Post by ajk on Jun 3, 2015 0:45:14 GMT -5
"I will take his majesty's place and take the lead in overcoming this crisis." Ryu advises Gwanghae to go farther south and travel throughout the country to encourage the soldiers and people. And then a whirlwind of plans...clearly Gwanghae has been thinking this all through. Then the fourth state councilor Jeong Tak shows up; was in Uiju but decided to come and help the crown prince. He advises Gwanghae to go to Icheon because of its central location. Lee Il is there too; Gwanghae has decided to give him another chance. Ryu isn't happy about that and lets Lee Il know in no uncertain terms that he'd better not flee or screw up again. No kidding, he really lets Lee have it!
Consort Kim makes an odd request of her brother Kim Gongryang (the assistant proctor who was involved in some shady dealings): go to the crown prince and offer yourself as a servant. She wants him to infiltrate the inner circle and report back to her on everything Gwanghae does. "Prince Sinseong's life and my life depend on this," she says, because if Gwanghae should become king, well, who knows what will happen.
Obviously her brother did as asked because we see him writing a letter telling his sister what the crown prince has decided to do. And as we see now, and as narration explains, Gwanghae not only went farther south, he went into enemy territory to contact people and militia and rally public sentiment. And the people responded to him...which didn't make King Seonjo very comfortable.
Left Jeolla naval headquarters: The night before an upcoming attack; we see Yi Sunsin calming his mind and talking to a subordinate about his mother's prayers for them all. Must be a big deal tomorrow; sounds serious.
Next day, July 8, 1592, Hansando coast: Yeah, this is a big deal. We see the Battle of Hansando, crane-wing formation and all. Yi completely out-strategizes Wakizaka and wrecks his fleet. As narration tells us, this completely took away Japan's control of the south coast and certainly kept Konishi's army from being able to advance past Pyongyang.
Uiju: Consort Kim is complaining to Seonjo about Gwanghae. And reports arrive of Gwanghae's actions. He calls an immediate council meeting. "This is mutiny!", he complains, but the officials jump to Gwanghae's defense. Seonjo doesn't care that Gwanghae is doing what he's doing (at least he says he doesn't), only that this all is important enough that it was supposed to be discussed with him. "I can't let this go." And he has a point, as much as the officials try to deflect it. The officials have a point of their own, though: that punishing Gwanghae could be bad for public sentiment. Things get to the point where the officials all ask to be killed. So with a sigh Seonjo says he'll overlook his son's "reckless" actions "because he is young." But he won't let it go entirely; he orders all of the officials who are advising his son to be removed from their positions!
"How can he be so narrow-minded?" Ryu doesn't like it either. He decides to write Gwanghae a letter.
Seonjo's order arrives at Icheon and shocks Gwanghae, who immediately decides to step down. His officials beg him not to...and once the shock fades he even starts considering disregarding his father entirely and simply carrying on. But Jeong Tak tells him he can't do any such thing because it would make him a traitor. And Jeong brings Ryu's letter, which tells him exactly what to do: "Beg for forgiveness along with the ministers and give all credit to his majesty. That is what his majesty wants."
And that's what they do. Immediately they're all back in Uiju, groveling outside of the council chambers and begging for forgiveness. Seonjo is inside with his officials, reading a letter from his son that reiterates his (Gwanghae's) loyalty and asks forgiveness for the officials who were with him. And after more urging from his officials, Seonjo finally says he'll let all this go. But "I'm only forgiving them to keep public sentiments from dividing." Whatever, it's done. He moves on to a question about the citizen militias...
...who we now see gathering at Gwon Yul's camp in Jeolla. An apparently well-known man named Ko Gyongmyeong arrives with his sons Inhu and Jongmu. They've brought a whopping 7,000 men! Another prominent fighter named Kim Myeon ("the tiger of Gochang") also here. Gwon meets with them and other militia leaders and with his subordinates to join forces and plan a defense of Jeolla, which the Japanese are trying to take over now. They coordinate a defense that centers on two areas: Ungchi and Ichi. As we watch a forest battle, narration tells us that Ungchi fell but Ichi was defended and militia harassment forced a Japanese retreat. This was a major victory and kept the enemy out of Jeolla for good. Unfortunately, Ko Gyongmyeong was killed in action and so was his son Inhu.
Seonjo gets the news of Yi's and Gwon's important victories. It's great news and everyone else is ecstatic, even the queen. But Seonjo isn't happy. "Many of our people were sacrificed to stop the Wae army. How can I be happy? I am in pain. It burns my heart." No wine or meat for three days as a gesture of remembrance. Wow, what a kingly thing to do!
