Original subtitles

In the year 108 B.C.,

Gojoseon had a great empire...

across the Korean peninsula and the Liaodong plains.

Waging war for about a year against the Han Dynasty,

whose army was armed with steel weapons, Gojoseon is destroyed.

The Han Dynasty sets up...

the Nakrang, Jinbeon, Imdun, and Hyeonto Commanderies...

across the vast territory of Gojoseon.

The nationless wanderers of Gojoseon...

end up dispersed while trying to avoid the cruelty of the Han army.

They either went to live in other countries...

or grew tired of wandering around.

When the Han army's cruel treatment of the Gojoseon wanderers was at its worst,

the Gojoseon wanderers rose up like wildfire.

At the center of this uprising was Hae Mo Soo.

(Buyeo, Hyeonto Commandery)

(Hyeonto Commandery)

- Go! - Go!

(Episode 1)

He is the greatest warrior.

The warriors who are chosen along with you in this competition...

will be given a high honor!

Bring the sword of the imperial palace warrior.

Yes, sir!

The owner of the sword has arrived late.

The martial arts competition is over. Be gone!

If you send me away, you will regret it.

His life will be snatched before he has the time to regret it.

Let me fight him.

Begin the match!

We must escape!

The enemy is here!

An assassin has appeared in the fortress!

- Come on. - Into the fortress!

Release the prisoners!

It is the Damul Army! They are here!

- Hurry up and get out. - The Damul Army is here!

We can get out!

You have been hurt to the bone.

It was a poisoned blade.

You must return to the palace immediately and have it treated...

You do it.

We do not have any mabisan to counteract the poison.

(Hae Mo Soo, the head of the Damul Army)

Take Geum Wa to Buyeo Palace.

If you do not treat it now,

(Geum Wa, the prince of Buyeo)

I will lose my arm.

If you do lose your arm,

you may use both of my arms for life, as if they are your own.

Move to the mountain fort!

(The Damul Army's mountain fort)

(Buyeo Palace)

Several hundreds of the wanderers who escaped from the Hyeonto Commandery...

have arrived at the lower end of the Hwibal River four days ago.

Was it the success of Hae Mo Soo once again?

It was.

Thanks to Hae Mo Soo, there are more than 10,000 wanderers...

who have settled in Buyeo.

However, in the process of rescuing the wanderers,

an envoy from Han has died.

Do not worry about that.

Just be sure to provide everything for the wanderers to settle down.

The wanderers who settle down in Buyeo...

will become the strength for Buyeo to rise up as a strong nation.

This will become a great joy for you, Your Majesty.

It is too early to say whether this will become...

a great joy or a detriment to His Majesty.

I, Boo Deuk Bul, have made it back safely from Changan.

Have you been well, Your Majesty?

Minister Boo.

- General. - Yes.

You must not provide anything for the wanderers...

who have settled at Hwibal River this time.

(Hwibal River, a river in the south of Jilin, Manchuria)

Minister. Are you telling me to go against His Majesty's orders?

You must do so.

The most elite troops of the Han that are armed with steel weapons...

have already passed Liaodong and are moving towards Hyeonto Commandery.

This means they will no longer turn a blind eye to the wanderers...

who wish to leave the Hyeonto region.

Then,

what must we do about the wanderers who have already settled in Buyeo?

Those who have already received identification as people of Buyeo...

will be hard to find, so there is no need to worry.

However, if we try to protect those who have arrived at Hwibal River,

we cannot be sure what kind of retribution we might face.

Furthermore, the envoy that has died recently...

was beloved by the Han emperor.

That is why...

we must give up on the wanderers.

But our troops are also armed with steel weapons.

Why not fight against the Han troops?

Your Majesty, our troops are armed with spears and swords...

that are made of iron bloom which is barely better than bronze.

The Han troops are armed with weapons of steel.

Your Majesty, it is a message from the shrine.

What is it?

The oracle says to bring you to the shrine right away.

Your Majesty. I have returned.

