Post by ajk on Apr 10, 2015 13:19:57 GMT -5
The king's orders are being enforced. We see a villager spreading rumors about war; he’s arrested. Elsewhere other villagers trying to flee their villages; they’re ordered to turn back and go home.
Near the capital, we see cavalry units in training as the king and high officials look on. Ryu warns the king that the nobility will have to serve in the military along with the common people; going easy on them will be very bad for public morale. Then he and Lee Sanhae present their plan to change from a centralized defense organization to a regional one. The change will help the military respond to any invasion by Japanese more promptly and effectively. But Shin Rip and Yi Il point out some problems with the proposal, and they’re legitimate problems. Seonjo says he'll listen to many opinions about it before deciding.
Japan: Konishi has obtained a piece of routine correspondence sent by Hideyoshi. Yoshitoshi has brought a couple of Tsushimans with him; they’re all there with Konishi now. The Tsushimans proceed to forge Hideyoshi’s handwriting and official seal, using the correspondence as a guide. We watch them at work; they’re very, very good, and ultimately produce a flawless finished product. What the finished product is, is a letter to the Joseon king; Konishi is sending it as a follow-up to try to soften the language of Hideyoshi’s originial letter that referred to Joseon opening a path for Ming. He’s trying to prevent a war any way he can. He hands the letter to Yoshitoshi, who will once again serve as envoy along with Genso. "This was has to be prevented to protect my daughter,” he tells the Tsushiman (who is married to that daughter). If it can't be prevented, postpone it as long as possible."
Joseon: Now Ryu is looking at the forged letter. He’s surprised at the sudden change of tone, after the previous letter sounded full well like a direct threat against Ming. Genso and So ask him to please open up a path so that Japanese envoys can go to Ming, which is what they’re trying to get Joseon to believe is all Hideyoshi wants. The problem, though, is that the previous letter was so rude that King Seonjo won't receive the two envoys or accept another letter. The envoys beg Ryu, Even if the king won't see us, please make sure he sees the letter...
...so Ryu does take it to Seonjo and tells him what it says. Seonjo thinks Hideyoshi is mocking him and won't look at it. Ryu says that the Japanese are just trying to soften their stance after showing so much arrogance, and that this letter clearly shows no threat of attack. And diplomacy dictates that any such letter should be answered. "We shouldn't be rude just because they are." Fine, Seonjo says...but not a direct reply from himself; instead an official reprimand from the government. Then he sets the forged letter on fire without looking at it.
So a reprimand is written, scolding the Japanese for their rudeness...and then presented to a grateful Genso and So (who obviously don't know what's in it; they're just glad their letter got to Seonjo and they finally have an official written response to present to Hideyoshi).
Back in Japan: The letter is read aloud to Hideyoshi, who of course goes ballistic. "A servant reprimanded me?" He nearly kills the stunned Tsushimans on the spot...but then realizes that this is actually good for him because now he has justification for war. Afterwards we see a frustrated Konishi, baffled about how Joseon’s king couldn’t understand the warning he had tried to give in the forged letter. (Not sure why he expected them to see any sort of warning in that letter, though.) Genso tells Konishi, “They think that even if there is a war, it will only be an attack by pirates in the south." By now Konishi seems to realize that a war is inevitable.
Later during a council meeting, Konishi suggests to Hideyoshi that Tokugawa Ieyasu might be the best person to lead the war, if only because if he’s left in Japan during the war he might try to take advantage of the situation and start a rebellion. Hideyoshi nods; likes the idea.
Joseon: Ryu brings good news to the king. The fleeing villagers are returning to their homes and public fear of war seems to be calming down. But the people aren’t exactly happy; military service and forced labor requirements are keeping them away from their farms and trades. The service requirement is a year and a half, which makes it difficult for them to even feed their families. The nobles are supposed to be providing funds to support those families but apparently the nobles aren’t doing so well right now either. Plus, the nobles aren’t doing their military service like they’re supposed to be doing; they’re bribing officials or sending substitutes. Seonjo orders some changes, including finding a better service schedule that lets farmers and tradesmen go back to their livelihoods during busy seasons. He also asks Ryu to take another scouting trip through the coastal regions.
