Look, General Geun-tea.
That dance is very interesting.
My king...
I believe I'm supposed to appear in the mock battle.
So what are these frilly clothes?
They're festival clothes.
You are the star today, General Geun-tea.
Aren't they beautiful?
They look foreign!
These clothes aren't suited for battle.
Especially these stones! They're in the way.
Lord Geun-tea!
Yuno...
What shall I do?
Blush
You look super-duper cute!
You'd better not grab me and call me cute.
I chose that outfit for you.
It was you?!
Damn you...
Oh, my...
King, this is my wife, Yuno.
Lady Yuno, hello.
You look cute, too.
How do you know him?
The king said he likes my tea.
We're tea buddies now.
Right?
When did this happen?
Right.
It's your fault for ignoring the king all week, Lord Geun-tea.
The sound of festival music.
The voices of my tribe.
War games of a people who have forgotten
a war fought against the black shadows of looming nations.
This isn't the time for these things.
Now, for this mock battle,
you will be divided into red and white armies,
Episode 16: War Games
and must break opponents' plates with wooden swords.
General Ju-do, you're already wearing yours?
You're really taking this seriously...
General Geun-tea and I will be the kings of the red and white armies respectively.
The other participants are divided into nobles and commoners.
A commoner's plate is worth one point,
a noble's is worth five, and a king's is worth ten.
The army that earns the most points wins.
If all an army's plates are broken, the battle ends.
You must pay close attention to the ranks.
People of the same rank fight as equals.
Noble King
A king can break a noble's plate, but he cannot break a commoner's.
King Commoner
Noble Commoner
Nobles can break a commoner's plate, but they cannot break a king's.
King Noble
Commoners can break a king's plate, but they cannot break a noble's.
King Commoner
Commoner Noble
Prisoner
Those whose plates are broken become the opposing army's prisoners,
and may be revived only once by receiving spare plates from their allies.
Take this!
Revived
Breaking the ranking rules or deliberately hitting
something other than a plate with your sword will result in disqualification.
Play safe and fight hard.
Fuzzy Wuzzy
What an uninspiring man.
I agree.
For once, we agree.
This is meant to be a competition, but can the king even fight?
The Thunder Beast, the king's childhood friend, was a prodigy.
A warrior hones his skills by gaining experience on the battlefield.
But he possessed the strength of a thousand men, without ever truly going to war.
But I haven't even heard rumors of the king's combat prowess.
He is pale, and his arms are thin.
If the Thunder Beast is a tiger, then the king is a rabbit.
I would never agree with you!
Huh? What are you so upset about?
Are you so blinded by natural talent?
You're so dazzled by the tiger's earth-rending appearance,
you don't understand the true nature of the so-called rabbit.
Both you and your adoring tribesmen are blind!
Lord Geun-tea!
Thank you for waiting, everyone.
The red-versus-white, plate-smashing battle will now begin!
I, Cheol-ran, Lord Geun-tea's personal attendant, will be your commentator!
The fire blazing at the eastern gate is the color of righteousness.
Our hero, Lord Geun-tea, leads the red army!
At the western gate is a beautiful angel, descended from the heavens.
King Su-won, of the Sky Tribe, leads the white army.
What?
The king?
The People Were Uninformed
Did he say the king?
Should I have said that?
If someone comes after you, don't blame us.
The plates on their heads are so cute!
What's Ju-do's problem?
You're the one who's always criticizing him.
Look... The more you look, the more he resembles a rabbit.
If he isn't a rabbit, he must be a squirrel.
Either way, he will only be eaten by the tiger on the battlefield.
Whatever... Let's see what he can do.
Begin!
What's this?
The white army makes a sudden, bold move!
Their king, King Su-won, is standing in the center!
Oh?
Our Lord Geun-tea is meeting their challenge!
Men, follow me!
The red army's battle cry rings throughout the arena!
CHEER CHEER CHEER
Though nothing has happened yet, the audience is exhilarated!
CHEER CHEER
CHEER CHEER CHEER
King Su-won prepares for a direct confrontation!
Eh?
Huh?
What's this? King Su-won has fled!
Lord Geun-tea, who gallantly accepted his challenge, is disappointed!
You're running? What a coward!
But the commoners of the white army catch Lord Geun-tea off guard and attack!
Lord Geun-tea, watch out!
Lord Geun-tea!
Please step back.
We will become prisoners of the red army.
We're Earth Tribe members, forced to join the white army for the sake of numbers.
Our hearts belong with the red army.