How is it that this trip was shorter than before?

I was not feeling well, so I turned back towards home.

You are the heir to the throne. How could you be so weak?

Who am I to trust?

Your Majesty, the oracle is waiting.

Would you like to join us at the shrine?

No. I will get some rest.

Since a few days ago, I have been watching the sun, moon, and stars.

Some strange things have been happening.

Is it good or bad luck?

I have never seen or heard of such a thing,

so I cannot say either way.

Please tell us in detail what these strange things are.

Inside the sun of Buyeo, a bird with three legs...

rose up and disappeared.

A three-legged crow?

That is right.

A bird with two legs is certainly Your Majesty who protects Buyeo...

and His Highness, the Crown Prince.

However, the fact that there is another leg...

Is there someone who will split Buyeo apart?

Whether this being will fortify Buyeo or split it apart...

is still unsure.

This is the transport route of the Hyeonto Commandery's munitions.

How many soldiers are transporting them?

There are about 80 to 100 men.

The moment of our attack will be when they load the munitions on the boat.

The soldiers are split up between the boat and the dock.

And if the wanderers who are transporting the munitions take our side,

we will be able to take on more than 100 soldiers.

Have we replenished our steel weapons?

Crown Prince Geum Wa will be sending 30 steel weapons from Buyeo in 3 days.

Be aware of the enemy's spears and swords. They are poisoned.

- Yes, sir! - Yes, sir!

General!

The chiefs of each tribe are gathering at Hyeonto Commandery.

Not only the chief of Buyeo, but also Okjeo, Haengin, Biryu, Gaema, Guda, Galsa,

Yangmaek, and even Habaek is coming.

They intend to cut us off entirely.

We expected this to happen.

- Chu Sun. - Yes, sir.

Go to Hyeonto Commandery and keep watch on their movements.

- Yes, sir. - Yes, sir.

Are you headed to Hyeonto Commandery?

The Chief of Hyeonto Commandery...

has called on all of the chiefs from each tribe.

I will go. You should stay at the palace.

Your Highness, if we get on the bad side of the Chief of Hyeonto Commandery,

we might be faced with big trouble.

Why do you speak such weak words, General?

If you answer so easily to the call of the Chief, not even the Emperor,

Buyeo will not be able to establish authority.

I will go instead.

Your Majesty. I believe His Highness is right.

Then you may do so.

(Hyeonto Commandery)

Your invitation, please.

You may enter.

Who is that?

She is the daughter of the chief of Habaek, Lady Yu Hwa.

Open the gate!

Geum Wa!

Yang Jung.

How long has it been?

It has been over ten years.

But what is going on? What brings you here?

I have become a Palace Guard of the Han Dynasty.

I must go to meet the Chief of Hyeonto Commandery now,

so we should catch up later.

Giddy-up!

Yang Jung is the prince of Gaemaguk, is he not?

That is right. He and I were childhood friends.

When Gaemaguk was invaded, he was taken hostage by the Han Dynasty.

Seeing how he became a Palace Guard after being taken hostage,

he has become quite successful.

When I took my place as Chief of this commandery,

the Emperor himself presented me with this sword.

Anyone who helps or hides Hae Mo Soo...

or accepts wanderers who ran away from Hyeonto Commandery...

will be punished by this sword. However,

anyone who captures or kills Hae Mo Soo...

will receive the Emperor's grace.

Chief. We are ready.

Right.

Begin.

Yes, sir.

Start!

These are the steel-armed troops who took the lead...

when the Emperor battled against the old Joseon.

Those people are wanderers of Joseon who were caught while running away.

If one of you...

manages to take down at least one of the steel-armed troops,

I will grant you all freedom!

Come on!

I cannot do this!

Kill all of them!

Kill all of them!

You must hold yourself back.

Stop the killings!

What on earth are you doing? Stop this at once!

Shut your mouth. These are the Emperor's orders.

Do you dare to go against His Majesty's orders?

