Still Koreans honour him 'Sung Woong' - the Holy Hero. Not just because of his incredible military achievements but also his transcendence of hardships that usual human beings can handle.
Yep. The Allies did not make that mistake in ww2; they made no effort to assassinate Hitler as he was doing such a good job undermining the German army.
A rare and exciting treat of history. It just staggers me that one man can make an entire navy force dominate. Napolean Bonaparte had nothing on this man, Yi sun sin
Started my pizza + soda night from Ep 13 and now I just finished 19. Your series is very good. It's like a movie. I love that you covered the diplomatic talks between China and Japan, though I was hoping you were gonna cover the diplomatic talks between Japan and Korea as well before the start of the 1592 invasion. I've always been interested in diplomacy, I think it is an art form and mostly overlooked in historical events, probably because it's not as sensational as the battles. I'm definitely gonna get your Imjin War book!
Bae Sol, though branded a coward, was, apparently, a hero by saving the 12 ships under his command. Without those ships, Yi Sun Shin would've been forced to join the land forces under Gen. Kim and Todo Takatora, Kato Yoshiaki and Wakisaka Yasuharu accomplished their mission completely unopposed.
I'm inclined to agree. I wouldn't necessarily call Bae Sol a hero, but his actions did preserve a remnant of the navy that gave Yi Sun-sin and the Koreans a chance later on.
I think this is more like tactical retreat despite yes, he more like cowards. So I thinks this is a good move despite, yeah, sucks. Like you playing FPS games, CSGO example with idiot leadership or team and you are the only one competent there. When your team wrongly rush to the prepared defense, it will be disaster and you may avoid that useless rush to find tactical victory despite most of your team blame you for not helping them.
This series is based on my book "The Imjin War," available in print and digital versions. The e-book is here: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NB0HG7G/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0
#SamuelHawley many thanks for that video. It will be nice to talk about the siege of Namwon and the great victory of Myeongreung straits of 1597. It is an awesome channel. 👍
Geez, the Joseon leadership's incompetence is ridiculous, mirrors the Ming in many ways. It's an act of God or Yi that Joseon, and quite possibly Ming, survived this invasion.
Chinese band Second Hand Rose. Here's the full song: freemusicarchive.org/music/Second_Hand_Rose/Live_on_WFMUs_100_Whatever_with_Mary_Wing_October_19_2014/Picking_Flowers
Won Gyun is so funny that one might even think he is one big joke. I laughed so hard while watching this episode. My belly is still aching from laughter. Another great episode Professor, 10/10. Keep up the good work.
loving the details and depth, cant wait for more. but some of the foreshadowing and repetitions in particular the earlier episodes is kind of spoiling it at times. Are all the edits finished and your adding them weekly? -i think when its free youtube people are more likely to watch more if its all available at once. i think there are some who might forget or loose interest es they wait for next epasode. well i guess it will all be out soon anyways. cheers
If Won had lived and managed to escape, do you think he would have stayed in command over the navy and Yi wouldn't have been able to return to command it? Or do you think he would have been removed anyways for his defeat? It's interesting to wonder if the head-hunting tradition of the samurai might have ended up causing them to miss out on the chance on someone incompetent staying in command and ultimately benefiting their cause.
@@connormclernon26 Reading up on Won, he had a lot of accomplishments prior to the Imjin War against the Jurchens that might have given him some leeway in the eyes of the Korean court. I can see a scenario where politics might have prevailed over common sense and he'd have been kept in command if he lived. There's a channel called Voices of the Past and they narrate the primary sources of historical figures. I'd love to have a window into the Korean court to see how the western and eastern factions argued over managing the war.
That is a fantastic "What if"! I never thought about that. If Won Gyun had survived, what if the Western faction in Seoul had continued to support him, and shift the blame onto someone else? "Won Gyun would have won the battle if Bae Sol hadn't fled!" That sort of thing. Cool thought!
Ahh one of the first glorious undertakes of our newborn Danish Democracy. No wonder the King was a diehard anti democrat for the rest of his life. An amazing example of what happens when nationalists start believing their own propaganda. At least we where not treated to same curb stomping the French and Austrians where later. Lets face it the only reason Denmark existed after that was that Bismarck did not really care about Denmark.
