Why did you steal the commander's post from me?
I'm in a meeting with my subordinates. Would you wait in my office?
Answer my question.
Lt. Song.
Yes, sir.
Escort him out.
I'm asking you why you moved Yu Sung-ryong and stole this post from me.
I'm sure my subordinates in this room are very curious as well.
Answer my question!
How could you do this to me?
How could you of all people have me removed from the commander's post?
You must ask yourself that question, not me.
What?
You should have confronted yourself before you came here to confront me.
Then you could've avoided this regretful mistake.
Don't play word games with me.
When will you stop blaming the world?
Look within for the cause of your dismissal.
What are you trying to say?
What you are qualified for this job and I am not?
You don't have the capacity to command a military headquarter.
You lack experience. Don't you agree?
Only thing I know is that He Majesty and the royal court appointed me to
command the Left Cholla Navy Station.
And I have no reason to defy that command.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
So, you want to play that game?
I've never lost a fight.
The barbarians, the Japanese, no one has ever beat me.
How could I possibly let you beat me?
I'll be back.
I'll come back no matter what it takes and defeat the Japanese in
a single strike! But first....
I will break you first. I'll break you first before I go after the Japanese!
I'll be waiting.
Let us continue.
Continue what?
Is that a serious question?
We can't accept this either.
We can't accept this ridiculous appointment!
That is outside of your authority!
Your authority does not extend beyond Nok-do garrison, and your duty is to
report the progress to me!
And if you refuse to do your duty, I only have one option.
Is that right? Then go right ahead.
This is our final courtesy to a former superior.
If you try to stop us, not one of us will obey you.
Sir!
Atten-hut!
Bow!
We can't even begin to fathom the capacity of the enemy,
but I must fight my peers and my own men first...
February 13, 1591, 24th year of Sonjo's reign, Yi-Soon-shin finally
takes office as the Commander of Left Cholla Province Naval Station.
But getting there was anything but simple. In the year he was serving
as the Magistrate of Jung-eup, he had received four different appointments
as Commandant of Kosari, Commandant of Manpo, Magistrate of
Jindo, and as Commandant of Karipo, but it wasn't until the fiftieth
appointment that he was able to actually take office.
However, protests against his appointment did not cease in the royal
court even after he took office. Given that this was an unprecedented
climb of seven ranks at one time, these protests were not unreasonable.
But King Sonjo firmly held his decision without wavering.
And at least, Yi Soon-shin began to reveal himself in the pages of
history only 14 months before the eruption of Chosun-Japanese War.
Meanwhile, the envoys had returned to Pusan from the diplomatic mission to
Japan and presented a report predicting an outbreak of war,
and King Sonjo was seething with rage.
Hideyoshi's epistle to Sonjo contained arrogant words which meant
"I will march to Ming without delay, so rush to my palace beforehand."
March to Ming? And he wants me to rush to is palace without delay?
Are they in fact intent on waging a war?
Your Majesty, I fear that war may not be avoidable.
Hideyoshi has prepared countless daimyos and soldiers under him.
Your Majesty, how can we not feel indignant when the Japanese leader
Hideyoshi's arrogance knows no bounds?
Yes, Your Majesty.
Japan has been Chosun's tributary state throughout history, and Ming
an imperial state that we serve as our fatherland.
How could they dare plot an invasion?
Your Majesty, I urge you to rally the warriors at once and subjugate Japan.
Furthermore, there must be consequences for those who pushed
for diplomacy with these depraved pirates.
Your Majesty, I did not sense any hostile intent from the Japanese.
What on earth do you mean? We mustn't mislead the King!
What are you trying to accomplish?
What are you trying to accomplish by exaggerating the threat of war and
causing chaos in the court?
Your Majesty!
But you agreed that there're countless soldiers in Japan.
It is true, Your Majesty.
Then why do you say they have no hostile intent?
Japan is a land of warriors. It is only fitting that they have a large military.
