Post by ajk on May 11, 2015 0:27:30 GMT -5
Ryu is crestfallen. Seonjo repeats his claim that he's only retreating to gather soldiers for a counterattack, and says angrily that he'd go fight and die himself if he could but that "my life belongs to the country too." He refuses to listen to another word from Ryu.
And now we see the saddest, sorriest excuse for a crown prince installation ceremony you'll ever see. Just a few dozen of the high officials and some royals gathered in an undecorated palace plaza. A gray, dreary day that only adds to the grim atmosphere. Gwanghae, to his credit, steps up and speaks with purpose about giving everything he can to help the country through this crisis and asking the officials for good guidance.
Later, during a private meal with the royal family, Gwanghae says the same things to Seonjo, but the king doesn't seem to care much. And specifically cautions the prince that his appointment is only temporary. Which Gwanghae knows--and as we already know, prefers. But then after everyone else but the queen leaves, suddenly Gwanghae breaks down in tears. This wasn't going to be easy on him, we all knew...but he's doing this out of duty only and it definitely is a difficult burden for him. The queen tries to offer support and encouragement.
As Ryu predicted, citizens and soldiers are losing morale and leaving after hearing about the royal refuge. He goes and tells that to Seonjo and asks him to reconsider...but he's pushing a little too hard now, even suggesting that the decision will stain Seonjo's entire legacy. And whether or not that's true, Seonjo doesn't need salt rubbed in his wounds and all it does is get Seonjo to threaten giving up the throne to Gwanghae right now. "Do you feel better now?" It reduces Ryu to tears and he apologizes, and finally tells Seonjo to go ahead and take refuge.
Now look who it is: Yun Dusu and Lee Hangbok! They're before Seonjo and the king is despondent, telling them he wished he had listened to their warnings. Please support me now, he asks them; "There's nobody I can trust." He appoints Yun to be head of the royal guards; wants him to be along during the refuge journey. And gives Lee his chief royal secretary job back.
Konishi's camp: They're making plans to reach and enter the capital. Word arrives that Kato's army is pushing rapidly, believing that he's ahead of Konishi now. But Konishi only laughs at it because he's sent Yoshitoshi and his forces ahead already and apparently Kato doesn't know that. The Genso asks Konishi a tough question: If you capture Seonjo and he won't cooperate, will you kill him? Depends on the people, Konishi answers. If they like him, no, but if they don't like him, yes. Either way it will win public favor and lessen the likelihood of a rebellion. Very pragmatic, and certainly more enlightened than Hideyoshi's and Kato's kill-'em-all approach.
And here's Kato now, leading his forces northward and laughing because he thinks he's ahead of Konishi. "Basic military strategy is all about deceiving the other side," he says smugly, and makes a comment about Konishi not using his brain. Yeah dude, you're a real intellectual. Ugh. And he still hasn't given his troops a single day of rest since their landing because he's pushing so hard to get to the capital. Not very wise...but now they're really, really not going to get any rest because here comes a scout with word of Konishi's advance party. No more smile on Kato's face.
Hanyang: It's evening and an exhausted Seonjo asks Yun Dusu to hurry with the royal refuge. He's not talking so bravely now. And then he raises the subject of who will lead the defense of the capital. He wants Ryu to do it! "One of the top councilors should stay," he says, and "he's the one who wanted to defend the capital." Yun, who's no ally of Ryu's, actually objects on the grounds that Ryu is the supreme commander. But Seonjo insists on it. Is he being petty? Doesn't really matter, does it...
...so Yun reluctantly goes and breaks the news to Ryu. And Ryu actually is fine with it; says he was going to ask for the job anyway. "I will bury my bones in the capital," he says. "You're not being asked to defeat the enemy," Ryu tells him; "Just buy us as much time as possible." And if things look hopeless, you retreat and join the refuge. But Ryu obviously thinks this is it for him.
Well, Lee Hangbok doesn't like the appointment either. He didn't say anything at the time, but he goes back by himself later and begs Seonjo to appoint someone else. The situation is impossible here and it will be too difficult to defend the capital, he says. And besides, there's another option: ask Ming to send reinforcements. You're going to head north anyway; reach the border and negotiate with them. And Ryu, well, he served as an envoy to Ming once and "He was trusted by the court officials there." He'd be the very best person to negotiate for Joseon, Lee argues. Can't argue with what Lee's saying, and you wonder why nobody thought about this sooner...but whatever, now there's a need to take quick action because a report arrives that the enemy is moving quickly and will reach the capital in a day or two! Seonjo readily agrees to appoint a substitute for Ryu and orders the refuge preparations be finished ASAP.
Lee goes and delivers the news to Ryu. But Ryu refuses. He's feeling angry and betrayed; starts screaming and accuses Seonjo of fleeing to save his own life. Says his mind is made up, that he intends to die here to atone for his failings. But Lee gently reminds him that it's a royal order and implies that he'd darned well better obey it.
