Episode 18
Open the gate!
General Dae Jungsang has returned!
Open the gate!
I, Dae Jungsang,
bid greetings to you, General Yang Manchun.
Have you fared well?
My man, what kept you away so long?
General...
General... !
This country has averted great danger
because of you.
I will send my messenger
and report this to the Supreme Commander.
I must ask you not to report this to Pyongyang, sir.
What do you mean?
Why?
You had named him Joyoung.
Is he. . still alive?
You've already met him.
Master Gom, I'd like you to take Wedo.
All orders will come from Wedo
Since it is the current location if the Tang superior commander.
They must be watched around the clock.
Got it.
Gulsabiwu, I'd like you to take the Sasu.
The Khitan army has arrived,
so they'll begin preparing for battle.
We need to watch their every move.
Don't worry.
All communications between the Sasu and Wedo
will have pass through here.
And those communications will contain
information about their combat strategy.
That is what we are after.
As I've repeatedly emphasized,
it is our action that will decide the battle.
So, have you two generals come up with any good ideas
while we were away?
Well...
we contemplated a lot of ideas,
but crossing the river to attack
Pyongyang Fort is a huge risk.
What are you talking about?
Think about it.
If they come out of the fort and push us back,
what are we going to do?
We'll be trapped with the river behind us.
That's suicide.
That was my concern as well the whole time
we were on the road.
We're dealing with Yeon Gaesomun
who once conquered parts of China.
He will not stay hiding inside the fort.
But is they come out of the fort,
Isn't that what we want?
Haven't you been listening?
It's too dangerous to cross the river.
Danger becomes opportunity once you overcome it.
If they open the gates and come out of the fort,
breaching the walls will become that much easier.
Commander Li is right.
If it's a fight we can't avoid,
we must find a more aggresive approach.
Oh, this is a dilemma!
It's not as if we can hide the soldiers in the river
and set up an ambush.
Who? Me? Oh, I was just kidding.
You just said we could hide the soldiers in the river.
Oh, I was just frustrated.
No, that's a brilliant idea.
Hide the soldiers in the water.
It's brilliant!
Huh? What did I say?
You're a smart man, General Pang.
Me? Pang Xiaotai?
What do you mean?
Go outside the fort to fight?
It is the Sasu that's keeping the enemy
from readily making their move.
That's right, Your Majesty.
It is a great risk to fight
with their backs to the river.
We will not be fighting a siege war but a frontal assault.
The commanders have been notified as such.
But Your Majesty,
if it is so obvious,
the enemy will devise a different plan.
I agree.
If we are not careful,
we could tall into their trap.
Supreme Commander, you haven't said a word.
The lords have pinpointed my exact concern.
Furthermore,
Xue Rengui is commanding the Tang army.
Xue Rengui?
Yes, Your Majesty
He is the Tang envoy that came to us not long ago.
Yes, I recall.
He is not to be taken lightly.
If he does cross the Sasu,
He will come with a plan.
But they cannot attack us without crossing the Sasu.
Too much caution can be harmful.
The pressure is on Tang after all.
Use the navy? That's right.
We will send a messenger to Wedo
and secretly request aid from the navy.
And we will hide them with their ships
somewhere on the Sasu.
And launch a joint offensive with the navy
when we're pushed back to the Sasu?
Exactly.
The navy will be hiding on the river,
so if this isn't ambush, what is?
Naval ambush...
It is brilliant, general!
This was all my idea.
Who'd think of something like this but me?
Right, General Xue?
I got lice, remember?
What are we waiting for?
Let us send the message to Wedo at once.
I will go.
No, Hongpei. I want you to stay.
Commander Li Kaigu, Yes, sir.
Go to Wedo personally
and bring back the superior commander's authorization.
Secrecy is of outmost importance in this operation.
That is why I'm sending you.
I won't disappoint you, general.
The road is blocked!
It's a trap! Turn back!
Back to the camp!
Commander!
Kill them!
Don't let them get away alive!
Go back to the camp and alert the tribe!
Commander! Go! Now!
Hurry!
This letter confirms your intent to attack Pyongyang
but no details are stated.
Answer only to my questions.
Any attempt to lie will get you killed
without a chance to correct yourself.
Was is the message you were on your way to deliver?
