Post by ajk on Dec 3, 2009 19:18:16 GMT -5
Yelu Wuji's Khitan soldiers and Cheonchu's Goryeans charge each other and a battle breaks out right there in the Choongju Palace courtyard. Wuji makes his way over to Cheonchu and wants to fight her, but Su No tells him he needs to go track down the emperor. So he reluctantly leaves with some of his soldiers while Su No and the rest keep the Goryeans pinned down. All the while in the middle of this, Bakdol has been standing there in the middle of the courtyard in the emperor's robe. He yells out to the departing Khitans that they shouldn't be leaving, that he's the emperor. It's actually funny--but only for about two seconds, because Su No comes up to him from behind and slashes him. He falls dead.
Not far away, in the woods: Hyeonjong is wearing Bakdol's attendant uniform and he and his party are trying to flee. But here come Wuji's Khitans. Ji Chaemun stands his ground while the others flee, and kills several Khitans in rapid succession with an impressive display of archery. But the rest of the Khitans just keep on going, paying him no attention. Then Gamchan turns and starts to sword-fight them, and he kills a bunch himself. But too many of them are running in, and soon Gamchan and the rest of the group are surrounded. Swords are held to all of their throats. Wuji dismounts and approaches. "Which one of you is the emperor?" He's not with us, Gamchan bluffs; Wuji doesn't buy it. Then the attendant Myeongil volunteers that he's the emperor. Wuji doesn't buy that either; he turns to the other person an attendant clothes and says, "Then this one's just an attendant, so you won't mind if I kill...." He raises his sword, and Choe Hang has to step in front of him to stop him from striking the emperor. Busss-ted. Pretty clever of Wuji. "Now I know who the real emperor is." The Khitans are about to seize him and kill the others, but Cheonchu and some of her men finally arrive on the scene. She challenges him to a duel and he readily accepts, having thirsted for revenge ever since she shot his left eye out thirty years or so ago. "I swear I will rip your eyeball out," he growls at her, "if it means letting the emperor get away."
Back at Cheonchu palace, Cheonchu's remaining soldiers are fighting the remaining Khitans. Incredibly, Kim Jonghyun outduels and kills Su No. Not only that, but he also kills another high-ranking Khitan--the axe-wielder who struck the final blow to Gang Jo. He's never been identified but he likely is a general too. So that's at least two Khitan generals and probably three that Kim Jonghyun has killed in a matter of days. Very impressive. Now the Khitan soldiers are leaderless....
Back in the woods, Wuji orders everyone to stand back. So the opposing soldiers and the emperor and everybody else all just stand there while he and Cheonchu fight. Challenging Wuji was typical rash, reckless Cheonchu, and as soon as they start she knows she's in trouble. He may be older, but he's bigger, stronger, and wields a nasty-looking curved scimitar-type sword. He keeps forcing her backwards and pushing her around with his swings; she can't even get a good swing of her own in. He spins her around and in the process draws blood from her arm. Then he gets his hand around her throat, pins her against a tree and takes off his eyepatch, showing her what remains of his left eye. "Take a good look. You did this. You made me a one-eyed freak!" He can just kill her right then and there, but his thirst for revenge is clouding his brain. He wants to blind her first. He throws her to the ground, pulls out his dagger and goes for her eyes. But there's an arrow lying there on the ground; Cheonchu grabs it and sticks it in Wuji's good eye, and as he clutches his head and screams, grabs her own dagger and kills him. And then on cue, the battle starts up again.
Back at Choongju Palace: We see Kim Jonghyun finish off the last of the Khitans just as the emperor, Cheonchu, Gamchan, Choe Hang, Ji Chaemun and Myeongil return. (So apparently the Goryeans won the battle in the woods.) Sunjeong emerges from inside; she's okay. But she has to point Hyeonjong to the dead body of his friend Bakdol lying there in Hyeonjong's robe. He takes it hard, understandably, and Myeongil is just devastated. Hyeonjong takes a deep breath. "See to it that these men are buried and laid to rest," he instructs Gamchan. "The Khitan, too, have died serving their country, so give all of the dead a burial, friend or foe." That certainly is a magnanimous gesture by the young emperor, especially with his friend laying there dead by the enemy's hand.
