Great Ming Dynasty Wen Chao Gong

Chapter 167 Zhang Xiao’s analysis of Japan

"Brother Ieyasu, why do you have to bring out the Ming Dynasty? Look at what I'm wearing now. Isn't it the royal robe given by the Ming Dynasty?" Toyotomi Hideyoshi said while shaking his own clothes. Wearing robes.

"The imperial robes of the Ming Dynasty are indeed extraordinary. Taikaku, your tea set is very beautiful, but I don't know how the tea tastes." Tokugawa Ieyasu asked.

"Brother Ieyasu, it seems that you have come all the way and you only want to drink tea. Look, the teacup I prepared for you is a zodiac Tenmoku lamp. I'm afraid there are not many teacups of this quality in the whole of Japan. And the Chidori Incense Burner placed next to it, isn’t it enough to make the First Warrior of Mikawa take a second look?” Toyotomi Hideyoshi was not very happy for a while.

"I'm rude, please forgive me." Tokugawa Ieyasu carefully picked up the tea cup, looked at it carefully for a long time, and then slowly drank the tea in the cup.

"Ieyasu-nii, what do you think of this tea?"

“The color is beautiful, the water is clear, and you have an endless aftertaste when you drink it.”

"This is the finest Longjing tea produced in Hangzhou during the Ming Dynasty. Unfortunately, our trade with the Ming Dynasty has been cut off. The price of tea has skyrocketed, and there is no market for it. This fresh and good tea will be used to entertain Brother Ieyasu."

"Thank you Taige for your hospitality."

"It's a pity that Matsunagahide's flat spider and ninety-nine eggplants have been destroyed. Otherwise, they could be put on both sides this time. This would be the ultimate joy of tea ceremony. The treasures and beauties in this world are just like these cherry blossoms." , a glorious moment, but a moment of shattering. The achievements in this world are just a fleeting thought, just like Lord Nobunaga who aspired to the world, but did not expect that he would be in danger so many times on the battlefield. Instead, he died in Honnoji Temple. In the sea of ​​​​fire. Two years ago, Toyotomi Hideyoshi thought of unifying the five hundred states of China, but now Brother Ieyasu is really going to invade Osaka Castle. If Brother Ieyasu hadn’t raised troops earlier, those who are now guarding Osaka Castle would really It’s Chacha and Hideyori’s mother and son, right?”

"You brought 50,000 people, and I also brought 50,000 people. Osaka Castle is already so strong, and there are 50,000 defenders inside. How many lives will it cost us to capture this strong city? So what if we really capture it? , Don’t look at the fact that the Kansai princes are not moving at the moment. If our army is really unable to attack for a long time, both sides will suffer, and then the Maori family will be the fishermen. Toyotomi Hideyoshi also knows this possibility, and he understands that I know This is possible, so we came up with the idea of ​​​​peace negotiation."

"Then please ask Brother Ieyasu to petition the Emperor as soon as possible. Once this matter is over, I will also go to Kyoto in person to apologize to His Majesty the Emperor."

Tokugawa Ieyasu returned to the main formation, and everyone hurriedly surrounded him.

"But now that we have a great opportunity, we retreat like this. What if Toyotomi Hideyoshi leads an army to counterattack in the future?"

"Why did you really eat and drink there? Did you feel uncomfortable? Do you want to find a way to vomit it out?" Torii Motoadaka asked.

"That's not true."

"Your Excellency is exaggerating."

"Father, I came with 50,000 horses, and there should be 30,000 to 40,000 people arriving now. The ones left behind are mainly peasant soldiers escorting the baggage." Tokugawa Hidetada replied.

"Is it because of these novels?"

"Although the matter has come to this, it is useless to say more. I really have no intention of doing anything to you. I have already set up the position of the five elders, and you are worthy of being the first of the five elders. But I really did not expect that you would be so decisive in the end. He is worthy of being a descendant of the Minamoto family, exactly like the Ashikaga Takauji back then. If the Hojo family had known that Ashikaga Takauji had started the family without hesitation, I don't know if they would have regretted marrying the Ashikaga family."

"Since it is Taige's request, I will naturally consider it seriously. The world has been in war for many years and has experienced the Korean War. I am not willing to use more weapons. If a peace agreement can be reached, His Majesty the Emperor will surely be happy."

"Brother Ieyasu, I should be the one to ask you this. Did you get some kind of promise from Ming Ting if you raised the army in such a hurry?"