They would have no reason to send their envoys and request diplomatic
exchange if they were intent on going to war with us.
What they want is not to conquer Ming but o present gifts of tribute to Ming.
But he writes that he will strike Ming and demands that
I surrender beforehand.
Do not be concerned. Learned men with knowledge of language ruling
are rare in Japan.
Their leader Hideyoshi has not mastered the written language.
You mean that the Imperial Regent of Japan is illiterate?
Yes, Your Majesty.
What they meant to say is that they wish to send a tribute mission to
Ming and would like us to go to the palace of Ming and acquire permission
for them beforehand.
Deputy delegate Huh Sung, what is your opinion?
Do you believe that Hideyoshi bears hostile intent?
Why do you hesitate? Tell us exactly what you felt.
Your Majesty... I believe that they are fully capable of waging a war.
They have a huge army, they are hostile by nature, and...
You can't expect pirates to have gentle nature of scholars.
It's easier to talk about a war than it is to actually wage a war.
We've always shared our southern sea with Japan, but there have only been
a few small pirate attacks since this country was founded.
They just want to establish friendly relations, but they don't know how
to initiate it, so they wanted to intimidate us.
But I will not overlook their indolence,
I will reaffirm our superior position with a letter of harsh reproach!
Open the two ports of Pusan and Yom and give hem a pat on the back.
Your grace is immeasurable.
Sung-il, are you telling the truth?
Do you really believe there won't be a war?
Are you going to lie to me as well?
I wanted to stop them.
I wanted to stop the Westerners' plot to undermine the Easterners and
cause public panic.
Will there be a war or not? That's the only thing that's important!
How could I guarantee that there won't be a war?
We're doomed if we do and doomed if we don't!
If you we say that there will be a war, there will be chaos and zealous
call for an immediate retaliatory action against Japan. But if we don't
warn them, His Majesty will take no action to prepare for the war.
What are we to do?
Your Eminence!
Welcome back, Kato.
I trust that you brought the gift?
Of course, Your Eminence.
This is Nagoya.
Nagoya...
Nagoya is a natural naval base that can hold over a thousand warships at
one time.
Most importantly, it is the shortest point from Japan to Chosun
through Iki and Tsushima.
Nagoya is a gift that god gave Japan for us to conquer Chosun
and march to Ming!
How we just have to build our ships.
How many will suffice, Wakizaka?
I believe we need at least two thousand.
Yes, since we will need to transport at least 200.000 soldiers to
conquer Ming.
Go to Nagoya, Kato, and quickly build a castle.
May I request that you assign that task to General Konishi?
I'd like to focus only on military training, Your Eminence.
General Konishi!
Do not attempt to negotiate peace with the envoys of Chosun again, Konishi.
Kato Kiyosama!
You sent envoys to Chosun, but I sent spies.
If you attempt to deceive the imperial Regent again, I will kill you first
before I go after Chosun.
Father has stopped building the fortifications and even halted
the repair works on bulwarks.
I told he said such defense
measures are unnecessary since there is no threat of war.
Are you just another politician who ignores the truth to pursue
party interests?
Your Highness...
You'd close your eyes to the truth to keep your fancy title?
You've seen the strength of their muskets with your own eyes.
How could you allow this to happen?
You have grown, Your Highness.
It is a true joy being scolded by you.
Right Minister!
Your Highness, I did not want to close my eyes to the truth either.
But things are not simple in the royal court.
For now, I sent a competent warrior to the southern coast to fortify the front.
And my intent is to fight the enemy with the pen.
The sword is not the only weapon that one can fight with.
The best way to win is to win without a fight.
Win without a fight?
I intend to fight to avoid a war through diplomacy.
Diplomacy...
That means we have to recognize Japan as a titular equal.
Recognize the land of the uncivilized as our equal?
You were praying.
I heard you wanted to see me.
I tried to find a peaceful way.
I will not deny that it was largely for my own interest as a merchant,
but that was not the only reason.
I wanted to avoid a war.
