Before hanging himself, Chongzhen lifted the table

Chapter 243 Wisdom Izu

"Your Majesty, Zheng Zongming has an urgent military situation and needs to see you!"

After Li Ruolian paid tribute to Emperor Chongzhen, he immediately reported it.

Zheng Zongming may not be well known, but his father and eldest brother are well known to future generations, namely Zheng Zhilong and Zheng Chenggong.

Zheng Zongming had a Japanese named Tagawa Shichizaemon, nicknamed Erkan. He was the half-brother of Zheng Chenggong and the actual second son of Zheng Zhilong, so he was also called "Tagawa Jirozaemon".

If it were in the original history, Zheng Zongming had always lived in the Japanese country and managed Zheng Zhilong's business in the Japanese country.

In this plane, when he learned that the imperial court was going to attack Japan, he was naturally from the Ming Dynasty, so he prepared for the Ming Dynasty and provided information.

At this time, Emperor Chongzhen heard Li Ruolian's report and immediately summoned Zheng Zongming who was waiting outside.

This was the first time for Zheng Zongming to meet the Ming Emperor. Although his father was already the Marquis of Pinghai, the emperor's royal title, and his brother was already a close confidant and celebrity around the prince, but he had heard too many legends about the current emperor, and he felt very sad in his heart. It’s anticipation and trepidation.

"Long live my emperor, long live, long live!"

The sound was loud, and you could tell that he was a little excited.

Emperor Chongzhen looked at him in Japanese attire and said kindly: "Pingsheng!"

After hearing this, Zheng Zongming stood up immediately, and then hurriedly reported to the emperor: "Your Majesty, the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate has assembled more than 200,000 horses and nearly 2,000 warships. The Tokugawa shogunate's veteran, Prime Minister Matsudaira Izu, has his word. Commander Gang, prepare to fight against the heavenly soldiers."

At this point, he paused and then quickly added: "The shogun said that he has been informed by the arrival of Amaterasu, saying that if no outsider can occupy the Japanese country, divine punishment will be sent down, and the Ming Dynasty... we will pay a heavy price cost!"

When Zheng Zongming said this, he was afraid that the current emperor did not understand the Japanese country, so he hurriedly explained further: "Your Majesty, the commander of the Japanese army, Matsudaira Izu Morinobu Tsuna, is a powerful figure. He is famous for his wisdom in the Japanese country, so he is called Wisdom Izu. A few days ago During the Shimabara Rebellion, other daimyo lost troops and generals and could not be put down, but after Matsudaira Nobutsuna became the general, he suppressed the rebellion without losing many troops!"

Emperor Chongzhen actually knew something about the Shimabara Rebellion, and of course it was news from later generations. Although the leader is said to be a fifteen-year-old boy, the backbone of the rebel team is actually a samurai who has lost his boss. In other words, in layman's terms, the backbone of the rebel team is actually unemployed professional soldiers.

If historical development is followed, due to the suppression of the Tokugawa shogunate, these unemployed samurai are still increasing day by day, which eventually led them to plan a coup to assassinate Tokugawa Iemitsu, but they were suppressed by Matsudaira Nobutsuna.

At this time, Emperor Chongzhen nodded, indicating that he had received the news.

So Zheng Zongming continued to play: "In the past two times when the Yuan Dynasty attacked the Japanese country, the whole army was wiped out by the divine punishment of Amaterasu. Therefore, this time Amaterasu appeared again, and the morale of the Japanese army increased a lot. …”

Hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen felt disdainful. What Amaterasu, that’s bullshit, it just happened to hit a typhoon!

If there really is Amaterasu, why doesn't he come out to protect the little boy when the little boy is lost in the future? Is it possible that he allowed his people to recognize their beautiful father all the time?

If this is really the case, then let the great god Amaterasu recognize Hua Xia as his father!

Zheng Zongming saw that the current emperor did not speak and his expression did not change, so he continued: "The shogun also issued an order to recruit rogues from the people, improve the treatment of warriors, and promised to confer great names on warriors with outstanding military exploits. He also said that the Ming Dynasty To destroy the Japanese country, all Japanese men will be killed by our Ming Dynasty if they don’t fight..."

After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen finally heard something practical.

That Tokugawa Iemitsu was not an incompetent person. On the one hand, he used Amaterasu to encourage morale, and on the other hand, he actually provided benefits to stimulate the Japanese to fight on the battlefield.

But so what? The Tokugawa shogunate was busy seclusion, and therefore abandoned martial arts. Most of the armies of daimyo from various places were composed of Langyu. That is to say, the shogunate army directly under the Tokugawa shogunate still has some combat effectiveness.

In addition, the Japanese country also has a very big shortcoming, that is, the lack of artillery, especially heavy artillery.

When we were suppressing the Shimabara Rebellion, we had no choice but to ask the Dutch to shell the city that was not very strong.