"Tokugawa Ieyasu, although you can separatize Kanto, it is difficult for you to march into Kansai and eliminate all the heroes in Kansai. How about this, you and I follow what Liu Bang and Xiang Yu did, and I separatize Kansai. , you separate the Kanto region, how about a temporary truce?" Toyotomi Hideyoshi asked.

"No need, Toyotomi Hideyoshi was a fierce general of Lord Nobunaga in the past, and he conquered the world with his strength. If he really poisoned me today, he would not be Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Back then, the Tatars poisoned Genghis Khan's father. , what will happen to the whole tribe in the end? Toyotomi Hideyoshi has been fighting for most of his life, why bother to use this method at this time, Toyotomi Hideyoshi wants to divide the world equally with me, you should have heard it, what do you think?"

"These books do have some influence, but they are not the main reason. To be honest, your army was defeated so miserably in Korea. The Kanto samurai under my command will not enter Korea again under such circumstances. Once this happens, Your Excellency, your army is in such a dilemma, your Excellency will definitely become suspicious of me."

"Father, why do you agree to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's request? Right now, our army has the upper hand, and the Toyotomi family only has Osaka Castle left. As long as Osaka Castle is captured, the other Kansai warlords will definitely stay away. Surrender." Tokugawa Hidetada said.

"What does Taige want now?"

"Hidetada, you came so quickly. I ordered you to gather the troops behind you and come right after. You didn't delay for many days. Now tell me, how many troops did you bring with you? How many of them have already arrived at Osaka Castle? asked Tokugawa Ieyasu.

"There is no way to counterattack. Although Toyotomi Hideyoshi looks radiant today, I looked at his face and found that his face was already dull and his eyes were not as bright as before. I am afraid that he will not last long. Osaka Castle was built No matter how good it is, if only a child is the city lord, it will be difficult to prosper." Tokugawa Ieyasu said. But there wasn't much joy in the tone of his words.

It was already several months before what happened in Japan reached the capital of the Ming Dynasty. This was because the matter was so important. In the past, no one would pay any attention to the mere story of Japan.

It's just that at the moment, everyone in the imperial court knows that the foreigner that Emperor Wanli talks about the most these days is Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Therefore, the news about Toyotomi Hideyoshi reached the emperor's desk as quickly as possible. "Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu couldn't defeat each other, so they reached an agreement to share the east and west. But after this time, Toyotomi Hideyoshi lived in seclusion and rarely showed his face in front of the public. Soon after, Mori Terumoto led an army to assist Osaka and called himself Assistant Minister? This is quite interesting. I thought that the various princes of the Japanese country were going to have a melee, but I didn't expect that the war would cease so soon." The emperor said with emotion as he took the report.

"Your Majesty, this is information sent back from overseas. There may be some distortions. Your Majesty, please check it carefully and do not believe it completely." Chen Ju reminded.

"Of course I know this. No matter what, the situation of Toyotomi Hideyoshi is over now, and there will be no more trouble. The court has finally eliminated a scourge. Chen Ju, you go and send someone to invite Zhang Xiao. I am just in time I still have some questions, and I asked him to answer them together.”

"The minister obeys the order."

Zhang Xiao entered the imperial study and glanced at the emperor with his peripheral vision. Although he couldn't see clearly, it seemed that the emperor was in a good mood today.

"Zhang Xiao, this is the news from Japan. Come and take a closer look." With a gesture from the emperor, Chen Ju handed the information to Zhang Xiao.

After Zhang Xiao received the report, he also read it carefully. You have to be careful. History has changed beyond recognition. Zhang Xiao cannot directly copy the history of the original time and space to judge the situation. However, looking at the situation in the report, Zhang Xiao always felt that it was inexplicably familiar.

"Your Majesty, I have a bold guess. It may not be accurate, but it is still an idea." Zhang Xiao thought for a while and said.

"Oh? Then you should tell me."

"Your Majesty, Toyotomi Hideyoshi is very likely dead. Even if he is not dead, he is probably unconscious. Therefore, the Toyotomi Hideyoshi who is living in seclusion is very likely to be a substitute." Zhang Xiao thought for a while and put forward his speculation. Speak up.

"Oh? Why do you have such an idea? This is a major military matter and cannot be decided based on casual guessing."

"Your Majesty, I have told you a story before, called "Kagemusha". It tells the story of Takeda Shingen of Japan. It was also mentioned in "Fifty Years in the World"." Zhang Xiao added the plot of "Kagemusha" Briefly described.

"I have also read the story you told, and I roughly know what you are trying to say. However, the matter is confidential now, so I have to ask, is the story you told true, or are you just making it up? fable?" asked the emperor.