I know. I know that better than anyone.
But I'm afraid that is going to be difficult...
Master, is there no other way?
Sir, those are Sado troops and those are Nok-do troops.
If Nok-do beats Sado no one will want to go up against them again!
There you go.
Enjoy.
Which Inn would you be from?
Inn, sir? No, sir. I'm a soldier on cook duty, sir.
Cook duty? How come you are not in your uniform?
Why do we need a uniform to cook and hand out food?
It's just uncomfortable.
Uncomfortable?
Enjoy.
Bottoms up!
Let us drink.
The man is bent on ruining this place!
Training and discipline is what the soldiers need, not a party!
It's a welcoming reception!
What is this costing us? If he keeps this up, he'll use up our entire annual
budget on alcohol!
Sir... Commander...
Sir, it's almost noon.
The warriors are here waiting for you.
There isn't much to discuss, so just send them back.
What? Just go back to our garrisons?
That's it! I've had it!
Where is he? I'll get him out here!
Captain Chung!
He called us for a meeting and he better have a good reason!
But at least he threw a good party.
What does he take this place for? Does he think this is a playground?
Why are you getting so upset? This is nothing new.
The others were all the same.
Commander Won Kyun was different.
What did His Majesty see in this guy to have put him in charge?
Who are those men?
They're local merchant leaders.
He send back the warriors and meets with local merchant leaders?
Bub-sung Port, sir?
With mercantile goods?
I though I ordered you to round up all of the oarsmen. Is this everyone?
This is it, sir. We only have two ships that are in decent operating condition.
There is no need for a large crew, sir.
How long will a round trip take from the headquarters to Bub-sung Port?
About two days, sir.
Curtail it by one day. I want us back by tomorrow at noon.
Even the small and light merchant ships take about two days...
Are you saying that merchant ships are faster than warships?
Tomorrow at noon.
If we are not back by then, all of you will face severe punishment.
What's this all about?
Good grief. What's wrong with this boat?
This warship is worse than any merchant ship I've ever been on?
I know! I'm going to throw up everything I ate for breakfast!
Can't you keep up with the beat?
Don't be so hard on us. We're trying our best.
Yes, we haven't done this in ages. We're out of practice.
Besides, what have you fed us?
You can't work us this hard after what we had for breakfast!
Be quiet and row!
Did you see the Minister of Military?
I thought marks and scores were unimportant to warriors.
Courage and results is all I need, I thought...
There was nothing I could do. I couldn't change anything...
What did I tell you?
You need a powerful politician behind you like the rest of us.
When Lord Yoon Du-su offered you his hand, you should've grabbed it!
He's your relative and an influential figure in the court.
Two of the three envoys that came back from Japan predict war.
This is the perfect time for you to give rein to your ambition and
prepare an expedition to conquer Japan.
But those evil Easterners have covered His Majesty's eyes and ears.
Frustrating... This is truly frustrating...
Bring Won Kyun forward?
Yes. Won Kyun is like a ferocious wild beast.
Telling him to stay away from the front is like removing the fangs from a beast.
Yes, I suppose.
Have a talk with him. He'll be submissive now.
No, not yet. Let him suffer a little bit more.
He needs to feel a little more pain to realize what's more
important than pride.
Only then he will become our loyal servant.
Make no mistake. This country Chosun chose Yi Soon-shin, not I.
His Majesty and the royal court appointed me to command the Left
Cholla Navy Station. And I have no reason to defy that command.
Join hands with Minister Yoon Du-su. This country needs you at the front.
And Minister Yoon is the only one who can send you there.
Lt. Song, tie them up!
Sir, I think they've had enough.
They must be exhausted from rowing all day and all night...
They will continue until they can match their steps.
This is the reason why they failed to return on time today.
Gees guys! Count with your steps!
Come on. Get up and do it right! Count!
Count together with your steps! Or you'll never get this right!
One! Two!
Mochi! Mochi cakes!