But their hulls are weak, not like korean. So they cannot fit a lot of cannon. Plus, their cannon mostly big caliber arquebus (correct me if I'm wrong), nothing compared to superior korean both in range and firepower
The difference in Technology right there between Korea and Japan. The Japanese civil war(sengoku jidai) just recently ended when Hideyoshi invaded Korea. The Japanese are adept on land battles and breaching castles and fortified walls but their naval warfighting capability remained on its infancy stage as compared to Korea, who's Navy is considered "world-class and formidable" at the time.
Hideyoshi didn't know at all Japanese were looked down on by Chinese and Koreans. He considered Japan equal to China, and couldn't understand why Korea, a vassal country to China, considered themselves "morally superior" to Japanese. His anger to "this injustice" was the reason for his second invasion.
Over the past few centuries, Japan has focused on fighting internally rather than interacting with the outside world, and for hundreds of years, Japanese pirates have plundered and ravaged the coasts of China and Korea. It is the karma of the Japanese that China and Korea regarded Japan as barbarians who were just piracy. At that time, China and Korea were united in their world views through Confucianism, and Joseon considered itself the legitimate successor of China. So they thought that other countries were just barbarians. And this was a very arrogant idea. Later, the Jurchens, whom they regarded as barbarians, subjugated China and Korea.
Do we know for certain that all the Korean ships (besides those saved by Pae Sol) were sunk, or did a lot of their captains desert and just scatter among the islands and ports along the coast, only to later rejoin the navy under Yi Sunshin?
guess if nobody asks, you don't need to respond... the korean navy was basically leaderless since their commander was throwing an emo fit. was expecting more stoicism from a career soldier.
The Japanese should have been more hardy like the Mongols were in their land battles across continents. They should have herded sheep or other animals and used them as food. Mongols would put meat and milk on their saddles and as they rode, they would ferment or dry and could be eaten as road food. They even cut the neck veins of their horses to drink the blood when they were low on supplies. If you want to conquer a peninsula and then a continent, you have to be resourceful. Mongols were nomads and were used to surviving on long journeys with minimal supplies. They didn't have ships ferrying supplies to them along the way. Apparently the Mongol armies would travel with their wives, and the women would have the job of doing the food gathering and preparation. Korea was a nation that was plentiful in seafood. Catching and drying fish then carrying them on a journey would be something practical the Japanese could have done. Raisins and nuts are a good source of calories too and they are portable and not easily perishable. And how about putting the natives to work after you've conquered them? They could be put in charge of raising livestock or catching fish and gathering other food and supplying the Japanese military as they marched upwards. Another tactic is to stay long enough in one town, and get the natives organized into joining the war effort. If your supply lines are short, sometimes you have to slow down the rate of conquest. The Japanese could have taxed the natives so that they had to supply the Japanese a certain amount of food. And if they came up short, they could have been punished. The Japanese failed because they didn't prepare well enough for overseas conquest. Conquering a foreign people is different to fighting domestically. The Mongols had centuries of experience of invading other nations and traveling vast distances to do so. They were made for a mobile army. They were a hardy people, normally living in an unforgiving environment, and used to many hardships. The Japanese, living on an island, had less such experience. Also, the Mongols were used to herding animals, whereas the Japanese were not. Traveling with flocks of herd animals is a good way of feeding your army. Native Americans made pemmican. This is another good road food. It's hard to believe that one of the major reasons for the failure of the Japanese invasion was the interruption in the supply lines.
Won Gyun single handedly destroyed the Korean Navy and Korea almost became part of Japan forever. "Next to his military career, Won Gyun is perhaps best known for his personal faults, which included excessive alcohol consumption and attempts at adultery. In his War Diaries, Yi Sun-Sin recalls reports and rumors about "cruel deeds" committed by Won and even mentions an incident in which Won had unsuccessfully attempted to seduce one of his subordinates's wife, calling him a "wicked man" and (at least partially) blaming him for his degradation ("Won employs all means to entrap me")" -Yi Sun-sin, Nanjung Ilgi, pp. 266, 267-268
When d going gets tough, wang gets going...2 d tavern. 😀 5 more soju pls So many names on japan side . isn't konishi d guy hero kato hates in the early episodes ?
