Episode 45
You do not see me?
The King of Shilla is a man
who brought down the indomitable Goguryeo.
But I see no such hero before me.
If you think insults will get you out of here alive,
you're sadly mistaken.
I don't fall for tricks.
If you are so smart,
why can't you see through Tang's shallow scheme?
Tang is trying to kill me
so they can desttoy the new Goguryeo.
Who do you think is next?
Why are they trying so hard to take the old Baekje territory?
Think about it.
It's because they are after Shilla.
Do not let they destroy the new Goguryeo,
or Shilla will be destroying herself.
How dare you!
- You have a death wish! - Do not interrupt.
If I let you live,
I will be putting my people in danger
by making an enemy of Tang.
Killing me will give you peace,
but that peace will be short lived.
If you want lasting peace in Shilla,
cement your military alliance with the new Goguryeo.
Fighting off Tang together is the surest way
to secure Shilla's lasting peace.
Silence!
Your Majesty, you must imprison this man immediately.
Take Dae Joyoung back to the guest wing,
The guest wing, Your Majesty?
Xue Rengui will soon arrive.
Keep him in the confines of the guest wing until then.
Something's gone wrong!
Why else would he be gone for so long?
What's this?
Kaigu...!
Take Chulin.
- Hey! - Step back.
It's all right. I won't be long.
Hey!
I didn't expect you to be here with Dae Joyoung.
Let's go back to the tribe.
I've been forgiven for releasing the Goguryeoans.
The Kahn will be so pleased to have you back.
The Chulin you know is dead.
Take this to my father.
Chulin...!
I'm Dae Joyoung's woman now.
I can't turn back.
Do you love Dae Joyoung enough to give up the tribe for him?
Enough to give up everything...
I cannot let you go.
If you go with Dae Joyoung,
the Khan will not let you live.
I'm not afraid of death.
If you don't let me go,
I'll send my head back to my father
instead of my hair.
Mogae!
Take Chulin back to Dae Joyoung.
General...!
I will kill Dae Joyoung and come back for you
may it take me my netire lifetime.
It's a promise i will keep, so remember, Chulin.
Chulin!
I heard what happened.
I thought I would never see you again.
This is where I belong right here next to you.
Right here...
Once we get back to Pyongyang.
We will be lauching an attack on Han Fort.
You will get your revenge then.
Victory is the sweetest revenge.
Yes...
I will kill Dae Joyoung,
destroy the new Goguryeo
and comfort my soul with revenge...
Dae Joyoung is right...
Once the new Goguryeo is destroyed,
Shilla will be next.
But I can't make an enemy of Tang either.
What do I do?
Han Fort Government office
What do you mean?
Go to Shilla yourself, General Gom?
I will bring Dae Joyoung back
even if I have to burn down the jail in their royal palace!
If only that were only possible I would not stop you...
It couldn't be more dangerous for you to leave Han Fort
When the city is devoid of the minister of military.
That's right.
Andong Protectorate is watching us like a hawk.
This could put the new Goguryeo in great danger.
But Dae Joyoung, Gulsabiwu and Heuk Sudol
are the pillars that hold up this state.
Our military strength will be senously undermined
if we let them die.
Shilla and Tang are allies.
If Tang wants Generral Dae'a head,
no one will be able to save him not even General Gom.
If the state ignores this and allow them to die,
the people will no longer trust the state.
General Gom,
Whether I have to beg
or make threats to the King of Shilla,
I will bring the minister of military back.
Please take care of the state in my absence, Minister Dae.
But you can get yourself in danger as well.
It's my fault that Dae Joyoung is in Shilla.
I should've seen through Shilla's scheme!
I will leave as soon as I have the King's permission.
So I want all of you to focus on
keeping Han Fort safe in my absence.
A mission?
You wish to go Shilla persnally?
Yes, Your Majesty. Give me your permission.
No, I cannot.
