Post by ajk on Nov 17, 2009 13:26:14 GMT -5
State council meeting: The Khitans are coming, and the emperor wants advice on what to do. Immediately the weasely ministers start speaking out about capitulating. "It is a fearsome force we cannot dare go up against," Kim Shimun says. "There has to be something they want from us. It would be wisest to dispatch an emissary and negotiate peace." Wrong, says Gang Gamchan; "The fact that they brought an army of this size means they came prepared to destroy us. Appeasement will not make them turn around. Your majesty, they will not turn back until we surrender the country whole or you declare yourself a servant of Liao." The weasels are practically interrupting each other, they all want so badly to surrender. They're especially intimidated by the Khitan army's 400,000 man size. Dae Dosu points out that the Goryeans have 250,000, thanks in no small measure to Cheonchu's efforts. "Still our numbers don't match," Kim Shimun fires back, (obviously clueless about military strategy and the numerical ratios of attackers and defenders. We're supposed to believe a guy in his position never read Sun Tzu?). "We can't fight a war we are certain to lose." Hyeonjong listens carefully to all of this; he doesn't commit to any one course of action but he asks, If we fight, who would be the best commander to lead us? Without hesitation Gamchan says the obvious: Gang Jo. More opposition from the weasels, of course, but Choe Hang jumps in to support Gamchan. Hyeonjong is thinking....
At Gang Jo's house: "We need the empress dowager more now than ever," Jo tells Yu Bang. He's intent on going to see the emperor immediately--he's positive he'll be sent to the front to lead the war-- but of course he's under house arrest and the guards aren't about to let him leave. It's turning into a tense confrontation, but then Dae Dosu runs in: "It's the imperial command: You've been reinstated as high general and you are to come to the palace at once!"
Yunheung's villa: Ahn Pae and Yi Hyunoon report to Lady Yunheung that they killed Mokjong but that they had to do it violently, because he wouldn't drink the poison, and Cheonchu saw them do it. Don't worry, Yunheung tells them; "The dowager will soon kill herself as well." Huh? Where is she getting this? Ahn doubts that very much, but Yunheung calmly assures them that "her son's tragic suicide will drive her to end her life as well." Hyunoon wonders if this strange statement has anything to do with the letter that he delivered to Lady Choongju for her, but she immediately and angrily shuts him up (which means he's probably right). She orders them back to their posts right away and reminds them to keep quiet about what they did. They gingerly ask her about the promotions they were promised by generals Choi and Tak for doing the job. She says now is not the time for that because it would create suspicion (she's right), but they're not happy. Then Jo Sun enters and tells her about the invading army (like he expects her to know what to do about it).
Ahn and Yi head back to the palace...and there are confronted by Choe Jil and Kim Hoon, who demand to know what happened to them after they were taken out of the jail. Ahn and Yi try to bluff their way out of it: "They beat us and tortured us, trying to make us incriminate General Gang Jo, but we didn't buckle. We stayed faithful to the end, and they just let us go right now." Choe and Kim ask why they have no scars on their faces from all of this supposed torture. Yi waffles: "Well, it was more of an emotional torture than physical torture." (How Choe and Kim manage to keep from busting out laughing is beyond me.)
State council meeting: Gang Jo is before the emperor, who formally appoints him in charge of the defense. Jo takes charge right away. The central armies must head north immediately, he says; he's confident that Yang Kyu will hold back the enemy until they get there. Jo even has a good idea of what route the Khitans will be using: because of the size of the army, they'll most likely need to use the western route and not the eastern. Generals Choi and Tak offer to take their armies and defend the east route as a precaution. Interestingly, the emperor is openly suspicious of them. But Jo is satisfied and okays it. He also wants Dae Dosu to lead the defense of Seogyeong, the northern capital (Why aren't they calling it Hogyeong? Remember, in Ep49 the city's name was officially changed by Cheonchu. Somebody must have changed it back. Thanks for telling us. Sheesh.) Then Hyeonjong tells Jo, "We have had unpleasant interactions but let us come together as one and save the empire from this peril." Jo accepts that graciously.
