Post by ajk on Aug 13, 2008 14:53:57 GMT -5
"Secure the defense line and stop the enemy from advancing any further!" So Sadamori is issuing orders at his makeshift camp.
The Joseon commanders are reviewing maps and discussing war plans at their camp. "There are over sixty ports on Tsushima Island," says Choi Yundeok. "We must seal them all off so they can't make a move."
So issues orders to get a request out for aid from Kyushu before the coast is sealed.
Joseon camp, Osaki: Yu Jeonghyun (who seems to be the civilian commander in all this) asks whether or not anything's been heard from Izuhara. Nothing yet. This could be the key to the whole war--particularly the rescue of the Ming scholar Yehjin. "This could become a drawn-out war" if we can't find him, Yu says.
So Sadamori's castle at Izuhara: Yi Chun's troops break into the jail building, kill the guards and free the ecstatic hostages. The troops look for the Ming scholar Yehjin, but he's not among the hostages. Back outside, the castle soldiers who have charged out to investigate the noisemakers are captured in net traps that fall from the trees.
The Ming envoy Huang Yan and Huh Jo are taking. Joseon wants Ming to come to the diplomatic table with them to avoid an all-out war with Japan. But Huang says that for him to persuade the emperor to agree to this, they need to have Yehjin back.
Sejong is meeting with his ministers. Huh Jo tells the king, "We've got to get Ming to the table and show their support"; it's the only way to offset Japan's entrance. But what if Joseon can't rescue Yehjin? Huh says that "We must find another way to win over the envoys." Pay them off? "I will not resort to bribery," Sejong says.
At the archery grounds: Taejong and Sejong are shooting together. Taejong observes, "There is no way to stop Japan's involvement in our war with Tsushima if Ming doesn't come to the table with us." He continues, "And that will lead to all-out war between Japan and Joseon. If you are prepared for it, I will not oppose." Sejong says nothing; just keeps shooting.
Back at the jail building: Choi Haesan and the Joseonese are trying to figure out where Yehjin might be. Jang Youngsil is with them; he says "There's a good chance they're holding him separately in a different cell." Makes sense. Looking around, he spots a solid door down a side hallway. The troops break it down; behind it is another door. We see on the other side of the door--a tortured, scarred, beaten Yehjin lying on the floor.
Sword-fighting continues on the island (and the Tsushimans really stink at it).
Back inside, the Joseonese are trying every key they can find on the door, but none is working. They try breaking down the door, but it's too tough. Then Youngsil goes off by himself, finds some rice left in a bowl, and starts mixing it with gunpowder. Huh?
We see So and his Tsushiman forces headed back towards So's castle.
A scout warns Choi Haesan that they need to get out of the castle ASAP. Then Youngsil runs to the cell door and applies the gunpowder/rice mixture to the lock. They all realize that the rice will dilute the gunpowder's strength and make it safe to use in close quarters, just strong enough to blow the lock. Good thinking. An interpreter shouts to Yehjin (if he's in there) to stay back from the door; Jang attaches a fuses, lights it...BOOM--a perfect little hole is blown in the door right where the lock used to be...and through the hole is the sight of Yehjin's face. Yehjin his helped to his feet and out of the cell. As he's carried out he asks what kind of weapon was used; the incident has fascinated him. Haesan laughs and tells Youngsil, "He's wondering about that in this chaos? Wow, I guess there's another wacko like you in Ming as well." Then he quickly tells the interpreter, "Don't translate that." (Very funny.) But then Yehjin asks Jang's name--and to everyone's surprise, he's asked it in fluent Joseonese.
So Sadamori and his troops return to the castle...to find the cells empty and the hostages gone, including Yehjin. "They couldn't be far," he tells his subordinates with a sneer. "Go after them!"
The Joseonese and the hostages run to a waiting ship, as Tsushiman soldiers pursue them close behind. As the Joseonese and hostages pass a certain point, booby traps are lit, which explode and throw huge plumes of fire everywhere and drive back the pursuers. Everyone makes it aboard safely and the vessel departs. It was a one heck of a successful operation (but where were the Tsushiman archers when the ship was leaving? Geez these guys are stupid).
