Subs by:robster38
I`ve called the leaders of each tribe to convey my expectations.
Listen closely and comply.
One,
I will not allow violence and pillage between the tribes.
Two,
actively promote trade and exchange between the tribes and enrich the lives of your people.
Three,
build a strong army and strengthen your tribe.
Lastly...
If you must request tribute from us we will not pay even if you kill us.
General,
We`re suffering from terrible famine due to blight this year and our proplr are dying of starvation.
You don`t need to pay tribute to me.
If your tribe is in need, you may request assistance.
Our reserve is not plentiful, but we will do what we can to help.
If I may ask a question, why are you requiring us to build a strong army?
As of now, we are relatively free from Tang influence where we are.
But eventually they will attempt to suppress us.
I will not let my people or yours suffer under the sword of Tangarmy again.
When I fight them, you must come together under the flag of the three raven.
That is my last request.
If you ignor my request and attempt to defy me, your tribe will cease to exist on this soil.
Don`t betray my goodwill.
There will be no second chances and there will be no mercy.
-Is that understood? -Yes, sir!
You have our eternal loyalty!
Congratulations, general.
-You have finally united the Heishui region. -Thank you.
I couldn`t have done it without your hard work.
What`s the situation in Yingzhou?
Not good.
-I know about Zhao Webhui`s tyranny. -It`s more serious than we previously thought.
Serious? What is?
Since Wu Zetian became the Emperor,heavy taxes have been imposed on the people to build a new palace and shrines.
and Yingzhou is where it`s worse.
-I understand about the palace but what`s this about shrines? -Wu Zetian is calling herself a goddess.
What? A goddess?
She`s building shrines all over the country to worship her.
The woman has finally gone mad!
Citizens of Yingzhou are paying three times the tax they use to on top of the separate shrine tax of three sacks of rice per person.
Yingzhou is jam packed with people arrested for nonpayment.
It`s not a tax. It`s affecting everyone
soon the entire population will have been killed.
What is even worse is that, most of them are Goguryeoan refugees.
They are our people?
Yes.
They have nothing to give, so they`re paying eith their lives.
-We can`t let this go on. -Let`s go and save our people right now.
What are we fighting for in the first place? It`s to make a safe home for our people.
-It`s too soon for us to go up against the Khitans. -No, but we can`t let them kill our people.
-But sir... -Don`t worry.
We will not hastily engage hostile action. we will approach carefully with methodical planning.
This man owes two saks of rice. That`s twenty lashes!
Please, sir!
Please don`t hurt me!
What are you waiting for? Carry out the sentence!
-Strike! -Yes!
How can they work and pay their taxes if they`re here getting punished day in and day out?
You will kill them all with these whippings.
This is the report of your progress.
You`ve collected less then half of the projected amount. What is this but disloyalty to the Emperor?
We are doing everything we can!
These people have nothing more to give!
All I care about is the outcome! Don`t give me excuses!
Just meet your quota by the end of the month!
I will act strickly according to the law.
Abide or you will go under the whip as well!
watch your tongue!
How dare you utter such words to the Khan!
Do what you will, Lord Zhao.
But remember one thing. This is Yingzhou!
If they continue to take from us, we`ll lose everything we`ve built for Khitan.
The time has come.
-If they won`t give us what we want, we have to take it. -That`s right Granfather.
We`d have a better chance catching fish from a tree than getting Yingzhou from the Tang Chinese.
Take the leap, Granfather.
No, not yet.
The longer we wait the harder it will become.
The future of our children and their children is at stake. We can`t act in haste.
We`re back father.
Good work.
We`ve accomplished a huge task.
Mimosa, Gulsabiwu,
Let`s go inside.
Where are Dan and Jeok? I haven`t seen them around.
They`re at Manwoo Temple for thier studies.
I`ve sent for them, ao they will be back in a few days.
You`ve been busy in my absence.
I heard the people in the city have become quiet dependent on you.
I`m just glad I can help. ~Sukyoung~
Did you hear the news?
About what?
Goguryeoans in Yingzhou are suffering terrible persecution.