They go inside and talk. Cheonchu tells everyone about Gang Jo's death and Ahn Pae's and Yi Hyunoon's betrayal. She wants the emperor to realize that Gang Jo had nothing to do with Mokjong's death like Ahn and Yi claimed. "They defected, she tells him, "because they feared the truth about the murder would come out." Gamchan has to gently interrupt and point out that they can't be focusing on this right now. So then she asks why there are so few people with the emperor; where did everyone else go? Choe Hang has to explain to her that "The situation kept worsening and even the people regarded us with disdain, so they probably thought it might be safer to get away from us. They're afraid of losing their necks getting caught with the emperor." Cheonchu seethes: "And to think such worthless dirtbags have been running the state!" Sure, but once again Gamchan has to bring their focus back to here and now. "We're not safe here, so we must go further south." Hyeonjong is getting demoralized and wonders if he shouldn't just give himself up to the Khitans and put an end to all this. But Cheonchu encourages him to persevere and reminds him that Yang Kyu's army and Gang Jo's army are poised to strike the Khitans from the rear.
Nighttime, on a road through the woods near Gwokju: We see a large Khitan supply convoy headed south. Huge loads of food and provisions. And then, behind those trees, is that Yu Bang we see? It's dark and hard to tell, but suddenly the woods are alive with Goryean soldiers. Ambush! Flaming arrows fly in and set the provisions on fire, and soldiers swarm in from every direction. But they're not even there as much to kill Khitans; that was Yu Bang and now he's shouting, "It's the enemy's food supply we're after!" And they've destroyed it for sure; the whole thing is a blazing mess.
Another road, somewhere else: More Khitan troops. These appear to be headed north; they're taking Goryean prisoners. And there are Yang Kyu and Kim Sukheung, barely visible in the background. Another ambush! Goryean soldiers rush down from the surrounding slopes and a battle begins. "Rescue the hostages!", Kim shouts. The prisoners are bound and unarmed and can't help in the battle, but the Goryeans fight long enough to let them run away. Then Kim shouts, "Retreat!"; the Goryeans stop fighting and run up one of the slopes to escape. The Khitans chase them...and find another wave of Goryeans waiting for them at the top of the slope. It wasn't a retreat; it was an ambush within the ambush. A long line of archers decimates them, and then for good measure, dozens of boulders that have been gathered and positioned are pushed down the slope and squash the rest of them. All in all a darned clever piece of work.
"What!? All of the provisions have been destroyed on the way?" Shengzong gets the news. Uh-oh, that was provisions for 200,000 troops. And Yang Kyu's army? They hit four eastern locations and killed 15,000 Khitan troops in addition to the soldiers they rescued. Now the Khitans will have to retreat, but they aren't even sure which route to take; Yang Kyu's army may be running wild in the east, but Gang Jo's army is in the west (and they probably aren't gonna be in a good mood when they hear about Jo's death). They're in trouble either way, but the east route is more mountainous and offers a better chance of success for them, so that's where they'll head. Shengzong groans. "We came too far south without thinking about the enemy behind us." (Gee, ya think so, Einstein?) "This can't be happening!" Then an odd turn. Attendant Yu arrives to surrender to Liao. "I have no one left in Goryeo now that General Gang is gone," he tells Shengzong, "so I wish to cast my lot with Liao." He's taken to be held with the other surrendered Goryeans--which is just what he wants.
At a POW ground: We see Yi Hyunoon and Ahn Pae in Khitan outfits. They spot Yu arriving and freeze, afraid they're in danger. But Yu comes up to them with a smile on his face! "I surrendered to Liao for my own survival," he tells them, "like the two of you have." They don't trust him at first: "Don't lie to us! You went to Gang Jo to tell him that we killed the former emperor." Yu has to clutch his fists to keep his cool, but he cheerfully answers, "But General Gang is dead, so I have no one left to depend on." Still suspicious: "Are you sure you don't have an ulterior motive?" He fires back, did you two have one? That puts them on the defensive a bit, but then they realize his situation sounds a lot like theirs and they seem to accept him.
The emperor's group is headed further south. Now that Cheonchu and her men are with them, the group at least has some horses for the royals to ride on. They come to a town and head for the largest estate.
Outside the estate: The front door opens; the owner and a dozen servants come running out--to kneel and welcome the emperor. Been a long time since we've seen loyal subjects; it's almost disorienting. The owner is named Kim Eunbu, the military governor of Gongju. He's thrilled. "It is an indescribable honor to meet you, your majesty. Please come inside."
Inside: Hyeongjong, Cheonchu, Sunjeong, Gamchan and Choe Hang are served a nice-looking meal. They can hardly believe their good fortune. Kim tells the emperor how sorry he is to hear about the difficult journey and wishes he could do more for him. Hyeonjong is clearly touched by the hospitality. Choe Hang assures Kim his kindness won't be forgotten, but Kim doesn't seem to care about that at all; he's just ecstatic that his emperor is in his home and that he can do something for him. He stands there beaming as they eat; then he brings his three daughters in to meet the emperor. Three girls; two look to be in their early teens, the youngest maybe eight or nine.