Pyongyang: Konishi's getting frustrated. At least they have enough rations for now...but they're gradually being squeezed into having to make a decision. They can't stay where they are indefinitely. Oh and now here's another bit of joy: a dysentery outbreak in the camp. Thousands of soldiers are suffering from it.
Kato's camp: Here too! Another dysentery outbreak affecting thousands. Wow, even the unflappably smug Kato seems resigned to this being a problem. Then a solider brings him a poster written by Prince Imhae exhorting the people to join together and fight the invaders. Which infuriates Kato...until it penetrates his skull that a Joseon prince is in the area. Now he looks like the fox in the henhouse. Laughs and says "If I get the prince of Joseon, the king will practically be mine!" An evil laugh. Of course he doesn't know that it's "a" prince and not "the" prince.
Japan: Oh dear, Hideyoshi's having a temper tantrum. You can guess what news he just got. Kills a guy with his sword and then falls to the ground. Most of his advisors urge Wakizaka's execution, and even Hideyoshi seems ready to do it...but Maeda reminds him that Wakizaka has achieved great merit in the past...and besides, "we don't have anyone else to lead our naval forces. Give him a chance to fight for his life." Hideyoshi is okay with that, but he says it's not enough to eliminate Yi Sunsin. Says it's clear what has to be done: "I must go to Joseon." Says he'll lead land attacks to isolate southern Jeolla and cut off the navy there. "They won't be able to last forever." Tells his entire council, "Prepare to go to Joseon!"
And now he's even being fitted for a uniform. Maeda is trying to talk him out of it--remember, Maeda doesn't want Hideyoshi going anywhere for fear of Tokugawa attempting a coup--but Hideyoshi says "You're standing right here" and you can take our soldiers and fight off Tokugawa easily if he tries anything. "Tokugawa scares easily. I trust you and I trust that Tokugawa is a coward." So that's that...but now what's this, his wife and consort show up, both in tears. They don't want him going either? No, it's not that. Hideyoshi's mother just died. Well so much for going to Joseon. At first Hideyoshi refuses to accept it, just like he did with his infant son. But then goes out into the hallway and has a wailing, screaming fit.
Hey it's Lee Jangson and he's smiling. Takes Ryu excitedly to a testing ground--where we see the time bomb work like a charm. Finally, Lee has solved it. The bomb is lit, and nearly a full minute later it explodes and scatters deadly shrapnel in all directions. Very impressive!
Consort Kim makes an odd request of her brother Kim Gongryang (the assistant proctor who was involved in some shady dealings): go to the crown prince and offer yourself as a servant. She wants him to infiltrate the inner circle and report back to her on everything Gwanghae does. "Prince Sinseong's life and my life depend on this," she says, because if Gwanghae should become king, well, who knows what will happen.
Obviously her brother did as asked because we see him writing a letter telling his sister what the crown prince has decided to do. And as we see now, and as narration explains, Gwanghae not only went farther south, he went into enemy territory to contact people and militia and rally public sentiment. And the people responded to him...which didn't make King Seonjo very comfortable.
Left Jeolla naval headquarters: The night before an upcoming attack; we see Yi Sunsin calming his mind and talking to a subordinate about his mother's prayers for them all. Must be a big deal tomorrow; sounds serious.
Next day, July 8, 1592, Hansando coast: Yeah, this is a big deal. We see the Battle of Hansando, crane-wing formation and all. Yi completely out-strategizes Wakizaka and wrecks his fleet. As narration tells us, this completely took away Japan's control of the south coast and certainly kept Konishi's army from being able to advance past Pyongyang.
Uiju: Consort Kim is complaining to Seonjo about Gwanghae. And reports arrive of Gwanghae's actions. He calls an immediate council meeting. "This is mutiny!", he complains, but the officials jump to Gwanghae's defense. Seonjo doesn't care that Gwanghae is doing what he's doing (at least he says he doesn't), only that this all is important enough that it was supposed to be discussed with him. "I can't let this go." And he has a point, as much as the officials try to deflect it. The officials have a point of their own, though: that punishing Gwanghae could be bad for public sentiment. Things get to the point where the officials all ask to be killed. So with a sigh Seonjo says he'll overlook his son's "reckless" actions "because he is young." But he won't let it go entirely; he orders all of the officials who are advising his son to be removed from their positions!