Yes, we talked about situation on the way back.
We have made a decent home here on Mt. Dongmo.
Now if we can just bring our people who are suffering on foreign soil, It won`t be long before our grand goal is realized.
It must be true that, husband and wife are one heart and one flesh.
My next plan was to save our displaced citizens in Yingzhou.
-Does that feel good? -Stop now.
You just got back from a military campaign. People will criticize me if they saw us.
Who`s going to criticize when I`m giving my own wife a massage?
Oh, honey...
Auhong.
I missed you so much I thought I was going to go insane. You get more beautiful every day.
Honey...
Come closer. Come on.
Oh, stop. It`s broad daylight.
Auhong, help me out here.
-Stop! Get a hold of yourself! -Help me out.
I will go to Yingzhou first and investigate the situation.
There might be a way to get our people out if Jang Sanhae and I put our heads together.
It`s a good idea.
In the meantime, General Dae and the soldiers will get their much needed rest.
General, I will accompany you to Yingzhou.
No, you need rest as well.
Mu Yeom and I will accompany the general.
There`s one thing I can`t figute out.
Emperor Zetian?
Zhao Wenhui couldn`t have brought more than a hundred soldiers to Yingzhou.
How could he be so bold and undaunted in the middle of Khitan territory with the emperor`s command alone?
There has to be something else he`s relying on.
That`s what I think.
The Emperoro has to be setting something up.
You have to be extrat careful, Father.
I will.
~Chang`an, Tang~
Have you fared well, Your Majesty?
Welcome, General Xue.
I fear you might send back my envoys again.
Forgive me, Your Majesty.
I would have believed that you had turned against me. ~Emperor Wu Zetian~
If you hadn`t come this time.
Turn against you, Your Majesty? I would not dare.
There are many forces plotting treason around us.
Please come back to court, and farret out these evil forces for us.
I am old and weak now, Your Majesty. ~Xue Rengui~
How could I handle such an important task?
But since I am before you,
I would like to offer you a word of loyalty.
Go on.
Your Majesty, the Khitans have been extremly discontent since Lord Zhao Wenhui was dispatched ti Yingzhou.
And?
The Turks are causing enough trouble in the west front.
If the Khitans shoud rise up at a time like this, a serious crisis will befall this state.
Don`t worry.
I have thought of everything.
What?
I will take the young men of Yingzhou and place them at the west front.
Force conscription, Your Majesty?
Khitans have become too powerful in the past few years.
If I use them to suppress the Turks, I will be killing two birds with one stone.
You must not do this, Your Majesty!
Why not?
Force conscription on top of high taxes?
You will be adding fuel to the flame.
Instead give them Yingzhou as agreed upon.
Liberate Khitan and have them fight the Turks for Tang. Li Jinzhong will give you his loyalty to retun the favor.
Loyalty?
They will never be loyal to me.
They`ve been building their time to take Yingzhou and turn the sword on me.
Your Majesty!
General Li Wen should be in Yignzhou by now.
What?
Adding fuel to the flame?
If I can add fuel, I must.
So they would burn completely and leave no trace behind.
General!!
-What did Her Majesty say? -Well...
It must`ve been something very important if she wanted you that badly.
Hongpei, get ready to take the road again.
But we just got here. Where are we going this time?
-We`re going to Yingzhou. -Yingzhou?
General, my legs are tired.
-And Yingzhou is much too far. -We don`t have much time.
Yingzhou could turn to ashes if we don`t make it there in time.
Prepare for the trip!
~East gate of Yingzhou Fort~
-Who are they? -General Li Wen and his army, sir.
Li Wen?
Are you the soldier in charge?
That`s right.
This is General Li Wen.
Open the gate and greet him properly.
We receive no report about your trip. ~Li Geom: Chulin`s son~
Even if we had,
I cannot allow armed soldiers to enter the city.
How dare you!
He is a high general of the mother state!
I repeat.
Armed soldiers are not allowed to enter.
I will only allow General Li Wen and his immediate retinuer to enter.
Here is a child that knows no fear. ~Li Wen~
My mercy has limits.
