(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.)
Hear me, my Imperial Army!
Kill those traitors. Every single one of them!
- Yes, Your Majesty! - Yes, Your Majesty!
How dare you!
You scum!
You are to move into the banquet hall!
Halt!
You are to leave the premises at once. All of you!
What is going on?
His Majesty has issued an order to get rid of General Choi Jil,
who is guilty of high treason.
General Ji Chae Moon is carrying out the order at the moment.
What? General Ji Chae Moon?
General Choi Jil is not your supreme commander.
His Majesty is.
Have you forgotten all about it?
What are they doing outside?
How come none of them are moving in?
Back off!
General Kim!
Put down your bow.
Everything has ended.
But I am not done yet!
Your Majesty killed my son!
Even my last son died because of you!
I will now...
send you to the fiery pit!
My sons...
will welcome you there!
Your Majesty...
Does he have any family left?
His wife and grandchildren are in Chungju.
Give us your order,
and we will arrest them right away.
Let them be.
His family is innocent.
The families of the generals who have revolted...
are innocent as well. They will not be punished.
Inform the families to take the bodies without fear...
and hold their funerals.
- Yes, Your Majesty. - Yes, Your Majesty.
You have all...
done well.
Thank you.
My lady.
Your Majesty...
Yes. It is all over now.
Your Majesty.
It is all right.
Nothing will happen from now on.
Vice Censor-in-Chief.
His Majesty has punished all the traitors.
They have all been punished.
Are you sure?
His Majesty had issued a secret royal order in advance...
to Executive Assistant of Seogyeong Lee Ja Rim.
An order to punish the traitors in Seogyeong.
Your Majesty...
My lady...
Yes, it is I.
Your Majesty has slept for long hours.
You must have been very tired.
It was a challenging night.
We can finally be together.
I am sorry.
And thank you.
No.
I am more grateful.
After all, a wonderful man like you has accepted me.
Please get up now.
Your subjects have come from Gaegyeong.
Your Majesty. Are you all right?
Yes, I am fine.
My apologies for making you worried.
In fear the traitors might become aware of my plan,
I could not tell you beforehand.
Never will I pay homage to the Khitan emperor.
Paying homage means offering...
not only myself but also Goryeo.
However, to drag the traitors out of Gaegyeong,
I had no choice but to pretend to get along with their request.
Please understand my decision.
No, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty made a courageous decision...
and punished the traitors.
We could not ask for more.
It is a great relief that Your Majesty is safe now.
I see. Thank you.
Your Majesty. An envoy from Khitan has come.
Your Highness. What is with the delay?
Please head to the Yalu River now.
Your Highness promised to pay homage, no?
I never promised such a thing.
What do you mean by that?
The subjects of Goryeo have promised that.
Where are all those subjects?
Those traitors...
were all assassinated under my order.
"Assassinated?"
They were loyalists trying to stop the war between our two countries.
As Your Highness fails to differentiate loyalists from treacherous subjects,
political upheavals...
do not stop in Goryeo.
Do the Khitans call subjects who betray their King loyalists?
Your Highness.
Who do you think you are trying to teach?
Do you not know any manners to keep before another country's king?
Are there only men with no manners like you in Khitan?
Is that why they have sent you as an envoy?
Your Highness. You are saying too much.
Enough!
There will be no conversations with the Khitans from now on.
- Your Highness! - You put aside the Goryeo King...
and only focused on the secret agreement with the traitors.
If you treat Goryeo like this,
we no longer need...
diplomacy with Khitan.
Your Highness!
Send this man to the prison in Gaegyeong.
The Khitan envoy is to be detained.
You will now remain in Goryeo...
and take responsibility for all of the disrespect...
that the Khitan envoys have caused so far.
- Your Highness! - Hurry up and take this man to prison.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Your Highness. You cannot do this.
Your Highness!
Giddyap!
His Majesty, the emperor,
has detained the envoy of Khitan!
Go and tell that to your emperor!
His Majesty, the emperor of Khitan,
will not forgive you!
Right this instant,
the great army of Khitan will cross the Yalu River!
