Chapter 152 Former General
"The four great names of Hizen, Higo, Bunzen, and Bungo responded to the letter saying that they did not dare to start an army without permission from the shogunate..."
Inoue Senshin took the reply letter and read it in front of Shimazu Tadahashi.
Shimazu Tadahashi was completely heartbroken now. From this point of view, the shogunate's defense against their Satsuma clan had reached a frantic level: "The Ming people helped their mortal enemy to go ashore and didn't even come. It's ridiculous...ridiculous..."
"My servant is still considering whether Hideyori-sama might have a grudge against my lord."
Inoue Qianxin was more thoughtful.
"In the Battle of Sekigahara, my father and I led an army of 1,500 people to join the Western Army. If Anguoji Huiqiong hadn't persuaded my father, we, the Satsuma Domain, might actually have joined the Eastern Army."
Inoue Senxin suddenly remembered something, so he asked: "My lord, I dare to ask now, did my lord communicate with Wakisaka Anji back then?"
"That guy?" Shimazu Tadahashi said with a look of disdain: "He is the adopted son of His Excellency Guan Bai. When Guan Bai reincarnates, he will be entrusted with all night's defense. Such a person actually surrendered to Dong before the war started. The army submitted a letter of surrender, but I don’t even bother to associate with such people.”
Inoue Senxin nodded: "So, my lord did not correspond with him back then."
"As a minister, I did not support the winter and summer battles in Osaka... I am guilty, but the land of Kyushu is full of foreign enemies. If I send troops, the entire Kagoshima domain will not be protected..."
Shimazu Tadahashi sighed: "Now that the Ming army's artillery and troops are approaching the city, there are no reinforcements. We, the Satsuma clan, have become the abandoned sons of the shogunate. We have no choice but to surrender. However, General Hideyori must have resented me for not saving Osaka back then." Shimazu Tadahashi As he spoke, he became depressed: "In order to protect the safety of our Satsuma domain, I am prepared to give way to Tadayō and then commit seppuku."
Inoue Senxin was shocked and quickly stopped him: "My lord, you must not do this. If you do this, we, the Satsuma Domain, will really not be able to keep it."
Shimazu Tadahashi raised his eyebrows and looked at him: "What's the explanation?"
Inoue Senshin took a deep breath and said: "My lord, if you die in apology, the Toyotomi clan will definitely annex my Satsuma clan, and Kagoshima will no longer be owned by the Shimazu family. The shogunate is afraid of my Satsuma clan, and that is because of me. Satsuma is the southern border, close to the sea, and the entire domain is strong. If my lord is here, the Toyotomi family will definitely appreciate my lord's righteousness. Even if they are concerned about it, in the face of the overall situation, you can be regarded as one of the elders of the year."
When Shimazu Tadahashi thought about it, he felt that it made sense: "Now it seems that we can only sacrifice Hikaru."
Inoue Senxin said: "Now that Mitsuhisa-sama is serving as a hostage in the shogunate, if the lord raises the flag, he will abandon Mitsuhisa-sama. Considering the overall situation of Satsuma, we can only choose to sacrifice Mitsuhisa-sama."
In this era of the Japanese country, it was feasible to sacrifice oneself, let alone a son, in order to preserve the overall situation.
What's more, Shimazu Tadahashi still has a son who can fight, even if his son who was a hostage in the shogunate was killed.
"After all this is happening, what am I going to do?"
Faced with Shimazu Tadahashi's inquiry, Inoue Sennobu fully demonstrated his counselor's strategy: "For the sake of the overall situation, I think that after the arrival of General Hideyori tomorrow, my lord can personally go out and kneel down to apologize. I believe that in front of so many people, They will definitely not embarrass the Lord."
Shimazu Tadahashi thought for a moment: "Okay, this is not difficult. As long as it can protect my Shimadzu family, I can accept it. Are there any other arrangements?"
Inoue Senshin's eyes rolled around a few times, and then he asked: "My lord, I remember that there were three families of Ukita, Mori and Maeda during the rescue in Kamuluo. The Maeda family is now an unshakable in-law in the shogunate, but the Maori family is sitting on the defense of Nagato. The land of two countries is the second person besides me, Satsuma, to be guarded by the shogunate. I think that after my lord confesses his crime, he can send someone to contact the Maori clan and ask them to follow us and support General Hideyori."
"Okay..." Shimazu Tadahashi replied without thinking: "Side family was the adopted son of Lord Guan Bai back then. Lord Guan Bai was very good to Hide family, but he is now exiled on Hachijo Island. If he can come back, I think there will be a lot of people throughout Japan responding."
Inoue Senxin immediately said: "We can also send people to Hachijo Island tomorrow to welcome back the Hide family. I heard that the shogunate only arranged a small team of soldiers to guard it. It is not too difficult to recapture it."
Shimazu Tadahashi looked at the ceiling and murmured: "My father tried his best to save the lives of the Hide family, but... alas..."
...
Chen Cao was not in a hurry. The current game was already over for him. After all, even though the city was well prepared and there was even talk of a bloody battle to the end, the people in the city were completely surrounded by the musket array. Want to escape, unless they really have a pair of wings.
However, for Shimazu Tadahashi, waiting was the most painful. He and a group of major retainers knelt outside the city gate to welcome him since dawn. Until noon, there was no movement in the Ming army camp opposite. .
Snowflakes began to fall from the sky even in the afternoon. An hour later, the snow gradually became heavier.
