Head Chief.
Head Chief!
Head Chief.
Please forgive us...
...for not serving you properly...
Forgive us
Be quiet
Shut your trap before I slit your throat.
What are you looking at?
Stop!
Pay your respects to the governor of Mujinju.
He's the best martial arts expert
in the Sajakeum division.
Fight him.
The governor knows everything about you,
what you did in the past and the crimes you have committed.
You will no longer be slaves who must work until death.
You will now be the governor's shadows.
You will be a member of his secret force,
and aid him in realizing his grand enterprise.
Will you give your life for the governor,
who has given you a second chance in life?
Yes!
Sit down.
Drink.
What is it you want right now?
I'll grant you anything you want.
Tell me.
It is to kill Jang Bogo.
If that's what you want, then go and kill him.
You may leave now.
Governor, Yum Moon is an extraordinary swordsman,
but he can't assassinate Jang Bogo.
Should anything go wrong when he goes to Chunghae,
it could bring harm to you.
He is not a reckless man
who would attempt an impossible task.
He must see for himself how the world has changed
in the past two years.
He can be reborn again only after he witnesses for himself
how much Jang Bogo's status has risen.
CHUNGHAE PRESENT DAY WANDO
Chunghae will become the gateway of Shilla.
It will also play the role of a military base
in charge of the safety of the southwestern seas.
Therefore, Chunghae Base will be organized as follows.
The Division of the Military, in charge of security,
the Division of Civil Affairs, in charge of trade,
and the Division of Public Affairs,
in charge of the welfare of the people.
Choi Moo-chang is appointed as commander
of the Division of the Military.
Captain Jung will be the division chief.
I will be in charge of the Division of Civil Affairs.
Chae-ryung will lead the Division of Public Affairs.
You and I have arrived at where we are today
after a very rough journey.
I believe all of you will become the owners of
Chunghae base and build our future together.
- You called for us? - Sit down.
Your wedding will take place on the fifth of next month.
We took the liberty of setting the date since we have known
about your feelings for each other for quite some time.
Since neither of you have any family,
I will be your sponsor,
and Lady Chae-ryung will sponsor Ha-jin.
How can you sponsor me when you're not married?
I can't get married before you do.
I feel the same way.
I can't get married before Lady Chae-ryung does.
Ha-jin, I wish to see you get married
and start a family.
I feel the same way.
I know how much you wanted a family of your own,
since you lost your parents at a young age.
So do not oppose our decision, and be prepared.
I was forced to say yes, but this just isn't right.
How can I get married before you do?
It's nothing to laugh at.
Soon-jong already has two children.
What good is a title and great wealth,
when you have no family to depend on?
Do you mean to live alone forever?
Do you still have feelings for Lady Jung-hwa?
Yon.
Yes.
You and I don't share a drop of blood,
but I never thought of you as anything other than family.
They say the heavens determine your family,
and I believe the heavens mandated our fate also.
I could endure those harsh years
because I had you by my side.
You have suffered much because of me.
Goong-bok.
There were times where I thought
I'd rather be dead,
but I never once blamed you.
I'd have gone to Hell with you.
You must shake off those thoughts now.
You must care for Ha-jin and your family,
more than you have cared for me until now.
You'll relieve me of this debt I owe you
by living happily.
Do you understand?
Yong-soo.
Where is that man from?
Is he from China or Japan?
He was speaking our language.
He was?
He doesn't look like a merchant...
He has a bad look about him.
- Yong-soo. - Yes, Head Chief.
He might cause trouble suddenly.
- Alert the security officers. - Yes.
Master Wang is expected to arrive shortly.
He is the biggest merchant in Shandong.
He is leading the group of merchants himself.
You should neglect nothing in his accommodations.
We're ready for him. Do not worry.
My lady.
We are being followed.
Do not look back. Continue walking.
Who are you?
Are you all right?
I'm fine. Please don't worry.
We are building a barricade along the shoreline.
Once it's complete, Chunghae will be a stronghold
that no pirate can penetrate.
We have also fortified security around the base.
We can't communicate with the people
if the wall is too high.
I understand what you are saying,
but nobles who oppose you could send assassins any day.
Should anything happen to you,
our goal will crumble.
Do not forget that your safety isn't
just your own personal concern.
Are you enlisting more troops?
We will hold a martial arts contest after Yon's wedding,
to enlist skilled martial arts experts.
He is guarded by too many soldiers.
You look beautiful.
What is this?
It is my wedding gift to you.
I will remain your security officer even after I'm wed.