The descendants and relatives of Won Kyun must be in shame and hiding their kinship. Koreans: “🤬😡You’re related to that SOB Won Kyun who nearly ruined the survival of our nation and imprisoned our national hero Lee Sun Shin.” Won Kyun’s relatives: “🤥No! It’s another Won Kyun from Seoul. He was a baker during the Joson dynasty.”
@@realsamuelhawley TH-cam sent me here, as I was watching videos about a Turtle ship they added to the game Black Desert Online, a Korean MMO, and I set out to learn about it. Really nice to happen upon a very close look at some of the happenings around this time. Why is Japan so obsessed with China historically? lol Looks like you have a great variety of content to enjoy, glad I subbed. Thanks so much!
“He would ascend from War hero, to war God” love how you worded that. Gave me goosebumps.
Thank you for picking up on that! I made a special effort to get that last line just right.
@@realsamuelhawley yeah, the entire story was depressing until that last part. almost hate this episode LOL
When is the next episode coming out? I can't wait any longer :)
@@nanjarou103 Every Thursday, Next one will be Aug. 6. Full series will be 23 episodes.
Still Koreans honour him 'Sung Woong' - the Holy Hero. Not just because of his incredible military achievements but also his transcendence of hardships that usual human beings can handle.
Well the Japanese made one big mistake this episode. They lost their best weapon against the Koreans: Won Gyun.
Damn, you’re so right. There was no better way to destroy Koreans than to have Won Kyun and his Western cronies in charge
Won Gyun is the Donald Trump of Korea! 🤣🤣🤣
@@lawrencelow949 or the Bolsonaro of Korea 🤣🤣🤣
Yep. The Allies did not make that mistake in ww2; they made no effort to assassinate Hitler as he was doing such a good job undermining the German army.
@@lawrencelow949 more like won gyun is Obama...
The more I learn about Yi Sun-sin the more I like him. Thanks for the history lessons...epic. :)
A rare and exciting treat of history. It just staggers me that one man can make an entire navy force dominate. Napolean Bonaparte had nothing on this man, Yi sun sin
what would Napoleon think of Yi sun Shin had he heard about him?
Even the Japanese revere this man.
Started my pizza + soda night from Ep 13 and now I just finished 19. Your series is very good. It's like a movie. I love that you covered the diplomatic talks between China and Japan, though I was hoping you were gonna cover the diplomatic talks between Japan and Korea as well before the start of the 1592 invasion. I've always been interested in diplomacy, I think it is an art form and mostly overlooked in historical events, probably because it's not as sensational as the battles. I'm definitely gonna get your Imjin War book!
thanks for putting together this series in your channel Sam...i can't stop watching....wish it had a gazillion episodes!
Very enjoyable. Can't wait for the roaring waters of Myeongnyang next.
X2
I’ve watched this whole series up to this point in 2 days. Amazing
Just saw it today, best history channel on youtube since The Great War.
The biggest disaster in the history of Korean Navy: Putting Won Gyun in charge of the Navy
Disaster is actually King Sunjo himself.
I'm loving this series! I eagerly await each new episode.
Bae Sol, though branded a coward, was, apparently, a hero by saving the 12 ships under his command. Without those ships, Yi Sun Shin would've been forced to join the land forces under Gen. Kim and Todo Takatora, Kato Yoshiaki and Wakisaka Yasuharu accomplished their mission completely unopposed.
@BenziX Bae Sol's descendants aren't wrong.
I'm inclined to agree. I wouldn't necessarily call Bae Sol a hero, but his actions did preserve a remnant of the navy that gave Yi Sun-sin and the Koreans a chance later on.
doesn't matter if you're branded a coward or hero later on, always do the correct thing
His actions/decisions weren't heroic, but the consequences of his actions were heroic.
I think this is more like tactical retreat despite yes, he more like cowards. So I thinks this is a good move despite, yeah, sucks.
Like you playing FPS games, CSGO example with idiot leadership or team and you are the only one competent there. When your team wrongly rush to the prepared defense, it will be disaster and you may avoid that useless rush to find tactical victory despite most of your team blame you for not helping them.
love your series thank you
War God. Sweet.. I'm purposefully remaining ignorant of Yi Sun-sin's vaunted exploits until you inform us next week, this is going to be good!
