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In August of 1592, 100,000 Japanese troop reinforcements headed around Pyongyang peninsula and up the west coast. Admiral Yi and his Lieutenant Yi Ok-Keui confronted them at Kyon-Na-Rang among the islands off the southern coast of Korea. Pretending at first to flee, Admiral Yi then turned and began to ram the Japanese ships. His fleet followed his lead and sank 71 Japanese boats. When a Japanese reinforcement fleet arrived, Admiral Yi's fleet sank 48 more Japanese ships and forced many more to be beached as the Japanese sailors tried to escape on land. This engagement is considered to be one of history's greatest naval battles. 

Unaware of this battle, the Japanese commander had sent a message to the Korean King Son-Jo that read: "100,000 men are coming to reinforce me. Where will you flee then?" Upon hearing that Admiral Yi had shattered the Japanese fleet, the king was elated and heaped all possible honors upon him. For the Japanese, any hope of an invasion of China was now totally crushed.

Admiral Yi Sun-Sin pushed on to Tang-Hang Harbor where he encountered another large Japanese fleet that included the huge Japanese flagship of the Japanese admiral. Admiral Yi ordered his best archer to shoot the Japanese admiral, who sat on the deck dressed in silk and gold. The arrow pierced the Japanese admiral's throat, throwing the entire Japanese fleet into a panicked retreat which ended in carnage as Yi pursued in his usual fashion.

In a brilliant military move, Admiral Yi took the entire Korean Navy, 180 small and large ships into the Japanese homeport at Pusan harbor and attacked the main Japanese naval force of more than 500 ships that was still at anchor. Using fireboats and strategic maneuvering, he sank over half of the Japanese vessels. However, receiving no land support, Admiral Yi was forced to withdraw. With this battle, Admiral Yi completed what some naval historians have called the most important series of engagements in the history of the world.

During one patrol sweep, Admiral Yi's fleet spotted 26 Japanese ships on the horizon. He spread out his forces in a formation known as the fishnet and advanced. The fishnet or inverted V grouped the heaviest ships of the fleet at its vortex. As the enemy ships were forced inside the V, they were trapped and destroyed by Yi's heavy ships. 

Korean control of the sea, under the command of Admiral Yi Sun-Sin, soon forced the Japanese invasion to a complete standstill. Although the Japanese ground commanders begged for supplies, neither supplies nor reinforcements could get past Admiral Yi Sun-Sin to reach the Japanese forces along the western coast of the peninsula. Because of this situation, the following months saw little military action. 

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