In fact, as early as when the Japanese invaded Korea, the lack of artillery was already very obvious. However, the Japanese country still did not develop artillery, which was obviously related to the policies of the Tokugawa shogunate.

I have to say that this is comparable to the Manchu Qing Dynasty. In order to limit the domestic force from becoming uncontrollable, they would rather abolish their martial arts.

Another point is that when attacking an island country like Japan, there is a very easy advantage to take advantage of. That is, as long as they control the sea, the Japanese country will only be passively beaten!

Therefore, after Zheng Zongming finished speaking, Emperor Chongzhen asked: "What is the specific situation of the Japanese navy?"

Zheng Zongming heard the question and quickly replied: "Most of the warships of the Japanese navy are cobbled together from the warships of daimyo from various places. Although there are more than two thousand ships, but with my Zheng family..."

When he said this, he suddenly remembered that there was no Zheng family anymore, so he quickly changed his words and said: "Compared with our imperial navy, there is a lack of heavy artillery for naval battles. They mostly rely on blunderbuss to shoot at close range and jump out of the ship to fight."

Now among the four naval forces in Japan, two are from the original Zheng family fleet. Therefore, Zheng Zongming is relatively familiar with the Ming Navy.

After he provided information about the Japanese navy, Emperor Chongzhen sent an order to the generals of the four Daming naval forces, namely Zheng Zhibao, Yan Yingyuan, Kong Youde and Shi Lang, to hold a military meeting.

In previous wars, the navy had actually played a supporting role in the war.

Originally, they thought that they were responsible for attacking a section of North Korea, which could be regarded as opening up territory for the imperial court, which was a great achievement.

Unexpectedly, the emperor's army overthrew the once powerful Jianlu in a few strokes and forced Jianlu to surrender unconditionally.

This is like a boxer who wants to win a gold belt. After polishing his fists and palms, taking off his clothes and showing off his muscles, he is ready to go on stage to defeat his opponent. However, the organizer says that the game is cancelled, and the boxing match cannot be held.

In the ensuing war, the Japanese side was completely unprepared for the Ming army's massive attack on the Japanese mainland. Therefore, more of the four Ming naval forces were only responsible for transportation tasks, going back and forth between Busan, North Korea and Tsushima Island, and then Between Tsushima and Kyushu.

When they finished transporting the army, they discovered that the army had already taken Kyushu Island.

Who can you blame? You can't blame those Jianlu people who were eager to atone for their sins, so they launched a fierce offensive against the Japanese, right?

Look at the comparison between Jianlu and the Japanese. With their height and body type, it is possible for one to defeat three in a close combat, not to mention that the Kyushu Islands are all soldiers of Japanese local daimyo.

Now that they heard the contents of the military meeting held by the emperor, the commanders-in-chief of the four major naval forces finally breathed a sigh of relief. The Japanese country finally reacted and assembled a waterway army. Now the navy also had military exploits to gain.

As a result, the four generals expressed their opinions in front of the emperor. "Your Majesty, even though Japan has many naval forces, the general is still confident of defeating it!"

"Your Majesty, the last general is willing to lead the army and order the army. I swear not to return it if I am not defeated by the Japanese pirates!"

"The general only needs our own navy to defeat the Japanese navy, so we can issue a military order!"

"..."

They are the most experienced commanders in the Ming Dynasty naval battle. They are not facing the sailing ships of the Western Yi, but the ships of the Japanese country, and they are fully confident.

The Korean navy also surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, so all departments were assigned turtle ships. I have to say that turtle ships are indeed very useful against Japanese naval forces without heavy artillery.

Not to mention, the navy of Ming Dynasty headquarters is equipped with new artillery, which can shoot far and accurately. In addition, the Ming Navy's tactics against wooden ships originally included the art of arson.

A three-pronged approach, naval battles are not as good as land battles. Ships and artillery factors have a huge impact, and it is difficult to make up for it with personal bravery.

Therefore, the commander-in-chief of the four major naval forces dared to issue military orders to grab credit.

Seeing that they were full of fighting spirit, Emperor Chongzhen finally decided to let Yan Yingyuan defend Jiuzhou Island, and the three naval forces of Zheng Zhibao, Kong Youde and Shi Lang would clear out the Japanese navy along the coastline.

The rest of the war against Japan will be started after the navy's victory is reported.

On the other hand, Emperor Chongzhen also sent a partial army of Geng Zhongming to suppress the Japanese pirates in the Ryukyu Kingdom.

As for the Japanese on Kyushu Island, as long as they were armed with swords and guns, they were all sent to the mines to mine. It happened that the Japanese were short, so they were best suited for mining.

As for the ordinary Japanese, they were ordered to shave their hair and change their clothes. They were all bald and wore Han clothes. Then they changed their customs and were only allowed to speak Chinese and practice Han customs. They were all allowed to speak Japanese and so on. They were all burned and banned. The last one was to harmonize with others. North Koreans immigrated to each other to reduce possible resistance.

