Episode 23
What?
Yang Manchun is marching
to Pyongyang Fort with his army?
Yes, general.
That's the report from our spies in Liaodong.
General, Goguryeo will at last be divided
like Li Kaigu's report!
Yeon Gaesomun and Yang Manchun...
This will be a fight to watch!
And you're the one who made this happen, general.
The imperial court of Tang will have no choice
but to give you the recognition you deserve.
- Hongpei, - Yes, general.
Are they still offering measly
one hundred pieces of silver for my head?
... Yes, general.
One hundred piece of silver...
Let's see how much I am worth
once I've destroyed Goguryeo.
Once I have destroyed Goguryeo...
Anhak Palace, Pyongyang
Your Majesty!
Your Majesty,
General Yang Manchun and the warriors
of Liaodong have reached the Sasu!
Where is the Supreme Commander?
He is at the ramparts to suppress
the Liaodong army himself!
What do we do?
General Yang Manchun is not a rebel.
A warrior who received the King's summons
Brought thousands of his soldiers to the palace.
- This is clearly a rebellion! - No, Your Majesty!
I urge you to dispatch a messenger
and order General Yang to wothdraw his troops.
Oh dear!
he wouldn't have come in the first place!
It is clearly a rebel army coming
to attack Pyongyang, Your Majesty.
Liaodong Army Camp
You mean Pyongyang has assumed offensive positions?
Yes, general. The fort is tightly secured.
It is as we suspected.
The Supreme Commander is after your life.
If we march any further,
a great battle will ensue.
We must first call the reinforcement from Liaodong.
I will go to Pyongyang alone from here.
General!
If you care about me, do not follow.
Your life could be at stake.
If I could trade my life
for preservation of peace in Goguryeo
- I will gladly die. - No, general!
We cannot let you go alone.
Do not let innocent soldiers die for you foolishness!
I urge you to first send a messenger, sir.
If you thoughts are conveyed correctly,
tragedy can be avoided.
I will go.
The Supreme Commander will not be able to turn the away.
Pyongyang Fort West Gate
Good to see you, men
It's the Lord of Liaodong Fort Go Sagae.
I have a letter from General Yang Manchun.
Open the gate.
We bid you greetings, Your Excellency
Excellency,
we bring you a letter from General Yang Manchun.
Please let us in.
Excellency!
Excellency, why are you doing this!
It's Go Sagae!
This is my answer to Yang Manchun!
Excellency! Excellency!
My will is the will of god.
Those who defy the Heaven's decree
cannot be allowed to live!
Excellency, please don't do this!
Excellency! Excellency!
What are you waiting for? Kill them all!
Run! Back to the camp!
Get out of here!
I, Yeon Gaesomun.
I will deliver Heaven's vengeance!
Yang Manchun, you are next!
for opposing my conquest of Tang... Yang Manchun...
Yang Manchun... ! I will die in my hands!
What?
The Supreme Commander killed our soldiers?
We barely made it back alive, sir.
He killed them all. All of them!
This is impossible!
I know he is ill,
but how could murder our men in cold blood?
General, there is no time.
Call the reinforcements now!
Must we?
Must we, Liaodong and Pyongyang,
fight each other?
Father,
they should know how serious you are now.
There is no point is delaying this.
We will attack promptly tomorrow.
their leader is none other than Yang Manchun
who defeated Li Shimin's army of one million.
So?
It may prove to be unwise to make the first move.
That's right.
It would be wiser to wait for them to attack.
I agree, Excellency.
What are you talking about?
If we give them time,
they will call the reinforcements in Bisa Fort!
This fight must be quick and intensive.
So we can embark on our conquest ofTang!
Sire!
Have you located Dae Joyoung?
We seacrhed the entire city,
but I don't know where that rat is hiding.
- Get the men ready tonight. - Pardon?
I have a hunch about where he might be.
Yes, sire.
Taehak
You mean Liaodong soldiers were killed?
Yes.
General Yang and the Supreme Commander's
collision is inevitable now.
His Majesty has lost his will to eat
since this happened.
After much thought,
he's decided to send a secret letter to General Yang.
If this falls into the Supreme Commander's hands,
all hope of controlling the situation will be lost.
