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Volume 1 Chapter 1674 Can¡¯t retreat anymore

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    ?p> Under the guidance of Zhou Pu, Togo Shigekata finally understood the other party¡¯s intention of supporting him, and he also very much hoped to seize this opportunity to make himself famous and become a member of the daimyo - even if it might just be a  Just a small daimyo with a territory of 20,000 to 30,000 koku.  "Okay, then you will take this army south to Sakai City and bring it under the control of our army." After he agreed, Zhou Pu continued to order, "If the war goes well, you will continue to go south. If  If you encounter any enemy force, do not engage in a decisive battle, but try to contain it and at the same time deliver a message to our army. Do you understand?" "I understand!" Dongxiang Shigefang responded quickly.  Sakai City and Osaka are very close to each other, and most of the businessmen on both sides actually come from the same origin. Their thoughts and actions are similar, so Zhou Pu is confident that they will not put up much resistance, as long as Dongxiang  If Shigekata's partial force rushes to Sakai City, it should be able to open the city without any damage like Osaka.  After taking Sakai City, Togo Shigefang will continue to move south, seeking to contain more enemy forces, and at the same time find out the enemy's specific movements and actual situation.  There were not many enemies he faced along the way. The Kinki area has always been an area that the shogunate valued very much due to its geographical location and political and economic center. Therefore, they deliberately did not set up daimyo here, but tried every means to turn it into a shogunate.  area of ??direct rule.  Therefore, in this generation, there were very few vassal states, and their territories were also very small.  For example, the Kishiwada Domain owned by the pro-domestic clan Matsudaira Yasushige only has a 50,000-koku daimyo.  Under the current environment, these small vassals must not be able to cause any trouble to Togo Shigekata.  What we really need to worry about is the Kishu Domain of Kii Province, which is located in the southernmost part. Kishu Domain is one of the three clans of the Tokugawa family. It has a total territory of more than 500,000 koku and is very powerful.  They are the direct descendants of the Tokugawa family, and they will definitely try their best to make enemies of the Han Dynasty. Therefore, Togo Shigekata's first task when he went south was to monitor the movements of the Kishu Domain.  However, the Kishu Domain had previously sent troops to support Itakura Shigemune, but had suffered heavy losses in the previous disastrous defeat of the shogunate army, so Zhou Pu was not particularly worried that they would still have the strength to raise troops to rescue Kyoto.  In this way, Zhou Pu informed Togo Shigekata of his arrangements, and while he was grateful for Zhou Pu's support, he also secretly vowed to complete Zhou Pu's instructions and use his own merits to return this master.  After sending Togo Shigekata away, Zhou Pu summoned his highly relied-upon deputy general Tachibana Muneshige.  Like Togo Shigekata, he was also prepared to let Tachibana Muneshige lead an army to take charge of operations in one direction.  This road will advance directly from Osaka to the east, attacking Nara and Iga along the way.  Nara is the ancient capital of Japan, and its geographical location is important. It is the gateway to Kansai from the Kinki region. As long as the Nara and Iga lines are occupied, it can cut off the connection between Kyoto and even the entire Kinai and Kansai, greatly supporting the main army's attack.  Kyoto strategy.  It is conceivable that this task is much more important than Togo Shigekata's task, and the pressure it will face will be much greater - the shogunate's army will definitely try their best to resist to avoid losing the entire Kyoto.  Therefore, this army must be strong enough and must be commanded by the best generals. After consideration, Zhou Pu decided to let Tachibana Muneshige command this army.  Tachibana Muneshige has been fighting in Japan for many years and has rich combat experience. However, Shimazu Tadahashi, who is comparable to him, is too selfish, so after much deliberation, Zhou Pu could only send Tachibana Muneshige there.  And he will also hand over nearly half of his troops to Tachibana Munege so that he can complete this arduous task.  After hearing about his arrangement, Tachibana Munashige expressed some confusion - because this would greatly reduce Zhou Pu's army, which might affect the war against Kyoto.  However, Zhou Pu didn't care.  