Subs By:robster38
That`s enought now, Geom. Mother will be angry if she sees you.
What do you think? Do I look like my father?
Yes, you look just like him. So stop now, okay?
Please stop.
Mother will be home any time now.
Geom!
Mother...!
Did you finish the writing assignments I gave you?
Answer my question.
I....I like martial arts better than writing.
What?
I want to learn martial arts. Won`t you teach me, Mother?
Dae Joyoung just entered General Xue Rengui`s estate.
Dae Joyoung?
Yes. He went to the guest wing to see Dae Jungsang.
He must`ve come to say goodbye before leaving for the military expedition.
He is alone?
No, he`s with his sworn brothers and Mimosa.
I`ll have a chat with then.
-Have you seen His Majesty? -Yes, Father.
I did something impious towards you.
Impious?
I...married Princess Sukyoung without your permission.
His Majesty`s ardent request was not the only reason. I have been deeply moves by Sukyoung`s strength.
Impious? Nonsense!
I couldn`t be happier!
My son is married at last!
And to Princess Sukyoung at that!
How is His Majesty`s condition?
Not well at all.
He`s exhausted his strength trying to restore the state....
The punitive expedition is due to leave soon. I feel very uncomfortable leaving you here.
Don`t worry.
By the time you distract Li Wen and escape the country, I would have escaped as well.
But if something should go wrong.
I`m more concerned about you.
Li Wen will do anything in his power to have you killed.
I`ve already made all preparations to deal with that.
So have I.
So don`t get deistracted worrying about me.
-General Dae Joyoung must be here. -He`s visiting General Dae Jungsang.
Why don`t you come inside for a cup of tra?
I would be delighted.
For you.
Wonderful aroma.
I knew you`d like it.
-Are you going on this expedition as well? -I am unoccupied, so I thought I might.
I have very high regard for you. ~Shin Hong~
You`re the man that controlled the Dongmyoungchun League from behind the facade of Tsui Sing Lau.
And you, Lord Shin, are the man who brought down the mighty Dongmyoungchun League. ~Mimosa~
I detect a thorny sarcasm in your tone.
My thorny sarcasm couldn`t even pierce your toe.
You`re right about that. What ever you got going,
you`re playing in the palm of my hands. So give up that reckless plan.
Plan?
-What do you think we are planning to do? -You`re planning to escape Tang.
Going under Li Wen is like suicide. What else would you risk your life for?
Other than escape, what is there?
You`re right.
We would like to leave this country right this minute if we could.
But who would ever believe that we could pull off such an impossible task?
Tell me.
Is there a way for us to diver Li Wen`s army and escape?
If there is a way, you must let me know.
It`s an impossible task.
How could we escape the watchful eyes of Li Wen and sneak away with one hundred men?
If you can`t figure out such a clever scheme, there is no way that I can.
Your thorny words are digging into my guts.
Are they?
I was just grumbling.
Thanks for the tea.
I`d like to invite you for tea at my place when I return.
Well then.
A clever scheme that even I can`t figure out... There is no doubt... They are up to something.
~Chang`an, Tang~
I heard that Dae Joyoung joined the punitive expedition. Are you the one who authorize this, General, Li?
-Yes, -You shouldn`t have.
This is your chance to restore your reputation. If he should reder meritorious service and take credit... ~Li Meng~
That will never happen. ~Li Wen~
He can`t take a single step without my permission.
I will never give him a chance to out shine me.
-Prime Minister, -Yes?
May I speak to you for a moment?
-Isn`t he the Emperor`s attendant at the royal infirmary? -What does he want with Lord Wei out of the blue?
-The prime Minister Wei Shen was called to the royal infirmary? -Yes,
and he scurried like he was in a great hurry.
It`s past your hour of duty. Should we go now?
I have a bad feeling about this. stad by.
Yes, sir.
Maybe I shouldn`t have told him. I wanted to go home and rest.
-Your Majesty, Prime Minister Wei Sheng at your service. -Welcom.
Let us begin.
I want you to transcribe what I am about to say words for you.
This is my last will and testament.
Your Majesty!
Announce this will to the subjects only after I am dead. ~Li Zhi~(Emperor of Tang)
Now write.
For the safety and welfare of my people and the regime,
I bequeath my throne to my third son Li Zhe.
Furthermore, Empress Wu, though she may be the Empress Dowager,
is not to involve herself in the affairs of the state.
She may intercede
if and only if a crisis should arise in the state that which cannot be resolved.
In no other circumstances may the Empress interfere with state affairs.
If she defies my command, depose her from the seat of Empress Dowager
and remove her from the palace!
