The violence of the Japanese invaders have reached its peak and our capital
city has been trampled!
We cannot allow this to continue!
We will wipe out the enemy in Gaduk and Pusan and advance to
the capital in one sweep!
Go out there and fight to die!
Those who cravenly seek to live will answer to my sword!
All aboard!
What is the meaning of this?
No one is going to the front! Dismiss the troops at once!
The Japanese have taken our capital, and the King was forced to run!
We must go to the front, sir!
We must get out there and wipe out every Japanese in sight!
Look at them, sir. The morale of our men will pierce the sky!
Do not confuse rage with high morale!
Miserable defeat awaits an army that faces the enemy blinded by rage!
It's an order! Dismiss the troops!
Sir!
From this moment forward, anyone who dares to defy my command will
be punished by death!
Relay the order at once!
All units dismissed!
I don't understand, sir! This is impiety to the King!
Do not ever incite my men by arousing their emotions again.
You will answer to me if this happens again.
What's wrong with him? I just don't understand.
Why won't he let us go to the front?
We are the Left Cholla Navy! All we have to do is get out
there and we'll blow those Japanese to pieces! Right, Lieutenant?
Be quiet! Do you want to get yourselves killed?
High Commander never makes empty threats?
All of you get back to your posts! And stand by until there is an order!
What did you just say?
We should return to Gon-yang, sir.
You want me to turn around when the enemy is in sights?
You want me to close my eyes to the humiliation His Majesty was made to suffer?
Do you wish to die?
Sir, we are just as enraged as you are, sir.
But the Right Kyung-sang Navy only has four ships.
Attacking Gaduk or Gonyang is suicide.
How many of your men have survived, Dodo?
I have approximately one hundred men.
One hundred... Would one hundred men be enough, Gurajima?
Of course, General.
It's a perfect job for a defeated general to rebuild his reputation.
Bring him in.
Aye!
General...
Take that man with you.
He will help you on your mission.
Stay away! Violence does not belong here!
Step aside!
This is a sacred Confucian shrine, and it mustn't be violated!
Pack them carefully and take them back to the headquarters.
These dawans are fairly well made. It's worth taking them back to Japan.
Aye!
Now we will go after the refugees.
I thought we were after the dawans. Why go after the refugees?
You don't know much about Chosun culture. Do you, General Dodo?
Dawan is a Japanese name for bowls used in ancestral memorial services.
The people of Chosun may abandon their children, but they never leave
their ancestral tablets behind.
Quickly go after them.
General, how can you tolerate this?
That man may have been made a samurai, but he just a Chosunese
pottery maker!
It's bad enough that pirate ringleader Gurujima is treating you with contempt.
Must we take orders from a Chosunese potter?
I owe it all to that man Yi Soon-shin...
I will pay him back for this humiliation.
I will pay him back a hundredfold for the shame he has made me suffer!
I trust that the soldiers have returned to their posts?
Yes, sir.
Do not let one victory go to your head.
We may have destroyed thousands, but the invasion force is still
ten times our size!
The quicker you forget about the victory the better!
Remember that a superior leader does not allow his emotions to
dictate his actions. Is that understood?
Yes, sir!
Let us begin.
At this point the Left Cholla Navy has been completely exposed to the enemy.
The enemy's fundamental strategy is land and water dual offensive,
and they have captured the capital in ten short days.
For a large army of a hundred thousand to have moved at that speed, they had
to have been traveling very light.
Then their naval forces will surely advance west if only to secure the
waterway for logistics.
And we will be their biggest impediment in their advance.
According to reports there are at least 500 enemy ships in all.
If they should attack us all at once...
They may not be armed with cannons, but if they're several hundred ships...
I will destroy Yi Soon-shin and his navy no matter what the cost.
Give me a detachment.
I suppose there should be a reward for retrieving valuable goods for the Taiko.
Right Gurujima?
The entire Japanese fleet will advance west to destroy the Chosun Navy!
And you can be my aide-de-camp on our next battle, Dodo.
General Gurujima, is it your intent to insult me?
Did you think that I'd trust my men to a defeated general?
If you feel insulted, prove yourself worthy.
How dare you argue with me after getting your entire division wiped out!
Get the advance route worked out. That's your job as my assistant.
Aye!
They have two possible attack routes to get to us.
They could come in through this inlet through Noryang,
or they could go around Namhae-do and Mijo through the open waters.
The channel is quite narrow through Noryang. So if they should choose the
former, we can ambush them from either side.
