Add Bookmark | Recommend this book | Back to the book page | My bookshelf | Mobile Reading

Free Web Novel,Novel online - All in oicq.net -> Historic -> Great Ming Wufu

Volume 1 Chapter 1670: Disunity

Previous page        Return to Catalog        Next page

    < >With the advance of the Han army, the news of the shogunate's tragic defeat in the Battle of Himeji Castle was quickly spread to all parts of Japan, shocking every corner.  Those who were loyal to the shogunate were deeply saddened by this and even panicked all day long, while those who were dissatisfied with the shogunate cheered for it.  As for those who have been unmoved on the surface, but have actually been watching for opportunities, they feel even more urgent. They want to act as soon as possible to seek benefits in the radically changing situation, or at least protect their own interests.  vested interest.  Today, when the shogunate's rule is in turmoil, the resistance hindering their actions has become smaller and smaller.  As the Han army moves deeper and deeper into Honshu Island, they will also face the dilemma of whether to resist the Han.  The Maeda family of Kaga Domain was in such an environment.  Maeda Toshiie, the founder of the Kaga Domain, came from a humble background. He was originally just a young samurai from Owari Province. He became prosperous because he became Oda Nobunaga's nickname since he was a child and was trusted by Oda Nobunaga.  During his many years of career, he slowly rose up the ranks in the Oda family's army. Following Oda Nobunaga, he fought in all directions and made great contributions along the way. Finally, he was named the general of the army by Oda Nobunaga and was given the rank of Noto Kuni II.  A reward of 130,000 stones.  However, what really made Maeda Toshiie famous was not just his resourcefulness and bravery in fighting. He fought in the turbulent situations at the end of the Warring States Period time and time again, and always stood with the winner, which became the main reason for his prosperity¡ª¡ª  It was also the main reason why the Maeda family was able to maintain its wealth, instead of being wiped out by the turbulent times like many other daimyo families.  After Oda Nobunaga died in the Honnoji Incident, the generals of the Oda family began to fight over inheriting his legacy. The two main opponents were Shibata Katsuie and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, while Maeda Toshiie initially supported Shibata Katsuie.  family, but later, after sizing up the situation, he judged that Shibata Katsuie was not Toyotomi Hideyoshi's opponent, so he quickly defected to Toyotomi Hideyoshi.  A daimyo with more than 200,000 koku took refuge, which naturally gave Toyotomi Hideyoshi a lot of help. Then he decisively defeated Shibata Katsuie in the Battle of Shiyue and forced the opponent to commit suicide. Therefore, Toyotomi Hideyoshi became the successor.  The second person in the world after Oda Nobunaga, he also became the new master of the Maeda Toshi family.  In order to reward Maeda Toshiie, Toyotomi Hideyoshi granted him a new territory, and also granted him the Kaga Province and Etsuchina Province surrounding Noto Province. The territories of these three countries have also become the basis of the Maeda family and the source of wealth.  .  Maeda Toshiie was extremely grateful to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and became one of the five elders of the Toyotomi family, alongside Tokugawa Ieyasu, and also won the respect of Tokugawa Ieyasu.  But the chaos of the Warring States Period was not over yet. Soon, with the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the Toyotomi family's regime fell into turmoil.  Just like more than ten years ago, Maeda Toshiie was once again in a situation where he needed to make a choice.  Maeda Toshiie was very grateful for Lord Taiko's kindness to him, but he did not have the intention to fully confront Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was beginning to show signs of taking power. Instead, he chose to deal with Ieyasu in a gentle way.  Soon afterwards, Maeda Toshiie died, and his son Maeda Toshinaga succeeded to the throne and became the family governor.  At this time, the already full-fledged Tokugawa Ieyasu became even more aggressive, hoping to take the opportunity to inherit the careers of Nobunaga and Hideyoshi and become a new member of the world.  Under such a situation, Tokugawa Ieyasu had great conflicts with some of Toyotomi's former ministers, and a fight was about to begin.  At this time, the Maeda family, which has a huge territory and power, has also become the target of Ieyasu. He uses both soft and hard tactics, hoping that the Maeda family can support him.  At this time, Maeda Tosunaga judged that the system left by the Toyotomi family could no longer be maintained. After thinking about it, and after several hesitations, he finally turned to Tokugawa Ieyasu, intending to use this method to preserve the Maeda family in the chaos of the era.  .  Like his father, his bet was right again. In the Battle of Sekigahara, Maeda Toshinaga, as the general of the Eastern Army, fought half-heartedly and was blocked by the Western Army several times, but he became the winner after all.  a member of.  And in order to consolidate his victory, Tokugawa Ieyasu also deliberately wanted to win over the Maeda family.  So under his instruction, the territory of the Maeda family was further expanded, and finally became a large domain of 1.2 million koku, which was also the largest territory among all the daimyo outside the shogunate.  Of course, this is by no means to say that the Maeda family has had smooth sailing in the Tokugawa family's governance. In fact, as an opponent with numerous criminal records, as an old minister who has changed families many times, and also owns a million-koku territory, the Tokugawa family has no control over the Maeda.  The family was very suspicious and repeatedly used various methods to suppress the Maeda family and weaken their strength.  After Tokugawa Hidetada succeeded to the shogunate, he was very suspicious of Maeda Toshinaga, and even believed that Maeda Toshinaga had tried to assassinate Tokugawa Ieyasu and Honda Masanobu, an important minister of the shogunate.  Faced with such a charge, Maeda Tosunaga of course defended himself in every possible way.He tried his best to dispel the general's vigilance and sent his younger brother to Edo as a hostage. Only then did the incident calm down.  It can be seen that, although it is generous on the surface, the shogunate is very suspicious and wary of the Maeda family.  The Maeda family stood in the right position several times during the turmoil of the current situation, and in this way, they gained territory that many people could not win even if they fought tooth and nail. This has truly become a commentary on that changing era.  The fathers and grandfathers' team-betting style is destined to be passed down as a family tradition and become the instinct of the descendants of the Maeda family.  Maeda Tosunaga died twenty years ago. He succeeded him as the governor of the family and ruled the entire Kaga Domain. His adopted son Maeda Tosunaga was his adopted son Maeda Tosunaga. Maeda Tosunaga was originally the youngest son of the Maeda family.  The eldest brother, Maeda Toshinaga, had no heirs, so he was adopted by Maeda Toshinaga as an adopted son when he was very young, as the heir to the domain. This arrangement seemed unethical, but it was also very common in the Warring States Period.  At the same time, in order to win over the Maeda family and control this million-stone vassal, the shogunate also entered into a marriage alliance with Maeda Tossune. He married Tokugawa Hidetada's daughter Tamaki, and Tamaki is also the sister of the current Empress Dowager Kazuko - so in fact  He and His Majesty the Emperor are also considered brothers-in-law.  Maeda Tossune is very young now, only forty years old now. Although he once led 20,000 troops to participate in Tokugawa Ieyasu's siege of Osaka Castle in his youth, to be honest, he has no military experience. Now, one of the most powerful  A difficult test has already been put on his desk.  Like his father and brother, he knew that he and his family had reached a new fork in the road. If he made a single wrong step, he would be doomed. But he could only muster up the courage and energy to brave the fork in the road.  Find a road that belongs to the Maeda family.  However, fortunately, Kaga Country is located in the north-central part of Honshu Island. The geographical location gave him a buffer of time and space. At the same time, the huge territory within the domain also gave him sufficient capital, allowing him to survive in the chaos and chaos.  In a dangerous situation, stay calm for the time being and make the most prudent judgment.  After learning that Himeji Castle had fallen, that the shogunate was unable to resist the allied forces of the Han and Mori families, and that Kinki was in chaos, he immediately summoned a group of the most core members of the Maeda family and important officials in the domain to discuss the current situation.  situation and the next actions of the Maeda family.  The feudal city of the Maeda family's Kaga clan is Kanazawa Castle in Ishikawa County. The Kaga clan is a large clan with a million stones. The Maeda family deliberately manages the feudal castle of this clan. Therefore, although Kanazawa Castle is located in a remote place, it is still a big city, although it cannot be compared with Edo.  Compared with Osaka and other places, the scale is not small.  However, due to the recent war, the atmosphere in Kanazawa City has become much more solemn. Martial law has been imposed throughout the city, and the usual prosperity is no longer everywhere.  