I have no occasion to wear such fine jewelry.
I know how difficult it must have been for you
as a female security officer.
I wish you'd live a peaceful life
as Captain Jung's wife now.
My lady...
Who knew that tomboy was such a beauty?
Yon must have a great eye for women.
Head Chief.
The security around Chunghae base is as tight as
that of the imperial palace.
It is impossible to penetrate into the base.
It won't be easy to kill Jang Bogo at this time.
Bride, bow once.
Groom, bow once.
Bride and groom, bow together.
That was good.
His delayed wedding has weighed heavily on my heart.
I feel as if a heavy burden has been lifted off my chest.
It seems like only yesterday that you and Yon were brought
to the horse ranch.
Time sure flies.
All he has to show for himself is a hot temper...
I wonder if he knows what to do on the first night.
Maybe I should have taught him a few things.
You worry needlessly.
Did you need a lesson before your first night?
One doesn't need lessons in such things.
Is that right?
Why are you laughing?
What?
Ha-jin.
Yes.
Ever since I fell in love with you,
I've always felt hot.
Even when I was roaming the freezing battlefield,
the thoughts of you kept me warm.
I hope you won't feel cold or lonely either
as long as you are with me.
I won't.
I will care for you and protect you for life,
but I must serve the consul as well.
And I must fight with my life if he is in danger.
Can you understand that?
Yes.
I am one lucky man.
How did I end up with someone like you...?
My mother and father should have seen you...
They should have seen how pretty my bride is...
Are you crying?
Of course not.
Who's there?
Get them!
- Consul. - What's going on?
There were assassins.
What happened to them?
They couldn't penetrate into the headquarters,
and fled.
Who were they?
We couldn't identify them.
As your power grows, so will the number of your enemies.
Even if your interests do not lie in politics,
the nobles won't leave you alone.
As Chunghae expands, it won't be difficult for assassins
to enter Chungae disguised as merchants.
We must fortify security around the headquarters.
Governor.
Come in.
Did you kill Jang Bogo?
I knew you couldn't kill Jang Bogo.
Jang Bogo is no longer a man you can kill with a sword.
You must have harbored a sword in your heart
for the past two years,
but what you should kill now isn't Jang Bogo,
but your rage against him.
If you wish to kill Jang Bogo, you must change first.
I will give you a chance to kill Jang Bogo.
Will you follow me?
Yes.
Yum Moon, the leader of the pirates died two years ago.
Your name is no longer Yum Moon.
It is Yum Jang.
An hour has passed. What is going on?
But the ship is supposed to arrive today.
I don't know what's going on.
Master Hwang's merchant group was never late.
I have ordered a large shipment of silk
for this trade.
- Did you deliver my letter? - Yes.
They must have run into trouble during the voyage.
We should go back for now.
The place is filled with the smell of money.
The number of merchants comingto Chunghae
is increasing rapidly.
We would make a fortune if we levied five coins
from every ship that docks here.
But we're not charging them anything...
We have spent a small fortune on expanding
and building facilities for merchants.
We must make up for it by collecting tax.
It may seem as if we are incurring a big loss now,
but we'll turn a bigger profit once commerce flourishes.
I believe the consul made the right decision
in abolishing the tax.
Where is that ship from?
Judging by the flags,
it must be a merchant ship from Chang'an.
That man is...
- Consul Jang. - What is it?
Master Hwang, the biggest merchant in Chang'an
just arrived in Chunghae Harbor.
Master Hwang is leading his merchant group himself.
He wishes to trade with you.
As you must know,
Master Hwang is the biggest merchant
who supplies the Tang imperial household.
And he has come to you himself.
Master Hwang has been supplying silk
to the Shilla imperial household with Madam Jami.
He means to cease trading with Madam Jami,
and open trade with you.
You must be tired from your journey.
I have heard much about you.
I have heard that Chunghae Harbor was flourishing,
but I had no idea how prosperous it was.
Chunghae Harbor will soon exceed Yangzhou Harbor.
I wish to trade through Chunghae Harbor,
and open trade with you in the future.
I believe you were trading with Madam Jami.
Do you mean to sever your relationship with her?
I have no reason to continue a business relationship
that incurs losses.
No smuggling or activity that might disrupt the market
will be allowed if you trade with me.
Will you abide by the Chunghae base policies?
Yes.
Fine, I will trade with you.
Madam.
Has Master Hwang arrived?
Master Hwang has gone to Chunghae,
and traded with Jang Bogo's group.
What?
Master Hwang led his group to Chunghae personally.