What if they choose the open waters?
It is unlikely that they will since the open waters are quiet rough
compared to the inlet.
But we can't eliminate the possibility entirely.
If there is a master mariner among them, and if they should ride the northwest
current at high tide with a western wind behind them, they will move quickly.
Check every inch of the ocean!
Find the bastards that are trampling our land, and we will wipe them out!
Double the reconnaissance around Noryang and Mijo.
Erect another watch tower on Dolsan Island in case the enemy chooses the
open sea route.
Devise and practice a strategy to quickly get into battle formations from a waylay
position from Noryang.
Also, the channel between the shore and Noryang is narrow enough that cannons
can secure effective range from the shore.
Explore the possibility of an artillery attack from land.
Gunners ready!
Fire!
I expect the Turtle Ship to play an active part on the next battle.
If the enemy should come around Mijo through the open sea, we must spread
out the fleet wide and use the Turtle Ship to break the enemy's spirits.
Battle formations!
Turtle Ship advance!
It's the red flag, sir!
Fire the cannons!
A war is a battle of wills.
You need to crush the enemy's will to fight!
Ready!
Fire!
Cut off their ears.
They are gifts for His Eminence the Taiko.
Next!
Spoils of war from Chosun, Your Eminence.
Do they repulse you? I will have them removed immediately.
No.
Why would I be repulsed by evidence of victory when I am a warrior myself?
Then...
Dispatch messengers to the generals in Chosun. They are not to use cheap tricks.
You see, humans have two ears.
They could slay one and claim that they have slain two.
I want their noses not their ears.
Then the merits of each general can measured accurately.
Is that understood?
Yes, Your Eminence.
Child, fetch your young one something to eat.
You're going to starve him to death.
Dearie, the survivors must go on.
Dearie...!
Tae-won you can't go anywhere tonight.
You see all these refugees waiting to be fed?
All right. Stop nagging!
You keep disappearing on me for days at a time!
All right!
Oh, and...
"We have to get paid for everything we can because we can't stay in business
if we don't make a profit!"
Stop that.
You have no heart, woman!
Call your mother over, sweetie. This is too hot for you to carry.
Come on.
Call your mother or father.
There're not here. I lost them on the way here.
This way.
Sit right here. Sit right here and eat up.
Refugees are pouring in?
They are mostly from Dang-po and Hansan? do where our troops were stationed.
You mean the enemy took vengeance on the civilians?
Distribute the provisions that we seized in our last battle,
and make certain that they are taken care of.
Yes, sir.
But sir...
enemy spies could be among them.
Yes, we have to consider the possibility.
Alert the secret squad and have them increase safety measures around the
base and Yosu vicinity.
Yes, sir.
We're here again...
The royal carriage was forced to flee the palace, but Yi Soon-shin
is refusing to go to the front. Why does he fight me every time?
His Majesty the King will understand your loyalty.
We will figure out a way to fight the enemy without them.
Put your faith in us, sir!
Do not give him false hopes! This is a hard fight even if
we reestablish alliance with the Left Cholla Nayy!
You bastard!
Captain Woo!
Enough!
Captain Han.
Yes, sir.
Do not mention the alliance again. If you ever speak of an alliance
with Yi Soon-shin again, you will be punished for defying my command.
Sir!
He, too, is an enemy for his reluctance to fight the enemy!
Why do you continue to upset the High Commander?
If you had any regard for his feelings...
His feelings are not the issue.
The issue is whether his decision is right or wrong.
Captain Han...
Do you believe he made the right decision?
As his subordinate officer, my duty is to tell him when he is wrong.
The King was forced to flee the palace. Who wouldn't be enraged?
So you'd attack the enemy unprepared in a moment of rage and risk the lives
of your men? You'd get what's left of this navy wiped out on a whim?
I agree with the High Commander Yi's decision.
The soldiers are tired and we know nothing about the enemy.
I know High Commander Won's loyalty, but taking the troops into the lion's
den is not loyalty.
The highest leader must never let his emotions dictate his actions.
In order to fight the enemy and win, he must always keep a cool head.
I, too, feel bitter grief by the news of His Majesty's flight.
But what's even more heartbreaking are the cries of the people that
were abandoned at the tracks of the King's carriage.
Will they ever be able to forgive the King who left them and the
warrior who failed to protect them?
But I cannot answer the painful cries of the people with rage.
Thunderous cheers of victory are the only answer that I must give them.