At Osaki, ships from Izuhara and are greeted joyously by the main forces. Voiceover narration tells us that 131 hostages were rescued and freed in the operation, one of the most important achievements of the entire campaign.
The next day: Outside of So's camp, Toto Kumaju sees a messenger, who unfurls a scroll for him to see.
So is examining the scroll: "Lord of Tsushima, disarm and surrender immediately."
At the Joseon base: An archer aims his bow perilously towards Yi Chun and fires. The arrow strikes a beam; it carries a message. No surrender.
The commanders are discussing the refusal to surrender. Park Sil is irritated: "Civility is wasted on these crude pirates," so let's wipe them out. Yi Sunmong agrees: "We have to seize the momentum and finish them off." Choi Yundeok doesn't want to risk his men's lives unnecessarily and be overaggressive. But Yi Jongmu cautions that Japanese alliance forces might strike them if they sit and wait too long. It's a tricky call.
Kumotashi is before the lord of Kyushu, asking him to strike the Joseon navy from the rear. He talks like it will be a walk in the park; it will be easy to do and then Japan can conquer Joseon.
Huh Jo tells Sejong, "We must stop Kyushu from aiding Tsushima." "I will not attempt to win over the envoys," the king says. "I will attack them instead." Huh is incredulous: "Attack them?"
On the palace grounds, on the island across the long bridge: A banquet and dance ceremony are underway for the envoy; princes Hyoryeong and Kyoungnyeong are there too, along with ministers. Haishou is there with Huang Yan, and he cuts right to the chase: "Is this your attempt to soften us up?" Hyoryeong is doing the talking for Joseon; he smiles. "I thought we'd have a drink before the fight, but I guess not." What fight, Haishou wants to know. Hyoryeong explains, "It is my belief that only inferior men use force to suppress their opponents. What do you think?" Huang considers this, and replies, "You are the ones who want to fight the envoys of great Ming. So get to the point and tell us how you want to fight."
Flashback to Sejong with a befuddled Huh Jo, who says, "A poetry-writing contest against the envoys?" He wants to know who will go up against them--the two princes?
Two tables are set up opposite each other on the island. Jeong Inji and Shin Jang humbly introduce themselves to Huang, who can't believe it--they’re the contestants! You think that "Ordinary government officials can beat us in a poetry match?" "There's only one way to find out," says Hyoryeong. An irritated Huang tells him, If you lose this match, there will be no diplomatic support even if Yehjin is returned home safely. And if they win?, Hyoryeong asks. "That will never happen. And I will make certain never to forget the insult." And he is insulted, make no mistake about it. Paper and brushes ready, Huang starts it off: "The first rhyme will be 'nong' and 'gong.'" They begin. Spectators watch silently.
Continuing the flashback of Huh Jo and the king: Huh says that Haishou may be corrupt but he's a Ming civil servant, and "Are you aware of the high stands of the Ming civil service exams?" And Huang Yun is reputed to be the most literate of all the Ming imperial eunuchs....
A break in the contest: Jeong and Shin don't look confident and don't seem to have been doing so well. Talking to Yun Hwe, they express their doubts that they can win. Yun gives them a pep talk. You're the right men for the job, he tells them; the king believes that his scholars are better than anybody else's.
More of the flashback: "What if our scholars lose?" "I don't know," Sejong tells Huh, "I was so focused on my own fight that I didn't think that far." "What fight? Who are you fighting?" But all Sejong says is, "Now let's go and win." And he walks out of the room, as Huh lets out a sigh of exasperation.
Joseon cannons are being fired; it's a demonstration for Yei Suu's benefit. "Are you trying to intimidate me with this demonstration? May I take this as declaration of war against Kyushu?" Calm and cool, Sejong answers, "Joseon is a benevolent state and will never show aggression first. But I felt the need to show you what would happen to your soldiers if they should cross the ocean and attempt to hurt us."
