Post by ajk on Jun 9, 2009 13:00:09 GMT -5
(Note: As before, scenes previously seen in the first episodes are prefaced with "R:".)
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"I will defy divine will if that's what it takes to rectify this state." And yes, Hunae acknowledges, I'm talking treason. But if that's what it takes, so be it. Chiyang supports her: "The king is unfit to rule this country. You must come forward." And he volunteers to lead the vanguard troops (wherever those will come from). But Gang Jo is aghast at Hunae's talk, and warns her, "This is not something to speak hastily of...It requires meticulous preparation." And he's seething at Chiyang.
Nighttime, back at Yunju Fort: The battle rages on. The Khitans are trying to scale the city walls, but a combination of arrows from soldiers and rocks and boiling water from villagers atop the walls is keeping them at bay.
At ground level, we suddenly are shown a lone horseman fleeing the scene: two soldiers pursue him. Then the pursuers stop and smile. What gives?
"They're resilient bastards," Yelu Chu is told; he orders more troops thrown into the battle. Then he's told of the enemy messenger who went to bring back reinforcements. Chu smiles with satisfaction, since this is exactly what the Khitans want. That must have been the horseman. But Gamchan would absolutely not have requested reinforcements, so again, what gives?
The battle continues. Some gorgeous panoramic shots of the Khitan army attacking the fort walls; well done. And atop the walls, Gamchan is kicking butt--a heck of a fighter. Then he spies the village chief further ahead and above him along the walls, carrying a torch. He's headed towards the highest point of the fort--just where a signal flare would be located. Uh-oh. Gamchan frantically pursues him, fighting his way upwards. He reaches the chief just in time, draws his bow and orders him to drop the torch as it hovers near the flare. The chief hesitates, but his fear is too strong and he moves to light the flare. Gamchan shoots the chief in the arm, knocking the torch away...just in time to hear the cry of retreat. We see the Khitans falling back en masse away from the walls. The soldiers and villagers erupt with joy. Gamchan and the chief rejoin them. Gamchan isn't all that happy, though. "They weren't after this fort to begin with. They were just causing clamor and commotion," he says. "They're trying to lure our main army out of the Northern Protectorate." At this, the chief gets a haunted, guilty look about him. He confesses that he sent his son out to get help from the Northern Protectorate army. That was the horseman. Uh-oh number two.
The chief's son arrives at central army headquarters; he tells Park Yangyu that the Khitans are at Yunju. This is troubling news, but Park makes a gutsy call: Let's not be hasty; let's at least wait until morning and assess the situation.
An emergency state meeting: The king is told of the report that the Khitans are at Yunju. The Shillans are begging the king to evacuate Seogyeong, retreat and cede the territory. They speculate that Seo Hui's army must have been defeated if the enemy is at Yunju, and that's very possible if the Khitans are 800,000 strong. But Yi Jibaek is trying to talk sense: This is all preliminary and unconfirmed, and we must not forsake the territory on unconfirmed information. And then he kneels before the king and passionately tells him, "If you must forsake this land, bury me here first. I'd rather die with honor and face King Taejo in heaven with dignity rather than live to see the enemy take this land."
Narration tells us that historical records indicate Yi Jibaek making a longer version of this very plea to the king, and even begging the king to "stop using the borrowed customs of a foreign land." It was Yi's plea, we're told, that convinced the king to change his mind and not evacuate.
We see Prince Gyeongjuwon with his baby. The baby looks healthy. He reminisces about his past with Seol. His grief may be easing, but her loss still hurts him.
Hwangju: Refugees are being tended by Princess Sun and the others from Myeongbok Palace. Now Sun is the one reminiscing, about playing with her young friend Prince Gaeryeong in the royal palace during happier times. Yi Sulhwa is there and remarks to Sun that she's been talking about the prince an awful lot lately. Which only embarrasses Sun.
By the Daedong riverfront, Hunae and Hyangbi talk. Hunae seems to feel an almost motherly affection for Hyangbi; she wants to see her married eventually. "If we make it through this war," she says, "I'll find you a husband." (The line starts here, lady.) Hyangbi doesn't like this; she wants only to stay at Myeongbok Palace and serve Hunae with her brother. In fact, the idea upsets her so much that she runs away.