We can stop the war if they will only open the path to Ming...
We must contact Akai and Kimura.
The grains that Kimura has managed to acquire will not be enough
since we will need to feed more then a hundred thousand soldiers.
Besides, if a war breaks out, there will be no need to pay for the grains.
I guess that means we need to give Akai a new assignment...
to mark all of Chosun's duty silos on the map.
You wish to stop doing business?
Yes, Yim San.
Are you going back to Japan?
Yes...
Yes... I see.
Kimura San...
Chun-su, what did he say?
He doesn't want to do business anymore.
What? You can't just let him go like that!
Ask him to hook us up with another buyer or something!
Chun-su!
If my guess is right, there's going to be a war.
What? A war?!
He must've bought over a thousand sacks of rice from us.
What could he have done with it?
I've never seen him moving them out to Japan.
Goodness? That's...!
Why do you keep glancing at my book?
Are you making a record of the profits from the merchants, sir?
We're taking the ship to the Japanese Trade Village tomorrow,
so get the oarsmen ready.
Haven't we done enough, sir?
When are we going to stop running errands for the merchants with a
war vessel, sir?
I don't know...
Sir!
Sir, I didn't want to say this, but I think I have to.
Go ahead and say what's on your mind.
Sir, you've been here for a while now, but you've done nothing except engage
in leisure activities with the soldiers and deliver goods for the merchants.
A naval commander is not a business man.
You haven't even made an inspection round to each garrison, sir.
The warriors are quite discontent.
An inspection round?
What's the commander doing here out of the blue?
He's making an inspection round.
An inspection?
Very well.
Not that way.
Old habits die hard.
No, if you move that one, his canon will get you?
Soldier! How dare you try to taint this game?
Put it where you were going to put it in the first place.
Gotcha!
Greetings, sir.
Have you fared well?
I heard you were here for an inspection.
Would you like to see the armory first?
Wait for me there. I'll have to finish this game first.
Inspection? What brought this on out of the blue?
He's making his rounds from Nok-do.
He could've given us an advance notice at least! What do we do?
I guess we better get some civilians and put them in uniforms.
Oh no, the weapons? What do we do about the weapons?
Where is the commander?
He told me to wait in the armory over an hour ago.
He's still with the soldiers.
You mean he's still playing chess?
He keeps losing... He keeps saying "Let's play another round!"
What? What is that man trying to do?
Sir...
I'm going to go now.
But you've done nothing except play chess.
Yes, that's right.
I'll beat you next time, soldier.
Sir!
What do I need to inspect when you're doing such a good job?
I'll be leaving now.
He just played chess?
Then what kind of fun activity should we prepare for him here?
Badook? Books? No, books are out.
I see that the number of soldiers match perfectly with the books.
Of course, sir.
Is this your entire garrison?
No. sir.
Then?
It's barley harvest season soon, so the farmers were given a leave of absence.
Leave of absence?
You keep a tight ship, Constable.
From troop management to weapons and provisions, there is nothing
I can pick on.
Thank you, sir.
Beautiful. You’re beautiful too.
I think you better rest today.
Sir, he's here!
Welcome, Chief Commander!
You must be exhausted from the long trip.
I'm fine.
I’ve prepared some beautiful ladies to help you relax.
What are you waiting for? Escort the commander inside!
How could you be so negligent in weapon maintenance?
And where are all of your soldiers?
Commander, sir...
Place this man under arrest immediately and take him to
the headquarters!
Aye!
Sir...!
What? The Chief Commander has arrested Kim Wan?
That's not all. He's arresting one warrior after another?
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black... he's the one who's been using
the soldiers to conduct a business. He has no room to criticize anyone!
What are you talking about?
He's been running errands for the merchants with the warships.
And he put all the profits into his pocket!
What?! I will have his neck for this!
Oh, I'm dying? I'm dying here?
Stop!
What is the meaning of this?
That's my question?
What gives you the right to flog these men?
If anyone deserves a flogging, it's you!