Gye Baek
Episode 20
What's going on? These are Silla soldiers!
Everyone, these are the bodies of Silla soldiers.
We can do it. We can protect our land!
None of you have to leave this land that your families have been living down through the generations.
None of you have to become subjects of Silla!
I, Gye Baek, and my men will not allow even one string of your clothes to be touched.
We will not allow them to take one step into your fields!
That damned bastard!
So the people agreed with that damned Commander's nonsense?
Yes, My Lord. They looked happy they didn't have to leave.
So he is refusing to obey orders to move the people but is trying to liberate them?
Is he trying to challenge me? Fine, threaten the people.
Force them to abandon any hope! Make their life if they refuse to move!
Yes, My Lord!
No! Not that, no!
You can't take that!
How can you take away our stored grain when you won't even let us harvest?
What's wrong with us taking back the grain we lent you? Move away!
You can't take it away! Kill me instead!
If any of you don't agree to move, we will take back your borrowed grain today.
What's going on here!
How can you take away their grain? Do you intend for them to starve to death?
It's none of your business. You have no authority over us claiming what they owe us.
Stop this now, or else...!
I will have your head!
You still don't understand, do you?
Why did you have to fight back?
Take your men and leave this region immediately.
You intend to guard this area without my men?
You're going to stop Silla with your riffraff?
How pathetic.
Whether I stop them or not, I want nothing to do with you!
I'm just reclaiming my debt. You have no business meddling in that.
It's standard practice for spring grain to be paid back after the harvest.
Once you leave, I will help the peasants harvest the fields and return the grain to you.
But remember that once you leave, this land no longer belongs to you.
How dare you disobey the King's command! I will not let you get away with this!
I will send up a petition to have you punished!
Do as you wish.
But once you leave, I won't let you return here again.
How many Silla soldiers are in Suh-Gok Fortress?
Don't ask me any questions! Just kill me!
This fortress will be annihilated and you will all be killed too!
I heard it's over a thousand. Am I right?
Didn't you hear me? Kill me now!
Do as he wishes tomorrow at daybreak.
There is no need to know the numbers of Suh-Gok Fortress.
But they have many men and we don't. How can we not worry?
To be honest, His Majesty gave me a secret command before I came here.
We were to pretend to move in order to fool the enemy.
But our grand plan was to invade Suh-Gok Fortress.
Right now, General Eui Jik is leading 10,000 men here to attack Suh-Gok Fortress.
They will arrive in two weeks� time.
Is that true? Why didn't you tell us before?
So that's why you sent away Lord Jin Duk and his men.
Now I understand.
I knew it. I knew you wouldn't be so reckless!
You must make sure that this doesn't reach the ears of the Crown Prince.
Yes, Commander!
I'm so glad to hear this. We've always been victimized by Silla.
But now we'll be attacking Suh-Gok Fortress. That makes me so happy!
There is no army of 10,000.
I'm sorry to disappoint you.
Then... Why did you lie?
Tomorrow when you take him to be executed, allow him to escape.
Escape?
I want to return to his General and tell him our army is coming.
Guh-Yeol Fortress is unable to withstand another attack.
It'll take too long to repair, and as you said, we don't have enough men.
If we're attacked, we'll be defeated in no time.
But if they think a huge army is coming, they will not leave their fortress so easily.
Now I understand.
You kept him alive on purpose.
But why didn't you tell me this beforehand?
If I can't fool you, how will I fool him?
But how long do you think this can go on for?
Silla won't be fooled for too long.
I don't know either.
But we can delay the attack as long as we can while they confirm this information.
What do you mean by that? You want to go to Silla?
This is a good time for me to visit Silla.
Yes, the new Queen is your mother's sister.
She may be glad to see that you have become the Crown Prince.
And what will you do?
I will put an end to cross-border invasions on both our lands with a peace treaty.
I also want to see the new Silla court.
I want to see who can be of help to us and who will stand in our way.
We will gain the trust of those who can help and use them as our spies.
But those who stand in our way must be sidelined politically.
You are aware that there was an earthquake in Silla this past spring.
We will donate grain to the people affected by this and help them rebuild their structures.
What will you ask for in return?
We will ask for free access to their seaports.
Our trade relations with Tang will become stronger,
and we will be able to observe Tang-Silla relations more closely.
Are those the only reasons you want to visit Silla?
We will also go to observe the areas near Seorabeol and our border.
This is to prepare for the day we will invade Silla.
Yet again, you don't know where His Highness is?
Forgive me...
You knave! Do you wish to die?
You are his personal attendant! Your negligence means your life!
Bring the soldiers here and have this man thrown into prison!
Your Highness, please have mercy!
I'm just following orders!
Following orders? You mean His Highness told you not to tell me?
Yes...
Where is he now?
- What? Us too? - Yes.
The two of you will form a trade envoy.
