5000 Years of Heroes

- Season 1

(2019)

It's 206 BCE and the Qin Dynasty has fallen. Xiang Yu rules as hegemon king over 18 vassal kings. Fearing he might challenge his power, Xiang Yu has exiled Liu Bang, the king of Han, to the remote land of Hanzhong. Missing their homes, many of Liu Bang's soldiers and generals desert. Han Xin, a low ranking officer, helps one of these soldiers and is sentenced to death. Yet this is no ordinary young man and Han Xin is given another chance to prove his worth to the king.

In his new position as officer in charge of food supplies, Han Xin makes brilliant strategic suggestions to prime minister Xiao He. Seeing his talents, Xiao He recommends the young man to Liu Bang who refuses to take notice. Only after a crisis does Liu Bang realize Han Xin's potential and appoints him general-in-chief of his army.

Han Xin plans an ambitious campaign to conquer Guanzhong for Liu Bang. Three kings stand in his way, but they are no match for the skillful commander. Liu Bang realizes that with Han Xin's help, his plans to defeat Xiang Yu and unite China are now feasible.

The Han army throws an unexpected blow to Guanzhong's defense lines, but instead of rushing to defend the state, Xiang Yu leads his army in a northern campaign against the vassal king of Qi. This move gives Liu Bang the time he needs to stabilize control over Guanzhong, a fertile and prosperous region.

The triumph over Guanzhong clouds Liu Bang's mind. Ignoring Han Xin's strategic advice, he leads a large army to invade Xiang Yu's territory. Although initially successful, Liu Bang's campaign ends in a humiliating debacle at the hands of Xiang Yu's cavalry troops. He calls on Han Xin to come to his aid. Leading freshly trained units, Han Xin successfully blocks Xiang Yu and sets up a stable defence line for the Han army. However, his incredible triumphs begin to rouse Liu Bang's jealousy.

Liu Bang and Xiang Yu's fight reaches a stalemate in Xingyang. Meanwhile, Han Xin launches a strategic northern campaign in the state of Wei. Han Xin is successful and Liu Bang immediately orders the general's elite troops to join him in Xingyang.

Han Xin leads 30,000 new recruits to defeat a battle-hardened Zhao army made up of 200,000 soldiers on the banks of the Mianman river. This military success becomes a legend that echoes for more than 2000 years.

As Han Xin gets ready to launch a campaign against the state of Qi, Liu Bang once again orders the general's elite troops to his own command. Han Xin is forced to recruit new soldiers, but emerges victorious, acquiring Kuai Che, a brilliant strategic consultant in the process.

Xiang Yu sends his best general, Long Ju, to lead Chu army forces to take back control over the Qi state. Long Ju underestimates Han Xin who defeats him at the Wei river. Without their commander, the Chu and Qi allied armies surrender to Han Xin.

Xiang Yu sends a messenger to negotiate peace with Han Xin, but the general refuses to compromise. Kuai Che, Han Xin's advisor, tells him to abandon Liu Bang and seize power for himself before it's too late.

Rejecting Kuai Che's proposal to betray his king, Han Xin leads troops to join Liu Bang in the Gaixia region. Xiang Yu, the unmatchable hegemon king of Western Chu, dies in the final battle of the Chu-Han contention. Upon his death, Liu Bang establishes the Han Dynasty, a prosperous empire that goes on to rule China for the next 400 years. Liu Bang becomes the first emperor of the Han Dynasty. Instead of rewarding Han Xin, however, the emperor and his wife plot to have Han Xin and his entire family killed.