The people of Tang and the ministers of the imperial court will give their loyalty and devotion to the new Emperor.
Now place the Imperial seal on my will and keep it safely.
I, Wei Sheng, will honor Your Majesty`s desire and carry out the command.
I can`t stop thinking about what the deposed prince Xian said.
He fears Tang`s Li dynasty would be replaced by the Wu Dynasty.
If that should happen, my soul would never have peace.
Your Majesty...!
What is the meaning of this?
Get out of my way at once!
What were you doing in there? ~Li Kaigu~
What was I doing? ~Wei Sheng~
I met with His Majesty.
-What did you talk about? -I am the Prime Minister of the state!
I am not obligated to tell you about my conversation with the Emperor!
I will ask you again. What did you talk about with His Majesty?
How dare you! Get out of my way at once!
-Take this man and search him! -Yes, sir! Seize him!
General,
Nothing.
We search him from head to toe, but he`s got nothing on him.
You`re free to go.
Nothing lasts forecver.
How long do you think your power will last?
I won`t forget this humiliating incident. Mark my words.
Your time is coming to an end!
By chance...
by chance were you in there preparing a will?
I`m curious to know.
His Majesty called you from his deathbed.
Did he leave his final words?
Think whatever you want. Such audacity!
That is your suspicion as well?
The dying Emperor called the Prime Minister to his bedside. What else could it be?
But why would the Emperor prepare his will in secrect.
There must be something that can`t be revealed while he is alive....something that restricts the Empress`s authority for example.
That can`t be.
The whole country knows how much the Emperor adores the Empress. ~Chulin~
Power can make men change. And this is a man facing death.
He won`t make decisions base on emotions alone.
If this is true, this is trouble for us as well.
Yes, this will have a profound affect on the future of the Khitans.
-I will dig deeper into this. -Yes.
By the way, the Mt. Madu Punitive Force is moving out very soon.
-I think you should increase security around Dae Jungsag. -But why?
Dae Joyoung`s involvement in the punitive expedition makes me uneasy.
There`s a chance they are palning an escape.
We`re talking about Dae Joyoung after all. You can`t be too caredul.
Fine, I`ll take your advice.
-Shin Hong is on to us? -Yes, general.
He knew we were planning an escape.
We`re putting General Dae Jungsang`s life in danger if we go ahead with this.
-But we can`t cancel the plan. -My father doesn`t want that either.
Darn...
If Shin Hong is suspicious about us, he won`t let my father out of sight.
I will think about something. You should proceed as plsnned.
I`m counting on you, Mimosa.
What`s your plan with Princess Sukyoung? ~Gulsabiwu~
Send her into hiding for now.
We will have to come back for her when all is done.
-I didn`t think you`d make it home tonight. -I have to get back.
I`m leaving for Mt. Madu tomorrow.
-I can`t leave you behind here alone. -I`ve already found a place to go.
There is a small temple not too far from the city. ~Princess Sukyoung~
I can pray for your safety there as well, so it will serve two means.
I`m sorry.....
You`re always having to take care of yourself...
Don`t be,
I know how important this expedition is.
The path I`ve chosen to take doesn`t have an end.
It weighs heavily on my heart that I`ve made you come with me...
You `re the path that I have chosen to take.
Why would I fear anything?
Dearest...
You`re not mine`s alone. I am well aware of that.
So don`t worry about me and do what you must.
-You have an important job,Palbo. --Don`t worry, general.
-The Princess will be safe with me. -We will be on our way now.
Sudol,
What are you doing? Get up from there!
It`s all right. I have a broad back so go ahead and step on it.
What are you doing? We don`t have all day!
There you go.
-Palbo, take care of them. -Aye, sir.
Auhong...!
Your Highness, General Li Wen reporting for departure.
They have audaciously taken property of the imperial house! Regard them not as petty bandits but as enemy of the state,
and punish them accordingly.
I will capture Gaepilsamun without fail and erase your worries,Your Highness.
Thank you.
You may go.
-Li Wen is coming to crush the bacndits of Mt.Madu? -Yes, Khan. ~Khitan camp,Yingzhou~
-He should arrive very soon. -This should be a fight to watch!
Li Wen against Gaepilsamun!
But I`m told Dae Joyoung is in the punitive force as well.
-What? Dae Joyoung? -Yes, Khan.
He will be taking orders from Li Wen.
Li Wen isn`t going to leave Dae Joyoung alone. ~Li Jinzhong~
No, not after the humiliation he suffered in Mt.Guifu. ~Sun Wanrong~
He is certain to seek revenge.
Dae Joyoung is no fool.
Why would he join the punitive force knowing this?
~Mt.Madu Turkic Bandits` Den~
General!!
