"It's really raining!" Among the torrential catalpa trees, Yan Guang, the counselor of the Han Dynasty's Japanese army, sighed in a low voice. "Fortunately, our army disrupted the enemy's army before it rained" Before the start of the war, when he had just landed and marched towards Yokohama, Yan Guang had already considered the possibility of sudden heavy rain during the war. He also suggested that Zhao Song make some corresponding arrangements. At the beginning of this war, he had been worried about the weather. Fortunately, God was still kind. When the Han army began to attack with infantry and cavalry, and then bombarded with field artillery, the three-pronged approach disrupted the shogunate army's line, and then it started to rain heavily. The rain did not stop. It did not cause any hindrance to the Han army that had already achieved a major victory, but instead caused the shogunate army, which was already in chaos, to become even more disorganized. As he spoke, Yan Guang seemed to have come to his senses and looked at Zhao Song, the head coach of the Japanese expeditionary army, in surprise. Is this the reason why Marshal Zhao desperately wanted to fight the shogunate army quickly? Zhao Song's forward deployment and on-the-battle command just now were very radical, and he forcibly concentrated his troops to attack the enemy from the front. This was not Zhao Song's usual style. Before, Yan Guang thought it was because Zhao Song completely looked down on the shogunate army, but now he felt Maybe Zhao Song wanted to use all his strength to defeat the shogunate as soon as possible before the weather caused uncertainty, so as to avoid long nights and dreams. But although he had been stealing glances at Zhao Song, Zhao Song seemed to be unaware of it and just looked ahead quietly. The heavy rain poured on his military uniform, making it soaked and the medals were also wet. It stuck tightly to the military uniform, but he acted as if nothing happened. Because of such heavy rain, the cannons could no longer function, so the artillerymen nearby began to try their best to collect the cannons again, preparing to move them to the woods where they could take some shelter from the rain, although this meant that they could not participate in the war for the time being. However, they were in an extremely relaxed mood, because they knew that since the battle was fought like this, even if they temporarily withdraw from the battlefield, our army would have won a complete victory, and the counselors who had followed Zhao Song and Yan Guang here and the heralds, everyone was overjoyed and congratulated each other. "Go and send the order, let the officers and soldiers of each department continue to pursue the enemy. All difficulties must be overcome, and the shogunate army must not be given a chance to gather again!"? In this relaxed atmosphere, Zhao Song suddenly shouted to the order officers next to him, "Rain is not good for cavalry maneuvers. The cavalry can temporarily withdraw their troops. When the rain stops, they will immediately pursue the pursuit with the infantry. No one is allowed to slack off!" Under his fierce shouts, the heralds became nervous almost at the same time. They hurriedly agreed, then immediately dispersed and ran to the various ministries to convey Zhao Shuai's latest order. After the heralds left, Zhao Song returned to his dull expression, as if everything was fine. It's like having a plan in mind. This is the demeanor that a great Han general should have. Yan Guang praised it in his heart. "Congratulations to Marshal Zhao. This battle is truly a rare victory since the founding of our country. Based on this battle alone, Marshal Zhao's reward as a marquis has been decided today." Yan Guang came to Zhao Song's side, and then spoke in a very different way. He said in his usual relaxed tone, "Shuai Zhao is still so young. As long as he continues to serve the country, I am afraid that the title of Duke and Marshal is just around the corner" "I think so." Zhao Song suddenly turned his head away, and then his face A rare smile appeared on his face. And in the midst of the torrential rain, Tokugawa Iemitsu burst into tears uncontrollably. He no longer had any trace of the majesty and arrogance he had when he was the shogun. Now he looked so painful and helpless. This young man, who is just thirty years old, was originally in his prime and had countless ambitions to fulfill, but he ended up in this situation. In just a few months, he went from high spirits to despair now. He knew that since he was defeated, there was no hope now, and all his plans had become in vain. He had contacted the Han Dynasty several times before, seeking solutions other than war, but the