The Battle at Lake Changjin II: Water Gate Bridge

Wu Qianli returns home after the Civil War and informs his family that his brother Wu Baili was killed in action. He promises to use his land allotment to build a house for his parents and secure their future. However, his leave is cancelled as China becomes involved in the Korean War, forcing the family dreams to wait.

On 15 September 1950, while the Battle of Incheon unfolds, U.S. aircraft begin indiscriminate bombing of a village in Andong Province, China. The bombardment disrupts movements and foreshadows the broader air war against Chinese forces. The sequence marks the war's expansion beyond Korea into China.

Beijing hosts a Politburo meeting at Zhongnanhai to assess the war situation. Mao Zedong questions whether crossing the 38th parallel must also mean crossing the Yalu. A military briefer notes that U.S. forces stationed in Taiwan already threaten China's security.

Qianli learns that his younger brother Wanli has enlisted in the 7th Company and is heading to Korea. He initially refuses to help him or even provide a rifle, illustrating the personal cost of war.

The 7th Company is forced to march on foot after their train is bombed during track repairs, dodging American aircraft along the way. The treacherous journey underscores the hardship of the early Korean War push.

The company stumbles into a battle and aids a small unit of Chinese soldiers. Wanli and Qianli shoot four Americans in close-quarters combat and narrowly avoid being hit by a tank.

After a brief rest, Anying—Mao Zedong's son under the pseudonym Liu—helps distribute clothing to the weary troops, showing the party's involvement with the troops.

Troops endure freezing temperatures in the mountains while supplies run short. Meanwhile U.S. troops celebrate Thanksgiving and look forward to Christmas back home, highlighting the contrast between front-line hardship and distant leisure.

Anying is killed when a U.S. bombing raid locates his base; he had rushed back to the base to retrieve a map, sacrificing himself to aid the frontline effort.

On 27 November, Chinese forces launch an offensive against the U.S. Army’s 31st Infantry at Sinhung-ni. Qianli shoots the American commander, Colonel Allan MacLean, but stops Wanli from executing him.

A U.S. Marine Corsair attacks Chinese positions and is shot down by a Chinese soldier using a bazooka. Lei Suisheng retrieves a smoke marker in a jeep and joins the retreating U.S. column, later killed by bombers.

The scene centers on Hill 1071 where the 3rd Company, 3rd Division, 58th Corps holds out against U.S. forces. Yang Gensi, the last surviving member of his unit, detonates a satchel charge to explode tanks. A retreating U.S. Marine column later finds Chinese soldiers frozen to death, and General Oliver P. Smith salutes their resolve.

Closing captions recount the Hungnam evacuation: 105,000 U.S. troops evacuated by 24 December and Hungnam captured by the 9th Corps. The film frames the Battle of Lake Changjin as a turning point that helped halt MacArthur's plan to end the war by Christmas and sets the stage for China's broader victory.