My Heroic Husband Episode 19 Recap
> My Heroic Husband Recap
In the chaotic streets of Lin'an, Ning Yi sat calmly, eating noodles, as Bao Wenhan and his men arrived, demanding the return of his vice general, Chen Damu. Bao Wenhan ordered Wang Jin to seize Ning Yi, but Ning Yi swiftly lit a fuse, causing an explosion that killed several of Bao Wenhan’s men, terrifying the rest. Ning Yi then lit a thick fuse, bluffing about a massive explosion that would result in mutual destruction.
Bao Wenhan, disbelieving, sent more men, but after seeing the initial explosion, his men hesitated. Ning Yi, knowing his second fuse was a dummy, pretended to calmly walk away. Realizing he had been tricked when the fuse burned out without an explosion, Bao Wenhan ordered a full pursuit. Observing from a rooftop, Liu Xigua found Ning Yi quite interesting and subtly aided his escape by misdirecting Bao Wenhan’s men.
Despite her help, Ning Yi eventually found himself cornered in a dead end, where Bao Wenhan prepared to set him ablaze with a wine jug. General Yuan timely rescued Ning Yi, and they sought refuge in an old house. Ning Yi tried to warn General Yuan that Liu Dabiao was actually a woman, but General Yuan scoffed at the idea, describing Liu Dabiao as a fierce, rough, and even hairy man.
Concerned about their dire situation, General Yuan asked Ning Yi to deliver a message to his mother if he survived, a request Ning Yi immediately dismissed, claiming such words always precede a character's death. Meanwhile, at the wharf, Su Tan'er waited anxiously for Ning Yi, refusing to board a ship without him, despite the urgent pleas of her guard, who warned her of the danger.
Back at the sand field, General Yuan and his remaining Wude soldiers, who had suffered heavy losses, had set up their final defense line, planting black powder. General Yuan urged Ning Yi to escape to the wharf and ensure his own safety. As Ning Yi departed, Chen Fan, observing with Liu Xigua, remarked that Ning Yi was nothing but a coward deserter. Liu Xigua, however, believed there was more to Ning Yi and decided to continue watching.
At the wharf, Ning Yi, recalling General Yuan's solemn vow to fight to the last man, firmly sent Su Tan'er and her group onto a ship. Just as the Wude soldiers clashed with the bandits, Ning Yi returned to the battle, crossbow in hand. Bao Wenhan, surprised but disdainful of Ning Yi's return, had captured General Yuan’s subordinate. To prevent himself from becoming a burden, the subordinate bravely committed suicide.
Enraged, Ning Yi fired his crossbow, igniting a pile of black powder amidst the bandits, which exploded, destroying Bao Wenhan and his remaining forces along with the fallen Wude soldiers. Concurrently, Minister He visited the Emperor late at night, finding him engaged in revelry. Upon seeing Minister He, the Emperor quickly composed himself. Minister He, leveraging their long-standing relationship, brought up state affairs.
The Emperor shared Right Chancellor Qin's plan to continue the northern expedition against Jing while sending a separate force south to Lin'an. Minister He offered what appeared to be counsel, but effectively pushed the difficult decision back to the Emperor, stating that the nation was the Emperor's home, and he, like a piece of cake, could be chosen or discarded at the Emperor's will.
He emphasized that the decree for the northern expedition could not be revoked and that only the Emperor could decide where to deploy the singular General Dong. In the suburbs of Lin'an, Holy Master Fang Tianlei, accompanied by his trusted lieutenants Fang Qiong and Shao Xianying, inspected the captured powder magazine.
He became enraged upon seeing a subordinate using an open flame and instantly killed him, asserting that the area was a crucial military stronghold where even a spark could cause a massive explosion. Fang Qiong expressed concern about the sheer amount of captured gunpowder and the inevitable attention it would draw from the imperial court. Fang Tianlei dismissed her worries, explaining that one box of gunpowder was just gunpowder, but ten thousand boxes represented "prospect."
He then ordered the captured craftsmen to convert one thousand large cannons into firearms within seven days, threatening to kill one person for every firearm not produced. When the elder craftsman refused, Fang Tianlei demonstrated his ruthlessness by killing another craftsman, forcing the remaining workers to comply. News of Lin'an's fall, the annihilation of the Wude Camp, and the seizure of the powder magazine by Fang Tianlei's forces quickly reached the capital.
The Emperor, now deeply distressed, immediately drafted an imperial decree, ordering General Dong Daofu to abandon his northern campaign and instead lead 100,000 troops south to Lin'an to suppress the bandits. Ning Yi awoke in a room, disoriented, remembering Bao Wenhan's attempt to kill him. Chen Fan appeared, offering him clothes, and led him outside to the dilapidated Wude Camp, now overrun by bandits.
Ning Yi was brought before Liu Dabiao, who revealed herself to be Liu Xigua, the adopted daughter of Holy Master Fang Tianlei, and offered him the position of military counselor for her 4,000-strong Badao Camp. Ning Yi, initially unwilling, sarcastically accepted, remarking that he had previously warned the Wude soldiers that Liu Dabiao was a girl, but no one believed him, leading to their downfall.
Liu Xigua instructed her men to treat Ning Yi with respect as their new military counselor, but kept his firearm, ensuring he remained dependent. Chen Fan offered to keep an eye on Ning Yi, doubting the ability of Liu Xigua’s men to control him, but Liu Xigua dismissed him, confident Ning Yi would not escape. In Jiangning, Su Zhongkan and his son meticulously drew parking lines outside Zhu’s shop, feigning diligence for show.
Yuan Jin'er rushed back to inform Nie Yunzhu of Lin'an's fall and the unconfirmed fates of Ning Yi and Su Tan'er. Nie Yunzhu, distraught, immediately went to the Su family mansion, bringing Su Zhongkan and his son with her. The Su family elders were horrified; First Master Su collapsed upon hearing that Su Tan'er might be executed on the spot. While everyone else worried, Su Zhongkan privately saw an opportunity. He then theatrically presented a "solution" to the Elder Master.
He suggested that Ning Yi and Su Tan'er's trip was a "honeymoon," implying they would travel slowly and might not have reached Lin'an yet. He proposed sending men to search for them along the trade route. If that failed, he and his son, Wenxing, would "risk their lives" by sneaking into Lin'an to rescue them, proclaiming their loyalty and regretting their past resentments towards Ning Yi and Su Tan'er. Su Zhongkan swore that he would rescue them even if it meant sacrificing himself, earning the Elder Master’s approval.