Evening: We've almost forgotten about Yunheung's party; what happened to them? They've been walking for a long time but have arrived in Sunju. Yunheung smiles with relief. "You can relax now," she tells them; this is her father's home town. Her father, as in Kim Wonsoong. "All we have to do is mention my father's name and we will be treated like kings." The weasel ministers like the sound of that.
Now they're in the town and are surrounded by a whole bunch of angry-looking villagers; what's going on? Kim announces Yunheung and empress Wonjeong and demands that the villagers bow. They don't. One of them steps forward and asks Kim Shimun, "Is this really Lady Yunheung, the daughter of Kim Wonsoong?" "Yes," Yunheung answers, "I am his daughter. Is there a problem?" Oh yeah, there's a problem. Turns out, her father had swindled nearly everybody in town. "He used our hard-earned money to make it big in Gaegyeong and didn't bother coming back once." And that's not all; when he was convicted of treason, Sunju was downgraded in official status. And it caused economic hardship. "Get out of this town before we get really angry!" Which they'd best be doing immediately, and Kim Shimun says so to Yunheung. But instead Yunheung gets annoyed: "Bastards! Leave at once or I will punish you by the law of the land!" BONK--Someone throws a rock at her; it hits her in the head and knocks her out cold. Her daughter, Escort Jo and the ministers all surround her to tend to her, but now all of the villagers start throwing rocks at them. Good heavens, are they all going to be stoned to death? "Stop! That's enough," says an elder. "I'm sure they won't set foot in Sunju again." Yunheung revives, bleeding from the head, and the group walks away.
Having walked for a bit, the group is in the middle of nowhere. Yunheung is only semiconscious and looks like she needs medical help. The weasel ministers are angry that Yunheung almost got them killed (as though she knew it would happen). They decide it's too dangerous to be around Yunheung, and the four of them walk away and leave the three women out there to fend for themselves. (Kim Shimun, Choe Suk, Choe Wonshin and Mun Inui are the four dashing noblemen, just to give them proper credit.) Escort Jo screams and cries at them, while a tear falls from a dazed, silent Yunheung.
Cheonchu tells Gamchan and Choe Hang about her son Hwangju being alive in Jurchen territory. Ever the clear thinker, Gamchan has to tell her what she hasn't realized yet. "Even if Prince Hwangju is alive, you must stay away from him. He may be your son but he is Kim Chiyang's son as well." If he ever came back to Goryeo he'd likely be put to death because of his traitor father. "Are you saying I can't see my son when he is alive?" "It's truly regretful but yes. It is to protect Prince Hwangju's life, Your Highness." (Yes, she could try going to him, but the Jurchens would likely kill her if they caught her.) Cheonchu fears that Lady Yunheung and her associates will again try to kill Hwangju as soon as the war ends; "Do I have to let that happen?," she says with anguish; "I've already lost one son."
Jurchen territory: Five days have passed and the torchlight party is at the mouth of the cave again. (Presumably they've had people watching the cave the whole time.) No sign of the boy Hwangju. "The legend was just a legend after all," Chief Mobula says with resignation. "It's impossible for a child to survive five days without food in a cave with a ferocious beast." They turn to leave--all except Dokyun, who wants to head into the cave to die with her son. Mobula won't let her, so she grabs a sword and puts it to his throat. She's devastated and furious at the same time and threatens to kill him and everybody else. Just then we hear a growl, and another growl, and looking inside the cave we get another shadowy glimpse of the bear (the guy in the bear suit, that is. UGH). And then guess who comes toddling out but Hwangju. Dokyun runs to him and hugs him, crying. "Mother," he says calmly. Then the Jurchens all kneel before him! (So how was the cave, kid? Un-bear-able.)
Later, away from the cave, Mobula announces, "This child has survived five days in a bear's cave, feeding on the beast's milk." (How does he know that? And if the bear was nursing, where was its cub?) "This means he is the lord of the legend that unifies the Jurchen and builds a great empire. Hereafter, he will take on the new name of Jin Joon, and be raised as my successor. And in time, the Great Empire of 'Jin' will rise above not only Goryeo but Liao as well!" The crowd goes wild.
Evening: Cheonchu and Sunjeong are sharing a room and Sunjeong is preparing for bed. But Cheonchu is just sitting there at a table, staring down blankly. "I thought both of my sons were dead," she tells Sunjeong sadly. "When I found out that Prince Hwangju is alive, I was so happy that I could not speak. But... but I can't get him back." Tears of frustration. "He is alive but I can't get him back." So Sunjeong gently asks her, "Your Highness, could I be your daughter instead?" She explains softly, "I've lost my husband and now I'm alone. And my mother died when I was a child. I will think of you as my birth mother and care for you with all of my heart. I know it's not enough, but please think of me as your child and lean on me." What a beautiful, touching sentiment. "Yes, Empress. From now on I am your mother." She hugs her new daughter. (Sunjeong has always had such a good heart. A great scene; really got me.)