Nearby, Gang Jo confronts Chiyang. "What's your motive? Why are you egging the lady into a dangerous situation?" Do you think she's wrong?, Chiyang asks in return. Politics isn't my business, Gang replies, but this is a dangerous game and there's more to Hunae's brother/sister relationship than you know about. Chiyang dismisses that; it's about the country, so who cares about a brother. "You really are a dangerous man," Jo says; stay away from Hunae, and don't mess with me "or your head will come off." "I am not your subordinate," Chiyang responds icily, "so do not give me orders." They glare at each other until Hunae walks up and tells them to knock it off.
At the royal palace: That smarmy Escort Jo is bragging to the other attendants that her brother Jo Sun is "raking it in" from his trading post, because he anticipated the war and stockpiled grains. The other attendants are disgusted by this; it's war profiteering, plain and simple. But then they all go silent, and Jo turns around to find an angry queen Munhwa standing behind her. Busss-ted. "Summon your brother at once!"
Jo Sun and Jo Du are before the queen. That was fast. "Are you profiteering from suffering people?", she demands angrily. We're just doing what Wonsoong told us to do, they say. She orders them to stop immediately and distribute the grains to the people. But Jo Sun refuses! Apparently he'd rather defy the queen than disobey Wonsoong. (Idiot.) Fine, Munhwa says, then the state will confiscate the grains and distribute them for you. Jo Sun admits he's afraid of being punished by Wonsoong, but the queen won't tolerate the profiteering and she even says she'll cut her ties with her father if he keeps doing it. (Once again, a solid display of character from her.)
Seo Hui is trying to figure out what the enemy is up to....
R: Sa Illa arrives in Jurchen territory and reports to Sa Gamun and their tribal elder. She came out of concern for Chiyang, because she's learned that an army of 20,000 Khitans is headed southward towards Anyoongjin Fort, where Chiyang is with Hunae. She begs them to send Jurchen reinforcements to save him. But Chiyang had specifically ordered that no such action be taken. So they won't do it. However: "There is another way," says the elder. "We can give the information to the Goryeans." Apparently they're unaware of the army movement.
R: At the Daedong riverfront: Surprise! Here come the Khitans. The riverfront defenders scramble to take up battle formations, alert the fort commander, and plan a delaying action to allow the fort to prepare. Then as the first Khitan cavalry units charge forward and attack, suddenly Hunae and her army ride out and engage them. They do some initial damage, but they're overmatched and they have no choice but to retreat. And then the main Khitan army begins its advance under a hail of covering fire, forcing all of the Goryeans behind the riverfront barricade.
R: Back at the fort, commander Yi panics and loses his nerve; clearly he's going to be useless. The retreating Goryeans scramble into the fort. The Khitans arrive on their heels, but then stop in front of the fort. One of their officers, on horseback, moves to the front of the army while holding a white flag of truce. He shouts that the Goryeans' lives will be spared if they surrender the fort quietly. As Hunae and Gang Jo scrambles up to the top of the main gate, Yi orders the fort surrendered. He has no nerve to fight. Colonel Dae and the soldiers are outraged. Then Hunae steps forward and decks him. Pow! She identifies herself to the fort's soldiers and exhorts them to fight without fear. They realize that she's who she says she is, and kneel before her as Yi fumes. Then she picks up her bow, fires an arrow and kills the Khitan officer holding the white flag. (See my separate thread about this.) Then she points an arrow right at Yi's face and offers him the choice of fighting or dying right then and there. He says he'll fight; what else can he do. Meanwhile, the Khitans have seen enough and fire up the war machine. They've got catapults ready and they load them up with flaming projectiles and heavy stones. They believe that the main Goryean army doesn't know that they're here, and they make it top priority that no Goryeans be allowed to escape the scene.
