Chapter 153 A sudden disturbance
"Edict of the Ming Emperor,"
Wu Chun stood up and held the imperial edict in both hands and walked to Hideyori's position. It was only when everyone led by Chen Cao learned to kneel on the ground that Wu Chun opened the imperial edict and recited it.
"The emperor was entrusted with the destiny of heaven, and the edict said: .....................
Now I ennoble Toyotomi Hideyori as the Japanese general to conquer the barbarians. He will be in charge of all affairs of the Japanese country. I admire this..."
Toyotomi Hideyori knelt and stood up, then raised his hands high and took the imperial edict from Wu Chun. Wu Chun continued: "The Holy Emperor ordered Wuhou Chen Cao to take charge of the affairs of the Japanese state. Before the state was completely established, the Japanese state The military affairs are in the hands of Chen Cao, the Marquis of Dingwu, and Toyotomi Hideyori, the general who conquered the barbarians, must listen carefully."
"I obey the decree..."
After Toyotomi Hideyori finished speaking, he was helped up by Wu Chun, and then said with a smile: "The general will have a harder time. We have all agreed that the battlefield matters will be left to the Ming army."
Hideyori nodded in response.
After the official affairs were settled, Chen Cao sat back down and started asking about business matters.
"My lords, what are the famous names of the vassal state that General Hideyori can use in Japan today?"
Shimazu Tadashi and Ukita Hideie looked at each other. Ukita Hideie was the first to speak: "I have been exiled on Hachijo Island for many years and have limited knowledge of domestic affairs in Japan. It is better to let Mr. Tadashi explain it."
Shimazu Tadahashi bowed to Chen Cao: "After the Battle of Osaka, everyone thought that their lord died in the flames, so Ieyasu went on a large-scale search for people loyal to the Toyotomi family. Over the past twenty years, except for the Hideie-sama's Directly under the jurisdiction of the two countries and my Satsuma domain, I am afraid that no daimyo will surrender, and by the way, there is also the Maori family..."
"They are not my Toyotomi family's ministers, and they don't need them." Osamu Osamu said expressionlessly.
Hideyori looked at Chen Cao: "Ding Wuhou, everything that can be used is here."
"How many troops can the Ukita family send?" Chen Cao looked at the Ukita Hide family.
Hideie thought for a while: "My family's territory was reduced after the war, and now only the two Bizen countries are available. At that time, the number of soldiers that could be recruited was less than 10,000, but now it is unclear."
"After the war, the Maori family was surrounded by both Nagato and Zhou defenses. The country was so powerful that among its ministers, they could recruit at least 20,000 people." Shimazu Tadahashi glanced at Toyotomi Hideyori, and then said to Chen Cao: " Together with the troops in my hands, we can form an army of at least 50,000 people."
"Are you sure you can convince the Maori family?" Chen Cao frowned.
Osamu Nagano even didn't believe it. He knew the inside story back then. The reason why Mouri Terumoto became the commander-in-chief of the Western Army was really a bit of a rush. Judging from the Toyotomi family's retainers of the near domain lords at that time, Ukita Hide should be considered. The family was the leader, but it was a pity that Hideie was too young at the time, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi did not die for a long time, and it was difficult to convince the public, and Ishida Mitsunari would not become the leader of the Toyotomi family.
Although Terumoto Mori was somewhat reluctant, he was a die-hard loyalist of the Oda family after all. After Nobunaga's death, Hideyoshi avenged him and became a close minister of Hideyoshi. Apart from the Ukita Hideie, the Mori family was second only to the Ukita family. The third person who has benefited the most is the Shimazu family.
"Is Mouri Terumoto still alive?" Osamu Osamu asked.
Chen Cao only had a brief understanding of Japan's Warring States history, but didn't know much about it. At this moment, he could only listen to Liao Yaowen sitting next to him translate what others said.
Shimazu Tadahashi nodded: "He is over seventy, and his health is not as good as before. As long as he is still alive, it will be no problem to persuade the Mori family to join the war."
"We have made a grand statement that we have returned to Japan. How many troops will the Tokugawa family come to fight?" Sanada Yukimura asked.
"Now the two generals Hidetada and Iemitsu are jointly creating dual politics. The so-called prosperous age is now, and everyone in the world has surrendered. If we send troops, there should be 300,000 people." Shimazu Tadahashi thought for a while and pondered.
Three hundred thousand, to the ears of everyone in the castle tower, each has its own merits. If it were placed in the Ming Dynasty where Chen Cao lived, although these troops were large, they were still at the pediatric level. But if they were placed in a small place like Japan, this number would be enough. Scare your opponents to death.
After all, when Hideyoshi launched a war against Korea, he sent only 300,000 troops across the country. This was despite the fact that the daimyo of each country tried their best to retain their strength. Now that the Japanese country has rested for more than 20 years after entering Edo, it can easily recruit three One hundred thousand troops is certainly not a problem.
"In my opinion, I can't be worth more than 500,000 people."
One stone stirred up a thousand waves, and Chen Cao's seemingly inconspicuous words frightened the people in the room to the point of being dumbfounded.
Fifty thousand versus half a million?
It's trivial to use a mantis' arm as a car.
When a country is invaded by a foreign enemy, as long as the country is unified, the number of troops that can be recruited is definitely beyond the imagination of the opponent.
The reason why the Ming Dynasty was eliminated by the Manchu Qing Dynasty was due to internal conflicts. If it were placed before Wanli, even if the Qing Dynasty had millions of people, it would still be wiped out on the land of Liaodong.
"Looking at it from this point of view, Tokugawa's power is still huge, and this battle still depends on the decision of Marquis Wu."