In the north: Ha Gongjin's unit has returned to camp; they had gone to try to capture Prince Hwangju but heard about the invasion on the way and wisely returned. Yang Kyu, Kim Sukheung and their subordinates don't yet know about Gang Jo's reinstatement, but they assume that reinforcements will be on their way from the capital and they make plans to hold off the invaders until the reinforcements arrive. Smart guys. (What about those demotions? I guess Yang and Kim are ignoring them for now. Another loose end not explained.)
Liao: Dokyun has brought the boy Hwangju to see Prime Minister Han and has told Han who the boy really is. "Your life is quite a story," he tells Dokyun upon learning that her son died to save Hwangju. He says he's partly at fault for the sad state she finds herself in, and he advises her to go back to the Jurchens and start her life over with them. It's the best place for her, he thinks, because even though she doesn't know anybody, it was Sa Gamun's home. She wants to stay here with Han, but he rules that out; he says he just won't live long without Chengtian in his life. "Go to the Jurchen," he advises; "don't dwell in despair. Go back to the strong warrior you were before and raise the child well." Maybe he'll even grow up to unify the Jurchen tribes, Han says with a smile...
...He escorts her outside and asks the soldiers to give her a horse and let her leave peacefully. They refuse; she's been ordered kept in confinement just like he has. Han appeals to the head guard and says he'll take responsibility for letting her go. Wow. The guard thinks about it...and then nods. "I apologize for all the sacrifices I forced upon you over the years," he tells Dokyun. "You're free now, so find your own way." It's a very classy gesture, one that will probably get him in hot water with the emperor. As Dokyun leaves, narration tells us that
Choongju Palace: Attendant Yu is trying to get in to see Cheonchu and Sunjeong; it's his job to attend to them, of course, but the palace guards (they look like civilian guards; they're certainly not in military uniforms) won't let him pass. Then steward Kim shows up and tells the guards to allow him through. "He's not going anywhere," Kim tells the guards; "he just wants to see his mistress." Yu passes through. As we've seen Kim is sympathetic to Cheonchu and supports her.
Inside: Yu tells Cheonchu that everyone in her group is being confined, even the servants. "They're up to something," Sunjeong says with surprising savvy. Cheonchu fears that Lady Choongju was involved in Mokjong's death (incorrect). She asks Yu if he can sneak away somehow and tell Gang Jo what's been happening; Jo will arrest Yi Hyunoon and Ahn Pae and get to the bottom of all this. That's a tall order, Yu says; "they're watching us like hawks. Getting out of here won't be easy.
Gang Jo is back in command, and firing up the troops with a big speech: "At this very moment, Khitan are marching upon us with an army of 400,000...We will thoroughly obliterate them and none of them will be able to go back home. This is what the empress dowager formed the Two Armies and Six Guards and prepared us for...Once we set out for this war, we may never return home...But we are protecting our country, our children and their children. So fight with all of your might and let history honor your bravery!" The troops go wild; they're all fired up. Regardless of what Jo did before or what any of them think about it, everyone is behind him now. They start their journey north.
Lady Yunheung goes to the palace visit her daughter. She's being nosy about the war issue and wants to ask Wonjeong what the emperor is doing. I don't know, the empress says with frustration, and then begins to cry...Turns out, she hasn't even seen him since the wedding night.
The emperor has summoned Gamchan and Choe Hang--to apologize! "I'm very sorry," he says; "I am indebted to both of you, but I've put you through anguish. And now the Khitan have invaded. My lack of virtue is to blame for it all." A class gesture, to be sure. Gamchan and Choe are both very gracious about it, and it's clear that they're sincere, not just being nice because he's the emperor.
We see the enormous Khitan army moving south...but now they're being scouted.
Heunghwajin Fort: Ha Gongjin enters and delivers the scouting report to Yang Kyu: the Khitan have crossed the Yalu. How many of them? "Inestimable." And the emperor leading them. Yang orders defensive positions taken immediately.