Back inside the throne room: Sei Yuu is before Sejong, with ministers lining the sides. Sei tells the king, "I am at a loss to be intimidated this way when Kyushu has shown no declaration of hostile intentions toward Joseon." Sejong isn't buying it: "It sounds like you could declare it unofficially," he says. He wants Sei's written assurance, but Sei refuses to sign anything. To each other, ministers quietly express worries that nothing seems to be going right.
"'Geum' and 'shim.'" The contest continues. The round ends, the papers are gathered, and handed to the opponents for review. Now Jeong calls it: "Let us try 'twae' and 'lae' this time." The brushes skitter across the papers. Jeong and Shin start to look more confident...round over, papers traded and examined..."'Chung' and 'jung'"; back at it...Haishou starts to look a bit rattled; Huang looks a little less smug as the round ends and the papers are exchanged...Jeong calls "'Poong' and 'goong'"; and the brushes resume...but then the Ming brushes start to falter and Huang's actually stops. Jeong and Shin finish their poems, and Shin asks, "Um, we have a little time left, so I wonder if we write another poem while you're finishing off, would we win the match?" Haishou stands up and stomps away in frustration, and Huang's face is not exactly happy. "Did I say something wrong?", asks Shin with sincerity; he really doesn't know.
Huang and Haishou are inside. Huang says, "We don't have a choice. We have to sit at the negotiating table with the Joseonese and the Japanese. We have to back Joseon up." (Not sure if this means they've admitted losing the contest or if they've just had enough of it and are going to do what they know they should be doing anyway.) Suddenly, Yun Hwe and others enter, and Yun lays into the envoys: "We refuse to accept your help. You do not deserve to represent great Ming...Tell the emperor that it is not a good idea to send men of average literary talent to Joseon as his envoys." OUCH. This seems a risky attack, but after the insult Yun presses on: "It was your responsibility to come forward to help us before we asked--not for us but to save the life of Ming scholar Yehjin. But you sought to bargain with us with his life. What were you after? Were you trying to extort money from Joseon for your own personal gain? Or were you trying to avoid friction between Ming and Japan?" No answer. Huh continues, "We will send scholar Yehjin back to Ming as soon as he's rescued. So please return to Ming now." He bows and turns to leave. "Secretary Yun!" Huang asks Yun as he halts, "Are you saying you don't need Ming's support to contend with mainland Japan?” No, Yun tells him, we believe our king is wise enough to protect his people without the need of foreign aid. And with that the Joseonese leave.
Back to the throne room: "Please go back to Kyushu, emissary. And you will be the last Kyushuan to ever set foot on Joseon." Sei is incredulous; "I don't understand." "From this day forward," Sejong tells him, "Kyushu is our enemy. Audaciously, you are weighing Tsushima against Joseon. You would join hands with Tsushima and try to trick Joseon if you determined Tsushima has a chance of victory. Isn't that right?" Then Sejong issues orders to his ministers to order all trade and exchange stopped, all future tribute refused, and all cultural support to be discontinued. "I intend to do everything I can to isolate Kyushu diplomatically," he tells Sei, and if the shogunate attempts to aid you, well, "I'm quite anxious to find out if the shogunate will risk diplomatic severance with superior state Joseon to help Kyushu and Tsushima." He calmly rises and heads for the door: "Have a safe trip back home." Sei panics: "Forgive me, your majesty!" Sejong turns and looks back at him. "I assure you Kyushu has no interest to go up against Joseon. If my master is pondering such an idea I will dissuade him whatever it takes." Sejong glares back at him and immediately replies, "Deliver my message to your lord: Forgiveness can only be granted once. Don't make the same mistake twice." And he walks out. (NICE going; all-star work from Sejong.)
Taejong is sitting with Wongyeong and Hyobin. Wongyeong observes, "He certainly has a different style, but the king is quite graceful in the way he attends to state affairs." Then she acknowledges prince Kyoungnyeong's role in the "success with the Ming envoys." It's a gracious gesture to Hyobin, but her main point is to Taejong: "The king has the potential to put the royal house to work for him without being wary. I think he is ready to govern the kingdom without you." She clearly wants her husband to step away once and for all (and she's said so before). But Taejong says with annoyance, "I see you're still nosy as always about government affairs." She fires right back, "I can stop being nosy once you retire." He smiles at the comeback.
