Episode 1
Identify yourself!
We come from Ansi Castle!
We're here at General Yang Manchun's order!
Reinforcements from Ansi Castle! Open the gate!
Spring of year 645...
Emperor of Tang Li Shimin launches a great campaign against Goguryeo.
His army was over one million strong
with 700,000 fighters and a large logistics force.
In response, the chief commander of Goguryeo army in Liaodong, Yang Manchun
rushed to protect the fortress sending reinforcements from
neighboring forts to Liaodong.
On the Tang side, Superior Commander Li Jing and his men
are deployed to capture the fortress.
Li Jing: Superior Commander of Tang army.
The impregnable wall of Liaodong Fortress had never been breached
since the founding of Goguryeo.
And now, the battle that will decide the outcome of the first Goguryeo-Tang War
was about to begin here at the Liaodong Fortress.
General!
We were right! They are our people!
They're hostage from the fallen forts Gemo and Hyeondo!
Soldiers of Liaodong, look closely!
These hostages are your family and friends!
Those who surrender will join them and join our crusade!
But those who refuse will have to kill them with your own hands!
How dare you!
Silence that man! Now!
What are you waiting for? This is your last chance!
Lay down your arms and surrender!
What are you waiting for? Lay down your arms now!
Goguryeo's archery is truly pathetic!
How can you possibly contend with the great Tang?
Watch closely!
Goguryeo's arrow will pierce through steel and break through rocks!
Soldiers of Tang, attack!
All forces attack!
Attack!
General, we don't have much time!
Give us your command!
The enemy's siege weapons are within firing distance.
We must fight back now or the fortress could fall!
Let take the Ansi army out there.
We will fight to the death to save the people.
I can't allow it!
These soldiers have come from all over the region.
Once their spirits are broken, it will never be recovered!
Raise the flags! The white and red flags!
General! General!
Attack!
Do not leave a single enemy soldier alive!
Raise the white and red flags!
Grandfather! Grandfather!
Chibok... Chibok my child!
Grandfather! Grandfather!
- Chibok! - Grandfather!
Grandfather!
What are you waiting for?
Raise your weapons and shoot!
Shoot the enemy!
Pick up your weapons.
Shoot the enemy!
What are you waiting for?
Pick up your weapon. Pick up your weapon and shoot!
Shoot the enemy! Now!
You fools!
Let go!
They're all going to die anyway!
Be that as it may, we can't make them kill our own people!
If this fort crumbles, even more people will die!
- Advance forward! - Look over there!
Stop!
You're not going any further!
How dare you!
This is as far as you go!
How dare you!
What are you waiting for? Shut that old man's mouth!
You're going to have to kill me yourselves, you barbarians!
I will not put my blood on my grandson's hands!
What are you waiting for? Kill me, you thieves!
Silence!
Grandfather!
Our people are dying out there!
Soldiers of Liaodong, attack!
Battering rams forward! Break down the gate!
Charge!
Fire!
Attack!
Attack! Attack!
Conquer the wall! Conquer the wall!
Do not retreat!
Attack! Fire!
Attack!
Do not retreat!
Conquer the wall!
Keep them out!
Don't let them climb over the wall!
Attack!
Climb the ladder!
Break down the gate! Break down the gate!
Conquer the wall! Do not retreat!
Break down the gate!
Do not retreat! Do not retreat!
Stop them! Keep them out of the fort!
Don't let the enemy breach the wall!
Retreat! Retreat!
Ansi Castle
General!
General, we won!
Our troops at Liaodong Fort have defeated the Tang army!
And the people?
What happened to the hostages that were used as the enemy's shield?
Not one of them has survived.
Not one?
Not one of them has survived?
No, General.
They crushed us.
The vanguard unit has been utterly wiped out!
No one could've known that the hostages would turn and attack us.
I've never seen such viciously determined people.
It's not just the civilians.
Sui empire had this fort under siege for a month with an army of one million
only to end up going home humiliated.
You should never have taken it lightly!