attitude of the Han Dynasty court was so resolute that they insisted on resigning from the position of shogun. As a shogunate, resigning was tantamount to death. The heavy rain continued, and the cold rain penetrated into his clothes along the gaps in his armor, making him feel cold all over. The defeated troops on the front line kept passing in front of him, but none of them stopped to defend their general. They just ran away roaring in the heavy rain. He was so sad and angry that his tears kept flowing. As for the followers around him, some of them burst into tears under the influence of the general because they shared his grief, anger and pain. Others, seeing that the situation was not good, simply chose to flee with the defeated troops. Under such a chaotic situation, the total collapse of the shogunate's army was already a matter of course. "General"People we let's get out of here! "A personal attendant next to him finally couldn't stand it any longer, and he boldly tried to persuade Tokugawa Iemitsu, "Now the front line is in chaos, and the Han invaders may rush here directly. Please take care of yourself, General! "Although he didn't explicitly say, 'If you don't run now, you won't have a chance!' But the implication was already obvious. If it were normal, Tokugawa Iemitsu would be furious and severely punish this coward who disrupted the morale of the army." Disciple, but now he has no interest in doing so. The defeat of our army has become so obvious. What's the point of not admitting it? "Runwhere can we run?" He smiled miserably, "Once this battle is defeated, there will be no place for me in the world, and there will be no place for you either!" " There were still tears on his face, mixed with the rain and dripping to the ground. The depression and despair made everyone feel pity. "SirSir! "These followers were all anxious. They looked around blankly, but they couldn't come up with an idea. The general was obviously desperate to the extreme and had entered a state of giving up everything. After hesitating for a moment, he saw that the Han army had been overwhelmed. Getting closer and closer, these followers finally couldn't bear it anymore. They forcibly grabbed Tokugawa Iemitsu and dragged him to the rear. With the shogun himself escaping from the battlefield, the entire battle became even more one-sided. Due to the situation, almost all the shogunate troops had given up resistance and fled to the rear. Even the front lines and troops that had not participated in the battle no longer had the courage to fight against the Han army on the front line. There was only the last one left in the army. Matsudaira Nobutsuna, the youngest senior officer in the shogunate, held a saber, led his followers and remaining subordinates to resist the front of the Han army, and experienced the harshest bombardment on the front line. , Matsudaira Nobutsuna himself was also deeply shocked. He used various methods to hide himself and finally escaped with his life. However, his subordinates suffered serious casualties, and the casualties were not the largest on the battlefield. When it started to rain, he was originally overjoyed, feeling that our army finally saw hope again, but his wish was soon crushed by the cruel reality. After heavy casualties and fierce battles, he was hit hard in turn. Next, the shogunate troops on the front line finally couldn't hold on any longer and began to flee. Matsudaira Nobutsuna originally wanted to stop the chaos on the front line, but no matter how hard he and his followers tried, the defeated troops who were already frightened could no longer do so. He no longer had the will to resist and just wanted to escape, no matter how hard he tried, he could not stop him. Matsudaira Nobutsuna was as desperate as everyone else. He understood that the shogunate army had failed in this battle - it could even be said that the entire war had failed. , the shogunate had been defeated miserably by the Han army, and it was hard to say whether the Tokugawa family would survive in the future. But unlike the crying Tokugawa Iemitsu, he did not cry, nor was he ready to flee like the others. Instead, he clenched the weapon in his hand and looked helplessly at the Han army on the opposite side. Perhaps because he saw a chance of victory, even though it was raining heavily, the Han army still did not stop, but ruthlessly attacked the shogunate army. Pursuing, they soon pressed in front of Matsudaira Nobutsuna, allowing him to see almost everyone's face clearly. When they saw the remaining enemy army, the Han army did not stop, but continued as before. He advanced forward with a spear tip like a thorn bush in front of him. Everyone looked at him indifferently, "Kill!" "When