After the disastrous defeat at Himeji Castle, the shogunate army has become frightened, and its military strength has been greatly damaged. There cannot be too many troops left in Kyoto. Even after dividing the troops, he can still maintain the advantage.  Moreover, Itakura Shigemune also suffered a heavy blow in the previous fiasco, and he would definitely not dare to confront the big man again.  So for him, as long as Tachibana Muneshige completes his scheduled mission to cut off the connection between Kanto and Kinki, Kyoto will be in his palm.  Moreover, he had a more important consideration in making this arrangement - the troops he gave to Tachibana Muneshige this time were all the troops from the wealthy families of Kyushu and the Western Kingdom, and what is left now are mainly those owned by Nijo Yasudou and Hashimoto Minimura.  The army belongs to the Japanese imperial court. In other words, the Japanese imperial court's army will be responsible for the main force attacking Kyoto.  This is exactly what Nijo Yasudou and others tried their best to ask him.    One of the main banners of the Han Dynasty in this war was to support the Japanese imperial court and restore Japan's discipline. Letting the troops directly under the imperial court capture Kyoto would further demonstrate the correctness of this banner, and the Japanese imperial court  For the first time in hundreds of years, they have an army that can be directly controlled, and they also really want to have a "return to their hometown in glory".  In addition, the Onin Rebellion left too heavy a shadow on these ministers. During the turmoil that lasted for almost ten years, the armies of the Hosokawa clan and the Yamana clan fought against each other, almost turning Kyoto into a white field.  , so that both the court and the officials suffered, so they were unwilling to let this happen again.  In the eyes of Nijo Yasudou and others, although these feudal troops are now their own people, they are ferocious and barbaric, no different from savages, so they are unwilling to let these people set foot in Kyoto and bring new disasters to Kyoto.  Under their entreaty, Zhou Pu also followed the trend and agreed to their request. He decided to let Tachibana Muneshige lead other troops to attack Nara, while he took Nijo Yasuchi and others to Kyoto.  Kyoto is very sensitive to Japan's status, and the Japanese court is a very important chess piece for him, and it is a banner that calls on all Japan to attack the prestige of the shogunate. He also knows that he needs to consider this issue with the utmost caution.  After the Battle of Himeji Castle, although the Japanese imperial army suffered heavy losses, their remaining officers and soldiers also gained valuable experience and were sharpened into an army that could at least be used to fight, allowing them to deal with the shogunate's actions.  The remaining troops in Kyoto are not in trouble.  ¡°Besides, he still has a large Han army under his command that has suffered almost no losses, which is enough to give him the information to defeat the entire enemy in Kyoto.  Under Zhou Pu¡¯s order, the army in Osaka quickly completed its division and then headed in their respective predetermined directions.  Because the shogunate's army had suffered too much damage before, the advance of the various armies was very smooth. Just as Zhou Pu expected, Togo Shigekata quickly captured Sakai City. Tachibana Muneshige marched all the way to Nara, and Zhou Pu also followed the Yodogawa River.  Marching all the way, approaching Fushimi, Kyoto began to panic.  For a time, the Han army attacked in many directions, and there was an momentum that swept through the entire Kinai and caused the shogunate's rule in Kinki to collapse. Most areas chose to surrender without a fight. Some people were even glad that they were not forcibly moved to Kanto by the shogunate.  .  An increasingly heavy black haze enveloped the sky over Edo Castle.  In Ooku in the center of Edo Castle, this kind of gloomy cloud has become more and more breathless. Recently, it has become more and more silent. Only when the latest situation report is delivered to Ooku, and the general summons the ministers to discuss countermeasures.  Only then will this dead silence be slightly broken.  In the palace, a person standing nearby was reading the report from Kyoto in a low voice. Because the things written in the report were too serious, he became more and more nervous and his voice became lower and lower.  And on the imperial couch, the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu, who was kneeling, had been listening to his narration expressionlessly. His eyes were slightly squinted, and he looked like he was asleep.  