The Jingbirok A Memoir of Imjin War (Jing Bi Rok / 징비록 임진왜란 피로 쓴 교훈 / Jingbirok: Imjinwaeran Piro Sseun Gyohoon)

= 1604, Andong =-

As arrows rained down,

Lee Sun Sin threw himself into the midst of battle.

He was struck by a bullet.

It hit his chest and went out his back.

Many people gathered at his casket, the roads were jammed.

-= Jingbirok =- -= The Imjin War, a lesson written in blood =-

-= 1589, Hanyang =- -= (3 years before the Imjin War) =-

= Episode 1 =-

= Seonjo (14th king of Joseon) =-

Just by this book alone, all my cares have been dispelled.

Bring the complete series of the Daemyeonghoejeon here now.

Even, if I were to die immediately it would be without regrets.

Your Majesty's grace is boundless.

Daemyeonghoejeon.

According to this legal code of the Ming,

King Taejo of Joseon, Lee Seong Gye was

Goryeo civilian official Lee In Im's son.

It was recorded that he became king after killing the Goryeo king.

For 200 years, the Joseon court

had sent many envoys to request a revision

but each time, it ended in failure.

Ultimately, that was achieved by

Joseon's first king to come from a collateral line, Seonjo.

This was called the 'Jonggye Byeonmu'. (clarification of a groundless fact on the family line)

It was a great diplomatic achievement

that reduced the pressure on Seonjo over his legitimacy.

It's all Your Majesty's great blessing.

That's right.

It has cleared up the false charge that this country's new dynasty was founded through regicide.

The exploit of correcting the Jonggye was not achieved by any of the previous kings.

How can the credit be mine alone?

The contribution of all the ministers was truly enormous.

The day Yun Geun Su, who has gone to Ming,

returns with the complete works of the Daemyeonghoejeon,

I will reward all of you greatly for your effort.

Your Majesty's grace is boundless.

Your Majesty, the Jonggye Byeonmu 200 years after our founding is a happy event.

We must not forget the kindness of China.

We have to be ever grateful for that in our hearts.

When the Daemyeonghoejeon arrives,

please send a thank-you envoy.

Minister of War, what do you think?

This Jonggye Byeonmu cannot be considered a kindness of China.

= Yu Seong Ryong (Minister of War) =-

What outrageous words are those, Minister of War?

It can be considered 'danbonjing-won'.

-= Danbonjing-won: putting things right from the source, cleaning it up =-

-= Danbonjing-won: putting things right from the source, cleaning it up =- From the start, it was a mistake in Ming's records.

The erroneous family record started from chronicles of the late Goryeo period

that presented our King Taejo as such to the Ming emperor.

Since then, in spite of several requests to correct the Jonggye,

Ming paid us no heed.

In the 200 years since,

how great a pain did our royal family and court suffer?

And, only now have they corrected the false lie.

In the final analysis, the long overdue Jonggye Byeonmu

is something we should receive an apology from China for

and not call it a kindness.

If we treat this as kindness

it's akin to committing a heinous crime

in front of King Taejo's tablet.

Left State Councillor, what do you think?

Your vassal feels that the Minister of War made a valid point.

However, even if we can't treat it as kindness

-= Lee San Hae (Left State Councillor) =- However, even if we can't treat it as kindness

it's clear as day that, for the sake of correcting the predecessors' matter

the Ming court has made a great effort.

Even if it's a small expression of gratitude, it's also a form of etiquette.

I feel that the Left State Councillor is right. Do that accordingly.

Your Majesty's grace is boundless.

What's wrong? You feel that the order to prepare a thank-you envoy is inappropriate?

All the while, we've offered countless tributes to the Ming imperial family and court.

Other than the king's secret funds, it's caused our treasury to be close to drying up.

However, you still want to send a thank-you envoy?

I understand, I know. That's why we must at the very least express our sincerity.

No matter what, to us, they're a higher nation, a powerful country.

It's of no benefit to us for relations to sour.

The emperor is only focused on getting rich, the ministers are obsessed with bribes.

Ming is but a powerful country in name only.

It's no different from a ruined country in reality.

Minister of War! Do you think I'm also doing this because I'm grateful to Ming?

Observe the king's mood.

Even if there's something upsetting him, when he sees the Daemyeonghoejeon

he will smile unknowingly.

Our king who is from a collateral line

achieved a great thing that even the previous main line kings failed to do.

It's correct to call it 'danbonjing-won'

but just take it as if the thank-you envoy is to record our king's great achievement.

No matter what, our treasury will still be reduced.

You're really...

= Busanpo =-

-= Lee Deok Hyeong =-

-= Lee Deok Hyeong (Ministry of Personnel) =- It's been a long time. You came a long way, thank you.

-= Genso =- Thank you for receiving us, when you are busy.

-= So Yoshitoshi =- Although it's insignificant, we brought some gifts for the king.