Your Majesty, the country will face grave danger
if we let Dae Joyoung die.
Xue Renguý ýs due to arrive in Shilla with his fleet.
Shilla is in an alliance with Tang.
No one will be able to overturn their decision,
not even you,General Gom.
How do you know about this, Your Majesty?
I received no reports about Xue Rengui going to Shilla.
Who gave you this information?
Tell me, Your Majesty!
How did you acqire this information
about Shilla and Xue Rengui?
The truth is,
I received a secret letter from the King of Shilla
when his envoys were here.
You mean you knew this would happen to Dae Joyoung?
He said if don't send Dae Joyoung.
you would be killed.
I'm more afraid of losing you
than I am of losing this state.
Your Majesty!
I made a mistake keeping this from you,
but I cannot send you to Shilla to die!
Please, please do not leave me.
Do not leave Han Fort, General Gom!
I will leave for Shilla with or without your approval.
It is what I must do to protect this state!
Forgive me for my disobedience.
Wait, General Gom! General Gom Mojam!
General Gom has formed a mission?
Yes, Jungsang. Mu Yeom and I will be joining him.
General, look over there.
She's been fasting and praying for days.
But she's so frail!
I'm deeply moved...
So many are coming together showing concern for my son...
Your Grace! Wake up! Your Grace!
You are in a very weakened state of health, Your Grace.
Please don't overexert yourself and try to relax.
Thank you. You may leave now.
Yes, Your Grace.
- Please don't get up. - No, i'm all right.
I heard you've been praying for days
and nights without food.
I don't have the skills to ride horses and shoot arrows.
All that i can do is to put my hands together and pray.
I heard that a mission is going to be dispatched to Shilla.
They will leave tomorrow at first light.
I shouldn't be in bed.
Kisil, i will restart my prayers now.
You're in no condition, Your Grace.
You mustn't overexert yourself.
Please rest if only for the night.
If my prayers can bring General Dae Joyoung back safely,
I would let my body break.
What are you waiting for? Get ready.
Your Grace...
Jungsang, i must see you.
Jungsang,
Xue Rengui has arrived at the royal palace of Shilla.
Xue Rengui?
They will already be taken to Pyongyang
by the time we get to Shilla.
Our last hope of saving them is lost!
Is there no hope left?
Are they doomed to die?
What did i hear?
You're going to let General Dae die?
You can't! You can't let him die!
You must save him!
You must save him at any cost!
Your Grace...
King, Shilla has given Tang a great gift!
The emperor of Tang will not forget your favor.
We will be going back to Pyongyang Fort tomorrow.
Let us take Dae Joyoung and his men now.
I cannot just yet.
You cannot? What do you mean?
They are still being interrogated by my officials.
We will interrogate them,
so let us have them now.
I said they are still being questioned!
I heard they were in the guest palace
instead of the palace jail.
You're giving them royal treatment
and you say they are being interrogated?
This could possibly cause a Goguryeoan uprising.
I will decide what to do with Dae Joyoung
after a careful consideration.
If that is your concern, rest at ease.
Andong Protectorate will soon attack the new Goguryeo.
And this time, we are going to obliterate them!
The new Goguryeo is a self- governing dominion of Shilla!
And you are planning an attack?
They submit to you now because they are weak,
but they will seek revenge once they gain power!
I cannot let Goguryeo carry on
if only to preserve Tang-Shilla relationship.
Stop feeding the tiger cub.
It will turn on you and bite if you're not careful.
I will wait a few days
since you say you still have to question them.
But place them in your jail immediately!
They are not envoys, they are prisoners!
Do you understand, King?
I heard Xue Rengui is here.
Are we going to let them take us?
I need to get to the King.
Persuading him is our only chance at this point.
Do you think you can persuade him if you can get to him?
I know what to say.
Guards are everywhere.
There is no way out of here.
I'm going nuts!
How can we persuade him if we can't get to him?
