Tokugawa Tadanagi was previously imprisoned in Takasaki Castle by his brother Tokugawa Iemitsu, and was humiliated many times. He was about to be persecuted to death. However, at this time, the Han Dynasty launched an attack on Japan, and the shogunate also suffered a heavy blow. Such a blow, for a moment there was no time to pay attention to the great Nayan who had become a piece of cake. When the Han Dynasty quickly occupied Kyushu Island and marched into Honshu Island, the shogunate also fell into an unprecedented crisis. Tokugawa Tadanagi, who was trapped in Takasaki Castle, finally got the news, and he did not dare to kill him quickly. He made a decision and escaped from Takasaki before the shogunate's envoy went to Takasaki Castle and killed him directly, and escaped among the people. At the same time, Tokugawa Tadagawa was not satisfied with the temporary freedom. He also did not want to live a bleak life incognito as a civilian. He wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to seek greater benefits for himself. And the development of the situation is indeed creating room for him to act - since he took out Takasaki Castle, he has begun to get better information, and these news are all bad news for the shogunate - the Maori family has surrendered to the Han Dynasty The subordinates of the Han Dynasty assisted the Han Dynasty in marching towards Luozhong, and their march went very smoothly. It could be said that it was a series of battles and victories. Not only were the feudal lords along the way unable to resist, they either died in battle or fled, but even the military power of the shogunate itself was unable to do anything. Withstand their troops. When Himeji Castle fell and the shogunate army that was fighting against the Han army in the Western Kingdom collapsed, Tokugawa Tadanagi began to believe that the shogunate had no way to expel the Han army, and might even be defeated by the Han army and fall into an irreversible situation. Therefore, he believed that he had to find a way to negotiate with the big man in order to get the Tokugawa family out of this terrible situation. The slogan of the Han army has made it very clear. They want to punish the shogunate and punish the chief culprit Tokugawa Iemitsu. Therefore, in order to save his own life, Iemitsu will fight to the death, and in the end he will forcibly drag the Tokugawa family to be buried with him. , and Tokugawa Tadanagi believed that he had an obligation to stand up and save the flesh and blood of the Tokugawa family, instead of fighting to the end in this situation. Therefore, after a period of dormant waiting, Tokugawa Tadaga decided to take the initiative to come forward and contact the big man. However, he also knew that he was now alone and had no power to rely on, so he did not dare to go to Kinki in person, or even use his own banner. He just lurked in the mountain village where he had been hiding, and then left his only remaining One of his retainers, Inaba Masatoshi, was sent over to seek contact with the Han Dynasty. Inaba Masatoshi was also very cautious. After he came to Kinki, he had been carefully inquiring about the information about the Han army and figured out the general movement and location of the Han army. He disguised himself and took advantage of the chaos everywhere to arrive at the Han army. occupied the area, and then tried every means to get in touch with the Japanese vassal army in the Han army. When the news was reported to the base camp in Kobe and Zhou Pu learned about it personally, he immediately stopped what he was doing and ordered Inaba Masatoshi to be brought to him. Although the Han Dynasty is now fighting a decisive battle with the Tokugawa family, as far as the purpose of the Han army itself is concerned, Zhou Pu knows that what they are seeking is not to eradicate or destroy the shogunate, but to seek a way to restrain each other in Japan, with unfavorable results. The situation that does not allow the Han to be in a detached position is the most beneficial to the Han, allowing the Han to continue to extract money from Japan as His Majesty envisaged before. Under this policy, the Tokugawa shogunate and even Tokugawa Iemitsu himself were not considered the mortal enemies of the Han, but tools for the Han to defeat and establish their authority. This battle was first of all diplomatic and political, and secondly military. The military victories one after another are just to increase the Han's bargaining chips in negotiations and the confidence to control Japan's political situation. Therefore, Zhou Pu does not reject contact and negotiations with the Tokugawa family, and Tokugawa Tadanagi's identity is so special