The Tang punitive force just arrived,sir!
-How large is their army? -They packed the entire ravine.
-Then there must be at least ten thousand of them. -Ten thousand?
That`s the biggest punitive force we`ve dealt with yet.
Alert the soldiers. ~Gaepilsamun~
No one is to leave the camp and wonder around for a while.
Aren`t we going to do anything?
No one has ever found us in all the years that we`ve been here.
But this is an elite army depliyed directly from Chang`an. ~Tungso~
You`re forgetting where we are. We are in Mt.Madu.
They can`t avoid a valley war as long as they`ve set foot in here.
We will stand by and quietly watch their movements.
Once they get tired of trying to find us and turn around, that`s when we will strike their back.
Numerous armies have entered Mt.Madu in the past only to return empty handed.
Such failure will not be repeated again. ~Li Wen~
We will first send in the vanguard and pinpoint their location before we begin the attack/
General Dae Joyoung,
I want you and your men to be the vanguards.
You have numerous competent men here. Why do you choose me?
Because I think I need to in order to succeed.
It`s my intuition.
I`m sure you won`t disapoint me.
No one`s ever been able to loacate their camp, and there`re only a hundred of us.
We can easily be wiped out if we fall into their traps.
You volunteered for this expedition to serve the country. You should be thanking me for this opportunity!
It`s too dangerous for us to go without backup. Rescind the order.
Silence!
If you defy my order, I will have you killed for insubordination!
But...Joyoung...!
Very well. We will do it.
But you must send in the reinforcements if we fall into danger.
I don`t like you, but we are allies before the enemy.
Don`t worry.
-They set up camp at the mouth of the ravine? -Yes, sir.
I confirmed it myself, sir.
That means they`re sendin in an advance party first.
Who is commanding this expedition?
Well there are many banners,
and I...never learned to read, so...
If they send in the advance party,
That`s right, sir.
We know exactly where they`re going to be.
Go learn your alphabet!
Yes, General...
Idiot....
Eveything is going well so far.
Li Wen has no idea that we know the location of their hideout.
I was worried that, he may not make us the advance guards.
If I could have your attention for a moment,
I jogged my memory from last encounter and O drew a map.
As you can see, there`re onlr three or four routes large enough for an army.
-They will have scouts watching all of those routes. -That`s right.
That`s why we`re taking alterante routes used by wild animals instead.
And who knows these routes?
There are narrow paths that I`ve made a mental note of before. ~Geumlan~
If we can just get to their hideout without being detected, it shouldn`t be difficult to capture Gaepilsamun and seize control.
But there is something you must remember at all times.
Gaepilsamun is not our enemy here. Our enemy is Li Wen.
We won`t be able to contend with Li Wen`s great army without Gaepilsamun`s help.
I am well aware of that.
We will divide into teams and begin our climb tonight.
One mistake and all of our hard work could end in vain.
We must watch our every step from this point foward.
A meeting?
Tell them to talk all they want.
They got lucky in Mt.Guifu, but this is Mt.Madu.
Gaepilsamun will get rid of Dae Joyoung for me.
That`s right, sir.
Dae Joyoung couldn`t possibly defeat the bandits with merely one hundred men.
If he fails to carry out my command, I will punish him by death.
And you should, General.
But sir,
-what if Dae Joyoung does succeed and captures Gaepilsamun? -that`s impossible.
All the better if that happens.
I will kill Dae Joyoung and take credit for his work.
Dae Joyoung captures Gaepilsamun and I kill Dae Joyoung.
I would be using one barbarian to destroy abither barbarian.
General, that`s brilliant!
We had no idea this was your plan.
Either way,Dae Joyoung is dead.
No one would ever know if we burry him and his men in this mountains.
It`s still bright outside.
-You should get some rest until it gets dark. -The solfiers?
They`re resting as you ordered.
Are you concerned about those left behind in Chang`an?
It`s not going to be easy getting my father out.
You should think about the matter at hand for now! Let me worry about getting the elders out of Chang`an.
Do you have a plan?
My father`s life will be put in danger the moment the news of our escape reaches Chang`an.
Do you have a plan to get him out?
I`m contemplating several options right now.
We`re dealing with Shin Hong. If he is on to us,
he probably already has a strategy in place to stop us.
You guys visit much too often. We`re getting tired.
-Why are you watching the guest wing? -To guard against thieves.
-Does that answer your question? -Who put you up to this? Xue rengui?
That`s none of you business. be on your way.
Does he think I enjoy doing this?
They`re watching us.
Do you think they know about Joyoung`s plan to eascape?
