Post by ajk on Jun 28, 2015 2:15:27 GMT -5
Seonjo is ecstatic at Li Rusong's arrival. He's brought 43,000 troops! And Li is a smooth talker, too. "You can relax now. I will wash away all your worries." But right away there's tension; Li wants the 8,000 available Joseon troops to fight under his vice commander Zu Chengxun. Yun Dusu and Jeong Cheol want them to fight on their own. Li wonders if they're worried about Zu (and yes, he's the chump who screwed up at Pyongyang and got his army killed) so he scolds and admonishes Zu on the spot. And then says, "You can trust him now." Seriously? Yun and Jeong say Zu isn't the issue, and it probably isn't...but Seonjo shuts them all up before they can say anything else.
Ryu has a big job on his hands: getting rations for all those troops. He's made some arrangements already, and now makes more.
Yun and Jeong ask Seonjo to reconsider. "We must fight on equal status," Yun argues, or they'll just push us around and show disrespect. And eventually, when the rest of the Joseon troops gather and unite, what happens then? But Seonjo thinks it's about time Ming took the lead; he only wants to assist them. Calling Ming a "higher nation," he warns the two of them not to push this and upset Li.
Later the officials discuss whether or not Seonjo is just using the situation to try to avoid ultimately taking responsibility for the war, by reframing it as Ming's war.
And now it's Hong Yeosun's turn to go to Seonjo. Ugh, he dutifully squeals on his colleagues, telling him they were all set to support his phony offer to give up the throne. Seonjo says he can't trust them to handle important matters any more...but who can he trust? Hong jumps right in and argues he's the man, and deserves a high position. Seonjo fires back, "Are you kidding?" Ouch! Help me by staying out of it, he says with very little tact. Hong nods, but we can tell, it stung him.
Despite Seonjo warning them not to do it, Yun and Jeong went right back to Li Rusong to ask for an independent assignment for the Joseon troops. Sheesh! Li seems understanding at first, and even says he'll give them one. But then he says he'll have them fight at Pyongyang ahead of the Ming army! So no, he's not being understanding after all.
"What!? Are they trying to ruin our country?!" Seonjo hears about it and goes ballistic.
That evening he's eating with Consort Kim and she makes a surprising suggestion: replace Yun and Jeong with Ryu. I know he annoys you, she says, and I don't like him either, but "he seems to have changed a bit" and supports you more lately (Really?). And besides, she adds, he's been at the crown prince's side. Bring him here and you weaken the crown prince's influence. Hmm....
Next day: Seonjo summons Ryu and asks him what he thinks about the army's assignment. Ryu is much more pragmatic than Yun and Jeong: We need to win the war, he answers, and not worry about status or justification--and besides, our soldiers will have to earn Ming's respect. Seonjo thinks it's a good answer, apparently...but then, out of the blue: "Don't you hate me?" I did, Ryu answers, but even siblings hate once in a while and it passes. Seonjo offers him the job of supreme commander of Pyeongan province. At first Ryu refuses, but then says he'll accept if he also gets "administrative authority over villages and the authority to command this war." Independently means without Seonjo's oversight. Fine, the king answers, but your authority will be limited to Pyeongan province. Ryu nods. Deal.
Uh-oh...an important message from Ryu about moving military rations never reached its intended recipient and the rations weren't moved. Ryu figures there must be a spy or sympathizer in the military courier network. Decides to set a trap. Orders a phony message sent, one that mentions a cache of silver hidden in a mountain location.
We see the written message go on its way. It gets relayed into the hands of a courier named Kim Sullyang. We see Kim open the envelope and read it...isn't that a little odd? And the other soldiers gather around him to read it too. And just like that, they're at the mountain location digging for the non-existent silver. And they're busted. Kim confesses; says Wae gave each of them a cow for every piece of important information. Wow. The whole lot of them is bound and taken back to their base...where other soldiers are found eating lavishly, obviously not their military rations. Ryu is there and orders them all executed. Narration tells us this was in September of 1592 and that Ryu managed to find a total of 40 spies within the courier network.