that it is even more worthy of his use. As a result, Inaba Masato was allowed to go all the way and came to Kobe City, which was surrounded by large armies. Kobe was originally a prosperous seaport city, but due to the recent war between the two countries, many people had chosen to flee before the Han army entered Kinki. After the Han army entered the city, the residents in the city became even more worried. It was completely empty, so the city could no longer see its former prosperity. However, after the occupation of Kobe, the army was stationed here in groups, and the commercial port was also filled with Han transport ships and Japanese ships that shuttled through it to transport food and arms supplies. It can still be seen that it is somewhat elegant in ordinary times. After Zhou Pu came to Kobe, he expropriated the most luxurious mansion of a wealthy merchant in the city for his own use and lived in it grandly. Masato Inaba was also escorted here. When Inaba Masato was brought to the room where Zhou Pu was and saw the Han envoy, he knelt down in a hurry and said,??The current actual ruler of the Western Kingdom paid homage to him. "My Majesty Inaba Masatoshi, I would like to pay my respects to Lord Angel!" "Get up, there is no need to be polite." Zhou Pu waved his hand directly, indicating that the other party did not need to be so respectful. "You are here on behalf of Tokugawa Tadanagi. Does Tokugawa Tadanagi have anything to say to me?" Although Zhou Pu seemed polite, Inaba Masato did not dare to raise his body, but continued to kneel down. In front of Zhou Pu. "Sir, I am sent here by Lord Dainagon to find out how to make peace between the Tokugawa family and the Han Dynasty. Because of Tokugawa Iemitsu's harsh rule and short-sightedness, these heartbreaking things happened to both of us. This has also put our shogunate in such a situation. As the legitimate son of the Tokugawa family's ancestors, he is deeply saddened by the current situation, and he very much hopes to do everything he can for the Tokugawa family, so that the two families can stop fighting and return to power. "Reconciliation." "Reconciliation? It sounds pretty good." Zhou Pu nodded slightly, as if it was helpful, and then his face suddenly turned cold. "But I heard that your lord is the former general." He is the legitimate son and younger brother of Tokugawa Iemitsu, but he has always been quite jealous within the shogunate, especially because he is not valued by Tokugawa Iemitsu. Tokugawa Iemitsu has been suppressing your family over the years So now your family You are just a lonely person. Even if you want to do something for the two families, how should you do it? " This question is very powerful, and it can be said to be rude, so Inaba Masato's face turned red because of embarrassment, and he almost said Speechless. At the same time, the Han envoy's detailed understanding of the internal situation of the shogunate also surprised him. Fortunately, as an envoy, of course he already had an idea of ??various possible situations, so he quickly suppressed his unhappiness and embarrassment and explained to the Han envoy again. "Sir, you are right. Because of Tokugawa Iemitsu's jealousy towards Lord Ohnagon, he has been seeking to suppress Lord Ohnagon since he inherited the position of shogun. This shows that this person is narrow-minded and ruthless. ." As he spoke, he gritted his teeth because of his hatred for Tokugawa Iemitsu. "His irresponsible and rebellious behavior had already made the ancestors feel sad when they were in power. , which is even more unbearable for the retainers of the shogunate. In the past, everyone did not dare to say anything because of Iemitsu's power Now, the situation is very different. " "You mean there are many retainers in the shogunate. Are you very dissatisfied with Tokugawa Iemitsu?" After hearing this, Zhou Pu finally became interested, "How many people are there in this group? Are they in contact with each other? Can they follow the orders of your family leader?" They all hit the point, making Inaba Masato speechless for a while. There will definitely be many people within the shogunate who are dissatisfied with Tokugawa Iemitsu's brutality and tyranny over the years and the way he treated Tokugawa Tadaga, but those who hold this dissatisfaction will certainly not express it too much in front of others. Mind traces, so how could he possibly know who the specific people were? Let alone letting these people obey Tokugawa Tadaga's orders. Inaba Masato said this just to raise the value of his master and increase his bargaining chips with the Han envoy. However, the Han envoy did not accept all his words. A few questions