Original subtitles

Can the army stop the advancing Japanese?

If I disband the navy and bring all military power into the army,

do we have a chance?

Why won't you answer?

Answer my question!

Victory cannot be guaranteed, Your Majesty.

What?

All I can say is that we will fight to the death.

Are you aware that Yi Soon-shin is refusing to disband the navy?

Yes.

He wants to stop the enemy at sea.

Is it possible?

I believe he has declared his noble will.

Declared his noble will?

There are 120.000 Japanese troops.

That is ten times the size of the entire military force of Chosun.

We all know that if we could manage to cut off the enemy's

sea route, we would have a chance at turning this war around.

But?

But it is only a dream that is impossible to achieve.

Our navy will be up against hundreds of enemy war vessels.

How could a fleet of 12 defeat them?

The army can't guarantee victory and the navy doesn't stand the chance.

Is that it?

Infinite regrets, Your Majesty...

Then my fate has been decided.

I will be the ruler of a ruined state.

May death be my punishment, Your Majesty...

I still have twelve ships left.

If you must disband the navy, take my life first with this sword.

If the navy is dissolved, the sea will be lost,

and if the sea is lost the country will be lost.

Very well. Disband the navy if you must. But not today.

The day that my fleet is defeated, let the navy be disbanded that day.

The situation has become even worse.

But his answer has not changed...

For as long as I am alive, I will fight the enemy and win.

And if I must die,

I will die on the battlefield as the enemy of the enemy.

No, he has become even more cocky and arrogant!

For as long as I am alive, the enemy will not have this sea.

Your Majesty!

Cocky bastard!

Twelve ships... That's all he has!

Everyone says it's impossible.

They all say that he can't win!

What makes him so sure of himself?

I wrote because I had no one else to turn to,

but I have made you empty your barns...

Forgive me, Cousin...

Don't worry. You have done this many times yourself.

I know that your stipends rarely went to providing for your family.

Myon went to greater trouble than I did.

He collected iron going around Asan and neighboring towns,

found a ship for us, ans convinced the captain

to bring us all the way out here.

Well then, I will take a quick tour of the camp.

How is your mother?

She is fine.

I know it's not easy for her.

She has never had a day of peace since she became a soldier's wife...

I wonder if I will ever have a chance to make it up to her.

I'm just glad you are warm and affectionate son.

Father...

Until the day this war ends and I am back at home,

is your job to comfort your mother and keep her safe.

Can you do it?

Don't worry, Father...

This should be more than enough for ten feet, sir.

We are almost there. We should be able to complete it soon.

How about the women?

We gave them the instructions, so they should have started by now.

Good. Tell them to hurry.

Yes, sir.

High Commander Won, I don't know about other things,

but Admiral Yi certainly is gifted in one area...

seducing the people and turning them blind.

But all of this is useless.

Once the King says no, it's over.

You wouldn't make a traitor out of the admiral again, would you?

We don't know what kind of decision His Majesty will make.

Commander Kwon, do you really think

that the admiral's crazy letter is going to change the King's mind?

We will have to wait and see.

Leave the navy intact and let the

Supreme Commander Yi Soon-shin fight according to his will.

Father!

I had ordered the navy disbanded out of concern for its safety,

but Yi Soon-shin has responded with assurance of victory.

How could I reject such praiseworthy loyalty?

I just wish there was a way

to help my faithful warriors facing a difficult battle.

Your grace is immeasurable, Your Majesty.

I just can't figure out what His Majesty wants.

Why do you look so glum?

I think this is the best decision His Majesty made in recent times.

Brother!

His Majesty has nothing to gain by bringing Yi Soon-shin down

when Yi Soon-shin is saying that he couId defeat the enemy at sea.

Imagine if things got worse.

The public would blame the King and his decision to dissolve the navy.

This is an impossible fight.

But attempts have to be made to stop the enemy from advancing.

Yi Soon-shin is the one who assured us he could win,

so he would take all the blame for the defeat.

But what if...

What if he wins?

Supreme Commander Yi Soon-shin is looking for a place to die.

Yi Soon-shin would not speak in haste.

This is an impossible fight. You know that, and that's why...

I supported the navy's dissolution after carefully examining the

situation at the front and concluding that the navy could not prevail.

I was also certain that Yi Soon-shin would make the

same decision if he felt that the navy could not win.

But Yi Soon-shin has sent a missive predicting victory.

And the Yi Soon-shin I know would never push his men into a battle

that he could not win just to save his honor.

