The Guardians Episode 3 Recap
> The Guardians Recap
Long Er forcibly placed Ding Yi in the car, as Ding Yi vehemently protested, refusing to leave the troupe. Ding Yi screamed at Long Er to put him down, but Long Er simply retorted that soon he wouldn't have a voice left, glad that Ms. Xian had finally gotten rid of him and there would be no one to steal roles from him. Meanwhile, Gu Yangshan had rented the Maxin Troupe's venue with a substantial amount of gold.
The Maxin Troupe then provoked the Chaosheng Troupe by posting their performance posters, featuring "A Midsummer Night's Dream" for the same night, on Chaosheng Troupe's bulletin board. This led to a large number of audience members demanding ticket refunds from Chaosheng Troupe. Inside, Xian Biyun was anxiously tallying numbers, a clear sign the troupe was low on funds, and worried about how they would survive this "internal and external trouble."
Gu Yangshan appeared and presented Xian Biyun with a theater deed, stating it was merely his way of repaying her kindness for saving his life. Xian Biyun recognized his intent, saying he wanted Ding Yi, but she refused to hand over anyone under her care to a dangerous man.
Gu Yangshan then offered ten boxes of sulfa as a further token of gratitude, remarking on its scarcity on the black market and how resourceful Xian Biyun seemed to be with such information. He insisted these were personal thanks, but reiterated his desire for Ding Yi, adding that Xian Biyun could name any condition if she handed Ding Yi over.
Xian Biyun declared she couldn't make that decision for Ding Yi, as he wasn't her property, and told Gu Yangshan to discuss it directly with Ding Yi. Gu Yangshan agreed, stating that once Ding Yi left Chaosheng Troupe's doors, the matter would be between them, and he expected Xian Biyun to keep her word. Xian Biyun initially tried to return the sulfa, but Gu Yangshan left it with her.
Shortly after, Long Er rushed back to Xian Biyun, reporting that four masked men in suits had ambushed him just outside the city and taken Ding Yi. Xian Biyun immediately realized it was Gu Yangshan's doing. Xian Biyun, an underground Communist Party member, then went to the Rose Barber Shop to meet Comrade Xiao, also an underground Communist Party member. She informed him about Ding Yi's abduction by Gu Yangshan.
Comrade Xiao told her that Gu Yangshan was the son of Gu Zhengze, the deputy commander of the Chongqing Garrison Command, and worked for the BIS Shanghai Bureau. He had kidnapped Ding Yi to force him to continue impersonating Joseph Lee, aiming to find a breakthrough in decrypting the mysterious Japanese code being used in the Northern Jiangsu battlefield. Xian Biyun expressed concern that such an operation was too dangerous for Ding Yi.
Gu Yangshan tried to persuade Ding Yi, offering him five gold bars to play Joseph Lee. Ding Yi flatly refused, stating that he wouldn't do it even for ten gold bars, fearing he would die before he could spend the money. He also complained to Luo Han, whom he referred to as "leader," that Gu Yangshan, a member of the Anti-Traitor Squad, was harassing an ordinary citizen like him.
Ding Yi recounted how he had just saved Gu Yangshan's life, only for Gu Yangshan to repay kindness with enmity by tying him up and trying to force him into a suicide mission. He insisted he was a coward and would easily reveal everything under Japanese torture, even with just two slaps, begging to be released so he could return to his mother in his hometown, who depended on him.
Luo Han initially doubted Ding Yi's suitability, but Gu Yangshan requested six hours to convince him. Chief Cao, the head of the Shanghai Bureau, intervened, agreeing to give Gu Yangshan the time. He privately told Luo Han that the Gu family was a powerful clan in the Shanghai area, even Chairman Chiang owed them favors. Chief Cao suggested that if the mission failed, Gu Yangshan would take the fall, protecting the Shanghai Bureau from repercussions.
Luo Han criticized Chief Cao's approach, but Chief Cao dismissed it, saying that at his age, "social connections are more important than getting things done." Gu Yangshan confronted Ding Yi, asking if he truly believed he could return to his carefree life on stage. He pointed out that Ding Yi, a Northeasterner, fled to Shanghai after the September 18th Incident, but with North China fallen and Shanghai besieged, the Japanese would soon enter the concessions, leaving nowhere to run.
