Rule over Ming Dynasty

Chapter 444 Princess Haixiao, the Emperor gives the East China Sea

Due to the Ming Dynasty's intervention in Japanese society, some subtle deviations occurred in Japan's Warring States history.

The Eastern Army represented by Rokkaku Lai was not defeated. After using its own resources to purchase food and weapons from Ming merchants, it fought back and forth with the Western Army.

Hino Tomiko and Hosokawa Masamoto, one of the three commanders in charge of the shogunate, were planning to change the shogun. The general Ashikaga Yoshinaga was also informed in advance, which caused serious cracks within the entire shogunate.

The one most affected was actually the Ouchi family. The army led by Ouchi Masahiro was an important component of the Eastern Army.

Because the Ouchi Army was affected by the severe shortage of food supply in the rear, they had no choice but to retreat in the face of the Western Army, and finally chose to leave the battlefield on their own initiative.

The situation on the battlefield often affects the whole body. The Ouchi Army not only failed to annihilate Rokkaku Takayori's army, but even the containment effect was not reflected, which directly dragged down the combat effectiveness of the entire Eastern Army.

The Ouchi family is now not only facing the result of losing the war, but also urgently needs to solve their own food problems, and there is a risk of losing the entire northern Kyushu Island territory.

Da Nai Masahiro sat on the chair, his face gloomy and his eyes blazing.

Although they haven't seen each other for more than half a year, there is no tenderness for his son in his eyes, there is only severity and disappointment in his eyes.

He led his troops to fight and left his huge family business to him. As a result, the originally prosperous family business turned into a mess.

Ouchi Yoshihiro knelt in front of Ouchi Masahiro. Under his father's majesty, his whole body could not help but tremble.

He tried to explain his behavior, even finding words before his father came back, but now the words were spinning in his throat and finally turned into a silent sigh.

"Ryuudomaru, do you know what you have done?" Masahiro Ouchi's voice was cold and majestic, echoing in the hall.

Ouchi Yoshihiro lowered his head, not daring to look directly into his father's eyes. He knew that he had made a serious mistake, but he still held a glimmer of hope in his heart that his father could forgive him.

The reason why he chose to break with the Ming Dynasty was that the Ming Emperor actually wanted her sister, and his family could not damage the reputation, not to mention that Jiangnan Company obviously gave more.

Four retainers, including Tao Qiandao, Kuroda Masayori and Ishibashi Kuro, knelt behind Ouchi Yoshihiro. They also lowered their heads at this moment, hoping that the storm would be less severe.

Ouchi Masahiro walked up to Ouchi Yoshihiro, raised the bamboo stick in his hand, and then hit Ouchi Yoshihiro hard on the back.

The sound of the stick was clear and loud, surprising everyone present.

"You are bringing disgrace on yourself by challenging Da Ming! Since Jiangnan Company has repeatedly failed to make promises, it should no longer take chances. This is called not correcting mistakes even after knowing them!" Da NaiMasahiro roared angrily, and then lectured angrily: " Ryuudongmaru, I thought you would understand the family’s expectations, but you are so unsatisfactory, which greatly disappoints me!”

Ouchi Yoshihiro felt a burning pain in his back, but compared with the pain in his body, he felt even more profound self-blame at this moment.

In particular, he repeatedly pinned his hopes on Jiangnan Company. As a result, Jiangnan Company has not shipped food for a long time, causing their family's situation to get worse and worse.

"Master, everything is caused by the villain and has nothing to do with the young master. Please punish the villain!" Tao Qiandao mustered up his courage and took the initiative to stand up and take responsibility.

Ouchi Masahiro already knew the whole story, so he looked at Tao Qian who was kneeling on the ground coldly and said: "You immediately go to the East China Sea Governor's Mansion to seek peace. No matter what the cost, you must let Ming Dynasty resume trade with us! If it cannot be completed, , just commit seppuku!”