We see Li Rusong and his subordinates are being briefed about Pyongyang by Ryu and Joseon generals. Word arrives that no unusual enemy activity is going on in or around Pyongyang, which is wonderful because it means they have no idea about the Ming army being nearby. So now's a great time to attack, right? Wait, maybe not...Li has an idea. "Not knowing is good, but it would be better if they had false information." Hmm, what does that mean?
Pyongyang: Konishi is reading something that's making him very, very happy. It's a confirmation letter that the Ming emperor agreed to his proposal! It says that Shen Weijing wants them all to go south to Busan to hammer out the details. So Yoshitoshi wonders if it might be a ruse, so they're going to send an advance unit first to check things out.
Yoshitoshi himself goes south to Busan with what looks to be a few dozen soldiers and is met by a Ming delegation. Long story short, it's an ambush and the Japanese are quickly surrounded by Ming and Joseon soldiers. A wild battle breaks out...
Back north: Yujeong the monk has brought 2,000 of his fellow monks to fight! Then the news arrives that Li Rusong's plan failed. Konishi never showed up--so apparently that was the whole point, to try to capture Konishi--and some of the soldiers who did show survived and escaped, which means the enemy knows about the Ming army now. "We have to hurry," Li says, and attack Pyongyang quickly. He's right.
Pyongyang: Konishi and Genso are enjoying a quiet drink and smiling. But not any more, because Yoshitoshi made it back alive and tells him that Ming soldiers are in Joseon. They start war preparations immediately.
Now we see the entire Ming army, all lined up and ready to go, in front of Pyongyang. Konishi stares back at them from an outer city gate. He had sent word to another Japanese army for reinforcements but he hasn't even heard back yet, much less gotten reinforcements. No matter now, though, because just like that it's on. First the cannons, and between Joseon's cannons and Ming's powerful ones, it's a big bombardment. Japan has their own cannons, though, and those lethal muskets. Then a huge charge forward on foot through the mayhem, and the attackers get close enough for arrows, which evens the score with the muskets.
The battle continues and the Japanese are hanging tough. Eventually, knowing that the attackers have to draw the Japanese out of the city, Li he orders a highly unorthodox move of sending a unit to attack from a location about 100 meters lower than the city wall's height. Sounds like suicide, but Li says the enemy has to think they have the advantage if they're going to open the door and come out. And then we watch a Ming archer unit try to make their way up a steep, steep hill and it's a heck of an effort, wow give them huge credit. (This isn't the inner fortress with thick, strong walls, it's just a guarded area that's sort of barricaded.) The archers retreat and sure enough, the Japanese pursue them...and then they're ambushed from both the sides of the path. That sure worked!
And apparently they're doing the same thing in other places around the fortress, too; we see Seonjo being told that.
So they're getting into the city itself. Now, Li says, in a meeting with his generals, it's time to penetrate the inner fortress.
And we see them do just that, Ming and Joseon forces together. This part looks a lot easier than the first part. It's an intense battle, but it's brief and over quickly. Narration tells us that this was in January 1593, on the third day of battle.
But wait, as Li enters the city, he his escort unit get ambushed by muskets. His horse is killed right out from under him and several of his men are killed too. As we see later, Li took an arm wound but he'll be okay. What's going on?
Turns out the Japanese aren't exactly trying to simply flee; they have ambush parties planted, and the main army took up a position in some caves called Yeongwangjeong. It's a nearly attack-proof location: the Ming cannons can't maneuver into position to fire at it, and anybody who approaches takes fire from the Japanese muskets. Ming has tried but it's cost them 1,000 casualties. So the Ming generals start to wonder: do we really need to fight them any more?
Inside the caves: "We're only buying time. We can't win." Genso says what's obvious. Oh and that other army that Konishi asked for reinforcements? They're not even in the area any more; they had already withdrawn. Konishi wonders if he's being abandoned. What can he do? Wait, here comes a letter from the enemy camp. Li Rusong is offering them "a chance to live." Hmm....
Konishi sends a letter back. Says he wants to retreat and asks that a retreat path be left open. That's fine with the Ming generals. It's not fine with Ryu, though; he's there and urges that the enemy be finished off while the chance is here. "They will just retreat, reorganize and fight us again." And he argues that capturing Konishi will be a crushing blow to the entire Japanese effort, enough to be well worth pursuing. But Li has seen enough of his soldiers die and rejects the idea.