Fine, come on!
We are already waiting for you!
Giddyap!
Let us go!
- Giddyap! - Giddyap!
The Khitan army has crossed the Yalu River.
And what of our troops?
They are gathered in front of Tongju Fortress.
You should go to Gaegyeong.
It is dangerous here.
No.
I will stay here.
Your Majesty.
The Goryeo army is divided due to the rebellion.
I must encourage the troops myself...
and unite them as one.
However, Your Majesty...
I have already made up my mind.
I will remain in Seogyeong and be with the troops.
Just as the Great King Seongjong did.
The brave troops of Goryeo, hear me!
The enemy has once again...
invaded Goryeo's borders!
The group of beasts...
is coveting our territory once again.
However,
we will never bow down to them.
We will drive out those invaders again...
and show them our will!
The traitors who tried to betray Goryeo...
have all been killed.
So,
be reunited and fight as one!
I will trust in you...
and remain in Seogyeong myself.
For your emperor and the people,
be sure to win!
- Yes, Your Majesty! - Yes, Your Majesty!
Hurray for His Majesty!
- Hurray! - Hurray!
In the year 1015 AD,
Khitan invaded Goryeo once again.
In the following year of 1016,
and the next year of 1017, they invaded Goryeo consecutively.
However, Goryeo drove out the Khitan forces in the end.
And even while waging war,
Goryeo built the Naseong Wall in Gaegyeong,
trained armored cavalrymen,
and came up with other long-term preparations.
In the year 1018 AD, the 9th year of Emperor Hyeonjong's reign,
Goryeo was now setting out...
to their last battlefield.
(Seogyeong Fortress)
Field Commander.
(Kang Min Cheom, Head General)
Everyone has gathered.
(Kang Gam Chan, Field Commander of the Northwest)
How is the training of the troops going?
All of the warriors are joining in to accelerate the process.
- What about the cavalrymen? - They are also...
focusing on their training.
Make sure to strengthen them enough to be able to dominate...
the armored cavalry of Khitan.
Yes, Field Commander.
How many sword wagons have been made?
We will soon finish building the number you asked for.
For the past three years,
Khitan has invaded Goryeo consecutively.
However, they are suddenly keeping quiet this year.
I am certain that they are gathering their strength.
They are probably preparing for the final battle as well.
Never let down your guard,
and prepare thoroughly.
- Yes, Field Commander. - Yes, Field Commander.
Everyone, keep this in mind.
This time, we will not only drive them out but also annihilate them.
- Yes, Field Commander! - Yes, Field Commander!
Then, do you really plan to wage a pitched battle?
That is the only way to annihilate the enemy.
I realize that,
but the other vassals will surely be against it.
Yes, they will probably say that you cannot be trusted...
to lead this war, Field Commander.
You leave that to me.
I will get His Majesty's permission in any way.
Field Commander, the Jurchen has brought news from Khitan.
A military draft has been ordered throughout Khitan.
- How many men? - They have named a field commander,
so I think it is at least 100,000 men.
Who is the Field Commander?
It is Xiao Paiya.
Let us go to Gaegyeong.
- Yes, Field Commander. - Yes, Field Commander.
Take this.
Your Majesty.
You should...
finish this war.
You should...
conquer Goryeo.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Take all of the Right Imperial Guards.
And fill the remaining numbers...
with the best of the elite forces.
Take them, and finish off...
this war.
Yes, Your Majesty.
I will be sure to conquer Goryeo, no matter what.
Let us go!
Giddyap.
As you have ordered,
we have called back the pacification commissioners...
who had been sent to different regions.
And we have dispatched new government officials.
Now, they will take control...
of taxation and the drafting of soldiers instead of the regional lords.
Also, we have repaired the stations and roads connecting them.
The whole of Goryeo's territory...
has been systematized to mobilize...
in an orderly and quick manner.
Good. Thank you for your hard work.
This was all your accomplishment, Your Majesty.
The regional reform that you have always longed for...
has finally been completed.
I congratulate you with all sincerity.
It is not yet time for congratulations.
I reformed the regions...
in order to win the war.
