Supreme Naval Commander of Three Provinces Yi Soon-Shin,
accept royal command!
You withdrew your troops when the Ming forces were engaged in a battle.
Consequently, the Ming army suffered a great loss.
Am I wrong?
That's because the Ming ground troops didn't do what they agreed to do.
It wasn't our fault.
The emissary is speaking.
What is a mouth for if I can't talk?
His Majesty holds you responsible for the defeat on October 3rd
and transfers control of Chosun naval force to Commander Yu Jung of Ming.
We haven't lost a single battle since Admiral Yi took command!
And you wish to replace him with a commander of Ming?
We refuse to comply!
Watch your tongue! The emissary's words are His Majesty's words!
Non-compliance is not an option!
Forget this! How could you, pencil-pushers, know anything
about fighting a war?
Have you ever shot an arrow? Have you ever swung a sword?
Are you going to defy the royal command?
If you do, I will be forced to charge you with treason.
What?! Treason?!
That's enough!
Bastard! How are they treat us like criminals!
What? They can't trust Admiral Yi's competence as a leader?
No way! I will never comply!
Let us be rational about this. We are dealing with a Ming commander.
If we defy him, we are defying the King.
We can't defy the King to continue this battle.
That's true. I'd love to crush the Japs, but we have
to think about the repercussion.
That's nonsense! The enemy is still alive!
Anger won't solve this problem. We must be prudent.
We could make things worse for the Admiral if we're not careful.
Be honest. You're scared. You just don't want to die.
Lt. Wu!
This is despicable! We need to be a team right now,
but here you are bickering among yourselves!
Think about the Admiral.
This is harder on him than any of us.
His Majesty placed Commander Yu Jung of Ming on supreme command.
Chosun navy is not to take any independent action.
It is only you I trust and depend upon; hence, you must allow no
lapses in defeating the enemy.
I, Yi Soon-shin, will not betray your trust, Your Majesty.
I will abide by your will and wipe of the Japanese!
An emissary has arrived? The enemy camp is shaken up?
In the art of war, supreme excellence is in breaking the enemy without fighting.
Do not attack when the enemy is waiting, and shake them up even
more if they are shaking.
I shall send Yi Soon-shin a gift.
How many hostages do we have?
Blame Yi Soon-shin for deserting you!
Blame the Admiral? Never! Not even in death!
What's regretful is dying here without killing you first!
- Bastard! - Wait!
I might find a use for him.
Strike!
Wait!
We need a courier to deliver our gift to Yi Soon-shin.
Send him back alive.
Yes, sir.
Strike! Let me die! Let me die, you bastards!
That's our ship! They've released the hostages!
Isn't that Ensign Sun?
- Ensign! - Ensign!
... Ensign Suh!
Ensign Suh!
Father...!
You no-good bastard!
Why did you come back?
Why did you come back in one piece alone?
Bastard!
You're a soldier and you should've died like a soldier!
Why did you come back alive alone?
You no-good bastard!
My men are back.
I will take them.
Help me... Help me to make the right decision...
Show me the way so that your death is not in vain...
So that the blood that our people have shed in the last seven years
is not in vain...
It's the emissary, sir.
See him in.
Please sit down.
It is truly heartbreaking...
Admiral, follow Commander Yu Jung's order and turn the fleet around.
We cannot have anymore needless sacrifice.
If we turn around, greater sacrifice will follow.
Do you want to be a hero that badly?
What do you want so desperately that you'd
defy your king and sacrifice your men to acquire?
The royal court that claims it wants peace and so do I.
If there was a way to achieve peace without this fight,
I would choose that path. But that is not the case.
If we let the enemy retreat, there will be no pfeace.
Admiral, I am a man who genuinely care about you.
Last year when you stripped of your tank and went o battle
without an official rank, I had cried for you!
I don't want that to happen again.
Admiral, adhere to His Majesty's will.
His Majesty wants only one thing:
destruction of the Japanese forces.
And I will adhere o His Majesty's will.
I believe that you are innocent! But there are those in court
that still remember your impiety against the King!
This log contains a list of crimes committed by you
and your direct subordinates. If you insist on being stubborn
I have no choice but to turn it over to royal court.
And this lime, it won't end with you being dishonorably discharged.
Lives of your men are at risk as well.
Many will get hurt!
Watch it! Do you really think that you could dictate m men's
lives with a piece of paper?
Think carefully about what's best for you and your men.
I know you will make a wise decision.
Pay closer attention to the mood in the camp.
There has to be a weak link among his commanders.
Yes, sir.
No, no! Can't you do it right?
Try again!
What are you saving your strength for?
Admiral, I am not comfortable about what the emissary is doing.
His men are poking around asking questions about you
to everyone from lieutenants to crewmen recruit.
There's tension in the camp.
Some of the commanding officers are wavering.
Admiral, what do you intend to do?
Drink. It smells wonderful.
Don't you want to know what they're after?
It's not just your command. They've halted all our activities
to conduct this investigation. What are they hoping to find?