We see the Khitan military leadership in their strategy meeting. Shengzong wants to advance straight to the capital as quickly as possible and minimize conflict along the way. "We must be swift and forceful. Is that understood?" Yes it is.
Back at the fort: Yang Kyu addresses the troops, exhorting them to fight to the death and hand the Khitans their first defeat. The cheers haven't even died down before the Khitans appear on the horizon. Yikes, there are a LOT of them. This is one monster of an army. They approach the fort and without hesitation bring the archers forward, and then position the wall-climbers holding their ladders. None of that shouting at the enemy or posturing beforehand, just straight to work--gotta respect that. "Go and bring back their heads!", Xiao Baiya orders, and the charge is on. It begins with a massive rain of arrows into the fort, but the Goryeans have big wooden shields ready and most of the arrows thwack harmlessly into the shields. Most, but not all. And then a classic scale-the-wall battle begins as the arrows continue to fly. The Goryean archers are very efficient at first, picking off the ladder-climbers, but the raw numbers they face are imposing. Then there's real trouble--the catapults start firing. Impressive Khitan weapons that fire two boulders at a time with great force. (Technically these are trebuchets, not catapults, but you get the idea.) And they do effective damage, to the walls and to the defenders. Slowly, very gradually, attackers manage to get farther and farther up the ladders before dying, until finally they're able to get atop the walls and now its hand-to-hand mayhem in close quarters. The catapults keep firing and they start to damage the walls to the point where there's actually a breach in one section. Khitans swarm to the break and now it starts to look real bad. The Goryeans fight back like crazy and take emergency steps to seal the opening.
Back at Khitan headquarters: "The fort is still standing?" Shengzong is impatient for news of victory. He thinks the Goryeans should be out of arrows by now. Hmmm...His subordinates, worried about the unexpectedly fierce resistance and about their advance getting delayed, suggest sending an envoy to offer surrender terms.
Back at the fort: An envoy on horseback approaches the main fort gate under a flag of truce. It's Yelu Chu, and he offers "mercy" if the Goryeans will surrender. Yang Kyu responds, We'll fight to the end so withdraw your troops and send them home to their families. The envoy gets angry; that's not what he wanted to hear (but what did he think they'd say? Idiot). "I know you're running out of weapons! Surrender while you have the chance!", Chu says angrily. But Yang has news for him: "No, thanks to you fools, we're stock full of arrows!" And we can see that the Goryeans have been carefully removing the Khitans' own arrows from the wooden shields and recycling them. Nyah, nyah. Then Ha Gongjin draws his bow and aims at the envoy--Good heavens, he's not gonna shoot an envoy, is he?!?--and fires! It surgically breaks the flagpole and the truce flag goes fluttering to the ground. Wow, there's a heck of a shot right there. (That was a great moment; very suspenseful.)
"There is no reasoning with them." The envoy has reported back to Khitan HQ. "They've got guts," Shengzong says with obvious respect. "Fine. If they want death, we'll give them death."
Now its a nighttime attack, with flaming arrows. The wooden shields are catching fire, but water is brought forth and the fires are doused.
Next morning, inside the fort: More arrows are collected from the shields. Wounded troops are being attended; it's not a pretty sight and casualties look to be heavy. But the Goryeans are holding fast.
Next evening: Another attack. This time the Khitans scale the walls more easily, facing less resistance, and the hand-to-hand resumes.
Next morning: We see the Khitan side for a change. Wow, they don't look in such good shape either. Plenty of their own casualties to deal with. Obviously the Goryeans are still holding. And what about Shengzong's intent to head straight for the capital without getting bogged down? Genius seems to have forgotten that already.
Choongju Palace: Cheonchu runs out of her room into a courtyard screaming. "I can't take this anymore. I'm going back to Gaegyeong!" She's acting almost stir-crazy, like she's snapped from the confinement. She demands to see Lady Choongju, but her civilian guards order her back inside. So in one quick motion she grabs a sword from the waist of one of the guards and holds it to the head guard's throat. Steward Kim happens to show up and she orders him to summon his mistress immediately. This is all very weird. So Kim runs off to find her, and on his way alerts the palace's other guards to the problem.