Before we bring this war to a victorious end,
we have not yet succeeded.
How far along have we gotten...
in building the Naseong Wall in Gaegyeong?
Yes, Your Majesty.
We have built the Naseong Wall in the plains surrounding Gaegyeong.
We have not yet connected it entirely,
but there are high mountains blocking the areas where the wall is disconnected.
So you could say that the fortress wall has been completed for now.
Will we be able to stop the Khitan army under current conditions?
We may be at a disadvantage...
in long-term battles over possession of the fortress,
but we will be able to stop all of the Khitan cavalry.
I have resigned.
What do you mean, resigned?
You have only just returned from exile and been reinstated.
Why would you resign?
Gosh, my condition...
leaves me in no shape to work.
Oh, boy.
Gosh, every single one of my organs...
still hurts.
Lord Jang.
I have heard of a skilled physician in Namchon.
He is a quack.
I have already taken a herbal decoction from that clinic.
I even had a snake.
I have taken everything that could help you recover.
Then I suggest you see a different physician...
Last night in my dream,
I saw my late father.
When I told him I was not feeling well,
he said, "Hurry up and come over to this side."
Then he spread his arms wide.
So I ran and fell into his arms.
Like a little child.
Lord Jang.
It looked like a world...
without war and political upheaval.
A peaceful world.
I am off.
Lord Jang.
Take good care of His Majesty.
And thank you very much for everything over the years.
Thanks to you,
I had a good time.
"I am a tiger!"
My gosh! How scary.
If Father were alive,
what would he say now, at the sight of this?
(Owner of Yeongyeong Palace, later becomes Empress Wonseong)
I am not sure.
I bet he would have been worried, before anything else.
Just like the time when he heard that His Majesty...
would like to take all of us in as his wives.
Please take back what Your Majesty said.
They lack in so many ways.
I do not think that is true.
So, put your worries to rest and stay focused on your recovery.
I wish you a speedy recovery.
You still have a lot to do.
Your Majesty.
It is bitter, is it not?
It tastes sweet since you are feeding me.
Do you not hate me?
I do.
I hate you for doing something so foolish...
and for getting in my way.
You forbade me from loving only you and no one else.
For that, I deeply resent you.
Then why have you not punished me?
Depose me and exile me to a faraway place.
If I do that, I will cry all night.
Just like the night...
when the Queen Dowager ordered me to leave the palace.
I was so young. And even back then,
there was only one reason I did not want to leave the palace.
I did not want to be away from you.
For me,
you were a good friend and like a sister sometimes.
You were like a father figure when you scolded me...
and like a mother figure when you comforted me.
Get well soon.
To me, you are synonymous...
with the Imperial Court.
Do not cry.
I do not hate you.
Wait.
What brings you to Gaegyeong?
I came to report something to His Majesty...
but could not seek an audience with His Majesty as it was too late.
Is it bad news?
I suppose it is bad news.
Another war?
I bet you have to fight on the front line this time.
When fighting the Jurchens,
you stood in the back and quietly watched.
I held my sword and fought too.
Who said I only watched?
I am not criticizing you. I am trying to give you a piece of advice.
A commander does not fight on the front line.
He stays in the back and observes his soldiers...
to make sure they are fighting well.
Even if you see the Khitan rats,
do not recklessly charge at them.
Do not worry. I will figure out what to do.
And...
Here. Keep this on you at all times.
My dear.
It was made with wood from a jujube tree struck by lightning.
- Keep this on you, and it will... - My dear.
Gosh.
I am just worried about you. That is all.
Fine. Forget it, then.
My dear.
I will return in one piece.
If I die, it means Goryeo has lost.
I will not lose, no matter what.
So do not, under any circumstances, think that we could lose.
I must win, no matter what.
Khitan has issued a requisition.
They have appointed Commander...
and are preparing 100,000 soldiers for war.
We should issue a mobilization order too.
Yes. I will issue a mobilization order.
So they cannot...
give up on Goryeo.
Correct. They will never...
give up on this war of their own accord.
We must make them give up.
How?
