Huayu: Starting with Xiang Yu, the Hegemon of Western Chu

The outdoor scenes for the drama "The Northern Expedition" were filmed in Zhangbei.

Zhangbei Bashang Grassland.

The production team sent the art department to scout the location three months in advance, and finally chose a semi-dried grassy slope.

The grasslands are turning yellow this season, and in the distance, the gray-blue mountain ridges stretch out. The wind is strong, from morning till night.

The big event took place in mid-September.

Two hundred extras, real cavalry.

The production team began borrowing from Inner Mongolia three months in advance, eventually gathering 180 trained horses and 180 young people who knew how to ride.

The remaining twenty people were stunt performers, responsible for dangerous stunts in front of the camera.

There are two training subjects for extras.

The first is to form a battle formation, and the second is to charge into the formation.

The martial arts instructor, surnamed Zhao, was a fifty-year-old veteran. He trained these young extras for a month, until they were able to train them to the point where 180 people would shout "Kill!" and their sword sheaths would simultaneously fly out of their saddles, forming a neat wall.

Chen Mo went to watch the training twice.

He didn't ride in to practice; he just stood at a distance and watched.

After watching it, he called the action director, Zhao.

"Teacher Zhao."

"Teacher Chen."

"I'd like to borrow two people from you."

"Borrow what?"

"They can ride horses."

"What are you doing?"

"Teach me to ride a horse."

Martial arts director Zhao was taken aback.

"The stunt double the production team assigned to you is Fang Hai; he rides quite well."

"I don't need a stunt double," Chen Mo said. "I did the horseback riding scenes myself in the Northern Expedition movie."

There was a two-second silence on the action director Zhao's side.

"How many times have you ridden this before?"

"Three times," Chen Mo said, "all mild cases."

"Xiao Chen, the wind is strong on the dam, and it's even stronger when the horses are running. If you've never ridden a horse in the wind, you'll be scared."

"I know," Chen Mo said, "which is why I have to practice."

Commander Zhao agreed.

From that day on, Chen Mo would get up at five o'clock every morning and rush to the training ground to practice horseback riding with two stuntmen for twelve days straight.

On the tenth day of training, he was blown to tears by the wind for the first time while on horseback.

By the twelfth day of practice, he could draw the bow with one hand and keep his balance by squeezing the horse's belly with both legs.

But he knew one thing in his heart.

The skill he developed is not the same as the skill Zhu Zhanji should have had at the age of fifteen.

Zhu Zhanji was carried on horseback by Zhu Di from the age of four.

His twelve days of practice could only bring him up to one-third of what he did in his childhood.

He had to fill in the rest in front of the camera.

The day the filming started was September 17th.

At 5:30 a.m., the entire crew arrived.

Chen Mo was wearing an 18-kilogram sample armor and a helmet. He sat on a chestnut horse, which was specially provided for him by the crew. The horse was gentle and recognized people.

Wang Xueqi was dressed in Zhu Di's full armor and rode on a larger black horse.

The two stood one in front of the other on a dirt slope.

Below the earthen slope is an open hillside.

One hundred and eighty "Oirat cavalry" extras had already formed ranks at the far end of the slope. They were wearing black leather armor and rough-edged helmets, and each had a scimitar hanging at their waist.

The assistant director shouted into the walkie-talkie.

"The Oirat cavalry are in position."

"Fireworks team, get ready."

"Eagle Group, prepare."

The last sentence refers to the Eagle Group.

The most crucial shot in this scene is when Zhu Zhanji shoots down an eagle with an arrow.

The production team hired a falconer from Inner Mongolia, who brought three trained steppe eagles.

The falconer's job today is to release one of the falcons at the right moment, letting it fly over at a specific angle.

The falconer's surname is Batu, and he is of Mongolian ethnicity.

He rode a horse and stood a little distance away on the outer edge of the earthen slope.

He wore a rough leather glove on his arm, and a gray-brown eagle perched on the glove.