They will see what they want to see and hear what they want to hear.
There are things that are beyond human control.
One of those is death.
I just hope that I could die in the hands of the enemy.
Then I'd want nothing more...
Do you think the emissary can stop Yi Soon-shin?
It will be quite a task.
Will Yi Soon-shin comply?
Of course not.
He would not be Yi Soon-shin if he does not resist.
He must fight to the end like the great hero that he is.
Must we make this so complicated?
Why can't we just arrest him like last year?
This is a different situation.
This could get out of hand if we are not careful.
The public sentiment is our biggest problem.
Yi Soon-shin has too man followers.
We need a justifiable cause... a solid cause that his
subordinates and the people cannot refute.
Then we need people that will testify against him.
Plenty will come forward when Yi is backed up against the wall.
That's just what people do.
In any case, it's most fortunate that His Majesty is with us.
There was a warrior. When a war broke out, he fought bravely
against the enemy and saved the regime and the people.
There was a king. When a war broke out, he deserted his
people and fled the country scrambling to save himself.
Your Majesty...
The war came to an end.
The warrior has the trust of the people and a strong
and faithful army.
But the king has weak ministers and disorderly mob.
Your Majesty...
What would you do?
If you were a king with a duty o preserve the imperial line,
what would you do?
Your Majesty, please don't doubt Admiral Yi Soon-shin's loyalty.
If he is indeed a faithful subject, I am certain that
he knows a way to destroy the Japanese and preserve
the authority of the throne as well.
Must you forsake him, Your Majesty?
It is to preserve the imperial line and the regime.
Your Majesty...
Do not try to defend Yi Soon-shin again.
Or I will question your loyalty as well.
GEUMSAN FORT, SOON-CHUN
Congratulations.
The King of Chosun has granted your request.
I wouldn't call it a request. This is the way it should be.
General Yukinaga was very pleased, and he said he
would send additional one thousand heads.
When would we be safe to launch a boat?
That's not my concern. Just let me know anytime
and I will order them to allow the passage.
Are you certain we don't have to worry about Yi Soon-shin?
What is he going to do when he is no longer in supreme command?
If he takes any action without my authorization, I will strike
him down without hesitation!
Thank you. At last we can breathe a sigh of relief.
He has assigned supreme command to Yu Jung...
The King of Chosun is abandoning him...
Yi Soon-shin... He must be feeling quite lonely...
But in the end, he will be the one who saves Chosun.
I tried to die, Father...
But I couldn't.
I couldn't just die like this...
I do not have a son!
I didn't stay alive so I could come back and see you like this!
What's wrong with you, Lieutenant?
What am I supposed to do if you behave like this?
We are ready. We can launch an attack any time!
Let us go out there!
Is that were they are? In that direction?
Yes, sir.
If you want to live, don't even glance in that direction.
Don't even think about fighting!
Are you suggesting that we stop the right?
Don't you know why we must fight?
I know all too well, sir.
Then?
Sir, why are you trying to risk everything for this fight?
I am not talking out of fear, but you know what will happen
to you and all of who serve you if you defy the king's command!
The war will soon be over. But the royal court will
not stop questioning us.
If you defy the emissary and resume hostilities,
it is tantamount to admitting that there is a treasonous plot.
That's absurd, Lieutenant!
You mean we've been risking our lives with treasonous intent?
I am talking to the Admiral!
You're suggesting that we sit back and let the Japanese sail
right out of our seas so that we are not falsely accused of treason!
Lt. Wu!
Admiral, you must be prudent.
All that the Japanese want is safe passage home.
I urge you to step back for now and seek another opportunity.
What are you saying?! We must wipe out those bastards now
even if that means being accused of high treason!
Do you know what it means to be convicted of high treason?
Have you thought about having to live with the shame?
It does not end with you alone. Punishment for high
treason is annihilation of three generations!
And if you're lucky enough to escape death, your children
and their children must suffer the shame!
That's enough.
Who goes there!
You are...!
Admiral! Spare us, Admiral!
Admiral, please spare us. My mother, my mother is dying...
I heard she was calling out my name in her deathbed...
I was going to see her just once and come back.
I swear I was not running away!
My pregnant wife is due in a few days...
and she doesn't have anything to eat.
I know there isn't much I can do if I go back,
but I just wanted to look in on her...
Please forgive me, Admiral!
I know I did wrong, I know it's a crime,
but please forgive me just this once!
Spare us, Admiral! We committed a terrible crime! Spare us!
I sympathize with your situations but deserters cannot be tolerated.
Admiral...!
Execute them and hang their heads at the gate!
No, Admiral! Please!
Discipline is strictly enforced and disobedience is not tolerated.
Let this serve as a lesson to all!
Admiral, why are you doing this?
Is this really necessary?
Without discipline, order will crumble.
And without order we can't fight the enemy.
I would do worse to stop the order from crumbling.
Was this really necessary?
What have we gained by sacrificing our own men?
I don't know what's right anymore.