And now we see the refuge party leaving the capital. It's the middle of the night and it's raining heavily. Not exactly great travel conditions. And now citizens are blocking their path, begging the king not to leave them. He earnestly tells them it's just temporary because of the urgent situation and he's coming back, but they're all just kneeling there and begging him even under threat of their lives. A pathetic scene all around.
"Let's burn everything!" And now the aftermath. Angry citizens invade the palace complex. They systematically loot it and then they set fire to it. The whole complex goes up, and it's so bright that the refuge party spots it from the city outskirts and watches the flames in horror. Narration tells us this was April 30, 1592, and that it may not have happened like this; there's another school of thought that says the Japanese army burned the place when they withdrew from it. But that's not what we're seeing here. Ryu takes no consolation in seeing that he was right about the loss of public morale.
Next day: The refuge party has stopped somewhere and Seonjo has been served some simple food. But he's so devastated that he can't eat. "Force yourself to eat," Yun urges; "You have to be strong. Please." So he does, at least he tries. Tears of regret flow, but he starts to eat.
Outside, Ryu is given a simple ball of rice to eat...and he doesn't seem too eager to eat, either.
Japan: Hideyoshi gets news of the major uprising in Ming. Makes him happy, understandably. "They might have a lot of land, but they're miserable." Easy pickins, he thinks. And immediately he and Maeda start discussing strategy for invading Ming.
The refuge party has reached the Imjin River and it's time to cross. Before Seonjo reluctantly gets on the boat to cross, he goes to Ryu. "You said we had to work on defense. This happened because I didn't listen. How will I race the former kings after I die?" Ryu doesn't even try to answer.
Next day: The refuge party reaches Gaesong, and the king calls a council meeting. Lots of hostility towards Lee Sanhae for pushing for royal refuge, considering what happened to the capital. But public sentiments are good here in Gaesong, so they urge Seonjo to stay here and reorganize the army and announce that he'll defend this place. "Put up notices and make them feel safe." He okays it.
We see notices go up. Citizens read them and start cheering.
May 3: Konishi's army enters Hanyang. They finds a burned-out mess of what used to be the palace complex. No king for Konishi to capture. He goes nuts; has a full-blown temper tantrum. Wow, not like him at all. It's the fleeing soldiers and the citizen vandals. "I can't tell who the enemy of Joseon is," he says, ever more frustrated at being unable to discuss surrender with the Joseon king.
An appeal has been submitted to Seonjo to remove Lee Sanhae. Seonjo calls another meeting and scolds all of the officials for trying to gang up on Lee. Says that everyone is responsible for the larger failure and says that if Lee is punished, Ryu should be as well. Then shocks everyone by saying he's removing them both from their positions! And then Ryu outdoes him by immediately thanking him! Everyone looks at Ryu like he's crazy.
And now we see the saddest, sorriest excuse for a crown prince installation ceremony you'll ever see. Just a few dozen of the high officials and some royals gathered in an undecorated palace plaza. A gray, dreary day that only adds to the grim atmosphere. Gwanghae, to his credit, steps up and speaks with purpose about giving everything he can to help the country through this crisis and asking the officials for good guidance.
Later, during a private meal with the royal family, Gwanghae says the same things to Seonjo, but the king doesn't seem to care much. And specifically cautions the prince that his appointment is only temporary. Which Gwanghae knows--and as we already know, prefers. But then after everyone else but the queen leaves, suddenly Gwanghae breaks down in tears. This wasn't going to be easy on him, we all knew...but he's doing this out of duty only and it definitely is a difficult burden for him. The queen tries to offer support and encouragement.
As Ryu predicted, citizens and soldiers are losing morale and leaving after hearing about the royal refuge. He goes and tells that to Seonjo and asks him to reconsider...but he's pushing a little too hard now, even suggesting that the decision will stain Seonjo's entire legacy. And whether or not that's true, Seonjo doesn't need salt rubbed in his wounds and all it does is get Seonjo to threaten giving up the throne to Gwanghae right now. "Do you feel better now?" It reduces Ryu to tears and he apologizes, and finally tells Seonjo to go ahead and take refuge.
Now look who it is: Yun Dusu and Lee Hangbok! They're before Seonjo and the king is despondent, telling them he wished he had listened to their warnings. Please support me now, he asks them; "There's nobody I can trust." He appoints Yun to be head of the royal guards; wants him to be along during the refuge journey. And gives Lee his chief royal secretary job back.
Konishi's camp: They're making plans to reach and enter the capital. Word arrives that Kato's army is pushing rapidly, believing that he's ahead of Konishi now. But Konishi only laughs at it because he's sent Yoshitoshi and his forces ahead already and apparently Kato doesn't know that. The Genso asks Konishi a tough question: If you capture Seonjo and he won't cooperate, will you kill him? Depends on the people, Konishi answers. If they like him, no, but if they don't like him, yes. Either way it will win public favor and lessen the likelihood of a rebellion. Very pragmatic, and certainly more enlightened than Hideyoshi's and Kato's kill-'em-all approach.