What's the scheme you didn't put in black and white?
Kill me.
What happened? Where is Commander Li?
They were attacked on the way to Wedo.
Attacked?
Attacked by whom?
They were the same Goguryeo soldiers
we fought at the Paesu.
It's the boy that we were holding prisoner.
We should've killed him when we had the chance.
What are we waiting for?
We must rescue Commander Li at once!
We don't even know if he is still alive.
The letter he was delivering had no details.
Li was to report the details of your plans personally
to ensure secrecy.
If he is captured alive by the enemy,
our plan could be exposed.
General, perhaps we should revise our strategy.
Commander Li will never talk!
Chulin is right.
Li Kaigu would never expose our plans
even if they had a sword to his throat.
Send out the men, general.
Order his rescue right now!
This is not our priority right now.
We have a battle to prepare for.
Then you'd let them kill Commander Li?
Sending out of bunch of men
will not resolve this problem.
Uncle!
Chances are he's already dead. .
And we don't even know where the enemy is hiding.
It's Li Kaigu, for heaven sakes!
How could you be so indifferent?
It's your call, general.
Make your decision.
Li kaigu is easily the fitnest warrior I have ever met.
I would not trade him for an army of thousand.
But we are at the threshold of victory.
I cannot forgo this god-sent opportunity to save one man.
General Sun Wanrong. Yes, sir.
Take an army of one hundred and go to Wedo at once.
Complete the mission Commander Li has failed to accomplish.
Yes, sir!
We can't wait indefinetly for him to talk.
Get rid of the Khitan.
We must find out what it is.
It's a message from our scouts in Sasu.
Hundreds of enemy soldiers are headed this way.
Who are they?
Are they coming to attack us?
There wouldn't be so many
If they are messenger's guards.
They must be on to us!
It's too soon to jump to conslusions.
Set up an ambush right away.
Instruct the soldiers not to attack first
or make any hasty moves.
Got it.
They are messenger's guards, not a punitive force.
This time they sent a whole army with the messenger
so we can't attack.
I will never talk.
Why are you keeping me alive?
for the humiliation you made me suffer.
I'm not afraid to die.
But if God gives me another chance...
I assure you I will take your head.
You can count on it.
It is not God's will whether you live or die.
It is your decision.
What is the plan?
What do you have up your sleeves?
Your loyal palace will burn
and those who resist will be killed.
It won't be long. You just wait and see...
Your head will be thrown into the Sasu
before that happens.
Did you find where they are? Yes, my lady.
You must request backup.
No,
that may endanger Commander Li's life.
There is not other way.
Are you with me? Yes, my lady.
You must've been the ones that followed us this afternoon.
Resist and you're dead.
Drop your swords.
I have not forgotten about you.
As I escaped from Goguryeo Fort and climbed the Great Wall,
as I crossed the endless sea,
as I dodge the rain of arrows
on the battlefield,
I didn't let go of you from my heart for a moment.
Chulin,
I never dreamed you'd come for me.
I'm moved to tears,
but the situation has gotten worse.
I can take anything alone,
but now they have you as well...
Don't worry, Kaigu.
I won't tell them anything.
Take the woman out! Yes, sir.
Chulin! Chulin!
I had hoped we wouldn't meet again...
because we can only be enemies
as long as this war continues.
Don't blame the war.
You're the one who turned me into an enemy.
Do you expect me to believe you again?
I'm telling you the truth.
The truth?
You won't fool me again.
If it is the truth,
let us go.
Why can't you say anything?
The only way I can help you is
if you tell me what the message is.
You'll never get the information you want from me.
There's nothing left between us.
I won't blame you
Since I would've died fighting my enemy.
So you don't have to struggle.
Kill me right here, right now.
Don't you hear me?
Kill me. Kill me right now!
Goguryeo mountain Stronghold
once they reach the Sasu.
We must hold them back
until we know what their strategy is
But how?
The only way is to stop the message
from reaching their Sasu camp.
Are you talking about a raid?
But there're hundreds of them.
How could we. . ?
There is no other way.
Can you get them to talk
while we hold back the messenger's guards?
You must.
Do whatever is necessary to get them to talk.
I will.
I will expose their plot.
There's no time. Let's go.
My men have left the camp to fight your army
against overwhelming odds.
