Original subtitles

I heard you were looking for me, High Commander.

Why...?

That is what I'd like to know.

Why are your troops absent from the training?

Pardon?

Sir...

It is routine training that delivers the soldiers from perilous situations.

I'm sure you know that.

Of course, sir.

Then where are your men?

Assemble your men at once! I will discipline them myself!

Na Dae-yong, you idiot!

Why are we being punished?

We didn't even know that there was a training exercise!

There's only one person that deserves punishment!

Move it!

Move together! Must I make you crawl all night to teach you a lesson?

Count!

One! One!

Goodness! Is that who I think it is?

Is Commandant Yi being punished with his troops!

He's gone too far.

First he flogs us in front of our men, and now he's punishing a commander

with his recruits!

How are we supposed to control our men?

The commanders are responsible for the errors of their men.

His entire unit didn't show up for the training.

You can't blame the high commander for his rage.

Nok-do, Sado, Bang-dap and the main unit will conduct a sail drill, and

Soon-chun, Nak-an and the rest of the units will remain on land and conduct

an adaptation training.

Your goal is to make a round trip from the headquarters to Dotsan Island in

the shortest time possible.

A reward will be waiting for the unit that comes in first,

but night training and drudgery will await those that fall behind.

Board immediately and prepare to launch!

All aboard! All aboard!

Heave-ho! Heave-ho!

Sir, you don't have to worry.

I guarantee that our ship will come in first!

You are dismissed.

Trust me!

Lt. Na!

Yes?

Don't do anything. I don't want you to think or do anything.

Keep your thoughts to yourself and just follow my orders!

Sir...!

Do you know what I want you to do right now?

I want you to get out of my sight.

And stay out of my sight! That's the only thing I'm permitting you to do.

Is that clear?

We're at the lead! Keep it up!

Push! Pull! Push! Pull!

Don't just use your arms; use your whole body!

Right archers, ready!

Fire?

Archers position!

Ready!

Fire!

Faster! Row faster!

Push, pull, push, pull!

Keep up the tempo and use your body!

We're at the very end for heaven sakes!

It's like dancing! There's a rhythm to this!

I swear, if we come in last, I'm leaving you all!

Commander, the main unit and Nok-do unit are already at Dolsan Island!

What?!

It's hopeless. We're a bunch of losers...

We're at the end! We're going to finish last!

It's all the same if we don't come in first. We'll all be punished.

But if we come in last, we'll get the worst punishment!

Hey fellows, listen to me! There is a way for us to win this race!

I think you should just sit down, Lieutenant.

Or the commander will throw a fit again.

We're going to finish last at this rate anyway. What have you got to lose?

Left oars forward! Right oars rearward!

What the heck. Why are we turning around?

Oh no! We're going to crash!

What happened?

Sir...!

What did you do? Why did you turn the ship around without my permission?

Lt. Na said we could come in first if we...

What?!

All we have to do is to go to Dolsan and come back, right?

So I thought it would be much faster to do an about face instead of making

a wide turn...

I ordered you not to do anything!

How dare you defy your superior's command!

Row the opposite direction! Yes, the opposite direction!

Left oars forward, right oars backward!

Faster! Faster! Yes, that's it! Push! Pull! Push! Pull!

I'm going to change my slogan! "Let go for the first place!"

Yes, you got it! We're going to win this thing!

Victory is sweet! Yes! Whoopee!

Oh, my head! It's not easy to be a winner.

Hurray! Whoopee! We're going to win!

I'm not even going to order you to reflect on your mistakes.

You're not worth it. From this moment on, you're not a soldier!

That's true.

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Chung-hyan.

I'm told your poetry is brilliant.

They say you're the best in the capital city.

I'm afraid my poems have been overrated by those who look upon me

with kindness.

My work is nothing compared to yours, my lord.

There're the Farewell Songs that depict the eight vista points of

Kwan-dong, but I really took the two "Ode to Beauty" to heart.