But why are you giving me this letter?
His Majesty has chosen you,
Captain Dae Joyoung, to deliver this letter.
He chose wisely.
Accept the royal missive.
Minister Yeon Namseng is here!
Open the gate! Open the gate!
What brings you here at this time of the night, Minister Yeon?
The students are studying...
- Search the compound! - Yes, sir!
- You can't do this, sir! - Stop aside!
- Follow me! - Sire!
- Comb every inch of this place! - Yes, sir!
- Move it! - Yes, sir!
This way!
- Check every corner! - Aye!
- Open this door! - Yes, sir!
Sire! Sire!
What are you doing? Open this door!
- Sire! - Get out of the way!
Minister Yeon!
- Quickly! Open this door! - Sire!
This is an armony.
What are you excatly looking for?
- Check the inside corner! - Yes, sir.
There's no one here.
Intruder! It's an intruder!
Who was that? What's going on?
It's got to be Dae Joyoung!
- After him! - Yes, sire!
They couldn't be pretending to help us
so they could kill us, could they?
Say something! You got us into this!
If they were going to kill us, they would've yet fone so already.
Be patient.
Then they should feed us!
I'm starving!
There's nothing more you can do here.
We can't go back just yet.
I fyou should be captured,
you will hurt us all!
We cannot go until death of Yeon Gaesomun is confirmed.
The Supreme Commander's death?
That's right. That is our order.
These men are delusional.
I helped you because I have ties with General Xue,
but make no mistake.
Tang and Goguryeo are enemy states.
Do you think I will share top secret
government information with Tang spies?
- General Sa Bugu, - Yes, sir!
It's become clear that these men are potential trouble.
- Lock them up! - Yes, sir!
What is the meaning of this?
General Xue told us to seek your help
if we run into difficulties.
Are you going to betray General Xue's trust!
I'm a high commissioner representing
the five ruling clans of Goguryeo.
I'm not foolish enough to betray my country over friendship.
We shoud've never trusted Goguryeo!
Yeon Gaesomun or Yang Manchun,
one of them should be dead by now!
It takes almost a month for news
Good heavens!
I'm so anxious I can't stand it!
Even hunting gets old after awhile.
General!
- A report, general. - Yes, at last!
So who died? Yeon Gaesomun or Tang Manchun?
Actually, it's a different matter.
Troops are here from Tang.
Troops? What for?
It's Superior Commander Li Jing.
He is here for you.
The superior commander is here for me?
The Tang court must be aware of what's going on
to have sent the superior commander to bring you back.
They will finally give you the recognition you deserve!
- Congratulations, general! - Congratulations. general!
Where is the superior commander?
It is good to see you again, sir.
I am honored that you took the trouble to come here
when you could have just summoned me back.
Are His Majesty the Emperor and
Her Highness teh Empress well?
I wasn't able to communicate the entire time I've been here.
Arrest the offender Xue Rengui at once!
- Yes, sir! - General! Stop, you fool!
What is the meaning of this?
You know you are guilty!
You're a criminal of treason who defied the imperial command
and fled the law to evade his responsibility for defeat war!
You are to be captured and brought back
to Chang'an at immediately!
General, I did not flee to avoid punishment!
I am fighting Goguryeo from here fight now!
Silence!
You have disgraced the warriors of Tang.
I swear on my honor that I will not let you live!
General, this is injustice!
Goguryeo is on the verge of collapse because of me!
Khan, General Sun, say something!
Sir, General Xue has Goguryeo is
in the palm of his hands right now!
That's right, sir.
In a matter of days,
you will hear the most incredible news from Goguryeo.
Silence!
If I had my way,
you Khitans would be punished as well.
But I'm leaving you alone because I've been ordered
by the Emperor to acknowledge your efforts.
We will go back immediately.
Apprehead the two fugitives!
- Yes, general! - No, general!
Listen to me!
General! You must listen to me!
You can't do this! Listen to me!
Your Majesty...
Your Majesty... !
How many times must I answer?
Xue Rengui cannot be forgiven.
Grant me this wish, Your Majesty.
What is this fixation you have on Xue Rengui?