these big Han soldiers had arrived only a few feet away from him, Matsudaira Nobutsuna let out a roar, and then regardless of the mud on the ground, he resolutely rushed towards the jungle of spears. With his shouts and soldiers With the sound of swords, the youngest veteran of the shogunate finally disappeared in this wilderness and became a part of the Han soldiers' military exploits. That night, in this miserable wind and rain, Tokugawa Iemitsu and others were killed. Some of his followers rode fast horses back to Edo Castle. Compared with the appearance when he left the city a few days ago, he was already in an extremely embarrassed state, and the large army that originally followed him on the expedition was now Nothing left. Tokugawa Iemitsu's face turned pale, and he secretly returned to the Honmaru in Edo Castle at night. After Tokugawa Iemitsu returned to Edo, the news of the shogunate's defeat in the battle spread like wildfire. It made everyone very gloomy. When he returned to Ouchi, Tokugawa Iemitsu was already heartbroken. Although this was a place he had lived in for a long time and was very familiar with, he felt that after only a few days. Things have changed here, and everything around him is very strange. He stayed in the palace, waiting for the moment when the Han army rushed into Edo Castle - I am afraid that they will come over in a few days. .sp;However, late that night, when he had just reluctantly fallen asleep, he heard a commotion outside. He reluctantly got up, and then found that his chief veteran Doi Toshiki had broken into the palace. Although he did not summon this important minister when he first came back, he must have come to see him for current state affairs. But now Tokugawa Iemitsu has no energy at all, and he just feels uninterested. "You should go back first. We can discuss things tomorrow." However, Doi Toshiki did not retreat. Instead, he directly touched his head to the ground. "Sir General, the situation is extremely urgent right now, and we can't waste any time. Please listen to me first!" "Okaywhat's the matter." Although he was very tired, Tokugawa Iemitsu was still a little weak. nod. "Sir General, now our army has been defeated again and again. The situation is very bad. I am afraid that we no longer have the ability to fight against the big men" Doi Toshikatsu kowtowed to the ground and said in a very sincere tone, "Sir, please In order to preserve the shogunate and preserve the bones and blood of the Tokugawa family, commit suicide immediately!" When he first heard this, Tokugawa Iemitsu thought he had heard wrong and looked at the other party in great surprise. "What did you say?" "Please commit suicide immediately, General!" However, Doi Toshikatsu repeated it again, dispelling Tokugawa Iemitsu's doubts, "Sir, now the big man has completely gained the upper hand. In order to save De With the flesh and blood of the Chuan family, we can only act according to the orders of the Han Dynasty, so please commit suicide to show mercy to the emperor and his ministers of the Han Dynasty! " Is this the minister I place the most trust in? Tokugawa Iemitsu's vision suddenly went dark and he almost fainted again. "Youyou" However, Doi Toshiki did not raise his head to look at him, he just knelt on the ground. Tokugawa Iemitsu raised his head and saw many soldiers walking between Gu Yingchuochao outside the palace. Apparently, while he was sleeping, Doi Toshikatsu had let his confidants take control of this place. Living. ¡°If he wasn¡¯t completely sure, he wouldn¡¯t have come in, Tokugawa Iemitsu thought to himself. It seems that under such a situation, this important minister has abandoned his loyalty to himself, and he is going to use his own life as a tool to claim credit from the big man. There are thousands of words he wants to say, but he can't say a word. Some of them are because he knows that it will be useless, and some of them are because he doesn't want to say them. "Have you already negotiated with the Han invaders?" Finally, he asked tremblingly. "When will the negotiation be finalized?" "We have already discussed it with the big men before, but their request is very firm. The general must abdicate, so we cannot bypass this condition." Doi Toshikatsu answered very respectfully. , "If your Excellency can win a great victory, of course I will not act rashly, but now that the shogunate has no hope, I feel that it is better to act in accordance with the will of the big man" "Could it becould it be that the big man will die as soon as I die?" Have you been spared?" Tokugawa Iemitsu asked, "Youyou are also the culprits who caused the trouble!" "Of course we cannot all escape the responsibility, so in order to bear the