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Chapter 1661 Businessmen have no righteousness

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    ?p> "Sir, we would rather die in battle than accept such harsh conditions!" As Gao Muqing shouted, his roar echoed in the small room, and for a moment the big man standing next to him  The soldiers rushed up with weapons in hand, trying to stop this rude person.  Zhou Pu was not too surprised, but stretched out his hand to stop these soldiers. He also knew that his conditions were so harsh, and it would be strange for the representatives of the shogunate not to be furious.  "You said these conditions are harsh? Why are they so harsh?" He looked at Gao Muqing calmly, "Your Tokugawa family has caused such a big trouble, and you are an enemy of the imperial court personally designated by your country's imperial court. It stands to reason that  It is said that it should be undone and serve as a warning to others. We, the Holy Emperor of the Han Dynasty, are merciful and intend to allow the blood of the Tokugawa family to be passed down and the ancestral temple territory to be retained. This is a great favor. You, the shogunate, actually think that the conditions are harsh?  " "To disband the shogunate and remove the title of shogun is tantamount to wiping out the achievements of the Tokugawa family's ancestors. This is something that the shogun cannot agree to under any circumstances." The veins on Takagi Qing's face were filled with extreme anger.  They were already bulging, but he still suppressed his anger and said to Zhou Pu in a trembling voice, "The territory was built bit by bit by the ancestors of the Tokugawa family and the retainers and samurai of all generations. It cannot be given away to others easily, otherwise  Why should I go underground to meet the Lord? " "Then you mean that we can't make any concessions at all, and there is no way to discuss these issues?" Zhou Pu asked with a sneer.  "The matter of the land is not impossible to discuss at all." A blushing Takagi Qing reluctantly replied, "Our Lord Lao Zhong said that the shogunate can cede the governance of Kyushu Island to the Han Dynasty, and at the same time, in the Western Kingdom  We also respect the imperial court's arrangements for the land distribution in Kinki. "That's right. Without the consent and approval of the shogunate, we have no way to distribute it." Zhou Pu couldn't help but laugh, "It turns out that the shogunate is doing this.  "The generosity of others gave us the land we already occupied, but we didn't lose anything!" "The shogunate still has hundreds of thousands of troops in Kanto. If you really feel that you can seize land from Kanto, then you can!  Come and take it yourself." Takagi Kiyoshi retorted sternly, "Your Excellency is still in the Western Kingdom, and the land of Kinki has not been taken into our hands. How can we be generous to others?" Let the Han Dynasty and the imperial court hold the land of Kinki after the war?  , this is Doi Toshikatsu¡¯s personal opinion. Even Tokugawa Iemitsu doesn¡¯t know yet. In Doi Toshiki¡¯s view, since the order of Kenbi Kiyono was issued, the Kinki area will definitely become a depression, and then it will be difficult to continue to support the army.  If the army is stationed in Kinki, it will be very difficult for the shogunate to maintain a large army in Kinki. In this case, it is better to take it out and throw it to the court in order to shrink the front and maintain the foundation of the shogunate in Kanto.  Because he knew that it was difficult for Tokugawa Iemitsu to agree to such a condition immediately, he decided to throw out this condition first. If the big man could really agree to compromise with the shogunate, then Tokugawa Iemitsu would not disagree with this fait accompli.  However, he still did not expect that the big man was still very dissatisfied with their conditions.  In Zhou Pu's view, although the negotiation conditions provided by the shogunate allowed the powerful men to return home with a full load and gain great benefits, the shogunate did not suffer any serious losses and still retained the fundamental importance of Kanto - and Kanto has not yet been  Having not experienced war, it will definitely recover faster than the Western Kingdom after the war, and the shogunate will also gain an absolute advantage over the Western Kingdom and the Japanese court.  If the Han Dynasty agrees to such conditions, then as soon as the Han Dynasty relaxes, the shogunate will soon regain its strength, and then like Tokugawa Ieyasu, it will sweep the Western Kingdom and rule Japan again.  Therefore, he cannot agree to the other party's negotiation conditions in any case. Even if he compromises, he must weaken the shogunate to a certain extent so that he will never be able to break the balance he created after the war.  "That's right, our army has not yet penetrated the territory, and you can still hang on. However, before our army reaches the front, the recovery of Kyoto is just around the corner." Zhou Pu looked at the other party with confidence, "At that time,  Even the shogunate is in danger, so how can we talk about giving up Kyoto to us? " "If your Excellency thinks that your army can definitely attack Kinei, then I have nothing to say. I can only prove it with swords and guns." Seeing No. 1.  It is impossible to reach any consensus after this contact. "In this case, I will say goodbye first and contact you again after a while. I believe you will have the same view by then." In order to prevent the channels that the two parties have finally established from being interrupted.  , he didn¡¯t say anything right now, he just said he would contact me again in the future.  He had seen the majestic fortifications of Himeji Castle before, so he had no doubt that the shogunate army could block the Han army's front, so he planned to wait until the Han army was frustrated at Himeji Castle and was poured cold water on him.When contacted by the envoys of the Han Dynasty, I think the treatment and conditions he can get will be much better at that time.  Zhou Pu is also very confident now. He has seen the scene of the Han using siege cannon to attack the heavily guarded city, so he feels that as long as he brings the cannon up, he can definitely break through any fortress of the shogunate army.  It is just a contact now. The status of both parties in the negotiation will ultimately be determined by the situation and performance on the battlefield.  "It's getting late today, and the place is already in chaos. It may be dangerous to let the envoy leave now, but it goes against the principles of our big men, so the envoy will stay here tonight." Since it has been revealed to them.  After meeting all his demands, Zhou Pu did not intend to talk to them anymore. He just waved his hand and asked people to take them away. "Okay, you go and rest first. I will let you leave early tomorrow morning! I guarantee your safety!"  After sending away the group of shogunate envoys, Zhou Pu did not dare to neglect and immediately called a group of his own council officers over. Because Huang Changguo had already led an army to Bizen Kuni Kojima County to occupy the port, so  The councilors are now headed by Huang Changguo's deputy Su Zhao.  After these councilors were gathered, Zhou Pu immediately told them the situation he was encountering now.  When they heard that the shogunate had actually begun to sue for peace, these counselors were surprised and happy, feeling that they had hit the light of day.  However, they also quickly understood that the shogunate still had strength and high morale, and would not easily accept the peace talks proposed by the Han, so the next war still had a long way to go.  "Sir, it seems that if we don't fight hard next and break their backbones, they really think they have the capital to bargain with us big men." Su Zhao frowned and said, "Now let's wait for a while until we will  Bring up the cannon and give him a few blasts to see if these clowns have anything to rely on!" His words also aroused the agreement of other council officers. After years of war, the Han army, which has been victorious, has become extremely confident.  What's more, it's still on top of the artillery fire that he is proud of.  "Even so, we have to pay attention to our opponents." Zhou Pu was not as excited as them. "Now that I have taken the envoys of the shogunate down to rest, I predict that in addition to their mission to negotiate peace with us,  They must also have the mission to find out the reality of our army and collect intelligence. We have to guard against it." Upon hearing what Zhou Pu said, several council officers were a little surprised.  Although the army along this route looks huge, the number of Han troops is actually very small. This is what they have always been most worried about. If these envoys of the shogunate see through the truth, what will happen?  "Should we detain these envoys first and then release them after defeating the enemy?" Su Zhao asked Zhou Pu hesitantly.  "As ministers of the Celestial Empire, how can we do such a thing?" Zhou Pu asked with a smile, "These people want to find out the truth, so we will let them take a closer look." Su Zhao was a little confused at first, but soon he understood  I understood what Zhou Pu meant.  "Are you going to disguise yourself in front of them?" "Yes, now wake up all the Han troops who have camped and let them walk through the camp with torches. Remember, let them cycle back and forth with torches." Zhou Pu nodded.  