I don't understand you.
He is nothing more than one of many humble warriors.
Why are you defending him like this?
Do you not know why?
Explain.
We have lost countless brave warriors.
in our repreated attempts to conquer Goguryeo.
Even General Li Jing,
the hero of the century, is now but an old man.
Someone must succeed Li Jing and
realize the conquest of Goguryeo.
Do you believe Xue Rengui is the man to do it?
In my opinion,
Xue Rengui is the one and only warrior of Tang
who can contend with Yeon Gaesomun and Yang Manchun.
I thought so as well at first.
But I couldn't have been more wrong.
The outcome of our last expedition is the proof.
Your Majesty,
Xue Rengui will be punished to the fullest
when he arrives
Your Majesty! Your Majesty!
Water! Cold Water!
- Any word from Goguryeo? - No, Your Highness.
I can't let Xue Rengui die like this...
There is not one man in this country
who will help me...
No one man...
I, the King, write this to thee Grand. Mastual General Yang Manchun.
In all of our history, the great armies of neither Tang nor sui
have ever places this country in peril as great as this.
All is the failure of this inadequate man.
Send you soldiers back to Liaodong
and enter the city alone.
I know you are innocent.
And I will protect you though I may be weak.
I pray thee not to forsake me, Grand Martial General.
Your Majesty...
Forgive me for placing you in such position...
Take the troops back to Liaodong tonight.
General,
the Supreme Commander is not of sound mind.
If we don't fight,
we will all be killed!
I f it comes to that, I will trade in my life.
I cannot let my men die in the hands of their own.
We can't let you do this, general!
General...
It's tonight.
Make the necessary preparations.
Pyongyang Fort West Gate
Excellency! Excellency!
There are suspicious activities in the Liaodong army camp!
Suspicious activoties? What do you mean?
Well,
it looks like they're preparing to attack.
We will preempt their move.
Prepare for action at once!
Yes, Excellency!
- Father! - Excellency!
We must prepare for battle!
You're not going anywhere, Father.
- Take him to his chambers! - I'm all right.
Bring me my horse and my crescent sword.
I need a formidable sword to fight
a formidable enemy like Yang Manchun.
Father... !
Father! Father!
aren't you going back to Liaodong?
We will attack Pyongyang tonight!
Pyongyang is preparing to attack us.
Beyond our walls there lies a mob that
opposes the conquest ofTang and seeks control of the state!
Heaven has spoken to me Yeon Gaesomun
to wipe out the useless force that stands in our way!
Let the gates be open!
We will remove Yang Manchun
ans restore the pride of Goguryeo!
Excellency!
Excellency,
I beg you to withdraw the troops!
The insolent bastard!
Brother cannot draw their sword on each other!
- Kill that bastard! - Yes, sir!
Stop!
Yang Manchun provoked this fight with military action!
If a rebellion was his objective,
why would he come without military provisions?
Yang Manchun opposed the conquest ofTang!
Because conquering Tang is
an impossible task for us right now!
What? What did you say?
General Yang Manchun is not the only one who feels that way.
Each and every warrior
and every last citizen of Goguryeo agree.
Silence!
What are you waiting for?
Get him out of the way!
Excellency, look at me.
You have raised me since I was an infant.
If there was a way to pay back
one thousandth of that gratitude
it is to tell you the truth that no one has dared to tell you.
You are the great hero that
saved this country and ruled the land.
But not right now.
People are starving
to death due to failure of crops.
And continued was has left
the country in a weakned state.
If you press for this conquest,
Goguryeo will crumble.
Entire country knows this
entire you, Your Excellency!
What?
Everyone knows this except me, you say?
That's right.
Me?
I will be cause the fall of Goguryeo?
It is a certainty, Excellency.
Speak, warriors!
Am I wrong?
Am I causing the fall of Goguryeo?
That's absurd.
You are always right, Father.
You mustn't listen to that bastard.
I, Yeon Gaesomun,
am the evil that's trying to destroy the country?
I, Yeon Gaesomun,
will bring the fall of Goguryeo?
I, Yeon Gaesomun?
- Excellency! - Father!
Take him to the chamber! Hurry!