I really enjoyed your video. Good job!
Admiral Yi was a man of honor.
Did he accept the Commission?
Of course he did. Of course.
Wonderfully presented. Eagerly waiting for the next video. 👍
I'm just upset that I have to wait until the next video. What a great series. Thank you.
That's the ultimate mark of a dreadful naval commander: dying on the land, running away from the enemy. Good riddance.
Great series, keep up the great work!
I love that war drum, we are sensing the greatest last stand naval combat, the one that makes him a God of War
Love it so much, just can't help wanting to leave a comment, even for a simple thanks. Wow next episode will be the most exciting. Bravo!
Thank you for pronouncing 이순신 correctly
Woohoo history tiiiime!!!
Such an amazing story, thank you for sharing it with us!!
Won Gyun is so petty I love him
“Yi isn’t so great! How hard can it be to defeat the Japanese without him?”
“Very hard” is the answer
please release as e-book. this is the best!
This series is based on my book "The Imjin War," available in print and digital versions. The e-book is here: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NB0HG7G/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0
@@realsamuelhawley bought a copy. Keep up the good work.
@@aznslacka Thank you, P!
Fantastic work as always! I wonder how the Joseon Dynasty changed their recruitment system after this war...
The book is great. Reading the chapters on kindle in sync with the youtube updates.
#SamuelHawley many thanks for that video. It will be nice to talk about the siege of Namwon and the great victory of Myeongreung straits of 1597. It is an awesome channel. 👍
Geez, the Joseon leadership's incompetence is ridiculous, mirrors the Ming in many ways. It's an act of God or Yi that Joseon, and quite possibly Ming, survived this invasion.
Great stuff man, i watch couple of movies, and know something :) but this is a real history :)
Thanks, Anel!
great stuff
Also btw You'd make a superb history teacher- with the way things are going lately, you'd be amazing at giving online lectures and lessons.
Cant wait for the next part! When will it be published if i may ask?
I was wondering the same thing.
Yi the boss man. But what other option did he have rotting in prison waiting for an execution. I wonder if this hardened his resolve even more so.
Will you cover the siege of Ulsan and the battle of Sacheon?
Hacked to pieces!!! very satisfying.
Nice sound in the intro! Did you make that yourself?
Chinese band Second Hand Rose. Here's the full song: freemusicarchive.org/music/Second_Hand_Rose/Live_on_WFMUs_100_Whatever_with_Mary_Wing_October_19_2014/Picking_Flowers
this is dope bro
Damn, now he’s a G.O.A.T, GOD Status
I can't wait for the next episodes
Won Gyun is so funny that one might even think he is one big joke. I laughed so hard while watching this episode. My belly is still aching from laughter. Another great episode Professor, 10/10. Keep up the good work.
It’s a shame for Korea he was a real person instead of a caricature of an incompetent noble who had no business being in the job he had
@@connormclernon26 Sometime reality exceed art.
suprhomre fiction has to be believable, reality doesn’t
@@connormclernon26 This is why Won's story is so funny.
He was an incompetent fool. How he lose against the much more inferior (quality-wise, not quantity) Japanese fleet is beyond me.
The great Admiral Yi Shun Sin is the GOAT!!! Nuff said!!
loving the details and depth, cant wait for more. but some of the foreshadowing and repetitions in particular the earlier episodes is kind of spoiling it at times. Are all the edits finished and your adding them weekly? -i think when its free youtube people are more likely to watch more if its all available at once. i think there are some who might forget or loose interest es they wait for next epasode. well i guess it will all be out soon anyways. cheers
If Won had lived and managed to escape, do you think he would have stayed in command over the navy and Yi wouldn't have been able to return to command it? Or do you think he would have been removed anyways for his defeat? It's interesting to wonder if the head-hunting tradition of the samurai might have ended up causing them to miss out on the chance on someone incompetent staying in command and ultimately benefiting their cause.
Absolutely not, he was conclusively demonstrated to be incompetent as a Naval commander.