Evening: Sejong is standing in a courtyard. Walking through an adjoining hall, the queen sees him standing there. Yi Sun boldly steps in front of the queen and tells her, "Your highness, won't you see him if only for a moment and give him a few words of comfort?" The queen glares. "Get back in the line." Sun tells her that he's been spending every night in the Hall of Worthies since the war started (presumably, the implication being that he hasn't been with his concubines). But the queen walks away nonetheless, leaving Sun standing there. She still hasn't forgiven her husband for everything that happened.
We see Sei Yuu before the Kyushu lord Gen and his council; he's just reported to them. Gen realizes, "The Joseon king's forceful response leaves us no choice but to give up the alliance with Tsushima."
Back on Tsushima: Soldiers are looking up into the air, waiting. A bird flies down: it's a homing pigeon, delivering a message.
So has read the message. "Kyushu has denied our request for support?" His councilors seem to agree that surrender should be considered, but So won't have it: "We did not start this fight to give up this easily." But they point out that they're isolated and their coast is sealed off, so it's only a matter of time before the food supply runs out. "Then we will take the enemy's food supply!" says So with confidence. Nobody else is buying it, but So asks, "Where is their supply base?"
The night of June 29th, at the Joseon supply base: Tsushima soldiers creep up towards the base, which surprisingly is lightly guarded by only a few dozing soldiers. Inside a tent, Park Sil and a dozen or so of his subordinates are raising their cups and toasting victory. One of the men protests that this is not a good idea, because the wine is a special treat for only after the war has been won. But Park brushes him off: "This war as is good as won,...Besides, no one will notice a few bottles of wine missing." Suddenly, outside, flaming arrows. "Attack! Destroy the enemy!" Tsushimans sweep into the base and attack the guards, with much more skill then they’ve shown before (or maybe the guards are just drowsy). "Bastards!" says Park, who draws his sword and jumps into the fight. Park and the enemy commander lock swords....
The Joseon commanders are reviewing maps and discussing war plans at their camp. "There are over sixty ports on Tsushima Island," says Choi Yundeok. "We must seal them all off so they can't make a move."
So issues orders to get a request out for aid from Kyushu before the coast is sealed.
Joseon camp, Osaki: Yu Jeonghyun (who seems to be the civilian commander in all this) asks whether or not anything's been heard from Izuhara. Nothing yet. This could be the key to the whole war--particularly the rescue of the Ming scholar Yehjin. "This could become a drawn-out war" if we can't find him, Yu says.
So Sadamori's castle at Izuhara: Yi Chun's troops break into the jail building, kill the guards and free the ecstatic hostages. The troops look for the Ming scholar Yehjin, but he's not among the hostages. Back outside, the castle soldiers who have charged out to investigate the noisemakers are captured in net traps that fall from the trees.
The Ming envoy Huang Yan and Huh Jo are taking. Joseon wants Ming to come to the diplomatic table with them to avoid an all-out war with Japan. But Huang says that for him to persuade the emperor to agree to this, they need to have Yehjin back.
Sejong is meeting with his ministers. Huh Jo tells the king, "We've got to get Ming to the table and show their support"; it's the only way to offset Japan's entrance. But what if Joseon can't rescue Yehjin? Huh says that "We must find another way to win over the envoys." Pay them off? "I will not resort to bribery," Sejong says.
At the archery grounds: Taejong and Sejong are shooting together. Taejong observes, "There is no way to stop Japan's involvement in our war with Tsushima if Ming doesn't come to the table with us." He continues, "And that will lead to all-out war between Japan and Joseon. If you are prepared for it, I will not oppose." Sejong says nothing; just keeps shooting.
Back at the jail building: Choi Haesan and the Joseonese are trying to figure out where Yehjin might be. Jang Youngsil is with them; he says "There's a good chance they're holding him separately in a different cell." Makes sense. Looking around, he spots a solid door down a side hallway. The troops break it down; behind it is another door. We see on the other side of the door--a tortured, scarred, beaten Yehjin lying on the floor.
