On this side, Luoyuan was still having a headache about how to rescue the Narita clan, but on the other side, Toyotomi Hideyoshi had already begun to take action.
His first step was to transfer Ishida Mitsunari from Ninja Castle to Odawara Castle, and not only Ishida Mitsunari's headquarters was moved, Asano Nagamasa, Sanada Masayuki and others were all packed up and transferred away, leaving only Ishida Mitsunari outside Ninja Castle. Three people, Nagasuke Masaie, Maeda Toshiie, and Uesugi Kagekatsu, were selected.
Nagashumasa's own territory was limited, but he was an important figure in the Advocacy faction and was highly trusted by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He stayed in Ninja Castle to supervise the war as the general.
This setting seems to be a bit like the Ming Dynasty's "using small to make big" style, because Maeda Toshiie and Uesugi Kagekatsu are both wealthy celebrities. If they were only left in Ninja City, Toyotomi Hideyoshi would let any of them If one person is the general, the other person will definitely be dissatisfied.
In this case, then you both should listen to the instructions of my spokesperson. I have to say that the monkey is very familiar with this trick of checks and balances.
In essence, Toyotomi Hideyoshi may have done this mainly to show his sincerity to the Sea Trade Alliance, but the chain reaction caused by this move surprised everyone.
First, the Hojo family quickly discovered that there were more flags from Ishida Mitsunari, Asano Nagamasa, Sanada Masayuki and other tribes in the encirclement of Odawara Castle, and they were already full of suspicion at that time. Immediately afterwards, Date Masamune, who had been wandering around his own border to observe the situation, also discovered this, and through the Monokenban he sent, he discovered that the Nagasuke Masaike, Maeda Toshiie, and Uesugi Kagekatsu were staying outside Ninja Castle. Invariably, the encirclement was expanded a lot - war usually involves tightening the encirclement, and expansion means relaxing the encirclement. This is obvious.
Although Ishida Mitsunari and others took nearly half of the troops with them when they withdrew, the previous "front army" of Ninja City had once reached nearly 60,000 troops. After withdrawing half, there were still 30,000 troops, which was still ten times the number of defenders. Logically speaking, It is impossible to relax the siege because of the strength of the troops.
Date Masamune judged based on this, 99% of the time it was because Toyotomi Hideyoshi had successfully mobilized Ninja Castle.
"Strategy" is a commonly used term in Japan's Warring States period. It generally refers to the use of strategies, including bribery, alienation, instigation, and internal strife. Toyotomi Hideyoshi has always been a master of strategy. Date Masamune's judgment is very good. reasonable.
However, Date Masamune's judgment was only correct in terms of conclusion, and the process was actually completely different. But it didn't matter, as long as the result was correct - he thought that since Ninja Castle had actually changed hands, the Hojo family relied on Odawara Castle. They can't persist for a long time, even if the Sea Trade Alliance gives them blood transfusions, because no crops will grow in Odawara City.
Unlike the policy of separation of soldiers and peasants inherited by the Toyotomi family from Oda Nobunaga, the Hojo family still has the old samurai-peasant-soldier system. It is now approaching the end of summer, and the autumn harvest will soon begin. The Hojo family only has Odawara Castle left, and the vast tracts of fertile land in Kanto have become capital in Guan Bai's hands.
Although Kanto has not yet been developed by the Tokugawa, the Hojo family, especially during the Hojo Ujiyasu era, was also famous for its agricultural administration. The grain output in the Kanto region is not low. Therefore, even if the Toyotomi army has more than 200,000, it is estimated that there will be no more in the short term. Food shortage.
In this way, it seems that the two sides can continue to persist in the confrontation. But don’t forget that since Ninja Castle has actually been lost, it means that the 30,000 troops in the hands of Maeda Toshiie and Uesugi Kagekatsu can go south at any time. (Although Nagashumasa is the general, he actually only sent 1,000 troops. Five hundred people, far less than the two million-stone elders).
In this case, Odawara Castle would face a siege of more than 200,000 troops. Even if Toyotomi Hideyoshi asked them to dismantle a brick alone, they would be able to dismantle a large section of the city wall. At this point, Date Masamune had to sigh, the end of the Hojo family had come.
So Date Masamune rushed to Odawara Castle overnight to "report in" - he had received Toyotomi Hideyoshi's order asking him to send troops to assist in the war, but he never responded. In fact, he just kept delaying and waiting. But now, it seems that there is no suspense in this war, and he must make a decision.
Even though this decision made him very heartbroken.