So Ryu and his two traveling companions saddle up and head there. Once there they come upon a strange sight: a man who's just been beaten and turned away by soldiers--after reporting for his military service! What the heck? The man tells Ryu that the local officials expect everyone to show up with their own armor and weapons--which are too costly for most people to afford. Those things are supposed to be loaned to them by the government, at least until the soldiers can afford their own. But the man says that only people who bribe the local officials are lent the armor and weapons. Ryu gives him some money, enough so he can buy what he needs and do his required service without any more trouble. Nice gesture. And he won’t even give his name when the man tries to thank him; he’s too embarrassed about what he’s seen and learned here.
So he heads right for the local military camp, and as we join him we see the head officer being flogged as Ryu watches. After a while he confesses that he took bribes for supply loans. And now it gets messier: Ryu looks over the camp’s ledger which says that 100 soldiers are here. But there really are only 63. The officer in charge of the ledger acknowledges that the ledger is forged. "If we don't have the designated number, we are severly punished." Says that the other 37 fled. Also says that some others would be here but are in Confucian schools, supposedly studying for the national exam. Hmm...but are they?
Obviously not, because Ryu quickly investigated and now we see seven young men kneeling in the camp yard before him. All were supposed to be in school but none were. And there are three more who are traveling. Apparently these are sons of local families who are powerful enough to scare the military officers into looking the other way. But Ryu has no patience for any of it and orders the officer in charge of the ledger imprisoned.
Next we see Ryu with the governor of Gyeongsang, looking over renovations to military structures. The work is proceeding, but there still aren’t enough people to finish it as quickly as the officials had hoped. Just then some ugly news arrives: a group of villagers who tried to flee and were caught has killed the soldiers who caught them and taken over the local military storage facility. Ryu heads there and we see the situation: a tense, desperate standoff between maybe 20 villagers and a large group of soldiers who surround them and the storage building. Turns out, the villagers tried to flee because they had already done their compulsory service and now are being ordered to do more, and they can’t feed their families if they do. But they know they’re in big trouble now because they killed soldiers. Ryu boldly steps into the standoff and calms the situation; tells the villagers he’ll investigate fully and for now they should just go home to their families. And just when it looks like a peaceful end, a commander quietly gives an order and the villagers are all killed by military archers. Ryu is horrified.
Nighttime: Jeong Cheol is visiting Song Ikpil in prison. Song urges Jeong to make another push for a crown prince to be named. Even if it costs Jeong his life! "Dying with the proper justifiation is a fine end for a scholar." Get signatures, he says, as in, signatures from every possible official and scholar, both in the capital and out in the provinces. Later the Westerners meet and decide they’re going to do it, with or without the support of the Easterners Lee and Ryu.
Afterwards Lee Hangbok, the Westerner who serves as chief royal secretary, goes to see Lee Deokhyeong, the Easterner who serves as vice minister of personnel (and who, remember, is Lee Sanhae’s son-in-law). They obviously know each other well; are cordial despite being in opposing factions. "Convince your father-in-law not to be opposed," Hangbok asks. Deokhyeong confesses that he does agree that naming a crown prince is a good idea...
...so he goes to ses his father-in-law. "Remain silent during the signatures." Sanhae cracks up laughing. "I'll do that!" he says with a big smile. Adds that Ryu is still away scouting and won't be back in time to know about this. He doesn’t say it to Deokhyeong but clearly he thinks this is going to blow up in the Westerners’ faces.
A whole lot of signatures were collected. We can see them now, as Seonjo looks them over, while the leading Westerners kneel before him and pitch the crown prince idea once again. He’s not happy (go figure). “You're pushing this because you think there will be a war and something might happen to me...but there won't be a war.” He's absolutely insistent about that. And he reminds them that he said he would address the issue when the time is right, but that now is not the time. He angrily tells them to leave.