He is indeed fighting against overwhelming odds, but the

progress of this war would take a dramatic turn if he prevailed.

Let us ask ourselves what we can do to help, General Kwon.

Minister Yu...

Junju Fort, the heart of Cholla Province,

has fallen on the 26th of last month.

The Japanese army is quickly advancing north,

and the Japanese naval forces which accompanied the army

has gone back south to prepare an advance through the sea route.

What have you learned? Where are the Japanese now?

They've already crossed the borders of Cholla and entered Gong-ju.

I must return to the front immediately

and stop the enemy's advance with Yi Shi-on.

I want you to meet with the Ming generals.

You must convince them and send them to Choong-chung Province.

There is no way we can stop the Japanese

with General Kwon and Yi Shi-on's army alone.

They want women and wine or they won't go to battle?

Send an appeal to the Ming court at once!

Tell him that to send real warriors, not ignorant beasts!

Minister...

The Emperor is well aware that

Ming is not safe if Chosun should fall.

Perhaps we should prepare a small banquet for them and assuage them.

No! And if that doesn't work

tell them that we will join forces with the nomads!

They already know that the nomads have been offering aid since 1592.

The thought of us joining hands with the nomads

should make them very uncomfortable.

The water is relatively calm because it's neap tide.

I don't expect miracles, but

I hope that the enemy fails to investigates the waters

of Myongryang, and proceeds to move west during neap tide.

Let us proceed west without further delay.

We've captured Junju fort.

Cholla Province is completely annexed,

so next is the capital city where the King is.

Let us, the Navy, quickly proceed through the sea route and put

our flag in the capital city before the army does.

Yes, we must. We can set out tomorrow.

That is not a good idea, General Dodo.

General Wakizaka...

Yi Soon-shin has sealed off a channel narrower than Kyunneryang

and he is waiting for us to move west.

If we move the fleet without a plan, we will suffer losses as well.

You cannot go to battle without expecting some degree of losses.

I'm not prepared to do that.

I don't want any of my men killed or any or my ships destroyed.

I agree, General.

You are?

I am Gurujima Michihusa, General.

I've come to slay the naval leader of Chosun Yi Soon-shin

who took my brother's life.

What did you find at the enemy camp? Is it as you had expected?

Yes, General.

Well, then you should be able

to defeat Yi Soon-shin with your men alone.

We will just sit back and watch.

Of course.

This is Myongryang.

The channel is extremely narrow.

Geographically, this location is unfavorable to us

and favorable to the enemy.

But there is a weapon hidden here

that is stronger than any guns or battleships in the waters.

A weapon stronger than guns or battleships?

It is the current.

The waters of Myongryang is

faster than any other area on the southwest coast.

It's a phenomenon that occurs in the process of tremendous amount

of water moving through the narrow channel back into the open sea.

The current is the fiercest during springtide

when the water level is highest.

And in the hours of high tide, just keeping the ship steady

near the channel will become impossible

let alone fighting against the torrent.

When is that time, sir?

On the full moon of every month at 9 to 11 a.m., sir.

9 to 11 a.m....

So if we pass the channel precisely at that time,

we will ram through the enemy like a gust of wind?

That's right, sir.

I was able discern the features of Myongryang with ease because

it is similar to Shikoku, the home of the Gurujima navy.

I have watched the enemy camp for over ten days since arriving here,

so you need not doubt my judgment.

Then we will wipe out Yi Soon-shin's fleet at Myongryang

on the full moon of next month!

If the enemy figured out the special features of Myongryang...

They will attempt to cross it on the full moon of next month.

Are you intent on sending your fleet into waters

where the ships may not even be able to stay afloat?

Begin training your men even more rigorously.

Two hours when the current is the fastest and roughest...

Victory and defeat depends on whether or not we can

endure those two hours.

Admiral...

I know that this will not be an easy battle.

But remember that this is the best option this country has.

Good job.

There couldn't be a greater honor for us.

Not all men have the privilege

of making the sword that the admiral will use.

Well, keep up the good work.

"One sweep stains the mountains and rivers with blood."

The truth is I didn't want to put

any ornamental engravings on my sword anymore.

It was the earnest desires of the swordsmiths

to engrave the words that bears your spirit.

But...

it is a huge task, Admiral...

It's an appropriate name for a man with the duty to stop a war.

The ocean is too large to stain with the enemy's blood.

The enemy is just as large.

Commander Yi...

I hope you will not have a sword with a name like mine.

Is the admiral in his right mind?

