
I hope our efforts will turn out
to be more than shadows and echoes.
Your child has grown into such a big girl.
Father, can we go home now?
Father, what is this?
This is my gift for you.
It will protect you like I do.
You never read it?
Why aren't you using your killer move?
Fate must have never meant for martial arts to flourish,
bringing me into this world twenty years too late
and you into this world twenty years too early.
Why did you kill He Changchuan?
You are a member of the Warriors Society,
yet you killed the president.
Did something
force your hand?
You're the only person who would still call me
a member of the Warriors Society.
Martial arts evolved from lethal combat skills.
The only reason it has lasted to this day
is people are still killing people.
But there are better ways to kill now.
Martial arts as a whole are going downhill.
No one can reverse the trend.
I will give you fame,
but I have two tasks uncompleted.
What are your tasks?
The first task
is to kill a traitor.
He fled in the disguise of a cook.
I don't know where he is yet.
What is your other task?
Break into the Black Dragon Society's lair
and kill Tamekage Sanada.
Get out.
You like to watch people sleep?
How do we handle the Warriors Society?
Let them be.
Aren't you worried that conflicts will arise?
That will give me an excuse
to get rid of the Warriors Society.
How should I deal with Yang Nian and Chen Yuanshan?
Do I need to send someone to collect Chen Yuanshan's head?
Got something to tell me?
I'm sorry, Yang.
I not only couldn't do anything,
but burdened you.
Yang,
no words can express my gratitude for your great kindness.
When the dust settles,
I'll pay you back.
Why are you so convinced
I can kill Chen Yuanshan?
I have faith.
I wasn't friends with your father.
I'm not going after Chen Yuanshan
to avenge your father.
Tangquan Hengdao,
I'm the only person left in this world
who can perform the style.
I've lived all these years
with a single goal in mind:
to promote this martial arts style
I have no money.
I can't do business.
All I know is how to wield the dao blade.
So
I had no choice but to challenge your father.
If I could defeat the president of the Warriors Society,
then I could prove
my martial arts skills.
You can defeat me today.
But I can't
give you fame today.
The world is in turmoil and martial arts are declining.
More and more people
lose respect for the legacy of our ancestors.
I just became the president of the Warriors Society.
I'll use the Warriors Society
to prove the value of martial arts to the world
and revive the national legacy
that has been around for thousands of years.
How long do you need
to fulfill your ambition?
Ten years.
Very well. I'll wait for ten years.
Ten years later, I'll come for you.
Thank you.
(Long live martial arts)
It's you again.
I came to see you off.
Who exactly are you?
Have you heard
of the Central Investigation Department?
To put it plainly,
I'm sent to control the Warriors Society.
Control it on your own?
The Warriors Society
presents itself
as a martial arts association that fights to save this country.
But in actuality,
it has been carrying out assassinations
from when the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China
and foreigners were getting killed
to the present.
Since antiquity, scholars have been
using their words to disturb the rule of law
and martial artists have been
using their strength to break the law.
"Hanfeizi" mentions five scourges
that disrupt social order,
including sword carriers.
The Republic has been in place
for twenty years.
The country is now ruled by law.
The sword carriers who skirt the law
won't be tolerated in this day and age,
not to mention a force like the Warriors Society.
Some things can stand the test of time and last forever.
Some other things can only remain part of history.
Planes and cannons will dominate the future.
Martial arts should have been weeded out long ago,
including your Tangquan Hengdao.
Want to have a taste of my blade?
This is the reality.
Why did you tell me that?
I just find you
interesting.
You intend to use me as a pawn.
Can anyone in this world
avoid being used as a pawn?
This way.
Slowly.
Master.
All the people on our side have arrived.
I'm not seeing anyone else.
Liquor!
Master,
what do we do about Sun Yanying?
Kill him.
Yes.
(Warriors Society)
I hope I'll get to see that man again.
Senior Brother.
(Twenty years ago)
That Japanese man has gone too far.
If the Warriors Society doesn't intervene now,
I'm afraid the situation will deteriorate further.
Things develop by leaps and bounds nowadays.
The things our ancestors spent hundreds of years researching
have suddenly lost their use
in front of the western guns and cannons.
The martial arts clans are still putting on airs
and hiding their special skills.
They have turned martial arts into a trade.
Now a foreigner has used his blade
to mark a piece of our national territory
as his land
and nobody can stop him.
If we don't step up and uphold justice,
I'm afraid the legacy of martial arts will be lost.
I'll kill him.
That Japanese man
is the best fighter of the Black Dragon Society.
If you kill him
and cause trouble at this juncture,
both the Japanese side and Commander Zhang
will hunt you.
But, Senior Brother...
Killing one man
or administering an organization successfully,
which is easier?
Killing is easier, of course.
Very well.
I'll do the easier job
and leave the harder one
to you.
Senior Brother.
Finally, I'm faced with a good fighter.
This blade of mine is called Ansetsu Onimaru.
To be killed by this blade
is your good fortune.
What is your blade called?
What kind of blade is that?
A fine blade doesn't need a name.
Mr. Sanada,
the men of the Warriors Society have arrived.
Please give your instruction.
Defeat them in the name of the warriors.
Yes.
Head that way.
Yes.
Come.
The grand plan of the military command has been put into action.
My work is done.
The cranes in China
must have gone to the south
in this season.
Meanwhile, the cranes in your native place Hokkaido
are resident birds.
They never go away,
just like you.
You've followed me
all these years
and never complained
no matter how hard life became.
But
I can't let you continue
to live in such turmoil.
I've made arrangements.