I don't know what we are going to gain by doing this!
Do you think is a pointless fight as well?
I have buried countless brothers and subordinates on this sea...
They were all equally valuable lives...
I would trade my life for theirs if I could...
I'm done.
It belonged to departed Ensign Choi.
Kill me with it instead!
Ensign Sun!
I grabbed my superior officer by the throat, so kill me for insubordination!
Cut my head off and hang it with the others!
What is this despicable behavior? And you call yourself a warrior?
Do you think I'm alive because I wanted to stay alive?
Do you think I didn't think about killing myself?
I saw everything... Ensign Choi's head coming off,
our men getting their noses and ears cut off while they are alive...
I saw everything!
But I stayed alive. It's not because I didn't want to die.
I came back because I cannot rest until there's retribution!
So I came back to fight.
I can die afterwards, so I came back to fight!
But look at you!
Who are we supposed to trust on the battlefield?
Ensign Suh is right!
Snap out of this and find your strength, Lieutenant!
Obviously you don't know the value of life.
All of the commanding officers have gathered.
They are going to turn the fleet around!
He's been out there for four hours now.
The commanders are wavering, the soldiers are wavering
and even the Admiral is wavering.
What do you suggest we do?
We must be very cautious and prudent.
What does that mean? You just want back out!
Haven't I explained enough?
What are we doing right now?
Are we turning our backs on the Admiral?
He has never turned his back on us.
Lt. Wu, who took you back when you returned from Chilchun-ryung
after getting your entire fleet destroyed?
Lt. Yi, you weren't all that pleased when the Admiral became
our supreme commander.
But now you worry about his future more than any of us.
Who embraced you with tears when you escaped the enemy camp and
came back after being held hostage? The Admiral, right?
I wasn't captured. It was a part of the strategy.
In retrospect, we've always been with the Admiral.
But in the last few weeks after the battle on the third,
we've been drifting away from him little by little.
I resented him too.
I told him that I couldn't obey a commander who won't
let me rescue my men and I yelled at his face.
But was it only because I care about my men?
I wonder now if may be I, too, wanted to avoid the fight if I could.
We all know very well why we can't back down...
that if we back down now, this war will never end...
and that is why the Admiral cannot stop this fight.
That's why no matter what happens, even if every one of us
refuses to fight, the Admiral will fight alone without us.
That�s the difference between the Admiral and us.
Admiral...
We've come to bring you back, Admiral.
Don't be distracted. Put effort into your work!
Weapons decide your fate!
Two Japanese vessels are slipping away.
Admiral, they're Komshi's courier boats!
We must stop them or we could be crushed!
What's happening?
It's the Japanese. They have launched their courier boats!
We must go after them!
Only Commander Yu Jung can issue such orders.
They will be gone by the time we hear anything from Yu Jung!
If they get away, you will be killed as well!
But Admiral Yi does not have the authority.
He is not to take independent action. That's the royal command!
You cannot defy the King's order!
Practice restraint, Admiral.
Admiral, they have passed the big island.
If we don't go now, we'll miss them!
Very well. I will go, and I will assume full responsibility!
No one is to take hostile action!
What?
Admiral, give me your command!
Are you going to let it end like this?
You must not take action.
Your life and your men's lives are at stake!
Admiral, we haven't a moment to waste!
If they pass Hando Island, we will never catch up!
It is high treason!
Admiral!
Go after it!
What happened?
They have launched a vessel! Yi Soon-shin has taken action!
How are he!
Sir...!
It's out of my hands now.
Don't let them get away! Full speed ahead!
Don't let them get away! Pull! Pull!
Let us through! We are in pursuit of an enemy vessel!
At whose command did you launch this vessel?
It's a Japanese vessel! We must go after it!
Turn you vessel around. It's Commander Yu Jung's order!
What?!
They will be expecting it.
Arrest them! They are Japanese spies!
Sir!
What is the meaning of this?!
How dare you intercept a missive to the King!
You will be hanged for this!
They were sneaking away in darkness, so I thought they
were Japanese spies.
What is going on?
Perhaps you could ask the emissary, sir.
Admiral, you must punish this man!
Your Majesty, the Supreme Naval Commander Yi Soon-shin takes
your royal command lightly and refuses to adhere to Commander
Yu Jung's leadership.
Also, relying on his military power and large following, he
looks upon the King and the royal court with contempt and
moves his troops without restraint.
Hence, it is advised that Yi and his men be charged with treason.
How dare you! You will be charged with treason as well!
What are you waiting for? Arrest him!
Treason? Did you say treason?
Very well. I will slay you first and march to the capital!
What?
Don't stop us, Admiral!
If we are treasonous rebels, what are our soldiers?
We are not treasonous rebels!
Kill them! Kill them!
Admiral, what are you waiting for? Arrest these rebels!
Admiral, what do we have to lose at this point?
Let us slay these men and change this world!
What?
Or I will slay these men and take my own life!
Admiral!
Very well. I will slay them and march to the capital!