Ace Troops Episode 19 Recap
> Ace Troops Recap
Gao Liang found himself alone on a steep cliff, drawing enemy fire while fighting back fiercely. With his bullets exhausted and his grenades all thrown, he reached a point of utter despair.
He unwrapped a piece of candy, a gift from Jiang Nanzheng, put it in his mouth, and with a final thought of "Bro, I've never felt so close to you," and a quiet "Jiang Nanzheng, take care," he made the resolute decision to leap from the cliff, determined never to be taken captive. Meanwhile, Gu Yiye led the Ninth Company's Third Squad in a successful but costly breakout.
The scene was grim, with heavy casualties and a suffocating silence among the survivors. Gu Yiye tended to the wounded, offering reassurances that their legs could be saved and urging them to hold on. He learned that Zhang Fei, despite his own injuries, had given his stretcher to another comrade, insisting that a platoon leader should not be carried while retreating. Gu Yiye then decided to fashion a new stretcher for Zhang Fei from a wooden door panel.
As he moved to retrieve it, Zhang Fei spotted a disguised landmine beneath the door. With a shout to "Lie down," Zhang Fei lunged, shielding Gu Yiye from the blast. After a deafening explosion, Zhang Fei lay mortally wounded. Gu Yiye, struggling to stay conscious, heard Zhang Fei express a profound regret about marrying Xiu and a final plea for Gu Yiye to tell her to forget him, before he collapsed into unconsciousness himself.
Other soldiers rushed to Zhang Fei's side, calling for a medic, but it was too late. Gu Yiye later experienced a traumatic hallucination, repeatedly asking for an indestructible radio, grappling with the shock and horror of the battlefield. Jiang Nanzheng, arriving at the field hospital, found Gu Yiye deeply distressed and unresponsive. He had suffered minor shrapnel wounds, which he downplayed to Jiang Nanzheng. He revealed that Gao Liang had stayed behind to cover their retreat.
When a doctor confirmed Zhang Fei's death, stating he had no pulse or breath upon arrival and dismissing previous outbursts from other soldiers, Gu Yiye's emotions erupted. He screamed, calling the medical staff "liars" and demanding the return of his platoon leader, while Jiang Weixing tried to calm him. Jiang Nanzheng recognized that, like many others who had witnessed the continuous loss of comrades, Gu Yiye was suffering from mild post-traumatic stress disorder, showing significant emotional distress.
She understood he needed time to heal and believed he would eventually overcome the shadow of war. Six months later, at the field hospital, Jiang Nanzheng heard a familiar harmonica tune. Following the sound, she was overjoyed to discover Gao Liang, very much alive. She rushed into his arms, crying tears of relief, having been told he didn't make it back. Gao Liang, in turn, produced the remaining piece of White Rabbit candy she had given him.
He recounted how, after jumping from the cliff, he miraculously survived and later met Niu Mancang. Together, they navigated enemy territory for eleven days, constantly fighting, scavenging for weapons and ammunition, and eating anything they could find, including rats and snakes. They managed to eliminate many enemies and capture three, though Gao Liang jokingly lamented that Niu Mancang remained completely unscathed.
He was particularly incensed to learn that their company had prematurely listed him and Niu Mancang as martyrs, ready for a memorial service, despite their continued fight for survival behind enemy lines. Jiang Nanzheng was heartbroken to see his serious waist injury, but Gao Liang brushed it off with his usual cheerful demeanor, showing her only two scars and calling them his "waist medals."
He then gave her a fruit knife he had crafted from a cartridge case as a gift. Jiang Nanzheng inquired if Gao Liang had visited Gu Yiye. Gao Liang recalled an incident where Niu Mancang, still reeling from the traumatic experience of combat, had panicked and held others at gunpoint before being calmed by Lu Pingfan.
Gao Liang explained that Gu Yiye had retreated into himself, remaining in his dormitory and refusing to see anyone, including Jiang Nanzheng, who had also tried to visit. Gao Liang recounted that he had been reassigned to the Division Command to help compile martyr lists, limiting his opportunities to see Gu Yiye.
He mentioned that he had heard about Zhang Fei's sacrifice to protect Gu Yiye and asserted that it wasn't Gu Yiye's fault, emphasizing that without Gu Yiye leading them out of the ravine, none of them would have returned.
