This director is vindictive.

Chapter 494 Shattered Dreams of Chang'an VS A Life of Misfortune Blossoms

Hearing Chen Mo's explanation, Zhao Liying also seemed to understand.

“It really is. Although I’ve never sworn brotherhood before, it’s quite strange to swear brotherhood with Guan Yu,” Zhao Liying said.

If we're talking about women from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, Zhao Liying is probably the most qualified to speak among Chen Mo's women, since she did indeed climb up from the very bottom.

Or rather, she was the only one who ever played a minor role.

Of course, sworn brotherhood among women is very rare, especially in China. It's not that it doesn't exist, but it's certainly not a ritual like worshipping Guan Yu, which is full of male-dominated martial arts spirit.

Chen Mo smiled and said, "Isn't that settled? And what are the selling points of our movie? It's patriotism and visual spectacle. What do audiences want to see? They want to see passion, they want to see shock, they want to see the tragic heroism of 'I will go even if there are thousands of people against me'—and we have all of those."

"However, this round of verbal sparring can continue, but I'm going to start the fight this time!" Chen Mo said with a smile.

Then, he posted the latest trailer for "The Great Tang Dynasty: Northern Desert" titled "Dreaming Back to Chang'an" on Weibo, with the caption: "Director Feng said that 'The Great Tang Dynasty' only has visual spectacle but no soul? Then take a look at this—Chang'an, which white-haired soldiers yearn for, is it more touching than some 'realism'?"

Chen Mo had just released the trailer for "Dreaming Back to Chang'an" when Feng Dagang noticed it.

Feng Dagang, however, remained calm and said, "It seems he wants to get ahead of us this time. Let's see what kind of tricks he can pull off with his trailer."

The trailer unfolds from the perspective of an elderly, white-haired veteran—the scene begins with a vast expanse of yellow sand, where the white-haired veteran leans against a crumbling city wall, his cloudy eyes gazing into the distance.

The scene shifts, and his memories return to Chang'an during the Tang Dynasty—

Bustling streets:

Zhuque Avenue is wide and straight, and the bluestone pavement has been worn shiny by countless feet.

Shops lined both sides of the street, and banners fluttered in the wind in front of the taverns, beckoning customers to come and go.

Foreign merchants led their tall camels slowly through the area, the camel bells jingling, their backs laden with spices, glass, and silk from the Western Regions.

The shouts of street vendors rose and fell, with vendors selling sugar figurines, steamed buns, and cosmetics, each trying to attract customers.

The children chased and played, laughing and frolicking, clutching the candied hawthorns they had just bought, their laughter ringing out.

In the distance, the melodious chimes of the Bell and Drum Towers rang out, echoing throughout the entire city of Chang'an, announcing the passing of another hour.

Feng Dagang didn't think much of it when he saw this; he just thought it was alright.

In the trailer, the camera pans from one shot to the other, offering an overview of the entire city of Chang'an before zooming in on the Daming Palace.

Inside the Daming Palace, everything was resplendent in gold and brightly lit.

Inside the hall, carved beams and painted rafters, golden pillars with coiled dragons supporting the high dome, and glazed tiles gleaming in the candlelight.

The dancers, dressed in magnificent flowing robes, their sleeves billowing, moved with the grace of swallows, dancing to the music of "Rainbow Robe Dance" played by the musicians.

The musicians sat on both sides, and the pipa, guzheng, flute and xiao played together, the melodies were melodious and graceful, as if they could transport people to a fairyland.

Inside the hall, officials dressed in court robes held jade cups, clinking glasses and chatting merrily.

The emperor sat high on the dragon throne, a smile on his face, and raised his cup to celebrate the prosperous and peaceful era with his ministers.

Outside the palace, palace lanterns hung high, illuminating the entire palace as if it were daytime, showcasing the prosperity and majesty of the Tang Dynasty.

Seeing this, Feng Dagang felt a bit thirsty and couldn't help but pick up a glass of water and take a sip. For some reason, he had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

While trailers cannot represent the entire movie, they often offer a glimpse into the whole picture.

This "Dreaming Back to Chang'an" segment, from the bustling city to the imperial court, vividly portrays Chang'an during the prosperous Tang Dynasty. Only a Chang'an like this could be so captivating for these veterans.

Because that's where they've kept their spiritual anchor for over forty years.

The scene then returns to the Western Regions.

As darkness fell, the cold winds of the Western Regions swept past, carrying yellow sand with them.

The white-haired veteran huddled by the dilapidated earthen wall, his calloused fingers unconsciously stroking the rusty bronze plaque at his waist—the three characters "Anxi Army" had been worn away by time and were almost illegible.

Suddenly, the image of Chang'an from more than forty years ago appeared before his eyes once again.

In my memory, Chang'an was at dusk, with red lanterns hanging in the streets and alleys, and the aroma of food wafting from the taverns and teahouses.

The cheerful sound of a pipa drifted through the market, and vendors hawked their mooncakes and osmanthus cakes. People sat in twos and threes in their courtyards, children chased each other and played with sugar figurines, while adults raised their cups to the moon, their faces beaming with happiness.

If the previous scenes depicted bustling streets and grand palace banquets, then this scene is a display of lights in every home!
The screen switches again.

"General, look how round the moon is in Chang'an!" The voice of my young comrade still echoes in my ears.

Tears welled in the old soldier's cloudy eyes, and his chapped lips trembled: "Forty-two years have passed. I've looked up and seen the sun, but I've never seen Chang'an." His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping: "Is there anyone who still remembers our Anxi Army?"