We see attendant Yu, in the commotion, climbing out of his window and managing to slip away. Ah...so that's the idea.
All of the guards converge on the yard, and then Lady Choongju appears. She has no patience for this; some of the guards have bows and arrows and she orders them to kill Cheonchu on the spot if Cheonchu doesn't drop the sword. Cheonchu does drop it, but only after seeing attendant Yu getting away outside. Yu manages to find a horse and make his escape. Choongju slaps Cheonchu in the face and warns her to behave. Cheonchu is forcibly taken away and so is Sunjeong, who had run outside after her. Choongju orders steward Kim, "Do not give them a drop of water until I tell you to." Kim is shocked; not only is this cruel, but what if the royal court finds out? Choongju turns on him: "How dare you attempt to lecture me?! Just do as you're told!"
Back at Heunghwajin Fort: It's now seven days after the first assault and Shengzong is seething with frustration. He's advised by his subordinates to split the army, and leave part of it here to guard against a rear attack from the Goryeans in the fort while the other part continues south. Eventually we can take the fort, they tell him, but this delay is only giving Goryeo more time to prepare to defend the capital. "This is infuriating!", Shengzong growls. How could we fail to bring down a tiny fort with a massive army of 400,000 men?" Will he take his subordinates' advice?
He does. The retreat horn sounds and the Khitans abandon their assault on the fort walls. It's one heck of a victory for the Goryeans, no matter what happens from here on.
Much celebrating afterwards, and on top of it the good news arrives that Gang Jo has been reinstated and is in command of the war effort. Yang Kyu orders Ha Gongjin to deliver a victory report to Jo.
Shengzong tells his generals he wants a "small detachment army" left behind while the main army marches ahead to Tongju. He also wants a commando brigade sent to the east route as a diversionary tactic (the route Gang Jo didn't think they'd use; generals Choi and Tak were to head there with their armies as a precaution). And he wants Yelu Wuji and Yelu Dilie to each take 10,000 troops and head for Guiju (which is in the far west) to cover that flank before rejoining the main force at Tongju. Now Shengzong seems to be thinking more clearly; maybe he needed that initial slap in the face. We'll see.
Tongju Fort: Ha Gongjin arrives and gives the good news to Gang Jo, who's in a strategy meeting with his subordinates. Told that the Khitans are headed straight for this fort, Jo surprises everyone by not ordering the fort prepared for defense. "We will not be fighting the Khitan in the fort," he tells them. "We will take positions outside the wall at Samsuchae." Seriously? The Khitan strength is cavalry; wouldn't it be wiser to fight from the fort than from ground level? "We can certainly defend the city if we fight them from here," he explains, "but we cannot defeat the Khitan. We must destroy their main force cavalry on the field and stop them from advancing to Seogyeong." Well, he's got a point; gonna have to engage them head-on sooner or later if they want to stop them and drive them out of the country.
Dokyun and Prince Hwangju are on horseback, headed from Liao to Jurchen territory, and almost run smack-dab into generals Choi and Tak leading their armies northward to Guiju. They manage to hide and watch the troops pass. (Okay, now I'm completely confused because Choi and Tak were to cover the east route and Guiju is at the extreme far west. And apparently when Shengzong sent Yelu Dilie and Yelu Wuji to Guiju, THAT was the diversionary tactic Shengzong wanted for the east route--but they're heading to Guiju as well. Sure wish this episode would show us a map for once, because I don't get it.)
Chief Mobula is informed that the Khitans have invaded Goryeo. His subordinate asks him which side the tribe should take. "Neither," Mobula answers. "This is between Liao and Goryeo. We will not get involved and sacrifice our men for their cause. In fact, the more they hurt each other, the better it will be for us." Then another subordinate informs him of Dokyun's return. So he goes out to see her--and orders her confined.