Sir, getting upset will not improve the situation.
His Majesty will soon be arriving, so you must find a way to...
This is your responsibility, Prince of Jiangxia.
Thanks to your idea of using the hostages as our shield,
the enemy's morale is higher than ever.
You ignored my warning and caused this defeat,
so you will have to assume responsibility.
What would you have me to do, general?
Find a way to conquer the fortress.
And if I can't find a way?
You will have to surrender your head!
If we fail to conquer Liaodong,
His Majesty will let none of us live!
Tens of thousands of Tang soldiers are dead,
But we have less than one hundred casualties.
This si a huge victory!
But none of the hostages have survived.
General Yang said he would cut off the enemy's line of supply.
We can win this battle if we just hang in there.
General,
I'm certain the enemy has smartened up after this battle.
They won't just stick to siege warfare.
You mean they will use other tactics?
They could come after our granary just as we are after their supply line.
That's impossible.
Liaodong's granary is located on top of a steep hill.
These men used innocent civilians as their shields.
You never know what they are capable of.
If you are so concerned, you can guard the granary.
General Dae stood in my path and defied the attack command.
Your action could've led us to defeat.
You don't deserve to lead the advance guards.
I will protect the granary.
Let go of me! Get of the way! Let go of me! Get of the way!
I must see him! Get of the way!
- Move! - What's the commotion?
This man insists on seeing the superior commander.
The superior commander?
Sir, I must talk to the superior commander.
How dare you!
This fool is mad!
Give him a good whipping and lock him up.
Sir, please! Listen to me!
I have an idea that is sure to break Liaodong!
I assure you I'm not a madman.
Fool!
Have you seen a madman that says he is mad?
Sir, I'm telling you. I can draw the enemy out of the fortress!
Yes, they will have to come out.
Absolutely!
So, what is this idea you have?
What are you waiting for?
Please sir, just once.
I will tell the superior commander myself,
so let me see him just once.
Good grief!
I said I would personally deliver the message!
Sure you will. How am I supposed to trust you?
Talk now, or you won't be walking out of here on your feet!
Then promise me one thing.
You will not ignore me, if the superior commander accepts my idea.
Fine.
But if this idea of your is rubbish, I'll have your head!
Believe me. It's not!
The surrounding hills are precipitous indeed.
Like General Go said, it'd be quite a challenge for the enemy to attack.
You are guarding our food supply, so you must keep alert at all times.
- Keep alert! - Yes!
Fools... They have absolutely no idea we're up here.
That's right.
They couldn't possibly imagine that we would take our cannons apart
and bring them up here part by part?
Are you certain that their granary is around here?
General Bang,
how many times must you ask?
We moved our men without the superior commander's authorization.
If we should fail...
What do you take me for?
Do you take me for a child like the superior commander does?
- No, but... - You'll see.
Once Goguryeo is conquered,
I will be the first merit subject, not Superior Commander Li Jing.
Anyway... So you are certain the granary is here?
This is where we are.
And this is the granary.
- How many men are guarding the granary? - How about at the gateway?
It's not very heavily guarded.
General! General
Suspicious sounds are coming from the woods!
Suspicious sounds?
Well... It sounds like turning wheels, sir.
What? The sound of turning wheels in the woods?
- Where? - From that direction, sir.
The granary is nearby.
If the enemy is at the gateway, they are after the granary.
It's a raid! It's the enemy!
Stay calm!
Maintain your positions!
Observe the enemy and do not fight back!
Go to General Bu Jigwang!
He is not to leave the granary unguarded no matter what happens!
- Go! Now! - Yes, sir!
Stay calm!
Do not panic!
The granary! Go back to the granary!
That's what they are after. Go back now! Go back!
- Fire! - Fire!
Fire!
The granary is on fire! Put out the fire! Now!
Release! Release!
- Fire! - Fire!
Save the granary! Quickly! Put out the fire!
Put out the fire!
Water! Water!
Quickly! Put out the fire!
It's a huge success!
The granary is burning, general!
