Six Flying Dragons - Ep. 29~30
The historical background to help understand Ep. 29~30
■ Cheok Sa-Gwang (척사광)
Yoon-Rang (윤랑) a.k.a. Cheok Sa-Gwang (척사광) is a fictional character, because the last king of Goryeo didn't have any second wife. I guess the SFD writers wanted to create a beautiful tragic love story between the king and his female bodyguard. The king's fate was so sad and miserable.
I also think Cheok Sa-Gwang will be involved with Moo-Hyul because her Goksan swordsmanship (곡산검법 谷山劍法) is supposed to be the original form of Moo-Hyul's “Eastern Twin Dragon” swordmanship (동방쌍룡 東方雙龍). His master Hong Dae-Hong created his own skill based on the Goksan swordmanship by adding the best parts of many other sword skills. I guess Moo-Hyul's 6th dragon credit will be given when he surpasses the original's successor, Cheok Sa-Gwang.
■ Cheok Joon-Gyeong (척준경 拓俊京, ?∼1144)
Although Cheok Sa-Gwang is a fictional character, her great-great-grandfather Cheok Joon-Gyeong (척준경 拓俊京, ?∼1144) is a legendary historical figure. He is "physically" the strongest warrior in the Korean history.
In February 1104, during Jurchens’ invasion, Goryeo army was hopeless in total defeat. A mere soldier named Cheok Joon-Gyeon asked supreme commander Yim Gan to give him a horse and a weapon. When his request was granted, he rode his horse at the enemy single-handedly, and killed the enemy general and recaptured 2 prisoners. When he was coming back, hundreds of mounted troops chased after him. But he shot arrows and killed 2 more enemy generals, and then safely returned to the castle.
In another battle against Jurchens, renowned general Yoon Gwan (윤관 尹瓘, 1040~1111) asked him how to take the enemy's castle. The Jurchens were taking stand in it and strenuously resisted. Cheok Joon-Gyeong volunteerly climbed up the wall of the castle, and killed several enemy soldiers single-handedly just with a sword and a shield. His move created high morale among Goryeo army and led to a huge victory.
In January 1108, when 20,000 Jurchens sieged Yoon Gwan's army in Youngju castle, Cheok Joon-Gyeong said "The number of enemy soldiers are increasing. The provisions are running out. No reinforcements in near future. It is impossible for us to held out in this castle." So, he volunteerly led a group of soldiers to go outside and triumphantly came back after defeating the Jurchens.
Next month, when tens of thousands of Jurchens sieged Woongju castle, Commander Choi Hong-Jeong ordered Cheok to break through the siege and come back with reinforcements. Ceok Joon-Gyeong really made it. After he wore worn clothes like a common soldier, he climbed down the castle single-handedly and succeeded to break through the siege. He defeated Jurchens with the reinforcements.
It is neither an exaggerated folk tale nor an unreliable legend. It is the official historical records written by Joseon-era historians who hate to praise the Goryeo's traitor.
Right, unfortunately the valiant warrior ended up as a traitor. At that time, the Goryeo court was in the hand of Yi Ja-Gyeom (이자겸 李資謙, ?~1126), the king's most powerful maternal relative. King Injong planned to regain his royal authority by assassinating the treacherous subject. However, of all persons, Cheok Joon-Gyeong's son and younger brother were accidently killed by the king's assassins during the revolt. Cheok Joon-Gyeong was so infuriated that he broke into the palace, set fire to it, killed all of the assassins, and saved Yi Ja-Gyeom in the corner. The king's revolt ended in failure due to Cheok Joon-Gyeong's anger.
Later, the king used clever schemes to get Yi Ja-Gyeom and Cheok Joon-Gyeong to turn on each other. He also successfully persuaded Cheok to turn into his ally. Finally, Yi Ja-Gyeom was ousted, and the king honored Cheok by appointing him to prime minister. However, a few months later, Cheok was also impeached and exiled as a traitor who had set fire to the palace. For that reason, he went down in history as a traitor. A few years later, he died of illness.
For his unbelievable inhuman military achievement, Korean netizens, especially those who love online fighting games, have jokingly called him "the best swordmaster in history" or "Cheokminator (Cheok +Terminator). The SFD writers seem to use it for fun. Of course, Cheok Sa-Gwang's Goksan swordsmanship is a fictional device created by the SFD writers.
■ Some unfamiliar Hanja (Chinese originated) words
* Pye-Ga-Ip-Jin 폐가입진 廢假立眞
- meaning "Depose the fake and enthrone the authentic"
- It is historically true that the 9 ministers gathering at Heungguksa temple suggested this reason to justify the dethronement of King Chang and King U.
- From then on, the 2 deposed kings had been “officially” regarded as Traitor Shin Don's descendents.
- Nobody knows the truth about their birth. Many historians believe that it was their fabrication to justify the dethronement.