The gift list.

I will forward it to the court.

And, this.

Items not on the gift list cannot be accepted.

Please take it back.

It's not a bribe. We brought it over with much difficulty.

Take a look at this. It's a matchlock gun.

In 1589

Lord of Tsushima, So Yoshitoshi and the monk, Genso

arrived in Joseon as envoys of Japan.

2 years earlier as well, Toyotomi Hideyoshi had sent envoys

to beg for establishment of diplomatic ties.

But the Joseon court considered Toyotomi Hideyoshi

to be an usurper and rejected his request.

So he sent envoys again.

The Lord of Tsushima, wanting to establish diplomatic ties between Joseon and Japan,

was highly motivated as an envoy.

This is because for a long time, they relied on trade with Joseon

to maintain their livelihoods. If war were to break out,

-= Joseon, Tsushima, Japan =- they would only become Japan's war base.

They could also no longer expect to have any trade with Joseon after that.

Sir.

Rascal!

Didn't I tell you not to gallop around in the capital?

I wanted to inform you of the news that the Wae envoys have arrived at Busanpo.

That's why I rushed here without stopping.

Wae envoys?

Yes.

The messenger?

He should be entering the city gate now.

Hasn't your servant always been pretty swift?

Let's go to the Border Defense Council.

Seriously, they're such tenacious fellows!

Well, it's already been over 150 years since we sent envoys to them to spread Chinese classics and etiquette.

If our culture had already been disseminated,

-= Jeong Eon Sin =- would someone like Toyotomi Hideyoshi .

-= Jeong Eon Sin =- would someone like Toyotomi Hideyoshi .

-= Jeong Eon Sin =- commit such an unpardonable atrocity as killing his own ruler?

-= Jeong Eon Sin (Right State Councillor, Easterner) =- .

-= Ryu Seong Ryong (Minister of War, Easterner) =- .

-= Ryu Seong Ryong (Minister of War, Easterner) =- 150 years... In other words, for such a long period of time

150 years... In other words, for such a long period of time

we had not bothered with them.

We should now get to know them.

-= Jeong Eon Ji =- You mean, re-establish diplomatic ties?

Whether or not we want to establish diplomatic ties,

what I meant was we need to grasp their situation.

-= Lee San Hae =- Does everyone still remember Shin Suk Ju?

He had gone to Wae on several diplomatic missions.

He gained an understanding of their situation.

Therefore, he taught them etiquette and Chinese classics.

He had them regard us as a higher nation.

He had truly set a good example of achieving it through diplomacy

and not through military force.

But, Toyotomi Hideyoshi is an extremely dangerous person.

We cannot establish diplomatic ties with that kind of person.

It's because he's a dangerous person that we need to examine him closely.

For that kind of investigation, even if we don't send an envoy

can't the Lord of Tsushima do it for us?

It's no longer the Tsushima of the past that fears us.

They now fear Toyotomi Hideyoshi more.

They see him as Yama (the King of Hell).

Under these circumstances, it's not possible to listen to him and grasp the situation accurately.

If that's the case, we have to send someone ourselves.

Will the king allow it?

I'm worried he will get angry.

We have to persuade him.

Then, let's not come forward together.

First, the Minister of War will find out what the king thinks.

After that, we will decide on what to do. How about it?

I think that's good. It's a good idea.

Through the arrival of Wae envoys 2 years ago

I had made myself clear.

I won't establish diplomatic ties.

I had gone along with you

and not stopped the envoys from coming again

but it had not crossed my mind to meet them.

Your Majesty, we're not establishing diplomatic ties.

Just as we had seen 2 years ago,

-= Kampaku: Regent of the Japanese emperor =- the Kampaku has unified the country through military force.

-= Kampaku: Regent of the Japanese emperor =- the Kampaku has unified the country through military force.

-= Kampaku: Regent of the Japanese emperor =- He calls himself an imperial prince. .

He calls himself an imperial prince.

He's surely a dangerous character, so there's a need to observe him.

Please meet the envoys.

You now want me

to meet the envoys of the person who became king via regicide

and discuss diplomacy with them?

Isn't a country that kills their king a country of beasts?

For the past 200 years

we suffered misunderstanding and pain from Ming.

We have now, after much difficulty, gained a firm footing as a country of etiquette.

If we discuss diplomacy with a country of beasts,

won't this country also become a country of beasts?

Your Majesty, please calm down.

Meeting the Wae envoys doesn't imply that we're establishing ties.

I won't stop you from meeting those envoys and watching Wae's activities.

However, they cannot enter the palace.

Don't mention the matter of sending envoys again.

Our long-cherished wish of 200 years has now been realized.

Don't let that come to nothing over establishing ties with Wae.

-= Royal Noble Consort Gim =- Your Majesty, there being no minister who fully understands your mind,

you're upset, aren't you?

I have you, Royal Noble Consort.