"Your Majesty, the story of Kagemusha may not be true, but historical events are not made up. After the death of Takeda Shingen, the Takeda family was indeed leaderless. The successor Takeda Katsuyori could not control the veteran members of the family at all, and was finally forced to A decisive battle with the Oda army, and the Takeda family's old base was completely defeated in one battle. Toyotomi Hideyoshi originally unified Japan, but he hurriedly negotiated peace with Tokugawa Ieyasu. He must have realized that he was not feeling well and was worried about himself. The matter behind the death of his immature son, so I can only take action personally and let Tokugawa Ieyasu sign a contract with me."

"But as soon as Tokugawa Ieyasu's army withdrew, Mori Terumoto's army marched into Osaka Castle, indicating that there must have been some major changes in Osaka Castle. The most likely possibility of this major change is that Toyotomi Hideyoshi is dead. Without Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Toyotomi family can no longer sustain its hegemony, so it must find foreign aid, otherwise it will be precarious." Zhang Xiao explained.

"If Toyotomi Hideyoshi died like this, I don't know what to say, but it is still a good thing. If Toyotomi Hideyoshi died, the Japanese country would not have much ability to dare to offend the Ming Dynasty, right?" The emperor? asked.

"Your Majesty, for at least a hundred years, the Japanese will not dare to disrespect the Ming Dynasty and use force against North Korea. But Your Majesty, you have to be careful about a place. This is a place that the Japanese have already coveted."

"Oh? Where are you talking about?"

"Your Majesty, I am talking about the Ryukyu Kingdom. The Ryukyu Kingdom is located on the sea, it is a small country with few people, and there are no key areas to defend. Once it is targeted by the Japanese country, it will easily be forced to become a vassal. Therefore, the court should Send officials to Ryukyu to help the King of Ryukyu govern. It is best to send a garrison to help the King of Ryukyu guard his home. If possible, the Daming Navy also needs to regularly patrol Ryukyu and Yizhou Island to prevent the Japanese from advancing eastward. Change it to Secretly went south." Zhang Xiao explained.

"After Japan's defeat, how dare you act so boldly?" the emperor asked unhappily.

"Your Majesty, the fact that the Japanese country can produce people like Toyotomi Hideyoshi shows that ambitious people in this country are absolutely indispensable. If you don't pay close attention to the Japanese country, you may not know when the Japanese country will come out to bite you again. Sometimes it is not even the Japanese country. Some of the things that the court and powerful ministers want to do are local princes making the decision privately, or even some down-and-out warriors taking action privately. But once the matter has happened, it will be very troublesome to deal with it. So it is best to deal with it from the beginning. Ryukyu and Yizhou Island are careful and cannot let the Japanese take advantage of it. After all, the Japanese have already had many samurai wandering in Southeast Asia before, and the route south can be said to be very familiar to them."

"As you said, if Toyotomi Hideyoshi is really dead, will the power of Japan fall into the hands of Tokugawa Ieyasu?" the emperor asked.

"Your Majesty, this is very likely, but it is impossible to say for sure. If the Toyotomi family can hold on to Osaka Castle and the Kansai princes can work together to resist the Tokugawa family's army, the current situation of Japan's east-west division can still continue. . But if the Toyotomi family cannot hold on to Osaka Castle in the end, and the Kansai princes do not have a strong leader, it will be easy to be defeated by Tokugawa Ieyasu one by one. After all, the Tokugawa family is still too strong, and with a few If there is a powerful vassal in Kanto, it is not difficult to wipe out Kansai." Zhang Xiao analyzed.

"If Tokugawa Ieyasu unified Japan again, would it be possible to invade the Ming Dynasty again?" the emperor asked.

"Your Majesty, even if Japan is reunited, it will be a serious loss of vitality. Tokugawa Ieyasu is not young anymore. As long as he is wise enough, he will definitely make the consolidation of political power his top priority. How to subdue those vassal towns at that time is what he will do. The most troublesome thing.”

"Then according to what you said, the Japanese country is not a problem?"

"Your Majesty, that's not what I'm saying. It mainly depends on whether the maritime powers outside the region will want to use the power of the Japanese country to weaken the Ming Dynasty. But currently the only country with this motivation and strength, the Franco Kingdom, is now trapped in the quagmire of the European War. , it is already very difficult to maintain the existing colonies, and they must not care about being enemies with the Ming Dynasty. At present, the Franco Kingdom is probably still asking the Ming Dynasty to open up trade and open the market, especially the Franji merchants in Macau. , their desire is definitely more urgent.”

(End of this chapter)