Sword-fighting continues on the island (and the Tsushimans really stink at it).
Back inside, the Joseonese are trying every key they can find on the door, but none is working. They try breaking down the door, but it's too tough. Then Youngsil goes off by himself, finds some rice left in a bowl, and starts mixing it with gunpowder. Huh?
We see So and his Tsushiman forces headed back towards So's castle.
A scout warns Choi Haesan that they need to get out of the castle ASAP. Then Youngsil runs to the cell door and applies the gunpowder/rice mixture to the lock. They all realize that the rice will dilute the gunpowder's strength and make it safe to use in close quarters, just strong enough to blow the lock. Good thinking. An interpreter shouts to Yehjin (if he's in there) to stay back from the door; Jang attaches a fuses, lights it...BOOM--a perfect little hole is blown in the door right where the lock used to be...and through the hole is the sight of Yehjin's face. Yehjin his helped to his feet and out of the cell. As he's carried out he asks what kind of weapon was used; the incident has fascinated him. Haesan laughs and tells Youngsil, "He's wondering about that in this chaos? Wow, I guess there's another wacko like you in Ming as well." Then he quickly tells the interpreter, "Don't translate that." (Very funny.) But then Yehjin asks Jang's name--and to everyone's surprise, he's asked it in fluent Joseonese.
So Sadamori and his troops return to the castle...to find the cells empty and the hostages gone, including Yehjin. "They couldn't be far," he tells his subordinates with a sneer. "Go after them!"
The Joseonese and the hostages run to a waiting ship, as Tsushiman soldiers pursue them close behind. As the Joseonese and hostages pass a certain point, booby traps are lit, which explode and throw huge plumes of fire everywhere and drive back the pursuers. Everyone makes it aboard safely and the vessel departs. It was a one heck of a successful operation (but where were the Tsushiman archers when the ship was leaving? Geez these guys are stupid).
At Osaki, ships from Izuhara and are greeted joyously by the main forces. Voiceover narration tells us that 131 hostages were rescued and freed in the operation, one of the most important achievements of the entire campaign.
The next day: Outside of So's camp, Toto Kumaju sees a messenger, who unfurls a scroll for him to see.
So is examining the scroll: "Lord of Tsushima, disarm and surrender immediately."
At the Joseon base: An archer aims his bow perilously towards Yi Chun and fires. The arrow strikes a beam; it carries a message. No surrender.
The commanders are discussing the refusal to surrender. Park Sil is irritated: "Civility is wasted on these crude pirates," so let's wipe them out. Yi Sunmong agrees: "We have to seize the momentum and finish them off." Choi Yundeok doesn't want to risk his men's lives unnecessarily and be overaggressive. But Yi Jongmu cautions that Japanese alliance forces might strike them if they sit and wait too long. It's a tricky call.
Kumotashi is before the lord of Kyushu, asking him to strike the Joseon navy from the rear. He talks like it will be a walk in the park; it will be easy to do and then Japan can conquer Joseon.
Huh Jo tells Sejong, "We must stop Kyushu from aiding Tsushima." "I will not attempt to win over the envoys," the king says. "I will attack them instead." Huh is incredulous: "Attack them?"
On the palace grounds, on the island across the long bridge: A banquet and dance ceremony are underway for the envoy; princes Hyoryeong and Kyoungnyeong are there too, along with ministers. Haishou is there with Huang Yan, and he cuts right to the chase: "Is this your attempt to soften us up?" Hyoryeong is doing the talking for Joseon; he smiles. "I thought we'd have a drink before the fight, but I guess not." What fight, Haishou wants to know. Hyoryeong explains, "It is my belief that only inferior men use force to suppress their opponents. What do you think?" Huang considers this, and replies, "You are the ones who want to fight the envoys of great Ming. So get to the point and tell us how you want to fight."
Flashback to Sejong with a befuddled Huh Jo, who says, "A poetry-writing contest against the envoys?" He wants to know who will go up against them--the two princes?
