Ace Troops Episode 1 Recap
> Ace Troops Recap
Gao Liang awoke from a harrowing nightmare, transported back to a fierce battle four years prior. In his dream, he saw his elder brother, Gao Shan, during a roll call for the First Commando. Gao Shan and his comrades, including Ma Kexin, Xiu Yuanchang, Zeng Zuoxiang, Li Chunbao, Xu Wencai, and Zeng Fanzhong, chanted, "It's better to die after moving a step forward than to live after moving half a step backward."
Amidst gunfire and explosions, Gao Liang witnessed his brother fall, leaving him with a profound sense of loss. Waking in 1983, Gao Liang spoke to his brother's memory, recounting how their mother had also passed, leaving him an orphan. He declared his new path, "I don't want to drill holes in the dark shaft anymore. I enlisted as a soldier." At Zhengyang Railway Station, a young woman named Hu Yang found Gu Yiye, questioning him, "What do you want?
Tank or me?" Gu Yiye responded with resolve, "Move forward! Tank!" When she asked if he still loved her, he explained he had always seen her as a sister. Despite her tearful pleas for him to return home and not enlist, Gu Yiye remained steadfast, stating, "I'm destined to be a soldier." He then bid her farewell. On the train, new recruits from different regions bickered over dialect, specifically the pronunciation of 'zero' in "Regiment 720."
Gao Liang, having secretly donned a chief's uniform, intervened. He playfully chastised the arguing recruits, demonstrating how 'zero' is pronounced 'hole' (dòng) in military radio communications to avoid confusion. Gu Yiye, who had already seen through Gao Liang’s disguise, found his antics boring and refused to participate in Gao Liang’s impromptu "recite backwards while doing a handstand" challenge. Gu Yiye, irritated by Gao Liang's provocations and threats to kick him off the train, accepted Gao Liang's challenge for a fight.
He vowed, "I will never leave the army. Anyway, you will never win." The scuffle quickly drew attention, but Commissar Lu Pingfan arrived, identifying Gao Liang as "New Recruit Gao Liang" and ordering him to remove the stolen uniform. Gu Yiye informed Commissar Lu that he knew Gao Liang was an impostor, having observed his overly arrogant demeanor, ill-fitting uniform, and mismatched gear. Commissar Lu noted Gu Yiye's keen observational skills, remarking on his potential as a scout.
Gu Yiye then shared his ambitious military aspirations, intending to be in military school within two years and leading a field force within six years. Despite the arrival of the commissar, the tension between Gao Liang and Gu Yiye escalated into a full-blown fight on the train. Gao Liang tried a sneak attack with "Black Tiger Digs the Heart," but Gu Yiye deftly countered with "Dragon Wags the Tail," quickly overpowering Gao Liang and subduing him.
Gu Yiye emphasized battlefield principles: "If it happens again, interrogate or shoot the captive. Cut the crap. . . bullet is the most reliable thing." Upon arrival at Zhangmu Train Station, everyone disembarked for a short rest. A small contingent of female soldiers caught the attention of the male recruits. Gu Yiye deduced they were likely new recruits from the division's medical or communications units, simply sharing the train journey.
When it was discovered that one female soldier, Jiang Nanzheng, was missing, both Gu Yiye and Gao Liang, recognizing her from earlier, volunteered to search. Gu Yiye pursued her tracks, only to be ambushed by Gao Liang, who claimed a strategic victory. Gu Yiye, however, swiftly turned the tables. Meanwhile, Jiang Nanzheng, who was taking photos in a flower field, mistook Gu Yiye for a pervert and attacked him.
The misunderstanding was cleared, and she was introduced to Gao Liang and Gu Yiye. She found herself drawn to Gu Yiye’s intellectual demeanor and military ambition. As a convoy of 59-Type 1 Medium Tanks rumbled past, Gu Yiye, with glowing eyes, explained the intricacies of armored warfare, describing it as the "most powerful warfare in the plain. . . a confrontation between powerhouses and a duel between contemporary knights."
He passionately declared his ultimate goal: "I want to lead my own armored division to the battlefield." Captivated, Jiang Nanzheng suggested a group photo to commemorate their becoming comrades in arms amidst the tank rumbles. Gao Liang comically tried to position himself between Gu Yiye and Jiang Nanzheng, but at the moment the photo was taken, Gu Yiye managed to move closer to Jiang Nanzheng, with Gao Liang clinging to him, creating a memorable first photo.
As the new recruits prepared to re-board, distant artillery fire shook the station. Gu Yiye identified it as 85-mm cannon fire, speculating that the ammunition might be expiring. For Jiang Nanzheng, who narrated her thoughts, the cannon fire, unlike commands, marked the "beginning of our brand new military career," feeling "grand and fresh." She realized she liked the smell of gunpowder, feeling it opened a "secret door of her heart."
This new, unexpected reality was an "exercise" that would prove to be a "bloody, deadly" confrontation. Deputy Commander Xiao received an update: all Army B divisions had reached their positions, with Meng Zhongchi's Division 230 arriving 46 minutes early, leaving Division 234 only 30 minutes to react. Deputy Commander Xiao scoffed at any notion of giving prior warning, asserting, "Is this rule too strict? Do we have to tell him in advance? Isn't that a warning?"