When he said the last part, his tone was slightly heavier, with a hint of resentment.

Although he knew that Tao Qiandao's original intention was to drive a wedge between the Ming court and the Dayou family, and that he might not marry his daughter when faced with pressure from the Ming emperor, but now that things have come to this point, someone must take responsibility.

Since he didn't intend to destroy his underage son, he had better take action on the retainer who was the culprit.

"I accept your order!" Tao Qiandao said immediately and politely, knowing that this was his last chance to survive and the last hope to preserve his family's status.

The September sunshine shines through the soft clouds on the sea, making the waves sparkling.

A breeze blows from the depths of the ocean, bringing a bit of coolness and the smell of salty sea water, gently brushing the cheeks of people on the pier, making people feel extremely refreshing.

Sea ships traveling from the east were anchored at the harbor next to Daming City, and people wearing Japanese costumes got off the ships one after another.

The Asakura family's envoy wore a solemn kimono, followed by several Japanese samurai, and then walked steadily from the pier into Daming City.

But the people who received the most attention from the East China Sea Governor's Mansion were the Ise family who appeared behind them.

The person who was originally invited was an envoy from the Ise family, but the person who came turned out to be their family head Ise Shinkuro, the first daimyo after the Warring States Period began.

Ise Shinkurō is different from those hereditary daimyo. He is the son of Ise Sadō, the 11th generation chief of the Ise-ryu clan of the Kanwu Taira clan, the lord of Gogotsuyama Castle in China.

When he was more than 20 years old, he was recommended by his fellow Ise clan members and went to Beijing to serve as the special introducer of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiji. He still inherited the salary of three thousand koku from the mountain castle of Takagoshi in Bichu.

When the Onin Rebellion broke out, Ise Shinkuro fled to Ise country with Yoshio. When Yoshio returned to the capital, Ise Shinkuro did not want to go with him, so he gave up his territory and his status as an introducer and lived in seclusion in the Ise Mountains, becoming a ronin.

At this time, he formed a sworn relationship with six people including Araki Hyogo, Yamanaka Saishiro, Tame Gonbei, Arakawa Matajiro, Daidaoji Taro and Zai Takebei, and declared: "Now is a good opportunity to make a name for yourself. Kanhachishu Ancient Lai This is the place where the heroes are divided. As long as you control this place, you will be able to conquer the world. Let's work together to create a new world!"

On the way to Suruga Kingdom, the seven people visited Ise Shrine to worship, drank the sacred water, and swore in front of the god: "No matter what happens, the seven people will never turn against each other. They will help each other, work hard to build military exploits, and march forward." Establish a name. If someone is lucky enough to become a daimyo, the other six people will bow to him and help him govern the country."

In 1468, seven people followed the Tokaido eastward and arrived at Imagawadate Castle in Suruga Province to seek refuge with Suruga to protect Imagawa Yoshitaka.

When Ise Shinkuro was serving as an introducer in Kyoto, he betrothed his sister Kitagawa-don to Yoshitada who went to the capital to meet the general as his concubine. Kitagawa-don was so favored by Yoshitaka that he gave birth to his only son Ryuoumaru.

The Seven Samurai led by Ise Shinkuro had always been guest ministers in the early days, only occasionally participating in small battles and doing nothing.

In 1476, Imagawa Yoshitaka was ordered by the shogunate to expand his power to the Toe country, a territory belonging to the Shiba clan. He conquered the Ichike at the Toe border in Suruga. When he returned to Imagawadate Castle, he was followed by the remnants of the Ichike. He was killed on the spot during the attack, and the rest of the army was routed back.

The main wife of Imagawa Yoshitada had no descendants, and only Kitagawa-den had a six-year-old concubine, Ryuohmaru. The ministers of the Imagawa clan were greatly alarmed and divided into two factions in the panic. They supported each other and made Yoshitada's only son Ryuoumaru or Yoshitada's younger brother Oga Shingoro Norman Manchu as the new leader. Suruga is a key place for the Muromachi shogunate to lead to the Kanto region, so the internal strife of the Imagawa clan also attracted the attention of the shogunate.