How could the Emperor give such a terrible order...

against these powerless wanderers?

Does he call himself a ruler when he gives out such a ridiculous order?

You wretched girl!

Do you dare to insult His Majesty, the Emperor?

What are you doing? Take this woman prisoner at once!

Arrest her!

Did you bring the steel-armed troops?

The Emperor ordered me himself to catch Hae Mo Soo.

Hae Mo Soo is the hero of the wanderers.

He is the hope of the nations who are suffering under the Han Dynasty.

How could you of all people be here to catch Hae Mo Soo?

Do not get worked up.

If I catch Hae Mo Soo,

I will not cause Buyeo any harm.

In fact,

with the level of authority I have now,

I could be of help to you when you become King of Buyeo one day.

Geum Wa.

I will help you.

I do not need such help.

I will not become the dog of the Han.

But I do have a favor to ask of you.

Please release Lady Yu Hwa, the daughter of the chief of Habaek.

Open the door.

Yu Hwa, get out.

You have insulted the Emperor and deserve to be severely punished.

But at the request of my old friend Geum Wa, the Crown Prince of Buyeo,

I am releasing you.

Do not ever act out of line again.

- Release her. - Yes, sir.

I heard you helped me.

Thank you.

In front of such terrible acts,

I remained silent. I am embarrassed to face you.

The Hyeonto Commandery may try to do something else,

so I will escort you to the border of Habaek.

No, I have my own guards. You need not worry.

(The Damul Army's mountain fort)

Bull's eye!

General!

Yes.

Why has the Hyeonto Commandery's Chief gathered the other tribe's chiefs?

General.

Tell me.

In front of the tribal chiefs,

the steel-armed troops of the Han Dynasty brutally murdered the wanderers of Joseon.

The Chief of Hyeonto Commandery has put the steel-armed troops in the lead.

He says he will kill all the people of the tribes...

that do not cooperate in catching you, General.

So,

King Hae Bu Ru of Buyeo...

will kick out the wanderers that we saved and helped settle near the Hwibal River...

beyond the border.

What should we do?

Baek Sun, Mo Song.

- Yes, General. - Yes, General.

Contact Crown Prince Geum Wa.

Tell him to send us the steel weapons from Buyeo quickly.

- Yes, sir. - Yes, sir.

We will set off to fight as soon as we are armed with the steel weapons.

Have everything ready.

- Yes, General. - Yes, General.

It might actually be a good thing.

What do you mean?

After we kick out the wanderers near Hwibal River,

the people might rise up in protest.

How could that be a good thing?

The Oracle's three-legged bird story sounded ominous to me.

She does not yet know whether it was a sign of good or bad luck.

The three-legged bird that appeared before the Oracle's eyes...

will mean the appearance of a new hero.

Who could that hero be for the people at this point?

Do you mean Hae Mo Soo?

Yes, Your Majesty.

Right now, Hae Mo Soo is focused on saving the wanderers.

However, if he were to found a new nation,

the many wanderers who settled in Buyeo will follow him.

If he had had such ambitions,

he would have led the wanderers in the first place. Why would he...

If you were in Hae Mo Soo's position,

would you carry around such a heavy burden and continue fighting?

Then, do you mean I have been played by Hae Mo Soo all this time?

I am sure Hae Mo Soo dreams of becoming a great ruler.

A great ruler?

Whether it is a hero or a ruler, we must get rid of Hae Mo Soo...

for the sake of Buyeo's future.

Your Majesty!

Someone has broken in. You must arrest him!

Look everywhere!

- Yes, sir! - Let us go.

What is going on?

An assassin has broken in. Please head inside, Your Highness.

An assassin? How is His Majesty?

He is safe.

Nothing is amiss here. You may go.

- Let us go! - Yes, sir!

What is going on?

The commotion woke Dae So up.

An assassin has broken in. Go inside to the chambers.

Dae So must have been very frightened.

Please comfort him.

I have somewhere to go.

Head inside first.

Did you ask to see me?