Go to Seorabeol and engage the merchants there.
But your mission is to spy on Silla.
That is a good plan.
When it comes to spying, traders are the best.
We will prepare to leave immediately.
Has there...
Has there been any news from Gye Baek?
Not yet.
But don't worry. He hasn't been there long.
No news is good news.
Yes.
If you're that concerned, we can stop by Guh-Yeol on our way from Seorabeol to see Gye Baek.
Really?
I'm curious as to how Gye Baek will complete his first mission.
He'll be so surprised.
Yes.
Your Highness!
I'm alright.
You have been too busy with your duties. Please come inside. I will burn some incense.
No. I must return to the Palace.
There is much to do.
- Your Highness, please come inside and... - No, I'm fine. I'll be going now.
Your Highness...
This is Sandalwood oil. I hope it will ease some of your fatigue.
Thank you.
Is this where you've been?
Please forgive me. She wanted to know where you were.
Your Highness, what brings you here to this humble place without notice?
My apologies. I suppose His Highness sends word before he comes.
I came here to form a trade envoy to Silla.
Do not be mistaken.
That's right. His Highness has ordered us to form a trade envoy.
If you are here on official business, why did you tell your attendant to keep this a secret?
What good will come of others knowing that the Crown Prince is not in the Palace?
Am I others too?
If I tell you where I go, will it make you happy?
Please forgive me.
I thought you were here to obtain sandalwood oil.
Silla Suh-Gok Fortress
No way! It can't be.
Buh-Ryuh wouldn't have left us to die here.
You know his swordsmanship, right?
He will be carrying the Commander's head in one hand and the noble's head in another.
He's walking towards this place right now. Don't make assumptions.
Even if he does return, he won't be here to save us.
See? We should have stayed in Sabi!
We're all going to die because of you!
What a bunch of fools!
Wasn't it the two of you who made the suggestion to pass information to Silla?
Why are you trying to blame me? You pair of fools!
You thought it was a good idea too!
Come to think of it, nothing good has come out of following you around!
That's right! We've gotten in trouble left and right!
We're constantly getting into a mess!
Wait a minute! You look like you want to hit me!
Do you know what you're doing now? You're turning coat!
Do you know what that is? That's turning on your superior!
That's a really bad thing!
You....! I better set you fellows straight.
You know that thing I make you do with your head on the ground?
Let's do that again. I'm going to count to three.
One! Two!
I'm going to count to three.
Don't do it then!
That's why humans are evil! Don't do it!
If we could, we would turn back time!
If we could turn back time, I wouldn't have followed Buh-Ryuh either!
No! I want to go back before I decided to follow you!
Yes, if I could, I would go back and join the army to fight Silla!
When you ask us to follow you, I would say "No! I don't want to!"
Alright, I'll get to you later. You first.
You just pointed your finger at me. You almost poked my eye.
You keep saying you're going to join the army. But you pronounce it armly.
- Armly! - See there you go again!
- Say it again. Army! - Army!
Yes, that's right. That's how you say army.
In any case, I'm never forgetting what happened today.
Close your eyes.
Just close your eyes and think about what I'm going to say.
Close them.
Make sure they're closed.
You wretched fellows!
You pushed me!
You're all dead!
So you're the commander of this place?
Are you here for me, or are you here to avenge Gyogi?
I'm on the run for my life, but here you are sleeping peacefully as Commander.
Actually, I'm glad. I thought I would be killing someone I didn't know.
But I'm glad it's you.
You're not good enough to work as an assassin.
Don't you know you should never have a light behind you?
Thanks for the invaluable lesson.
I'll let you die quickly for that.
Who are you? Who sent you here?
Shut up and just kill me!
Keep him alive and imprison him.
- Seize him! - Yes, sir!
He's a killer sent by Silla. Why are you letting him live?
We've crossed path too many times.
I don't know him very well, but it would be a waste of his swordsmanship if I killed him.
Damn it!
What is the Commander up to these days?
He's taking the few soldiers left and training them.
What a waste of time!
He doesn't even have 20 men. What can he possibly accomplish?
- Shall I watch him some more? - Let him be.
When the Silla soldiers come, he'll run for his life and never show his face again.
I'll leave tomorrow, so make preparations.
Yes, My Lord.
- I need to relieve myself. Watch him closely! - Yes, sir!
Freeze!
An army of 10,000?
Weren't they going to abandon Guh-Yeol Fortress? What is this about?
Am I supposed to believe this?
I heard the Commander talk about this with my own ears!
How did you escape?
I ran away while they were taking me to be executed.
This is suspicious. I'm certain they let you go deliberately.
What a sly fellow! He let you go to deliver false news!
But it would be bad if it were true.
Our scouts tell us that the noble left the region with his private army.
If he didn't know about the army, why would he have done this?
