Cutting over the end of the Ming Dynasty: a dog-leg knife at the beginning

Chapter 696 The decision of the shogunate

Edo, the shogunate.

A young man in a soft and bright black kimono sits cross-legged in a quiet room, watching his nose with his eyes and his heart with his nose, as if an old monk is in meditation.The paper screens in the quiet room were all closed, and it was quiet, as if he was the only one left in the world.The faint candlelight sprinkled on his body, coating him with a strange light.

He is the third general of the Tokugawa shogunate, Tokugawa Iemitsu.

The shogunate, an authority over the emperor, has ruled Japan for 400 years, starting in the Kamakura period, and it will continue to rule.The Genji defeated the Heira family and established the Kamakura Shogunate, the Ashikaga family killed the Genshiki and established the Muromachi Shogunate, Oda Nobunaga and Takeda Shingen rose up to overthrow the Muromachi Shogunate, and then launched an unprecedented fierce battle for the supreme position of the Shogun, and the whole of Japan All involved in the vortex of blood and fire.Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu teamed up to kill Takeda Shingen, Akechi Mitsuhide killed the former boss Oda Nobunaga with a black knife behind his back, and then was killed by Oda Nobunaga's love Toyotomi Hideyoshi.After the unification of Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi launched a war to conquer the dynasty, but was slapped back by the Ming Dynasty. After eight years of hard work, he did not gain an inch of land. Instead, he buried 10,000+ Japanese samurai, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi vomited blood and died.The game of death that lasted for a hundred years finally came to an end. Tokugawa Ieyasu had the last laugh. After the disastrous defeat in the Battle of Conquerment, the Tokugawa family wiped out the Toyotomi family step by step. Now there is no one in this land who can threaten their position.

It's just... this chair, which was so hard to grab, is not easy to sit on!

Yes, it's really hard to sit.Tokugawa Ieyasu is walking on thin ice, dealing with strong men such as Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, etc., operating in a bleak manner, and if he is not careful, he will be smashed to pieces. He finally killed these few people. Being oppressed and coerced by these strong men, I have lingering fears; Tokugawa Hidetada caught up with the Korean War, and because of his defeat in North Korea, he was almost forced to commit suicide by Tokugawa Ieyasu; Three generations of shoguns, he was relatively lucky, born in peace, grew up in the hands of women, and did not experience wars, but this does not mean that his life is easy.In addition to facing brutal power struggles and brother-in-law fighting, he also has to face the impact of the great era.On the other side of the East China Sea, the dynasty that was so powerful that Japan hoped for it has faded away, and the political landscape in Asia may have to be reshuffled. On the west side of the sea, the Westerners are getting stronger and stronger, and the things they send have changed greatly. the ancient country of Japan.The matchlock guns sold by Westerners led to a round of earth-shaking military changes in Japan, and finally gave them the capital to fight across the sea and fight with Ming Dynasty in Korea for eight years; the trade of Westerners in Asia made Nagasaki, Edo Waiting for the city to become one of the best prosperous port cities in East Asia, business is booming.

Now the Ming Dynasty suddenly sent more than ten thousand troops to invade Japan!Right now, the Ming army has bloodbathed Tsushima Island, uprooted the Zong clan, and is besieging Kagoshima Castle.
The Kyushu vassals have always been rebellious against the shogunate. Tokugawa Iemitsu was happy to see them beaten up by the Ming army and their strength greatly weakened. Finally, he sent troops as a savior to help them defeat the Ming army that invaded Kyushu.The Tokugawa shogunate has [-] fierce and brave banner warriors, and the mere [-] Ming army, he doesn't take it seriously.What really gave him a headache was Ming Guo's attitude.Why did the Ming Dynasty send troops to invade Japan for no reason?It is said that even the Netherlands and North Korea participated in this invasion, but why?It may not be difficult to defeat the Ming army of more than ten thousand, but what is difficult is how to deal with the aftermath. After all, what Japan has to face is a behemoth with a population of more than [-] million.

Religious conflicts, the impact of Western civilization on Japanese tradition, the invasion of the Ming Dynasty... these big troubles came one after another, really giving him a headache!
Tuk Tuk Tuk!
There was a light knock on the door, interrupting Tokugawa Iemitsu's contemplation.