If there is no way, we'll make a way.
I have to get to him whatever it takes.
You'll enjoy the accommodations of our palace jail from now on.
Get them out of here!
We will walk ourselves.
I'm not used to all these frills.
I'd feel more at home in jail. Let's go.
That's the jail house. Go ahead.
If there is no way, we'll make a way.
What did you say?
Put down your swords!
We're dead anyway.
I don't care what happens,
so tell them to throw down their weapons.
Now!
Put down your weapons!
I need to see your King now.
Tell him that i must see him
and i will seek nothing else.
Do it. Send word to the King.
Your Majesty, Dae Joyoung is raising a disturbance.
- What? Dae Joyoung? - Yes, Your Majesty.
He is holding General Kim Chan hostage demanding to see you.
He is aweless!
Bring him to me at once.
Your Majesty, you must not indulge this man!
There must be something he desperately wants to tell me.
I, too, want to know what that is.
Bring him now.
I would like to speak to you privately, Your Majesty.
Please clear the room.
What? How dare you!
Your Majesty, I beg you to order him killed.
He is too dangerous to be kept alive!
If you speak frivolously, I will have you killed.
Is that clear?
It's clear, Your Majesty.
Leave us.
- Your Majesty! - No, Your Majesty!
Leave us now!
Go on. What do you wish to tell me?
My men and i will escape the palace tonight.
- What? Escape? - We need Your Majesty's help.
Ha! Your are insane!
All of your worries and concerns are visible in my eyes.
You know my concerns?
Tang is controlling the old Goguryeo and Baekje territory
with Andong Protectorate and Ungjin Commandery right now.
The three kingdoms have been unified,
but Shilla has gained nothing.
That's not all.
Displaced citizens of Goguryeo and Baekje
are being forcibly taken to Tang this very moment.
If you allow this nation to be ripped to pieces like this,
Your Majesty will not be the great hero
that unified the three kingdoms
but a villain that abetted Tang and broke up the nation.
How dare you patronize the King!
I will have you head!
Do not hide your grand ambition.
This is the time to give reign to your dream.
Your dream of driving out the Tang Chinese from this land
and achieving true unification of the nation!
Your Majesty,
the people of Goguryeo and Baekje are crying in pain.
Don't let Tang take them from this land.
Goguryeo and Baekje's history may have ended,
but the history of this land must continue with its people.
Your Majesty,
if you pursue your grand ambition,
I, Dae Joyoung,
will spare no effort and work myself to the bone.
Please don't wait any longer.
Only you, Your majesty, can do this!
No man in my service has ever had your greatness
to dream such a grand dream!
What shame!
If Shilla was blessed with such a warrior,
Tang Chinese would have been driven out long ago,
and this land would be truly be one!
- Your Majesty... - You speak the truth.
If i fail to protect the people,
I do not deserve to be called the King
that unified the Thee Kingdoms.
I will let you live,
so spare no efforts to preserve the history of this nation.
I will obey your command, Your Majesty!
I am amazed.
You've won over the King of Shilla!
I knew you could do it!
They will hear us. Quiet down.
What do we do now?
There will be a guide waiting for us tonight
outside the guest palace.
The King of Shilla and Dae Joyoung are in a private conversation?
Yes, general. It's been confirmed.
The King's attitude toward me wasn't right.
Something's going on here that we don't know about!
- General Li Kaigu, - Yes, sir.
I want you to find out what's happening.
Who's that man they held hostage? Kim Chan, was it?
Find him, and you'll be able to get some information.
Yes, sir.
You mean His Majesty has ordered you to help them escape?
He fell for Dae Joyoung's slippery tongue.
They cannot be sent back alive.
This could completely destroy our allience with Tang!
Then what am i to do? Defy the royal command?
Oh dear, this is critical dilemma!
If we obey the King,
there could be another war!
- May i come in? - Come in.
What brings you here?
I heard that Dae Joyoung caused a commotion.
