Post by ajk on Apr 23, 2015 2:00:20 GMT -5
The high officials all meet and decide that they have to talk the king out of his idea to abolish the navy. They're all in agreement except for the war minister Hong Yeosun, who says they should follow the king's wishes...but he's quickly shamed into submission by Lee Sanhae.
So they all go to Seonjo and tell him they're in agreement that he should reconsider. And they make a good point--that the navy serves the valuable role of protecting all of the people who make their livelihoods providing much-needed seafood and salt to the nation. So Seonjo, to his credit, backs down...although he doesn't take it well. He's discouraged and frustrated, like he thinks the officials aren't just giving him advice, they're trying to control him. And when he specifically asks the war minister if he agrees with the others, and Hong is slow and unconvincing in his answer...hmm...
...so afterwards Seonjo summons Hong privately. "Not one person opposed?" Hong buckles and says Lee Sanhae forced him to change his opinion. "Whose servant are you?", Seonjo shouts, and wonders aloud if Lee Sanhae has become too powerful.
That evening: Yikes, Seonjo is pounding back the alcohol. He's muttering to consort Kim about how the officials are back "to being teachers who reprimanded me, just like they did before." Obviously the situation touched a very sensitive nerve deep in his psyche, although that wasn't the intent. Now he's second-guessing himself for removing Jeong Cheol and Yun Dusu...and now suddenly he's having some sort of heart problem, and it looks severe. He looks to be in serious distress.
Japan: We see a couple of elite units in a mock battle with sticks instead of swords as Hideyoshi watches. One unit is Kato's; the other is Konishi's. Even Kato and Konishi get into the action a little and end up dueling. One of Konishi's sticks breaks and everyone thinks Kato has won...but Konishi quietly tells Kato he lost, because in a real duel it would have been a sword and it wouldn't have shattered, it would have killed him. Whatever...Later Hideyoshi meets with his advisors and they make the final battle plans. But when Konishi says it will take three months to reach the Joseon capital, well, Hideyoshi doesn't like that answer at all. "If you can't take the capital in a month and a half, you will have to take your own life." Yikes. And he adds one more thing. Kill all the Joseonese you want, but spare the potters. He likes Joseon pottery.
Afterwards, Ishida offers Konishi some quiet words of support. And tells him to end the war and return home as quickly as possible so that Hideyoshi "will have to recognize your merits." Konishi knows that Hideyoshi simply wants him to die one way or another, and will probably send him on to Ming even if he succeeds in Joseon. But Ishida suggests that maybe Hideyoshi won't attack Ming after all, once he takes Joseon. "He may make a compromise." Hmmm...Just return safely, Ishida encourages him.
Maeda Toshiie has been summoned by Hideyoshi's wife Nene. Nene is worried about her husband getting cocky and going to Joseon himself, which Maeda says he'll keep from happening. But now look at this, she's also doing a little scheming, asking him to convince her husband to adopt their nephew Hidetsugu as a son so that he can take care of internal administrative matters while her husband focuses on the war. Meaning, get her own family member into the line of succession ahead of any other child her husband might end up having.
So Maeda goes to Hideyoshi, who immediately can tell that Nene put him up to it. "She's putting up her guard against Yodo," he says, referring to his late infant's mother. "Women." But actually he's fine with the idea, and says he'll not only adopt the nephew, he'll make the nephew gwanbaek and give himself the emeritus title of taehap.
Now a weird scene. Yodo has gotten work of this and is crying and snubbing Hideyoshi. And he's frantic over it, almost groveling! "If you give me another son, I can replace the gwanbaek." Her mood brightens instantly. "Do you mean that?" "My blood will take my place," he assures her. She smiles and hugs him. And he reacts like her hug is water to a man dying of thirst.
Here's the nephew, Toyotomi Hidetsugu. A young man in his 20s; we see him being installed as gwanbaek in a formal ceremony. Narration tells is this was December 1591, and that Hidetsugu was basically just a civil administrator because Hideyoshi retained all military power.