You took Advisor Chung's Ode to Beauty to heart?

Have you lost a lover recently?

Does that mean that a woman cannot admire the King, my lord?

Goodness!

Have you fathomed that the Ode to Beauty is about loyalty to the King?

Are here any other Ode to Beauty, my lord?

Is His Majesty the only beauty that you long for?

That's an audacious question! One cannot serve two masters.

You must know that it is treason to serve two Kings.

How could it be treason if the other master you seek to serve is the heir

to the throne?

Lord Kim Jong-suh served three masters from King Sae-jong to Mun-jong to his

son Dan-jong?

Although I wish he hadn't served Dan-jong...

I have a feeling you're try to tell us something.

If a jealous uncle poisons his nephew, what will a jealous father do?

What are you trying to allude to?

To whom do you direct these audacious words?

My lord, if there is another beauty you wish to worship, perhaps you

should first consider how your current beauty feels.

Love in excess is poison.

I'd like you to select the Crown Prince's consort, Prime Minister.

Your Grace...!

A bride for my son Shin-sung.

I am well aware of Prince Shin-sung's erudition, but...

Praise him for his loyalty to the King, not for his erudition.

For his unconditional loyalty and obedience.

May I take that to mean that the Prince has His Majesty's approval?

Of course, Prime Minister.

My son Shin-sung is unlike the insolent Prince Kwang-hae who

attempts to outshine his father.

Introduce yourself. This is Prince Kwang-hae.

My name is Aewol.

She has yet been deflowered.

It would be an honor she will never forget if you would spend the night with her.

Madam, I am here to see Minister Yu?

Your Highness, please lower your voice.

There're ears listening.

Are you referring to my father's men?

Your Highness, please...

Did Minister Yu put you up to this? Did he say that I must appear to be

lost and self-indulgent so to put my father at ease?

He must've said I mustn't fall out of His Majesty's favor,

or I'll ruin my chances of ascending to the throne!

Your Highness...

But I am a scholar before I am a prince!

And preserving my dignity is more important to me than inheriting

the throne I will not resort to cheap tricks to deceive the King that I serve!

Deliver this message to Minister Yu! I am greatly disappointed with him!

He will not resort to cheap tricks to deceive the King that he serves?

Is that what Kwang-hae said?

Yes, Your Majesty.

Yes, that's Kwang-hae. That's Kwang-hae alright.

That is why the court ministers sing such high praise of him.

I have a wonderful son!

But...

that's what makes him so dangerous.

Why can't he be flexible?

He must learn to compromise and bend a little...

You are the same way, my lord.

And I hope Prince Kwang-hae stays just the way he is,

with his uncompromising dignity.

So do I, but he can't survive if he falls out of His Majesty's favor.

Politics is cruel. If His Majesty starts to distrust Prince Kwang-hae,

his every move will be seen as treason.

This is a surprise.

I never expected you to pay me a visit.

You must send me to the southern coast.

That is what I have come to tell you.

Great warrior Won Kyun soliciting a favor?

My man, you must be a bit more humble when you're asking for a favor.

That is if you want to win the favor.

I'm not here to solicit favors.

I'm here to let you know that it is in your best interest and the best

interest of the state to send me to southern front.

If you care about the safety of Chosun, that is.

Send me to the southern coast. I must go to the front.

There're two enemies I must defeat.

One is the Japanese, and the other?

Yi Soon-shin.

Yi Soon-shin?

Behind Yi Soon-shin is your political enemy Yu Sung-ryong.

If I destroy Yi Soon-shin, you'd reap the benefits as well.

Isn't that so?

My man, you're finally doing your math!

Very well, I will see what I can do.

You want to remove Lt. Na Dae-yong from service?

Yes, sir.

This is Lt. Na's evaluation report.

From weapon maintenance and recruit management to record keeping,

he has been negligent in all aspects of his duty since the first day he was assigned.

I can no longer keep him under my command.

Very well, I will review it.