Two tables are set up opposite each other on the island. Jeong Inji and Shin Jang humbly introduce themselves to Huang, who can't believe it--they’re the contestants! You think that "Ordinary government officials can beat us in a poetry match?" "There's only one way to find out," says Hyoryeong. An irritated Huang tells him, If you lose this match, there will be no diplomatic support even if Yehjin is returned home safely. And if they win?, Hyoryeong asks. "That will never happen. And I will make certain never to forget the insult." And he is insulted, make no mistake about it. Paper and brushes ready, Huang starts it off: "The first rhyme will be 'nong' and 'gong.'" They begin. Spectators watch silently.
Continuing the flashback of Huh Jo and the king: Huh says that Haishou may be corrupt but he's a Ming civil servant, and "Are you aware of the high stands of the Ming civil service exams?" And Huang Yun is reputed to be the most literate of all the Ming imperial eunuchs....
A break in the contest: Jeong and Shin don't look confident and don't seem to have been doing so well. Talking to Yun Hwe, they express their doubts that they can win. Yun gives them a pep talk. You're the right men for the job, he tells them; the king believes that his scholars are better than anybody else's.
More of the flashback: "What if our scholars lose?" "I don't know," Sejong tells Huh, "I was so focused on my own fight that I didn't think that far." "What fight? Who are you fighting?" But all Sejong says is, "Now let's go and win." And he walks out of the room, as Huh lets out a sigh of exasperation.
Joseon cannons are being fired; it's a demonstration for Yei Suu's benefit. "Are you trying to intimidate me with this demonstration? May I take this as declaration of war against Kyushu?" Calm and cool, Sejong answers, "Joseon is a benevolent state and will never show aggression first. But I felt the need to show you what would happen to your soldiers if they should cross the ocean and attempt to hurt us."
Back inside the throne room: Sei Yuu is before Sejong, with ministers lining the sides. Sei tells the king, "I am at a loss to be intimidated this way when Kyushu has shown no declaration of hostile intentions toward Joseon." Sejong isn't buying it: "It sounds like you could declare it unofficially," he says. He wants Sei's written assurance, but Sei refuses to sign anything. To each other, ministers quietly express worries that nothing seems to be going right.
"'Geum' and 'shim.'" The contest continues. The round ends, the papers are gathered, and handed to the opponents for review. Now Jeong calls it: "Let us try 'twae' and 'lae' this time." The brushes skitter across the papers. Jeong and Shin start to look more confident...round over, papers traded and examined..."'Chung' and 'jung'"; back at it...Haishou starts to look a bit rattled; Huang looks a little less smug as the round ends and the papers are exchanged...Jeong calls "'Poong' and 'goong'"; and the brushes resume...but then the Ming brushes start to falter and Huang's actually stops. Jeong and Shin finish their poems, and Shin asks, "Um, we have a little time left, so I wonder if we write another poem while you're finishing off, would we win the match?" Haishou stands up and stomps away in frustration, and Huang's face is not exactly happy. "Did I say something wrong?", asks Shin with sincerity; he really doesn't know.
Huang and Haishou are inside. Huang says, "We don't have a choice. We have to sit at the negotiating table with the Joseonese and the Japanese. We have to back Joseon up." (Not sure if this means they've admitted losing the contest or if they've just had enough of it and are going to do what they know they should be doing anyway.) Suddenly, Yun Hwe and others enter, and Yun lays into the envoys: "We refuse to accept your help. You do not deserve to represent great Ming...Tell the emperor that it is not a good idea to send men of average literary talent to Joseon as his envoys." OUCH. This seems a risky attack, but after the insult Yun presses on: "It was your responsibility to come forward to help us before we asked--not for us but to save the life of Ming scholar Yehjin. But you sought to bargain with us with his life. What were you after? Were you trying to extort money from Joseon for your own personal gain? Or were you trying to avoid friction between Ming and Japan?" No answer. Huh continues, "We will send scholar Yehjin back to Ming as soon as he's rescued. So please return to Ming now." He bows and turns to leave. "Secretary Yun!" Huang asks Yun as he halts, "Are you saying you don't need Ming's support to contend with mainland Japan?” No, Yun tells him, we believe our king is wise enough to protect his people without the need of foreign aid. And with that the Joseonese leave.
