(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.)
- Long live the Emperor! - Long live the Emperor!
Congratulations.
Your Majesty, you are now...
the Emperor of the Great Goryeo.
Please accept our sincere congratulations.
- Congratulations, Your Majesty. - Congratulations, Your Majesty.
If you have...
any requests for your vassals,
please tell us.
(Hyeonjong, the 8th Emperor of Goryeo)
I do not know what to say.
I lack in many ways.
Please help and guide me with your wisdom.
- Yes, Your Majesty. - Yes, Your Majesty.
- We will do our utmost. - We will do our utmost.
(Yoo Bang, Fourth Rank General)
Your Majesty.
Please say a few words to Officer Kang as well.
He was the number one contributor...
(Lee Hyun Woon, Deputy Commander of the Northwest)
to Your Majesty's enthronement.
Thank you.
I highly commend you for your contribution.
(Kang Jo, Northwest Temporary Government Officer)
Are we done now?
Then may I return to my chambers?
We prepared a banquet...
to celebrate Your Majesty's coronation.
Please come and enjoy the banquet with us.
That...
I wish to decline.
I am very tired after the long journey.
Go ahead and enjoy the banquet without me.
Would that be all right with you?
Sure, Your Majesty.
You came a long way, so you should get some rest.
I will.
Thank you.
He is a scared child.
I do not even see the need to keep him in check.
Even so, he is still our Emperor.
Keep a watchful eye on him.
Yes, sir.
Your Majesty.
At first, everyone thought Officer Kang...
was coming to punish Kim Chi Yang.
But he suddenly had a change of heart,
murdered His Majesty the King,
and exiled Her Majesty the Queen.
(Kang Gam Chan, Executive Assistant of Chungju)
Either way, everything is over.
There is...
nothing we can do.
It is not over.
- Pardon? - It all starts now.
Now.
This is delightful.
How about a glass, Commander?
Great work.
- Gosh. - Oh, no. Your glass is overflowing.
It will soon be our era.
- You are right. - Our time will come.
Goodness. Go easy.
That is enough. You may stop.
It seems you cannot enjoy this moment.
Do you plan to keep that up from now on?
It was an inevitable decision.
I would appreciate it if you would follow me now.
We will follow you.
Since you did not go after the throne...
and crowned Prince Daeryangwon as the King,
we will follow you for now.
However,
we cannot welcome this situation with our hearts.
- Lord Choi! - We are...
the chancellors of the Royal Court.
We will keep working for it as we have done so until now.
Do not wish for anything more than that.
How could you...
That is enough.
As you always have,
please continue to devote yourself to Goryeo.
However,
please stop looking at me...
with those eyes of contempt.
I think of Goryeo...
as much as you do.
Let us end the feast here.
Take care on your way.
Why must you be so on edge?
We simply rectified the corrupted royal family.
You should acknowledge that.
An honorable deed is an honorable deed, while a mistake is a mistake.
Why must we praise you for even murdering...
His Majesty after punishing those...
like Yoo Haeng Gan?
Lord Choi.
Enough. That is enough.
What has happened has happened.
Let us pray everything goes well from now on.
There is nothing we can do right now, no?
Do not let them bother you.
Civil servants who do nothing but write can do nothing.
They will soon give in.
How about we get another drink?
You worked hard.
So drink until you are satisfied.
I am fine.
You can have more drinks without me.
Sir.
I would like to rest at the mansion.
Lord Yeon.
Right. Are you not Lord Kang?
Yes.
Have you been well?
What about you, Lord Kang?
What brings you here?
I am well aware that I am out of line.
But not being able to set aside my worries,
I came to see you, Lord Yeon.
What is the future diplomatic plan with the Khitan?
Who knows?
Actually, that is what worries me, too.
In the Khitan emperor's stance, Officer Kang...
murdering His Majesty the King...
is the same as killing the Goryeo emperor he crowned.
The Khitan will use this as an excuse to start a war.
An envoy must be sent at once...
to inform the Khitan that a new emperor has ascended to the throne.