Victory to Lord Geun-tea!
Long live Lord Geun-tea!
I don't want you fools!
Are you mocking me?
You think I can't win unless I cheat?
There is nothing I despise more than giving up.
I don't need your cowardly loyalty!
Go feed it to the dogs!
Don't cry!
We're just so proud of you, Lord Geun-tea!
We were fools. Forgive us.
We shall mend our ways, and in a fair fight...
We'll defeat you, sir!
A king cannot attack a commoner.
Crap. They're all commoners.
Lord Geun-tea is in trouble!
A king cannot attack commoners!
Lord Geun-tea, are you all right?
Yeah.
A noble of the red army takes out five white commoners at once!
They are now prisoners, but...
So you've come, nobles?
I've been waiting for you.
Nobles!
Step forward if you want to die!
Lord Geun-tea fells one white army noble after another!
By the way, if you kill them, you'll be disqualified!
That's it! Draw that expression!
That isn't fair, Lady Yuno! I want one, too!
The white army's King Su-won is still running around
the battlefield, pursued by commoners!
By contrast, the red army's General Geun-tea
charges forward to strike down the next opponent!
A noble!
It's white army noble General Hang Ju-do!
It's a showdown between Sky and Earth Generals!
Ju-do, you're a noble. How dare you raise your sword against a king?
I'm not raising it against you. I'm defending myself.
You're only pretending to be a king. Don't let it go to your head!
Impressive, General Ju-do.
If you were using your two-sword style and we were on the battlefield,
that blow might have cut me in two.
This is starting to get interesting.
I shall kill you.
Such a simple man.
And you call yourself a king?
Huh?
If we were on the battlefield, you would be a fool of a king to look only at me,
and not pay attention to your surroundings.
What?
Friendly fire!
Red soldiers are smashing each other's plates!
King Su-won seems to have tripped!
The red soldiers have accidentally struck their allies.
What incredible luck!
These points will be counted in favor of the white army!
Luck?
King Su-won uses the confusion to plunge deeper into the red army's position!
You aren't going anywhere!
Lord Geun-tea is on the move!
King, prepare yourself!
King Su-won is in a desperate situation!
What an incredible coincidence!
A little farther, and he would have broken his plate.
No, perhaps he would have broken his skull!
What?
Was he just looking at me?
Was he aiming for me?
I'm sorry, General Geun-tea!
Are you all right?
Is this man really a rabbit?
What an incredible coincidence!
The wooden sword deflected by King Su-won nearly struck Lord Geun-tea's head!
A coincidence? No...
He was aiming right in front of me.
Are those the eyes of a rabbit?
King Su-won releases the white army prisoners!
Though they now have more soldiers than the red army,
if their plates are broken again, that will mean more points for their opponents!
Will this work for them, or against them?
The released prisoners scatter to engage the red army!
And King Su-won
is being chased by commoners again!
What is he doing?
Was I mistaken?
A sudden gust sends clouds of dust flying throughout the arena!
I can't see.
Whose soldier was that?
White shadows?
Damn!
They didn't scatter at random.
They're attacking the red army with mixed groups of nobles and commoners.
Red army, stay together!
We'll regroup! Come to me!
Damn it.
How is the white army controlling its forces amidst this dust?
Red army!
Have you come for my head?
I would never!
But the king told us you like heroes who challenge their enemies...
The king?
He knows how to motivate my people.
I'm impressed you were able to move around in this dust.
The king instructed us to stand upwind when the wind came.
He was expecting the wind?
Is your king directing this strategy, as well?
Y-Yes, sir.
I underestimated him.
After that sandstorm, the red army's numbers are severely diminished!
Will this be our first and final battle of the kings?
Lord Geun-tea...
The king isn't fleeing.
He's luring the red army to its death.
The white army is composed primarily of meek Earth Tribe members.
But they raised their morale by reviving their prisoners,
and are somehow moving effectively.
He's only pretending to flee like a rabbit.
What is his true nature?
General Geun-tea, that hurts!
Despite what he says, he's stopping my blows.
The red army has lost more soldiers!
How can this be?
Lord Geun-tea is the last remaining member of the red army!
Not even Lord Geun-tea can escape this situation...
You are alone, General Geun-tea.
If this place were a battlefield, you would certainly die.
What will you do?
The fleeing rabbit now seems like a hawk fixated on its prey.
Does he seem larger because of the situation?
Even though it's only a game?
No, that's not it. That's not it at all.
I have a suggestion.