Xiao Sunning is impatiently waiting for a report of good news from Anyoongjin. Then someone arrives...but it's not a report. It's another Goryean envoy. Jang Young has made it at last. Xiao comes out to receive him, coldly, and demands that Jang identify himself. Jang does--First Secretary of Ministry of Rites—and Xiao doesn't like the sound of that. What's your rank?, he demands. First class, fifth rank. Ooooh, bad answer. Xiao blows up: "He wants peace and sends a fifth-rank flunky?" Jang is dumbfounded and speechless. "Go back and tell your king to come here himself. Or at least send his high minister to kneel and beg. Audacious bastard!" He storms off in anger.
R: Sa Illa arrives at the reserve army headquarters. She tells Park Yangyu about the Khitan army and begs him to send reinforcements. (We're supposed to overlook that she went from the Northern Protectorate all the way up to Jurchen territory and then all the way down to the Goryeo capital in impossibly short times.) But Park doesn't believe her; he accuses her of being a Khitan spy and orders her removed and executed. She's dragged outside, whereupon she manages to shake herself free, wrestle a sword away from a soldier and then take on an entire squad of armed Goryeo troops. (More comic-book Sa Illa idiocy. I can only wonder how the Korean viewership reacted to seeing one petite Jurchen girl making fools of a whole bunch of Goryeans.) Finally an officer steps forth, defeats her (Gee, does he have kryptonite?) and prepares to deliver a death blow, when suddenly Gamchan arrives on the scene. He recognizes the girl as Chiyang's subordinate. She sure is grateful to see him; the timing saves her life. Yangyu recognizes him. which gets her off the hook, and he identifies himself to Park, who asks him why he's come.
R: Gamchan confirms Sa Illa's information and urges Park to send reinforcements. But Park doesn't believe Gamchan either, mainly because of the earlier report from the village chief's son that the enemy is in Yunju--clear in the opposite direction. But Gamchan has just come from Yunju and explains that the Yunju force was only a diversion and that the real Khitan strategy is to strike the Northern Protectorate. Park dismisses it as speculation. Finally a desperate Gamchan grabs a sword from a solider...and then offers it to Park and kneels. "Sir, take my life if you do not believe me. If you don't find Anyoongjin under enemy attack, I will offer my head to you again."
R: A novel Khitan strategy: Wooden projectiles to which thick ropes are attached are fired into the fort, where they lodge themselves in the wooden barriers that stand above and behind the fort walls. The ropes are looped through the back of the projectiles, and Khitan soldiers grab the ropes and ride cable-car style up into the air and onto the fort walls (even though some get picked off like clay pigeons). The Goryeans can't manage to cut the ropes quickly enough (Seriously? Oh well, it's a neat sequence so I guess we can let that slide) and soon fighting breaks out on the walls. Then ladders are brought forward, (some nice stunt work here, riding the ladders up the wall vertically) and at the same time the Khitans get the gate open, and all hell breaks loose. It's a long battle; the Goryeans are managing to hold their own, if only because the Khitans can only get so many soldiers into the fort at one time. And then: reinforcements! Goryean reinforcements led by Gang Gamchan. Not clear how many, but enough to put the Khitans to flight. Gang finds Hunae and credits Sa Illa with alerting him to bring the reinforcements. Then Gang turns the reinforcements over to Colonel Dae and orders him to pursue and wipe out the retreating Khitans. This is critical and could end the war right here and now. Gamchan will head back to report to Seo Hui.
R: So everybody goes chasing after the Khitans on horseback, including Hunae and her army. Then, suddenly, Hunae goes off by herself and tries to chase down several fleeing Khitans, one of which is the commanding officer (wasn't sure which officer it was; I lost track). She's firing arrows with absurd precision and methodically killing them. She's not completely alone; Chiyang is chasing after her and trying to call her back, lest she stray too far away from her army's protection.
R: Back at the mopping-up, Colonel Dae confronts Gang Jo. I've been watching you--your spearsmanship--"How are you related to General Gang Ho of Balhae?" Apparently Dae can recognize the technique. But whatever this is about, it's quickly broken up as everyone realizes Hunae is missing.
Xiao is even more impatient: Why no report of victory yet? Then a soldier enters with news--no, not a report; it's another envoy! And this time, it's the enemy commander. This gets Xiao's attention, no doubt about it. He goes outside and there's Seo Hui standing there. Knowing of the previous envoy's snub, Seo glares at Xiao and says, "I heard you wanted to see a high minister, so I came myself."
