Once Upon a Time in a Battlefield

Rulers gather at the high-stakes summit to decide the fates of the Korean kingdoms. Tang asserts its legitimacy and demands tribute, while Silla agrees to align with Tang for support. Goguryeo and Baekje watch cautiously as alliances fracture and the balance of power shifts.

The meeting breaks down and news arrives that a Tang-Silla army is on the move toward Baekje's borders. The Baekje court frets about which kingdom will be targeted next as rivalries flare. The uneasy coalition within Baekje begins to fracture.

The Baekje king turns to General Gyebaek, who accepts the daunting task of riding out to face the overwhelming foe. He accepts the burden despite knowing the odds and the likely danger to his life. The scale of the coming battle becomes clear as the enemy advances toward Baekje.

News arrives that the allied Tang-Silla army is marching toward Baekje’s strategic points. The narrative confirms the grim possibility of Baekje being targeted and the war's crushing odds intensify. Gyebaek steels himself for a fight that could define his people's fate.

Before departing, Gyebaek makes a brutal, protective choice to take the lives of his own wife and eldest daughter to shield them from capture. The act underscores the personal price of duty and the harsh realities of war. It reshapes the audience's understanding of his mission.

Two armored forces meet in a tense standoff at Hwangsanbeol. Kim Yu-sin hesitates to strike despite his numerical advantage, having learned from history that Gyebaek's plans remain shrouded in mystery. The two generals test each other's resolve through cautious probing.

Kim Yu-sin invites Gyebaek to a game of janggi to glean his true intent. During the game, Gyebaek reveals the ironclad secret that his armor is sewn shut and cannot be removed until death. The revelation fixes Gyebaek’s image in Yu-sin’s calculations and tightens the sense of an inescapable confrontation.

To boost morale, Kim Yu-sin orders his generals to send their Hwarang sons on suicide missions to duel Gyebaek. The brutal irony of sacrificing youth illustrates the desperation of both sides. The grim odds facing Baekje remain unmoved by the tactic.

The climactic battle arrives on a rain-soaked day as catapults rain clay balls on Baekje’s defenders. Soldiers shed armor under the relentless assault and Gyebaek is forced to retreat to a keep with a small loyal band. He finally steps out to meet death head-on, embodying unwavering duty.

Gyebaek falls to a volley of arrows, his last stand framed as a tragic culmination of duty and sacrifice. He recalls the family he protected and the personal cost of leadership, transforming his legacy into a cautionary legend. The moment seals the fate of Baekje's last resistance.

Geoshigi escapes in the confusion, slipping away with a burden of guilt for those left behind. The escape hints at the human costs and the continuing ripple of the battle beyond the field.

In the Tang-Silla camp, leaders push to seize conquered territory while Kim Yu-sin vows that he will one day drive the Tang from the land. The human cost lingers in the victorious mood as the story shifts to its immediate consequences.

Geoshigi finds a moment of reunion with his mother working in the fields, returning the narrative to ordinary life after warfare. The quiet coda emphasizes the personal cost and the return to normalcy that follows tragedy.