Ming: The defense minister Shi Xing has to barge in on his idiot emperor to deliver a report because the emperor is preoccupied with counting his personal wealth and doesn't want to be bothered. But the minister brings disturbing news: a revolt among Mongolians in the north. It's the kind of thing that an emperor has to make decisions about...but the idiot tells Shi to handle it himself and "Just report when they are suppressed." Oh, and don't use my personal assets to do the job. Sheesh!
Seonjo looks a little better physically, but he's having nightmares now.
Shin Rip is inspecting one of the local military stations out in a coastal area. The weapons look good, and the number of soldiers matches the number in the ledger. But then they have to perform a training exercise...and the illusion crumbles. Some of the "soldiers" are villagers from a neighboring village who were only brought here hours earlier to inflate the headcount. The officer in charge says that every other village has the same problem...but that doesn't spare him from a flogging. Narration tells us that two months before the war, Shin Rip and Lee Il were sent to the provinces for inspections. And that, as stated in Ryu's Jingbirok text, "The magistrates were afraid of Shin Rip and greeted him like a court minister." And with that we see scenes of Shin being attended to with great effort and being given lavish meals.
A much calmer, healthier-looking King Seonjo has summoned Lee Sanhae for a game of baduk. As they play, Seonjo talks about how a person's baduk style tells a lot about what kind of person he is. Lee, for instance, "you put your importance in power." Ryu? "He safely builds houses." Lee asks about Jeong Cheol. "Isn't that obvious?", Seonjo answers with a chuckle. "He likes to fight furiously. Whether his next move is blocked or not, he just attacks." As the game continues, Seonjo sees he's at a disadvantage and says he's giving up. "I didn't like this game from the start," he says, glaring at Lee, and now we realize a message is being delivered. "It was a losing game. I'd like to remove the dead pieces and start over. What do you think?" Lee is horrified. "Jeong Cheol played rough, but it was fun. Yun Dusu's moves were always interesting." Suddenly Lee is shaking, and he surrenders the game on the spot. "Please forgive my disloyalty and rudeness." Message delivered and received. Seonjo smiles. Just then a report arrives for the king from Jeolla province.
Uh-oh. Ryu is summoned to the palace. The report that arrived, it told Seonjo that Yi Sunsin is still constructing the turtle ship, against the king's wishes. "You really didn't know about this?" And what can Ryu do but fess up. "I told him to."
So they all go to Seonjo and tell him they're in agreement that he should reconsider. And they make a good point--that the navy serves the valuable role of protecting all of the people who make their livelihoods providing much-needed seafood and salt to the nation. So Seonjo, to his credit, backs down...although he doesn't take it well. He's discouraged and frustrated, like he thinks the officials aren't just giving him advice, they're trying to control him. And when he specifically asks the war minister if he agrees with the others, and Hong is slow and unconvincing in his answer...hmm...
...so afterwards Seonjo summons Hong privately. "Not one person opposed?" Hong buckles and says Lee Sanhae forced him to change his opinion. "Whose servant are you?", Seonjo shouts, and wonders aloud if Lee Sanhae has become too powerful.
That evening: Yikes, Seonjo is pounding back the alcohol. He's muttering to consort Kim about how the officials are back "to being teachers who reprimanded me, just like they did before." Obviously the situation touched a very sensitive nerve deep in his psyche, although that wasn't the intent. Now he's second-guessing himself for removing Jeong Cheol and Yun Dusu...and now suddenly he's having some sort of heart problem, and it looks severe. He looks to be in serious distress.
Japan: We see a couple of elite units in a mock battle with sticks instead of swords as Hideyoshi watches. One unit is Kato's; the other is Konishi's. Even Kato and Konishi get into the action a little and end up dueling. One of Konishi's sticks breaks and everyone thinks Kato has won...but Konishi quietly tells Kato he lost, because in a real duel it would have been a sword and it wouldn't have shattered, it would have killed him. Whatever...Later Hideyoshi meets with his advisors and they make the final battle plans. But when Konishi says it will take three months to reach the Joseon capital, well, Hideyoshi doesn't like that answer at all. "If you can't take the capital in a month and a half, you will have to take your own life." Yikes. And he adds one more thing. Kill all the Joseonese you want, but spare the potters. He likes Joseon pottery.