Before news travels that there was a political upheaval in Goryeo,
we must have the Khitan emperor crown our new emperor.
Only then will the Khitan be unable to do anything,
even if they find out later about the political upheaval.
You are right.
It must be done in haste.
Select an envoy right this instant...
and start writing a diplomatic letter.
Then I suggest you return...
to Gaegyeong.
- Excuse me? - I will prepare a position...
on the Board of Rites.
You should write the diplomatic letter yourself.
I cannot do that.
Someone like me cannot take on such an important task.
There is no time for you to refuse and be modest.
I know how good your literary skills are.
Work at the Board of Rites starting tomorrow.
Lord Yeon.
The war seems imminent.
For the sake of that powerless, young emperor,
we must somehow stop it.
What is your name?
It is Yang Hyub.
I am the Palace Royal Secretary.
"Palace Royal Secretary?"
Think of me as the head among the eunuchs...
who pass on Your Majesty's words.
I am always by Your Majesty.
Please order me to do anything Your Majesty wishes.
I see.
Then can you be my guide?
From what I recall, there was a Buddhist temple within the palace.
I would like to go there.
Understood, Your Majesty.
I will guide you to Temple Naeje.
It is this way.
Eunuch Yang.
Yes, Your Majesty?
I would like to ask something.
Can you give me an honest answer?
Of course, I will.
Please ask me.
What...
happened today?
Why did Officer Kang revolt?
How was...
His Majesty murdered?
Eunuch Yang.
Yes, Your Majesty.
The only person...
I can rely on in this palace is you, Eunuch Yang.
- Your Majesty. - If you do not become my loyal vassal,
I cannot do anything from here on out.
Tell me what happened today.
His Majesty...
How did he die?
(Temple Naeje)
His Majesty was dragged out of Jungjeon like a criminal.
The traitors allowed one horse to be used.
His Majesty the King had Her Majesty the Queen ride it...
and led the horse himself.
On their way,
His Majesty passed away after being stabbed by the soldiers.
And then?
What happened to His Majesty?
The soldiers burned His Majesty's body...
and then made...
a royal tomb wherever they saw fit.
Your Majesty.
Please act like you heard nothing.
Please act like you do not know anything.
You must do that right now.
Your Majesty.
I will do so.
I will survive by acting innocent.
However,
I will never forget.
I will...
never forgive them.
- They should be punished. - Those criminals.
How despicable.
- I cannot believe them. - They deserve to be punished.
Drag them away.
All of the rebels that used to follow Yoo Haeng Gan and Kim Chi Yang...
have been arrested.
They deserve to be exiled to a faraway island.
Please allow us to do so.
Go ahead.
- Yes, Your Majesty. - Yes, Your Majesty.
We have gotten rid of the Office of Transmission...
and the Privy Council.
Also, we have established a new branch called the Palace Secretariat...
and have combined all of their duties.
Please name the temporary government officer of the northwest...
as the Palace Head Secretary...
and have him lead the Palace Secretariat.
What did the Office of Transmission and Privy Council use to do?
I ask since I am not familiar with the organizations of the palace.
Why is no one answering?
I must know what the Office of Transmission...
and Privy Council used to do.
Only then can I decide if it is all right to get rid of them.
- Fine. - The Office of Transmission...
and Privy Council...
receive and disburse the emperor's commands,
record what goes on in the palace, and control military discipline.
Who said that just now?
Come forward.
Who are you?
I am Deputy Minister of Rites, Kang Gam Chan.
Could you explain it in easier terms?
Yes, Your Majesty.
The Office of Transmission and Privy Council are basically places...
that deliver your commands...
and protect you, Your Majesty.
Is it all right to get rid of such organizations?
No, Your Majesty.
That is an act of covering your eyes...
and stifling your voice.
And furthermore,
it is an act of threatening Your Majesty's safety.
Deputy Minister of Rites!
You must keep the Office of Transmission and Privy Council.
You must never get rid of those two organizations.
We are not getting rid of them.
We are just combining them into one.
From now on,
I will deliver your commands...
and protect you, Your Majesty.
So,
believe in me and allow this request.