When the Imagawa family was in an uproar over the issue of succession, the six samurai around Ise Shinkuro were also in panic all day long. They took turns suggesting to Hojo Soun that he should come forward to solve the problem, but Ise Shinkuro calmly replied: " It’s still early.”

When a serious conflict broke out between the two factions and almost came to blows, Ise Shinkuro proposed: "Ryuohmaru is the successor of the Imagawa family, but for now, Norman is acting as Ryuohmaru's guardian. I will temporarily act as the agent for the Imagawa family’s political affairs before I take over.”

In 1479, Ise Shinkuro left Suruga and returned to the dilapidated Kyoto, and once again served as the "Shinjizu" of the shogunate.

In 1487, Ryuoumaru was seventeen years old and was about to undergo the Yuanfu Ceremony to formally inherit the Imagawa family as governor. However, Oga Noriman and his followers refused to hand over their power as governor. When Kitagawa-don saw something was wrong, he immediately wrote a secret letter and sent an envoy. Quickly go to Kyoto to inform Ise Shinkuro.

In September of the same year, six people including Ise Shinkuro, Araki and others left Kyoto overnight and went to Suruga after receiving the secret letter. They contacted the Imagawa retainers who supported Ryuohmaru and secretly gathered everyone at Ishiwaki Castle, the residence of Kitagawa-den.

Ise Shinkuro believed that justice was on their side, and that night he organized a assault force, led by him personally, to attack Imagawa Tate Castle, which was occupied by the Oga Party. After a fierce battle, all the retainers below Xiaolu Fan Man were killed, and Fan Man himself was also killed on the spot.

As soon as Norman died, the anti-Ryuohmaru forces in Suruga's country were completely disintegrated soon after.

Ise Shinkuro continued to help Ryuohmaru travel around, and finally obtained the official recognition of the two families, making his nephew Ryuohmaru the orthodox family governor of the Imagawa family. In the same year, Ryuohmaru changed his name to the Imagawa clan.

Because of the above-mentioned achievements, the Imagawa family discussed with their mother, Kitagawa-den, and other important ministers to reward Soun. The result of the discussion was to let Ise Shinkuro choose the richest county in Suruga as a reward.

At this time, Ise Shinkuro proposed to the clan a reward of Imagawadate Castle, Koukokuji Castle on the border of Eastern Suruga and Izu, and the twelve surrounding villages.

This request surprised Ujikin and everyone. Because Xingokuji Castle and the surrounding twelve villages are the most barren and desolate land in Suruga, either swamps or wetlands, the overall income can support 200 to 250 men at most. Xingguo Temple City is more suitable to be described as a temporary cottage than a city.

Due to Ise Shinkuro's persistence, he finally became the lord of Kokokuji Castle at the age of 56.

The reason why Ise Shinkuro gave up the fertile land and chose the barren land adjacent to Izu Country was actually because he saw the civil strife in Izu Country.

With the secret support of Daming, Ise Shinkuro advanced his plan to seize Izu Country by one year.

He first instigated a conflict between Ogitani Uesugi Sadamasa and Uesugi Kensada, prompting Chachamaru to send most of his troops to support Kensada, greatly reducing the garrison strength of Horikoshi Imperial Palace.

Ise Shinkurō Kokokuji Castle only had a military strength of 200 men. In order to ensure a comprehensive plan, he sent an envoy to personally borrow 300 troops from Suruga's nephew.

Ise Shinkuro personally commanded these five hundred troops to set out from Suruga Shimizu Port with the help of ships provided by the Ming Dynasty, crossed Suruga Bay and arrived at the Izu Peninsula. In just two hours, they successfully captured Horikoshi Imperial Palace and killed them on the spot. Got Ashikaga Tea Pills.