He then ordered an additional division to reinforce the encirclement, giving Army B a three-to-one numerical advantage against Division 234. In Division 234's command center, staff officers reported their dire situation: outnumbered, retreating would mean annihilation, while holding ground would lead to exhaustion. Division Commander Zheng Yuan, however, dismissed complaints about unfairness, stating that "The military is for war. If the military doesn't fight a war, both the money of our country and our people will be wasted."
He declared, "There's no exercise for Division 234. As long as I hear the cannon booming, I think there's a real bloody battle." Zheng Yuan quickly formulated a plan for "active defense" and "replace defense by attack." Regiment 720 was ordered to act as a decoy at Hongshikou by 14:00, attracting Army B's attention while the main force of Division 234 would use Highway 6 to bypass and attack Army B's command and supply centers.
Zheng Yuan contacted Colonel Chen Dashan of Regiment 720, who complained about his unit's lack of training due to years of agricultural work and the slow mobilization of his scattered troops. Zheng Yuan sternly reminded Chen Dashan that Regiment 720 was now part of the elite Division 234 of Army A, an "ace," and that he "can never be a coward." Chen Dashan then reported that several hundred new recruits were still trapped at Zhangmu Train Station.
Zheng Yuan ordered them to stay put, considering the exposure to the sounds and smells of battle as "the first lesson of their military career." Zheng Yuan also called Song Jianshe, Chief of Military Affairs Unit of Regiment 720, who was at Zhangmu Station. Song Jianshe reported artillery fire but no direct enemy contact.
Zheng Yuan, leveraging his knowledge of the railway system, ordered Song Jianshe to secure the special train, preventing it from leaving Zhangmu Station without his direct orders, to ensure it could be used by the division. Gao Liang, having overheard Song Jianshe mention the code word "Thunderbolt," asked Gu Yiye about its meaning. Gu Yiye explained it likely referred to a radio call sign or password.
Just as he spoke, B-Army soldiers, distinguished by blue armbands, swarmed Zhangmu Train Station, declaring their orders to occupy it. Song Jianshe and Commissar Lu Pingfan were quickly captured. The new recruits, refusing to surrender on their first day, scattered and attempted to escape, yelling, "Don't be captives even if we have to die!" Gu Yiye and a group of recruits, seeing the female soldiers being cornered, bravely turned back to protect them, shouting, "They're bullying our female soldiers.
They're disrespecting our A-Army. . . They're your comrades, too. Fight against them!" In the ensuing skirmish, Gao Liang sustained an injury to his head when it collided with a stone, prompting a B-Army soldier to quip, "The stone is injured." Despite being captured, Gao Liang reflected, "I was never so brave before. . . This is the first time I didn't run away. . . I like this."
The B-Army successfully captured Zhangmu Station, separating the new male recruits into a warehouse and the female recruits, including Jiang Nanzheng, who was deemed "most troublesome," into solitary confinement. Inside the crowded warehouse, the male recruits debated whether they were "dead soldiers or captives." Gu Yiye, leveraging his intelligence from the duty room, explained their predicament: they were in the "eye of the exercise" of Division 234.
He, along with Lin Beihai, deduced that Division 234 intended to use the special train to covertly transport a crack force. The objective was to strike B-Army's command and supply centers. However, B-Army had anticipated this, capturing the station and setting up an artillery position on the northern mountain ridge and ambushing two tank battalions in the southern woods to annihilate Division 234's main force there.
Meanwhile, Colonel Chen Dashan was leading his Regiment 720 east when his Staff Officer, Qin Hanyong, delivered new orders from division headquarters. The Third Battalion, often called the "eternally last," was now the closest to Zhangmu Station and poised to become the division's vanguard. Since communications to the Third Battalion were down, Qin Hanyong volunteered to go personally, stating his familiarity with the terrain.
Back in the warehouse, Commissar Lu Pingfan, hearing Gu Yiye's astute analysis, suspected his identity, asking, "Is Gu Heng who's an instructor your father?" Song Jianshe then clarified the predicament: the only way to save Division 234 was for the new recruits to break out and report the situation, as officers were forbidden from participating in such actions during an exercise—it would be considered "cheating" and result in "punishment on the real battlefield."
However, for the new recruits, who were "not new recruits" yet and technically not fully integrated soldiers, success could bring commendation, while failure would mean expulsion. Despite the risks and the initial hesitation of some, Gu Yiye declared his resolve, "I'm in. . . I'm not here to be a coward. If we cheat, the fruits will be meaningless." To everyone's surprise, Gao Liang, despite his earlier animosity, also volunteered.
His primary motivation was to rescue the female soldiers, especially Jiang Nanzheng, who was being held separately. He passionately argued that the female soldiers were "our comrades-in-arms," like "our family," and that he would "rather be beaten to death than allow enemies to capture our female soldiers. To us, they're the beautiful scenery, the honor and the hope."
The recruits, inspired by Gao Liang's words, raised their hands in agreement, ready to embark on a daring mission to protect their comrades and save the division. " Comrades, protect female soldiers! Rescue our comrades-in-arms! Let's go!" they cried, preparing to charge.