Of course, I believe you.
However, there are some vassals who are against it.
I wish to discuss it further.
What do the others think of this matter?
Please state your opinions one by one.
Your Majesty.
It seems the Deputy Minister of Rites is the only one against this request.
Please allow the request now.
Your Majesty.
All right.
Go ahead.
- Yes, Your Majesty. - Yes, Your Majesty.
That old man, Deputy Minister of Rites, does not know he should be scared.
I will have him kicked out of court and make an example of him.
Just leave him be.
He has always been like that.
Palace Head Secretary.
Nothing will change because one vassal acts like he does.
But...
Is everything all set now?
There is still one thing left.
What is that?
They are Dae Do Soo and Ji Chae Moon of the northeast.
Everyone in the northwest...
will support your revolution,
but the northeast might not be the same.
Especially someone like Deputy General Ji Chae Moon...
with a fiery temper might do something unexpected.
If the brave warrior, Ji Chae Moon,
runs over with the soldiers of the northeast,
things will become complicated.
Then, what do you propose we do?
We must send the generals of Gaegyeong and coax him somehow.
There is no end to this work.
This is all the weight of authority.
You have gained authority,
so you must now do politics.
Never do such a dangerous thing again.
Lord Yeon.
Just focus on writing memorials to the throne.
That is what you must be focused on at this time.
Yes, I understand.
Then go and get started right away.
A letter came last night.
Lord Kang has been appointed to the court in Gaegyeong once again.
Are you not glad?
Even still, how long will he last?
He will only keep saying distasteful things...
until he gets kicked out to a faraway post.
I doubt that will happen.
Anyway, you should hurry over to Gaegyeong as well.
There is no need.
If I hear that he has been kicked out to some remote place again,
I will head to that place.
Madam.
Oh, my twisted fate.
(The northeast, the bordering region between Goryeo and Jurchen)
Who dares...
draw their swords at me?
Do you know who I am?
I am...
Ji Chae Moon of Goryeo!
You insolent punks.
Why do you keep telling your name to the Jurchen soldiers?
I want to make them shiver whenever they hear my name.
So, if the Jurchen soldiers become meek,
that will make the lives of the northeastern people easier.
All of the Jurchen soldiers who hear your name drop dead like flies.
Who would spread that rumor?
Oh, you are right.
Giddyup!
(The northeast, Hwaju Regional Office)
(Present-day Geumya County, South Hamgyeong Province)
This is treason.
This is an act of treason that killed the former emperor.
Why do you keep acting like this?
I explained that it had to be done.
That is correct. Someone had to step in...
to right the wrongs.
Shut it!
Then Yoo Haeng Gan and Kim Chi Yang should have been beheaded.
So why did they have to assassinate His Majesty?
I do not want to go on about this.
I will go to Gaegyeong now...
and decapitate Officer Kang.
General Ji.
That will only cause an internal conflict within the Goryeo army.
The Jurchens are invading the border regions on a daily basis,
and the Khitans are vying for an opportunity to start a war.
An internal war within the Goryeo army in the current situation...
will surely cause Goryeo...
to implode and collapse.
Then I will go alone.
I shall go to Gaegyeong, behead Officer Kang,
and present his head to our new Emperor.
Then behead me first.
I was the one who opened the palace gates.
- Behead me first. - General.
Do it.
I was hoping...
someone would behead me.
I am sorry.
I plan to return to my hometown...
and live quietly until the day I die.
Do me a favor, and please stay where you are.
We need a general like you to keep our borders safe.
Then what will happen in Gaegyeong?
What about our new Emperor?
What will happen to him?
Do not be concerned.
The Palace Head Secretary does not covet the throne.
Our new Emperor...
will be safe.
I asked for you to discuss an urgent matter with you.
Please tell me, Your Majesty.
I commend you for your contribution to my enthronement.
However,
you need not carry out my duties in my stead.
Could Your Majesty...
kindly elaborate?
What is the point of seeking my approval...
when you have already decided everything?
I kindly ask you not to do that from now on.
Going forward, I would like to review and decide everything myself.