Tell General Hae Mo Soo to postpone the battle and to lie low for a while.

I will write to you again.

Yes, Your Highness.

I nearly killed you, Your Highness.

How did you know?

I saw you sneaking spears and swords outside the palace.

I assumed as much.

If you speak of this secret to anyone,

I might kill you, Minister.

I do not fear death,

but His Majesty and Buyeo will also die with me.

Will you be able to handle that?

What did you just say?

Hae Mo Soo is my dear friend,

and I have been helping him.

- Why, you... - Your Majesty!

You must be dying to ruin Buyeo!

Hae Mo Soo and the Damul Army are our brethren...

who descend from the Shindansu.

We must fight with Hae Mo Soo, Your Majesty.

If we do not, we will eventually become the slaves of the Han Dynasty.

Do you think I want to be so servile?

We are just now building the foundations of the nation.

If we were to go to war against the Han,

we will meet the same fate as the old Joseon!

That is not true, Your Majesty.

Liu Ju, Crown Prince of the Han Dynasty, has started a rebellion but failed.

And enemies have been pillaging their lands, leaving them devastated.

They will not have the power to send troops all the way out here.

Your Majesty, you need not worry.

Even if you are right, Your Highness,

how will we handle the 30,000 troops who are stationed in Liaodong?

Did you not see the prowess of the steel-armed troops yourself?

They are the best troops who are armed with steel weapons.

The tribes must band together.

There is only one man who can lead them, and that is Hae Mo Soo.

What if Hae Mo Soo gains power like that, has a different agenda,

and points his weapon at us?

There is no way that will happen.

I will bet my life on it.

You will bet your life?

What is Hae Mo Soo to you?

What on earth is he...

that the Crown Prince of Buyeo is willing to bet his life on him?

I do not say so as the Crown Prince.

As a friend and a comrade, I believe in Hae Mo Soo's righteousness.

Enough to throw away your own life?

What if I tell you to choose one between Buyeo and Hae Mo Soo?

Then I will die.

Your Majesty.

I will meet with Hae Mo Soo!

Giddy-up!

The Han troops have gotten closer.

How many are there?

About 50. There are fewer than we expected.

Good.

Before the boat arrives,

you should take the men and stay hidden nearby.

Once we start attacking, you should move then.

Yes, sir.

Let the men rest until the Hyeonto troops arrive.

Yes, sir.

Where is General Hae Mo Soo?

He has gone to battle.

What?

Attack!

- Why, you... - General!

Retreat!

Retreat!

Did you search downstream as well?

Yes, sir.

We are sorry.

He is not dead. He cannot be dead.

Search again.

Split into two groups...

and search the nearby villages and anywhere else he might be.

The steel-armed troops will also not stop searching...

until they find his body.

General!

- Hae Mo Soo! - General!

General!

Hae Mo Soo!

- General! - Hae Mo Soo!

Hae Mo Soo!

What has made you get so lost in thought, My Lady?

Is it perhaps the Crown Prince of Buyeo...

who saved you from peril?

Crown Prince Geum Wa of Buyeo is already married...

and even has a son.

Even if you have feelings for him,

you cannot become his concubine.

Who said I had feelings for him?

I have served you for long enough.

I can tell by the look in your eye.

Crown Prince Geum Wa is apparently very good-looking.

I said stop.

It is a body, My Lady!

My Lady!

We must check to see if he is still breathing.

Gosh, My Lady!

What are you doing? Come and help!

Okay. My gosh.

Hurry!

Just tell them I am not coming.

If you do not listen, they will come and take you themselves.

Tell my father...

that I will rather die than be forced to marry.

My Lady!

Yu Hwa.

Father.

What is this medicine?

My dear. Are you feeling ill?

If I think of getting married, I feel dizzy and weak in the knees,

even when I have been taking medicine.

Father, I might really die at this rate.

Father.

Did you think I would fall for it...

if you pretended to be ill with medicine brewing here?