You'll go aboard tonight.
May you be home soon.
Thank you very much.
You've taken good care of me.
Chen Yuanshan.
Chen-Chen Yuanshan.
I'm sorry, Mr. Sanada.
An open attack launched to cover up the surprise raid.
Brilliant plan.
Turn around.
I don't kill a person
from behind.
The process of drinking tea
is the process of human communication.
The Japanese tea ceremony
focuses on harmony, respect, purity and tranquility.
Take yourself lightly and revere your opponent.
That has always been our moral principle.
But the same can't be said for countries.
Our countries have gone through a similar patch
in the past fifty years.
When the westerners used guns and cannons
to force their way into our countries,
we had a rude awakening
that we'd lagged far behind the time.
You have a vast territory
and countless self-generating resources,
so there's room for you to maneuver.
We don't have those things,
so my country
is seeking survival.
What are you trying to say?
The strong survive and the weak die.
It's a law of nature.
It can be applied to people and countries alike.
It can also be applied to the Warriors Society.
You don't decide how long
the Warriors Society will last.
He Changchuan said the same thing
when he came to me for cooperation.
He Changchuan?
We'll leave our actions for posterity to judge.
A warrior should have principles he can stick to.
Giving his all for that
is a great achievement in itself,
even if this era doesn't need warriors.
This blade is called Ansetsu Onimaru.
It broke over twenty years ago
and has never been used to kill after repair.
Impressive dao skills.
Where is the east?
On your right.
Thank you.
You were going to kill Sanada
for He Changchuan, right?
The Warriors Society
was meant to be a strategy,
but ended up being a sect,
which was against its original purpose.
Original purpose?
Guns and cannons may replace martial arts,
but they can't replace martial artists.
That's the original purpose of establishing the Warriors Society.
Our generation
didn't achieve that goal.
I hope someone
will continue down
this path.
May our efforts turn out
to be more than shadows and echoes.
Come with me.
(Warriors Society)
Why did you come back here?
I said
I'd give you fame.
I can clear your name.
No need.
Why?
You killed He Changchuan because he turned to the Japanese.
If you expose the truth,
the Warriors Society
will lose its credibility
and total chaos will break out,
leaving no means of rectification.
The Warriors Society is already rotten to the core.
The Warriors Society is the representative of all martial artists.
As long as it exists,
there will be martial artists.
I'm Chen Yuanshan.
Please grant me the honor of combat.
Chen Yuanshan?
He's the killer of the president.
I'm Kong Yiping,
adept at Tongbeiquan.
I look forward to learning from you.
I have lost.
Gao Jianli.
Nanquan.
I look forward to learning from you.
I'm Cao Kun.
I look forward to learning from you.
Anyone else?
I look forward to learning from you.
I'd like to know the might of your Tangquan Hengdao.
Yang Nian,
I'll be giving my all in this fight against you.
I look forward to learning from you.
Bring it on.
Yang Nian,
make your move.
Master Chen.
Master Chen, you didn't have to do this.
This is right.
Chen Yuanshan was quite extraordinary.
As a ghost, he did the work of a man.
That is all.
What do we do about Yang Nian?
Let him go.
He possesses the real Shadows and Echoes.
Don't you want it, Mr. Sun?
Shadows and Echoes
is just as meaningless
as its name.
Where are you going, Mr. Sun?
The Japanese Kwantung Army
occupied the Northern Barracks yesterday.
A war is about to begin.
What about the Warriors Society?
(Long live martial arts)
(Warriors Society)
(Academy of Chinese Martial Arts)
(Academy of Chinese Martial Arts)
(He Ruonan followed the path of loneliness from then on.)
(She never married or left the Warriors Society.)
(She died of illness in the freezing weather)
(of Dahan [24th solar term] in 1943.)
The world is vast and the heroes are abundant.
How is the Warriors Society doing?
It was dissolved by the Academy of Chinese Martial Arts.
As the name suggests,
there will only be
Chinese martial arts
and not warriors.
What's your plan?
I could ask you the same question.
Eventually, I'll be fighting the enemy on the front line
and performing my duties as a military man.
You'll be making contributions from your high position.
You have extraordinary abilities
and ought to serve your country by joining the military.
Do you care to join us?
Using Chinese martial arts
to strengthen the common people's physiques,
grow their courage and shape their spirits.
I'm a martial artist.
That's what I should do.
Good.
You'll be making contributions from your place among the people.
General,
I have a third gift for you.
What is it?
Open Shadows and Echoes.
Look.
This is
the real Shadows and Echoes.
When my seniors established the Warriors Society,
part of their mission was to promote Chinese martial arts,
but they also trained assassins
to defend the Republic.
He selected over a hundred warriors
and sighed a liability waiver with them.
He hid them in the Warriors Society
as dare-to-die warriors
and named them Shadows and Echoes.
(Chen Yuanshan)
Why are you giving me command of them?
Once upon a time,
a warrior must train for tens of years
before they could master a skill
and declare their achievements or rise to fame.
Times like that have passed.
Still,
I'd like to prove their worth.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
I'll be at your disposal like a shadow and an echo.
(The 29th Corps formed the Great Dao Squad)
(in which everyone possessed a dao.)
(Six months later, the 29th Corps)
(organized a defense at Xifengkou Pass)
(and fiercely resisted the Japanese Kwantung Army.)
(After twelve days of battle, the 29th Corps dealt a heavy blow)
(to the Japanese army by eliminating five thousand of its troops.)
(However, the victory came at the price)
(of losing the entire Great Dao Squad in battle.)