(This drama is based on historical events,)
(but some details may be different from historical facts.)
(Production guidelines were strictly followed when filming with animals.)
(Episode 14)
You are quite a tenacious man.
Fine. Let us see how long you last.
(Kang Gam Chan's wife)
Oh, dear.
Try not to think about anything right now.
There is nothing you can do.
Only think about your own survival.
No matter what happens to him, you must survive.
They have been torturing him for hours,
but he will not talk.
Everyone, halt.
(Ji Chae Moon, Deputy General)
Your Majesty.
You look so sad.
You need not concern yourself with anything.
I will protect Your Majesty, no matter what.
Be they the Khitans or the regional lords.
Whoever harms Your Majesty...
will be destroyed by my own two hands.
Bring me a bow.
Your Majesty, let me show you.
- Nice! - Oh, my.
Your Majesty, I am confident about my archery skills too.
Deputy General, hand over that bow.
- Oh, no. - My goodness.
It slipped out of my hand. I will try once more.
No need. That is enough.
No, I can shoot it down.
Stop hurting innocent birds that did nothing wrong at all.
Yes, Your Majesty. You are absolutely right.
Did you have to hurt an innocent bird?
Here.
Your Majesty, someone is coming.
- Giddyap! - Giddyap!
Identify yourselves!
We are the local clerks of this county.
Then get off your horses at once.
Pay your respects to Our Majesty.
Those little...
Your Majesty. Do you know my name?
What kind of respect must I pay to someone...
who does not even know my name?
Am I not right?
How dare you!
Your Majesty!
Your Majesty. No one here welcomes you.
Head to another county.
Or why not return to Gaegyeong?
So, you truly do not fear a thing.
Your Majesty. Please hold back.
Deputy General!
Yes, Your Majesty.
Get those men off of their horses at once!
Yes, Your Majesty.
Attack!
Run away!
- Hurry! - Giddyap!
Those impudent men.
Follow me!
Deputy General!
- That is enough. - Supervising Commander?
Your Majesty. We must leave.
There is no time to punish such people right now.
Please do so.
The Khitan soldiers are closing in on us.
Get those men up.
Why did you take part in such an act?
Please forgive us.
We simply followed...
the regional chief's order.
Your Majesty. Please leave immediately.
More men will soon rush over.
All of the regional chiefs are here in this county.
They plan to catch you...
and hand you over to the Khitans, Your Majesty.
(Changhwa-hyeon, Modern-day near Uijeongbu)
There were quite a few soldiers.
There were also several generals.
One in particular...
was very fierce.
I think it is best for us to stop now.
If the situation takes a turn for the worse, we will all be beheaded.
Your life is as good as dead.
You already attacked the emperor with a sword.
When the war ends,
the royal forces will make their way here...
and immediately arrest you.
Your entire family and relatives will be annihilated.
Then what must I do?
Proceed as we have planned.
Only when the emperor disappears...
will you be able to survive.
The Khitan army is coming south after the emperor.
While burning down each and every village they reach,
they are approaching this village.
Before they invade this village as well,
we must capture and hand over the emperor.
If we do not do that,
even this village will be destroyed.
That is true.
But the soldiers protecting His Majesty are no easy opponents.
Fighting them with the men of this village is impossible.
Chief Park. A royal force has appeared nearby.
"A royal force?"
A man named Ha Gong Jin...
is looking for His Majesty with his army.
"Ha Gong Jin?"
Do you know him?
I have heard of him.
His Majesty had exiled him.
"Exiled him?"
We could...
be able to use him.
We have obtained information. It is that way.
A man witnessed His Majesty pass this way this morning.
We have finally found him.
However, there is bad news.
The Khitan pursuers are nearby.
- What? - They are searching the area...
over that mountain.
Let us get going. We must find His Majesty first.
- Understood. Giddyap! - Understood.
They left not too long ago.
The furnace still feels warm.
- We are leaving at once. - Understood.
He refuses to talk even if we cut out his flesh.
Keep going.
He is on the verge of death.
(Yelu Pennu, Spearhead Commander)
Assign a prisoner to him.
You are to get his confession before he dies.
Understood, Spearhead Commander.
You. Step forward.
Go to the palace and feed porridge to the criminal.
I will do it.
She does not know how to do it.
I have taken care of the sick before.
So, allow me to go.
Either of you two, go.
Now then, get moving. Hurry.
Good grief.
You are truly amazing.
You eventually mastered the difficult archery.
Who is the man you hate so much?
Stop with your idle talk.