The cold wind whipped sand against his wrinkled face, and the memory of Chang'an gradually blurred. Those warm lights transformed into swirling snowflakes, mingling with the endless yellow sands of the Western Regions. The old soldier slowly closed his eyes, the dog tag in his hand clattering to the sand.

The screen suddenly went black, with only one line of white text slowly appearing: "April 1st, the soul returns home."

In the background, one can faintly hear the bustling sounds of Chang'an city, intertwined with the mournful winds of the Western Regions.

The trailer for "Dreaming Back to Chang'an" features the brightest colors in the entire film and is also the segment that cost the most money.

But the effect was truly amazing.

Feng Dagang opened his mouth, but for some reason suddenly became a little less confident.

At this very moment, the trailer, fueled by its growing popularity, has already gone viral online.

The netizens' reaction was explosive:

"Holy crap! This trailer is amazing! The more prosperous Chang'an is in the memories of the White-Haired Soldier, the more cruel the reality becomes. Now the pressure is on Xiao Gangpao! @Feng Dagang, your 'realism' is about to be crushed!"

"Chen Mo is so clever! He contrasts the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty with the desolation of the Western Regions; that's the true 'soul'—the weight of history!"

"He really made me cry. If the whole movie is this good, it's absolutely amazing! Can I say that when I heard the old soldier's words and saw the prosperous Chang'an, I inexplicably wanted to cry?"

"The prosperity and magnificence of Chang'an during the Tang Dynasty unfolds through the memories of veterans. Of all the versions of Chang'an, this one evokes both longing and tears."

"Perhaps only a prosperous Chang'an like this could have made the veterans guard the Western Regions for more than forty years without any regrets!"

"Other Chang'an is a 'dream of returning,' but this Chang'an is a 'dream shattered'! One second they're yelling for the dazzling lights, the next they're completely broken by the sight of the white-haired soldiers!"

"Chen Mo is too clever! He's using the sugar-coated allure of the Tang Dynasty to conceal the Anxi army's true intentions!"

A well-known film and television blogger published a long article analyzing: "The 'twin Chang'an' narrative in the trailer of 'Dream Back to Chang'an' uses a meticulously researched Tang Dynasty scroll to tell you: the real tragedy is to let the audience see the annihilation after the brilliance."

The well-known film critic "Film Detective" wrote an article analyzing: "Chen Mo's move is brilliant! 'Dreaming Back to Chang'an' not only responds to Feng Dagang's 'soul theory', but also strengthens the sense of national sentiment with the imagery of the Tang Dynasty - the white-haired soldiers are not guarding the Western Regions, but the Chang'an of their memories. This kind of 'historical resonance' is far more touching than melodrama."

#DreamShatteredInChangAn# suddenly became a trending topic.

The trailer's viewership far exceeded expectations.

As netizens have pointed out, the pressure was immediately on Feng Dagang.

Of course, Feng Dagang and his team also made trailers.

He had been quite confident before, but now he was truly speechless after watching the short, two-minute-long "Dreaming Back to Chang'an" trailer.

It's not that this "Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty" is particularly amazing, but rather that Chen Mo played a "dream back" game!
Just like those netizens who were heartbroken said, this is not a dream of returning to Chang'an, this is a dream of Chang'an shattered, okay?

Moreover, he previously criticized Chen Mo, saying that he only rehashs old ideas, plays marketing games, and has no soul. Now he's really embarrassed.

After all, with this trailer released, who would dare say that this movie has no soul?
But by then, he was already in a difficult situation.

After all, insults, verbal battles, and bundled marketing require a back-and-forth, give-and-take approach.

Just like before, he used a documentary to directly confront Chen Mo's documentary.

Feng Dagang took a deep breath, and after pacing back and forth, he suddenly stopped and said to the publicity manager, "Since Chen Mo is using 'historical resonance' to play the sentimental card, then we'll use 'real-world pain' to tear open the wound—release the 'life-or-death friendship' trailer!"

Although he seemed a little uneasy after watching the trailer for "Dreaming Back to Chang'an".

But I definitely can't admit defeat verbally!

After posting the trailer for "Sunflower" on Weibo, titled "A Bond Forged in Life and Death," he wrote a sharp comment: "They are treated coldly by the world, yet they never hesitate to show their sincerity; their lives may be 'bad,' but their hearts are not! Even in the mud, they bloom towards the sun with a wild and untamed spirit—this is the true meaning of 'Though there be thousands, I will go!' April 1st, 'Sunflower'—Go all out, survive!"

The trending topics list instantly turned into a battleground:

TOP1 #Dream Shattered in Chang'an# (Chen Mo) TOP2 #Sunflower Violent Aesthetics# (Feng Dagang)

It has to be said that these kinds of trailers still have a significant market.

Soon, moviegoers and netizens praised: "Sunflower uses 'life-or-death friendship' to deconstruct traditional sisterhood—when sign language is more powerful than vows, when a broken umbrella is more romantic than a wedding dress, this is true new feminism!"

"I was completely blown away when the black girl gestured that 'there's more than one sunflower'! This isn't a crime film; it's an epic about women from the lower classes! Gao Yuexiang's line, 'I may have a worthless life, but I'm not worthless,' paired with the flashback of the blood-red sunflower, is more thrilling than any superhero movie!"

"Violent aesthetics + poetic montage! The bloody scene in the rainy warehouse and the leaky umbrellas in the convenience store create a wonderful contrast—kindness is not about being slaughtered, but about coexisting with scars! The sunflowers in the overlapping palms at the end are simply a sister piece to the white-haired soldier with the bronze medal in 'Dreaming Back to Chang'an'!"

(End of this chapter)