"I can't believe this is happening to us." Yunheung, Wonjeong and Escort Jo are alone out there and now it's raining. They've found shelter under a bridge and are stuck there for now. The empress is keeping her cool but is worried about her mother, who still looks dazed and clueless. Suddenly Yunheung stands up and commands, "Call General Jo at once!" Uh-oh. "I will not let them get away with this. I am the former empress of Goryeo and the mother of the current empress! How dare they treat me with such contempt?! I will have them executed and their clans rendered extinct!" She's going a little bonkers. Wonjeong and Jo remind her that Jo Sun was killed fighting the Khitans. At that she starts coming apart. "Why am I here?," she whimpers. "Why has this happened to me?" Then she turns angry again. "I am the Empress of Goryeo. The Empress of Goryeo! Arrest those insolent people and kneel them before me!" Now even her daughter is looking frightened, as Yunheung laughs maniacally.
"What...brings you?" Back at Kim Eunbu's estate, Hyeonjong was sitting in a room alone when Kim's eldest daughter enters. A bath has been prepared for you, she tells him, and she's brought a robe for him. He's grateful for the courtesy. That's not all, though: "And...my father has ordered me to assist you." Hyeonjong wants no part of that. "That is unthinkable. A lady of nobility assisting a man with bathing?" (Plus, he grew up in a monastery and we know he's not comfortable around women.) But from outside the room, Eunbu speaks up: "Your Majesty, it would be the clan's great honor for my child to serve you." Hyeonjong can't find any words to answer him. "Your Majesty, my wish is that my daughter will bring you some comfort in this time of confusion and violence. I beg you not to turn her away." While the girl smiles awkwardly at him and he stands there comically tongue-tied, narration reveals:
The Khitan emperor's convoy is headed back home. They've crossed the Salsu River, so they're nearing the border, but they have yet to reach Gwokju. They come to a broad plain and stop to rest. Shengzong wonders why he hasn't heard from the three generals he sent to capture the Goryeo emperor. "Could those fools have been taken by the Goryeans?" Xiao Baiya reassures him: "Your Majesty, there are no more Goryean troops left in the south to fight our forces. They should be on their way here with the Goryean king right now." Then why no word from them? Yelu Dilu replies, "It's likely that their communication is delayed because we are moving north." Shengzong is angry and grumbling. "If we fail to capture the Goryean king, this war will bring great disgrace to Liao. The king must be captured and brought to his knees before me!"
A Khitan prisoner-of-war unit is moving north, too, with their captives. We see Ha Gongjin among them. So that's what happened to him. Yi Hyunoon and Ahn Pae try to convince him to switch sides and avoid what sounds like will be his execution. To no avail. Ha sees attendant Yu with the two of them; not knowing Yu's intentions and thinking that Yu really has switched sides, he asks Yu, "How could you acquiesce to the Khitan emperor who killed General Gang? Kill yourself and end your life with dignity." Yu simply smiles at Ha and plays along with Yi and Ahn. "Why would I want to die when I can go back home to old Balhae territory, clad in a golden robe, if I serve the Khitan emperor?" Ha looks disgusted, but Yu isn't about to blow his cover.
Yang Kyu and Kim Sukheung and their troops are resting in the woods. A scout comes running with a huge piece of news: "The Khitan emperor and his convoy are headed this way."
The troops are amassed and Yang delivers a rousing speech: "I'm going off to fight a battle unlike any other battles I have fought so far. This is not a battle for survival. I am going to this battle to die! Will you join me in this fight? We are going to attack the Khitan emperor's military convoy. Our mission is to kill the Khitan emperor. But even if we fail, our heroic efforts will never be forgotten. Fight to the last man and let your names be immortalized in history!" Cheering all around.
Nighttime: The Khitans have set up camp. Yang Kyu leads a Goryean squad that sneaks in; they're pouring flammable liquid around some of the tents. They're spotted, and a battle breaks out. Yang is surrounded and looks doomed, but at that moment a squad of archers led by Kim Sukheung fires flaming arrows that light the liquid. Instantly the camp is ablaze. Some of the Khitans around Yang rush to fight the fires and Yang fights his way free. Now the entire Goryean force is invading the burning camp. An angry Shengzong is escorted out of the camp, leaving orders to kill every last one of the invaders. As the battle continues, a subordinate tells Yang that Shengzong has fled "north towards the beach." Yang shouts to his troops, "The Khitan emperor has fled north! Follow me!"