After all, that is my duty as the Emperor.
Your Majesty, you do not have the ability to do so.
What did you say?
Your Majesty, you have never lived a day...
as a proper crown prince.
You never received...
proper training or learned the things...
you would need to know to lead this country.
So,
how could you suggest you take governmental matters into your own hands?
As for all military matters,
let the generals handle them.
As for the people,
the chancellors will take care of them.
Hence,
you need not waste your time and energy on such matters.
What do you mean?
Then what should I do?
Tell me.
If an emperor cannot govern his own empire,
what can he do as an emperor?
Do not concern yourself with governmental matters,
for there are so many things you can do.
You can enjoy banquets...
and go hunting.
Palace Head Secretary!
Is this why you put me on the throne?
To have me on the throne as your puppet...
while you act like an emperor behind closed doors?
You said you raised an army for a great cause.
Were you aiming to seize power in the imperial court?
You should sit on the throne instead of me.
Stop using me as your puppet.
Go ahead and take the throne.
Reveal your true intentions before the people!
Is that what you truly want?
If that is what you want, I will do that.
I have already assassinated an emperor.
You do not think I can do it again?
Palace Head Secretary.
Do you need something to do?
Now that you are sitting on the throne,
do you wish to wield power?
Will you let your short-sighted views stir up the imperial court?
Will you let your lack of insight...
shake up the military?
Then...
will you let yourself be surrounded by those who only flatter you...
and destroy this country?
Soon,
you will marry.
Leave all governmental matters...
to me,
and sire an heir as soon as you can.
Get married, have a son,
and make sure your son...
can succeed you without any difficulty.
If you cannot even carry out such an easy task,
you will bring turmoil to the imperial court...
and turn your loyal generals...
into traitors. Please...
do not let that happen.
That is...
Your Majesty's job.
(Heunghwajin)
Congratulations.
General Jung Sung has been appointed Chief Commander of Heunghwajin,
and you have been appointed Northwest Temporary Government Officer.
Did this order come from His Majesty...
or the Palace Head Secretary?
The Palace Head Secretary's orders reflect His Majesty's wishes.
With this new appointment, you should go to Seogyeong now.
- I will stay here. - Officer.
My job is to guard Heunghwajin.
If I must accept this new appointment,
I will carry out my new duties here in Heunghwajin.
I suggest you follow the customs.
You should not act out at a time like this.
Then please tell the Palace Head Secretary...
to revoke the appointment.
Officer.
(Naedongmun)
Should you not go to Seogyeong?
(Jung Sung)
You are just like Kim Sook Heung.
You never listen to your higher-ups.
You are right.
Kim Sook Heung.
(Yalu River, Heunghwajin, Guizhou)
Come on. Move it!
Get up!
Get up and run. Now!
Come along!
Faster!
How will you catch the Khitans when you are this slow?
Gosh, I am dying.
Sir, we are cavalrymen.
So? Do you think you would never have to climb mountains?
Please let us get some proper sleep at least.
We have been marching sleeplessly for days.
We can only sleep after we wipe out the Khitans!
All right, move it!
- Move it. - This is insane.
Faster, lads!
The Khitans are running away!
Look.
What a perfect spot to lie in ambush.
This will be...
the Khitans' grave.
(Kim Sook Heung)
We will send envoys to Khitan...
to request Your Majesty's installation.
The Board of Rites prepared a letter.
Please kindly review it.
There is no need.
What would I even know?
Show it to the Palace Head Secretary.
Consult the Palace Head Secretary and decide.
Your Majesty.
You are the Emperor of Goryeo.
Show it to the Palace Head Secretary.
Were you the one who wrote...
this diplomatic letter?
Yes. It was me.
Why did you write that the former emperor...
passed away from an illness?
Were you conscious of me?
It was done to prevent war.
What you did was kill...
the emperor crowned by the Khitan emperor.
Once the Khitan is informed of this,
they will surely use it to start a war.
The excuse...
they will probably use is to punish the rebellious one...
who harmed the emperor.
Even without such an excuse, the war has already been arranged.