Ryu returns home, just in time to learn that the king has ordered Jeong Cheol put under house arrest until the appeal about his drinking and causing trouble has been fully investigated. So obviously Lee Sanhae had good reason to laugh.
Near the capital, we see cavalry units in training as the king and high officials look on. Ryu warns the king that the nobility will have to serve in the military along with the common people; going easy on them will be very bad for public morale. Then he and Lee Sanhae present their plan to change from a centralized defense organization to a regional one. The change will help the military respond to any invasion by Japanese more promptly and effectively. But Shin Rip and Yi Il point out some problems with the proposal, and they’re legitimate problems. Seonjo says he'll listen to many opinions about it before deciding.
Japan: Konishi has obtained a piece of routine correspondence sent by Hideyoshi. Yoshitoshi has brought a couple of Tsushimans with him; they’re all there with Konishi now. The Tsushimans proceed to forge Hideyoshi’s handwriting and official seal, using the correspondence as a guide. We watch them at work; they’re very, very good, and ultimately produce a flawless finished product. What the finished product is, is a letter to the Joseon king; Konishi is sending it as a follow-up to try to soften the language of Hideyoshi’s originial letter that referred to Joseon opening a path for Ming. He’s trying to prevent a war any way he can. He hands the letter to Yoshitoshi, who will once again serve as envoy along with Genso. "This was has to be prevented to protect my daughter,” he tells the Tsushiman (who is married to that daughter). If it can't be prevented, postpone it as long as possible."
Joseon: Now Ryu is looking at the forged letter. He’s surprised at the sudden change of tone, after the previous letter sounded full well like a direct threat against Ming. Genso and So ask him to please open up a path so that Japanese envoys can go to Ming, which is what they’re trying to get Joseon to believe is all Hideyoshi wants. The problem, though, is that the previous letter was so rude that King Seonjo won't receive the two envoys or accept another letter. The envoys beg Ryu, Even if the king won't see us, please make sure he sees the letter...
...so Ryu does take it to Seonjo and tells him what it says. Seonjo thinks Hideyoshi is mocking him and won't look at it. Ryu says that the Japanese are just trying to soften their stance after showing so much arrogance, and that this letter clearly shows no threat of attack. And diplomacy dictates that any such letter should be answered. "We shouldn't be rude just because they are." Fine, Seonjo says...but not a direct reply from himself; instead an official reprimand from the government. Then he sets the forged letter on fire without looking at it.
So a reprimand is written, scolding the Japanese for their rudeness...and then presented to a grateful Genso and So (who obviously don't know what's in it; they're just glad their letter got to Seonjo and they finally have an official written response to present to Hideyoshi).
Back in Japan: The letter is read aloud to Hideyoshi, who of course goes ballistic. "A servant reprimanded me?" He nearly kills the stunned Tsushimans on the spot...but then realizes that this is actually good for him because now he has justification for war. Afterwards we see a frustrated Konishi, baffled about how Joseon’s king couldn’t understand the warning he had tried to give in the forged letter. (Not sure why he expected them to see any sort of warning in that letter, though.) Genso tells Konishi, “They think that even if there is a war, it will only be an attack by pirates in the south." By now Konishi seems to realize that a war is inevitable.
Later during a council meeting, Konishi suggests to Hideyoshi that Tokugawa Ieyasu might be the best person to lead the war, if only because if he’s left in Japan during the war he might try to take advantage of the situation and start a rebellion. Hideyoshi nods; likes the idea.
Joseon: Ryu brings good news to the king. The fleeing villagers are returning to their homes and public fear of war seems to be calming down. But the people aren’t exactly happy; military service and forced labor requirements are keeping them away from their farms and trades. The service requirement is a year and a half, which makes it difficult for them to even feed their families. The nobles are supposed to be providing funds to support those families but apparently the nobles aren’t doing so well right now either. Plus, the nobles aren’t doing their military service like they’re supposed to be doing; they’re bribing officials or sending substitutes. Seonjo orders some changes, including finding a better service schedule that lets farmers and tradesmen go back to their livelihoods during busy seasons. He also asks Ryu to take another scouting trip through the coastal regions.