We will have problems securing silk supplies
for the imperial household if we lose Master Hwang.
You must come up with a plan immediately.
Call a meeting of the chiefs now.
Yes, madam.
Master Hwang, who had been trading with me,
ceased trading with me,
and opened trade with Jang Bogo.
We must send 500 rolls of silk to the imperial city
right away.
What is our inventory?
We have less than two hundred rolls.
How long will it take to purchase silk
from Chinese merchants entering Dukjin Harbor?
No merchant ship has been coming to Dukjin lately.
They are all going to Chunghae.
Dukjin Harbor is as good as dead.
Shop owners of the Mujinju marketplace are moving to
Chunghae to do business.
Why are they going to Chunghae?
Jang Bogo doesn't collect any taxes.
He doesn't collect any tax?
The Jang Bogo merchant group pays taxes
to the imperial court,
but the merchants pay nothing.
At this rate, the Mujinju marketplace will go belly up.
Master Hwang really went to Chunghae?
That's right.
Things are not going well.
I think I'm hanging by a really thin thread.
I'm afraid it'll break at any minute.
What do you mean?
If Jang Bogo is a risin sun,
Madam Jami is a setting sun.
Then what will happen to you and me?
Will we go work for Jang Bogo now?
Why you, you expect me to work for Goong-bok?
He was a shipyard slave, and I was once his boss.
I'll never work for him, ever!
But, Chief, you always abandoned setting suns,
and went after rising suns.
That's why my life is miserable these days.
Jang Bogo is soaring,
but here I am, as weak as a sickly bird.
This used to be a prosperous harbor,
which greeted dozens of merchant ships each day.
What has happened?
Jang Bogo has called a meeting of head chiefs.
Mujinju merchants are leaving us
to do business with Jang Bogo.
We must come up with a plan.
I can't stop them from leaving,
when it is only natural for merchants to follow profit.
My only regret is that I couldn't kill
Jang Bogo earlier.
Captain. Yes, madam.
I shall go to Chunghae and attend the meeting.
You will ask him to trade with you?
I hate to admit it,
but I can't overtake his influence now.
If I stand alone, I will be isolated and go under.
I can always pay back this humiliation.
I will endure this humiliation
and keep him near me,
all the while waiting for a chance to defeat him.
I am Kim Kyung-chul from Hangju.
Please go in.
I am Park Suk-jung from Naju.
Please go in.
It's been a long time.
What brings you here?
I heard that a meeting of head chiefs is taking place.
I came to attend the meeting.
Madam Jami is really here?
That's right.
I didn't let her into the headquarters yet.
What shall I do?
If she wishes to attend the meeting
you're presiding over,
she must mean to acknowledge you as the grand chief.
Madam Jami's power has diminished,
but she's still a formidable enemy.
You never know what she is up to.
We must not let her attend the meeting.
She colluded with Yi Do-hyung in the past,
and now she means to reap the benefits
of trading with us.
Let her attend.
Consul!
We need not be bound by evil fate from the past.
Please come in.
I can't let you in.
What?
I am a chief of Madam Jami's group too.
Shut up and leave!
Come on, we go way back.
Let's put our past behind us, and get along.
Our fates have taken some twists and turns,
but I never had anything against you.
In my eyes, you are still a pirate.
I'm barely stopping myself from smashing your skull.
Beat it!
My lady.
It's been a long time.
I heard you are successfully running an inn in Chunghae.
I have heard news of you as well.
I heard that many merchants have left you,
and that your influence in the market is
not what it used to be.
You must be very worried.
There are ups and downs in any business.
If you wish to trade with me,
I will be glad to oblige.
This is Consul Jang Bogo.
It's been a long time.
It has.
I have met some of you already,
and there are some of you I haven't met yet.
Thank you for attending the meeting.
I requested your presence Here
so we could unite our powers and expand our trade.
What do you mean, unite our powers?
Our competition is no longer merchants in Shilla,
but big merchants in China and Japan.
I will gain the upper hand in competition with
Chinese merchants by uniting our forces.
Then we must follow your orders?
I will hold regular meetings and gather your opinions.
I will help those who share my goal,
but if anyone should disrupt the market,
I will punish them with a heavy hand.
Chunghae will be the center of commerce.
Chunghae will become the gateway of Shilla commerce,
and also the military base in charge of the security
of the southwestern seas.
Chunghae Base is comprised of the Division of the Military,
the Division of Civil Affairs, which oversees trading,
and the Division of Public Affairs,
which oversees the welfare of the people.