"The attendant has disappeared?" Steward Kim has told Lady Choongju that attendant Yu isn't in his room and can't be located. He hasn't been seen since Cheonchu's commotion. Slowly it dawns on her: "Then...that was...a setup?" She goes straight to Cheonchu's quarters, where Cheonchu and Sunjeong are forcibly brought outside, and demands to know where Yu was sent. "I don't know what you're talking about," Cheonchu says blankly. So she turns to Kim and orders, "Kill the wenches!" Kim is mortified: "My lady, they are the mother and wife of our previous ruler. They must not be harmed." Choongju doesn't care: "Are you going to defy my order? I said kill them! This is an order!" Kim draws his sword and advances on the two women.
At Gang Jo's house: "We need the empress dowager more now than ever," Jo tells Yu Bang. He's intent on going to see the emperor immediately--he's positive he'll be sent to the front to lead the war-- but of course he's under house arrest and the guards aren't about to let him leave. It's turning into a tense confrontation, but then Dae Dosu runs in: "It's the imperial command: You've been reinstated as high general and you are to come to the palace at once!"
Yunheung's villa: Ahn Pae and Yi Hyunoon report to Lady Yunheung that they killed Mokjong but that they had to do it violently, because he wouldn't drink the poison, and Cheonchu saw them do it. Don't worry, Yunheung tells them; "The dowager will soon kill herself as well." Huh? Where is she getting this? Ahn doubts that very much, but Yunheung calmly assures them that "her son's tragic suicide will drive her to end her life as well." Hyunoon wonders if this strange statement has anything to do with the letter that he delivered to Lady Choongju for her, but she immediately and angrily shuts him up (which means he's probably right). She orders them back to their posts right away and reminds them to keep quiet about what they did. They gingerly ask her about the promotions they were promised by generals Choi and Tak for doing the job. She says now is not the time for that because it would create suspicion (she's right), but they're not happy. Then Jo Sun enters and tells her about the invading army (like he expects her to know what to do about it).
Ahn and Yi head back to the palace...and there are confronted by Choe Jil and Kim Hoon, who demand to know what happened to them after they were taken out of the jail. Ahn and Yi try to bluff their way out of it: "They beat us and tortured us, trying to make us incriminate General Gang Jo, but we didn't buckle. We stayed faithful to the end, and they just let us go right now." Choe and Kim ask why they have no scars on their faces from all of this supposed torture. Yi waffles: "Well, it was more of an emotional torture than physical torture." (How Choe and Kim manage to keep from busting out laughing is beyond me.)
State council meeting: Gang Jo is before the emperor, who formally appoints him in charge of the defense. Jo takes charge right away. The central armies must head north immediately, he says; he's confident that Yang Kyu will hold back the enemy until they get there. Jo even has a good idea of what route the Khitans will be using: because of the size of the army, they'll most likely need to use the western route and not the eastern. Generals Choi and Tak offer to take their armies and defend the east route as a precaution. Interestingly, the emperor is openly suspicious of them. But Jo is satisfied and okays it. He also wants Dae Dosu to lead the defense of Seogyeong, the northern capital (Why aren't they calling it Hogyeong? Remember, in Ep49 the city's name was officially changed by Cheonchu. Somebody must have changed it back. Thanks for telling us. Sheesh.) Then Hyeonjong tells Jo, "We have had unpleasant interactions but let us come together as one and save the empire from this peril." Jo accepts that graciously.
In the north: Ha Gongjin's unit has returned to camp; they had gone to try to capture Prince Hwangju but heard about the invasion on the way and wisely returned. Yang Kyu, Kim Sukheung and their subordinates don't yet know about Gang Jo's reinstatement, but they assume that reinforcements will be on their way from the capital and they make plans to hold off the invaders until the reinforcements arrive. Smart guys. (What about those demotions? I guess Yang and Kim are ignoring them for now. Another loose end not explained.)
Liao: Dokyun has brought the boy Hwangju to see Prime Minister Han and has told Han who the boy really is. "Your life is quite a story," he tells Dokyun upon learning that her son died to save Hwangju. He says he's partly at fault for the sad state she finds herself in, and he advises her to go back to the Jurchens and start her life over with them. It's the best place for her, he thinks, because even though she doesn't know anybody, it was Sa Gamun's home. She wants to stay here with Han, but he rules that out; he says he just won't live long without Chengtian in his life. "Go to the Jurchen," he advises; "don't dwell in despair. Go back to the strong warrior you were before and raise the child well." Maybe he'll even grow up to unify the Jurchen tribes, Han says with a smile...