Weapons are your life! How could you be so negligent in their maintenance?

You have one night. I want all of them spit-shined like new! Is that clear?

Yes, sir!

Our objective is to go to Dolsan Island and come back, right?

I thought it would be quicker to do an about face instead of making a wide turn.

Na Dae-yong...

You're glad you're being discharged?

Don't be absurd! Gosh, when Lord Na finds out about this...!

It's not like I quit.

Father won't say anything when I tell him that I got canned.

I'm going to go to Naju shipyard when I get kicked out of here.

Sir!

Unbok, I don't like being a lieutenant.

I don't like being a nobleman either.

Don't complain about being too full to a starving man!

I'd give anything to be a nobleman?

I didn't mean to upset you. I really didn't.

Do you remember? I think I was about seven. I had built a boat.

Do I remember? You dragged me on that boat and got me almost killed?

But I still can't forget that moment...

the moment I got on the boat that I built with my own hands...

Sir...!

I didn't want to disappoint my parents, so I took the military service exam

and became a military officer, but I feel uncomfortable like

I'm in someone else's clothes.

To be honest, it scares me to fire arrows and swing swords.

I wish I had been born a humble shipwright's son...

Unbok, I want to live my life building ships.

If I could build a truly unique ship, one of a kind ship that no one else

can make, that would be even better.

When can I expect the shipment of rice?

Today is the 5th, so I will have it delivered by the 7th.

I don't want any delays.

Of course not.

Well then...

Three days...

I have to get rid of that wench somehow, but now Mujik is in this too...

I have no other choice if I don't want any loose ends.

Are you all right?

Hong.

Try to understand Chun-su. Don't be angry with him.

He goes around acting crazy about money, but I'm sure he doesn't

like this either.

He can't be feeling good about keeping us locked up like this.

Don't bother me and worry about yourself.

It's over for me.

Yim Chun-su that bastard, would sell his own family to the devil for money.

And he knows he can't get anything keeping me alive.

No, that's not true. Chun-su is not as heartless as you think.

I know him. He's just pretending to be tough and heartless.

He's had a hard life.

I guess all peasants have a story to tell,

but his is really heartbreaking.

His father was flogged to death, he's been stepped on and kicked

at all his life without a soul in the world to turn to.

So how is he going to survive in thus cruel world if he doesn't act tough and

cruel himself?

So don't worry. We're his family. And he wouldn't kill his own family.

No, he wouldn't. He couldn't.

Sennorikyu made the best tea...

Was he a man of strength or was he a coward?

Your Highness, I fear his death has deeply hurt you...

Isn't that why you are so despondent?

Rikyu was my teacher, and your uncle Lord Nobunaga revered him as well.

His seppuku must've been devastating to you as well.

He opposed the expansion of the land that our son Tsurumatsu will rule in the future.

I have no reason to feel upset.

Now I must find a new companion to replace Rikyu...

Your Highness, General Kato and General Wakizaka requested see you.

They bring Master Jotai with them.

Is this true? Jotai is here?

You're here simply to play a game of Go?

Yes, Your Highness.

I've asked you to be my tactician... no, I ordered you!

I am a disciple of Buddha. Your authority cannot be compared with his.

Master, you are before the Imperial Regent!

You Highness, let us take him back. His audacious tone is intolerable!

I will not change my mind. I can be nothing more than

a companion for a game of Go when you are idle.

Well, I can live with that.

Shall we start then?

I have been defeated, Master!

Master?

From this moment forward, this humble monk will serve you as my master!

I'm surprised.

What made you change your mind?

I was testing you when I challenged you to a game of Go.

Your dare attempt to test me?

Does that enrage you? But I had no choice.

If I am to serve you as my master, I must place the almighty Buddha

below you.

Then have I passed your test?

Only a man of great confidence places the first stone in the center.

The fact that you placed the first stone in the center knowing that I am

the best Go player in Japan means that you have the confidence to suppress

me not with this game but with your mind.

