episode 145

[ajk]

This story sure has gotten extra-interesting, with the disease thrown in there on top of everything else. And hey, we made it through this one without anybody snacking on their own organs. So that’s a win right there.

Oh dear, Kyun-hwon’s worked himself into a lather. Everyone is talking sense to him but he insists on getting WG showing up to fight him personally. “He will accept my challenge if he is a man.” Or he won’t because he’s a king and busy with other things? Maybe YOU don’t have anything else to do, pal....

And then he sends Geum-kang, eyepatch and all. “I’m sure they will remember you.” Yeah that’s a pretty good bet. Can’t KH see how he’s the only one who’s impressed by the whole eyeball thing? Every single other person, even his own subordinates, they can’t even think about it without squirming and looking totally weirded out.

Mrs. KH: “How could you so openly display your favoritism of Geum-kang in front of your other children? Do you truly believe the emperor of Koryo will be in intimidated when he learns of your sick inequity toward your children? A home is a wreck [if it] ignores order and allows partiality.” HA! That was great! He got pissed, but he had no answer. Kind of surprised it took her that long to let him have it full blast about this. But it was worth the wait.

■ Parhae...The first record of Parhae refugee migration is recorded in the Chronicle of Koryo in 925 AD. Parhae’s progenitor is Tae Choi-young. His family was among the 2800 Koguryo families that were moved to Chinese territory in 668 when Shilla-Tang allied forces brought down Koguryo. In 698 he escaped to the eastern territory along with other Koryo migrants and Malgal people and established the kingdom of Parhae near Gilim. In its 230 years of existence, it subdued Malgal influence, and its territory extended from [the] Sungari and Amur rivers in northern Manchuria down to Koryo. It enjoyed high prosperity and was referred to as “the prosperous country of the East.” But it was hopelessly weakened internally by segregated social structure, and Parhae would crumble in only 15 days of Khitan invasion led by Yeh-lu A-pao-chi in December of 925.

Yu Geumpil proposes striking the enemy from the rear...and then that extra-long moment of stunned silence from everyone...Holy crap why didn’t I think of that...Whoever wrote that in there, bravo, that was terrific.

WG: “I see you are missing an eye.” Well that’s sort of impolite, isn’t it? Even if you are the king.

“I accept his challenge with pleasure.” Really? He first read the scroll and started laughing, I figured Here comes some really good trash-talk. But noooo...And didn’t he admonish his kid for letting the enemy goad him into fighting by poking at him? Practice what you preach, dad.

“Send back a generous amount of ginseng and silk withe envoys.” Ginseng? You gonna rub their noses in that whole business? Hey maybe save it for Buyong instead.

Doyoung: “What? [Kyun-hwon] invited competition? Who goes to a field of death on invitation? This is not a neighbor’s get-together. Oh dear....” This was the first time I enjoyed a Doyoung scene. Well put.

■ Battle of Jomul Fort...It would become a heartbreaking event for Wang Guhn. It was the first battle in many years that he led himself. Preparations began in the summer, and they marched to battle once September came. It was well into September when both Bekjae and Koryo forces arrived in Jomul Fort. About this time, Western Subjugation General Yu Geumpil arrived in Yimjon County (now Yaesan) and launched an immediate aggression against Yunsanjin, capturing or killing over 3,000 Bekjae soldiers. This was a border region under Bekjae control. Accordingly, Koryo temporarily held an upper hand in the first battle against Bekjae.

Aw come on, spoiler! We don’t need to hear that now, not if you’re about to show us the battle. Shame Yuns Anjin shame.

The only flaw in the episode was when the Koryo army went through the diseased village and the dead people were all neatly arranged close together in a nice little group by the roadside. How phony that looked. And of course the crying little kid, I so HATE that. At least when the Bekjae side went into their village it looked much more realistic.

“How could they bring down two forts in such a short time?” You guys had just decided that those areas weren’t going to get any reinforcements and would have to fend for themselves. What did you think might happen?

Taepyoung: “I was fine just a few hours ago.” Uh-oh....

[ajk]

Just in case anybody's interested, here's a bit of what Wikipedia says about cholera:

Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and muscle cramps may also occur. Diarrhea can be so severe that it leads within hours to severe dehydration and electrolyte imbalance...It is spread mostly by unsafe water and unsafe food that has been contaminated with human feces containing the bacteria. Undercooked seafood is a common source. Humans are the only known host for the bacteria. Risk factors for the disease include poor sanitation, not enough clean drinking water, and poverty...Cholera affects an estimated 3–5 million people worldwide and causes 28,800–130,000 deaths a year. Although it is classified as a pandemic as of 2010, it is rare in high income countries...The risk of death among those affected is usually less than 5% but may be as high as 50%. Descriptions of cholera are found as early as the 5th century BC in Sanskrit... Seven large outbreaks have occurred over the last 200 years with millions of deaths.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholera

I was surprised that still today so many people die from it. We have over-the-counter medicines in every drug store for diarrhea, and drinks like Gatorade to restore electrolytes. You can understand it being a problem 1100 years ago, but wow this should not be happening in the 21st century.