Continue firing!
We will burn down all of the granaries in Liaodong!
We will reduce them to ashes!
The granary is on fire! Bring some water.
Water!
- General, it's too dangerous! - Save the grain!
Get the grain out of there!
Water!
- No, General! - Water! Now!
Water! Put out the fire! Now!
Put out the fire! Now!
Sir,
I knew it would work!
Mind your tongue!
You're talking to a man who will soon be a general!
A general?
Let me be the first to congratulate you, general.
General, I trust you've told General Li Jing about me?
- The granary idea... - Hush!
I'm counting on you, general.
Which division do you belong to?
I am in the logistics unit, sir.
Then what are you doing here?
Huh?
This soldier has deserted his post.
Flog him until he is unconscious then send him to his superior!
Sir! You can't do this!
- You can't do this, general! - Shut up!
I can share a lot of things, but I cannot share credit.
How did that twit come up with such a brilliant idea anyway?
General!
General, Tang supply troops have crossed the Liao River!
Alert the troops. We are moving out.
- We can't, general! - What do you mean we can't?
It's not just the supply troops. The Emperor of Tang is with them!
The Emperor of Tang? How large is the army?
It's a great army of over 300,000.
They're marching to Liaodong!
Send a messenger to Pyongyang.
The Emperor of Tang has entered Goguryeo.
Notify General Yeon Gaesomun now!
Yes, sir!
What now?
What is to happen to Liaodong now, general?
Famished soldiers of Liaodong!
Behold the rice and grains that lay before you!
Come out of the fort and surrender, and you will be famished no more!
This battle is as good as over, so surrender now!
Those who surrender will be granted as much rice and grains as they desire!
Ten days have passed since we burned down their granary.
The food supply within the fort should be completely depleted by now.
I'm sure they're demoralized as well. Look over there.
Those soldiers on the battlements look miserable.
It won't be long.
The famished citizens will soon rise up.
I assure you, they will.
Open the gate. Please open the gate!
There is food outside. Open the gate!
This is a trick!
They will kill you all if you go out there!
We will die in here anyway!
But I cannot watch my children starving to death!
Let us out!
If we're going to die, we want to die with full bellies!
Let us out!
- Take these people and flog them! - Yes!
Let us out!
- Open the gate! Open the gate! - Open the gate!
Stop!
Open the gate. I am going out.
Our orders are to remain inside the fort.
Do you wish to defy the order?
This is not just about the people. Take a look at the soldiers.
They are completely demoralized.
So? What will you do outside?
Just open the gate.
- Jungsang! - General!
You asked for it, so don't blame me for this.
Open the gate!
Jungsang! Wait for me!
What do you want?
Are you here for the grains?
I thought only the people were staved,
but I guess hunger doesn't show favors.
First you use the people as human shields
and now you play us with food.
Is there no fair man in the Tang Army?
What?
You must have death wish!
I took pity on you and came to give you a fair fight!
If you think you can take me on, come forward!
What are you waiting for? Get him!
I would've never guessed that such a warrior is in Goguryeo.
That man...
He's the one who pierced our shields!
Oh?
I've been itching for some decent competition.
And it still makes my blood boil when I think about that incident.
Let me take this one, General So!
I'm Commander Band Hyotae of Tang!
State your name!
Are you deaf?
Very well. I will make you pay for the humiliation you caused us!
General Bang is the best lancer in our entire force!
I'm afraid he's going to get killed out there!
Leave them!
The honor of Tang and Goguryeo is at stake.
General!
General, His Majesty the Emperor has arrived.
What? The Emperor?
Withdraw the troops.
Retreat! Signal the retreat command!
Wait.
Dump the rice and burn the grain before we leave.
Burn the grains, sir?
The soldiers and the people of Liaodong are watching us.
Their despair will worsen to see the precious food being destroyed.
You are brilliant at psychological warfare, general.
You're not a bad fighter.
Consider yourself lucky that I brought the wrong tool today.
Return to your homes.
All that we can do now is to endure what is before us.