So on his own, Ryu summons two of his generals and tells them to set up an ambush along the enemy's retreat path to capture Konishi alive. But Li already approved of the retreat! This could be huge trouble. "I will take full responsibility," Ryu says.
Ryu has a big job on his hands: getting rations for all those troops. He's made some arrangements already, and now makes more.
Yun and Jeong ask Seonjo to reconsider. "We must fight on equal status," Yun argues, or they'll just push us around and show disrespect. And eventually, when the rest of the Joseon troops gather and unite, what happens then? But Seonjo thinks it's about time Ming took the lead; he only wants to assist them. Calling Ming a "higher nation," he warns the two of them not to push this and upset Li.
Later the officials discuss whether or not Seonjo is just using the situation to try to avoid ultimately taking responsibility for the war, by reframing it as Ming's war.
And now it's Hong Yeosun's turn to go to Seonjo. Ugh, he dutifully squeals on his colleagues, telling him they were all set to support his phony offer to give up the throne. Seonjo says he can't trust them to handle important matters any more...but who can he trust? Hong jumps right in and argues he's the man, and deserves a high position. Seonjo fires back, "Are you kidding?" Ouch! Help me by staying out of it, he says with very little tact. Hong nods, but we can tell, it stung him.
Despite Seonjo warning them not to do it, Yun and Jeong went right back to Li Rusong to ask for an independent assignment for the Joseon troops. Sheesh! Li seems understanding at first, and even says he'll give them one. But then he says he'll have them fight at Pyongyang ahead of the Ming army! So no, he's not being understanding after all.
"What!? Are they trying to ruin our country?!" Seonjo hears about it and goes ballistic.
That evening he's eating with Consort Kim and she makes a surprising suggestion: replace Yun and Jeong with Ryu. I know he annoys you, she says, and I don't like him either, but "he seems to have changed a bit" and supports you more lately (Really?). And besides, she adds, he's been at the crown prince's side. Bring him here and you weaken the crown prince's influence. Hmm....
Next day: Seonjo summons Ryu and asks him what he thinks about the army's assignment. Ryu is much more pragmatic than Yun and Jeong: We need to win the war, he answers, and not worry about status or justification--and besides, our soldiers will have to earn Ming's respect. Seonjo thinks it's a good answer, apparently...but then, out of the blue: "Don't you hate me?" I did, Ryu answers, but even siblings hate once in a while and it passes. Seonjo offers him the job of supreme commander of Pyeongan province. At first Ryu refuses, but then says he'll accept if he also gets "administrative authority over villages and the authority to command this war." Independently means without Seonjo's oversight. Fine, the king answers, but your authority will be limited to Pyeongan province. Ryu nods. Deal.
Uh-oh...an important message from Ryu about moving military rations never reached its intended recipient and the rations weren't moved. Ryu figures there must be a spy or sympathizer in the military courier network. Decides to set a trap. Orders a phony message sent, one that mentions a cache of silver hidden in a mountain location.
We see the written message go on its way. It gets relayed into the hands of a courier named Kim Sullyang. We see Kim open the envelope and read it...isn't that a little odd? And the other soldiers gather around him to read it too. And just like that, they're at the mountain location digging for the non-existent silver. And they're busted. Kim confesses; says Wae gave each of them a cow for every piece of important information. Wow. The whole lot of them is bound and taken back to their base...where other soldiers are found eating lavishly, obviously not their military rations. Ryu is there and orders them all executed. Narration tells us this was in September of 1592 and that Ryu managed to find a total of 40 spies within the courier network.
We see Li Rusong and his subordinates are being briefed about Pyongyang by Ryu and Joseon generals. Word arrives that no unusual enemy activity is going on in or around Pyongyang, which is wonderful because it means they have no idea about the Ming army being nearby. So now's a great time to attack, right? Wait, maybe not...Li has an idea. "Not knowing is good, but it would be better if they had false information." Hmm, what does that mean?