left him speechless. Right. However, Inaba Masatoshi was also a bit quick-witted, so he did not fully reveal his embarrassment. "Sir, those who are dissatisfied with Iemitsu are still in the shogunate. They cannot reveal their identities easily. Please forgive us for not being able to tell you for the time being. However, please rest assured, Iemitsu is not allowed to do so within the shogunate. In the hearts of the people, no one wants him to drag the shogunate and the Tokugawa family into eternal disaster! As long as you can help Lord Daigan, then Lord Daigan can definitely bring peace to the two families as soon as possible. " Zhou Pu frowned slightly, thinking carefully about the other party's words. Although the words were unclear, he has now seen through the opponent's confidence - in fact, Tokugawa Tadanagi is really a loner now, and cannot provide much help to the big man, and he cannot even create it directly in the shogunate. Unrest to weaken the shogunate's strength. However, even so, he does not intend to drive Inaba Masatoshi away - although Tokugawa Tadanagi cannot provide him with much help now, his identity as a direct descendant of the Tokugawa family can still be used to make a fuss, especially But now Tokugawa Iemitsu has no heirs, and his biological brother is the most direct and legitimate successor. If Tokugawa Tadanagi can hold it in his hands, it can have a huge psychological impact on the shogunate. "To be honest, we sympathize with the fact that your family has fallen into this situation despite your status. Tokugawa Iemitsu has gone so far. He not only bullied the imperial court and wealthy lords from all over the world, but even his own younger brother was not spared." , is really a wolf mentality, if we don¡¯t eradicate this?Jackal, I'm afraid Japan doesn't know how many disasters it will suffer. Zhou Pu looked at the other party calmly, "It's just that since your master cannot directly control the civil servants and generals in the shogunate, and is now just a lonely man, how can we hope to bring peace between the two families as soon as possible?" " "As long as you help Lord Dainagon to raise your banner, thenthen my Lord can definitely replace Tokugawa Iemitsu as shogun with the help of important ministers of the shogunate. "Inaba Masatoshi told his side of the plan, "As long as Lord Dainanagon becomes the shogun, then he will definitely let the two families stop their troops, so that Lord Ya can return home with his merits. " Zhou Pu sneered slightly. As expected, Tokugawa Tadanagi sought the support of the powerful man, but his idea seemed too naive - Tokugawa Iemitsu has been a general for nearly ten years, even if the shogunate is now How can his position be shaken by Tokugawa Tadanaga in such a precarious situation? Moreover he has forgotten the more important issue: "Do you still think that after the war, there will be a shogun?" ? "Zhou Pu suddenly sneered, almost sarcastic. This sarcastic smile made Inaba Masato feel chilled in his heart. Do the big men really intend to drive out the Tokugawa family? Surely they can't tolerate the Tokugawa family? " Let me tell you bluntly, Tokugawa Iemitsu has sent special envoys to negotiate with us before, and we also told them our negotiation requirements. Fortunately, Zhou Pu did not sell out and continued to explain to him, "The shogunate bullied the imperial court and caused the corruption of Japanese ethics. It was actually the source of all disasters. Therefore, after the war, the Tokugawa family must dissolve the shogunate and return power to your country's imperial court. From then on, he was listed in the court as an ordinary daimyo. "It turns out that we are not trying to destroy the Tokugawa clan Inaba Masatoshi finally breathed a sigh of relief. "The big man came under the banner of restoring Tsuna's discipline, and asking the Tokugawa family to dissolve the shogunate was not a particularly abrupt request - although it was indeed very harsh. "Then Where do you plan to put the Tokugawa family after the war? " "After all, the Tokugawa family is a long-established family and contributed to the elimination of the Toyotomi clan, so we do not intend to let the Tokugawa family be annihilated. Therefore, the condition I proposed to Tokugawa Iemitsu is to allow him to restore the old Kanto territory. Zhou Pu immediately replied, "The shogunate's power has aroused the anger of heaven and people. To be able to do this is already a great blessing from heaven." " Restore the old territory of Kanto At this time, Masato Inaba was as shocked as Takagi Kiyoshi, the envoy sent by the shogunate. Since the Battle of Sekigahara, the Tokugawa family has established