Assembly

Epic war film, based on real events, set during and after the Chinese civil war. Gu Zidi (Hanyu Zang), Captain of the Ninth Company of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) leads his 46 men into one of the bloodiest battles of the Huaihai Campaign in 1948. His orders are to fight the Nationalist Army (KMT) until he hears the bugle call for retreat. After the ammunition runs out and his men are dropping like flies, the bugle has still not sounded. When his dying Lieutenant insists that he has heard the call, Gu is still not convinced and orders his remaining men to fight on. Eventually all are dead bar Gu. As doubt and guilt seep into his mind he marches straight into the enemy's trench where his life is spared. Waking in hospital a few days later he has lost his identity papers. With no other survivors from his company, the 46 men who gave up their lives are simply listed as missing. Determined to prove his men's bravery, the Captain embarks on a journey in search of the truth about the bugle call.