Not far away, in the woods: Hyeonjong is wearing Bakdol's attendant uniform and he and his party are trying to flee. But here come Wuji's Khitans. Ji Chaemun stands his ground while the others flee, and kills several Khitans in rapid succession with an impressive display of archery. But the rest of the Khitans just keep on going, paying him no attention. Then Gamchan turns and starts to sword-fight them, and he kills a bunch himself. But too many of them are running in, and soon Gamchan and the rest of the group are surrounded. Swords are held to all of their throats. Wuji dismounts and approaches. "Which one of you is the emperor?" He's not with us, Gamchan bluffs; Wuji doesn't buy it. Then the attendant Myeongil volunteers that he's the emperor. Wuji doesn't buy that either; he turns to the other person an attendant clothes and says, "Then this one's just an attendant, so you won't mind if I kill...." He raises his sword, and Choe Hang has to step in front of him to stop him from striking the emperor. Busss-ted. Pretty clever of Wuji. "Now I know who the real emperor is." The Khitans are about to seize him and kill the others, but Cheonchu and some of her men finally arrive on the scene. She challenges him to a duel and he readily accepts, having thirsted for revenge ever since she shot his left eye out thirty years or so ago. "I swear I will rip your eyeball out," he growls at her, "if it means letting the emperor get away."
Back at Cheonchu palace, Cheonchu's remaining soldiers are fighting the remaining Khitans. Incredibly, Kim Jonghyun outduels and kills Su No. Not only that, but he also kills another high-ranking Khitan--the axe-wielder who struck the final blow to Gang Jo. He's never been identified but he likely is a general too. So that's at least two Khitan generals and probably three that Kim Jonghyun has killed in a matter of days. Very impressive. Now the Khitan soldiers are leaderless....
Back in the woods, Wuji orders everyone to stand back. So the opposing soldiers and the emperor and everybody else all just stand there while he and Cheonchu fight. Challenging Wuji was typical rash, reckless Cheonchu, and as soon as they start she knows she's in trouble. He may be older, but he's bigger, stronger, and wields a nasty-looking curved scimitar-type sword. He keeps forcing her backwards and pushing her around with his swings; she can't even get a good swing of her own in. He spins her around and in the process draws blood from her arm. Then he gets his hand around her throat, pins her against a tree and takes off his eyepatch, showing her what remains of his left eye. "Take a good look. You did this. You made me a one-eyed freak!" He can just kill her right then and there, but his thirst for revenge is clouding his brain. He wants to blind her first. He throws her to the ground, pulls out his dagger and goes for her eyes. But there's an arrow lying there on the ground; Cheonchu grabs it and sticks it in Wuji's good eye, and as he clutches his head and screams, grabs her own dagger and kills him. And then on cue, the battle starts up again.
Back at Choongju Palace: We see Kim Jonghyun finish off the last of the Khitans just as the emperor, Cheonchu, Gamchan, Choe Hang, Ji Chaemun and Myeongil return. (So apparently the Goryeans won the battle in the woods.) Sunjeong emerges from inside; she's okay. But she has to point Hyeonjong to the dead body of his friend Bakdol lying there in Hyeonjong's robe. He takes it hard, understandably, and Myeongil is just devastated. Hyeonjong takes a deep breath. "See to it that these men are buried and laid to rest," he instructs Gamchan. "The Khitan, too, have died serving their country, so give all of the dead a burial, friend or foe." That certainly is a magnanimous gesture by the young emperor, especially with his friend laying there dead by the enemy's hand.
They go inside and talk. Cheonchu tells everyone about Gang Jo's death and Ahn Pae's and Yi Hyunoon's betrayal. She wants the emperor to realize that Gang Jo had nothing to do with Mokjong's death like Ahn and Yi claimed. "They defected, she tells him, "because they feared the truth about the murder would come out." Gamchan has to gently interrupt and point out that they can't be focusing on this right now. So then she asks why there are so few people with the emperor; where did everyone else go? Choe Hang has to explain to her that "The situation kept worsening and even the people regarded us with disdain, so they probably thought it might be safer to get away from us. They're afraid of losing their necks getting caught with the emperor." Cheonchu seethes: "And to think such worthless dirtbags have been running the state!" Sure, but once again Gamchan has to bring their focus back to here and now. "We're not safe here, so we must go further south." Hyeonjong is getting demoralized and wonders if he shouldn't just give himself up to the Khitans and put an end to all this. But Cheonchu encourages him to persevere and reminds him that Yang Kyu's army and Gang Jo's army are poised to strike the Khitans from the rear.