You head chiefs will be working as members
of the Division of Civil Affairs.
We will need interpreters and a large work force
in order to realize your goal.
Can you handle that?
I have the authority to draft 10,000 soldiers.
The soldiers of Chunghae Base are not just ordinary soldiers.
They will also be conducting business.
It sounds as if Chunghae will become the imperial city.
Do you plan to build a nation in Chunghae?
We won't be building a nation,
but any competent man will be able to live out his dreams,
regardless of his social status.
Did you just say "regardless of social status"?
That's right.
There are many people in Shilla who can't utilize
their talents because they are bound by social status.
Chunghae will welcome all who hold such grievances.
At the end of the first Han Dynasty,
there lived a man by the name of Wang Mang.
He put the world at his feet by putting an emperor
on the throne, and making his daughter the empress.
But still unsatisfied, he poisoned the emperor,
and declared himself the emperor.
How could Wang Mang have ever coveted the throne?
Because the nobles gained more power than the emperor.
Things are not much different in Shilla now.
Do you know why His Majesty has appointed Jang Bogo,
who is not a noble, as the consul of Chunghae Base?
He means to bring water
from afar to quell the fire nearby.
His Majesty is using Jang Bogo
to keep the nobles in the imperial city in check.
If Jang Bogo has become His Majesty's water,
what should I do to defeat him?
You must amass power greater than Jang Bogo's.
I told you that you couldn't kill Jang Bogo with a sword.
The only thing that can kill Jang Bogo now is power,
not a sword.
You're an extraordinary martial arts expert,
but not much of a scholar.
I shall send you to Inwang Temple.
Go meditate and concentrate on study.
Inwang is situated near Chunghae.
Stay near Jang Bogo,
and train yourself to plan for the future.
There should be no mistake in dealing with merchants
from China and Japan.
All right.
What do you mean,
the chancellor is in critical condition?
Is this true?
It is.
In the event of His Majesty's death,
the chancellor would succeed the throne
after a vote at the meeting of the nobles.
But his health is failing...
Should the chancellor pass away,
Lord Kim Kyun-jung, the father of Lord Kim Woo-jing,
will become the next chancellor.
That's right.
The bigger problem is that Jang Bogo is
backing Kim Woo-jing.
Jang Bogo is plotting treason.
You could get rid of him if you so wish.
Plotting treason?
Jang Bogo is using the military authority
granted by His Majesty,
to gather people from all over Shilla.
He said he'd abolish social status,
and create a society where all men are equal.
Treason isn't committed with swords alone.
If you ignore him,
the foundation of the Shilla imperial household
will be shaken at its roots.
It can't be overlooked if that is true.
We must find out what is going on in Chunghae now.
- Minister. - Yes, sir.
Send a man to Chunghae and assess the situation.
Yes, sir.
What did you say?
He said he'd abolish social status,
and create a society where all men are equal.
And I believe Consul Jang will succeed.
What is the matter?
I understand his intentions,
but it is a very dangerous idea.
This could provide a just cause to those nobles
who oppose him.
I must meet with Consul Jang soon.
Who's there?
Go after him.
A guard at the east gate was killed,
and the first line of defense was penetrated.
But he wasn't able to gain access to the headquarters.
Good work. You are excused.
I have told you. As your powers grow,
so does the number of nobles who consider you a threat.
He must have been a very skilled martial arts expert
to have breached our first line of defense.
You will regret not killing me now for eternity.
I will surely...
...put a dagger through your heart.
Boss.
I need to find out the whereabouts of Yum Moon.
Do you believe the assassin was Yum Moon?
I suspected Yum Moon at first,
but he must be working as a slave
under the Sajakeum division's supervision.
Please find out the whereabouts
of Yum Moon and his men.
All right.
I told you that you couldn't kill Jang Bogo with a sword.
The only thing that can kill Jang Bogo now is power,
not a sword.
You couldn't confirm Yum Moon's whereabouts?
An officer said he was drafted to a worksite
under the Biguem division's supervision,
but he wasn't there.
What's worse...
his men Chief Jang and Baek-kyung are also missing.
Consul.
I heard there was trouble last night.
It's nothing to worry about.
Father's memorial day is approaching.
But since your safety could be in jeopardy,
I will go to Inwang Temple alone for the service.
No. I will go.
He doesn't look like a monk.
Who is he?
He is just a guest at the temple.
This way, please.
You are taking Eu-young with you?
I must introduce my adopted daughter to the master.
He will think Chae-ryung and you have gotten married,
and had a daughter already.