Call of Heroes

Refugees flee toward safety and seek shelter in Pucheng, led by a schoolteacher and her students. The wary militia under Colonel Yang Kenan watches over them as the town scrambles to accommodate the influx. The sudden traffic of civilians heightens tensions and tests the limits of the local authorities. The community senses that the conflict will push leadership and civility to their breaking points.

Cho murders Pak’s cousin and one of her students in a brutal act that demonstrates the era's cruelty. The killings send shockwaves through Shitoucheng and erode any confidence in a functioning justice system. Civilians retreat as fear cements the sense that law and order have collapsed. This violence marks a turning point in the town’s experience of threat and control.

Cho is sentenced to death, a verdict that seems straightforward in a fractured jurisdiction. Behind the scenes, powerful patrons maneuver to overturn the judgment to protect their own interests. The attempt to subvert due process exposes how loyalties and intimidation shape what passes for justice. The town watches as this verdict becomes a flashpoint for competing powers.

Cho’s father arrives with a show of force, delivering an explicit ultimatum: release Cho or the town will face massacre. The ultimatum places Colonel Yang Kenan in a no-win position between due process and civilian protection. The threat magnifies the town’s fear and complicates any straightforward handling of the case. The politics of fear begin to trump legal procedure.

Colonel Yang Kenan struggles to balance the rule of law with the immediate need to shield civilians from brutal reprisals. The dilemma exposes the fragility of civil order in a region ruled by factional loyalties and fear. His decision becomes a test case for the legitimacy of leadership under pressure. The town’s future seems to hinge on this moment.

Two of Cho’s commanders attempt a covert rescue to free him and strike at the heart of the prison. The disciplined militia at Pucheng holds firm, repelling the raid and proving that improvised action cannot overcome organized force. The failed raid sharpens the sense that power remains concentrated in established hands. The town witnesses a pivotal clash between chaos and order.

Wealthy factions in the town mobilize private guards to press for Cho’s release and threaten violence against Yang Kenan and his loyalists. Public pressure mounts as factions threaten to override due process with force. The town stands at the edge of a broader, bloodier confrontation if demands are not met. The balance between power and justice becomes a palpable battleground.

Reluctantly, Yang Kenan disbands the militia in an attempt to prevent a wider bloodshed and civil collapse. He hopes to defuse the immediate crisis by withdrawing the last organized line of defense. The choice reflects the mortal cost of leadership under extreme pressure. The town settles into a dangerous lull that promises more turmoil to come.

Dawn reveals that Cho’s soldiers have broken free and are plundering the town with impunity. The retreat of the militia leaves civilians exposed to violence and theft. Widespread fear returns as order collapses under the weight of armed factions. The community faces a harsher reality: security must be earned, not merely promised.

Survivors organize a defensive response, bombing the enemy camp and laying traps in the streets. They arm those who had lived in fear, turning civilians into a makeshift militia. The town learns to improvise again, discovering a stubborn resilience in the face of overwhelming odds. The fight becomes a fight for communal survival rather than just law and order.

The tide of violence reaches its climax when Cho is finally slain in a brutal confrontation. His death marks a decisive, ifPy blood-soaked, turning point for the town’s immediate future. Yet the violence has left deep scars and raised questions about who truly holds power and how justice is administered. The community breathes a momentary sigh of relief before the costs of leadership become clear.

Cho’s father launches a revenge-driven invasion against Pucheng, seeking to avenge his son through brutal force. Pucheng’s own forces rally to counter the assault, preparing for a pitched field battle. The invaders and defenders clash in a struggle that underscores the fragility of victory when wealth and authority drive the conflict. The town is thrown back into a state of heightened danger.

Pucheng and the invaders collide in a brutal field battle that reshapes the regional balance of power. The fight demonstrates that even a hard-won victory for one side can be precarious when money and influence fuel ongoing violence. The outcome is provisional, reminding viewers that triumphs here are seldom lasting. The war-memory lingers as a question about lasting peace and governance.

The narrative closes with a sober meditation on how wealth, status, and military might shape life and death in a fractured society. It questions who truly holds power and what true justice requires when tomorrow’s loyalties can shift with the wind. The film offers no neat resolution, instead presenting a morally complex tapestry of protector and aggressor blurred together. Peace, when it comes, may demand a harsh reckoning of privilege and responsibility.