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"I will defy divine will if that's what it takes to rectify this state." And yes, Hunae acknowledges, I'm talking treason. But if that's what it takes, so be it. Chiyang supports her: "The king is unfit to rule this country. You must come forward." And he volunteers to lead the vanguard troops (wherever those will come from). But Gang Jo is aghast at Hunae's talk, and warns her, "This is not something to speak hastily of...It requires meticulous preparation." And he's seething at Chiyang.
Nighttime, back at Yunju Fort: The battle rages on. The Khitans are trying to scale the city walls, but a combination of arrows from soldiers and rocks and boiling water from villagers atop the walls is keeping them at bay.
At ground level, we suddenly are shown a lone horseman fleeing the scene: two soldiers pursue him. Then the pursuers stop and smile. What gives?
"They're resilient bastards," Yelu Chu is told; he orders more troops thrown into the battle. Then he's told of the enemy messenger who went to bring back reinforcements. Chu smiles with satisfaction, since this is exactly what the Khitans want. That must have been the horseman. But Gamchan would absolutely not have requested reinforcements, so again, what gives?
The battle continues. Some gorgeous panoramic shots of the Khitan army attacking the fort walls; well done. And atop the walls, Gamchan is kicking butt--a heck of a fighter. Then he spies the village chief further ahead and above him along the walls, carrying a torch. He's headed towards the highest point of the fort--just where a signal flare would be located. Uh-oh. Gamchan frantically pursues him, fighting his way upwards. He reaches the chief just in time, draws his bow and orders him to drop the torch as it hovers near the flare. The chief hesitates, but his fear is too strong and he moves to light the flare. Gamchan shoots the chief in the arm, knocking the torch away...just in time to hear the cry of retreat. We see the Khitans falling back en masse away from the walls. The soldiers and villagers erupt with joy. Gamchan and the chief rejoin them. Gamchan isn't all that happy, though. "They weren't after this fort to begin with. They were just causing clamor and commotion," he says. "They're trying to lure our main army out of the Northern Protectorate." At this, the chief gets a haunted, guilty look about him. He confesses that he sent his son out to get help from the Northern Protectorate army. That was the horseman. Uh-oh number two.
The chief's son arrives at central army headquarters; he tells Park Yangyu that the Khitans are at Yunju. This is troubling news, but Park makes a gutsy call: Let's not be hasty; let's at least wait until morning and assess the situation.
An emergency state meeting: The king is told of the report that the Khitans are at Yunju. The Shillans are begging the king to evacuate Seogyeong, retreat and cede the territory. They speculate that Seo Hui's army must have been defeated if the enemy is at Yunju, and that's very possible if the Khitans are 800,000 strong. But Yi Jibaek is trying to talk sense: This is all preliminary and unconfirmed, and we must not forsake the territory on unconfirmed information. And then he kneels before the king and passionately tells him, "If you must forsake this land, bury me here first. I'd rather die with honor and face King Taejo in heaven with dignity rather than live to see the enemy take this land."
Narration tells us that historical records indicate Yi Jibaek making a longer version of this very plea to the king, and even begging the king to "stop using the borrowed customs of a foreign land." It was Yi's plea, we're told, that convinced the king to change his mind and not evacuate.
We see Prince Gyeongjuwon with his baby. The baby looks healthy. He reminisces about his past with Seol. His grief may be easing, but her loss still hurts him.
Hwangju: Refugees are being tended by Princess Sun and the others from Myeongbok Palace. Now Sun is the one reminiscing, about playing with her young friend Prince Gaeryeong in the royal palace during happier times. Yi Sulhwa is there and remarks to Sun that she's been talking about the prince an awful lot lately. Which only embarrasses Sun.
By the Daedong riverfront, Hunae and Hyangbi talk. Hunae seems to feel an almost motherly affection for Hyangbi; she wants to see her married eventually. "If we make it through this war," she says, "I'll find you a husband." (The line starts here, lady.) Hyangbi doesn't like this; she wants only to stay at Myeongbok Palace and serve Hunae with her brother. In fact, the idea upsets her so much that she runs away.