It was rare for Toyotomi Hideyori to be smart. With their strength, they would never be able to fight against the Tokugawa family. And Sanada Yukimura, a wise general during the Warring States period, had only displayed his strength in Osaka's two formations, let alone a defensive battle. .
Chen Cao pondered, and then looked at Shimazu Tadahashi: "I need detailed information on all the daimyo of Kyushu."
This made things difficult for Shimazu Tadahashi, but his confidant Inoue Sennobu immediately came to the rescue of Shimazu Tadahashi: "Ding Wuhou, please listen to me. After the Tokugawa shogunate came to Osaka, it began to punish those who were loyal to the The Lord's feudal name, and because he was afraid of the Satsuma Domain and the Mori Clan's Choshu Domain, he placed close retainers of the Tokugawa family in Kyushu and China to guard key areas;
Our Satsuma Domain includes the main domain, Osumi Province and part of Hyuga Kingdom. The current guardian daimyo of Hyuga Kingdom is Kuuki Ryuhei, a retainer of the famous Tokugawa general Ii Naotaka;
The daimyo of Hizen and Higo are respectively Takagi Seiji and Hiraiwa Chimori. Both of them are descendants of the so-called "Sixteen Divine Shoguns of Tokugawa", but Hiraiwa Chimori's sect is enfeoffed in Owari Kingdom. ;
The other countries in Kyushu are also under the influence of the Tokugawa family, and Marquis Sadabu only needs to wipe out the vassal states of Takagi Kiyoshi and Hiraiwa Okamori. There is no opponent for the Satsuma clan in Kyushu. "
Chen Cao turned to look at Liao Yaowen. This guy was a spy. Seeing Chen Cao looking at him, he calmly nodded in agreement with Inoue's words.
Seeing this, Chen Cao asked: "So, the vassal state of these two people can be said to be the largest power of the Tokugawa family in Kyushu?"
"That's right..." Shimazu Tadahashi nodded in response.
Chen Cao thought for a while and then asked again: "Your Satsuma Domain should have information on the full strength of these people. Tell me, how many people can they use?"
Inoue Senxin looked at Shimazu Tadahashi, then leaned over and said: "Back to Ding Wuhou, the Hizen Kingdom can mobilize 17,600 people, and the Higo Kingdom can mobilize 14,300 people, plus The strength of the four kingdoms of Fengqian, Fenghou, Zhuqian and Zhuhou should be nearly 70,000."
"Seventy thousand people," Chen Cao recited silently. He had 50,000 people under his command. It was not a big problem to deal with these people. Once Kyushu was captured and the Maori family took advantage of the situation to raise troops, the Tokugawa shogunate would react in a short time. After gathering hundreds of thousands of troops and heading south, their so-called "Chinese land" daimyo will definitely send troops to Kyushu in the shortest possible time, and the Mori clan's Choshu and Shufang will be the first to bear the brunt.
"Xin Zhao, according to the plan, we will delay for a while. After each unit rests for a day, let General Hideyori's men serve as guides and attack Higo Kingdom first."
"yes..."
...
"Come on, I'll stop them. I must tell the news to you."
"Hirata-kun...take care of yourself..."
A member of the Jinyi Guard Baihu put his sword back into the scabbard, and then glanced at the corpse on the ground: "The Marquis said, try to hold back the guys staying in the palace and give them false signals. If it weren't for the Marquis's advice, now They will definitely run away."
"Sir, one of them still ran away."
"Don't be afraid," Baihuguan got on his horse and said, "Their horses can't run as fast as ours. Besides, we have already accomplished the three days that the Marquis said. Naturally, others will take care of the rest."
"The one who ran away?"
"No matter, we have other tasks."
...
Kurata Heimasa is a little anxious. His men have not returned yet. What is the outcome of this war? He is now eager to know.
Kamiyama Heiji looked at him and said, "How should I write this letter?"
Before Kurata Heimasa could speak, there was a knock on the door: "Sir, someone is here."
Hirata Shoichi's mission is to pretend to be a Satsuma clan warrior and come to report the news. Although he lives in Fangjin Village, a person of Kurata Heimasa's level will naturally not pay attention to a down-and-out warrior for too long.
"Sir, something bad is going on..."
Looking at Hirata Shoichi kneeling in front of him, Kurata Heimasa frowned: "What is the intention of the people of the Ming Dynasty?"
Hirata Shoichi said bitterly: "Sir, my lord is surrounded by the Ming army and is unable to advance or retreat in this city. The people of the Ming Dynasty said that we, the Satsuma Domain, should hand over the Japanese pirates who harassed the Ming Kingdom. Otherwise, our Satsuma Domain will be overthrown. Now our army has suffered heavy casualties. , please help me."
Ueyama Heiji immediately became anxious, but Kurata Heimasa, who was still steady, winked at him: "Let me ask you, how many people are there in the Ming Dynasty?"
"Nearly fifty thousand people."
"So much?" Kurata Heimasa frowned: "Does your master have anything else to say?"
"My lord asked for help from all the countries in Kyushu, but they did not send troops. In desperation, my lord can only send a young man here to ask you for a decision. I hope you will report the matter to the shogunate as soon as possible and ask the shogunate to send troops for rescue."
Ueyama Heiji couldn't stand it any longer: "Kurata-kun, no matter what the people of the Ming Dynasty think, if they invade our Japanese territory like this, we should give them a head-on attack like the people of the Yuan Dynasty."
"Your Majesty, it is clear to you that the Ming army is surrounding our city. The city will not be able to hold out for long. Please make a decision as soon as possible."
Kurata Heizheng thought for a while and then said: "You go down and rest, I will write a letter to the shogunate right away."