Watching for an opportunity and seizing one is different.
You made an excuse the Khitan was waiting for.
You still talk without an ounce of cautiousness.
Say that the war breaks out.
Then all the people of Goryeo will blame me, yes?
There will not even be any time to blame someone.
When we turn our heads toward a cloud of dust far away,
the Khitan soldiers are already...
pointing spears at our necks. No?
Please send an envoy immediately.
We are running out of time.
Send one out.
The Khitan.
I will annihilate them.
If the upcoming war is truly caused by me,
I will kill every one of them myself.
If a single person can stop it,
it is not even called a war.
The whole of Goryeo must devote their strength to it.
That is why it is called a war.
Hurry. Please hurry.
And so.
How were you doing, Princesses?
As we lived outside the palace,
we had no idea what was going on inside.
We waited in silence...
as the soldiers moved in troops.
Like when we used to play hide-and-seek together,
we made sure to hide well.
My sister and I...
will become your queens, Your Majesty.
We are the only living descendants of the royal family now.
Please cheer up.
Your Majesty is the king of Goryeo.
Do not despair because you are powerless at the moment.
Inside Your Majesty's title...
embodies one million soldiers.
With that power, you will one day become a real emperor.
Princess.
Please set a date to ascend to Wongudan.
(Wongudan: Where ancestral rites to the sky and earth were held)
Show all the subjects of Goryeo...
that Your Majesty is the emperor of Goryeo.
Only the emperor can hold...
a rite to the deity of the sky.
Goryeo is the country of the emperor.
Your Majesty is the emperor...
ruling Goryeo under the sky's order.
No one can dare get in Your Majesty's way.
And no one can dare exceed Your Majesty.
- Hurrah for His Majesty the King! - Hurrah!
- Hurrah!
- Hurrah for His Majesty the King!
- Hurrah! - Hurrah!
- Your Majesty the King! - Hurrah!
- Hurrah!
- Hurrah for His Majesty the King! - Hurrah!
- Hurrah!
We might miss His Majesty!
(Queen Won Hwa)
All subjects of Goryeo are Your Majesty's vassals...
and soldiers.
So...
do not lose your courage.
Your Majesty...
is the emperor of Goryeo.
The Jurchen is the problem.
One tribe is friendly to Goryeo,
while another offers news about Goryeo...
to get on the good side of the Khitan.
We must send another envoy,
not wait until the first returns.
Before the Jurchen pulls a prank in the middle,
we must rush the crowning.
Let us do that.
Get another diplomatic letter ready, Lord Kang.
Understood, Lord Yeon.
With your permission,
I would like to report it to His Majesty alone.
What is it that you want to inform His Majesty by yourself?
Do not do it.
You have already rubbed the Palace Head Secretary the wrong way.
I will take the responsibility.
Please allow me to do it.
Welcome.
I actually wanted to meet you separately.
Thank you for last time.
Though I could not stop the Office of Transmission...
and Privy Council from disappearing,
thanks to you,
I understood what I was permitting.
Your Majesty.
But, of course,
nothing would change even if I understood it.
Your Majesty, that is not true.
It all starts with knowledge.
You must know how the court works...
and what the nation is facing...
in order to regain the authority you have lost.
Deputy Minister of Rites.
We have decided to send envoys to Khitan again.
This is a memorial to the throne that the envoy will take.
You should read it over yourself.
We are sending envoys again?
Yes, Your Majesty.
We must quickly receive...
your investiture from the Khitan emperor.
I am of divine birth.
So, why must I receive an investiture from the emperor of Khitan?
During the reign of Emperor Seongjong,
we were invaded by Khitan.
Back then, we promised to pay tribute to them.
Then,
does this mean I am a servant of the Khitan emperor?
No, Your Majesty.
How could the emperor of Goryeo become the servant of Khitan?
It is just a diplomatic relationship.
It is to boost their pride...
and gain peace. That is all.
Go ahead and read it over.
You must read it yourself, Your Majesty.
Right. I understand.
But why did you write...
that the former emperor passed away from an illness?
Tell me.
Why did you write such lies?