You are indeed a man of great fortitude. I am deeply moved!

I will be your servant.

You will be my servant?

If my service is needed in your conquest of the world.

Then I guess I must present you with a gift in honor of this occasion.

I had given Rikyu a tea bowl, so perhaps jeweled Go stones would

be appropriate for you.

I do not need Go stones, Your Highness.

Give me your most treasured sword instead.

A monk wants to possess a sword?

I am now your servant before I am a monk.

Seisho Jotai... He seems to have been an influential figure in Japanese

Buddhist Community who was actively pro-war. This is evidence in the fact

that he drafted Hideyoshi's arrogant correspondence to the royal court of

Chosun, and in the fact that in 1592, he traveled to Nagoya from where the

war against Chosun was launched, and motivated the troops with a radical

manifesto.

Like this, Toyotomi Hideyoshi was preparing for the war with full force

eliminating peace-lover Sennorikyu and taking in pro-war activist like

Seisho Jotai.

The coast of Left Cholla requires minimum of 30 battleships.

However, we only have 15 in operating condition in 5 ports and 5 garrisons.

Hence we must quickly begin to build new warships.

Dir. Cho has suggested that we change the design of the new ships,

and I'd like your input.

You may begin.

Yes, sir.

This is a diagram of our flat-roof ships.

The most obvious feature of our flat-roof ships

is that they are flat-bottom ships.

Another thing I must point out is the high width and length ratio.

In other words, our ships are relatively wide.

Flat-bottom boats are shallow draft vessels, which means only a small part

of the ship is submerged in water.

That puts pressure on the body of the ship

against the force of the water and slows it down.

The high width and length ratio has a similar effect.

These are two crucial factors that slow down our ships.

Considering that speed is one of the most important features of battleships,

we can say that these are fatal flaws.

Now let us look at "V" bottom ships.

They are sketches compiled from literatures about Japanese and Ming

merchant vessels.

Both Japanese and Ming vessels are "V" bottom ships.

"V" Bottom ships have deeper draft.

And width and length ration is lower compared to our ships.

This makes their boats much faster than ours.

Are you proposing that we build "V" bottom warships from now on?

Yes, it's reasonable to say that these are more advance designs.

It's time that our ships undergo a transformation as well.

It is true that speed has always been a problem with our ships in fighting

off the Japanese pirates.

But this is an entirely different design. Do we have enough time?

Wooden nails have always been used in ship building, but I am contemplating

the idea of using metal nails. Then we can cut the time by...

Do you really think that's going to work?

Use metal-nails to build ships?

You're not talking about building these ships for our navy, I hope.

I ordered you to solitary confinement!

How dare you walk in here and interrupt a meeting!

I suppose you could build a stronger ship quicker with metal nails.

But ships are made for the sea, and guess what? Metal hates saltwater!

Metal will slowly rust, and the ship will deteriorate.

Leave this room at once!

No, that won't be necessary.

High commander!

I called for him.

But why?

Do continue.

And the "V" bottom boats are not suitable for our waters.

Take a look.

Our coastline is rough and jagged. On top of that, the tide is very capricious.

Imagine getting stuck on the beach at low tide.

Some mudflats stretch over two miles! Imagine you couldn't get out on time.

The ship will fall flat on the side and crack into pieces.

We can anchor them safely in the harbor.

I don't know much about battles, but who is to say they battles

will only occur near a harbor?

There is another reason why "V" bottom boats are unsuitable.

Battleships are unlike merchant ships or ferries.

Forward speed is most important when you're simply transporting goods or

people from one place to another. But battleships are different.

There's no guarantee that the enemy will only come from ahead.

What if they appear from behind you?

You have to turn the ship around quickly to fight the enemy.

But "V" bottom boats are deeply submerged in water and turning it

around becomes a daunting task.

And chances are the ship will be captured before we can fight.

Am I wrong?

And if the front of the ship is pointy, we'd have to give up on the idea of

installing frontal guns.

Yes, there will be no stability.

