♫ War drums ♫ The year is 1572 - 26 years earlier. A 28 year old man rides
across an open plain. A group of military men
stand quietly. Observing. His horse stumbles.
He's thrown! At first everybody watching
thinks he's dead. His leg
is horribly bent. Broken. But, after a moment. He gets up dragging one leg behind him
and pulls himself to a willow tree. He binds his leg
with its branches, remounts his horse, and finishes
the military examination. He fails the exam anyway;
but four years later he'll be back. He'll pass, and so will begin the career
of one of the most glorious admirals of all time. It's strange that this man even decided
to join the military. Korea had know 200 years
of relative peace, threatened only by the occasional raids
from the Jurchen tribes on the northern border and pirate crews
plying the nearby sea. The military was not a highly respected career choice
for a man of noble birth. Taking the civil service exams and joining
the ranks of the Confucian court was a much better way
to receive power and success. And yet this man, Yi Sun-Shin
[alt. Yi Soon Shin and Yi Sun-Sin], though he was schooled
in the Confucian texts, had dreamed of being a soldier ever
since he was a little boy. And so, at last, when he had passed
the military exam, he was appointed to a desolate fort
along the northern border. While most of the border forts
were pits of corruption, seen simply as a place to dump individuals
who had fallen out of favor with the court, Yi drilled his men rigorously, and re-fortified his post, bringing it up to true readiness
in case of an attack. One day, the provincial governor came
by to inspect the post. This was a man
all of the fort commanders dreaded, known for his harsh punishments
and brutal discipline. But when he came to Yi,
he simply said: "Hm." "Hm. Well done!" And moved on. Shortly thereafter,
Yi was moved back to Seoul, a sign of growing favor, and he was given a post
at the military academy there, training new recruits. He was, by all accounts, rigorous, diligent, and incorruptible. And this was exactly the problem. At this time, the military academy was actually a tool
for younger noble sons to jump up the ranks quickly, and for courtiers to channel their favorite people
into the cushiest of assignments. And Yi was not cooperating. So, after a short stay in Seoul, he was booted back
to a provincial assignment. By July though, he had secured a position running
a naval garrison and was rapidly rising up
the ranks again. But here too, he was schemed
against by corrupt officials. Many attempts were made
to have Yi removed, but each one he parried expertly, until one day, one of his previous superiors
from the military academy One who Yi had rebuked
for corruption, was called to his province
to do an inspection. Seeing an oppotunity
for revenge, the inspector wrote
a report castigating Yi, saying he was
'completely negligent'. When the report got to Seoul, Yi found himself dismissed
from the military entirely. Four months later, though, he was vindicated. Found innocent
of the charges against him, he was returned to service, but demoted
to the lowest possible officer grade. He might have languished
at this menial post, but at last his diligence
was finally rewarded when he was brought back to meaningful duty
by none other than one of his former rivals. One of the fleet commanders who Yi had served
under while maintaining the naval garrison, had been transferred
to the northern frontier, and knowing that he'd need good,
capable officers, he requested Yi be sent with him. Soon though, it became clear that Yi
was needed to garrison a fort on the Tumen River which was one of the demarcation lines
between Jurchen and Korean territory. Jurchen Raiders roamed far south
of the Korean border looting and pillaging at will raids had nearly overrun
the nearby Frontier Province and so, Yi took up the post. He drilled his troops until
they were in top shape and knowing that simply shoring up
the defenses wouldn't be enough, he laid his troops
out for an ambush and then lured the Raiders
into Korean territory. He fell on them with a ferocity
and a swiftness they had never seen in Korea. Within hours the tribes
were smashed and their power shattered. They would never again be
such a threat to the province. But here, too, Yi was stymied
by a jealous superior and while the court was jubilant
about his success, the official record reads: "although the Court recognized
Yi Sun-Shin emeritus service to the king it nevertheless decided
against awarding him a prize" Shortly after this, Yi's father died and being deeply rooted
in Confucian ideals, Yi retired home for three years in accordance
with the traditional mourning period. When he at last
returned to service he was put in charge
of transportation for the court, but a mere 16 days later it was decided that Yi was needed
too badly at the border, and once again
he was sent North. He was to man
a small island fortress: undermanned, crumbling, beyond disrepair. He once again
drilled its garrison, shored up its defenses, and week after week sent out a request
to the district commander for reinforcements. Then one morning, as the mists rolled in and most of the men
were out harvesting rice because the military was in such a state that men
on the border had to harvest their own food, the Jurchen attacked, pouring out of the mist on horseback. Yi Sun-Shin only had
a dozen men to defend with. He and his handful
of soldiers fought desperately cutting their way to one group of captives and escaping with 50 people the Jurchen would have taken prisoner but by this time
you know the story in order to avoid blame
Yi superior, a man named Yi Ill, blamed the entire defeat
on yi sun-shin. He had him brought
back to the capital, tortured, and put on trial
in an attempt to have him condemned so that Yi Ill could avoid
any of the blame. But Yi Sun-Shin did not
crack under torture, and when it came time
to take the stand he said this to Yi Ill "My Lord you are asking me to assume
the whole responsibility for the misfortune. But you are wrong. May I remind you that you have always refused
my frequent request for reinforcement. The defeat was not a result of my negligence
of duty but in large part your fault. Therefore it is not I, but you, who should be held responsible
for the defeat." The court was stunned. Many of them knew of Yi's record
and were inclined to believe him. So in the end, he was allowed to live, but he was stripped of his rank, again, and returned to the army
as a common enlisted man, starting over at the very bottom as if he'd never taken
the military examinations. He was once again placed
on the northern border, and asked to fight
the invading tribes. And once again, he did so with distinction. Until, finally in 1588, he asked that
he be allowed to retire. But storm clouds
were gathering over Korea and some, especially
his longtime friend, a man named
Ryu Song Nyong, recognized that soon the country would have need
of good military men. While Yi had struggled
through his career in the military, Ryu, his childhood compatriot, who had been
his companion in games of war, had risen to be
prime minister of Korea. It was actually through Ryu influence,
and because of his subtle aid, that Yi had time and again survived
the machinations held against him. now Ryu planned to see that Yi would take
his rightful place for the war he feared was coming. On the next episode
of extra history; remember how
in the Sengoku Jidai episodes we talked about
that messy Japanese invasion of Korea? Well that's about to happen. Join us as Yi and Ryu take
on the Japanese forces. As we delve into the differences in government, technology, and arms between these two nations, and as we explore the first
few disastrous weeks of this war. ♫ Music ♫
Admiral Yi is the most bad ass muddafuka ever
there was also one about oda. and theodora. and sulieman.
Damn that was a great series.
deleted What is this?
Yay, tons of content to procrastinate on actual work.
Thanks for sharing, I love this kind of Youtube channel and didn't know this one yet !
The Admiral: Roaring Currents is an awesome movie as well.