Then, do you mean a war might break out?
Yes, Your Majesty.
We are sending envoys in order to prevent such an event.
Can we prevent it?
Will sending envoys prevent a war?
For now, that is what we are hoping for.
Then, what happened to the envoy that went before?
Where is he now?
He will be on his way to the plains, where the emperor of Khitan resides.
The plains?
Yes, Your Majesty.
The emperor of Khitan moves...
from one region of his nation to the next each season.
The imperial family and court officials also move with the emperor.
It is as if the entire nation is on the move.
Khitan has already conquered numerous immigrant tribes.
They are a great empire that has accepted Confucianism.
Despite that, they maintain their way of life.
They are people of a thoroughgoing nature.
(Yelu Longxu, the 6th emperor of Khitan)
The king of Goryeo has passed away from an illness.
Prince Daeryangwon, the heir to the throne, has become king.
We sincerely request that you allow this man to become...
the new king of Goryeo.
Every time an envoy comes from Goryeo,
I asked about the wellbeing of the king of Goryeo.
Each time, I was told that he was healthy.
How is it that he passed away so suddenly?
It was a sudden illness that worsened over three days...
to the point where nothing could be done.
That is why there was no time to relay the news to you, Your Majesty.
Is that the truth?
Why would I tell a lie to you, Your Majesty?
If I am telling a lie,
all of my descendants...
will be born without arms or legs.
I swear I am telling the truth. Please believe me.
Still,
I find that hard to believe.
Before you reveal the details...
about what happened to the king of Goryeo,
I will delay the investiture of the new king.
- That is all. - Your Majesty.
Your Majesty, there is urgent news.
What is it?
Your Majesty,
Her Majesty, the Queen Dowager, has passed away.
How did it go?
We failed!
I ran straight back...
after seeing the emperor of Khitan set off urgently.
Your Majesty, you must send an envoy to pay your respects...
and receive your investiture right away.
The emperor of Khitan has lost a family member.
He will not have the mind to dig into the ongoings in Goryeo for the time being.
You must receive your investiture in the midst of all this.
To do so, we must discreetly win over the chancellors of Khitan.
If they persuade the emperor of Khitan...
to respond to your request for investiture quickly,
things will become much easier.
We must pay them off if necessary.
Please have the envoys take silver with them.
What do you think, Palace Head Secretary?
You should decide, Your Majesty.
Go ahead.
Do whatever it takes. Do anything that we can.
- Yes, Your Majesty. - Yes, Your Majesty.
Also, send word to the northeast...
and have them keep the Jurchen under control.
Make sure that they cannot carry the word...
about Goryeo to Khitan.
- Yes, Your Majesty. - Yes, Your Majesty.
Send word to Seogyeong, Tongju, and Gwakju Fortress. From now on,
have them build sword wagons.
- Sword wagons? - Yes.
Then, do you intend to face the enemy head-on?
Do you mean to fight against the Khitan cavalry face-to-face?
That is right.
We will confidently face them on the battlefield...
and wipe them out in an instant.
Yes, my lord.
Also, send word to the military...
and have them prepare to issue a mobilization order.
How many men will you mobilize?
Every single man.
Not only the elite soldiers of the central military.
Have every single soldier ready for mobilization.
Yes, Palace Head Secretary.
Quickly pull the army registry...
and write an official document to send to the provincial governors. Now!
- Yes, my lord. - Yes, my lord.
How much rice should we plan to store for military provisions?
And how many soldiers should we count for the entire Goryeo army?
I am not sure.
If we are really mobilizing every single soldier in Goryeo,
it will be at least 300,000 men.
Store enough food for 300,000 to eat for 3 months.
Yes, my lord.
Store enough food for 300,000 soldiers.
Yes, sir.
Her Majesty, the Queen, is with child.
Her Majesty, the Queen, is with child!
She has been blessed with the heir to the throne!
- Oh, my! - Did you hear that?
Her Majesty, the Queen, is with child!
This is joyous news!
How great is that?
For the past several months,
envoys have been running off one after the other.
It seems they are crossing the Yalu River once every 15 days.