He is clearly not yet thirty years old, but his face is very haggard, the circles under his eyes are very thick, and there are even fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, as if he has been drained of all his energy by the recent series of bad news.  This young man¡¯s childhood was unhappy. His parents neglected him because they doted on his younger brother, and even intended to depose him as the heir. With great difficulty, he stabilized his position with the help of his grandfather, and finally inherited the position of general.  In order to consolidate the Tokugawa family's world, he has been using his power and arrogance over the years, so that the court and various powerful lords did not dare to disobey his will, and the power of the shogunate became unprecedentedly powerful.  But just when you are so high-spirited and feel that there is nothing wrong in the world, how can you think that a disaster from heaven will suddenly befall you?  Who could have imagined that the Han Dynasty actually launched an attack on Japan, and their troops were so sharp. They had been victorious since the beginning of the war. Not only did they suppress the shogunate at sea, they were even unstoppable on land. Now they have  Hit the doorstep of Kyoto.  This nightmare-like reality pressed on his shoulders, causing this young man to bear unprecedented pressure. Over the past few days, he had been working hard to find ways to resist the Han Dynasty and maintain the shaky rule of the shogunate.  His mental strength.  Moreover, he has been suffering from anxiety and insomnia, and is awakened by nightmares almost every night. These nightmares include scenes of his grandfather and father severely scolding him, and scenes of him being swallowed up by the fire of Edo Castle. So recently, in order to sleep, he has been sleeping every day.  He drank a lot of alcohol to numb himself.  Under such terrible suffering, he has become much older recently, and he was originally in high spirits.?? was replaced by a confused and depressed attitude, almost completely different from before, and his temper became more irritable than before, so people around him were now more cautious, and no one dared to talk to him.  However, no matter what, you still have to face things that should be faced, because he is the shogun, the successor of the god, and the hope of the Tokugawa family.  Because of this, even though Tokugawa Iemitsu was very angry after hearing the report from the sidekick, he still forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart and tried to make himself appear insensitive.  "So, the Maeda family is not willing to send troops to help anyway?" As he asked, he waved his hand to signal the person close to him to leave, and the other person also hurriedly bowed and left as if he had been granted amnesty.  At this moment, only Tokugawa Iemitsu and his close associates were left in the palace.  Tokugawa Iemitsu¡¯s question was very brief and clear, but when he asked it, everyone chose silence, as if the general had asked an incomprehensible problem.  ¡°But even if it¡¯s hard to hear, someone has to answer it¡ªeven if it¡¯s bad news.  "Yes, General." Laozhong's chief writer Doi Toshikatsu bowed and replied. This is also his responsibility.  "At present, it seems that the Maeda family has made up its mind to watch the war between us and the Han Dynasty. What is even more worrying is that according to the information passed by our people in Sendai Domain, the Date family of Sendai Domain has been there recently.  Seeking to contact the Kaga Domain, the two families seem to be planning something secretly, with frequent envoy exchanges between each other" Although Doi Toshikatsu tried hard to sound calm, these words still made the Tokugawa family  Guang felt another pain in his heart and his eyes were almost dizzy.  He finally held back the pain and looked at Doi Toshiki as calmly as possible.  "What are they planning? Are there any signs of rebellion?" "Judging from the information we have received so far, the Sendai Clan has no plans to rebel yet, and they have not strengthened their troops on the border." Doi Toshikatsu immediately replied, "But  ¡­They no longer obey the shogunate¡¯s orders, and have been recruiting military forces within the domain. It seems that they are waiting to see the situation.¡± After a pause, he continued, ¡°As for the Kaga Domain.  , the signs are much more obvious. They are not only watching on the sidelines, not only secretly communicating with the Sendai Domain, but also mobilizing troops within the domain obviously much more frequently. What is even more worrying is that judging from the mobilization of their troops, more  It seems to be to guard against the shogunate It can be imagined that the Kaga clan is more disloyal than the Sendai clan. "They are all the same, who is better than the other?" Tokugawa Iemitsu couldn't help but sneered.  