You heard wrong.
We know Dae Joyoung all too well.
You can't take your eyes off of him for a second
because you never know what he's going to do next.
Do not trust him.
If by chance the King of Shilla is inveigled by his words,
your duties will be to enlighten the King.
Dae Joyoung is certain to attempt an escape.
But this is impenetrable Shilla's royal palace.
He will never be able to get out
without help from the inside.
Don't you agree, general?
Clear out!
How does it look?
The coast is clear. Let's get moving.
Follow that wall and you'll come to a small door.
Go out that door and you'll find horses tied to a tree.
The guards have been alerted,
so they will let you out of the city gate.
Thank you.
Please convey our gratitude to His Majesty as well.
Go now.
Drop your swords.
Fine, we will kill you all!
I've been itching for a fight. Make your move!
Resist and all of you are dead.
Drop your swords!
Now!
Attack!
Step aside!
It's all over now.
You tried your best, so give it up.
- Tie them up! - Aye!
Chulin, life is not that easy.
Dae Joyoung,
there's a price to pay for running wild akk over the place
with no respect for anything.
To the harbor! We will depart ýmmediately!
Move out!
- We're going to the harbar now! - Blasted bastards!
What is this mob in the middle of the night?
How dare...
This is the preotectorate-general of Andong Xue Rengui.
Open the gate at once!
I have no orders to open the gate tonight for anyone!
Clear the area!
How'dare you?
A common gatekeeper talking back to the protectorate-general!
Open the gate before you're dead!
I've been ordered not to let anyone leave the city!
You! I've had enough of your insolence!
Who dare gave you an order to block Xue Rengui's path?
- I gave the order! - What?
King, what is the meaning of this?
That's my question.
Where are you trying to take my guests?
Guests?
Guests, you say?
Is this really what you want, King?
To wage war against Xue Rengui?
Tang and Shilla have maintained friendship thinker than blood.
Why would you break our blood alliance
to protect those men?
I cannot allow you to take
visiting diplomatic envoys from this palace.
That is an act of contempt for me and my people!
We already know that you helped them escape!
I will not tolerate Shilla's irrational actions.
Will you turn them over and preserve our alliance
or will you protect them and choose Goguryeo over Tang?
Choose now.
King, preparations are under way in Pyongyang
for a massive attack on the new Goguryeo.
The new Goguryeo will be destroyed
regardless of your decision!
Your Majesty, Han Fort stands on Shilla's soil.
If Tang attacks Han Fort,
they will be attacking Shilla.
Silence!
How dare you flap your gums in my presence!
A large army is assembled at Andong Protectorate.
Give me your army.
Goguryeo and Shilla must come together
and fight off the Tang Chinese.
You wretched bastard!
Seize this man and bind him at once!
Stop!
Dae Joyoung and his men are my children.
Try to take them,
and none of you will get out of Seorabol alive!
Are you really prepared to break your alliance?
Relay my words to the Emperor of Tang.
All people on this land are my children.
I will no longer be an incompetent father
who lets his children be taken!
You've shattered our relatiopnship
beyond repair with your decision.
You will regret this.
I promise you, you will regret this!
We will launch an attack on Han Fort
as soon as we get back to Pyongyang.
And when we do, you will be the first to die.
Military Minister of Goguryeo Dae Joyoung,
Shilla and the new Goguryeo have entered
a new path of alliance as of today.
We must put the past behind us
and seek ways to coexist in peace.
- Hear me, my subjects! - Yes, Your Majesty!
Tang will soon dispatch an expeditionary force on Baekje soil.
And i will respond with strength!
- General Kim Chan, - Yes, Your Majesty.
You will take 20,000 of my soldiers
and follow General Dae Joyoung.
Collaborate with Goguryeo and stop the Tang invasion.
I will obey your order, Your Majesty!
- General Dae Joyoung, - Yes, Your Majesty.