Nearby, Gang Jo confronts Chiyang. "What's your motive? Why are you egging the lady into a dangerous situation?" Do you think she's wrong?, Chiyang asks in return. Politics isn't my business, Gang replies, but this is a dangerous game and there's more to Hunae's brother/sister relationship than you know about. Chiyang dismisses that; it's about the country, so who cares about a brother. "You really are a dangerous man," Jo says; stay away from Hunae, and don't mess with me "or your head will come off." "I am not your subordinate," Chiyang responds icily, "so do not give me orders." They glare at each other until Hunae walks up and tells them to knock it off.
At the royal palace: That smarmy Escort Jo is bragging to the other attendants that her brother Jo Sun is "raking it in" from his trading post, because he anticipated the war and stockpiled grains. The other attendants are disgusted by this; it's war profiteering, plain and simple. But then they all go silent, and Jo turns around to find an angry queen Munhwa standing behind her. Busss-ted. "Summon your brother at once!"
Jo Sun and Jo Du are before the queen. That was fast. "Are you profiteering from suffering people?", she demands angrily. We're just doing what Wonsoong told us to do, they say. She orders them to stop immediately and distribute the grains to the people. But Jo Sun refuses! Apparently he'd rather defy the queen than disobey Wonsoong. (Idiot.) Fine, Munhwa says, then the state will confiscate the grains and distribute them for you. Jo Sun admits he's afraid of being punished by Wonsoong, but the queen won't tolerate the profiteering and she even says she'll cut her ties with her father if he keeps doing it. (Once again, a solid display of character from her.)
Seo Hui is trying to figure out what the enemy is up to....
R: Sa Illa arrives in Jurchen territory and reports to Sa Gamun and their tribal elder. She came out of concern for Chiyang, because she's learned that an army of 20,000 Khitans is headed southward towards Anyoongjin Fort, where Chiyang is with Hunae. She begs them to send Jurchen reinforcements to save him. But Chiyang had specifically ordered that no such action be taken. So they won't do it. However: "There is another way," says the elder. "We can give the information to the Goryeans." Apparently they're unaware of the army movement.
R: At the Daedong riverfront: Surprise! Here come the Khitans. The riverfront defenders scramble to take up battle formations, alert the fort commander, and plan a delaying action to allow the fort to prepare. Then as the first Khitan cavalry units charge forward and attack, suddenly Hunae and her army ride out and engage them. They do some initial damage, but they're overmatched and they have no choice but to retreat. And then the main Khitan army begins its advance under a hail of covering fire, forcing all of the Goryeans behind the riverfront barricade.
R: Back at the fort, commander Yi panics and loses his nerve; clearly he's going to be useless. The retreating Goryeans scramble into the fort. The Khitans arrive on their heels, but then stop in front of the fort. One of their officers, on horseback, moves to the front of the army while holding a white flag of truce. He shouts that the Goryeans' lives will be spared if they surrender the fort quietly. As Hunae and Gang Jo scrambles up to the top of the main gate, Yi orders the fort surrendered. He has no nerve to fight. Colonel Dae and the soldiers are outraged. Then Hunae steps forward and decks him. Pow! She identifies herself to the fort's soldiers and exhorts them to fight without fear. They realize that she's who she says she is, and kneel before her as Yi fumes. Then she picks up her bow, fires an arrow and kills the Khitan officer holding the white flag. (See my separate thread about this.) Then she points an arrow right at Yi's face and offers him the choice of fighting or dying right then and there. He says he'll fight; what else can he do. Meanwhile, the Khitans have seen enough and fire up the war machine. They've got catapults ready and they load them up with flaming projectiles and heavy stones. They believe that the main Goryean army doesn't know that they're here, and they make it top priority that no Goryeans be allowed to escape the scene.
Xiao Sunning is impatiently waiting for a report of good news from Anyoongjin. Then someone arrives...but it's not a report. It's another Goryean envoy. Jang Young has made it at last. Xiao comes out to receive him, coldly, and demands that Jang identify himself. Jang does--First Secretary of Ministry of Rites—and Xiao doesn't like the sound of that. What's your rank?, he demands. First class, fifth rank. Ooooh, bad answer. Xiao blows up: "He wants peace and sends a fifth-rank flunky?" Jang is dumbfounded and speechless. "Go back and tell your king to come here himself. Or at least send his high minister to kneel and beg. Audacious bastard!" He storms off in anger.