He nodded, and then expressed his idea, "We want these envoys to see the military might of our Han Dynasty!" "Understood!" Su Zhao and others suddenly understood and immediately took the order and left.  "In the middle of the night, under the orders of the officers, all the sleeping Han soldiers in the camp were woken up.  In the army of the Qianming Dynasty, due to the high mental stress and the tense relationship between the officers and soldiers, the phenomenon of bombing the camp would occur as long as there was a little trouble at night. Therefore, the Qianming army has always set very strict rules for the military camp, and it is even more prohibited at night.  activities, but the Han army was well-trained and there was a lot of trust between the officers and soldiers, so the commotion inside at night did not disturb the soldiers. They were soon called up, and based on the previous training, they were soon under the lit bonfire.  The people below were gathered together.  Then, this group of Han officers and soldiers held prepared torches and patrolled in formation in the camp, making a formation as if reinforcements from the army were constantly coming here.  Under the bright bonfire at night, the red military uniforms and medal buttons worn by these officers and soldiers were made even brighter, and they were so bright that it was almost dazzling.  This kind of back-and-forth transfer did indeed fall into the eyes of the shogunate envoys who were secretly watching.  After they saw the mobilization and neat military appearance of the Han army at night, they were even more in awe of this army and even more horrified by the strength of the Han army.  Although they are civil servants in the shogunate, they are not completely ignorant of military affairs. When they see thisAfter seeing the performance of the Han officers and soldiers, they naturally knew how much stronger they would be than the shogunate army.  Just because the distance was too far, they were blurry and unable to clearly see the faces and specific scale of the people on the other side.  It was not until midnight that the red-coated army ended its mobilization and slowly returned to the camp. The original noise and bustle also returned to silence.  At this time, Gao Muqing and others also secretly calculated the size of the Han army they saw. A rough estimate was that it was close to ten thousand people, and at least five or six thousand people.  ¡°Perhaps the Han army does not stop here. There are many more Han armies marching towards Himeji Castle and Kyoto along various routes. This fact, like the mountains, weighs more heavily on their hearts.  Early the next morning, the Han envoy kept his promise and sent them on the way back to the city. They immediately hurried towards Himeji Castle.  Zhou Pu was also very satisfied with the performance of his subordinates last night. He knew that he had completed the task of deceiving the other party.  These shogunate envoys must tell the shogunate's garrison generals what they saw when they return. Therefore, the more the number of Han troops in this army is judged, the more shocked the shogunate army will be. This is also a psychological shock.  .  What's more, the more they feel that the Han Dynasty is making all-out efforts to attack, the less they think that the main direction of the Han Dynasty's attack will be to directly rush to Guandong and fight the shogunate. Then their military deployment will have problems.  After the envoys were sent away, the pace of the Han army's advance began to slow down. In addition to Huang Changguo's smooth march all the way to the towns along the coast of Bizen Kingdom, the main formation of Zhou Pu's army began to advance steadily, and finally in Bizen Kingdom  He stopped at a place dozens of miles away from Himeji Castle and turned it into his base camp.  When they were marching, the shogunate army never left the city to harass Zhou Pu's army. It seemed that just as Huang Changguo and others judged, the shogunate really intended to abandon the Western Kingdom and then rely on the fortresses in Himeji Castle and other places to defend it.  Using delaying methods to make the big man lose blood, he finally achieved the goal of having to withdraw his troops.  "They compared themselves to Goguryeo, but they didn't think about it. How could we, the Han Dynasty, be comparable to the Tang Dynasty at the beginning of the founding of the country?" Surrounded by a group of soldiers, Zhou Pu left this message when he inspected his army.  inference.  "Being so conservative will only result in being beaten passively." At this moment, another group of people from the Kinki area came to him secretly.  However, this group of people is not from the shogunate, but businessmen from the Kinki area, especially those from Sakai City and Osaka Castle.  