Your sister acted like you too, but she is living well now.

How long will you hold out like this?

One hundred sacks of salt is enough for our tribe to live off of for a year.

Your husband will be here in ten days.

If you do not come down from the mountain before then,

I will no longer consider you my daughter. Do what you will.

Let us go.

My Lady.

Oh, my. The medicine!

Oh, that's hot!

(Habaek Tribe Village)

Chief.

What is this shipment?

It is a shipment of 100 sable and leopard skins each...

going from Yangmaekguk to Haeginguk.

It is a long way.

How much will you be getting in shipping costs?

When we arrive in Haenginguk, we will be receiving 20 jewels.

- Guild leader Hwang. - Yes, Chief.

There is no need to bring back jewels.

Receive the payment in salt.

And before you are told otherwise,

receive all shipping costs in salt.

However, Lady Yu Hwa's husband will be bringing salt...

once they are wed, will he not?

Do not question me. Just do as I say.

Yes, Chief.

Will you listen to Lady Yu Hwa's wishes?

I did as I wished with two of my daughters.

I want to let Yu Hwa do as she wants, at least.

Then why did you tell her what you did earlier?

It is not any fun to give her what she wants so easily.

I should make her worry a little.

I will not complain if he looks half as good as this man.

He looks like an absolute pig.

Why are you laughing?

Then did you save this man because he was good-looking?

You wretched girl.

This man is not good-looking either.

But he is manly, is he not?

Then when this man wakes up,

you should insist to the Chief that he is the man you will marry.

Crown Prince Geum Wa is already married and unavailable,

but you might be able to marry him.

Sure, I was going to anyway, so just be quiet.

Thank you.

I do not know who you are,

but thank you for saving me.

Where are we now?

He is alive. He really came back to life.

My Lady. He is asking where we are now.

Oh, this is Habaek Village.

You have been unconscious for three days.

I saved your life.

It is so fascinating. He really came back to life!

I helped too, did I not?

But how did you...

It is here. I found you here.

Where does this river lead if I follow it upstream?

You will reach the upstream.

Are there any rivers that flow into this one?

In the middle, the Biryu River flows into it.

And if you follow that upstream, you reach the Dongga River.

If you go upstream on the Dongga River...

Yes. That is enough.

Did you get swept down here all the way from the Dongga River?

I think so.

Oh, my goodness. How did you manage to come all the way here alive?

I am sorry.

Did you say your name was Lady Yu Hwa?

Yes.

I have a favor to ask of you.

Could you find a horse for me?

What? Will you leave now?

- Yes. - You cannot.

I will repay you for your kindness. Please help me.

I do not think you will repay my kindness.

You have not even told me your name when I saved your life.

No good will come of knowing my name.

But I know your name and where you live.

So I will be sure to repay you for your kindness.

I cannot trust you.

If you want to repay me, do it now before you leave.

I have nothing I can give you right now.

There is.

You want me to tell the Chief of Habaek that I will marry you?

Yes.

I do not have any wealth to offer you,

nor do I have the luxury of joining your family and working for them.

It will only be for a while.

If you say that you will bring 150 sacks of salt in 15 days and marry me,

that man who looks like a pig will...

I mean... The marriage proposal from that man will be canceled.

You can leave then.

And after that?

After that, I will tell my father the truth.

What can he do? The marriage proposal will already be canceled.

How will you handle the consequences?

It is better than living my whole life with that pig.

My Lady.

You cannot determine a man's character based on just his looks.

But that man has a bad reputation,

and he bought my father's favor with 100 sacks of salt.

If it was someone like General Hae Mo Soo...

If it was him, I would not care about his looks.

I have never met him,

but he is someone who is dedicated to saving the wanderers.

Even if he had one eye, it would not matter.

Someone like Hae Mo Soo...

is too dangerous.

You should never meet him...

or develop feelings for him.

He would not even care about me. I was just giving you an example.

So what will you do? Will you help me out?

What is it?

Oh, my!