"How can he be so narrow-minded?" Ryu doesn't like it either. He decides to write Gwanghae a letter.
Seonjo's order arrives at Icheon and shocks Gwanghae, who immediately decides to step down. His officials beg him not to...and once the shock fades he even starts considering disregarding his father entirely and simply carrying on. But Jeong Tak tells him he can't do any such thing because it would make him a traitor. And Jeong brings Ryu's letter, which tells him exactly what to do: "Beg for forgiveness along with the ministers and give all credit to his majesty. That is what his majesty wants."
And that's what they do. Immediately they're all back in Uiju, groveling outside of the council chambers and begging for forgiveness. Seonjo is inside with his officials, reading a letter from his son that reiterates his (Gwanghae's) loyalty and asks forgiveness for the officials who were with him. And after more urging from his officials, Seonjo finally says he'll let all this go. But "I'm only forgiving them to keep public sentiments from dividing." Whatever, it's done. He moves on to a question about the citizen militias...
...who we now see gathering at Gwon Yul's camp in Jeolla. An apparently well-known man named Ko Gyongmyeong arrives with his sons Inhu and Jongmu. They've brought a whopping 7,000 men! Another prominent fighter named Kim Myeon ("the tiger of Gochang") also here. Gwon meets with them and other militia leaders and with his subordinates to join forces and plan a defense of Jeolla, which the Japanese are trying to take over now. They coordinate a defense that centers on two areas: Ungchi and Ichi. As we watch a forest battle, narration tells us that Ungchi fell but Ichi was defended and militia harassment forced a Japanese retreat. This was a major victory and kept the enemy out of Jeolla for good. Unfortunately, Ko Gyongmyeong was killed in action and so was his son Inhu.
Seonjo gets the news of Yi's and Gwon's important victories. It's great news and everyone else is ecstatic, even the queen. But Seonjo isn't happy. "Many of our people were sacrificed to stop the Wae army. How can I be happy? I am in pain. It burns my heart." No wine or meat for three days as a gesture of remembrance. Wow, what a kingly thing to do!
Pyongyang: Konishi's getting frustrated. At least they have enough rations for now...but they're gradually being squeezed into having to make a decision. They can't stay where they are indefinitely. Oh and now here's another bit of joy: a dysentery outbreak in the camp. Thousands of soldiers are suffering from it.
Kato's camp: Here too! Another dysentery outbreak affecting thousands. Wow, even the unflappably smug Kato seems resigned to this being a problem. Then a solider brings him a poster written by Prince Imhae exhorting the people to join together and fight the invaders. Which infuriates Kato...until it penetrates his skull that a Joseon prince is in the area. Now he looks like the fox in the henhouse. Laughs and says "If I get the prince of Joseon, the king will practically be mine!" An evil laugh. Of course he doesn't know that it's "a" prince and not "the" prince.
Japan: Oh dear, Hideyoshi's having a temper tantrum. You can guess what news he just got. Kills a guy with his sword and then falls to the ground. Most of his advisors urge Wakizaka's execution, and even Hideyoshi seems ready to do it...but Maeda reminds him that Wakizaka has achieved great merit in the past...and besides, "we don't have anyone else to lead our naval forces. Give him a chance to fight for his life." Hideyoshi is okay with that, but he says it's not enough to eliminate Yi Sunsin. Says it's clear what has to be done: "I must go to Joseon." Says he'll lead land attacks to isolate southern Jeolla and cut off the navy there. "They won't be able to last forever." Tells his entire council, "Prepare to go to Joseon!"
And now he's even being fitted for a uniform. Maeda is trying to talk him out of it--remember, Maeda doesn't want Hideyoshi going anywhere for fear of Tokugawa attempting a coup--but Hideyoshi says "You're standing right here" and you can take our soldiers and fight off Tokugawa easily if he tries anything. "Tokugawa scares easily. I trust you and I trust that Tokugawa is a coward." So that's that...but now what's this, his wife and consort show up, both in tears. They don't want him going either? No, it's not that. Hideyoshi's mother just died. Well so much for going to Joseon. At first Hideyoshi refuses to accept it, just like he did with his infant son. But then goes out into the hallway and has a wailing, screaming fit.
Hey it's Lee Jangson and he's smiling. Takes Ryu excitedly to a testing ground--where we see the time bomb work like a charm. Finally, Lee has solved it. The bomb is lit, and nearly a full minute later it explodes and scatters deadly shrapnel in all directions. Very impressive!