Jiang Nanzheng explained that Gu Yiye had become fixated on blaming himself, believing that if he hadn't argued about task assignments, Zhang Fei wouldn't have personally searched for missing soldiers, and if he hadn't moved that door panel, Zhang Fei wouldn't have been killed shielding him. Gao Liang countered, arguing that if that logic held, he too was responsible for insisting on rescuing people earlier. He emphasized that dwelling on such thoughts would make Zhang Fei's sacrifice meaningless.
He then urged Jiang Nanzheng to speak with Gu Yiye, believing that Gu Yiye needed her comfort more than his, because Gu Yiye had feelings for her. Privately, in an unspoken monologue, Gao Liang admitted that he had always liked Jiang Nanzheng since the first day he saw her, and while facing death, he had vowed to tell her if he survived.
However, knowing she loved Gu Yiye, he acknowledged his feelings were unrequited and was content just to be near her and see her happy. As Division 234 returned triumphantly, August Town prepared a grand welcome ceremony. The Ninth Company, having shed its "Zhazi Company" label, was now celebrated as a hero company.
Despite this, Gu Yiye submitted a request to Lu Pingfan to transfer to the First Company, confessing that he could not bear to remain in the Ninth Company any longer, fearing the constant reminders would drive him insane. Lu Pingfan expressed his regret over the Ninth Company's heavy losses and praised Gu Yiye's exceptional leadership in bringing so many soldiers back.
He assured Gu Yiye of coming commendations and promotions, yet questioned his desire to leave the now-heroic Ninth Company for the less distinguished First Company. Gu Yiye reiterated his profound emotional distress in the Ninth Company. During the return procession through August Town, a conflict arose as the Division Headquarters Reconnaissance Company, led by Xia Lin, attempted to cut ahead of the 720th Regiment.
Song Jianshe angrily confronted Xia Lin, stating that Regiment 720 had also lost over three hundred comrades and their performance on the battlefield was second to none. He declared that no unit, regardless of its status, would be permitted to bypass the Ninth Company. Moments later, the remnants of the Ninth Company, now numbering just over a dozen men, marched into view.
Gu Yiye proudly carried the company's tattered flag, which still bore the marks of battle and the faded oath, "Live and die together" — a testament to the honor defended by the fallen. Despite his deep sorrow, Gu Yiye marched with a straight back and head held high, embodying the spirit of the Ninth Company, along with the other wounded soldiers, including Qin Hanyong. Xiu had been waiting anxiously among the crowds.
She finally spotted Qin Hanyong in a passing military vehicle and, recognizing him, hurried over to ask about Zhang Fei. Qin Hanyong, along with Gu Yiye and the other soldiers present, could only lower their heads, unable to meet her gaze or deliver the devastating news.
Xiu, fearing Zhang Fei had committed a mistake in battle, was quickly reassured by Qin Hanyong that Zhang Fei was indeed "very brave and strong," the bravest platoon leader in their unit, swearing his words were true. Despite her relief, Xiu still pressed for Zhang Fei's whereabouts. Qin Hanyong evaded, explaining that all such matters would be handled uniformly by the military command, and he lacked the authority to disclose anything independently.
He then urged Xiu to go to the Hongxing Hotel in town, promising that he and the Commissar would visit her that evening to explain everything, emphasizing that she must wait for them. Back at their familiar barracks, the decimated Ninth Company felt the palpable absence of their comrades, as if their voices and smiles still echoed.
Qin Hanyong called Gu Yiye aside and, to Gu Yiye's dismay, ordered him to be the one to inform Xiu of Zhang Fei's sacrifice. Gu Yiye vehemently refused, feeling he couldn't face Xiu, believing Zhang Fei died to save him. Qin Hanyong, though sympathetic, insisted it was an order, reminding Gu Yiye that he was present when Zhang Fei died.
He laid bare the immense casualties suffered by the company (three from Gu Yiye's squad, twenty-eight from the Third Platoon, and seventy-five from the entire company), asking how he, as company commander, was supposed to carry on if he gave in to his grief. He explained that while official casualty notifications would be sent later, they had a duty to visit the families now.
Qin Hanyong sternly questioned Gu Yiye's lost courage, leaving him to reflect while he visited other wounded soldiers. Qin Hanyong emphasized that with only himself and the quartermaster left as cadres, Gu Yiye, as acting platoon leader, had no choice, lamenting, "We really have no one else." This heavy burden settled on Gu Yiye. Just then, Gao Liang, having been discharged from the hospital, limped into the Ninth Company camp with his belongings and reported his return to Qin Hanyong.