(Lady Kim, the future Empress Wonseong)
Have you not heard the rumor that the Khitans were approaching?
"The Khitans?"
That is right.
His Majesty is running towards the south with all his might.
And the Khitans are chasing after him.
Gongju will soon...
turn into a fiery pit.
Why must you say such a frightening thing?
She is right.
When we are in danger,
we can simply flee with Father.
Do you think...
Father will flee?
No. Even if the whole army runs away,
Father will protect this government office alone.
You should carry around a dagger with you.
Rather than getting destroyed by those monsters,
we must kill at least one of them before death.
It is news that His Majesty, who has left Gaegyeong,
is being pursued by the Khitan soldiers.
His Majesty could find shelter in Chungju or here, in Gongju.
Have the men in the village armed for battle, just in case.
Get ready to fight against the Khitan army.
There are no men to fight.
They have already been taken to the battlefield.
Unless they are old men with walking sticks,
have every man take up arms.
Also,
have all of the chief's sons who were left out of the last draft...
join the battle this time.
- Provincial governor. - This time,
I will not allow anyone to be left out.
If you go against my orders again this time,
I will have you punished by law.
What do you mean, the law?
Are you trying to threaten us?
Do you think...
you can treat us like your puppets just because we treated you nicely?
- What? - The court has already fallen.
With His Majesty on the run,
what laws are you talking about?
- Chief Choi! - If you want to fight,
you can fight on your own.
We will take our families and leave immediately.
Father.
How ignorant they are.
How dare they ridicule the law before the provincial governor?
You should never let them get away with it.
What can I do?
Here, they are the kings.
Father.
Yes, I know.
I am so ashamed of myself as well.
They are the reason why we are losing this war.
Because of them, we were not able to gather the entire force of Goryeo.
I am so ashamed...
that I cannot do anything even though I know that.
Father.
I am a greedy man.
I want to change Goryeo down to the core.
But the reality is...
that I cannot even take control of the chiefs in Gongju.
That sense of disjunction...
makes me feel even smaller.
(Changhwa-hyeon, Modern-day near Uijeongbu)
Have you looked around?
Yes, it is safe.
The county is entirely empty.
It seems everyone has fled from the Khitan army.
Take the lead.
Yes, sir.
Your Majesty, let us go.
All right. Follow my lead.
Everyone, run away!
Ha Gong Jin is coming!
Ha Gong Jin is coming with a huge army!
He is on his way to kill the emperor!
Run away if you want to live!
Darn it.
You will all be annihilated!
- Why, that punk... - None of you will be spared!
What is that man saying right now?
Is Ha Gong Jin not the warrior who was in the Northeast?
Yes, Your Majesty.
You exiled him for beheading a Jurchen.
Right. Everyone, do not be afraid!
We are soldiers who are guarding His Majesty!
Do you understand?
Why are you not answering?
Do you understand?
- Yes, sir. - Yes, sir.
Your Majesty, you must get to safety now.
You punks!
Get back here!
Senior Colonel.
Let us just go.
We must get out of this county as soon as we can.
Yes, Supervising Commander.
Guard His Majesty.
Your Majesty.
My goodness.
Let us go.
Who are you people?
Your Majesty, get to safety!
Back up!
Hurry up and get to safety.
Come with me. This way!
It is my turn now.
- Guard His Majesty! - Guard His Majesty!
Enough! Everyone, stop!
Stop!
Your Majesty, this is dangerous...
Fine.
Do whatever you want to do.
Your Majesty.
What on earth are you doing right now?
Who are you fighting against right now?
Who are you killing?
In your eyes, do we look like the Khitan army?
Do you see your emperor as the enemy?
For whom have you started this foolish act?
Is it the chiefs?
Are you risking your lives for them?
They steal your daughters over a mal of rice.
And they even beat your old parents.
And yet, do you still...
follow whatever they tell you to do?
Do you really fear them that much?
Do you truly...
fear those people more than your emperor?
Sure.
Of course, you are.
Those men are your kings.
How could you go against them?
How could an emperor from far away...
do anything?
Fine, then.
Do as you want.
Hand me over to the Khitan army if you want to.
Cut me if you want to! Go ahead!
I...
am a useless emperor to you.
I did not even know you were living like this.
How wronged you feel...
How scared you are...
I did not know.
I am sorry.
Please...
forgive me.
Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty! - Your Majesty!
- Your Majesty. - Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty...
Yes.
What are you all doing right now?
Get up at once. Now!
Capture the Emperor now. Right this instant.