Pyongyang: Konishi is reading something that's making him very, very happy. It's a confirmation letter that the Ming emperor agreed to his proposal! It says that Shen Weijing wants them all to go south to Busan to hammer out the details. So Yoshitoshi wonders if it might be a ruse, so they're going to send an advance unit first to check things out.
Yoshitoshi himself goes south to Busan with what looks to be a few dozen soldiers and is met by a Ming delegation. Long story short, it's an ambush and the Japanese are quickly surrounded by Ming and Joseon soldiers. A wild battle breaks out...
Back north: Yujeong the monk has brought 2,000 of his fellow monks to fight! Then the news arrives that Li Rusong's plan failed. Konishi never showed up--so apparently that was the whole point, to try to capture Konishi--and some of the soldiers who did show survived and escaped, which means the enemy knows about the Ming army now. "We have to hurry," Li says, and attack Pyongyang quickly. He's right.
Pyongyang: Konishi and Genso are enjoying a quiet drink and smiling. But not any more, because Yoshitoshi made it back alive and tells him that Ming soldiers are in Joseon. They start war preparations immediately.
Now we see the entire Ming army, all lined up and ready to go, in front of Pyongyang. Konishi stares back at them from an outer city gate. He had sent word to another Japanese army for reinforcements but he hasn't even heard back yet, much less gotten reinforcements. No matter now, though, because just like that it's on. First the cannons, and between Joseon's cannons and Ming's powerful ones, it's a big bombardment. Japan has their own cannons, though, and those lethal muskets. Then a huge charge forward on foot through the mayhem, and the attackers get close enough for arrows, which evens the score with the muskets.
The battle continues and the Japanese are hanging tough. Eventually, knowing that the attackers have to draw the Japanese out of the city, Li he orders a highly unorthodox move of sending a unit to attack from a location about 100 meters lower than the city wall's height. Sounds like suicide, but Li says the enemy has to think they have the advantage if they're going to open the door and come out. And then we watch a Ming archer unit try to make their way up a steep, steep hill and it's a heck of an effort, wow give them huge credit. (This isn't the inner fortress with thick, strong walls, it's just a guarded area that's sort of barricaded.) The archers retreat and sure enough, the Japanese pursue them...and then they're ambushed from both the sides of the path. That sure worked!
And apparently they're doing the same thing in other places around the fortress, too; we see Seonjo being told that.
So they're getting into the city itself. Now, Li says, in a meeting with his generals, it's time to penetrate the inner fortress.
And we see them do just that, Ming and Joseon forces together. This part looks a lot easier than the first part. It's an intense battle, but it's brief and over quickly. Narration tells us that this was in January 1593, on the third day of battle.
But wait, as Li enters the city, he his escort unit get ambushed by muskets. His horse is killed right out from under him and several of his men are killed too. As we see later, Li took an arm wound but he'll be okay. What's going on?
Turns out the Japanese aren't exactly trying to simply flee; they have ambush parties planted, and the main army took up a position in some caves called Yeongwangjeong. It's a nearly attack-proof location: the Ming cannons can't maneuver into position to fire at it, and anybody who approaches takes fire from the Japanese muskets. Ming has tried but it's cost them 1,000 casualties. So the Ming generals start to wonder: do we really need to fight them any more?
Inside the caves: "We're only buying time. We can't win." Genso says what's obvious. Oh and that other army that Konishi asked for reinforcements? They're not even in the area any more; they had already withdrawn. Konishi wonders if he's being abandoned. What can he do? Wait, here comes a letter from the enemy camp. Li Rusong is offering them "a chance to live." Hmm....
Konishi sends a letter back. Says he wants to retreat and asks that a retreat path be left open. That's fine with the Ming generals. It's not fine with Ryu, though; he's there and urges that the enemy be finished off while the chance is here. "They will just retreat, reorganize and fight us again." And he argues that capturing Konishi will be a crushing blow to the entire Japanese effort, enough to be well worth pursuing. But Li has seen enough of his soldiers die and rejects the idea.
So on his own, Ryu summons two of his generals and tells them to set up an ambush along the enemy's retreat path to capture Konishi alive. But Li already approved of the retreat! This could be huge trouble. "I will take full responsibility," Ryu says.