Open the gates for my soldiers!
You heard the general. Obey his order!
Don`t open the gate without my permission!
Yes, general!
That little punk! Open the gate at once!
Do you have a death wish?
-Li Wen and Geom are in a standoff position? -Yes.
Li Wen ordered and attack, and Geom responded by putting his men on alert.
Where is my father?
He went to the gate with Zhao Wenhui when he heard the report.
You`re the only one Geom will listen to, my lady.
We can`t allow Li wen`s army to enter the city. ~Chulin~
But if they take hostile action...
You should be there, my lady. I shall take you.
What?
-They`ve assumed battle position? -Yes, general.
They called out their troops immediately after we assumed position to intimidate them.
-Who is that cocky gatekeeper anyway? -His name is Li Geom.
Geom?
It`s Li Jinzhong`s grandson.
-You mean he`s Li Kaigu`s son? -Yes, general.
If he`s anything like his father, he`s not to be taken lightly.
What should we do?
What choice do we have? I`d look like a fool if I withdrew the troops.
But we have a job to do.
This is a headache. I can`t attack, but I can`t withdraw either.
General, they opened the gate!
Zhao wenhui and Li Jinzhong are coming out to dreat you, sir.
-Comply with the gatekeeper`s request. -You mean leave the troops behind?
There`s no sense in causing a commotion from the start.
-Let`s go. -Yes, sir!
Welcome, general.
General Li Wen,
forgive my grandson`s discourtesy.
What brings you here to Yingzhou with an army?
I am here at the Emperor`s order to recruit soldiers.
I beg your pardon? Recruit soldiers?
They will be deployed to the western front to fight the Turks. You don`t have a lot of time.
You have one month to gather 20,000 men brtween the ages of 15 to 30.
Do you know the current situation of Yingzhou?
My people are burdened by excessive taxes as it is. Who will farm the land and raise the livestock if you take our young men?
-You have a large Goguryeoan population here in Yingzhou. -They don`t even come close to twenty thousand.
Then you`ll have to make up the rest with the Khitans.
What?
-Are you treating us the Khitans like prisoners? -I`m relaying the Imperial command.
I don`t care how you do it. Recruit 20,000 men as soon as possible.
Is that understood?
Send word to Guichengzhou and call Sun Wanrong at once.
-I will no longer be exploited any longer. -Yes, Khan.
~Yingzhou~
This way.
General!
Thank you for coming such a long way for us.
We saw the public notices on the way. I can`t believe Tang court has issued a conscription order. ~Dae Jungsang~
The entire city is devastated. ~Bang Gae~ ~Jang Sanhae~
There is no doubt they will come after us Goguryeoan first.
Of course.
They are displaced citizens with no one to protect them.
If we lose them this time, they will be taken to the distant western front.
We have to intervene before that happens.
I can`t figure out what Tang court is up to....
What they are up to?
-They are purposely pushing Khitans into a corner. -You mean they are intentionally trying to hurt them?
Emperor Wu Zetian is a smart woman. She could not be unaware of the situation in Yingzhou.
Besides, she sent Li Wen to transport the conscribes soldiers.
Li Wen is a high general in Tang military.
Now that you mention it, it is strange that he would be handling this task.
There is something else going on.
The Tang court is purposely trying to provoke the Khitans.
-Report the situation to Joyoung as quickly as possible. -Yes, general.
-Twenty thousand is asking too much. -That`s Li jinzhong`s problem.
All we have to do is to carry out our orders.
You din`t want to push them too hard. ~Zhao Wenhui~
-If they should turn on us... -Let them turn on us.
-In fact that`s what I`m hoping for. -General?
The rats have multiplied out of control.
We have to exterminate them now, or they will imitate a tiger.
-You mean this is to provoke them? -It doesn`t matter either way.
If I take 20,00 men, Yingzhou will become that much weaker, and if they turn against us,
I will wipe them out.
Is this Her Majesty`s will or yours?
Is that important?
Her Majesty has shown no mercy for treason.
You just wait.
The Khitans will turn against us.