Nighttime, on a road through the woods near Gwokju: We see a large Khitan supply convoy headed south. Huge loads of food and provisions. And then, behind those trees, is that Yu Bang we see? It's dark and hard to tell, but suddenly the woods are alive with Goryean soldiers. Ambush! Flaming arrows fly in and set the provisions on fire, and soldiers swarm in from every direction. But they're not even there as much to kill Khitans; that was Yu Bang and now he's shouting, "It's the enemy's food supply we're after!" And they've destroyed it for sure; the whole thing is a blazing mess.
Another road, somewhere else: More Khitan troops. These appear to be headed north; they're taking Goryean prisoners. And there are Yang Kyu and Kim Sukheung, barely visible in the background. Another ambush! Goryean soldiers rush down from the surrounding slopes and a battle begins. "Rescue the hostages!", Kim shouts. The prisoners are bound and unarmed and can't help in the battle, but the Goryeans fight long enough to let them run away. Then Kim shouts, "Retreat!"; the Goryeans stop fighting and run up one of the slopes to escape. The Khitans chase them...and find another wave of Goryeans waiting for them at the top of the slope. It wasn't a retreat; it was an ambush within the ambush. A long line of archers decimates them, and then for good measure, dozens of boulders that have been gathered and positioned are pushed down the slope and squash the rest of them. All in all a darned clever piece of work.
"What!? All of the provisions have been destroyed on the way?" Shengzong gets the news. Uh-oh, that was provisions for 200,000 troops. And Yang Kyu's army? They hit four eastern locations and killed 15,000 Khitan troops in addition to the soldiers they rescued. Now the Khitans will have to retreat, but they aren't even sure which route to take; Yang Kyu's army may be running wild in the east, but Gang Jo's army is in the west (and they probably aren't gonna be in a good mood when they hear about Jo's death). They're in trouble either way, but the east route is more mountainous and offers a better chance of success for them, so that's where they'll head. Shengzong groans. "We came too far south without thinking about the enemy behind us." (Gee, ya think so, Einstein?) "This can't be happening!" Then an odd turn. Attendant Yu arrives to surrender to Liao. "I have no one left in Goryeo now that General Gang is gone," he tells Shengzong, "so I wish to cast my lot with Liao." He's taken to be held with the other surrendered Goryeans--which is just what he wants.
At a POW ground: We see Yi Hyunoon and Ahn Pae in Khitan outfits. They spot Yu arriving and freeze, afraid they're in danger. But Yu comes up to them with a smile on his face! "I surrendered to Liao for my own survival," he tells them, "like the two of you have." They don't trust him at first: "Don't lie to us! You went to Gang Jo to tell him that we killed the former emperor." Yu has to clutch his fists to keep his cool, but he cheerfully answers, "But General Gang is dead, so I have no one left to depend on." Still suspicious: "Are you sure you don't have an ulterior motive?" He fires back, did you two have one? That puts them on the defensive a bit, but then they realize his situation sounds a lot like theirs and they seem to accept him.
The emperor's group is headed further south. Now that Cheonchu and her men are with them, the group at least has some horses for the royals to ride on. They come to a town and head for the largest estate.
Outside the estate: The front door opens; the owner and a dozen servants come running out--to kneel and welcome the emperor. Been a long time since we've seen loyal subjects; it's almost disorienting. The owner is named Kim Eunbu, the military governor of Gongju. He's thrilled. "It is an indescribable honor to meet you, your majesty. Please come inside."
Inside: Hyeongjong, Cheonchu, Sunjeong, Gamchan and Choe Hang are served a nice-looking meal. They can hardly believe their good fortune. Kim tells the emperor how sorry he is to hear about the difficult journey and wishes he could do more for him. Hyeonjong is clearly touched by the hospitality. Choe Hang assures Kim his kindness won't be forgotten, but Kim doesn't seem to care about that at all; he's just ecstatic that his emperor is in his home and that he can do something for him. He stands there beaming as they eat; then he brings his three daughters in to meet the emperor. Three girls; two look to be in their early teens, the youngest maybe eight or nine.
Evening: We've almost forgotten about Yunheung's party; what happened to them? They've been walking for a long time but have arrived in Sunju. Yunheung smiles with relief. "You can relax now," she tells them; this is her father's home town. Her father, as in Kim Wonsoong. "All we have to do is mention my father's name and we will be treated like kings." The weasel ministers like the sound of that.