No matter how hard we prepare and train,

the slightest misstep can send the whole crew into...

There's nothing we can do now whether this is insane or not.

High Commander Bae...

His Majesty has withdrawn his order to dissolve the navy.

You live and die by orders in the military.

If we try to defy the admiral when the King has given him unrestricted

power to carry out this battle, we will be punished by death.

Unbelievable... This is unbelievable!

No one will suspect me now.

This is an impossible fight.

Everyone will be killed for certain!

High Commander Bae has deserted the camp?

He didn't show up for the training, so we went to his tent, and...

And he was gone? That no-good bastard!

You can't jump to conclusions just because we can't find him.

We're also missing a rescue craft from a Right Kyung-sang galley.

Watch guards saw Commander Bae urgently leaving the port, and

they just assumed he had urgent business to attend to.

I knew he would do this!

That's why I urged you to kill him when he ran off the first time!

Dispatch the provost guards and capture him immediately!

An officer has deserted camp, so he must be punished by death.

What's more important is

stopping this incident from causing confusion in the camp.

If any or your men are incited by this incident to desert camp,

you as their superior officers will be held responsible.

Maybe we should've quit when

the admiral asked us what we wanted to do.

We should've done no such thing!

An officer ran away because he was too afraid!

Why are you hovering around here? Shouldn't you be at training?

Get back to work, or you won't even be able to

dodge the enemy's bullets let alone wipe them out!

What are you waiting for?

Today is the 19th...

The enemy will attempt to pass Myongryang and head west

within the next three days.

How about the ships that are being led by inexperienced commanders?

We have assigned experienced lieutenants to assist them.

Lieutenant... Lieutenant!

Bastards! Heartless beasts!

We'll just have to pay them back, that's all.

We'll just have to pay them back...

Turn the ship around! We're going back to the base!

Lieutenant!

Increase speed! Retreat to Byukpajin at full speed!

Archers ready! Gunners ready!

Gunners ready!

Move it! Move it! Gunners ready!

The enemy will die for us on September 16,

at Myongryang straits...

We're going out to battle at last.

The enemy has at least 300 ships. That's many times our size.

Do not seek to live.

Only those who trust their comrades and fight to the death will live.

You will right your last words on the paper in front of you.

What you leave behind will be sent to your families before the battle.

If you can't write, ask someone who can,

or you can leave whatever you'd like to leave for your family.

Don't die. Please stay alive...

Tomorrow is the day...

If at all possible, Michihusa, capture Yi Soon-shin alive.

I can't do that, General.

I will cut off his head with my own hands.

He has done loo much to us to let him have it that easy.

I'm sure your deceased brother would agree.

We will make him suffer a slow and painful death.

We will kill him only after we have paid back every ounce of

humiliation and disgrace he has caused us. Is that understood?

Aye!

Get a tight grip on those oars!

One slip and the ship will be washed away!

Be strong! You can do it!

Admiral, it's the enemy.

Thirteen vessels...

Yi Soon-shin's great armada has only thirteen vessels...

I have known about it, but I

can't help feeling pity for them seeing them first hand.

Look at them in their pathetic battle formation.

I don't know it I should call him an idiot or admire his courage.

This would've been so much more fun if he had a larger fleet...

I guess I'll just have to be content getting rid of him with my own hands...

Wait for it, Yi Soon-shin...

Soon this sea will become your grave...

Send the signal to Gurujima!

Tell him to break through that pathetic battle line!

Aye!

It's the signal, General.

The time has come at last to avenge my brother's death.

Raise the flag.

Advance at full speed and wipe out the enemy fleet!

Aye!

Admiral, the enemy has increased speed.

Turn the ship around!

Pass through the channel at full speed!

Yes, sir! Raise the retreat flag!

Retreat! All ships retreat!

Turn the ship around!

Quickly! We don't have a second to waste!

Retreat!

Turn the ship around!

Left oars forward! Right oars rearward!

You want to lure us in?

Sure. You wouldn't be Yi Soon-shin

if you didn't have some kind of trick up your sleeves.

But this is an impossible fight no matter how hard you try,

because there is talent above talent.

Go around Jindo and strike Yi Soon-shin from the rear.

Trap them from behind and crush them!

Now! Crank up the chain!

Hurry! Hurry!

Gang-gang swirlae! Gang-gang swirlae!

Place the loom on the sky Gang-gang swirlae!

Catch a cloud and hang a carp Gang-gang swirlae!

Hurry! Hurry! Turn the wheel!

Faster! We must hurry!