By the way, are you intent on installing guns on the ships as well?

Yes, I intend to install ten to twenty guns on each ships.

Then I guess you'd want high width to length ratio.

You need wider deck for the sailors to move around, and you'll need room for

explosives and ammunition.

What do you think, Dir. Cho?

Both the flat bottoms and "V" bottoms have their advantages, but I think we

need to consider everything that Lt. Na pointed out before we decide

on the design.

He has a point about metal nails.

What are your opinions?

When the first flat-roof ships were built, they were built specifically

for naval gun shooting.

If we are going to carry out sea battles, our ships must

to be designed to hold frontal and side guns safely and securely.

I agree about building a ship suitable for our coast line.

Variables always exist in battles.

We can't secure a safe anchorage all the time.

It is true that here is a problem with speed, but I think it is best

that we preserve the shape of the hull as they are.

What do you think, Dir. Cho?

Perhaps I did not think through this thoroughly.

No, your proposal was a sound one.

We should all take note of the fact that our ships may not be as fast as

the enemy's.

And it is our job to figure out a way to overcome our weakness

during combat.

Forgive me, sir.

This meeting is adjourned.

Commander Yi, Lieutenant Na, I'd like a word with you.

Yes, sir.

Commander Yi, I cannot keep Lt. Na in your unit.

I couldn't agree more, sir.

But I can't dismiss him either.

I'd like to put him in charge of operations at the military shipyard.

Really, sir?

I oppose, sir!

Your oppose?

This man does not deserve to be in a uniform.

How can we keep him in the base?

I guess we differ on that issue.

Combat soldiers are not the only men that we need on a naval station.

This man must be punished for the damages he has caused this station!

A flaw can become a blessing depending on the situation.

With all due respect sir, you are pushing your luck!

When will you stop granting these outrageous promotions?

Commander Yi!

I cannot accept this... no. I refuse to accept it!

I don't intend to take back my command!

And I don't intend to defy your command either.

I will resign from service!

Sir!

Very well. Turn in your resignation. It will be approved.

Commander Yi.

I don't need you to comfort me, Constable Kwon.

My man.

It's a punk lieutenant. He's making a second class third rank military

commander resign from duty to keep a punk lieutenant.

Can't you try to understand the high commander?

Understand what? How can possibly understand this?

I don't remember making any major mistakes in all of my years as a

military officer.

Service by proxy and payment by proxy is a custom.

A significant portion of military expense has been paid for by those

payments, so you can't call that a crime.

And when my men made mistakes, I always assumed the responsibility.

I didn't have to, but I did because that is what a warrior should...

Leave me alone.

I wasn't planning to ramble on about this. I probably look pathetic.

I know how dedicated you have been to your duty.

It's all over. It's too late to turn back.

I will resign. I'll disappear for him.

But, I'm not done with him.

Commander Yi.

The high commander is the wrong man for this job! He is doing everything wrong!

And I will do whatever it takes to prove that no matter how long it takes!

Lt. Song! Lt. Song!

I will patrol the grounds once I'm done reviewing these records,

so be ready.

I've told Lt. Song to retire and rest for the night, sir.

Constable Kwon.

He's become quite ill with fatigue following you around day and night.

High commander! Sir!

Sir, please rest for the evening. You really should.

I must patrol the grounds.

I must check the armory and keep the sentinels alert.

Sir!

There is no telling when the enemy will attack.

Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow... No, it could even be tonight.

If they do, we will be defeated.

The entire organization must shift to a war-footing.

Even if we move without eating or sleeping, we may not be able to win.

I think you're right.

But not one of the warriors feels the threat and danger!

They are either stuck on formalities, full of themselves or just plain lazy!

There is not one man I can rely on.

I can count on you, can't I?

You're the only one who quietly follows my orders.

Perhaps I am, sir.

Help me. You're the only one I can turn to.

If you give me your command, I will obey it.

But if you ask me to serve you from my heart, I refuse.