Head towards Guh-Yeol Fortress and Sabi to check out the situation there.
- Send news to Seorabeol! - Yes, sir!
Halt!
- Are you here as a trade envoy? - That's right!
This is a letter sent by your Silla court.
We will search your goods.
So this is Silla territory.
This land belonged to Baekje thirty years ago.
And before that, it belonged to Silla.
Then in some families, the father would be from Silla and the sons from Baekje.
Then if the mother was from Goguryeo, it would be a family of the Three Kingdoms.
That would be a great family, Your Highness!
That's not just a joke.
The Three Kingdoms will be united one day.
The conquering nation and its king will be forever be remembered as a bright star.
And the conquered nations and their kings will forever be remembered as fallen stars.
That is true. You should be remembered as that bright star.
Yes, then we can also be remembered as lesser stars too.
Let's go, you stupid animal!
I said let's go!
Cho Reng, go and find out what's going on.
Yes, Your Highness!
I think the calf doesn't want to leave its mother.
I'll send some men to push the animal aside.
No, the calf wants to return to its mother.
If it's released, it will move away by itself.
Give that farmer some silver and tell him to release the animal.
They gave me enough silver to buy two cows.
I thought he would be aggressive because of his upbringing.
But it appears he is a man I can talk to.
Why are you all here?
Lord Jin Deuk and his soldiers have all left!
You won't be able to protect this region with only your men.
We're going to help you protect our lands.
I appreciate that.
Please have faith in the Baekje army. We will have good news soon.
Please return to your fields and focus on your harvest.
Yes, sir!
Chicken tastes good when eaten in prison.
A long time ago, I ate chicken with my father when we were in prison.
Chicken had never tasted so good.
That was the last meal I shared with my father.
Is your father alive?
You're making me lose my appetite. Get out!
And by the way, can you get rid of those crickets?
I can't sleep!
- You just earned your chicken. - What?
What's that bell for?
It's our weapon to defeat Suh-Gok Fortress.
Search the area and find bells like this.
Inform all the ironsmiths in the area to make as many bell as they can.
Yes, sir!
Silla Seorabeol
Welcome, Your Highness. I am Kim Choon Chu.
I hear you are a brilliant diplomat.
I'm glad to meet you.
I was also moved by the story of how you removed the Sataek family from power.
- Please let me pour you a cup. - Thank you.
You and I are second cousins.
Yes, that is why I am happy to meet you.
Then why did you test me?
How did you know?
The fact that there was a calf at the border meant that there is a village nearby.
But I didn't see a village within 20 li.
That is why I knew it was a test.
Please forgive me. I had no other motive.
But I wanted to know if you were a benevolent man.
If so, you would want peace.
Then we would be able to trust you if you had approached us with a peace treaty.
- You are a true strategist. - Strategist, you say?
But you found me out anyway.
Our Queen is your maternal aunt.
Once you rule Baekje, our two kingdoms will be related by blood.
We should be allies, not enemies.
That's right. Let's drink. Future King.
- Your Highness...! - Why do you look so surprised?
One day, you will rule Silla.
Let us be good friends.
You will send us 1,000 bushels of grain?
Yes, it is to congratulate Her Majesty's ascension to the throne.
But it is also to help the people of Silla who lost their homes in the earthquake last spring.
Indeed. Thank you.
Her Majesty will be happy to hear this.
That is why we would like to meet the people who were affected by the earthquake.
Why is that necessary?
If you send us the grain, we will deliver it to them.
Do you suspect us of trying to spy on your capital?
Not at all. I can see your sincerity.
But there has never been such a precedent.
In that case, may I see Her Majesty personally to make this request?
That is not... acceptable.
Not acceptable?
I will be honest with you.
Her Majesty is unwell.
- Is she very sick? - No, but she does not wish to see anyone.
Not even me?
She has given me full authority to sign a peace treaty with you.
No, I must insist on seeing her.
Official duty aside, I lost my mother and I've always wanted to meet my aunt.
Why is the Queen so sick?
This is why.
This is a painting of peonies.
A Tang envoy brought this to congratulate her ascension to the throne.
Emperor Li Shi Min personally sent it to her.
This type of painting is very popular in the Tang Court.
Peonies signify wealth, so it means well.
And the peony is the King of flowers, so it is appropriate to be sent to a new ruler.
But this painting is the reason the Silla court is in an uproar and the Queen taken to her bed.
What a strange riddle.
Tonight, we will go out in teams and make sure this sound reverberates through Suh-Gok Fortress.
They must hear the sound from the far mountains and then louder from outside the fortress gates.
They must not be allowed to sleep.
- Do you understand? - Yes, sir!
- What is this sound? - Sounds like bells.
Maybe shamans have gathered and performing an exorcism?
It's too loud to be an exorcism.
What if ghosts are attracted to the sound?
Yesterday the sound came from the East gate. Now it's from the South Gate.