And when they do, we will be able to wipe them out in a single blow.
What about Li Kaigu?
What about him?
He`s at the western front commanding a powerful army. If he turns against us, we will have an uncontrollable situation in our hands.
Li Kaigu is thousands of miles away from Yingzhou right now. We can deal with him after we are finished here.
~Western Front:Tang Camp~
-We`re ready. -Yeah? Then let`s begin.
Begin!
General, we`ve been banging on gongs and blowing horns for almost a month now.
-The Turks are laughing at us calling us cowards. -Yes, general.
Why won`t you let us attack?
There will be no more hostile action in this battle.
General, ~Zhang Zuanyu~ ~Ma Renjie~
-are you considering a surrender? -Never.
I assure you this battle will end in our victory.
That`s right.
Be patient, and the enmy will retreat.
Don`t worry, generals.
General!
-Did you make sure the eyes and ears of the horses are covered well? -Yes, sir.
The won`t hear a thing.
The horses are out of control? ~Western Front: Turkic Camp~
We`ve managed to calm them down, but they are unstable.
What is the cause? ~Muchou~
There must be a reason why the horses are acting up.
We haven`t found the cause yet.
They haven`t been feeding well for the last several days either. ~Inal:Muchou`s son~
We`ve been tricked.
Tricked?
-Why didn`t I realize this sooner? -What are you talking about, Tonyukuk?
Now I know why they`ve been banging on going all night instead of fighting us. ~Tonyukuk~
This can`t be. This can`t be!
Horses have many times more sensitive hearing than we do.
People can sleep with the banging gong in the background but horses can`t.
Be patient.
Muchou`s horses will begin to fall.
The Turks are a cavalry.
With their horses disabled, their strenght will be reduced by half.
And Muchou would never continue the fight with compromised strenght. He won`t come after us,
even if we turn the troops around and return to Yingzhou.
I`m more concern about the situation in Yingzhou than I am about us.
My biggest concern is Zhang Xuanyu and Ma Renjie.
Why?
There is no way to evade their eyes and return to Yingzhou. But you are hesitant about getting rid of the.
They`re talented men. I want them with me if it`s possible.
~Goguryeoan Settlement, Mt. Dongmo~
Li Wen is taking the Goguryeoan refugees to serve in the war?
It`s an urgen situation.
We have no time to delay.
-Are you suggesting that we move the troops again?
If worse come to worse, we might have to intercetpt the conscribed soldiers suring transport.
It`s a risk,
but we might be able to rescue the refugees without fighting the khitans.
Yes, general.
Can I say something?
How did you fellows get so smart? You`re amazing. ~Tungso~ ~Gaepilsamun~
-Aren`t they, Tungso? -Yes, they sure are.
-It`s jaw-dropping to listen to you talk sometimes. -Gaepil, my man,
this group is only for smart folks.
I`m smarter than you think, Heuk Sudol.
Hey, I may not look it but I`m a strategist. You know what that means?
That means I use my head.
If you`re a strategist, so is my man Tungso.
-Thank you, general! -Oh, you fool.
-Look, Gaepil! -What?
We haven`t got a moment to waste. Get to work immediately!
Yes, general!
Get them!
Seize them!
Seize all of the young men!
-Get him! Over there! -Capture them all!
This is not a circus! Get out of the way!
What?
-Pestilence in Goguryeoan village? -Yes, Khan.
-The soldiers are afraid to get close. -What do we do?
where will we find twenty thousand men if Goguryeoans are ill?
I`m going there.
It`s pestilence.
You can contract the disease.
There is no report of pestilence anywhere else. ~Geom~
I will not believe it.
-until I`ve seen it with my own eyes. -Geom.
I won`t be gone long.
~Goguryeoan Village, Yingzhou~
We painted red marks on the bodies.
It`s a trick I used back in Pyongyang Fort when I led the anti-Tang organization.
Even the bravest men tremble before pestilence.
Look.
you can tell that the soldiers are afraid.
-Sir, please don`t get any closer. -Step aside.
Pestilence doesn`t discriminate.