His Majesty...
is trying to prevent the war by any means.
Would that be possible?
I am not sure. Anyhow, the new emperor...
has his eyes on the border, just like us.
I believe that is what is important.
Is there truly a way to prevent the war?
It must be prevented.
We must do whatever it takes to prevent it.
My empress, you need not worry.
Please focus on taking good care of our child.
Put your faith in me.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
The envoys are returning from Khitan.
So? What is Khitan up to?
It seems that things have gone wrong.
Sales of horses...
are now banned in all of Khitan.
The Khitan officials bought up all the dried fish...
at the markets in Nanjing.
I am certain...
that they are preparing supplies for a war.
Are you saying they have decided to declare war on us?
But they cannot justify it.
They do not know what happened in Goryeo yet.
I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news,
but it seems that they already know everything.
- What? - One of the Jurchen tribes...
visited the Khitan Emperor...
and told him about Goryeo's current situation in detail.
I heard they also told him how the late emperor passed away.
All of it.
We looked into it...
and found out that some generals in the Northeast including Ha Gong Jin...
killed the Jurchens who were on their way to Goryeo to surrender themselves...
while wiping out the Jurchen invaders...
in the border regions.
So, the Jurchen tribe told on us to get back at us.
My goodness.
Why did they kill people who were going to surrender?
Why did they take innocent lives?
This cannot be forgiven.
If we brutally kill those who pledged their faith to us,
how is it any different from Khitan betraying our trust...
to invade us?
Send those generals into exile at once.
Why are you not answering me?
Send them to their place of exile at once!
Are you that afraid of war?
- What did you say? - Are you doing this...
because what those generals did caused Khitan to find out our situation?
Palace Head Secretary.
Do not misunderstand my intentions.
Even if it never happened,
we would not be able to avoid this war.
Even if we send our envoys to Khitan hundreds of times,
and even if we manage to silence every Jurchen tribe,
the war would happen eventually.
Palace Head Secretary.
I will issue a mobilization order.
We will get ready for the war.
Palace Head Secretary!
Who says you can issue a mobilization order?
What right do you have to start a war?
Who are you...
to make Goryeo suffer the calamity of war?
Do you not see...
my vassals trembling with fear because of you?
Can you not see our envoys having to cross the Yalu River...
countless times just to conceal the treason you committed?
You see that every day,
and yet you have the audacity to speak of war?
Because of you,
our innocent soldiers will die.
Do you not care...
if our people cry bloody tears because of you?
Do not speak of war ever again.
I may be a powerless emperor,
but that I will never condone. Do you understand?
Your Majesty.
Khitan's envoys are coming.
Officer Yang of the Northwest is escorting them here.
He sent a messenger prior to their departure.
They will arrive in Gaegyeong soon.
His Majesty...
sends his greetings to Your Highness Prince Daeryangwon,
the successor to the Goryeo throne.
Yes, please give him my thanks.
When His Majesty...
heard about the coup in Goryeo,
he was outraged.
A disloyal vassal raised an army...
and assassinated the King of Goryeo.
We cannot help but view this as treason against His Majesty,
who had approved the investiture of Goryeo's King.
His Majesty...
will put a pause on the three-year funeral...
and get on his horse again.
Let us go.
Come along.
Starting now,
he will assemble every brave soldier in Khitan.
To punish the traitors...
and achieve our great goals,
His Majesty and his 400,000 soldiers...
will come...
and conquer Goryeo.
(Korea-Khitan War)
Those sly Khitan rats...
are turning everyone in Goryeo against me.
You should put up with everything.
Focus on figuring out a way to win.
Close the gates!
Get ready for the battle!
Do not be afraid.
Our soldiers will fight with all their might...
and win, no matter what.
A mobilization order has been issued.
I lost my eldest son in the previous war with Khitan!
Now, you are telling me to give up my younger son too?
Khitan is using the Palace Head Secretary's treason...
to justify this war.
So if he is gone,
they can no longer justify the war.
I will get rid of Kang Jo.
(Subtitles are provided by KOCOWA.)