Afterwards, Ishida offers Konishi some quiet words of support. And tells him to end the war and return home as quickly as possible so that Hideyoshi "will have to recognize your merits." Konishi knows that Hideyoshi simply wants him to die one way or another, and will probably send him on to Ming even if he succeeds in Joseon. But Ishida suggests that maybe Hideyoshi won't attack Ming after all, once he takes Joseon. "He may make a compromise." Hmmm...Just return safely, Ishida encourages him.
Maeda Toshiie has been summoned by Hideyoshi's wife Nene. Nene is worried about her husband getting cocky and going to Joseon himself, which Maeda says he'll keep from happening. But now look at this, she's also doing a little scheming, asking him to convince her husband to adopt their nephew Hidetsugu as a son so that he can take care of internal administrative matters while her husband focuses on the war. Meaning, get her own family member into the line of succession ahead of any other child her husband might end up having.
So Maeda goes to Hideyoshi, who immediately can tell that Nene put him up to it. "She's putting up her guard against Yodo," he says, referring to his late infant's mother. "Women." But actually he's fine with the idea, and says he'll not only adopt the nephew, he'll make the nephew gwanbaek and give himself the emeritus title of taehap.
Now a weird scene. Yodo has gotten work of this and is crying and snubbing Hideyoshi. And he's frantic over it, almost groveling! "If you give me another son, I can replace the gwanbaek." Her mood brightens instantly. "Do you mean that?" "My blood will take my place," he assures her. She smiles and hugs him. And he reacts like her hug is water to a man dying of thirst.
Here's the nephew, Toyotomi Hidetsugu. A young man in his 20s; we see him being installed as gwanbaek in a formal ceremony. Narration tells is this was December 1591, and that Hidetsugu was basically just a civil administrator because Hideyoshi retained all military power.
Ming: The defense minister Shi Xing has to barge in on his idiot emperor to deliver a report because the emperor is preoccupied with counting his personal wealth and doesn't want to be bothered. But the minister brings disturbing news: a revolt among Mongolians in the north. It's the kind of thing that an emperor has to make decisions about...but the idiot tells Shi to handle it himself and "Just report when they are suppressed." Oh, and don't use my personal assets to do the job. Sheesh!
Seonjo looks a little better physically, but he's having nightmares now.
Shin Rip is inspecting one of the local military stations out in a coastal area. The weapons look good, and the number of soldiers matches the number in the ledger. But then they have to perform a training exercise...and the illusion crumbles. Some of the "soldiers" are villagers from a neighboring village who were only brought here hours earlier to inflate the headcount. The officer in charge says that every other village has the same problem...but that doesn't spare him from a flogging. Narration tells us that two months before the war, Shin Rip and Lee Il were sent to the provinces for inspections. And that, as stated in Ryu's Jingbirok text, "The magistrates were afraid of Shin Rip and greeted him like a court minister." And with that we see scenes of Shin being attended to with great effort and being given lavish meals.
A much calmer, healthier-looking King Seonjo has summoned Lee Sanhae for a game of baduk. As they play, Seonjo talks about how a person's baduk style tells a lot about what kind of person he is. Lee, for instance, "you put your importance in power." Ryu? "He safely builds houses." Lee asks about Jeong Cheol. "Isn't that obvious?", Seonjo answers with a chuckle. "He likes to fight furiously. Whether his next move is blocked or not, he just attacks." As the game continues, Seonjo sees he's at a disadvantage and says he's giving up. "I didn't like this game from the start," he says, glaring at Lee, and now we realize a message is being delivered. "It was a losing game. I'd like to remove the dead pieces and start over. What do you think?" Lee is horrified. "Jeong Cheol played rough, but it was fun. Yun Dusu's moves were always interesting." Suddenly Lee is shaking, and he surrenders the game on the spot. "Please forgive my disloyalty and rudeness." Message delivered and received. Seonjo smiles. Just then a report arrives for the king from Jeolla province.
Uh-oh. Ryu is summoned to the palace. The report that arrived, it told Seonjo that Yi Sunsin is still constructing the turtle ship, against the king's wishes. "You really didn't know about this?" And what can Ryu do but fess up. "I told him to."