We should wipe them out through an all-out pitched battle.
A pitched battle, you say?
That is utter nonsense.
I agree.
We experienced a pitched battle in Samsuchae.
It is reckless to go up against the Khitan army...
in such a barren field.
Your Majesty.
We cannot use the same strategy that resulted in such an apparent failure.
If the plan fails, we will lose our elite troops...
and cataphracts we have been working so hard to train.
If that happens, there is no going back.
Your Majesty.
The war consumed many resources for Khitan as well,
which has caused severe damage.
So I bet they are planning to win this war...
to make up for the damage.
That being said, I believe their 100,000 soldiers...
are the best of their most elite troops.
That is more of the reason we are against it.
Khitan is currently preparing for their last blow.
But to do...
an all-out pitched battle against such an army?
Only when we wipe out Khitan's last hope...
will they not set eyes on Goryeo again.
Your Majesty.
The upcoming war is not a crisis...
but an opportunity to end the war.
It is the very opportunity...
Goryeo has waited for while shedding tears of blood.
We must not miss this opportunity.
If we have an all-out pitched battle,
are you confident of winning?
Your Majesty?
Yes!
I am confident.
Even during the war,
Goryeo has consistently increased its elite soldiers.
And the labor armies in the provinces have improved their combat capabilities.
In addition,
we have trained a powerful cataphract more than capable...
of fighting against the Khitan's mounted troops.
Your Majesty. Please issue a mobilization order...
and gather an army of 200,000 for me.
With that, I will not let any enemy live.
Every single one of them will be exterminated.
Your Majesty.
We, too, wish dearly to win.
However, this war will take place in Goryeo's land.
Even if Khitan suffers a crushing defeat,
none of their lands will be affected.
But the moment Goryeo gets defeated,
all of our territories will belong to the enemy.
He is right. Goryeo must not...
bet everything on a single war.
I do not agree with them.
Goryeo has made great preparations until now.
We have the ability to fight an all-out pitched battle.
(Choi Sa We, Deputy Chancellor of the State Chancellery)
If we avoid fighting even in this situation,
it will waste all the efforts we have put in until now.
I am with him.
Your Majesty has reformed Goryeo...
for this very day. Am I wrong?
We should surely not miss this opportunity.
What do you think?
(Yoo Bang, Junior Second Rank)
I believe we can win.
What I thought was regrettable while leading the war...
was the cataphract.
Even though Goryeo had many mounted troops,
they could not fight against the Khitan's cataphract.
However, now that Goryeo also has cataphract,
there is nothing to fear.
Your Majesty. Give the Commander a chance.
The Commander has lived his whole life thinking about Khitan.
Please give him a chance.
All right.
Prepare for an all-out pitched battle.
It is time we put an end to this once and for all.
Your Majesty...
This is not a decision I made simply to get revenge.
Even if I think about it rationally,
we can potentially win in an all-out pitched battle.
Goryeo is ready to win. And now,
it is time to confirm that.
The first time the Khitan invaded Goryeo...
was already more than 20 years ago.
Just when I took my first steps and until now,
Goryeo has fought Khitan.
Many soldiers and people have died.
Those who survived...
have been living with no peace whatsoever.
This tragedy...
must be put to an end.
Commander Kang Gam Chan...
is appointed as the Supreme Commander.
(In charge of leading the army)
You have the full authority needed in the upcoming war.
Take all the soldiers in Gaegyeong.
Fight...
the upcoming war as you please.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Accept this.
Make this axe...
the last one I give to the Commander...
going to war.
Please send news of victory.
The news of victory from you...
will settle the resentments of all the people.
The rain of victory you will bring down...
will wash away the tears of blood in all territories.
So, please win.
I want you...
to end this war.
Yes.
Your Majesty.
March forth!
(Yeongyeong Palace)
What brings Your Majesty here when you are not well?
I would have made the visit if you had called for me.
I have come to see Heum.
The more I look at him, the more he looks like His Majesty.
I agree.
That child...
will become the Crown Prince.
After that,
he will become the Emperor of Goryeo.
Your Majesty?
Do you know what that means?