an overwhelming advantage in the entire Japan, and has reorganized The entire territory of Japan was included in the pattern of the shogunate's direct control, the Tokugawa branch and the Matsudaira family's vassal branch, as well as the shogunate's closest lords. This condition of the Han Dynasty meant that This structure was directly destroyed, and the Tokugawa family and his retainers and lords could only retreat to the old Kanto territory. No wonder Tokugawa Iemitsu never agreed. "My lord these conditions are real. Too harsh. "Finally, he argued in a low voice. "Harsh? I don¡¯t see how harsh it is! "Zhou Pu didn't give the other party any face, "The Tokugawa family fought with our Han Heavenly Soldiers and suffered repeated defeats. Now we have reached Kinei and are about to enter Kyoto and restore your country's imperial court to the world. Everyone can see it. It can be seen that the Tokugawa family and the shogunate have reached the end of their lives At this time, we are still willing to keep the Tokugawa family. This is already a great favor and kindness. You actually say it is harsh? If you can't even accept this, then I don't see any difference between Tokugawa Tadunaga and Tokugawa Iemitsu, you'd better please come back! "After finishing speaking, Zhou Pu flicked his sleeves, obviously no longer wanting to talk to him./p> "Sir, please calm down! Seeing that the situation was not good, Inaba Masato quickly kowtowed again and finally allowed Zhou Pu to stay, "Sir, it's not that we are unwilling to agree to your request" "That's pretty much it. "Zhou Pu finally looked better. "If you can agree, we can talk. It doesn't matter if your adult becomes the governor of the Tokugawa family - although the Tokugawa family cannot be the shogun of the shogunate, the old territory of Kanto It's big enough. Would it be humiliating to your family if you let them take charge of this large territory? Please think carefully about the powerful relationship between this. It would be best if you agree, but if you don't agreethen we don't care. Anyway, the Tokugawa family is big enough and we can always find people who are willing to cooperate. ¡± Under Zhou Pu¡¯s threats of coaxing and intimidation, Inaba Masato has completely understood their current situation - it is obvious that as long as the Han Dynasty defeats the shogunate, the Tokugawa Shogunate will no longer exist, but the Han Dynasty does not intend to perish. The Tokugawa family only wants to eradicate Tokugawa Iemitsu, so when the time comes, the Tokugawa family will still keep their territory, but it just depends on who is willing to ally with the big man and sit on the family governorship.It's just the location. Tokugawa Tadanagi is now alone, without any help, and even has grudges with many important ministers within the shogunate. Although he has the status of the legitimate son of the ancestral shogun, without the recognition and help of the powerful man, it is absolutely impossible to become the governor of the Tokugawa family. of. Therefore, even if the Tokugawa family's foundation will be greatly reduced, even if the big man acts so arrogantly, Tokugawa Tadanagi must seek their help. As long as you take refuge with the big Han, you can at least become a famous person and live your life if the big Han wins. If Tokugawa Iemitsu wins, or if you don't join the big Han, then in the future you can really only become a country man, or even It is impossible to survive in this world. This is not a difficult choice to make, at least not in Inaba Masatoshi's eyes. "Tokugawa Iemitsu acted rebelliously before, committed so many crimes, and brought so much trouble to Japan, so being punished is a divine punishment" Finally, he said to Zhou Pu respectfully, "The Han Dynasty is the kingdom of heaven. If The big man wants to punish the Tokugawa family in this way. We have nothing to say. Lord Dainan will definitely obey his orders and will never commit the crime of transgression. " "Your family really knows the current affairs!" See! The other party finally chose to succumb and became a pawn in his hands. Zhou Pu couldn't help laughing, "It seems that Da Na Yan as the governor is indeed a hundred times better than Ia Guang as the governor! That's fine, then you should inform your family as soon as possible. Come on, we¡¯ve got him!¡± ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± Masato Inaba kowtowed again. There is no doubt that although Tokugawa Tadaga will certainly tell himself that he is doing this not only for himself, but to preserve the Tokugawa family, no matter how he comforts himself, this is a clear betrayal of the family. But now, I don¡¯t care about that much anymore.