* Gyu-Mok-Hwa-Sa 규목화사 圭木花死
- Gyu (圭 corner) / Mok (木 tree) / Hwa (花 flower) / Sa (死 death)
- As Bang-Won decoded it, Gyu (圭) + Mok (木) = Gye (桂).
- meaning "The flower called "Gye" will die."
- It is a secret code name for the assassination of Yi Seong-Gye.
- Even though Kim Jeo‘s assassination attempt is historically true, Mr. Cheok from Goksan and the code name are fictional devices created by the SFD writers.
- If you want more detail about the real historical event, read my Ep. 28 post again. → Kim Jeo‘s rebellion (November, 1389)
* Maeng-Do-Chil-Yak 맹도칠약 猛圖漆撂
- Maeng (猛 fierce) / Do (圖 picture, drawing) / Chil 漆 (sap of the lacquer tree) / Yak or Ryak (撂 throw)
- A meaningless phrase randomly created by Bang-Won.
- It's also a fiction.
■ Their dreams at the banquet
- Yi Ji-Ran really became a poet after he retired from politics.
- Jo Young-Gyu really left his name in the Korean history, sadly as the murderer of Jung Mong-Joo who has been respected as one of the greatest scholar for over 600 years. Jo Young-Gyu died of illness 3 years after the assassination.
- Jung Do-Jeon said he wanted to leave records rather than his name. So was it. His new country, his political system, his law, his writing, all of his great achievements remained as he had designed, but the great revolutionist's name had been a taboo for over 500 years. It was the exact opposite to his friend and rival Jung Mong-Joo.
- Yi Bang-Woo didn't join the banquet. Despite being Yi Seong-Gye's eldest son, he had objected to his father's revolution till the end. He had begun drinking himself to death since Joseon was founded.
- I think the banquet will be remembered as the most heart-wrenching scene to us in retrospect.
■ Classic of Changes / Book of Changes
In other names, 주역 周易 : Joo-Yeok (in Korean) / Zhou yi (in modern Chinese) 역경 易經 : Yeok-Gyeong (in Korean) / I Ching (in modern Chinese)
→ Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Ching
Joo-Yeok (주역 周易) a.k.a. Books of Changes is a 2500 year old ancient divination text originated from ancient China. In the past, it was mandatary for a Confucian scholar to learn it.
There are 64 hexagrams to express its cosmological order, and Six Flying Dragons (2015~2016, SBS) and Tree with Deep Roots (2011, SBS) have shown 3 of them so far.
Ji-Cheon-Tae 지천태 地天泰 - Cho-Young's code name in the "Nameless". (SFD)
Poong-Ji-Gwan 풍지관 風地觀 - Jeok-Ryong's code name in the "Nameless". (SFD)
San-Hwa-Bi 산화비 山火賁 - Milbon's secret code (TWDR)
It is interesting that the two respective secret organizations in SFD and TWDR shared those secret codes originated from the 64 hexagrams of the Book of Changes. Is it a coincidence? Or, do they have the same origin? It remains to be seen.
■ They are all connected.
Episode 29~30 revealed several interesting connections with Tree with Deep Roots (2011 SBS). As you know, Six Flying Dragons is the prequel to TWDR.
When searching for Mr. Cheok from Goksan who just attempted to assassinate Yi Seong-Gye, Yi Bang-Ji told Moo-Hyul about Chool-sang-sool (출상술 出上術). It is an upward jumping technique that Kang Chae-Yoon and Yoon Pyeong learned from Yi Bang-Ji in TWDR.
Bang-Ji also mentioned its reverse technique called Chool-ha-sool (출하술 出下術), the safe landing technique from on high.
Actually, these jumping techniques are known to have existed in Korea until early 20th century.
At the end of episode 30, there was one more TWDR reference in Jung Do-Jeon's talk with Jung Mong-Joo.
"If a king is a flower, its root is a minister. Even if its flower is not healthy, the tree is not going to die. But if the root is not healthy, the tree will die. The unhealthy flower can be just broken off. The king only decides the minister, and it is the position where he discusses things with the minister. It is just the luxurious symbolic figure of Joseon. The root of Joseon is the minister. Sadaebu of Joseon, become the root! Be the scholars sustaining Joseon, train the great officials, and select the wise and able minister! As a result, the tree of Joseon can last for thousands of years. Be the root of the roots! This is why I, Jung Do-Jeon, made the root of the roots, the hidden root, Milbon (밀본 密本). You, Sadeabu, be the roots of this Joseon! Become the Milbon! Protect Joseon!
Milbon's first Bonwon (본원 本源), Jung Do-Jeon (from Tree with Deep Roots Episode 3)
In short, Jung Do-Jeon dreamed of Constitutional monarchy ruled by Sadaebu ministers. This is clearly the beginning of Milbon, the secret organization of TWDR.