I can`t confirm anything from this distance.
Then stay here. I will go and check.
Who is he?
It`s Li Jinzhong`s grandson.
Li Jinzhong`s grandson? You mean Li Kaigu`s son?
Yes, general.
Sir!
Pestilence is comfirmed.
Seal off the area and keep the soldiers out.
What did you find out? Is it really pestilence?
No.
The Goguryeoans have staged it to protect themselves.
What is your plan?
They could fight back if they`re pushed any harder.
I think the time has come.
I agree.
You mean they know?
He saw that the lesions were not real.
Then why did he pretend not to notice?
General, if they know it`s not pestilence, they will come back.
You must leave the village.
No.
If conscription was his objective, he would have acted right then.
-General! -Come in!
I`m back, general.
Did you come back alone?
General Dae Joyoung is coming as well.
-We`re about twenty miles away from Yingzhou. -This might be a good place to set up a camp.
-Very well. -Yes, sir.
Set up a camp! Set up a camp!
We will rest here!
stop the march and set up a camp!
Li Wen`s men have already taken over most of the government offices.
We could be destroyed if we take hostile action in haste.
They will lose direction and fall to pieces once we capture Li Wen, Zhao Wenhui, and a few of their men. ~Chulin~
We will not wait any longer. We will kill Li Wen and Zhao Wenhui ~Li Jinzhong~
and drive the Tang forces out of this land!
Your birthday is coming up, Granfather. Why don`t we make that the day?
That`s a good idea.
We will plan a banquet and invite them, and that will make our work a lot easier.
The Emperor will send for Kaigu once she learns about our revolt
I will send father a message explaining the situation and have him come back.
Go ahead.
Go back to Guichengzhou and prepare your troops.
We may have to battle Li Wen if things don`t work out as planned.
My army will be standing by, Khan.
We`re up against Li Wen.
He is not an easy opponent. So be very careful.
There is a strange man outside requesting to see you.
A strange man?
What? Xue Rengui is here?
Yes, general. I saw him entering the municipal square with my own eyes.
What is Xue rengui doing here?
You would think he`s here for a casual visit judging by his appearence, but...
He may be and old man now but Xie Rengui is Xue Rengui. This is not to be overlooked.
I will put my men on it.
No, I`ll confront him myself.
-Are you keeping a close eye on Li Jinzhong? -Yes, sir.
We`re watching them like a hawk, sir.
You just wait. They will make a move.
Don`t take your eyes off of them. Is that understood?
Yes, sir.
Xue Rengui...Xue Rengui is here...
I heard you ressigned from you post and left Chang`an.
I came to see the world and talk to you about an important matter.
I`m glad you`re here.
What is the important matter you wish to talk about?
What could have compelled you to travel this far to talk to me?
You mustn`t raise your sword against Tang no matter what happens. ~Xue Rengui~
I guess you grow more worrisome with old age.
I speak out of fear just in casr you harbor such thoughts.
How could I not?
Khan!
They have abuse and exploited us, not to mention ignoring their promise to give us Yingzhou.
I understand your rage better than anyone.
But I beseech you.
Don`t seek resolution through violence
Why are you trying to stop us?
Are you worried about Khitan or are you worried about Tang?
I don`t want to see the Khitan get wiped out.
If you rise up,you will be able to take Yingzhou and declare autonomy.
But for how long?
Eventually, you will be wiped out.
Then are we to let our children and their children live with this scorn?
Let your children make that decision.
Your job is to endure this and give your children the opportynity
to make that decision for themselves.
Don`t get the wrong idea.
General Xue Rengui speaks out of sincere concern.
I`ve already raised my sword a hundred times in my thoughts.
If I wanted to raise up, I would have done so already.
Rest assured that I will not.
-My lord, it`s Mogae. -Come in.
Are the messengers ready?
Yes, only the fastest riders have been chosen.
Get this to my father as quickly as possible.
Yes, my lord. Let`s go.
Clear the bodies from the road!
At last!
We got them at last!
The Khitans are plotting a rabellion!
Subs By:robster38