Back to the throne room: "Please go back to Kyushu, emissary. And you will be the last Kyushuan to ever set foot on Joseon." Sei is incredulous; "I don't understand." "From this day forward," Sejong tells him, "Kyushu is our enemy. Audaciously, you are weighing Tsushima against Joseon. You would join hands with Tsushima and try to trick Joseon if you determined Tsushima has a chance of victory. Isn't that right?" Then Sejong issues orders to his ministers to order all trade and exchange stopped, all future tribute refused, and all cultural support to be discontinued. "I intend to do everything I can to isolate Kyushu diplomatically," he tells Sei, and if the shogunate attempts to aid you, well, "I'm quite anxious to find out if the shogunate will risk diplomatic severance with superior state Joseon to help Kyushu and Tsushima." He calmly rises and heads for the door: "Have a safe trip back home." Sei panics: "Forgive me, your majesty!" Sejong turns and looks back at him. "I assure you Kyushu has no interest to go up against Joseon. If my master is pondering such an idea I will dissuade him whatever it takes." Sejong glares back at him and immediately replies, "Deliver my message to your lord: Forgiveness can only be granted once. Don't make the same mistake twice." And he walks out. (NICE going; all-star work from Sejong.)
Taejong is sitting with Wongyeong and Hyobin. Wongyeong observes, "He certainly has a different style, but the king is quite graceful in the way he attends to state affairs." Then she acknowledges prince Kyoungnyeong's role in the "success with the Ming envoys." It's a gracious gesture to Hyobin, but her main point is to Taejong: "The king has the potential to put the royal house to work for him without being wary. I think he is ready to govern the kingdom without you." She clearly wants her husband to step away once and for all (and she's said so before). But Taejong says with annoyance, "I see you're still nosy as always about government affairs." She fires right back, "I can stop being nosy once you retire." He smiles at the comeback.
Evening: Sejong is standing in a courtyard. Walking through an adjoining hall, the queen sees him standing there. Yi Sun boldly steps in front of the queen and tells her, "Your highness, won't you see him if only for a moment and give him a few words of comfort?" The queen glares. "Get back in the line." Sun tells her that he's been spending every night in the Hall of Worthies since the war started (presumably, the implication being that he hasn't been with his concubines). But the queen walks away nonetheless, leaving Sun standing there. She still hasn't forgiven her husband for everything that happened.
We see Sei Yuu before the Kyushu lord Gen and his council; he's just reported to them. Gen realizes, "The Joseon king's forceful response leaves us no choice but to give up the alliance with Tsushima."
Back on Tsushima: Soldiers are looking up into the air, waiting. A bird flies down: it's a homing pigeon, delivering a message.
So has read the message. "Kyushu has denied our request for support?" His councilors seem to agree that surrender should be considered, but So won't have it: "We did not start this fight to give up this easily." But they point out that they're isolated and their coast is sealed off, so it's only a matter of time before the food supply runs out. "Then we will take the enemy's food supply!" says So with confidence. Nobody else is buying it, but So asks, "Where is their supply base?"
The night of June 29th, at the Joseon supply base: Tsushima soldiers creep up towards the base, which surprisingly is lightly guarded by only a few dozing soldiers. Inside a tent, Park Sil and a dozen or so of his subordinates are raising their cups and toasting victory. One of the men protests that this is not a good idea, because the wine is a special treat for only after the war has been won. But Park brushes him off: "This war as is good as won,...Besides, no one will notice a few bottles of wine missing." Suddenly, outside, flaming arrows. "Attack! Destroy the enemy!" Tsushimans sweep into the base and attack the guards, with much more skill then they’ve shown before (or maybe the guards are just drowsy). "Bastards!" says Park, who draws his sword and jumps into the fight. Park and the enemy commander lock swords....