I will not fight a battle in which there is even a remote chance of defeat.
I will be indifferent to my King's despair and mortification if it is
for victory. That is a true warrior.
Are the troops still astir?
Yes, sir. Does it concern you?
I guess this past year was not a waste of time for the Left Cholla Navy.
I know quite well that their rage comes from their love for Chosun.
To them, Chosun is the families that they left behind
and the refugees that fled here away from the violent enemy.
How could I feel any different? I, too, wanted to rush to the front.
I'm sure you felt the same way.
Now we must channel that rage into defeating the enemy.
And to do that we need time right now.
But sir...
time is not the only thing we need in order to win the next battle.
Under sole signature?
Yes, sir.
No, I will not do that!
We won the battles of Okpo, Hampo and Jokjinpo by combining our forces with
the Right Kyung-sang Navy. Have you forgotten?
Of course not, sir. But we did not forget how the line of battle
was thrown into disorder because of them either.
Commander Yi is right. If we hadn't restrained them, they would have lost
their battleships and caused considerable casualties as well.
And how many times did they lock horns with us in front of our men?
I don't have enough fingers to count.
The soldiers are confused and they don't know who to obey.
This is seriously undermining the morale of our soldiers.
If these conflicts continue, we will self-destruct before
we destroy the enemy.
Are you suggesting that we leave the Right Kyung-sang Navy out and
take credit alone for the victories that we achieved together?
No. I'm saying we should be clear about their merits and demerits.
The royal court must be clearly informed about who was at the
heart of these victories.
Sir, we cannot continue to fight in these present conditions.
I believe the most important condition for victory is an indisputable command
structure.
You need a stronger right of command.
That's the only way to suppress High Commander Won's reckless actions, and...
That's enough!
I do understand how you feel. But what the royal court and
His Majesty need to hear right now is that the two navies are working
together with all of our combined strengths to stop the enemy.
What can we gain by telling them that we are fighting amongst ourselves
before the enemy?
But sir...
Do not discuss this again.
What you propose will only demoralize the Right Kyung-sang Navy!
Give up my prize on a war that is as good as won?
We're inches away from capturing the king of Chosun and we have to retreat!
This is ludicrous!
It's Hidaiye's order. We have no choice.
So he's the Taiko's adopted son. But what does he know?
I was already risking my life in battles when he was playing on
His Highness's lap!
May 10th, 1592... Almost a month had passed since the war began, and the
first and second division led by Konishi and Kato were steadily moving north.
Konishi's vanguard division which moved north through Yang-ju and Kato's second
division came through Paju were checked at Yimjin River by Chosun army
where an unexpected order would thwart their plans to press on.
It was an order from Japan to negotiate peace with Chosun.
When Pusan, Choong-chung and Kyonggi Province fell with one sweep,
Hideyoshi believed that he had already succeeded in conquering Chosun.
So the order was given with intent to limit the loss of military resources,
acquire admission of defeat from the king of Chosun, quickly establish
a supply base in Chosun and proceed with Ming conquest.
Send these ninjas to the north.
This is the only way to acquire the head of the Chosun King before Konishi
strikes a deal for truce.
Of course, General Wakizaka.
I'm told you wish to see me, General.
You said you had a ship.
Yes, I do.
I will need to use it.
I'm honored that our ship will be put to such an important use, General.
This is no fun at all.
You're making this too easy.
I want to kill your king, and you're eager to help?
I'm a businessman, General.
What do I have to gain by risking my life to protect the King of Chosun
just because I was born in Chosun? I never make a losing deal.
But for you, I will do anything you ask.
After all, this country belongs to you now.
Lead my men to the King of Chosun. If they bring back the King's head
successfully. I could easily give you your hometown as a fief.
Don't worry, General. We will not let you down.
You're back.
Did that Japanese bastard leave?
Watch your tongue, Mujik.
I'm not scared. Tell him to come and get my head first!
Would you stop?
Hong is Japanese, so it's different for her, but how can you do this?
There are things that you just don't do if you're a human being!
I guess you overheard our conversation.
Stop wasting time and go pack a bag. We're taking a little trip.
Please don't do this, Chun-su!
How can you help the bastards who are trying to kill our King?
Stop annoying me with your self-righteous garbage!
Chun-su!
You're no better than me! Do you know that?
You're complaining that it stinks, butt you're sitting in the stinkhole
just the same!
Who pulled you out of the gutter and put you where you are today?
I don't want to hear another word out of you.