Three cameras were prepared.

One camera was positioned on the front of the earthen slope, taking a panoramic view of Zhu Zhanji.

One camera was positioned to the side of Chen Mo's face, taking a close-up shot.

A camera with a telephoto lens was used to capture images of the Oirat cavalry below the slope and the eagles in the sky from a distance.

"Action!"

In the morning on the dam, the sunlight slanted down from behind the mountain ridge, and the wind picked up, causing the red tassel on Chen Mo's helmet to flutter southward.

The Oirat cavalry below the slope began to move.

One hundred and eighty horses started at the same time.

From a slow walk to a jog, and from a jog to a sprint.

The sound of horses' hooves pounding on the half-dried grass came from afar.

At first it was just a low vibration, then it became a steady, deep sound, and then it became a rhythm like drumming.

Dust rose from under the horses' hooves.

A thick cloud of yellow dust stretched across the slope.

The Oirat cavalrymen drew their scimitars, the blades reflecting light in 180 beams that flashed through the dust and smoke.

Wang Xueqi, sitting on the slope, did not move. He looked into the distance from his horse. He was playing Zhu Di, a character Zhu Di had seen more than ten times. He would not react at all.

Chen Mo on the slope did not move either.

Chen Mo sat on his horse, looking down at the yellow dust and flashing blades on the slope.

There was no fear on his face.

His breathing was steady, his shoulders were straight, and his hands were on the reins and bow with precision.

He played a fifteen-year-old imperial grandson, watching the Oirat cavalry charge into battle beside his grandfather.

Chen Mo's portrayal of Zhu Zhanji is calm, restrained, and possesses the demeanor of a great general.

He took a deep breath and drew an arrow from the quiver beside the saddle.

Draw the bow.

Look up.

An eagle flew overhead.

Draw the bow.

Let go.

The arrow flew out.

An eagle fell from the sky.

The arrowhead grazed the eagle's wing and flew diagonally towards the Oirat cavalry formation below the slope.

The Oirat cavalry stopped amidst the dust and smoke.

The entire room fell silent.

That arrow was shot accurately, cleanly, and beautifully.

Luo Yifeng did not immediately call a halt.

He sat behind the monitor, watching the screen.

I watched for a full fifteen seconds.

Then he picked up the walkie-talkie.

His voice was a beat slower than usual.

"stop."

"Ten-minute break."

Chen Mo paused for a moment on horseback.

He knew this was wrong.

But he didn't know what was wrong.

Every movement he just performed was precise.

From drawing the arrow to nocking the bow to releasing it, not a single movement went wrong. The expression on his face was also precise, displaying the composure, restraint, and everything a fifteen-year-old imperial grandson should have in front of the army.

He acted in all of them.

But Luo Yifeng didn't shout "Cut!"

Chen Mo dismounted on his own, without the help of a groom. After getting off, he led the horse to the edge of the earthen slope and handed it over to a stable boy.

He walked over to the monitor.

He didn't ask Luo Yifeng.

He simply walked to the side of the monitor and watched Luo Yifeng replay the previous clip.

The replay is now available.

In the picture, Chen Mo is riding a horse, facing the yellow dust and glint of swords below the slope.

His face was completely blank.

Luo Yifeng pressed pause.

He pointed to Chen Mo's face on the screen.

He didn't speak.

A few seconds later, the curtain of the monitoring tent was lifted.

Wang Xueqi walked in.

He didn't say anything; he just walked over to the monitor.

Wang Xueqi looked at Chen Mo's face on the screen.

He looked at it for about ten seconds.

Then he spoke.

He asked Chen Mo.

What did you see when you were fifteen?

Chen Mo was stunned.

He looked at Wang Xueqi.

Wang Xueqi didn't continue.

He turned around and walked out of the surveillance booth.

Chen Mo stood in the monitoring booth.

Luo Yifeng glanced at him, then said something to the assistant director.

