novelraw Chapter 106: Hearts and Minds Are Won Through Conquest
Chapter 106: Hearts and Minds Are Won Through Conquest
The next day.
The Julu filming set for *The Legend of Han and Chu*.
Yellow sand filled the sky, and a bitter north wind howled.
The crew had excavated a massive, deep pit in advance at a desolate spot next to the suburban film and television city.
Hundreds of extras playing the roles of surrendered Qin soldiers, ragged and with ashen faces, were crammed together at the bottom of the pit.
Inside the exclusive makeup trailer, Jiang Ci's "Xiang Yu" look was fully completed for the first time.
He was clad in intricate heavy armor of black and gold, each scale engraved with ferocious ancient beast patterns.
A crimson cloak hung heavily behind him, dragging all the way to the ground.
The makeup artist had attached waist-length hair extensions to him, using special hair gel and dust to create a rough, weathered texture, as if long battered by wind and sand, with a few stray strands falling rebelliously by his cheeks.
Jiang Ci slowly opened his eyes.The figure in the mirror was no longer that delicate, handsome young man.
It was a tall, imposing figure with deep-set features, the Conqueror of Western Chu whose very presence commanded awe without anger.
He stepped out of the trailer and walked towards the set.
"Thud."
The heavy combat boots made a rhythmic, muffled sound against the gravel.
Every step he took was incredibly steady.
The terrifying core strength developed from high-intensity physical training allowed him to fully master this set of heavy armor weighing over sixty pounds, walking even more steadily than an ordinary person in casual clothes.
He wasn't deliberately puffing out his chest or holding his head high, yet through the layers of armor, he still exuded a startling sense of oppressive force.
Crew members busy along the way instinctively stopped their work as they saw him approach, stepping aside to clear a path.
It wasn't fear, but an instinctive reaction of being awed by a powerful aura.
Wei Song stood before the monitor, his expression serious.
He knew this scene was the "foundation-laying battle"—not just for the plot, but also for whether Jiang Ci could command respect from this "dream team" cast.
The veteran actors, Huang Shengqiu (playing Fan Zeng) and Liu Hanyu (playing Zhang Liang), were already in costume, standing to the side.
Their gazes fell upon the figure approaching from the distance, wrapped in a crimson cloak.
Their looks held no scrutiny or condescension.
Only the absolute focus and intense gaze of top masters waiting for their opponent to make the first move.
Wei Song took a deep breath and issued the first instruction since filming began through the walkie-talkie.
"All departments, attention!"
"Scene one, take one, ready!"
The entire set fell silent instantly.
Only the sound of the wind and the suppressed, faint sobbing and wailing of the extras in the pit remained.
Xiang Yu, played by Jiang Ci, accompanied by Fan Zeng, walked slowly to the edge of the deep pit.
He stopped and looked down at the surrendered soldiers wailing and begging for mercy at the bottom.
Those faces were blurred and insignificant amidst the swirling sand.
He didn't perform like other actors might, using anger, brutality, or even a hint of disdain.
His face held a gaze of near-indifferent scrutiny.
As if watching a swarm of ants utterly unrelated to him, struggling pointlessly.
The actor playing Fan Zeng, veteran actor Huang Shengqiu, stood firmly by his side.
He cupped his hands and offered advice, his line delivery deep and resonant like a bell, masterfully portraying a strategist's concern for the situation and fear of a mutiny among the troops.
"Your Majesty, the hearts of the Qin soldiers are not yet settled. Keeping them may breed disaster. It would be better to..."
Jiang Ci listened.
There wasn't the slightest ripple in those eyes, deliberately made narrow and sharp with makeup.
He merely swept a faint glance over the pit.
All the setup was done.
Next, Xiang Yu needed to issue that bloody command that would change history.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for that earth-shattering line.
The cameraman kept the lens fixed tightly on Jiang Ci's face, ready to capture the moment of his eruption.
Jiang Ci slowly raised his hand.
The armor on his arm made a faint grating sound.
He didn't point at the deep pit—that would be a gesture acknowledging its existence.
He simply, casually, gave a light wave towards his own back.
The movement was so light, as if swatting away a fly that had landed on his shoulder armor.
His lips parted slightly.
He uttered two words.
The voice wasn't loud, almost drowned by the wind.
Yet, through the highly sensitive boom microphone, it clearly reached the entire set and every ear wearing monitoring headphones.
"Bury them."
When he said these two words, there was no emotion on his face.
"CUT!"
Wei Song's voice trembled violently as he shouted the word.
The entire set remained deathly quiet.
The hundreds of extras in the pit forgot the director had called cut; they still lay collapsed where they were, genuine, unfeigned fear on their faces.
They had been utterly terrified by that casually uttered "Bury them" and that utterly unperturbed demeanor.
It was absolute disregard for life.
Huang Shengqiu looked at Jiang Ci, his eyes for the first time filled with intense, unconcealable astonishment.
As the opponent in the scene, he felt it most clearly.
In that moment just now, he felt he wasn't facing an actor.
But an ancient feudal lord who had stepped out of the history books, one who truly viewed human life as worthless.
Wei Song stared fixedly at the replay on the monitor.
His expression shifted from immense shock to near-manic delight.
Then from delight to a kind of incredulous bewilderment.
He replayed the close-up shot of Jiang Ci's face, lasting less than half a second after he said "Bury them," over and over.
Again and again.
What did he see?
No roaring, violent cruelty, only an extreme, chillingly casual indifference.
This disregard for life was more bone-chilling than any exaggerated performance.
It precisely struck at the core of Xiang Yu's dual identity as "noble" and "God of War."
That class arrogance rooted in bloodline, viewing commoners as worthless.
And the absolute rationality devoid of any emotion when solving military problems.
This method of performance completely exceeded everyone's expectations.
It was stating a fact: in Xiang Yu's world, the lives of these two hundred thousand people weren't even worth a frown from him.
Wei Song put down the walkie-talkie, his fingers trembling slightly on the control panel.
He looked up, searching for that figure amidst the chaotic set.
Jiang Ci had already stepped out of the camera frame and was walking slowly towards his rest area.
The crimson cloak billowed behind him in the wind, like a cloud of burning blood.
His back was solitary and formidable.
Wei Song grabbed the walkie-talkie, his voice booming across the entire set.
"Cut! Perfect! Damn perfect!"
During a break.
Huang Shengqiu walked up to Jiang Ci, who was drinking water, still using Fan Zeng's tone, and asked gravely:
"Your Majesty's action certainly eliminates future troubles, but it also severs the hearts of the people. Is it worth it?"
This was an improvised test not in the script.
A veteran actor's on-the-spot examination of a junior.
Jiang Ci put down the water bottle and looked up at him.
That gaze was still Xiang Yu's.
In the same in-character tone, he replied calmly.
"Honored Father,"
"Hearts and minds are won through conquest."
"Not begged for."
Upon hearing this, Huang Shengqiu froze in place.
A few seconds later, he suddenly clapped his hands and let out a hearty, unrestrained laugh, his eyes filled with the appreciation and exhilaration of meeting a worthy match.