Do as I say! What are you all waiting for?
Do you not fear the consequences of your disobedience?
You had better stop this at once.
Do you think the people of Goryeo are your puppets?
I do not want to hear it.
You abandoned the people in Gaegyeong and fled.
How dare you try to lecture me?
What?
Capture the Emperor at once!
Unless you all want to starve to death,
you must obey my orders. Go ahead and get him now!
The royal forces are here! Ha Gong Jin is here!
- What? - Run!
Run! Go!
Ha Gong Jin is here!
- Ha Gong Jin? - Oh, boy.
Your Majesty!
Your Majesty, are you all right?
You must have suffered so much.
Those fools.
Come along.
If you express your wishes to pay homage in person once again,
the Khitan army will use it...
to justify their retreat.
That is what Deputy Minister Kang and Officer Yang think.
How are the people in Gaegyeong holding up?
They must be suffering greatly.
They have been taken prisoner by the Khitans,
so suffering is unavoidable.
Your Majesty.
Please do not lose your courage.
Officer Yang is preparing to launch a counterattack.
He and his army have already managed to reclaim Gwakju.
- Is that true? - Yes, Your Majesty.
With only 1,700 soldiers,
he wiped out all the Khitan soldiers at Gwakju Fortress,
and he also saved every single one of the 7,000 Goryeo prisoners...
held captive there.
Once the Khitan troops begin to retreat,
he will wipe them out too.
Then we should be able to save all the remaining Goryeo prisoners.
Very well.
I truly hope that happens.
Truly.
Your Majesty.
This is now ready.
Bring me my imperial seal.
Yes, Your Majesty.
I will leave some soldiers here to keep Your Majesty safe.
They will protect Your Majesty from the rebels.
Yes, thank you.
If everything goes well,
I will return for Your Majesty.
But if I do not return even after two days,
please leave right away and find shelter.
Be careful.
The Khitan Emperor might hold you hostage.
If you are not careful,
you may lose your life.
I am going to die one day anyway.
Thank you for giving me the chance to die...
for Goryeo.
I will be off, then.
Drop your spears!
I am Goryeo's envoy.
I have this diplomatic letter for the Khitan Emperor.
Where is your king?
He left long ago for a faraway town.
Do not lie.
I know he is close by.
Then keep on going.
I will go to Gaegyeong with this letter.
Once this letter is delivered,
the Khitan army will have to cross the Yalu River again.
If you wish to be stranded in Goryeo all alone,
suit yourself!
(Seogyeong Fortress)
I will now head to Kwiju.
Start setting up the booby traps with your soldiers.
Yes, Officer Yang.
They must be watching us.
Take all the soldiers at the fortress with you.
Yes, well understood.
- Let us now begin. - Yes, Officer Yang.
All right. We will leave now!
- Yes, sir! - Yes, sir!
(Seogyeong Fortress)
Do you think we can manage to deceive them with this?
This will not be enough to deceive them.
- Then what is the plan? - Someone inside the Khitan army...
is helping us.
How many Goryeo soldiers are there at Seogyeong Fortress at the moment?
At least 200,000, I believe.
They were ordered to head straight to Seogyeong...
once Samsuchae fell without ever looking back.
Even so, they are mere defeated soldiers.
On top of that,
all of them...
are untrained peasant soldiers, are they not?
Yes, they are.
They are farmers dragged from their villages to join the army.
However,
the Temporary Government Officer is in Seogyeong at the moment.
He fought off the 400,000 Khitan soldiers in Heunghwajin,
and he was the one who reclaimed Gwakju.
The soldiers must be highly motivated to fight.
Then how many soldiers are left in Tongju Fortress?
There are over 30,000 soldiers from the central army.
By now, they must be digging up traps along the path...
from Seogyeong to Tongju.
And they will wait in ambush in every corner.
When the Khitan loses its battle line due to those,
the Temporary Government Officer will attack.
They were digging up traps in every path.
Ambush attacks were also being prepared everywhere.
And so?
How many soldiers were there?
We could not see the soldiers inside the fortress.
But there were tens of thousands outside.
Commander. I have bad news.
What is it?
The Sari army's 3,000 soldiers have left the military camp.
- What? - The mounted troops...
are going after them.
What was that? They left the military camp?
Fortunately,
the mounted troops chased after them and captured all of them.
Behead each and every one of them!
The leaders have been singled out.
Only those men will be beheaded.
- Commander! - Your Majesty.
We must return.
The military discipline is not like before.