Sakai City has always been a traditional commercial city in Japan. Because it is located on the border of the three countries of Settsu, Kawachi and Izumi, and the transportation location is very convenient, merchants from these three countries will gather here to do business. In addition, the Kinki region is rich in products  , because it is close to consumer places like Kyoto, Sakai City has become a commercial city.  During the Warring States Period, Sakai City became an autonomous city and was filled with a large number of wealthy businessmen. Even the daimyo from various places had to be wary and tried their best to win over them.  Because of this special status, Sakai City escaped the frequent fighting by daimyo from various places and became a peaceful and prosperous city that even missionaries envied.  However, precisely because of Sakai City¡¯s status and wealth, it soon attracted the covetousness and fear of powerful daimyo.  Starting from Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the central government has been doing its best to suppress Sakai City. Toyotomi Hideyoshi sent troops to open the solid walls of Sakai City and then looted the city. Tokugawa Ieyasu also turned this place into a  A white land, Sakai City's merchants and wealth suffered great losses.  However, due to the excellent geographical location of Sakai City, after the establishment of the shogunate, Sakai City began to revive again, and the merchants inside became active again, turning it into a prosperous commercial city again.  But at this time, Osaka also began to develop as a commercial city and began to compete with neighboring Sakai City.  Sakai City was suppressed because it was an autonomous city, and many people were forced to move to Osaka, which was directly governed by the shogunate. The Edo shogunate also moved its important commercial institutions and functions to Osaka, allowing Osaka to catch up and become  An important commercial city in Japan.  However, both Osaka and Sakai City have suffered greatly from the Tokugawa Shogunate. They have no support for the Tokugawa Shogunate. Some people even hate the Tokugawa Shogunate because of its several attacks on Osaka.  When the Han Dynasty landed on Honshu Island, causing the whole of Japan to fall into turmoil, and began to attack Kinki step by step, the wealthy businessmen in these cities began to waver.  They began to contact each other secretly to discuss how to deal with the new situation in the future.  Whether it is out of hatred or the need to protect property, they all believe that they must make some contact with the big man first¡ª¡ªIn this way, regardless of the victory of the Han Dynasty and the imperial court, or the victory of the shogunate, their property can be preserved as much as possible, instead of being left to be slaughtered as in the Warring States Period.  However, it was difficult for them to contact the Han Dynasty. Because the shogunate had a monopoly on trade with the Han Dynasty, they were all specialized in domestic business and rarely involved in foreign trade. They had few channels to contact the Han Dynasty, and they were even more difficult to find.  There is no reliable negotiator.  Seeing that the big men had arrived at the door of Kinki, these wealthy businessmen became more and more nervous. They discussed and discussed, and finally decided to let the Mitsui family take the lead in making contacts - the Mitsui family had done a lot of business before, and had begun to get involved in foreign trade, and had  I have contacted the Dahan Merchant Store in Nagasaki, and in the eyes of these wealthy businessmen, I am already the best candidate.  For the sake of their own wealth, the Mitsui family did not dare to neglect, and immediately sent out trustworthy people in their own family, lightly dressed and simple, carefully crossed the lines of the two armies through their own channels, and secretly sneaked into the sphere of influence of the Han army.  , and then tried every means to reveal the news to the Han army.  After years of business accumulation, the Mitsui family is now a huge business family, relying on blood ties to conduct family-style operations. The Mitsui family has been divided into several branches through the reproduction of several generations, and this time people were sent  , comes from a branch family that is very close to the main family by blood, and his name is Mitsui Takamatsu. He was sent here personally, which also reflects the fear and attention that the Mitsui family, and even the entire Kinki wealthy merchants, have for the Han army.  When he learned of the arrival of the envoys from the wealthy merchants, Zhou Pu also changed his previous arrogance in front of the shogunate envoys and received them very politely.
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