Now they're in the town and are surrounded by a whole bunch of angry-looking villagers; what's going on? Kim announces Yunheung and empress Wonjeong and demands that the villagers bow. They don't. One of them steps forward and asks Kim Shimun, "Is this really Lady Yunheung, the daughter of Kim Wonsoong?" "Yes," Yunheung answers, "I am his daughter. Is there a problem?" Oh yeah, there's a problem. Turns out, her father had swindled nearly everybody in town. "He used our hard-earned money to make it big in Gaegyeong and didn't bother coming back once." And that's not all; when he was convicted of treason, Sunju was downgraded in official status. And it caused economic hardship. "Get out of this town before we get really angry!" Which they'd best be doing immediately, and Kim Shimun says so to Yunheung. But instead Yunheung gets annoyed: "Bastards! Leave at once or I will punish you by the law of the land!" BONK--Someone throws a rock at her; it hits her in the head and knocks her out cold. Her daughter, Escort Jo and the ministers all surround her to tend to her, but now all of the villagers start throwing rocks at them. Good heavens, are they all going to be stoned to death? "Stop! That's enough," says an elder. "I'm sure they won't set foot in Sunju again." Yunheung revives, bleeding from the head, and the group walks away.
Having walked for a bit, the group is in the middle of nowhere. Yunheung is only semiconscious and looks like she needs medical help. The weasel ministers are angry that Yunheung almost got them killed (as though she knew it would happen). They decide it's too dangerous to be around Yunheung, and the four of them walk away and leave the three women out there to fend for themselves. (Kim Shimun, Choe Suk, Choe Wonshin and Mun Inui are the four dashing noblemen, just to give them proper credit.) Escort Jo screams and cries at them, while a tear falls from a dazed, silent Yunheung.
Cheonchu tells Gamchan and Choe Hang about her son Hwangju being alive in Jurchen territory. Ever the clear thinker, Gamchan has to tell her what she hasn't realized yet. "Even if Prince Hwangju is alive, you must stay away from him. He may be your son but he is Kim Chiyang's son as well." If he ever came back to Goryeo he'd likely be put to death because of his traitor father. "Are you saying I can't see my son when he is alive?" "It's truly regretful but yes. It is to protect Prince Hwangju's life, Your Highness." (Yes, she could try going to him, but the Jurchens would likely kill her if they caught her.) Cheonchu fears that Lady Yunheung and her associates will again try to kill Hwangju as soon as the war ends; "Do I have to let that happen?," she says with anguish; "I've already lost one son."
Jurchen territory: Five days have passed and the torchlight party is at the mouth of the cave again. (Presumably they've had people watching the cave the whole time.) No sign of the boy Hwangju. "The legend was just a legend after all," Chief Mobula says with resignation. "It's impossible for a child to survive five days without food in a cave with a ferocious beast." They turn to leave--all except Dokyun, who wants to head into the cave to die with her son. Mobula won't let her, so she grabs a sword and puts it to his throat. She's devastated and furious at the same time and threatens to kill him and everybody else. Just then we hear a growl, and another growl, and looking inside the cave we get another shadowy glimpse of the bear (the guy in the bear suit, that is. UGH). And then guess who comes toddling out but Hwangju. Dokyun runs to him and hugs him, crying. "Mother," he says calmly. Then the Jurchens all kneel before him! (So how was the cave, kid? Un-bear-able.)
Later, away from the cave, Mobula announces, "This child has survived five days in a bear's cave, feeding on the beast's milk." (How does he know that? And if the bear was nursing, where was its cub?) "This means he is the lord of the legend that unifies the Jurchen and builds a great empire. Hereafter, he will take on the new name of Jin Joon, and be raised as my successor. And in time, the Great Empire of 'Jin' will rise above not only Goryeo but Liao as well!" The crowd goes wild.
Evening: Cheonchu and Sunjeong are sharing a room and Sunjeong is preparing for bed. But Cheonchu is just sitting there at a table, staring down blankly. "I thought both of my sons were dead," she tells Sunjeong sadly. "When I found out that Prince Hwangju is alive, I was so happy that I could not speak. But... but I can't get him back." Tears of frustration. "He is alive but I can't get him back." So Sunjeong gently asks her, "Your Highness, could I be your daughter instead?" She explains softly, "I've lost my husband and now I'm alone. And my mother died when I was a child. I will think of you as my birth mother and care for you with all of my heart. I know it's not enough, but please think of me as your child and lean on me." What a beautiful, touching sentiment. "Yes, Empress. From now on I am your mother." She hugs her new daughter. (Sunjeong has always had such a good heart. A great scene; really got me.)