...He escorts her outside and asks the soldiers to give her a horse and let her leave peacefully. They refuse; she's been ordered kept in confinement just like he has. Han appeals to the head guard and says he'll take responsibility for letting her go. Wow. The guard thinks about it...and then nods. "I apologize for all the sacrifices I forced upon you over the years," he tells Dokyun. "You're free now, so find your own way." It's a very classy gesture, one that will probably get him in hot water with the emperor. As Dokyun leaves, narration tells us that
As he had predicted, Han Derang's health rapidly deteriorated and he passed away one year later. Upon his death, Shengzong of Liao honored him with a national mourning and buried him next to Empress Dowager Xiao. Han unified the weights and measures of Liao and instituted agricultural policies to transform the nomadic Khitan into farmers. He was the only Han Chinese to be buried in the Royal Tomb of Liao.So apparently this is the last we'll see of him. Too bad.
Choongju Palace: Attendant Yu is trying to get in to see Cheonchu and Sunjeong; it's his job to attend to them, of course, but the palace guards (they look like civilian guards; they're certainly not in military uniforms) won't let him pass. Then steward Kim shows up and tells the guards to allow him through. "He's not going anywhere," Kim tells the guards; "he just wants to see his mistress." Yu passes through. As we've seen Kim is sympathetic to Cheonchu and supports her.
Inside: Yu tells Cheonchu that everyone in her group is being confined, even the servants. "They're up to something," Sunjeong says with surprising savvy. Cheonchu fears that Lady Choongju was involved in Mokjong's death (incorrect). She asks Yu if he can sneak away somehow and tell Gang Jo what's been happening; Jo will arrest Yi Hyunoon and Ahn Pae and get to the bottom of all this. That's a tall order, Yu says; "they're watching us like hawks. Getting out of here won't be easy.
Gang Jo is back in command, and firing up the troops with a big speech: "At this very moment, Khitan are marching upon us with an army of 400,000...We will thoroughly obliterate them and none of them will be able to go back home. This is what the empress dowager formed the Two Armies and Six Guards and prepared us for...Once we set out for this war, we may never return home...But we are protecting our country, our children and their children. So fight with all of your might and let history honor your bravery!" The troops go wild; they're all fired up. Regardless of what Jo did before or what any of them think about it, everyone is behind him now. They start their journey north.
Lady Yunheung goes to the palace visit her daughter. She's being nosy about the war issue and wants to ask Wonjeong what the emperor is doing. I don't know, the empress says with frustration, and then begins to cry...Turns out, she hasn't even seen him since the wedding night.
The emperor has summoned Gamchan and Choe Hang--to apologize! "I'm very sorry," he says; "I am indebted to both of you, but I've put you through anguish. And now the Khitan have invaded. My lack of virtue is to blame for it all." A class gesture, to be sure. Gamchan and Choe are both very gracious about it, and it's clear that they're sincere, not just being nice because he's the emperor.
We see the enormous Khitan army moving south...but now they're being scouted.
Heunghwajin Fort: Ha Gongjin enters and delivers the scouting report to Yang Kyu: the Khitan have crossed the Yalu. How many of them? "Inestimable." And the emperor leading them. Yang orders defensive positions taken immediately.
We see the Khitan military leadership in their strategy meeting. Shengzong wants to advance straight to the capital as quickly as possible and minimize conflict along the way. "We must be swift and forceful. Is that understood?" Yes it is.