They wouldn`t have let him join the punitive force if they did. ~Dae Jungsang~
But they do know something. ~Jang Sanhae~
Who is having us watched? Xue rengui?
No, they`re Li Kaigu`s men.
Li Kaigu....
Jungsang, what do we do? If Dae Joyoung escapes and the news reaches Chang`an
We will be killed instantly.
We must figure out a way to escape before then, genera;
Bastard! Bastard,Bastard...
What do you use your muscles for?
whose next?
You,you or you...
Is there no one that can beat me?
Good grief!
Honpei, how about you? Do you want to take a shot?
No, general.
I couldn`t dare aim my sword at you even if it`s a wooden sword.
Oh?
Are you sure it`s not because you don`t want to get whipped?
General!
Look at you! Yes, let`s do it!
I was just kidding.
General, over there!
-Dae Jungsang, what brings you to my training yard? -I went to your office and they said you were here.
A warrior can`t ride his horse and swing his sword
when his thighs get fat and hands get soft.
But these young men, they all drop as soon as I began to break a sweat,
and I can never get a good workout. How about it?
Would you be my sparring partner?
Oh, I`ve become a pen pusher long ago.
No,
you`re my only worthy match.
Please take thewooden sword. Let`s work up a good sweat.
-Jungsang? -General...!
My thighs have become fat and my hands have become soft, but I guess I still have a warrior in me
judging by the excitement I feel.
I have one question.
Why are you having me watched?
So that`s why you`re here.
I`ll answer that question when we`re done. Make your move.
a guest never makes the first move.
Fine.
You`ve lost your confidence.
It`s not the samelevel of energy I felt from you before.
Time undermines us all.... ....but perhaps except for you.
I`m no match for you anymore.
I can`t say I feel half bad hearing that from you.
Oh, and it`s not me that`s having you watched.
It`s Li Kaigu.
But why?
I guess he feels you`re still a threat.
I`m a weak old man now as you can see.
Li Kaigu may serve me, but he is above me these days.
I can`t get him to do what I want.
I know you don`t like this,
but bear with it for a while.
-General. -General, are you all right?
Why did you let go of your sword?
What do you mean? You mean he lost on purpose?
If I didn`t stop the fight, there would`ve been no end.
-I didn`t want to take it that far. -That`s a good thing.
It would have added to his suspicion it he match had lasted any longer.
It`s been a long time since I`ve watched such an exciting match.
He`s hiding something.
Keep a close eye on Dae Jungsang.
What do you mean, general?
He was holding back.
Are you suggesting that he dropped his sword on purpose?
He can`t fool me. !Xue Rengui~
Dae Jungsang is indeed hiding something.
Then perhaps Li Kaigu is right. Perhaps Dae Joyoung is planning an escape.
If he escapes, his father will die. And what about me?
I accepted Dae Joyoung`s vow of loyalty.
That guess that would get you in trouble as well!
But that can`t be true.
Dae Joyoung couldn`t possibly divert Li Wen`s attention and escape Tang...
not with me holding his father.
What? Dae Joyoung has made his move?
We found his camp completely empty.
That`s odd.
What is he going to do in this pitch darkness?
Perhaps they found Gaepilsamun`s hideout.
How could they?
They didn`t have that kind of time.
But they are definitely up to something.
They can`t get away as long as they are up in the mountain. Let`s wait and see what happens.
Joyoung,
-How did it go? Did you check them out? -Nothing`s changed.
We`re clear to sneak in and grab Gaepilsamun.
The fool has no carein the world.
He couldn`t possibly imagine we would come back here as Tang soldiers.
There`s no need to wait.
We could be done before daybreak under these conditions.
Gulsabiwu, you will attack their sentry post. I don`t want any unnecessary slaughter.
Got it.
Sudol, you and I will go along the cliff directly to Gaepilsamun`s quarters.
All we have to do is capture him, right? This will be a piece of cake!
We`re dealing with soldiers ten time our seize. We can easily be wipe out if we`re not careful.
Don`t worry, Joyoung.
Stay here with Geumlan and erect a camp att daybreak. we will bring Gaepilsamun here once we have him.
Done.
Now get to it.
Act quickly and efficiently!
Let`s go!
Who`s there?
Act quickly!
Tie them up and gag them.
-What happened? -We have intruders.
What? Intruders?
But there was no report that the punitive force made thier move.
No, but...
Go to the command center. I`ll report this to the general.
-Yes, sir! Let`s go! -Come!
The punitive force is at the base of the mountain and he`s passed out cold from drinking!
What`s this?
There`s some left!
Wake up.
Open your eyes now or you will never open them again.
What the heck!
How have you been, Gaepilsamun?
You! You`re Dae Joyoung!
Subs By:robster38