Post by ajk on Apr 20, 2014 21:22:01 GMT -5
Seonggye proceeds to rattle off reasons why this attack is a bad idea. Ming is too powerful; men are needed for farming at this time of year; the Japanese pirates might take advantage and ambush; and with the rainy season coming, disease is a danger in army camps. And then argues that "War is the last resort" and that more envoys should be sent first. Every word of it is infuriating Choi, who has a response to each reason. But all that matters what is the king thinks, and he don't want to hear any more. Tells Seonggye to cooperate or be accused of mutiny. Seonggye leaves, and outside tells Jiran, "Our country is going to be ruined." Back inside, the king is proud of himself. "I scared him away." Yeah, right. And his desire to attack seems to be driven by the fear of losing the lands that his father recovered--whether or not it makes sense for the country.
JD tells Seonggye to fake an illness to get out of the attack. He's sure it's a no-win situation and he's better off staying out of it so his reputation with Ming will be cleaner "after the cause is achieved." But Seonggye doesn't want to hear about that any more and ends up grabbing JD by the collar. "Stop tempting me. I would rather die in Yodong than become a traitor." Unintimidated, JD calmly urges him to see the bigger picture and endure the smaller frustrations.
Next day: Choi is formally presented his orders by the king at a council meeting. Jo Minsu is named Left Army Commander and Seonggye is named Right Army Commander. The king makes a point of telling Seonggye, "I trust your courage and loyalty." I'll do my best, Seonggye assures him. Oh, and we see Nam Eun there, in uniform...so obviously he's going and has some role to play in the attack. Narration tells us that this occurred in April 1388 and that all of the important generals participated in it.
Well THAT didn't take long: within days, already there are problems. Military rations are scarce, and the soldiers' morale is low because they're scared of Ming.
Seonggye apologizes to JD for his temper before, and then in the interest of honesty, admits that "Yes, I've thought of being the king." But says he has no qualifications. Not lineage or ideals or education. "The only thing I can do is fight. I was never meant to be a king." But JD fires back that the only thing a king needs is virtue. "You are well qualified." And adds that this isn't something he can choose to do or not do. The opportunity will come to him and he'll have to take it when it does.
That night: the king has been having nightmares of assassins sneaking into the palace. Vivid, terrible nightmares. He has another one as we watch.
Next day: The king is going north, to Seogyeong, to support his army. His wife, his son and Jeongbi are evacuating to a safer place, just in case. The three leave...and then the king tells Choi he doesn't want Choi going into battle! Let Jo Minsu and Seonggye do it, he says; he wants Choi with him and protecting him. Choi doesn't want to, not only because it's his attack but because he says it will hurt the soldiers' morale. But the king is in such a frantic, screaming state--and so haunted by the memory of his father being assassinated when Choi was away at Jeju Island (which we saw in Episode 2)--that Choi can only nod and accept.
Later Choi tells Jo Minsu and Seonggye that he'll catch up to them as quickly as he can; thinks the king is just temporarily a little nervous. And he apologizes to Seonggye for being so pushy about the attack, and reaffirms his trust in Seonggye. But JD's words are ringing in Seonggye's head. "You and Goryeo can't coexist."
Choi addresses the gathered army and gives them a big pep talk. Wild cheers all around. And then gives the order to advance. Narration tells us that the attack force consisted of 39,000 soldiers, 12,000 reinforcements and 22,000 horses. Basically just about all of Goryeo's military muscle.
Gaegyeong: The Sungkyunkwan scholars are discussing the possibility of implementing Goryeo's own era and royal names. They agree that it's too rash a decision for now and that even if the attack succeeds, the decision could provoke Ming into an all-out war. But talk quickly turns to the attack itself and the failure of the scholars to prevent it. Then Yun Sojong walks in--so apparently he's a scholar and not just an administrator--and challenges them. The attack is doomed so why should you even care, he says; you could have stopped it but you were too afraid of Choi Yeong! Of course that totally ticks them all off...except for JD who asks him what he'd have done. The only thing that could be done, he says: "Prevent the army from crossing the Amnok River." Literally going up to the site and stop them. He walks away without elaborating...and frankly the idea doesn't make a lot of practical sense, does it...but JD smiles and nods while the others sit there fuming. He likes the guy, you can tell.