Back at the fort: Yang Kyu addresses the troops, exhorting them to fight to the death and hand the Khitans their first defeat. The cheers haven't even died down before the Khitans appear on the horizon. Yikes, there are a LOT of them. This is one monster of an army. They approach the fort and without hesitation bring the archers forward, and then position the wall-climbers holding their ladders. None of that shouting at the enemy or posturing beforehand, just straight to work--gotta respect that. "Go and bring back their heads!", Xiao Baiya orders, and the charge is on. It begins with a massive rain of arrows into the fort, but the Goryeans have big wooden shields ready and most of the arrows thwack harmlessly into the shields. Most, but not all. And then a classic scale-the-wall battle begins as the arrows continue to fly. The Goryean archers are very efficient at first, picking off the ladder-climbers, but the raw numbers they face are imposing. Then there's real trouble--the catapults start firing. Impressive Khitan weapons that fire two boulders at a time with great force. (Technically these are trebuchets, not catapults, but you get the idea.) And they do effective damage, to the walls and to the defenders. Slowly, very gradually, attackers manage to get farther and farther up the ladders before dying, until finally they're able to get atop the walls and now its hand-to-hand mayhem in close quarters. The catapults keep firing and they start to damage the walls to the point where there's actually a breach in one section. Khitans swarm to the break and now it starts to look real bad. The Goryeans fight back like crazy and take emergency steps to seal the opening.
Back at Khitan headquarters: "The fort is still standing?" Shengzong is impatient for news of victory. He thinks the Goryeans should be out of arrows by now. Hmmm...His subordinates, worried about the unexpectedly fierce resistance and about their advance getting delayed, suggest sending an envoy to offer surrender terms.
Back at the fort: An envoy on horseback approaches the main fort gate under a flag of truce. It's Yelu Chu, and he offers "mercy" if the Goryeans will surrender. Yang Kyu responds, We'll fight to the end so withdraw your troops and send them home to their families. The envoy gets angry; that's not what he wanted to hear (but what did he think they'd say? Idiot). "I know you're running out of weapons! Surrender while you have the chance!", Chu says angrily. But Yang has news for him: "No, thanks to you fools, we're stock full of arrows!" And we can see that the Goryeans have been carefully removing the Khitans' own arrows from the wooden shields and recycling them. Nyah, nyah. Then Ha Gongjin draws his bow and aims at the envoy--Good heavens, he's not gonna shoot an envoy, is he?!?--and fires! It surgically breaks the flagpole and the truce flag goes fluttering to the ground. Wow, there's a heck of a shot right there. (That was a great moment; very suspenseful.)
"There is no reasoning with them." The envoy has reported back to Khitan HQ. "They've got guts," Shengzong says with obvious respect. "Fine. If they want death, we'll give them death."
Now its a nighttime attack, with flaming arrows. The wooden shields are catching fire, but water is brought forth and the fires are doused.
Next morning, inside the fort: More arrows are collected from the shields. Wounded troops are being attended; it's not a pretty sight and casualties look to be heavy. But the Goryeans are holding fast.
Next evening: Another attack. This time the Khitans scale the walls more easily, facing less resistance, and the hand-to-hand resumes.
Next morning: We see the Khitan side for a change. Wow, they don't look in such good shape either. Plenty of their own casualties to deal with. Obviously the Goryeans are still holding. And what about Shengzong's intent to head straight for the capital without getting bogged down? Genius seems to have forgotten that already.
Choongju Palace: Cheonchu runs out of her room into a courtyard screaming. "I can't take this anymore. I'm going back to Gaegyeong!" She's acting almost stir-crazy, like she's snapped from the confinement. She demands to see Lady Choongju, but her civilian guards order her back inside. So in one quick motion she grabs a sword from the waist of one of the guards and holds it to the head guard's throat. Steward Kim happens to show up and she orders him to summon his mistress immediately. This is all very weird. So Kim runs off to find her, and on his way alerts the palace's other guards to the problem.
We see attendant Yu, in the commotion, climbing out of his window and managing to slip away. Ah...so that's the idea.
