The movie is based on a real historic event. During French's invading war against China in 1885, the French army took over Zhengnan Guan located in the Guangxi Province. Wishing to protect their beloved country, the 70 years old General Feng Zicai and his two sons volunteered to join the battle. The general understood it would be a difficult battle to win as the French soldiers held much more advanced equipment, resources and weapons. To show his devotion and determination, he brought his own coffin alongside with him to the war zone. He also utilized his experience with the Zhangnan Guan terrain to pave out strategies, made weapons applicable to their situations. These actions bolstered the morale tremendously, and prepared them well for the war. As a result, although the Chinese soldiers sustained heavy losses, they turned the tide of the battle and won..