When he captured the Horikoshi Imperial Palace, Ise Shinkuro began to build Nirayama Castle on Tengatake Mountain next to the imperial palace as a base city for his rule of Izu.

At this point, he became the new daimyo of Japan's Izu country. Not to mention that the Ming Dynasty was kind to him, and the few hundred lords under him had no arrogance at all, so they were very happy to embrace the thick thighs of the Ming Dynasty.

In the spacious governor's residence of Donghai, the atmosphere was solemn and tense.

Xu Shiying looked at the arrival of a daimyo and three envoys, demonstrating the domineering power of the Governor of the East China Sea, accepting their greetings on behalf of the Ming Emperor.

"Foreign ministers congratulate Emperor Ming on the birth of his eldest daughter. I wish Her Royal Highness Princess Haixiao good health and long life!" Ise Shinkuro and others presented the gifts they had prepared, looking very solemn.

It was in the fifth year of Hongzhi that the 22-year-old Zhu Youtang finally had an offspring, but unfortunately he was not the eldest son as everyone had guessed, but an eldest daughter.

Perhaps due to the influence of later generations, even though he was not the son he wanted, Zhu Youtang was still very happy to get a daughter.

In order to celebrate the birth of his daughter, Zhu Youtang gave her Princess Haixiao early, which was also celebrated by the whole world.

First of all, Zhu Youtang followed the model of Luzon Island and used the gold mines of Dongji Island as the subject matter to re-issue Haixiao Treasury Bonds of two million taels through United Bank.

Secondly, on the day when the emperor's eldest daughter is full moon, colorful buildings and sheds will be built on both sides of the streets, filled with various lanterns, colorful flags and decorations, filling the entire capital with a festive atmosphere.

Then, the royal family spent money to build the Turtle Mountain Lantern in front of the Meridian Gate, and held various entertainment activities, such as song and dance performances, opera performances, acrobatic performances, etc. The Drum Tower in the north of the city would set off large-scale fireworks that night.

At the same time, Zhu Youtang will also hold a grand banquet for hundreds of officials in the palace like the New Year's Day banquet, so that Princess Haixiao can appear in front of all officials.

Not only at home, this matter was also reported to the world through documents and envoys were invited. Representatives of Ise Shinkuro and other forces came nominally to congratulate the Ming Emperor on the birth of his eldest daughter.

After receiving these congratulatory gifts, Xu Shiying's voice was loud and majestic: "Your Majesty's grace, although the four of you are outsiders, you can do fair business with me, the Ming Dynasty, and you have the heart to belong to my Ming Dynasty! This is a special gift for you four. The children of the family can study and live in the capital of the Ming Dynasty, and now a common trading body in the East China Sea has been established. Members who are unable to do so can enjoy preferential prices for Ming Dynasty products and have priority in purchasing Ming technology weapons!"

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty!" Ise Shinkuro and others were secretly happy and immediately greeted them politely.

Although they do not understand the East China Sea Common Trading Community, they know that after joining this community, they can have a closer relationship with the Ming Dynasty.

Not only can you get more favorable product prices, but you can also purchase weapons from the Ming Dynasty.

The reason why Ise Shinkuro was able to successfully win the Izu Kingdom this time was related to their strategic deployment, but it was also inseparable from the support of Ming Dynasty's military rations and weapons.

Once he continues to receive the support of Ming Dynasty, he needs to be limited to the small Izu Kingdom, and he can expand to the surrounding areas, thus becoming the most powerful daimyo in the east.

The four representatives stepped forward one after another and looked at the agreement that had been drawn up.

This agreement actually has a hidden benefit. Since the status of the Hongzhi Silver Dollar in the monetary system is determined here, the Hongzhi Silver Dollar is linked to gold, so once they discover gold, they can replace it with the Hongzhi Silver Dollar through the East China Sea Governor's Mansion.

Their brushstrokes are powerful and smooth, as if they are writing a new history. (End of chapter)

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