Continue to remain in Gaegyeong,
and the whole Khitan army could go down.
Your Majesty.
How is that plan of yours going?
I do not know what you have arranged.
But report to me before it is too late.
Understood, Your Majesty.
Who is this woman?
A prisoner.
She is taking care of the criminal to prevent him from dying.
I am that man's wife.
I am the wife of Kang Gam Chan, Goryeo's Deputy Minister of Rites.
Is this how the Khitans fight a war?
Stop this and just kill us now.
Stop cutting out his flesh. Just kill him.
And kill me with him.
The Commander took him.
We had no other choice as he had brought his army.
Where did he take him?
Answer me!
I do not know.
Make sure he is kept well hidden.
Understood. But if His Majesty finds out...
It is for his sake.
If that man speaks up even belatedly,
His Majesty will be in trouble as well.
That is all you need to know.
Understood, Commander.
(Kwiju Gorge)
I have had my eye on this place for a while now.
If 1,000 lie in ambush,
we can kill tens of thousands of Khitan soldiers.
However, it will be our loss if we fail to block both ends.
The Kwiju field is right after the end of the gorge.
And beyond that is the main road connecting Murodae.
Then, we cannot stop the Khitans from crossing...
the Yalu River.
The Khitans will prepare for our ambush.
They will have scouts...
thoroughly search this gorge from top to bottom.
Even so,
they will fail to find our soldiers.
Right. Then, I will leave it to you.
The sound of this wind...
will turn into the Khitans' cries.
And their blood will flow like a flood.
Does that not excite you?
My heart is already pounding.
Are you truly fighting to kill?
Of course.
Killing our enemy is war, no?
Nothing is more satisfying...
than ripping their hearts apart and breaking their heads.
Do you not agree, Officer Yang?
Then why are you fighting so diligently?
It is so that we do not experience another war.
Had we won the last war,
we would not need to fight this upcoming war.
If we fail to annihilate our enemy again,
the Khitans will try to invade Goryeo again.
That is why I fight.
To end the war here.
There is only one solution to whatever reason we fight.
And that is to take all of their lives.
That will solve everything.
I feel restless.
I am very anxious about how they will receive...
the diplomatic letter.
I am, too.
I want to return to Gaegyeong at once.
There are too many matters to take care of once I return.
Never...
will I make this country experience another war.
Never...
will I leave...
the people of the south to suffer.
Good. Please do that.
I will help you.
- Move it! - Move!
Come on!
You little...
Keep moving!
- Keep in line! - Move it!
Move your feet!
Move it, already!
Our emperor...
requests once again to pay homage in person.
- "To pay homage?" - Yes, Your Majesty.
If Your Majesty gathers your great army and returns to Khitan,
our emperor will willingly visit Khitan...
and express his gratitude to you in person.
Your Majesty. Please accept the King of Goryeo's request.
The King of Goryeo is also the king of a country.
Such a person willingly visiting Khitan...
and presenting himself to you, Your Majesty,
is a very commendable act.
He is right, Your Majesty.
If such an affair becomes public, the kings of all countries,
including the Song Dynasty,
will once again be reminded of your dignity.
Where is your king right now?
He is in the far south.
Why is he there when he is desperate to meet me?
Even though he is determined to visit Khitan,
why will he not come to Gaegyeong?
You are ridiculing me until the very end.
You are insulting me with a diplomatic letter...
that will end up being a lie.
Your Majesty!
Lock this man up this instant.
And...
get ready to go to war.
Advance southwards!
- Yes, Your Majesty. - Yes, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
You must leave quickly.
I am sure things have gone wrong.
Let us wait just a little longer.
I am sure he will bring good news.
Your Majesty.
Please give up hope.
It is already past the time that Lord Ha said he would return.
Your Majesty.
Have things...
truly gone wrong?
Must I run away again without an end in sight?
Your Majesty.
There is no time. You must leave now.
Your Majesty. It is dangerous to delay any further.
Your Majesty.
Fine.
Let us go.
(Korea-Khitan War)
It seems that the Khitan army has decided to advance southwards.
We must make a push for Gaegyeong first.
If we do not, hundreds of thousands of people...
could become the enemy's captives.
Empress, you should go separately from now on.
I do not have the strength to protect you.
Your Majesty. Muster up your strength for just a little longer.
We are nearly there.
I am the provincial governor of Gongju, Kim Eun Boo.
What does that mean?
Let you into His Majesty's chamber?
Gather the loot and the captives,
and burn Gaegyeong down.
(Subtitles are provided by KOCOWA.)