JD gets a written report from Nam Eun: "This is the worst situation." And now we see it, and yes it's a mess. The rainy season is muddying up the terrain and making an awful mess. Trying to move the army through all of this water and mud is exhausting. And the damp is rotting away the already-insufficient rations. And the drinking water isn't clean enough and is making soldiers sick. Worst situation, no kidding...but JD realizes this may be the chance to stop the attack!
Finally, after a terrible struggle, the army reaches the Amnok. And guess what, they're not going any farther. Because it's jumped out of its banks, totally flooded and raging. And the pontoon bridge that was being built to get them across, it was wrecked by the flood. So all they can do is set up camp until the bridge is reconstructed. And now it starts pouring again. Oh, and where's Choi, they wonder--he's supposed to be here by now.
Seogyeong: The king still won't let Choi leave. And now some real bad news arrives: Japanese pirates have attacked Gyeonggi Province. Not in overwhelming numbers...but still, they need to be dealt with.
At the army camp along the Amnok River: The king has sent two men to Seonggye and Jo Minsu. One is Jeong Seunggi, that horrible military inspector who trumped up charges against Seonggye. The other is a civilian named Kim Wan. They've brought rewards of gold and silver to give the generals to thank them for their efforts. But Jo and Seonggye don't need or want precious metals; they want rations for their troops! We're working on it, that's the best answer Jeong can give them. That is, other than suggesting they go plunder villages in Yodong for rations. Which disgusts the generals; it's dishonorable and would make them no better than the Japanese pirates.
The next day, Seonggye spots some captured deserters from Jo's Left Army; they're about to be executed. He goes to Jo and asks for clemency for them, in the interest of not hurting the soldiers' morale. But Jo takes offense; tells him this happened in my army and I'll take care of it as I see fit. Nothing Seonggye can do but back down, and the swords start slashing away. Ugh.
JD goes to Lady Kang and tells her to take her family and leave the capital for now. "If the army can't cross the river, your entire family will be in danger." Really?
That evening: Jo Minsu decided he had to try the plundering after all. That's how bad it's gotten. He sent a raft full of soldiers...but it got overturned in the raging river and everyone was swept away. Seonggye and Jiran hear about it, and Seonggye gets to frustrated that the two of them end up arguing with each other. But then later, Nam Eun visits Seonggye to give him a letter from JD. Seonggye opens it up and reads it. Not really a letter; it's just a sheet of paper with one word written on it: RETREAT.
JD tells Seonggye to fake an illness to get out of the attack. He's sure it's a no-win situation and he's better off staying out of it so his reputation with Ming will be cleaner "after the cause is achieved." But Seonggye doesn't want to hear about that any more and ends up grabbing JD by the collar. "Stop tempting me. I would rather die in Yodong than become a traitor." Unintimidated, JD calmly urges him to see the bigger picture and endure the smaller frustrations.
Next day: Choi is formally presented his orders by the king at a council meeting. Jo Minsu is named Left Army Commander and Seonggye is named Right Army Commander. The king makes a point of telling Seonggye, "I trust your courage and loyalty." I'll do my best, Seonggye assures him. Oh, and we see Nam Eun there, in uniform...so obviously he's going and has some role to play in the attack. Narration tells us that this occurred in April 1388 and that all of the important generals participated in it.
Well THAT didn't take long: within days, already there are problems. Military rations are scarce, and the soldiers' morale is low because they're scared of Ming.
Seonggye apologizes to JD for his temper before, and then in the interest of honesty, admits that "Yes, I've thought of being the king." But says he has no qualifications. Not lineage or ideals or education. "The only thing I can do is fight. I was never meant to be a king." But JD fires back that the only thing a king needs is virtue. "You are well qualified." And adds that this isn't something he can choose to do or not do. The opportunity will come to him and he'll have to take it when it does.
That night: the king has been having nightmares of assassins sneaking into the palace. Vivid, terrible nightmares. He has another one as we watch.