This may be a friendly competition.
But if you lose in front of your people, you will lose face.
I shall grant you a second chance.
Why don't I release the prisoners, so we may battle once more?
I decline your offer.
On the battlefield, the dead do not come back to life.
Even if a thousand enemies stand before me, I will fight!
Worrying about my reputation will not save the kingdom!
This isn't just a game anymore.
It's an opportunity for me to determine
whether this nation's king is worth serving.
Then I shall accept your challenge.
I don't mind taking you all on!
Lord Geun-tea seemed to be in a desperate situation,
but now he's fighting the king one-on-one!
Lord Geun-tea!
He wields his sword calmly against me.
But that doesn't tell me enough.
Is this man a true king or not?
You're mine!
What?
All right! Victory!
He hasn't won yet, though.
But Lord Geun-tea is victorious!
I knew our general could do it! He's got it!
He has won the battle!
That was impressive, General Geun-tea.
You defeated me.
What was that?
You truly are strong.
Don't play games.
Uh...
Once more. Stand.
Wh-What shall we do?
He's starting to sound strange.
The competition isn't over yet. Go.
Later, General Geun-tea's plate was finally broken,
and the red army was annihilated...
However, the general didn't go down without a fight.
Refusing to go quietly, he took out four nobles,
earning the red army enough points to win.
In Chishin, the miraculous victory was celebrated all night.
That was a fun festival.
What's wrong, General Geun-tea?
What are you upset about?
Why did you come here, King?
All you did was wander around the castle, have tea with my wife,
and frolic about at a festival.
General Geun-tea, you're starting to sound like General Ju-do.
Don't compare him to me!
I thought I sensed something in this king, but was I wrong?
Lord Geun-tea, Lord Geun-tea...
Listen to this. It's incredible.
What is it?
Some merchants from the Kai Empire want to buy my tea.
Your tea? You mean this smelly tea?
It isn't smelly! It has a floral fragrance!
The people of the Kai Empire love fragrant, floral teas.
Seriously?
But what will I do?
My tea plantation is too small to supply the Kai Empire.
As long as you gradually expand, you'll be fine.
Instead of selling large amounts cheaply,
if you market it as a high-quality specialty tea of Chishin,
people will come to this city.
The more difficult something is to acquire, the more desperately people want it.
Yes, King.
Lord Geun-tea, Udo Mine is...
Elder Hi-dea, did it collapse again?
No, it's not that.
We don't have enough workers. We're so busy.
Busy?
Remember the stones you wore to the mock battle?
We received an overwhelming number of orders for them.
Huh? That's impossible.
Those stones hardly even sparkle.
That's why no one thought they had any value until now.
However, after our artisans polish them, they're quite beautiful.
More than anything, they're the stones of victory that you wore when you won.
Of course everyone wants them.
I've already got my own.
Why would you wear that?
Doesn't it look cool?
How pretty. I want one, too.
The tea was delicious.
Mister Hi-dea, I'd like one, too!
General Ju-do, shall we go?
This will have a great effect on our economy!
Yes, sir.
Anyway, Yuno, you're amazing.
Why?
While I wasn't watching,
you negotiated with the Kai Empire and discovered a valuable jewel.
I didn't do anything.
But you...
During the competition, I simply served tea to a guest introduced to me by the king.
I chose your outfit, but the king suggested you wear the stones.
Where is the king?
The king left.
He left?
You're unbelievable.
How much of that did you plan?
Don't you think it's a waste?
He lounges around his castle, unaware of the influence he has over his people.
I don't understand the Earth Tribe.
What's so great about that rude man?
I like General Geun-tea.
And now I want him even more.
If we're eventually forced to go to war,
the Earth Tribe forces he leads will be the most spirited among the five tribes.
Their intensity will be a great asset to Kouka Kingdom.
He really left.
I knew it. That pretender lost intentionally!
Everything he did was for this purpose.
The war games,
his visits to the tea plantation and mine, everything...
For a boy so young, that was damned interesting!
You're going to make Chishin rich, you idiot!
I wasn't wrong about his eyes.
He pretends to be weak, but his eyes burn with unfathomable heat.
In some ways, he is more terrifying than Lord Yu-hong.
He's a promising man.
Can I place my hope in him?
Well, it'll all become clear when I go to see him eventually.
Next Time
I will escape my destiny.
Even if King Hiryuu appears, I will kick him away.
Next time, Yona of the Dawn episode 17:
Episode 17: The Pirates of Awa
The Pirates of Awa.