responsibility for causing this trouble, the Sakai family and I Everyone must take the blame" Doi Toshikatsu was still calm and calm, "As Daimyos and important ministers of the shogunate, they failed to fulfill their responsibilities as assistants to General Bi, causing such a huge disaster. It is really hard to escape the blame. It must be compensated with heavy punishment!" Tokugawa Iemitsu now understands that Doi Toshikatsu has secretly reached a tacit agreement with the big man. As long as he betrays himself and hands over some important officials of the shogunate to apologize to the big man, the big man will let him go. However, he will no longer pursue it, and it is even possible that he will continue to enjoy high officials and generous salaries in order to reward him. He wanted to scold this important minister of the shogunate who was deeply favored by him for being unkind, but when the words came to his mouth, he had no energy, and he also knew that such scolding would be meaningless. "Big Han What does Big Han plan to do with the Tokugawa family?" "The big Han has already said that they will let the Tokugawa family maintain the old territory of Kanto and retain a large part of the territory when the god was alive." Doi Toshikatsu immediately replied, "If the general continues to persist, then the big man will have no reason to let go of the Tokugawa family. The Tokugawa family may face an even more embarrassing situation So please consider the overall situation and commit suicide as soon as possible!" Doi Toshi! Katsu's urging again brought Tokugawa Iemitsu's anger to the extreme. He raised his hand and pointed tremblingly at the traitor, but finally let it go. "Then after I leave, there will be no one in the Tokugawa family. Why don't they just let the Han and the imperial court slaughter them?" He let out a long sigh. "My lord, this is just a humble opinion." Doi Toshikatsu rarely directly refuted Tokugawa Iemitsu's words, "Shogun-sama, althoughThe former shogun's legitimate son, but the former shogun is not the only legitimate son. Even if the shogun is gone, there are still people who can continue to stand up and provoke the Tokugawa family. In addition, we have the prime minister who owns the territory of Kanto. As long as The big men are no longer forcing each other hard, of course we have no problem protecting ourselves" Upon hearing that Doi Toshikatsu was secretly referring to Tokugawa Tadanagi as the head of the Tokugawa family, Tokugawa Iemitsu suddenly opened his eyes. Eyes, looking at each other in disbelief, "You want Tadanagi to succeed? ! "He shouted and asked. "It's not that I want Lord Nagon to succeed to the throne, but the big man has agreed that Lord Nagon can continue to lead the Tokugawa family. "Doi Toshikatsu replied leisurely. Even if you can't see his face, you can still hear the smile hidden in his words. "Even Naotaka Gong has agreed" "Even Ii Naotaka" The Tokugawa family Hikaru was stunned. Only then did he understand why the army led by Ii Naotaka had been late in arriving and did not reinforce Edo, which was already in danger. It turned out that he had already secretly negotiated with the big man! A sense of despair and helplessness suddenly hit Tokugawa Iemitsu's heart. He felt as if there was a huge weight on his chest, and he couldn't breathe anymore. "Do you understand the situation now, General? "At this time, Doi Toshikatsu finally raised his head, and then looked at Tokugawa Iemitsu calmly, "Please, General, please stop humiliating the Tokugawa family's face! " Following his loud shout, a group of armored warriors rushed in and surrounded the entire palace. They also captured another person and brought him in directly. "General! "Tokugawa Iemitsu's wet nurse Kasuga Bureau cried and rushed to his side, and then hugged him. "Are you even willing to let go? Tokugawa Iemitsu smiled bitterly. "Can you spare her life?" "He asked Doi Toshiki. "Please, General, commit suicide immediately!" "Doi Toshiki kowtowed again, cutting off Tokugawa Iemitsu's last hope. A tear suddenly flashed across Tokugawa Iemitsu's eyes. He looked at his wet nurse, and then weakly patted her shoulder. "Fu, I'm sorry" "General, what should we, the children of the Wu family, fear? "Kasuga Bureau cried while encouraging Tokugawa Iemitsu, "I just regret that I can no longer take care of you after passing Santukawa" "I have grown up and I don't need to take care of you anymore. " Tokugawa Iemitsu gave a last wry smile, and then picked up his sword. Then, he sighed, said "I'm sorry" again, and then stabbed the knife into his abdomen. Unexpected severe pain It made his whole body tense up. "Excuse me!" "Using his last strength, he shouted loudly to Kasuga Bureau.