R: Sa Illa arrives at the reserve army headquarters. She tells Park Yangyu about the Khitan army and begs him to send reinforcements. (We're supposed to overlook that she went from the Northern Protectorate all the way up to Jurchen territory and then all the way down to the Goryeo capital in impossibly short times.) But Park doesn't believe her; he accuses her of being a Khitan spy and orders her removed and executed. She's dragged outside, whereupon she manages to shake herself free, wrestle a sword away from a soldier and then take on an entire squad of armed Goryeo troops. (More comic-book Sa Illa idiocy. I can only wonder how the Korean viewership reacted to seeing one petite Jurchen girl making fools of a whole bunch of Goryeans.) Finally an officer steps forth, defeats her (Gee, does he have kryptonite?) and prepares to deliver a death blow, when suddenly Gamchan arrives on the scene. He recognizes the girl as Chiyang's subordinate. She sure is grateful to see him; the timing saves her life. Yangyu recognizes him. which gets her off the hook, and he identifies himself to Park, who asks him why he's come.
R: Gamchan confirms Sa Illa's information and urges Park to send reinforcements. But Park doesn't believe Gamchan either, mainly because of the earlier report from the village chief's son that the enemy is in Yunju--clear in the opposite direction. But Gamchan has just come from Yunju and explains that the Yunju force was only a diversion and that the real Khitan strategy is to strike the Northern Protectorate. Park dismisses it as speculation. Finally a desperate Gamchan grabs a sword from a solider...and then offers it to Park and kneels. "Sir, take my life if you do not believe me. If you don't find Anyoongjin under enemy attack, I will offer my head to you again."
R: A novel Khitan strategy: Wooden projectiles to which thick ropes are attached are fired into the fort, where they lodge themselves in the wooden barriers that stand above and behind the fort walls. The ropes are looped through the back of the projectiles, and Khitan soldiers grab the ropes and ride cable-car style up into the air and onto the fort walls (even though some get picked off like clay pigeons). The Goryeans can't manage to cut the ropes quickly enough (Seriously? Oh well, it's a neat sequence so I guess we can let that slide) and soon fighting breaks out on the walls. Then ladders are brought forward, (some nice stunt work here, riding the ladders up the wall vertically) and at the same time the Khitans get the gate open, and all hell breaks loose. It's a long battle; the Goryeans are managing to hold their own, if only because the Khitans can only get so many soldiers into the fort at one time. And then: reinforcements! Goryean reinforcements led by Gang Gamchan. Not clear how many, but enough to put the Khitans to flight. Gang finds Hunae and credits Sa Illa with alerting him to bring the reinforcements. Then Gang turns the reinforcements over to Colonel Dae and orders him to pursue and wipe out the retreating Khitans. This is critical and could end the war right here and now. Gamchan will head back to report to Seo Hui.
R: So everybody goes chasing after the Khitans on horseback, including Hunae and her army. Then, suddenly, Hunae goes off by herself and tries to chase down several fleeing Khitans, one of which is the commanding officer (wasn't sure which officer it was; I lost track). She's firing arrows with absurd precision and methodically killing them. She's not completely alone; Chiyang is chasing after her and trying to call her back, lest she stray too far away from her army's protection.
R: Back at the mopping-up, Colonel Dae confronts Gang Jo. I've been watching you--your spearsmanship--"How are you related to General Gang Ho of Balhae?" Apparently Dae can recognize the technique. But whatever this is about, it's quickly broken up as everyone realizes Hunae is missing.
Xiao is even more impatient: Why no report of victory yet? Then a soldier enters with news--no, not a report; it's another envoy! And this time, it's the enemy commander. This gets Xiao's attention, no doubt about it. He goes outside and there's Seo Hui standing there. Knowing of the previous envoy's snub, Seo glares at Xiao and says, "I heard you wanted to see a high minister, so I came myself."