If we really just leave land but no people, we won't be able to produce anything. There still need to be people who work.

In early February of the 24th year of Chongzhen's reign, it was still very cold on Japan's Honshu Island, but a group of knights braved the cold wind and ran straight to Edo Castle.

The defenders at the city gate did not dare to stop them. Before this group of knights arrived, several people quickly pushed the city gate open and bent down to greet the group of knights.

However, this group of knights ignored these gate soldiers and galloped directly into Edo Castle and headed straight for the Shogun's Mansion.

When the guard at the gate of the general's mansion saw this group of knights, he immediately said to the leader: "Sir, the general has been waiting for a long time!"

The senior leader of the Tokugawa shogunate was Matsudaira Nobutsuna, who was known as the wise Izu. Hearing the sound, he immediately got off his horse and entered the general's mansion with a serious look on his face.

The guard at the door still looked serious and a little worried when he saw him entering.

When Matsudaira Nobutsuna saw Tokugawa Iemitsu, he couldn't help being stunned. Because he discovered that Tokugawa Iemitsu seemed to be much older after not seeing him for half a month.

After coming back to his senses, Matsudaira Nobutsuna naturally knew that in the face of the Ming army's attack, especially when Kyushu Island was lost before he had time to react, this put too much pressure on the shogun.

So, he quickly reported: "Sir General, I have integrated the troops mobilized from the daimyo from all over the country. They are all elite troops, and the daimyo from all over the place have no selfish intentions. In the decisive battle with the Ming army, victory must be ours. !”

Tokugawa Iemitsu was obviously relieved after hearing this, but he still frowned and said, "You think, if we ask for peace from the Ming Kingdom, will the Emperor of the Ming Kingdom agree?"

Obviously, his confidence is still insufficient. If you were sure you could win, you wouldn't say such a thing at all.

Before the war, the leaders of the Japanese country were timid before fighting. This was obviously not a good sign.

Therefore, Matsudaira Nobutsuna quickly replied: "Shogun, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty suddenly captured Kyushu Island without saying a word. This is an attack on the whole country. How can he stop halfway? Even if he asks for peace, he still needs to win a battle. Let’s talk about the battle later!”

Tokugawa Iemitsu is also a man with brains, otherwise he would not have completed the policy of seclusion during his term. At this time, when he heard Matsudaira Nobutsuna's words, he thought about it and nodded and said: "It makes sense, so how should we fight to win a battle?"

He did not ask Matsudaira Nozuna to recapture Kyushu Island, but only asked for a victory to sue for peace. Obviously, any manifestations of Amaterasu are all fake. If true, it means that Amaterasu is not capable enough when facing the Eastern Dragon.

After hearing this, Matsudaira Nobutsuna had obviously considered it on the way and immediately replied: "Shogun, this requires the cooperation of the Navy. Therefore, in addition to reporting to the Shogun, the minister also wanted to discuss with the Navy. Come up with specific countermeasures!”

He is in charge of the army, but the navy is not under his control. If all the military power were really given to him, Tokugawa Iemitsu would probably not be able to sleep.

After hearing this, Tokugawa Iemitsu nodded and said: "The navy has also made preparations. We are fighting on our own land and the terrain and water conservancy are familiar. At least we can protect ourselves!"

As soon as he said this, he heard hurried footsteps outside, and then a subordinate appeared at the door of the lobby. He didn't even bother to salute, and hurriedly reported: "The Ming Dynasty navy was found on the beach, coming north. , seems to be coming to Edo, there are about two thousand large and small warships!"

Upon hearing this, Tokugawa Iemitsu was immediately shocked. Unexpectedly, before they could fight, the navy of the Ming Dynasty actually took the initiative to attack?

Matsudaira Nobutsuna was shocked and said quickly: "Did the Ming Dynasty Navy know that our navy was gathered here in Edo, so they came for a decisive battle?"

After saying this, he felt that there was no point in discussing this matter, so he immediately reported to Tokugawa Iemitsu: "Shogun, please notify the navy immediately, prepare for battle, wait for work, and defeat the Ming Kingdom navy in one fell swoop. It is very possible for us to counterattack Kyushu Island, and we can even re-capture Tsushima Island, cut off the support of the Ming army, and surround the Ming Emperor and his army to death on Kyushu Island!"

"The great god Amaterasu appeared and caused the navy of the Ming Dynasty to come from a long distance. This is a God-given opportunity!"

When Tokugawa Iemitsu heard what he said, his face suddenly turned rosy, and he immediately said excitedly: "Yes, yes, yes, Amaterasu must have really appeared, causing the navy of the Ming Dynasty to come and fight. Hurry up and send the order to prepare for war. , prepare for war, prepare for war!”

Following Tokugawa Iemitsu's order, the entire Japanese population in Edo City mobilized to fight against the Ming Dynasty navy.

(End of this chapter)