Ding Yi argued that common people had nothing to do with the war, blaming the Northeastern Army's officers for abandoning resistance and using civilians as shields. He angrily questioned Chairman Chiang's whereabouts, accusing him of fleeing to Chongqing and expecting common people to take bullets for him. Gu Yangshan agreed that Ding Yi's point about his own privileged background was valid; his father, Gu Zhengze, was a high-ranking official who could dine with Chairman Chiang.
However, Gu Yangshan countered that if everyone thought this way, the country would soon be destroyed. He explained that by previously teaching the Japanese for Joseph Lee, Ding Yi had effectively opened the city gates for the enemy and turned his blade against his own compatriots. Ding Yi adamantly denied this, proclaiming himself merely an actor trying to survive for his mother, who was waiting for him in Baimahu.
Gu Yangshan then revealed his family motto: "Take the lead in battle," vowing to always stand in front of Ding Yi, no matter the danger. Ding Yi, however, muttered his own "motto": "Of the 36 Stratagems, running is the best." Meanwhile, Luo Han reported to Gu Yangshan that Joseph Lee's assistant, Charlie Gu, who held a British passport, had entered four days prior, and his record was verified as genuine.
Joseph Lee's car was found parked at Director William's Residence in the Municipal Council, a British territory where they couldn't easily search, so it was under surveillance. It was noted that Joseph Lee's behavior was abnormal; for the past two months, he rarely left his room, making his sudden visit to Director William's Residence highly suspicious.
Ding Yi, left alone in his room, defiantly drank all of Gu Yangshan's wine, declaring he would "deal with it" and see who could outlast the other. Suddenly, a radio broadcast announced a fierce Japanese offensive in Northern Jiangsu and Northern Anhui, with three columns of troops encircling Baimahu. The villagers were mobilizing for armed resistance. Hearing the name "Baimahu," Ding Yi instantly sobered up, remembering his mother was there.
He frantically pounded on the door, begging Gu Yangshan to let him go back to Baimahu to save her. Gu Yangshan emerged, explaining that Baimahu would not last 72 hours under the current circumstances. He reiterated that sending reinforcements without understanding the Japanese operational plans would be futile; the most crucial task was to replace the enemy's operational code to gain intelligence and turn the tide, which was the only way to save Baimahu and his mother.
Ding Yi, realizing the gravity of the situation and with his mother's life at stake, reluctantly agreed to Gu Yangshan's terms. Gu Yangshan then began a more in-depth training session for Ding Yi. He offered Ding Yi a bowl of noodles, but Ding Yi, fully committing to his role, refused, declaring, "I, Joseph Lee, never eat this kind of thing."
He then demonstrated his knowledge of Go, explaining how Joseph Lee had trained him for a month to play at Takeda's level. Luo Han, observing from a distance, was impressed, remarking that Gu Yangshan had found a "good helper." Ding Yi, eager to proceed, mentioned that Joseph Lee had already taught him Morse code and suggested moving on to more advanced topics.
Gu Yangshan agreed, explaining the intricate process of encrypting and transmitting messages using codebooks, cipher officers, telegraphers, receiving operators, and decryptors. He clarified that stealing the codebook was nearly impossible due to its immense value, but they could still crack the code by comparing ciphertexts and existing intelligence to find patterns, especially if the numbers corresponding to a message were not fixed.
Meanwhile, the organization had approved Xian Biyun's request to stay and support Ding Yi, recognizing that cracking Joseph Lee's code would greatly benefit the overall war effort. Comrade Xiao instructed her to protect Ding Yi's safety but emphasized that she must not reveal her true identity. In the Japanese camp, a codebreaker named Kondo expressed his suspicions to Mr. Takeda about Joseph Lee.
Kondo noted that Joseph Lee always claimed an eye condition as an excuse to take his calculations back to his hotel suite, never performing them on-site. Kondo suspected the eye condition was merely a cover, as the coefficients of the key derivation function consistently remained the same. He believed Joseph Lee's hotel suite harbored an important secret.