Do you know what it means for the son of a woman of no royal lineage...
to become the emperor?
His Majesty is founding the nation over again.
Just like the Great King Taejo did.
By taking a wife from a family that can support him,
he is building his nation anew.
Ever since I was young, I grew up hearing...
that I had to protect the imperial family countless times.
Even before I realized what the imperial family was,
I had the duty of having to protect the imperial family carved into my heart.
That was why I tried so hard to push you away.
Your Majesty.
It was hard for me too.
I was confused as to what I was trying to protect...
even by letting His Majesty's heart drift away from me.
It was also painful at times since it felt as though...
I was letting down my dignity as an empress...
and becoming a woman wrapped up in jealousy.
Still, I had no choice but to go down that path.
That was the path of the empress...
that I was taught by the elders of the imperial family.
Please take good care of His Majesty.
Your Majesty.
Where have you been?
I just got a bit of fresh air.
Your Majesty.
I have a favor to ask of you.
What is it? Tell me.
Please stay here like this...
until I fall asleep.
Yes, I understand.
Thank you.
Do not say such a thing.
You are...
my wife.
Yes.
I will forever be your wife.
Sister.
Sister!
Your Majesty!
- Your Majesty! - Your Majesty!
Your Majesty!
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty!
Empress.
Your Majesty!
- Empress. - Your Majesty!
- Your Majesty!
Have the main army stationed here at Yeongju.
Then, where do you plan to wage the pitched battle?
We will decide that after we see the direction that the enemy takes.
The enemy's commander is an experienced man.
He will never come in the direction where we await him.
Yes, Commander.
- What is it? - Her Majesty, the empress,
(Choi Chung, Political Affairs Officer)
has passed away.
His Majesty has commanded...
the warriors on the battlefield not to dress for mourning...
and only to focus on the war.
He said to bring home victory...
if only for Her Majesty's sake.
All right. Tell him that we will bear it in mind.
Yes, Commander.
- Forward! - Run!
Faster!
- Go! - Keep going!
Maintain the formation!
Come on!
- Go! - Run!
All of the sword wagons must move as one!
Hundreds of cavalrymen will follow...
each of your flags!
You must remember your positions...
and who must be by your sides...
at all times!
Lower your flags!
- Lower the flags! - Charge!
The battlefield is an inferno.
It is pandemonium!
Buried underneath the screams of killing one another,
you cannot even hear the voices of the warriors.
The only ones you can rely on...
are the men standing beside you.
Sync up your hands and feet with the men around you.
Sync up your breathing as well to move as one body.
That is the only way to win. Understand?
- Yes, Commander! - Yes, Commander!
We will win.
We will...
end this war!
All of you, be determined.
The opponent is Goryeo.
It is a nation that Khitan attacked five times...
and still failed to conquer.
Never underestimate them.
Even if we pour everything we have into this,
they are not an easy opponent to defeat.
Got that?
- Yes, sir! - Yes, sir!
Good. Then, go outside and gather the troops.
Now,
we go to battle.
- Yes, Field Commander! - Yes, Field Commander!
Right. Have you looked into it?
Yes, Field Commander.
The leader of the Goryeo army...
is Kang Gam Chan.
What? Kang Gam Chan?
Yes, Field Commander.
That man is the Commander of the Goryeo army.
What a connection we have.
Commander.
The Khitan army has arrived across the Yalu River.
He is leading a great army of 200,000 men.
It is twice as many as we have.
The more, the better.
If they have more soldiers, they will only move more sluggishly.
But must we not defeat them...
in order to advance further?
We do not need to defeat them.
I did not come to defeat the Goryeo army.
I came here to capture just one man.
- Then... - Yes, it is none other than...
the King of Goryeo.
Get ready for the battle.
Yes, Commander.
(Korea-Khitan War)
Attack!
How come we have not heard a single word from them?
The first battle must have taken place by now.
It is odd.
The Khitan army has not made a single move since the first attack.
Keep marching south, no matter what.
They want to strike Gaegyeong.
They are after His Majesty.
(Subtitles are provided by KOCOWA.)