"I can't believe this is happening to us." Yunheung, Wonjeong and Escort Jo are alone out there and now it's raining. They've found shelter under a bridge and are stuck there for now. The empress is keeping her cool but is worried about her mother, who still looks dazed and clueless. Suddenly Yunheung stands up and commands, "Call General Jo at once!" Uh-oh. "I will not let them get away with this. I am the former empress of Goryeo and the mother of the current empress! How dare they treat me with such contempt?! I will have them executed and their clans rendered extinct!" She's going a little bonkers. Wonjeong and Jo remind her that Jo Sun was killed fighting the Khitans. At that she starts coming apart. "Why am I here?," she whimpers. "Why has this happened to me?" Then she turns angry again. "I am the Empress of Goryeo. The Empress of Goryeo! Arrest those insolent people and kneel them before me!" Now even her daughter is looking frightened, as Yunheung laughs maniacally.
"What...brings you?" Back at Kim Eunbu's estate, Hyeonjong was sitting in a room alone when Kim's eldest daughter enters. A bath has been prepared for you, she tells him, and she's brought a robe for him. He's grateful for the courtesy. That's not all, though: "And...my father has ordered me to assist you." Hyeonjong wants no part of that. "That is unthinkable. A lady of nobility assisting a man with bathing?" (Plus, he grew up in a monastery and we know he's not comfortable around women.) But from outside the room, Eunbu speaks up: "Your Majesty, it would be the clan's great honor for my child to serve you." Hyeonjong can't find any words to answer him. "Your Majesty, my wish is that my daughter will bring you some comfort in this time of confusion and violence. I beg you not to turn her away." While the girl smiles awkwardly at him and he stands there comically tongue-tied, narration reveals:
This woman would later become Empress Wonseong, the mother of Goryeo's 9th and 10th rulers, Deokjong and Jeongjong. Governor of Gongju Kim Eunbu married off Empress Wonseong's two younger sisters to Hyeonjong as well. The second daughter Empress Wonhae gave birth to Goryeo's 11th ruler Munjong, and his last daughter Empress Wonpyeong was the mother of Princess Hyogyeong. The royal lineage of Goryeo post-Hyeonjong was carried on by the bloodline of Kim Eunbu, whom the king met on his flight from war.Well how about that! (All I can say is, that must have been one heck of a bath.)
The Khitan emperor's convoy is headed back home. They've crossed the Salsu River, so they're nearing the border, but they have yet to reach Gwokju. They come to a broad plain and stop to rest. Shengzong wonders why he hasn't heard from the three generals he sent to capture the Goryeo emperor. "Could those fools have been taken by the Goryeans?" Xiao Baiya reassures him: "Your Majesty, there are no more Goryean troops left in the south to fight our forces. They should be on their way here with the Goryean king right now." Then why no word from them? Yelu Dilu replies, "It's likely that their communication is delayed because we are moving north." Shengzong is angry and grumbling. "If we fail to capture the Goryean king, this war will bring great disgrace to Liao. The king must be captured and brought to his knees before me!"
A Khitan prisoner-of-war unit is moving north, too, with their captives. We see Ha Gongjin among them. So that's what happened to him. Yi Hyunoon and Ahn Pae try to convince him to switch sides and avoid what sounds like will be his execution. To no avail. Ha sees attendant Yu with the two of them; not knowing Yu's intentions and thinking that Yu really has switched sides, he asks Yu, "How could you acquiesce to the Khitan emperor who killed General Gang? Kill yourself and end your life with dignity." Yu simply smiles at Ha and plays along with Yi and Ahn. "Why would I want to die when I can go back home to old Balhae territory, clad in a golden robe, if I serve the Khitan emperor?" Ha looks disgusted, but Yu isn't about to blow his cover.
Yang Kyu and Kim Sukheung and their troops are resting in the woods. A scout comes running with a huge piece of news: "The Khitan emperor and his convoy are headed this way."
The troops are amassed and Yang delivers a rousing speech: "I'm going off to fight a battle unlike any other battles I have fought so far. This is not a battle for survival. I am going to this battle to die! Will you join me in this fight? We are going to attack the Khitan emperor's military convoy. Our mission is to kill the Khitan emperor. But even if we fail, our heroic efforts will never be forgotten. Fight to the last man and let your names be immortalized in history!" Cheering all around.
Nighttime: The Khitans have set up camp. Yang Kyu leads a Goryean squad that sneaks in; they're pouring flammable liquid around some of the tents. They're spotted, and a battle breaks out. Yang is surrounded and looks doomed, but at that moment a squad of archers led by Kim Sukheung fires flaming arrows that light the liquid. Instantly the camp is ablaze. Some of the Khitans around Yang rush to fight the fires and Yang fights his way free. Now the entire Goryean force is invading the burning camp. An angry Shengzong is escorted out of the camp, leaving orders to kill every last one of the invaders. As the battle continues, a subordinate tells Yang that Shengzong has fled "north towards the beach." Yang shouts to his troops, "The Khitan emperor has fled north! Follow me!"