@@connormclernon26 Reading up on Won, he had a lot of accomplishments prior to the Imjin War against the Jurchens that might have given him some leeway in the eyes of the Korean court. I can see a scenario where politics might have prevailed over common sense and he'd have been kept in command if he lived. There's a channel called Voices of the Past and they narrate the primary sources of historical figures. I'd love to have a window into the Korean court to see how the western and eastern factions argued over managing the war.
@@PompadourSamurai Except this was a most humiliating loss that demonstrated beyond doubt that he was not a capable naval commander.
That is a fantastic "What if"! I never thought about that. If Won Gyun had survived, what if the Western faction in Seoul had continued to support him, and shift the blame onto someone else? "Won Gyun would have won the battle if Bae Sol hadn't fled!" That sort of thing. Cool thought!
Clicked faster than Wang Kyun scuttled this own fleet.
Cant wait for 'THE' last stand in 명량
The politics here reminds of me the Danish politics the last time the Danes declared war or the Prussian empire
Interesting parallel!
Ahh one of the first glorious undertakes of our newborn Danish Democracy. No wonder the King was a diehard anti democrat for the rest of his life. An amazing example of what happens when nationalists start believing their own propaganda. At least we where not treated to same curb stomping the French and Austrians where later. Lets face it the only reason Denmark existed after that was that Bismarck did not really care about Denmark.
It’s interesting that the Japanese still went with rowing ships although they know how to build oceangoing sailing vessel‘s.
All the boats are both sails and rowers....
@@Trisonss They were primarily rowed though. Japanese square rig was not nearly as versatile as the Korean and Chinese junk rig.
The Japanese really should have put tons of cannons on their ships.
But their hulls are weak, not like korean. So they cannot fit a lot of cannon. Plus, their cannon mostly big caliber arquebus (correct me if I'm wrong), nothing compared to superior korean both in range and firepower
The difference in Technology right there between Korea and Japan. The Japanese civil war(sengoku jidai) just recently ended when Hideyoshi invaded Korea. The Japanese are adept on land battles and breaching castles and fortified walls but their naval warfighting capability remained on its infancy stage as compared to Korea, who's Navy is considered "world-class and formidable" at the time.
@BenziX Atakebune type ships reportedly carried a few cannons, but the amount was small compared to how much the Korean ships could carry.
@@ElBandito and they were mostly antipersonnel breechloaders or very light incendiary artillery IIRC
So now the word 'rout' is used correctly! Still a wonderful documentary
I use "rout" correctly both here in Episode 19, and also in Episode 13. Your hearing was in error.
Hideyoshi didn't know at all Japanese were looked down on by Chinese and Koreans. He considered Japan equal to China, and couldn't understand why Korea, a vassal country to China, considered themselves "morally superior" to Japanese. His anger to "this injustice" was the reason for his second invasion.
Over the past few centuries, Japan has focused on fighting internally rather than interacting with the outside world, and for hundreds of years, Japanese pirates have plundered and ravaged the coasts of China and Korea.
It is the karma of the Japanese that China and Korea regarded Japan as barbarians who were just piracy.
At that time, China and Korea were united in their world views through Confucianism, and Joseon considered itself the legitimate successor of China.
So they thought that other countries were just barbarians. And this was a very arrogant idea. Later, the Jurchens, whom they regarded as barbarians, subjugated China and Korea.
Handing over only armada to the person who burned his fleet. That is disaster recipe
"...lucky a land, that has heroes, poor the land that need heroes...!"
Won Gyon LOL! What an ironic (Won) name LOL!
War god!!!!
Another important phrase in Korean history.
Thank you.
Wooooooo!
Do we know for certain that all the Korean ships (besides those saved by Pae Sol) were sunk, or did a lot of their captains desert and just scatter among the islands and ports along the coast, only to later rejoin the navy under Yi Sunshin?
this battle reminds of Savo Island in which both battles were fought at night and the Japanese were victorious.
13:15 Whoah, I am Korean, but that's quite the endorsement!
could the second in-command have ordered the movement of the ships on his own?
guess if nobody asks, you don't need to respond... the korean navy was basically leaderless since their commander was throwing an emo fit. was expecting more stoicism from a career soldier.