It sounds closer than last night.
They're hearing the sound at the North Gate too!
Perhaps the Baekje army is coming?
That's impossible!
Take the men and find the wretches who are making that infernal sound!
Yes, sir!
The enemy is approaching!
Let's leave.
Damnation!
How can they ring those infernal bells all night long?
Why are they making that racket? Do something about it!
- Dae Su! - Just go to sleep!
Yoon Su!
Do I know you?
Am I the only one with ears?
You can't sleep either! Fine, have it your way!
You scoundrels!
How many days has it been?
It's been four days since we've gotten any sleep!
All the villagers are begging us to stop the sound!
It's driving me crazy too! When we go out to look for it, it disappears!
What if it's really the Baekje army? It's getting louder and louder.
The sound is coming in front of my nose!
How dare you say such things!
This is merely a ruse by cowards. Do not be intimidated!
Tonight, we will covertly enter Suh-Gok Fortress and attack.
- Why tonight? - Tonight is a moonless night.
It will be pitch black.
If we are to strike them with our small numbers, tonight is our only opportunity.
- Did you solve the riddle? - Yes, the painting is just a painting.
But the answer lies in the person looking at the painting.
The women in the palace are lonely.
It is the same for the highest ranking Queen.
If you look carefully, the flowers are without any bees or butterflies.
This painting is mocking her inability to beget heirs because of her singlehood.
Furthermore, Li Shi Min was said to have mocked her by offering to send her a man from Tang.
How could the Queen not have taken to her bed?
You have solved the riddle well.
But I solved that riddle a long time ago.
What? Then why didn't you say so?
- Because that's not the answer. - It's not?
Do you think Li Shi Min is the kind of man who will stoop to mockery?
Furthermore, Silla and Tang are close allies.
Besides, I heard my aunt is a strong and independent woman.
If she were the kind of woman to take to her bed because the Tang Emperor mocked her,
she would never have become Queen.
You're right. Then why did she take to her bed?
I think there's something else.
Something else?
It might all be a front.
My investigations and the fact that there was a political rebellion last year,
shows that the nobles of Silla would not have welcomed a female ruler so easily.
There is still much uncertainty in the court.
Your aunt is using this painting as an excuse to disappear from court.
The court officials who are furious at Li Shi Min's mockery will be considered to be her supporters.
While those who smirk are her enemies...
She wants to set up a new court based on this information...?
I see. How did you know?
There was a similarity between how Queen Sataek used Yeon Moonjin to distinguish friend and foe.
And the mastermind behind this will most certainly be Kim Choon Chu!
That is brilliant.
Now that you've solved the riddle, will you be able to meet the Queen?
Yes, now that we know where it itches, we must scratch it for her.
It was a riddle within a riddle. I didn't think you would solve it so quickly!
Not at all. You're brilliant for making the riddle!
Frankly speaking, Her Majesty told me to send you away if you didn't solve the riddle.
She is truly a great woman.
Now, tell me honestly. What will you ask of Her Majesty when you meet her?
I will ask her to give us usage of Danhang Fortress.
You must feel so alone without those noisy men of yours.
Yes, I feel alone. So let me out of here and fight me!
It's a fight to the death!
Why do you always want to fight?
Are you possessed by a ghost who didn't get to fight before he died?
I just don't like you.
What is your name?
- Buh-Ryuh. - That's your nickname. What is your real name?
Why do you want to know?
Stop your prattling! Let's fight!
If you want a fight, then I'll fight. But I have a condition.
Before we fight each other, help me fight Silla first.
You don't want to?
Then don't.
Fine.
You're not going to run away, are you?
You bastard! I'm a man too!
Commander!
Bad news! Lord Jin Deuk is seizing villagers by force!
Come here!
I told you never to set foot on this land again!
If they farmed my land in the past, then they are required to farm my new land too.
You scoundrel! Do you have to die to understand?
Do you know what the world calls people like you?
They call you a naive puppy.
Did you really think I would go away so easily?
How dare you stand against me? Fool.
I've already sent my petition. You will be dismissed for disobeying your orders.
You are unforgiveable.
Are the lives of the villagers precious to you, while your own men aren't?
If you misbehave, all of your men will die too.
Now what do we do?
You said we had to move tonight because it was a moonless night!
All the villagers are going to lose their lives because of one corrupt noble.
Who are you?
Me? I'm here for your head.
Who sent you?
Well, the Governor of Suh-Gok Fortress did tell me to bring back the your head as well as the Commander's.
But that's not the reason you're going to die now.
What's the reason? Are you curious?
I do not allow anyone else to take my game.
He's already dead.
Don't bother fighting me.
Jin Deuk, you scoundrel!
Release the Commander at once!
Come out here.
We have to fight the Silla soldiers and then fight each other.
Why? Glad to see me?
Forward!