Little Big Soldier

The Soldier survives a brutal clash with a Wey general thanks to his uncanny talent for playing dead and a strapped arrowhead device that lends realism to his ruses. The device helps him endure and stage his own escape from death. He seizes the wounded General with the aim of delivering him to Liang's king for an honorable discharge that would allow his return home.

With the General bound as a prisoner, the Soldier hopes to hand him to Liang's king, framing the exchange as a path to an honorable discharge. He must maintain a facade of control while the General's wary defiance tests his resolve. The uneasy alliance marks the start of a long road through a landscape of shifting loyalties.

The Wey general, though captive, exercises condescension toward his captor, sharpening the tension between them. He uses wit to probe the Soldier's motives and reveals his own stubborn pride. Their dynamic sets the tone for a perilous journey through uncertain alliances.

A scheming singer accuses the pair of causing the war, adding rumor and peril to their trek. The confrontation exposes factions and loyalties that blur the line between friend and foe. The encounter forces them to confront the consequences of the conflict they inhabit.

The travelers endure a near-fatal encounter with a bear in the woods, testing their nerve and resourcefulness. The moment underscores the fragility of their fragile truce and the constant threat from the wild frontier. It tightens the bond of necessity between the Soldier and the General.

Vicious attacks by beggars on the road disrupt their steady march, forcing them to improvise defense and rely on one another. The violence of the encounter reveals how easily the vulnerable can be drawn into factional struggles. The Soldier's quick thinking extends their survival.

The pair are captured by Loufan warriors, exposing them to a hostile frontier beyond Liang and Wey. This imprisonment magnifies the stakes and pushes both men to reconsider their goals and loyalties. The incident also foreshadows the broader political chessboard at play.

In captivity, the General is revealed to be the Wey crown prince, and the younger brother Prince Wen covets the Wey throne. The discovery reframes their mission and transforms their captor-captive dynamic into a reluctant partnership against a shared risk. This revelation redefines their motives and alliances.

Though enemies by birth, the two men decide to cooperate when a common enemy—a band of Loufan warriors—emerges seeking revenge for the death of the Loufan leader's wife. The uneasy alliance is tested by danger, misgivings, and the calculus of power. Their cooperation becomes essential to survive the frontier.

After a brutal clash, Prince Wen sacrifices himself to appease the Loufan leader and tells the General that one of them must live to ensure Wey's continuity. The grim bargain shakes the power dynamic and reshapes the trajectories of both men. The act roots a new, somber balance between the states.

Back in Liang, the Soldier escorts the General toward home, only to have a last-minute change of heart and release the Wey prince. The act unsettles Liang's leadership and tests the Soldier's loyalties. The moment shifts the future prospects of both nations.

The Wey prince becomes king with a pledge that Wey will refrain from waging war on Liang for ten years. The promise buys time but cannot alter the larger tides of fate that threaten both states. The moment reveals how fragile diplomacy can be in a fracturing era.

The truth erupts: Liang has fallen to Qin, and Qin arrows rain down on the shattered walls. The Soldier dies with the Liang banner raised high, a defiant symbol of loyalty in the face of conquest. The loss marks a decisive shift in regional power.

With Liang conquered, Wey surrenders to Qin, shifting the balance of power across the region. The final acts seal the fate of both states and echo the tragic costs of fealty, sacrifice, and ambition. The war ends, but the scars of the conflict linger in the new political order.