Like the atmosphere in the city, the gathered members of the Maeda family and the important officials of the domain also had solemn expressions on their faces.  Some people are anxious about the future of the Maeda family, some are afraid of the approaching front of the Han army, and some are anxious about future plans But no one is sad about the failure of the shogunate.  Although the shogunate seems to be very supportive of the Maeda family, and the Tokugawa family is also the in-laws of the feudal lord, the Maeda family does not have much affection for the shogunate. Instead, they hold a grudge because of the shogunate's constant suppression.  So when they saw the Tokugawa family fighting the Han Dynasty and losing all the way, no one was worried about the shogunate, but some people were gloating about their misfortune.  If it weren¡¯t for the worry that the big man would regard the Kaga Domain as an enemy, or at least threaten the interests of the Maeda family, many people would have cheered.  After calling everyone together, Maeda Tossune explained the latest news to these ministers in detail, and focused on describing the chaotic situation in Kinki and the shogunate.  "Yesterday, this domain has received an order from the shogun himself, requiring us to assemble our army and go south to Kinki as soon as possible to assist the shogunate's army in resisting the Han invaders." After finishing speaking, he looked at the group of feudal officials, and then "Look, now this domain  What should the feudal lord do? Should he follow the shogun's instructions or make other plans? "After the shogunate's defeat at Himeji Castle, Kansai was already in chaos, and because the troops led by Itakura Shigemune to attack the Han army were in  Their pursuit nearly wiped out the entire army, so the shogunate army in Luozhong was now very empty and in urgent need of reinforcements.  At this time, the shogunate needed a large number of troops to stick to the local area in Kanto, so there was a dilemma of insufficient troops. After weighing the pros and cons, Tokugawa Iemitsu finally gave up his previous prejudice and decided to let powerful lords like the Maeda family go south to assist the shogunate in resisting.  However, he also knew that the Maeda family would not be easily instigated, so he promised a lot of benefits in the letter.  However, after receiving this letter?Maeda Toshitsune did not directly send his troops southward as Tokugawa Iemitsu hoped, but instead summoned the important ministers in the domain for discussion.  After Maeda Tossune asked this question, these important ministers looked at each other for a while, and no one said anything.  Because they all understand that what they are discussing now is a major matter related to the life and death of the Maeda family and the Kaga Domain, and there is absolutely no room for negligence.  ¡°However, this silence cannot continue after all.  "Lord, I think we can't break with the big man!" In this silence, a very powerful voice suddenly sounded.  His voice was loud and he sounded very determined.  Maeda Toshitaka looked up and found that the speaker was his half-brother Maeda Toshitaka.  Because his mother came from a humble background, and his elder brother, the previous feudal lord, Maeda Tosunaga, acted very strongly, Maeda Toshinaga had a very gentle personality since he was a child. Since becoming the feudal lord, he has also paid great attention to maintaining the relationship with his brothers.  It is precisely because of his identity as a younger brother that Toshitaka Maeda dared to be the first to speak at such an important meeting.  "Why do you say that?" After hearing Maeda Toshitaka's words, Maeda Toshitaka didn't look very surprised, but still asked in a low voice.  "Everyone has seen how the shogunate treated our Maeda family before. They were deliberately trying to deal with us, trying to weaken our strength and take away our territory. Since they treated us like this, why should we sacrifice our lives for them?" Maeda  Toshitaka said proudly in front of everyone, "Furthermore, since they asked us for help, it means that the Han army's front is too strong for them to withstand Even the shogunate army is difficult to withstand, why do we have to  To make an enemy of the Han? "Butthe Han is ruthless and brutaleven if we don't make an enemy of them, will they let us go?" Maeda Toshitsune shook his head.  Shaking his head, he seemed to disagree with his brother's opinion, "If we must be enemies with the Han Dynasty, we need to help the shogunate even more." "Although the Han Dynasty is ferocious, judging from their behavior in recent months, they are not just  Knowing that they are blindly bloodthirsty, they pay great attention to justice and honor, and they pay more attention to getting the support of the feudal lords and noble families in various places. They had previously issued a memorandum, which only said that they would eradicate the shogunate and some feudal lords who joined them, and did not regard us as enemies.  "Maeda Toshitaka bowed his head and continued to explain his thoughts, "Look at the examples of the Shimazu family and the Mori family, and even the examples of the imperial court, you will understand. " "But this is just our own idea, no one has it.  Make sure of it." Maeda Toshitsune was still hesitant, "The big man's behavior is secretive and he is domineering, so he may not be able to tolerate us." "It may not be able to accommodate us now, but if we fight with them together with the shogunate, then.  They will definitely not be able to tolerate us!" Maeda Toshitaka became a little anxious, "Lord, if we remain suspicious, it will only delay the opportunity and make us the puppets of the shogunate, and we will never be able to escape bad luck!"  Maeda Toshitsune was slightly touched.  "Lord, I also think that now is not the time to fight the big man directly." At this moment, another person also spoke, "I think it is best to send people to contact the big man now to see what they can do to us.  It won¡¯t be too late to decide what kind of conditions you want. If we rashly respond to Mr. K¨­kata¡¯s fight with the Han Dynasty, it will be tantamount to cutting off our retreat I¡¯m afraid it will be detrimental to the foundation of the Maeda family, Mr. Shimazu and Mori.  Everyone can assess the situation and be friendly with the Han army, why can¡¯t our Maeda family do the same?¡± The person who spoke this time was Maeda Toshiyo, who is also the half-brother of Maeda Toshitsune. Because of his blood relationship, he is also very influential in the domain.  say.  After the two vassals who were closest to the lord by blood spoke, the atmosphere in the pavilion became a lot weirder. Although everyone else had different expressions, no one stood up to refute their opinions.  Indeed, if the Han just wanted to make enemies of the shogunate and had no intention of targeting the Maeda family, then the Maeda family really had no reason to fight to the death against the terrible Han invaders.  The words of the two younger brothers of the feudal lord also showed that there was already a strong force in the feudal lord that was opposed to obeying the shogunate's orders and fighting to the death. This force could not even be underestimated by the feudal lord.  Maeda Toshitsune frowned slightly, then looked around, carefully examining the attitudes of others, and finally made up his mind.  "Then let's send envoys to negotiate with the Han. Until the results of the negotiations are reached, we will hold our troops on hold for the time being." "The feudal lord is wise!" Maeda Toshitaka was overjoyed and quickly kowtowed to the feudal lord. "I would like to ask you to go and negotiate with the Han."??Please allow the feudal lord!  ¡± Maeda Toshitaka was sent to Edo as a hostage when Maeda Toshinaga was suspected of trying to assassinate Tokugawa Ieyasu, and he spent his entire childhood there, so he had a very bad attitude towards the shogunate and always had some room for error.  Hate, before he had no chance to retaliate, he could only endure it secretly, but at this time, he finally waited for the time to fight against the shogunate.  Let¡¯s do it.  "After thinking for a moment, Maeda Tossune nodded and agreed to his proposal. "The situation is urgent now and we cannot waste time, so you set off tomorrow.  "    "yes!  "Maeda Toshitaka immediately agreed. After Toshida Toshida issued this order, the other feudal ministers suddenly came to their senses. The feudal lord has always been cautious. Why did he agree to his brother's proposal so quickly today, and why did he agree so quickly?  Has a decision been made? What's more, those who advocated staying put and negotiating with the Han Dynasty today are his brothers. It can be seen that the lord has already discussed this decision with his two most trusted brothers and convened the vassal ministers today.  The purpose of the meeting was just to let Maeda Toshitaka take over the responsibility and observe the reactions of others. When they thought of this, these vassals were secretly glad that they had not raised objections just now, otherwise they might not have a good ending.  After making the initial decision, Maeda Toshitsune's expression remained unchanged. He looked at the other feudal ministers again, "Actually I received more than one letter yesterday. The Date family of Sendai Domain also sent  We have sent a messenger.  " "Sendai Domain?"  "These ministers looked at each other again.
Didn't finish reading? Add this book to your favoritesI'm a member and bookmarked this chapterCopy the address of this book and recommend it to your friends for pointsChapter error? Click here to report