General,
how much longer do we have to hang on?
General Yang Manchun will cut off the enemy's supply line.
It won't be long.
Let us hang in there until then.
General,
the patrolmen have just come back through the south gate.
The Tang Emperor has arrived.
How large is his army?
But that's not the problem.
He brought the supply troops with him.
The supply troops?
But General Yang had said he would cut off their supply line.
He did.
Who knew that the supply troops would come with the Emperor's army?
There is no way that he could've contended with an army of 300,000.
What is to happen to us now?
Who do we turn to for help?
Tang Camp
Li Shimin: Emperor of Tang.
My nephew Prince Jiangxia has performed a huge service.
I'm very proud of you.
Your grace is immeasurable, Your Majesty.
But I could not have succeeded if it weren't for Bu Bokae.
Bu Bokae?
Your Majesty...
Yes, Your Majesty.
He came up with the idea of taking the cannons apart.
Is that so?
I bid you to grant him title of general.
Very well. You are so granted, General Bu Bokae.
Your grace is infinite, Your Majesty!
- Hear me, my warriors! - Yes, Your Majesty.
I am not here simply to give praise for your service.
Of course not, Your Majesty.
You have already proclaimed your bravery to the world.
I will not wait for the gates of the city to open.
I have never done so in all of the battles I have fought.
We will attack Liaodong tonight!
Your Majesty,
I bid your patience. The city gates will soon be opened.
The enemy has already exhausted its strength.
Why sit and wait for them to surrender?
- But Your Majesty... - General Li.
There is a difference opening the gate from the inside then the outside.
For centuries,
no one has succeed in opening the gates of Liaodong from the outside.
I will be the first to open the gates of the impregnable fortress!
I will make Yeon Gaesomun of Pyongyang tremble with fear.
I am with you, Your Majesty.
Your warriors will give their lives to obey your command.
Yes! Relay my command!
Yes, Your Majesty.
We will attack Liaodong Fortress immediately!
Liaodong will be reduced to ashes tonight!
General!
General, the Tang army is approaching the wall!
There are tens of thousands of them.
It's a frontal assault, general!
Return to your positions and prepare for battle!
We will fight to the death!
Yes!
General,
- I'd like to have a word with you. - Let's do this later.
Even if we manage to stop them today, it won't be over.
We have depleted our food supply.
The soldiers have lost their spirit and the people have lost hope.
It's a matter of time before Liaodong crumbles.
- What are you trying to say? - General,
I will take the head of Tang Emperor Li Shimin tonight.
I thought long and hard, but this is the only way.
It's a reckless idea. Forget about it.
- General, - One million at least!
How can you kill a man surrounded by an army of one million?
The entire Tang Army is on its way here right now
Right now, the Emperor is surrounded only by his guards.
This is our only chance.
We can save Liaodong and end this war, general!
Even if you succeed, chances are you won't make it back alive.
If I can kill the Emperor of Tang Li Shimin,
I would gladly give my life.
We are leaving on a mission to bring back the head of the Tang Emperor.
I don't care what you do or how you feel right now.
You may think of your wife and children
and feel nervous and afraid.
But the moment you leave this fort,
think only of one thing.
Will you kill or be killed?
Remember.
We've been privileged with an opportunity for greatest honor
as men of Goguryeo!
Jungsang,
I want to go with you. Take me with you.
I told you. You have work to do here.
Protect the Liaodong Fortress.
Come back alive if only for your child.
Your wife in Bekam asked me to tell you
that if you're forced to go into a dangerous situation.
You must come back alive. You must!
Your Majesty!
A pillar of flames has risen at Liaodong.
Is that so?
My horse. I must see it for myself.
His Majesty the Emperor! His Majesty the Emperor!
Your Majesty!
Your Majesty! Your Majesty!
Intruders, Your Majesty!
- Assassins have infiltrated the camp! - Do not move!
Stay where you are! Do not move!
Stay where you are!
Do not move!
Long live Goguryeo...
Your Majesty!