Dragon Blade

In northwest China, Huo An's Silk Road Protection Squad intervenes to stop a battle between Indians and Xiongnu. He skillfully defuses the conflict and earns cautious respect from both sides, though he inadvertently disgraces a Xiongnu woman warrior.

The squad returns to their home city, where peace settles over daily life. Huo An's wife Xiuqing serves as a schoolteacher for orphans of multiple ethnicities, highlighting the community's multicultural spirit.

Commanders uncover bribery among the corpses of enemies the squad has neutralized, casting doubt on Huo An and his men. As punishment, the entire squad is assigned to grueling construction work at Wild Geese Gate.

Wild Geese Gate fortress sits on the fringes of the Western regions, run by a Turkic commander. The fortification project brings together workers, peasants, and prisoners from various nomadic groups who must rebuild the ruined outpost.

An exhausted Roman legion arrives, threatening the strategic fortress. Huo An rides out to confront them, engaging in a duel with Lucius that ends in a stalemate as a sandstorm and hunger force a temporary pause.

The Romans' engineering prowess helps rebuild Wild Geese Gate, lifting spirits among the inhabitants. In gratitude, Huo An sends some of his soldiers to accompany Lucius' envoys in seeking passage to the Parthian Empire.

Lucius reveals Publius and Tiberius are fleeing; Tiberius betrayed Crassus by murdering him and defied the peace with Parthia. He is marching with a massive force of about 100,000 soldiers.

Back at the fortress, Huo An discovers his second-in-command is corrupt and has plotted to murder Xiuqing and attack Wild Geese Gate to aid Tiberius. Xiuqing is mortally wounded while trying to rescue the orphans, and she dies in his arms.

Lucius and his legionaries are captured and imprisoned in Kroran. Lucius endures brutal torture while Publius and his tutor are forced to commit suicide, sealing a grim fate for Crassus's son.

Huo An and a small band of loyal soldiers travel to Kroran to rescue the captives. They incite an uprising and free many Lucius' soldiers, but Lucius himself remains imprisoned and unable to escape.

Nomadic hordes join the fierce battle against Tiberius's legions, delivering heavy losses but still struggling to gain the upper hand. Parthian forces arrive to avenge Crassus and support the alliance.

In a climactic duel, Huo An defeats and kills Tiberius, removing the greatest threat to the Silk Road and opening the path to peace between Rome and Parthia.

The Chinese emperor allows the Romans to establish a city called Regum (Liqian). Surviving nomadic inhabitants of Wild Geese Gate are allowed to join the Protection Squad under Huo An's command.

The shrine to fallen comrades is relocated to Regum to honor them. Thousands of years later, archaeologists discover Regum's ruins and reconstruct its history in 3D, but decide to leave the site in peace to honor its tragic past.