- Excellency! Excellency! - What are you waiting for?
Take him back at once! Father!
- Father! - Clear the way!
Excellency!
Excellency... !
Wait here for a while.
I'll be back soon to slice off your heads.
What happened?
How is he?
You must keep everyone away
from her from this moment.
What are you trying to say?
No one must know about His Excellency's condition.
Why?
He's still alive,
but he should have died a long time ago.
His mental strength is truly amazing
to still be alive.
Sire, you mustn't rush.
When you are completely prepared
to succeed all of his power and authority
Only then you should make His Excellency's death be known.
Father... . Father... !
- His Excellency has collapsed? - Yes, general.
Jungsang, I need your help.
I must go to into the city right now.
What do you mean?
I need to see the Supreme commander
Pyongyang Fort is the enemy's camp now.
If I don't see him now,
I may never see him again!
I cannot let you go, general.
He is my dearest friend.
And his heart is filled with misguided resentment for me.
I must sort out this misunderstanding before he dies.
How else are we to rebuild our friendship in the next world?
General,
Help me get out quietly.
Things will get complicated if Go Sagae found out.
Jungsang--
General!
I've come to see the Supreme Commander.
Clear the path.
We heard His Excellency is in critical condition.
Lead us to him.
I must urge you to go back, general.
We would not dare harm you, sir,
but there is General Yeon Namseng.
He will surely try to kill you.
That's right, sir.
I will escort you back to the camp.
Do not stop me!
General! General!
General!
You!
My father has collapsed because of you!
That's it.
I'm going to kill you with my own hands!
Sire!
General Yang Manchun is here.
What?
Yang Manchun has walked in her on his own?
Yes, sire.
General Dae Jungsang is with him.
Dae Jungsang as well?
Excellent!
- I will kill them all. - Sire!
Not just you, Gaedong.
But your father and General Yang Manchun as well!
I will have the pleasure of killing everyone
that put my father in his bed!
All of them!
Sire! Sire! No,
No! Sire!
Move quickly!
I've come to see the Supreme Commander.
Let me see your father.
You will not see my father in this life.
Wait for him in the next life.
I will send you there.
How dare you utter these words!
Guards!
I'll kill you...
I'll kill anyone who stands in my way...
Yang Manchun... Yang Manchun... !
You want to kill me?
That's right.
I'm your father's friend.
My father considers you as an enemy.
My father's enemy is my enemy as well!
Clear the path.
You must be losing your sight and your hearing in your old age.
Take a good look.
You are in Pyongyang. In Pyongyang, I am...
You punk!
You disrespectful punk!
You grew up riding on my back!
I'm repulsed by your insolence!
Stand in my way again
and you will die in my hands.
Stop him!
What are you waiting for?
Shoot him with an arrow!
This is the Grand Martial General of Goguryeo Yang Manchun!
No, he is the rebel leader! Shoot him!
How dare you!
Put those bows down at once!
It's an order! Shoot him! Now!
Yeon Gaesomun, you, too, are here at last!
Li Shimin?
Goguryeo is slowly coming to an end
just like yuor life is coming to an end.
I will not die.
And Goguryeo will also be eternal!
Nothing is eternal.
Just like the cycle of life for the mankind,
a country has its time as well.
Why are your people
so obsessed with destroying us?
Countless dynasties have come
and gone in the past years in China.
But Goguryeo has managed to maintain
its power for a thousand years!
How are we to accept that?
At last the truth comes out.
That's right.
While you were squabbling amongst yourselves for land,
Goguryeo stood strong
and still watching it all for a millenium.
Do you understand?
Goguryeo is the master of this land!
But history belongs to the victor.
You proud thousand-year history
will be erased and rewritten.
Silence!
Your land, your history
and your culture will all be ours
and you will have nothing
to bequeath to your descendents
Goguryeo will not fall.
Instead Goguryeo will bring the fall ofTang!
You're already on the path to ruin.
Like Baekje,
Goguryeo will soon be reduced to rubbles!
Li Shimin... Li Shimin, you bastard!
Yeon Gaesomun... . !
You bastard!
How dare you!
Where do you think you are?
I will destroy you.
I will have your head!
You bastard!