Many of them will die.
It's quite possible that no one will survive.
And I'd be darned if I let you two live any longer!
You brought this on yourselves.
Who will die first?
Kill me first!
If what you say is true,
the Khitan soldiers are dying right now as well.
And it's my fault for not killing you
when I had you as my prisoner.
Kill me now,
and I will redeem myself with this death!
Chulin!
May you be reborn in a world without war...
Stop!
I'll talk! Kaigu!
Put down the sword!
No, you can't tell him anything!
Chulin... !
Kill me. Kill me right now!
I can't trade tour life for Yingzhou!
I can't trade you with anything in the world.
I don't care if they call me a traitor
and take my life.
I'll do anything
if I can save your life.
Kaigu...
I'll tell you everything you want to know.
But first I need your word
that you will let Chulin go.
Yes, you have my word.
What? A raid? Yes, general.
Where is Sun Wanrong?
He retreated to Wedo with the surviving soldiers, sir.
How many of them are there
was routed by few dozen men?
The enemy was nearly wiped out as well, sir.
It was a suicide mission.
Relentless bastards...
We can't afford this delay, general.
Getting the superior general's approval
is a mere formality.
Just order the attack on Pyongyang Fort.
And if something goes wrong?
Will you give them your head for me, General Pang?
My goodness!
Forget it then...
Bigger the battle the more cautious we have to be.
Let us be patient.
but it is an impressive strategy.
Pyongyang army will walk right into their trap.
We must alert the Pyongyang Fort at once!
No, not the Pyongyang Fort.
We must alert the Ansi Fort.
What do you mean?
Why alert Ansi about a battle at the Sasu?
If we alert Pyongyang,
we would simply avert a danger.
But if we alert Ansi,
we can axploit their plan and turn the tables on them.
You talk in riddles.
This is intelligence report contains a plan
that can bring this war to an end.
Master Gom,
I'd like you to deliver it to the Ansi Fort.
What is written in here? Leave right away.
The report must be delivered to the Ansi Fort.
Very well.
Get rid of them.
They'll eventually come back
and aim their swords on Goguryeo again.
If you can't do it, I will.
Almost all our comrades in army have been killed.
I've seen their last moments.
And their cries still ring loudly in my ears!
I must kill those two and avenge my comrades.
What?
Joyoung sent an intelligence report?
What does it say?
General?
The Tang army will soon cross the Sasu
and attack Pyongyang.
Simultaneously, Li jing in Wedo will take his navy
But to stop them,
we need to know their course of movement.
It's all in here.
Their route, the date and time of the action,
even the size of the Tang navy.
Amazing!
The enemy is in the palm of our hands now!
If we set up an ambush in their route,
I will command this operation myself.
Personally, sir?
What di I have fear
when we have all the information we need?
Jungsang and Dolbal will come with me.
and Go Sagae will protect the fort.
Prepare to move out!
Sir Shin,
how about coming out into the world with me?
I've never met a sage like you.
If you trust and follow me,
I can give you anything you want.
How about it?
Wouldn't you like to reach for the top with me?
I do not have the competence, my lord.
Can't trust me?
I am soon to be the next supreme commander.
If I had you by my side,
I would be a tiger with wings.
Sir Shin,
you can't stay buried in this little hut forever.
You're hard man to figure.
My master is somewhere else.
You are too great and too noble to be my master.
Then who is your master?
Who is this man that you would turn me down for?
Get them out. Yes, sir!
What are you going to do with us?
And do not set foot on this land again.
And when we do,
you will beg me for your life.
I'm sorry that it had to be this way.
I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Chulin...
General, it's the signal!
A flame has risen in the north sly!
Yes!
The superior Commander has arrived with the navy!
It's time to launch the attack
Everyone is waiting for your command, General Xue.
Give us your command, general! General!
Brave warrior ofTang!
Superior Commander Li Jing's navy
is right behind us covering our backs.
Pick up your swords and march ahead!
We will slay Yeon Gaesomun,
Break down the gates of Pyongyang,
and bring Goguryeo to it's end!
Follow my command! Yes, general!
The Tang army has finally started to cross the Sasu.
None of them will cross that river back here alive.
The Sasu will become the river of death for them.
It has to, and it will!