"The preparation time for the next match will be extended by one hour, allowing Chen Mo some time to recover."

The assistant director responded and went out to make arrangements.

Luo Yifeng also stood up and walked out.

Chen Mo was the only one left in the monitoring shed.

He stood there, looking at his own face on the screen.

That face was calm, restrained, and composed.

A 24-year-old graduate of the Central Academy of Drama, with the skills he has honed over the years, can portray the best "Zhu Zhanji is not afraid" face.

But this is not Zhu Zhanji.

This is a 24-year-old graduate of the Central Academy of Drama playing Zhu Zhanji.

Chen Mo froze the image on the screen.

He stared at that face for a long time.

What did he see when he was fifteen?

He is a sophomore in high school.

The scariest thing he had ever seen was his father breaking his leg at a construction site.

He remembered that he came home from school that day and no one was home.

He called his mother, who cried once on the other end of the line before telling him what had happened. He sat on the sofa, holding his phone, his hands trembling.

He was afraid at that time.

He was terrified.

He didn't let anyone see it.

He put down his phone and started doing his homework.

He did his homework for two hours, then got up to cook, and then went to the hospital to see his dad.

He was afraid for those two hours.

He didn't let anyone see it.

Chen Mo closed his eyes.

He went through those two hours again.

After it was over, he opened his eyes.

He looked at the face on the screen.

Then he smiled.

He finally understood the meaning of Wang Xueqi's words.

It's not that he can't act out fear.

He has been using the image of a 24-year-old Chen Mo to recall his fear when he was 15. He has translated that fear into the body of a 24-year-old, and translated it into a mature actor's understanding of "a 15-year-old boy suppressing his fear".

He portrayed the result of "suppressing fear".

He didn't act out "fear itself".

When a fifteen-year-old boy sees the dust and flashing blades of 180 horses rushing down the slope, his first reaction is not to "suppress his fear".

It's fear.

Pure, instinctive, pupil-constricting fear.

I'm afraid he won't be able to deliver that performance.

He skipped over that fear.

He directly portrayed Zhu Zhanji after he had suppressed his fear.

He omitted that one second in between.

Luo Yifeng never shouted it.

Wang Xueqi asked him, "What did you see when you were fifteen?"

That's exactly what I'm asking about right now.

Chen Mo stood in the monitoring booth.

I stood there for a long time.

He turned and walked out of the monitoring booth.

The wind was strong on the grassland outside. The assistant director and several staff members stood at a distance, watching him, and no one came up to disturb him.

Chen Mo walked to his horse.

He did not mount the horse.

He removed the 18-kilogram sample armor from his body.

Not a complete solution.

He only removed his greaves and two arm guards.

He placed the disassembled parts on the ground.

He then unfastened another leather strap on his breastplate.

The armor on him loosened a bit.

The entire sample nail began to have a drooping feel.

The feeling of falling forced his body to arch forward slightly.

Chen Mo stood beside the horse, feeling the sensation of falling.

He suddenly realized something.

It's impossible for a fifteen-year-old boy to wear real armor very steadily when he puts it on for the first time.

He would feel that the armor was larger than his body.

He would feel that the armor was pressing down on him, rather than being a part of himself.

He had put on his armor too securely before.

He portrayed himself as a skilled general.

A fifteen-year-old imperial grandson is not a skilled general.

Chen Mo picked up the parts he had just taken apart.

He put it back on.

This time, he didn't tighten all the belts to the maximum.

He loosened the strap between the two arm guards by one notch.

He loosened the helmet strap by half an inch.

The armor he's wearing now feels shaky.

When a fifteen-year-old boy puts on armor for the first time and goes to the battlefield, his armor should be shaky.

Chen Mo took the reins and mounted the horse.

He sat on his horse and felt the armor swaying.

He nodded in the direction of the monitoring shed.

The assistant director saw it.

He picked up the walkie-talkie.

"Departments, let's do it one more time."

"Filming will begin in ten minutes."