And here's Kato now, leading his forces northward and laughing because he thinks he's ahead of Konishi. "Basic military strategy is all about deceiving the other side," he says smugly, and makes a comment about Konishi not using his brain. Yeah dude, you're a real intellectual. Ugh. And he still hasn't given his troops a single day of rest since their landing because he's pushing so hard to get to the capital. Not very wise...but now they're really, really not going to get any rest because here comes a scout with word of Konishi's advance party. No more smile on Kato's face.
Hanyang: It's evening and an exhausted Seonjo asks Yun Dusu to hurry with the royal refuge. He's not talking so bravely now. And then he raises the subject of who will lead the defense of the capital. He wants Ryu to do it! "One of the top councilors should stay," he says, and "he's the one who wanted to defend the capital." Yun, who's no ally of Ryu's, actually objects on the grounds that Ryu is the supreme commander. But Seonjo insists on it. Is he being petty? Doesn't really matter, does it...
...so Yun reluctantly goes and breaks the news to Ryu. And Ryu actually is fine with it; says he was going to ask for the job anyway. "I will bury my bones in the capital," he says. "You're not being asked to defeat the enemy," Ryu tells him; "Just buy us as much time as possible." And if things look hopeless, you retreat and join the refuge. But Ryu obviously thinks this is it for him.
Well, Lee Hangbok doesn't like the appointment either. He didn't say anything at the time, but he goes back by himself later and begs Seonjo to appoint someone else. The situation is impossible here and it will be too difficult to defend the capital, he says. And besides, there's another option: ask Ming to send reinforcements. You're going to head north anyway; reach the border and negotiate with them. And Ryu, well, he served as an envoy to Ming once and "He was trusted by the court officials there." He'd be the very best person to negotiate for Joseon, Lee argues. Can't argue with what Lee's saying, and you wonder why nobody thought about this sooner...but whatever, now there's a need to take quick action because a report arrives that the enemy is moving quickly and will reach the capital in a day or two! Seonjo readily agrees to appoint a substitute for Ryu and orders the refuge preparations be finished ASAP.
Lee goes and delivers the news to Ryu. But Ryu refuses. He's feeling angry and betrayed; starts screaming and accuses Seonjo of fleeing to save his own life. Says his mind is made up, that he intends to die here to atone for his failings. But Lee gently reminds him that it's a royal order and implies that he'd darned well better obey it.
And now we see the refuge party leaving the capital. It's the middle of the night and it's raining heavily. Not exactly great travel conditions. And now citizens are blocking their path, begging the king not to leave them. He earnestly tells them it's just temporary because of the urgent situation and he's coming back, but they're all just kneeling there and begging him even under threat of their lives. A pathetic scene all around.
"Let's burn everything!" And now the aftermath. Angry citizens invade the palace complex. They systematically loot it and then they set fire to it. The whole complex goes up, and it's so bright that the refuge party spots it from the city outskirts and watches the flames in horror. Narration tells us this was April 30, 1592, and that it may not have happened like this; there's another school of thought that says the Japanese army burned the place when they withdrew from it. But that's not what we're seeing here. Ryu takes no consolation in seeing that he was right about the loss of public morale.
Next day: The refuge party has stopped somewhere and Seonjo has been served some simple food. But he's so devastated that he can't eat. "Force yourself to eat," Yun urges; "You have to be strong. Please." So he does, at least he tries. Tears of regret flow, but he starts to eat.
Outside, Ryu is given a simple ball of rice to eat...and he doesn't seem too eager to eat, either.
Japan: Hideyoshi gets news of the major uprising in Ming. Makes him happy, understandably. "They might have a lot of land, but they're miserable." Easy pickins, he thinks. And immediately he and Maeda start discussing strategy for invading Ming.
The refuge party has reached the Imjin River and it's time to cross. Before Seonjo reluctantly gets on the boat to cross, he goes to Ryu. "You said we had to work on defense. This happened because I didn't listen. How will I race the former kings after I die?" Ryu doesn't even try to answer.
Next day: The refuge party reaches Gaesong, and the king calls a council meeting. Lots of hostility towards Lee Sanhae for pushing for royal refuge, considering what happened to the capital. But public sentiments are good here in Gaesong, so they urge Seonjo to stay here and reorganize the army and announce that he'll defend this place. "Put up notices and make them feel safe." He okays it.
We see notices go up. Citizens read them and start cheering.
May 3: Konishi's army enters Hanyang. They finds a burned-out mess of what used to be the palace complex. No king for Konishi to capture. He goes nuts; has a full-blown temper tantrum. Wow, not like him at all. It's the fleeing soldiers and the citizen vandals. "I can't tell who the enemy of Joseon is," he says, ever more frustrated at being unable to discuss surrender with the Joseon king.
An appeal has been submitted to Seonjo to remove Lee Sanhae. Seonjo calls another meeting and scolds all of the officials for trying to gang up on Lee. Says that everyone is responsible for the larger failure and says that if Lee is punished, Ryu should be as well. Then shocks everyone by saying he's removing them both from their positions! And then Ryu outdoes him by immediately thanking him! Everyone looks at Ryu like he's crazy.