Tokugawa Iemitsu opened his eyes and said, "Come in!"

The maid kneeling outside opened the door, and an old man with white beard and hair, a thin face but sharp eyes strode in proudly, and then knelt in front of Tokugawa Iemitsu.The maid immediately closed the door, and the old man kowtowed and said respectfully: "See General!"

A smile appeared on Tokugawa Iemitsu's young face: "Your Excellency Lao Zhong? What's the matter?"

It was Tokugawa Iemitsu's senior middle school, Sakai Ryuji who came.This guy was a brave and ruthless character when he was young. He has experienced hundreds of battles, and he is also a good hand in governing the local economy. With his extraordinary achievements and achievements, his position in the Tokugawa shogunate is as stable as a rock. He has gone through three dynasties ,Stand firm.It's just that although he is getting older, his warlike spirit has not diminished a bit. After learning about the Ming army's invasion, he jumped three feet high and clamored all day to lead [-] elite soldiers to meet the Ming army. The Tokugawa family spent a lot of money. It took a lot of effort to stabilize him.Now that I am afraid that he is here to challenge again, Tokugawa Iemitsu really has a headache.

Sakai Ryuji looked dignified, and whispered: "General, there is news from Kyushu!"

Tokugawa Iemitsu smiled: "How is the situation? Did our army win?"

Sakai Ryuji said: "Big defeat!"

Tokugawa Iemitsu raised his eyebrows thickly: "A big defeat? How is that possible! In Kyushu, our army has four times the strength of the Ming army, and the firecrackers we are equipped with are far more sophisticated than those of the Ming army. The bravery and extraordinary martial arts of the Kyushu warriors Not to mention that the soldiers of the Ming army who used temporary farmers to make up their numbers can compare, with such a huge advantage, how could they still be defeated!?"

Sakai Ryuji said: "It is indeed a big defeat! According to reports, the Ming army possessed hundreds of powerful cannons, and they fired Qingyi-style explosive bombs. With one shot, mountains fell and the ground cracked. Our army is still several miles away from them. Then let their cannons blast blood and blood, and the formation is in chaos! In addition, this Ming army is extremely well-equipped, with thick armor, and is invulnerable to weapons and guns. Our army's samurai sword cut it with sparks, and the armor was not damaged. On the contrary, it was the samurai sword that rolled it. Blade! The Ming army is equipped with a strong crossbow, its range is not inferior to that of the blunderbuss, and its accuracy is far superior. The Ming army hides behind a kind of fortification made of sandbags. The projectiles fired by our army's iron artillery team are all without exception. They were all blocked by sandbags, but the crossbow arrows fired by their crossbowmen shot down our soldiers in pieces!"

Tokugawa Iemitsu exclaimed in surprise: "The Ming army is so well-equipped? Doesn't it mean that the army is poorer than a beggar, and a dozen warriors can defeat one of them? How..."

Sakai Ryuji smiled wryly: "It's the soldiers of the guards, so it's easy to deal with, but this time it's the first-class elite of the Ming army, so it's not so easy to deal with, otherwise the battle of conquering the dynasty would not have been defeated so badly."

Tokugawa Iemitsu frowned and said, "Your Excellency Lao Naka, tell me how our army was defeated?"

Sakai Takashi said: "According to reports from people who fled to Edo, the Ming army first held the camp and refused to come out no matter how provocative our army was. They only used cannons and powerful crossbows to shoot at our soldiers in large numbers and repel our offensive. , in just the first day of fighting, our army lost nearly 3000 people! Then the Ming army generals took advantage of the wavering sentiments of the Kumamoto and Fukuoka clan troops to send envoys with a large number of gifts to woo them. The next day In the decisive battle, the armies of Kumamoto Domain and Fukuoka Domain suddenly retreated. As they watched from the sidelines, the troops of Choshu Domain and Satsuma Domain, which were fighting fiercely with the Ming army, were shaken. The Ming army took the opportunity to concentrate their artillery and bombard them, firing hundreds of shells in an instant, beating the enemy. There was a sea of ​​fire, followed by an all-out assault. Our army was completely defeated, with thousands of casualties and casualties. The survivors were driven to the farmland flooded by the sea, and fell into a desperate situation. They had to surrender in humiliation..."