I have seen your extraordinary courage and insight.
With you protecting Goguryeo,
I have no doubt that Goguryeo and Shilla can stop
the encroachment of Tang Chinese together.
Please prove to the world
that my decision was a wise one.
I will give it my all, Your Majesty.
Shilla-Tang alliance that brought down Baekje and Goguryeo
officially came to an end with a collaborative attack on Tang
by Shilla and Goguryeo Restoration Army.
This was the beginning of the seven year war
between Shilla and Tang
in which Shilla would ultimately prevail
and achieve true unification of the Three Kingdoms.
Hence, the role of new Goguryeo was significant in
Shilla's unification of Three Kingdoms.
Also, this alliance between Shilla and the restoration forces
was a new turning point for Dae Joyoung
who dreamed of reviving Goguryeo.
Dae Joyoung survived and returned to Han Fort?
He didn't just survive.
He broke Shilla's alliance with Tang moved them to
form an alliance with the new Goguryeo.
It's a huge achievement.
Dae Joyoung...
I can't believe he pulled this off!
Are you acquainted with Dae Joyoung?
...No, how could i be?
I guess this puts Xue Rengui
and Andong Protectorate in a quandary.
Not really.
In fact, this cleared his away for him.
What do you mean?
Shilla is officially Tang's enemy now.
Instead of punishing Xue Rengui for his failures,
the imperial court of Tang will become furiously eager
to destroy the new Goguryeo and Shilla.
Not only will Xue Rengui escape punishment,
but he will also receive extensive support.
Life is full of surprises and so are political events...
Who knew that Dae Joyoung would survive?
The state that joined hands with Tang
and destroyed Goguryeo
has now joined hands with Goguryeo Restoration Army to destroy Tang...
And no one knows when that will change either.
Change? Do you foresee another change?
The new Goguryeo's alliance with Shilla
will not always be smooth.
They have different goals after all.
Andong Protectorae will soon attack Han Fort.
Their reactions will tell us
what the two states are truly after.
What did you accomplish here, general?
The alliance was doomed to break at once point or another.
It's all for the better now that we friends and foe have become clear
and we can concentrate on our fight.
This is not to be dealt with by the protectorate alone.
We must report the situation to Tang
and request military reinforcements.
Report has already been sent.
We will have a response soon.
I will command this expedition against Han Fort.
I cannot trust the protectorate anymore.
I want full participation from the Khitan tribe as well.
We answer to General Xue only.
Do not tell us what to do!
General Xue answers to the imperial court of Tang.
And here i, Li Wen, am the imperial court of Tang.
Is that understood?
I am grateful for your safe return.
The heavens have not forsaken us!
Forgive me for the concern i've caused.
No, my people are shouting cheers of joy.
You don't know how grateful i am and how comforting it is
that you brought the Shilla army with you.
I'm humbled, Your Majesty.
I don't know what to say...
I almost got you killed.
I am to blame for everything.
But everything turned out for the best.
That's a separate matter.
I don't know if i have what it takes to lead this state.
Don't say that, master.
None of us would be here striving to revive the state
if it weren't for you, General Gom.
Forgive me for not being able to explain everything right now.
But in time i will bare the truth.
It doesn't benefit the country to bear the truth.
But if it really bothers you,
I will bare the truth for you.
His Majesty already knew I would be killed
if i went to Shilla.
Tang, Shilla and His Majesty conspired
to have me killed.
But i did not die.
Not only am i alive and well,
but i forged a true military alliance with Shilla
and performed my duty as the minister of military.
I will the past be forgotten for the benefit of the state.
So please don't worry about it.
We should be focused on our imminent fight against Tang.
My man...!
General! We have a problem!
One hundred thousand soldiers have been deployed
to Andong Protectorate from Tang!
Including the protectorate army,
that's an army of two hundred thousand!
Two hundred thousand...
An army of two hundred thousand is marching toward us!
jet_li