General Kato said he would give me the town where I was born.
I'm going to go. I'm going to go back there and be the king!
And I'm going to find those bastards who stepped all over me and my
helpless father and pay them back eye for an eye for what they did to us!
Hell, I'd kill the King's grandfather for that chance! Do you understand?
Guards... guards!
Your... Majesty!
Who are you? Why are you trying to kill me!
Your Majesty!
Guards!
The Japanese! The Japanese were in my bedchambers!
They tried to kill me!
Your Majesty!
Find them! You must find them!
There are no intruders, Your Majesty.
They are here! They were in my bedchambers!
Your Majesty!
We beg you to be calm, Your Majesty!
Can His Majesty continue to administer the state affairs?
He cannot make any decisions.
He is overcome by fear.
This is not the first time this has happened.
Left Minister, perhaps there is no hope for His Majesty now.
What do you mean?
I agree with Minister Yi.
There're countless decisions to be made. We must dispatch soldiers to the defense
line at Yimjin River, and we must consider the option of requesting
foreign aid. But instead of taking measures to deal with the situation.
His Majesty only blames his Ministers.
Lord Yu. Perhaps we should appeal
to place the Crown Prince as a regent.
Hush! You must not utter such words in haste!
My lord, it is to save the country from peril.
That's enough!
Father, please rest now.
I will be by your side.
High Commander...
If this is about the Right Kyung- sang Navy, I will not discuss it.
What are you afraid of?
Sir, you know the damage that the confusion in the command structure
will cause.
Is it because High Commander Won is a personal friend?
Are you afraid some might think that you stole your comrade's honor?
No. He may have made mistakes, but High Commander Won is a warrior of
Chosun nonetheless.
At least he did not flee the battlefield like the others.
No, he is but a failed leader.
You know that an enemy from within is more destructive than any outside enemy.
I want to convince High Commander Won and fight together.
It will be easier to convince him if you had stronger influence.
I know this is not an easy decision, but it must be done.
Ruthless bastard...
How could you do this to me?
How could you crush me like this?
Is this the only way?
Capture control of the Left Cholla Navy.
That is the only way to fight the way you want, sir.
Do you think Yi Soon-shin would hand over his navy to me?
You must take it, sir.
No matter what anyone says, you were in command of these battles.
This is Kyung-sang Province, sir.
Left Cholla Navy simply answered our call for aid.
According to the royal messenger, the royal court has fled the palace
and both Yu Sung-ryong and Yi San-hae were dismissed from service.
What's more. Lord Yoon Du-su was appointed Prime Minister.
Yi Soon-shin has no one to back him up in the royal court.
Send a letter to Lord Yoon. Ask him to defend your report when it arrives.
I don't think we have any choice at this point.
Let us send the report under joint signatures.
No. We would be deceiving the royal court.
I'm sure the High Commander knows that better than anyone.
But if that's what the High Commander wants, there's nothing we can do.
Captain Chung, why are you so quiet?
Are you planning to stand against your fellow officers of the Left
Cholla Navy again?
Say something, Captain Chung.
High Commander Won will not be controlled until a unified command
structure is established.
And to assert such command,
High Commander Yi needs someone to back him up.
No one else can back him up except His Majesty and the royal court.
Don't push him so hard.
I think we should respect his wishes if he is so firm about it.
So do I. High Commander Won is a long time friend of his.
That may be a burden on him as well.
What if High Commander Won continues to sabotage our missions?
What if he gets both navies wiped out? Who will take the blame them?
Lt. Song is right.
Lt. Na, we cannot be swayed by personal feelings before the enemy.
Constable Kwon, but High Commander is a man before he is a military leader.
I know. And I know that why this is hard for him.
But this is his cross to bear albeit callous and cold.
And our job is to help him make that decision as quickly as possible.
What are you doing?
Strike us, High Commander.
If you cannot make a decision, strike us all.
We do not desire honor, and we do not wish to discredit the Right
Kyung-sang Navy.
No. All that we want is to fight the enemy and win.
High Commander, internal division in face of the enemy is self-destruction.
We cannot lead our men into death.
I'll be tough even if we fight under unified command.
Make the right decision, High Commander!
I agree, sir.
What the Chosun Navy needs is unified command in order not to self-destruct.
Make the decision, sir.
Don't hesitate, sir.
I know it's not easy, but it must be done. We will stand behind you.
Very well.
I will report to the royal court under sole signature of the Left Cholla Navy.
Sir!