All of the guards converge on the yard, and then Lady Choongju appears. She has no patience for this; some of the guards have bows and arrows and she orders them to kill Cheonchu on the spot if Cheonchu doesn't drop the sword. Cheonchu does drop it, but only after seeing attendant Yu getting away outside. Yu manages to find a horse and make his escape. Choongju slaps Cheonchu in the face and warns her to behave. Cheonchu is forcibly taken away and so is Sunjeong, who had run outside after her. Choongju orders steward Kim, "Do not give them a drop of water until I tell you to." Kim is shocked; not only is this cruel, but what if the royal court finds out? Choongju turns on him: "How dare you attempt to lecture me?! Just do as you're told!"
Back at Heunghwajin Fort: It's now seven days after the first assault and Shengzong is seething with frustration. He's advised by his subordinates to split the army, and leave part of it here to guard against a rear attack from the Goryeans in the fort while the other part continues south. Eventually we can take the fort, they tell him, but this delay is only giving Goryeo more time to prepare to defend the capital. "This is infuriating!", Shengzong growls. How could we fail to bring down a tiny fort with a massive army of 400,000 men?" Will he take his subordinates' advice?
He does. The retreat horn sounds and the Khitans abandon their assault on the fort walls. It's one heck of a victory for the Goryeans, no matter what happens from here on.
Much celebrating afterwards, and on top of it the good news arrives that Gang Jo has been reinstated and is in command of the war effort. Yang Kyu orders Ha Gongjin to deliver a victory report to Jo.
Shengzong tells his generals he wants a "small detachment army" left behind while the main army marches ahead to Tongju. He also wants a commando brigade sent to the east route as a diversionary tactic (the route Gang Jo didn't think they'd use; generals Choi and Tak were to head there with their armies as a precaution). And he wants Yelu Wuji and Yelu Dilie to each take 10,000 troops and head for Guiju (which is in the far west) to cover that flank before rejoining the main force at Tongju. Now Shengzong seems to be thinking more clearly; maybe he needed that initial slap in the face. We'll see.
Tongju Fort: Ha Gongjin arrives and gives the good news to Gang Jo, who's in a strategy meeting with his subordinates. Told that the Khitans are headed straight for this fort, Jo surprises everyone by not ordering the fort prepared for defense. "We will not be fighting the Khitan in the fort," he tells them. "We will take positions outside the wall at Samsuchae." Seriously? The Khitan strength is cavalry; wouldn't it be wiser to fight from the fort than from ground level? "We can certainly defend the city if we fight them from here," he explains, "but we cannot defeat the Khitan. We must destroy their main force cavalry on the field and stop them from advancing to Seogyeong." Well, he's got a point; gonna have to engage them head-on sooner or later if they want to stop them and drive them out of the country.
Dokyun and Prince Hwangju are on horseback, headed from Liao to Jurchen territory, and almost run smack-dab into generals Choi and Tak leading their armies northward to Guiju. They manage to hide and watch the troops pass. (Okay, now I'm completely confused because Choi and Tak were to cover the east route and Guiju is at the extreme far west. And apparently when Shengzong sent Yelu Dilie and Yelu Wuji to Guiju, THAT was the diversionary tactic Shengzong wanted for the east route--but they're heading to Guiju as well. Sure wish this episode would show us a map for once, because I don't get it.)
Chief Mobula is informed that the Khitans have invaded Goryeo. His subordinate asks him which side the tribe should take. "Neither," Mobula answers. "This is between Liao and Goryeo. We will not get involved and sacrifice our men for their cause. In fact, the more they hurt each other, the better it will be for us." Then another subordinate informs him of Dokyun's return. So he goes out to see her--and orders her confined.
"The attendant has disappeared?" Steward Kim has told Lady Choongju that attendant Yu isn't in his room and can't be located. He hasn't been seen since Cheonchu's commotion. Slowly it dawns on her: "Then...that was...a setup?" She goes straight to Cheonchu's quarters, where Cheonchu and Sunjeong are forcibly brought outside, and demands to know where Yu was sent. "I don't know what you're talking about," Cheonchu says blankly. So she turns to Kim and orders, "Kill the wenches!" Kim is mortified: "My lady, they are the mother and wife of our previous ruler. They must not be harmed." Choongju doesn't care: "Are you going to defy my order? I said kill them! This is an order!" Kim draws his sword and advances on the two women.