Im waiting for the next episode of Battle of Myeongyang
Wow
The Japanese should have been more hardy like the Mongols were in their land battles across continents. They should have herded sheep or other animals and used them as food. Mongols would put meat and milk on their saddles and as they rode, they would ferment or dry and could be eaten as road food. They even cut the neck veins of their horses to drink the blood when they were low on supplies. If you want to conquer a peninsula and then a continent, you have to be resourceful. Mongols were nomads and were used to surviving on long journeys with minimal supplies. They didn't have ships ferrying supplies to them along the way. Apparently the Mongol armies would travel with their wives, and the women would have the job of doing the food gathering and preparation.
Korea was a nation that was plentiful in seafood. Catching and drying fish then carrying them on a journey would be something practical the Japanese could have done. Raisins and nuts are a good source of calories too and they are portable and not easily perishable.
And how about putting the natives to work after you've conquered them? They could be put in charge of raising livestock or catching fish and gathering other food and supplying the Japanese military as they marched upwards.
Another tactic is to stay long enough in one town, and get the natives organized into joining the war effort. If your supply lines are short, sometimes you have to slow down the rate of conquest. The Japanese could have taxed the natives so that they had to supply the Japanese a certain amount of food. And if they came up short, they could have been punished.
The Japanese failed because they didn't prepare well enough for overseas conquest. Conquering a foreign people is different to fighting domestically.
The Mongols had centuries of experience of invading other nations and traveling vast distances to do so. They were made for a mobile army. They were a hardy people, normally living in an unforgiving environment, and used to many hardships.
The Japanese, living on an island, had less such experience. Also, the Mongols were used to herding animals, whereas the Japanese were not. Traveling with flocks of herd animals is a good way of feeding your army.
Native Americans made pemmican. This is another good road food.
It's hard to believe that one of the major reasons for the failure of the Japanese invasion was the interruption in the supply lines.
Hideyoshi is staring at me. What a creep.
Won Gyun, so apparently Korea had a Frank Burns long before M.A.S.H. took place.
I find it hard to believe that the Japanese didn't lose any ships in these two battles. Do we have any idea how many ships the Japanese actually lost?
Won Gyun single handedly destroyed the Korean Navy and Korea almost became part of Japan forever.
"Next to his military career, Won Gyun is perhaps best known for his personal faults, which included excessive alcohol consumption and attempts at adultery. In his War Diaries, Yi Sun-Sin recalls reports and rumors about "cruel deeds" committed by Won and even mentions an incident in which Won had unsuccessfully attempted to seduce one of his subordinates's wife, calling him a "wicked man" and (at least partially) blaming him for his degradation ("Won employs all means to entrap me")"
-Yi Sun-sin, Nanjung Ilgi, pp. 266, 267-268
When d going gets tough, wang gets going...2 d tavern. 😀 5 more soju pls
So many names on japan side . isn't konishi d guy hero kato hates in the early episodes ?
Japanese: tutle ship is too op plz nerf this
GOD : as you wish
And than...
you mean *임진왜란* right?
At least Won got what was coming to him. Don't tell me his end wasn't karma against being such an awful excuse for a human being.
actually, i'd have it rather he was relieved of his post, dragged to Seoul and publicaly tried, humiliated and executed. but yea...
Hyo Byo Jong 🙂
The descendants and relatives of Won Kyun must be in shame and hiding their kinship.
Koreans: “🤬😡You’re related to that SOB Won Kyun who nearly ruined the survival of our nation and imprisoned our national hero Lee Sun Shin.”
Won Kyun’s relatives: “🤥No! It’s another Won Kyun from Seoul. He was a baker during the Joson dynasty.”
your other videos flop! but not this series!! who cares about land rockets! keep up the great work =D
Technically bae soe save Korean navy
🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️ sounds like politics today... good @ screwing stuff up for the actual ppl lol 😂
LiRuSong saved Korea
比起中国水师，李舜臣作用极微。
What an outstanding series, done oh so well, thank you!
Thank you, Chris!
@@realsamuelhawley TH-cam sent me here, as I was watching videos about a Turtle ship they added to the game Black Desert Online, a Korean MMO, and I set out to learn about it. Really nice to happen upon a very close look at some of the happenings around this time. Why is Japan so obsessed with China historically? lol
Looks like you have a great variety of content to enjoy, glad I subbed. Thanks so much!
@@chris_hisss Glad to have you on board!