Rachel

Actually it may not even be half a year. I was browsing through some fanmade videos on bilibili and cnetz were saying that it's less than half a year since Xie Huai An entered Chang An and there were already three emperors 😂I'm Chinese myself so I went to rewatch the scenes + use Chinese subtitles to verify if I'm hearing and reading correctly. I think HZL has been in Hidden Soldier Alley for maybe a month or less. It's possible to form a friendship with Di Lu because he's friendly and he's the one in charge of taking care of newcomers! HZL and Huai An also form a friendship despite interacting for only a brief period. But yes I agree that the timeline is kind of confusing 😅

I'm guessing now it's time to unite against the foreign enemy. Chang An can be taken by Yan Fengshan but it must never fall to invaders. Old enemies may (temporarily) work together with Huai An hopefully.

Oh nevermind I found it! It's in Episode 11, around the 37 minute mark. Han Ziling was lying to Wang Pu because Wang Pu was suspicious of him. He said that before coming to Hidden Soldier Alley, he worked as a trash collector for 7 years. This is a lie because he is a renowned scholar and not a trash collector haha

Huh wait what did I miss?? 7 years?? But I saw some cnetz said that it's only been half a year. I don't know about Han Ziling being a trash collector for 7 years but translation was definitely wrong in the Commander Wang and Wang Pu scene. I just went back to see, Commander Wang said "我和他们一起待过三五日". That means 3-5 days not years.

Do you remember which episode Han Ziling mentioned that? Maybe I can double check 😅

Yes! He's so charismatic. Can't hate him much even though he's the villain...

Yan Fengshan's actor, Zhang Hanyu, is amazing. His achievements are really impressive. To have so many veteran and accomplished actors in this drama is such a treat. Kudos to all the cast again! We're 3/4 there!

Xie Huai An's father is Liu Ziwen. Liu Ziwen is known as an extremely rare and talented genius. He had numerous merits including many strategies that had protected the country. Xie Huai An is his son, there's a saying, "Like father, like son (有其父必有其子)". Although Huai An's time at the grand academy was short, he always topped the class and was acknowledged as being very talented himself. (Keep in mind that only the sons of nobles or royals attend this academy. So Huai An really stood out if he topped the class.) Also, for Huai An to be able to escape Yan Fengshan and Huben Army for 15 years, from him being a 10 year old child to 25 years old, that's a crazy feat. This show doesn't mention stuff explicitly to the viewers 😅, but it can be understood if you catch the details. If you are confused about the show at any point of time, you can ask here!

I thought it was obvious enough. It's not misplaced anger. Chen Zhiying wants to avenge her general. It's not misplaced at all because it was indeed Xie Huai An that killed Yan Fengshan. She said that she wants Xie Huai An's life in return for Yan Fengshan. Although Yan Fengshan is the bad guy in our eyes, he is probably a good leader, a benefactor, and possibly family to Chen Zhiying. Like Wang Pu, Chen Zhiying may be an orphan or saved by Yan Fengshan.

I think it was necessary though. There was no reason for the enemy to spare Gu Yu. He is a powerful general with a very loyal army. But of course, as a viewer, I would want Gu Yu to live 😭.

I saw it on weibo too 🥺. Cheng Yi is truly so sincere and such a respectable good person 🥺🥺.

Uncle Long, though. I kind of expected his betrayal but did not have any basis for it. It made sense why he was so supportive of Huai An. He needed Huai An to accomplish his and Tiemo people's goal.

Agreed. Cheng Yi did really well in this drama. From the start, Cheng Yi was the first actor announced for this drama even though Cheng Yi himself had not agreed to it. The platform, producer, and director really wanted him as Xie Huai An and he delivered. Everyone else were also amazing. The drama's success is the combined efforts of everyone indeed.

Very harsh indeed. It reflects reality.

Gu Yu's last scene was really sad but memorable. Ye Zuxin did really well in this show. Gu Yu was such a good character. His death will definitely impact Huai An a lot 😭. Never thought this show would keep on shocking me. I had guess that the imprisoned man, Wu Zhong Heng, was from Tiemo, but I never expected him to be the King? It's been 20 years since some of the Tiemo sleeper agents invaded Chang An. I really wonder how Xie Huai An and his remaining allies are going to protect Chang An. There's never a dull moment in this show.

He's not dead.

The person who was dressed in red was most likely Xiao Wuyang, the now missing Emperor. Or it could be Xiao Wuyang's father, the founding Emperor I'm not sure. Basically, Chancellor Gao is an extremely loyal subject and in his dying moments, he still worries about the Emperor. Or it could even be guilt towards the Emperor.

I don't know why you're scolding me because I'm not trying to insult the general. My comment was a reply to the other person. I even put "stupid" in quotation marks. And I don't even know if you understood my comment in the first place. I fully understand the general.

His sister is an independent person and not his object. She already said that when she wants to stay, she stays, and when she wants to leave, she'll leave. After her master/teacher died, her family in the countryside was worried about her, and so she wants to return to her family. Chang An is the place that is the MOST unstable and where the Huben Army's shadow guards are everywhere. Even Ye Zheng's crush, the seamstress went back to her hometown by herself. The problem isn't whether Bai Wan went back alone or with some guards or stayed by Xie Huai An's side. The problem is her identity as Liu Li. No matter what, she would've been killed as long as her identity was known by Yan Fengshan. Xie Huai An ended up realising that their plan has all along been exposed to Yan Fengshan and that they kind of fell into YFS's trap. This doesn't mean that Huai An is stupid? It just means that the opponent was smarter this time?

Tbh, I don't know what you expect. Do you expect a Gary Stu and a OP protagonist that wins 100%? Because this show is like chess, even the most experienced and skillful chess players will lose many pieces before winning, especially if it's against a strong opponent. Yan Fengshan is not your common street villain, despite being a general, he is also a master strategist. Why else do you think he can control Chang An for years? If he was outsmarted by a much younger and less experienced strategist so easily then it's ridiculous, isn't it?

Well, then shouldn't it be that General Gu Yu is "stupid"? Based on Xie Huai An's initial plan, they could most probably all escape. But, Gu Yu is a general and soldier foremost (not a strategist), he wants revenge for his fallen soldiers. Gu Yu also suffered terrible humiliation by the enemies, being paraded around the street like that. He is emotional and vengeful and Xie Huai An understands that because he also sees himself in Gu Yu. Most likely, Gu Yu would have refused to leave unless Xie Huai An can come up with a plan for him to have his revenge. Technically, this plan would've worked but Wang Pu always wears a hidden armour lol which left him still able to command the Huben soldiers.

In sum, emotions gotten the the upper hand over logic for Gu Yu. And honestly, I can understand that if I was in his shoes. It was a wrong decision and wasn't a foolproof plan but it wasn't completely stupid.

Yes, she's Wumei, Gu Yu's bodyguard.