stand up.  "It's just that the Sendai Clan is in a remote location, so they can only endure it, and the Kaga Clan is very close to Kinki, so they are even more ready to take action. These people are all rebels, and no one can be trusted!" Tokugawa!  Iemitsu could see that today, when the shogunate's rule was in turmoil, the powerful daimyo in various places must have had the idea of ????protecting themselves, or even taking advantage of the chaos to expand their power. As the largest outside daimyo, the Date family and the Maeda family, even if they did  It's not surprising that these things happened. Maybe they are already trying their best to contact the big man.  What is the difference between the Date family, the Maeda family, and the Mouri Shimazu family?  They are all close friends and enemies of the shogunate.  When he thought of this, he regretted that he had been too lenient to these daimyo before, so that they still had the energy to join the Han Dynasty to resist the shogunate.  It would have been better if they had been controlled earlier.  "Shogun-sama is right." Seeing Tokugawa Iemitsu showing signs of anger again, the eldest brother Ii Naotaka quickly said, "No matter what they think in their hearts, since they don't obey the shogunate's orders, it is no different from treason."  We must punish them severely." After calming down the general, Naotaka Ii changed the subject, "However, since they are different in their behavior, we should treat them differently.  We must be particularly careful not to let them unite to oppose the shogunate. Under the current situation, we really cannot bear the price. Even if we have to punish them, we can only do it later. "After Ii Naotaka's implicit persuasion,  Tokugawa Iemitsu finally calmed down.  "You are right. Since the Sendai Clan is still hesitant, it means they are still timid. We should go and appease them. As for the Kaga Clan we must deal with it decisively. The troops on the border cannot withdraw. On the contrary,  We need to strengthen them so that they don't dare to act rashly. "Obviously, the Maeda family is a million-koku daimyo, and the strength in their territory is very large. If they really join the Han Dynasty and become enemies of the shogunate, they will bring a heavy blow to the shogunate., and will make the shogunate's momentum become even more decadent, and may even cut off the connection between Kanto and Kansai, turning the shogunate's main army in Kansai into a lonely army.  Therefore, the Maeda family must be guarded and intimidated. As of now, they have no intention of dispatching the Maeda family. As long as they remain neutral and wait on the sidelines, that's it.  "What your Excellency said is true." Doi Toshikatsu bowed his head and agreed with Tokugawa Iemitsu's opinion.  "Sir, this has reached a critical moment that affects the survival of the shogunate. We must be cautious in every step and make no mistakes." Tokugawa Iemitsu understood that he was implying that he should simply give up as he had suggested before.  Lose the entire Western Kingdom.  Previously, Doi Toshikatsu was very pessimistic about the situation in the Western Kingdom. He believed that the people in the Western Kingdom were divided, and the shogunate's army there was too weak, and it would be very difficult to rescue the Western Kingdom from Kanto, so the best strategy was to stick to the Kanto mainland.  You can delay it in the Western Kingdom as long as you can. If you really can't support it, just withdraw from the Western Kingdom and defend Kanto.  After the defeat of Himeji Castle, Doi Toshikatsu became even more pessimistic. He believed that even if the shogunate went to reinforce Kyoto, it might not be able to save it. It was better to stay in Kanto and use the local advantages to preserve the shogunate's final luck.  Recently, he has been advising Tokugawa Iemitsu in this way, but after hesitation, Tokugawa Iemitsu still did not agree to his suggestion.  Because he couldn't bear the loss of Kyoto, and even more because he couldn't bear the humiliation.  "If we give up the Western Kingdom, where can we retreat to?" Under Doi Toishi's gaze, Tokugawa Iemitsu smiled miserably, "Besides, if the Western Kingdom falls and we retreat all the way, then the Maeda family,  The Date family will definitely be confident, and in the end we will face the siege of the world." "But" Doi Toshikatsu still wanted to persuade.  "What the shogun said is true!" At this moment, the boss Naotaka Ii suddenly interrupted Doi Toshikatsu's words, "We can't retreat again and again. Everyone in the world is watching us. How can we still sit back and watch Kyoto?  , or even Sanhe is lost?"
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