Tokugawa Iemitsu yelled angrily: "Despicable! So despicable!"

Sakai Ryuji sighed: "We can't blame the allied forces for being despicable. Wars have always been unscrupulous. To blame can only be blamed on the Kumamoto and Fukuoka domains who betrayed their allies. However, they did not end up reconciling. After the army broke through Kagoshima Castle, they got a large amount of spoils. Just as they were retreating with these spoils, the Ming army re-armed the surrendered troops of the Changzhou and Satsuma domains. The army of the feudal kingdom launched a devastating attack, and now the army of more than 6000 people in the Kumamoto and Fukuoka domains no longer exists!"

Tokugawa Iemitsu was surprised and angry: "That is to say, the [-] army that the feudal clans of Kyushu put together with great difficulty, is this over?"

Sakai Ryuji nodded: "It was done very thoroughly. Either he became a prisoner of the Ming army, or his head was in a different place. Very few escaped." Tokugawa Iemitsu's face was already ugly, and the old man added very ignorantly. He said: "The Ming army lost very little!"

Nonsense, the Ming army has been hiding in the camp and using powerful crossbow cannons to fight non-contact warfare with the Japanese army, and then used the Japanese army to be defeated by the friendly army when it was betrayed by the friendly army and defeated it with fierce artillery fire. Osumi Castle used troops from the Changzhou and Satsuma domains to attack the Kumamoto and Fukuoka domains. Those who died were all Japanese. Of course, the loss of the Ming army was slight, and it has not exceeded 1000 people yet. .

Tokugawa Iemitsu stood up, took a deep breath, and said: "First, use generous gifts to win over the Kumamoto and Fukuoka domains to create an opportunity for the annihilation of the Choshu and Satsuma coalition forces; then use Changzhou and Satsuma to attack Kumamoto and Fukuoka The two vassals, annihilate them in one fell swoop... Who is the general of the Ming army? What a vicious scheme!"

Sakai Takashi said: "It has been found out that he is the Ming Dynasty champion Yang Menglong who defeated the Manchu cavalry in the Battle of Port Arthur last year and wiped out [-] enemies!"

Tokugawa Iemitsu shrank his pupils: "It's him!?"

The Battle of Lushun was earth-shattering and shook the whole of East Asia. It is naturally impossible for Japan not to know about it.It was precisely because he knew about this battle that Tokugawa Iemitsu was so horrified.The Ming army defeated Toyotomi Hideyoshi's 10,000+ strong soldiers who had been trained in hundreds of years of war in Korea, but the Manchu cavalry overwhelmed the Ming army. This shows how powerful the Manchu cavalry is in combat; the Ming Dynasty champion Hou but They crushed the Manchurian iron cavalry again... Now that this evil star has come to Japan to kill and set fire, it's frightening to think about it!Iemitsu Tokugawa paced back and forth in the quiet room, walking faster and faster, and his footwork became more and more chaotic. Obviously, his heart was already chaotic.In World War I, 3 Manchurian cavalry were annihilated. A general of this level would not come to Japan to kill for no reason. What did the Ming Dynasty mean by throwing this nuclear warhead to Japan?Did Ming Dynasty want to go to full-scale war with Japan?Impossible, the Eight Banners of Manchuria are still staring at it, how could Ming Ting ignore this fierce tiger and turn around to pounce on this Japanese rabbit!The more he thought about it, the more headache he got. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "Your Excellency, Lao Zhong, go down and make arrangements. I want to call all the generals to discuss sending troops to Kyushu to fight against the Ming invaders! Also, let someone go to Beijing to report to the Ming court. Ask about this!”

Ryuji Sakai asked, "But why?"

Tokugawa Iemitsu said: "I want to find out whether the Ming army's invasion this time was caused by the rampage of the champion Hou Xia Ke, or by the Ming court's instructions! Only by understanding what is going on can we deal with it freely!"

Now Sakai Ryuji understood.If the Ming army's invasion of Japan was just an act of defeating the enemy, all you need to do is to force Daming to order the Ming army to withdraw; if the invasion of Japan was ordered by the Ming court, then Japan will be in big trouble...

(End of this chapter)