"If I were asked to sit like this on my knees, I wouldn't be able to hold on for half an hour, let alone a whole morning. Under the heavy snow, my legs would have to be amputated."
Chen Cao was holding a bowl of hot tea. We really couldn't stay in Japan for too long in winter, especially outdoors. The snow would fall as soon as possible. In the past, there would have been snow in Hokkaido before October, and he had been there since he landed. Then, in the cold mid-to-late December, it started to snow, which was a blessing for him.
"Master Hou..."
A guard in royal robes came quickly: "Master Qi, people are here."
Chen Cao was a little excited. When he thought that he could go to the city to rest and no longer have to stand in the heavy snow, he loudly said: "Send someone to tell the people kneeling over there that the General Toyotomi Hideyoshi has arrived and let them prepare." Good reception."
Hideyori was very excited, happy, and extremely excited. If the landing at Bojin Village could only be regarded as wandering on the edge of Japan, arriving at Satsuma Castle at this moment would feel like he had been promoted to the center of power in Japan.
Beside him, riding a horse, was a strong old man with bright eyes and no trace of the gloomy atmosphere of an old man.
Chen Cao immediately waited for them in front. Hideyori dismounted and bowed to Chen Cao in person: "Thank you, Marquis Dingwu, for your great kindness..."
The old man saluted and Chen Cao nodded, then dismounted and said: "General Hideyori, please..."
Seeing the large group of people walking towards them in the snow, Shimazu Tadahashi leaned down. When he saw the crowd arriving from the corner of his eye, he shouted loudly: "The guilty minister Satsuma Domain protects Shimazu Tadahashi, and pays homage to His Excellency the General. ..”
"Greetings to Your Majesty the General..." The people kneeling behind him shouted in unison.
Toyotomi Hideyori's body trembled, and then he looked at the old man beside him: "Hideie-sama..."
The old man is the adopted son of his predecessor Sekiba Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Ukita Hideie, the leader of the five Toyotomi elders...
When Shimazu Tadahashi heard about the four 'Hideie-sama', he immediately raised his head and saw the Ukita Hideie for whom he had interceded nineteen years ago: "Side... Hideie... Hideie-sama... ..."
Ukita Hideie looked pained, and after bowing to Hideyori, he went forward and knelt down, and joined Shimazu Tadashi: "Lord Tadashi... Many years ago, I thanked you Shimadzu for your protection, so I was able to survive. "
The Ukita Hide family's survival was all due to the strong help of the Shimazu and Maeda clans. The shogunate also made the decision to exile the Hide family to Hachijo Island because of the favor of the two heavyweight daimyo, otherwise they would not have survived at all.
Shimazu Tadahashi cried bitterly, and then knelt down towards Hideyori again: "The guilty minister is guilty. It is time to see the General again in this life. Even if he dies without regrets, the Shimazu clan is willing to devote all its efforts to the Toyotomi clan..."
"Please forgive me, General..." a group of retainers behind him shouted.
Hideyori let out a long breath, then stepped forward to help Shimazu Tadahashi and Ukita Hideie up in person: "The two of you are your father's right-hand men when he is reincarnated. I am a junior. Fortunately for you, Asakagami Kuninosuke." I can only return to Japan. Although I am no longer young, the two adults are not young either. The two adults are willing to join hands to help me."
The two looked at each other and knelt down together: "I will never give up until I die..."
As he said this, everyone hugged each other and started crying.
Chen Cao stood aside and couldn't help but cry when he saw this scene. He also felt that it was not good to interrupt them at this moment, so he ordered: "Get ready to enter the city immediately."
.
In the castle tower, Hideyori was sitting on the main seat. Chen Cao didn't like to sit with them, so he took his own people to sit on one side, while Shimazu Tadahashi and Ukita Hideie sat on the other side with them. Their main retainers were sitting behind them.
"This is the governor of the Sanada family? Mr. Yukimura?" Shimazu Tadahashi looked at the fifty-year-old man behind him and asked.
Hideyori smiled and pointed: "Without Yukimura-sama, you and I would never have the chance to meet each other again in this life."
Shimazu Tadahashi bowed to Yukimura, and Yukimura bowed in return. The two of them were considered acquainted.
"Lord Tadashi, how is the Hirano family? If they hadn't taken him in back then, I really would have had nowhere to go." Ukita Hideie asked.
"For so many years, my son Tadaro has been in charge of the Osumi Kingdom," he said, looking at Shimazu Tadaro behind him: "Tomorrow, I will send someone to Hyuga and Osumi to announce that the general has returned, change the flag, and then notify Hirano People from the family come to see Mr. Xiujia."
"yes..."
As soon as Chen Cao entered the door, he and his subordinates ate non-stop. The sashimi and sushi made by wealthy people were always delicious.
Hideyori did not dare to ignore Chen Cao, so he asked, "Is Marquis Dingwu still used to the food here?"
Chen Cao ate the last piece of sashimi in front of him, and then drank a glass of hot wine before he felt comfortable: "I'm used to it. I used to eat it a lot, but it's not as authentic as here."
Due to Chen Cao's previous status, he could not go abroad, so he could not eat authentic Japanese sushi fillets.
"Often?" Xiujia asked again, "Does Jinling have these?"
Only then did Chen Cao react: "Ahem, yes, but it's not authentic..."
Bypassing the topic, Chen Cao stood up and said: "Everyone, I, the Emperor of Ming Dynasty, have issued an imperial edict. Please accept it."