My Lady, that is my injured arm.

Right.

Hello, Chief.

Is there some good news?

I think there will be good news for you, Chief.

For me? What do you mean?

You should hear this joyous news yourself.

You will soon.

I must meet the chief of Gwanna...

about their shipment.

- Be prepared. - Yes, Chief.

Chief!

They are...

My Lady!

My Lady.

I will go now and tell him that I have someone to wed.

My Lady. Please!

Out of my way!

He will be furious with you.

My Lady. Please do not do this.

My Lady!

Gosh. My Lady!

Are these all of your people?

Yes.

He is not here.

Who are those soldiers?

Hae Mo Soo has been injured in the shoulder.

If you discover him or his body, you will receive a big reward.

However, if anyone is found hiding him,

this tribe will be decimated.

That will never happen.

If we see anyone we do not recognize, we will be sure to let you know.

Could it be?

Let us go back.

Let us go.

It does not concern us.

Do not worry and go back to your homes.

If you see anyone you do not recognize, let us know immediately.

As long as we do that, we will not be harmed in any way.

- Go on home. - Yes, Chief.

Why are you standing there?

Chief. I have something to tell you.

Why are you only telling me that now?

I only thought he was Lady Yu Hwa's lover.

I am sorry.

There is no way every injured man is Hae Mo Soo.

I also hope so, but what if...

Get him here this instant. We will question him.

I have thought of that too,

but if that man really is Hae Mo Soo,

my men and I will not be a match to him...

despite his injury.

If we let him go and the rumor spreads,

our tribe will surely be decimated.

Then what can we do?

We must tell the steel-armed troops of the Han Dynasty quickly.

Then we will have done our duty of reporting the stranger,

and even if we let him get away,

that will be the responsibility of the steel-armed troops.

Hae Mo Soo is the hero of the Joseon wanderers.

Must we turn him over ourselves when we should be helping him?

Chief.

Our tribe might be wiped out.

What is going on?

Are you Hae Mo Soo?

You are General Hae Mo Soo, are you not?

I am not.

I think you are mistaken.

Then what about the injury to your shoulder?

You said you came here from the Dongga River.

I was crossing the river when I got swept away by the current.

I hit my shoulder against a rock.

What on earth is going on?

The steel-armed troops of the Han came to the village.

They said they would decimate the tribe if we hid General Hae Mo Soo.

They said General Hae Mo Soo had an injury to his shoulder.

You should get going.

What is your name?

I am called Lee Kyung Saeng.

I am sorry for the unnecessary commotion.

You should rest.

The steel-armed troops of the Han came to the village.

They said they would decimate the tribe if we hid General Hae Mo Soo.

What are you thinking about so deeply?

I had hoped...

that man was General Hae Mo Soo.

What?

What do you mean by that?

If you hide Hae Mo Soo,

the tribe will be wiped out.

Even while knowing that my tribe will be wiped out,

my heart raced the whole time I ran through the mountains.

I hoped the man whose life I saved...

was General Hae Mo Soo.

Do you really have feelings for that man?

Why him of all people?

He is just a wanderer.

If the Chief finds out, you will be in big trouble!

I should get some sleep.

Why am I being like this?

- Who is it? - Oh, my!

I have no regrets.

Please get revenge for my tribesmen...

and my father who died a wrongful death.

You must do so.

You must.

That man is Hae Mo Soo.

From the first moment I saw her at the Hyeonto Commandery,

she shook me up heart and soul.

You must not...

keep Lady Yu Hwa by your side.

Do not worry.

I have already sent them to the Damul Army's mountain fort.

If Hae Mo Soo founds his own country after defeating the Han,

he will surely dream of...

carrying on the legacy of Joseon and a unified empire.

After I lead the war against the Han to victory,

I will pray to the skies to let me...

carry on our union until my life comes to an end.

They are not wanderers.

If you do not tell me your name,

I will tell you mine instead.

My name is Ju Mong.

(Subtitles are provided by KOCOWA.)