So Ryu and his two traveling companions saddle up and head there. Once there they come upon a strange sight: a man who's just been beaten and turned away by soldiers--after reporting for his military service! What the heck? The man tells Ryu that the local officials expect everyone to show up with their own armor and weapons--which are too costly for most people to afford. Those things are supposed to be loaned to them by the government, at least until the soldiers can afford their own. But the man says that only people who bribe the local officials are lent the armor and weapons. Ryu gives him some money, enough so he can buy what he needs and do his required service without any more trouble. Nice gesture. And he won’t even give his name when the man tries to thank him; he’s too embarrassed about what he’s seen and learned here.
So he heads right for the local military camp, and as we join him we see the head officer being flogged as Ryu watches. After a while he confesses that he took bribes for supply loans. And now it gets messier: Ryu looks over the camp’s ledger which says that 100 soldiers are here. But there really are only 63. The officer in charge of the ledger acknowledges that the ledger is forged. "If we don't have the designated number, we are severly punished." Says that the other 37 fled. Also says that some others would be here but are in Confucian schools, supposedly studying for the national exam. Hmm...but are they?
Obviously not, because Ryu quickly investigated and now we see seven young men kneeling in the camp yard before him. All were supposed to be in school but none were. And there are three more who are traveling. Apparently these are sons of local families who are powerful enough to scare the military officers into looking the other way. But Ryu has no patience for any of it and orders the officer in charge of the ledger imprisoned.
Next we see Ryu with the governor of Gyeongsang, looking over renovations to military structures. The work is proceeding, but there still aren’t enough people to finish it as quickly as the officials had hoped. Just then some ugly news arrives: a group of villagers who tried to flee and were caught has killed the soldiers who caught them and taken over the local military storage facility. Ryu heads there and we see the situation: a tense, desperate standoff between maybe 20 villagers and a large group of soldiers who surround them and the storage building. Turns out, the villagers tried to flee because they had already done their compulsory service and now are being ordered to do more, and they can’t feed their families if they do. But they know they’re in big trouble now because they killed soldiers. Ryu boldly steps into the standoff and calms the situation; tells the villagers he’ll investigate fully and for now they should just go home to their families. And just when it looks like a peaceful end, a commander quietly gives an order and the villagers are all killed by military archers. Ryu is horrified.
Nighttime: Jeong Cheol is visiting Song Ikpil in prison. Song urges Jeong to make another push for a crown prince to be named. Even if it costs Jeong his life! "Dying with the proper justifiation is a fine end for a scholar." Get signatures, he says, as in, signatures from every possible official and scholar, both in the capital and out in the provinces. Later the Westerners meet and decide they’re going to do it, with or without the support of the Easterners Lee and Ryu.
Afterwards Lee Hangbok, the Westerner who serves as chief royal secretary, goes to see Lee Deokhyeong, the Easterner who serves as vice minister of personnel (and who, remember, is Lee Sanhae’s son-in-law). They obviously know each other well; are cordial despite being in opposing factions. "Convince your father-in-law not to be opposed," Hangbok asks. Deokhyeong confesses that he does agree that naming a crown prince is a good idea...
...so he goes to ses his father-in-law. "Remain silent during the signatures." Sanhae cracks up laughing. "I'll do that!" he says with a big smile. Adds that Ryu is still away scouting and won't be back in time to know about this. He doesn’t say it to Deokhyeong but clearly he thinks this is going to blow up in the Westerners’ faces.
A whole lot of signatures were collected. We can see them now, as Seonjo looks them over, while the leading Westerners kneel before him and pitch the crown prince idea once again. He’s not happy (go figure). “You're pushing this because you think there will be a war and something might happen to me...but there won't be a war.” He's absolutely insistent about that. And he reminds them that he said he would address the issue when the time is right, but that now is not the time. He angrily tells them to leave.
Ryu returns home, just in time to learn that the king has ordered Jeong Cheol put under house arrest until the appeal about his drinking and causing trouble has been fully investigated. So obviously Lee Sanhae had good reason to laugh.
