Admiral Yi Sun-Shin is a hero ship that appears in the Noryang Point scenario in Age of Empires II: The Conquerors, as the Korean admiral, as well as the Scenario Editor. He is a Turtle Ship with good attack and hit points. As a hero, he regenerates hit points and cannot be converted.
History[]
Yi Sun-Shin was born on April 28, 1545. He was noted as being intelligent at an early age and joined the military. His first combat experience was against Jurchen raiders where Yi proved himself to be a skilled strategist. However he was demoted due to jealous superiors and was put in charge of the Korean navy where he developed the Turtle Ship in anticipation of a Japanese invasion. The Japanese invaded in 1592 and quickly overran much of the Korean peninsula. However the Korean navy proved superior to the Japanese navy. Despite having no naval experience Yi decisively defeated the Japanese Navy in a series of battles that broke the Japanese supply lines. The Japanese forces quickly retreated due to lack of supplies. For their second invasion the Japanese planted a double agent in the Korean court who successfully manipulated the king into demoting and replacing Yi Sun-Shin. The Korean navy was subsequently defeated and reduced to only thirteen ships. Yi was reinstated as naval commander and in his most famous victory defeated a Japanese fleet of 300 with the remaining thirteen ships. The Japanese called off their second invasion and attempted to retreat at Noryang. A Korean-Chinese fleet (led by the Ming General Chen Lin who was also Yi's friend and admirer) intercepted them and destroyed many ships, but Yi was fatally wounded in the battle.
Throughout his career, he remained steadfast in his duty to his homeland despite plots against him, and remained undefeated in each and every battle he fought, often vastly outnumbered and underfunded. For his legacy, he has been considered to be the greatest admiral to have ever lived, alongside Admiral Horatio Nelson, by western historians such as Joseph Cummins, as well as by the Admiral of the Royal British Navy George Alexander Ballad.