Next day: The king is going north, to Seogyeong, to support his army. His wife, his son and Jeongbi are evacuating to a safer place, just in case. The three leave...and then the king tells Choi he doesn't want Choi going into battle! Let Jo Minsu and Seonggye do it, he says; he wants Choi with him and protecting him. Choi doesn't want to, not only because it's his attack but because he says it will hurt the soldiers' morale. But the king is in such a frantic, screaming state--and so haunted by the memory of his father being assassinated when Choi was away at Jeju Island (which we saw in Episode 2)--that Choi can only nod and accept.
Later Choi tells Jo Minsu and Seonggye that he'll catch up to them as quickly as he can; thinks the king is just temporarily a little nervous. And he apologizes to Seonggye for being so pushy about the attack, and reaffirms his trust in Seonggye. But JD's words are ringing in Seonggye's head. "You and Goryeo can't coexist."
Choi addresses the gathered army and gives them a big pep talk. Wild cheers all around. And then gives the order to advance. Narration tells us that the attack force consisted of 39,000 soldiers, 12,000 reinforcements and 22,000 horses. Basically just about all of Goryeo's military muscle.
Gaegyeong: The Sungkyunkwan scholars are discussing the possibility of implementing Goryeo's own era and royal names. They agree that it's too rash a decision for now and that even if the attack succeeds, the decision could provoke Ming into an all-out war. But talk quickly turns to the attack itself and the failure of the scholars to prevent it. Then Yun Sojong walks in--so apparently he's a scholar and not just an administrator--and challenges them. The attack is doomed so why should you even care, he says; you could have stopped it but you were too afraid of Choi Yeong! Of course that totally ticks them all off...except for JD who asks him what he'd have done. The only thing that could be done, he says: "Prevent the army from crossing the Amnok River." Literally going up to the site and stop them. He walks away without elaborating...and frankly the idea doesn't make a lot of practical sense, does it...but JD smiles and nods while the others sit there fuming. He likes the guy, you can tell.
JD gets a written report from Nam Eun: "This is the worst situation." And now we see it, and yes it's a mess. The rainy season is muddying up the terrain and making an awful mess. Trying to move the army through all of this water and mud is exhausting. And the damp is rotting away the already-insufficient rations. And the drinking water isn't clean enough and is making soldiers sick. Worst situation, no kidding...but JD realizes this may be the chance to stop the attack!
Finally, after a terrible struggle, the army reaches the Amnok. And guess what, they're not going any farther. Because it's jumped out of its banks, totally flooded and raging. And the pontoon bridge that was being built to get them across, it was wrecked by the flood. So all they can do is set up camp until the bridge is reconstructed. And now it starts pouring again. Oh, and where's Choi, they wonder--he's supposed to be here by now.
Seogyeong: The king still won't let Choi leave. And now some real bad news arrives: Japanese pirates have attacked Gyeonggi Province. Not in overwhelming numbers...but still, they need to be dealt with.
At the army camp along the Amnok River: The king has sent two men to Seonggye and Jo Minsu. One is Jeong Seunggi, that horrible military inspector who trumped up charges against Seonggye. The other is a civilian named Kim Wan. They've brought rewards of gold and silver to give the generals to thank them for their efforts. But Jo and Seonggye don't need or want precious metals; they want rations for their troops! We're working on it, that's the best answer Jeong can give them. That is, other than suggesting they go plunder villages in Yodong for rations. Which disgusts the generals; it's dishonorable and would make them no better than the Japanese pirates.
The next day, Seonggye spots some captured deserters from Jo's Left Army; they're about to be executed. He goes to Jo and asks for clemency for them, in the interest of not hurting the soldiers' morale. But Jo takes offense; tells him this happened in my army and I'll take care of it as I see fit. Nothing Seonggye can do but back down, and the swords start slashing away. Ugh.
JD goes to Lady Kang and tells her to take her family and leave the capital for now. "If the army can't cross the river, your entire family will be in danger." Really?
That evening: Jo Minsu decided he had to try the plundering after all. That's how bad it's gotten. He sent a raft full of soldiers...but it got overturned in the raging river and everyone was swept away. Seonggye and Jiran hear about it, and Seonggye gets to frustrated that the two of them end up arguing with each other. But then later, Nam Eun visits Seonggye to give him a letter from JD. Seonggye opens it up and reads it. Not really a letter; it's just a sheet of paper with one word written on it: RETREAT.