It is said that due to the game promotion of a certain Japanese company in later generations, when mentioning the one-eyed dragon Date Masamune, many people may think of his demeanor in fighting the local lords in southern Ou at a young age. At that time, the Ou area had been in a state of war on and off for more than a hundred years. When Masamune inherited the family business in 1584, his family, the Date family, was just one of the more prestigious families. Although they were strong, they But it is far from being superior to other families.
As a result, it only took Masamune six years to suppress many large and small forces one by one, and almost took over the entire southern half of Fukushima Prefecture and Miyagi Prefecture (as mentioned before, Japanese counties are larger than cities). down, and nearly annexed the area entirely. This kind of rapid growth was very rare in the history of the Warring States Period, and Masamune was only twenty-four years old at that time. It is a pity that at this time Toyotomi Hideyoshi issued the Odawara Expedition Order, aiming at the East Kingdom.
I think back then, five or six years before Hideyoshi sent troops to Kanto, that is, in 1584, shortly after he seized the territory of his late master Oda Nobunaga, Hideyoshi had already greeted the lords of the Ou region headed by the Date family and called for They must obey quickly, otherwise I, Hideyoshi, will take action personally in the future and attack East Japan, and you will be too late.
However, Hideyoshi was far away at that time, and he himself had to conquer places such as Shikoku and Kyushu first. For the time being, he could only make gestures, talk diplomatic rhetoric, and show his teeth towards the Ou Kanto region. On the other side, the Ou lords still remember the all-powerful Oda Nobunaga, who once vowed to pacify East Japan. In the end, before sending troops, he was assassinated by his subordinate Akechi Mitsuhide.
Now that Nobunaga is dead, thanks to Hideyoshi's efforts, the chaos in Kyoto has just been calmed down, and the Hojo family, the strongest force in Kanto on this side, continues to develop as usual. Compared to Kanto, the Ou region further away from Kyoto is more isolated from the world. The Ou lords, including Masamune, are still busy with their own wars. No one knows whether Hideyoshi can really become something big, and they don't care. This "crying wolf" question.
However, unlike Nobunaga who died before leaving the army, this time the wolf really came. Hideyoshi, who had said hello six years ago, finally leveled Shikoku and Kyushu, completed what Nobunaga failed to accomplish, and was already a highly respected minister, becoming Toyotomi Sekihaku second only to the emperor.
Those famous Warring States figures who were once famous throughout Japan, such as the Shimazu family, the Chosogabe family, the Mori family, and even big figures such as Tokugawa Ieyasu and Uesugi Kagekatsu also joined the Toyotomi regime and became one of them.
So Hideyoshi finally came to East Japan to fulfill his promise and spread the news to Masamune. At this time, Masamune had accepted almost all the lords in the southern part of Mutsu Kingdom as vassals and became the belated hegemon of the Northeast. In Minami Mutsu, no one dared to ignore Masamune's every move.
Masamune's next plan is to first cooperate with the Hojo family in Kanto to attack the common enemy of the two families, the Satake family of Hitachi Kingdom, and then join forces with the Hojo family in Kanto, and then fight to the death with the Hojo family to dominate the east. Country - Well, maybe I can join the Kamakura public service? No matter what happens, we should have a Kanto leader, right?
In this world of great conflict, there is always only a thin line between allies and enemies.
Unexpectedly, the plan to fight against the Kanto overlord Hojo family in Kanto has not yet been launched, but the murderous Toyotomi Hideyoshi comes to disrupt the situation. In addition to stating that he wanted to destroy the Hojo family who refused to surrender, he also gave Masamune a wink, implying that if he did not obey, then it would be the turn of the Date family after the Hojo family!
Not only that, after Hideyoshi decided to attack the Hojo family, he also revealed his true colors to Masamune, saying that what he wanted was no longer just a treasure, but Masamune's complete obedience. Lord Guanbai sent people to give Masamune roughly four instructions:
First of all, stop fighting with the surrounding lords. Everything is decided by Guan Bai. Guan Bai's decision is justice; secondly, in order to show his sincere obedience, Masamune should go to Kyoto in person to visit Guan Bai and swear allegiance; thirdly, the attack on the Hojo family is already underway. Schedule, express your position quickly; in the end, all the treasures and treasures Guan Bai wants must be presented.
When Masamune received these requests, his first reaction was to ignore them. He didn't refute it, he just used delaying tactics, trying not to rush to express his position, let alone act.
However, the delaying tactics were aimed at the first three demands, and Masamune responded positively to the fourth demand. Falcons, horses, treasures, he would give Guan Bai whatever he wanted, without any nonsense or counter-offering.
On the other hand, he continued with his original plan to capture the remaining parts of southern Mutsu as soon as possible. Moreover, Masamune continued to contact the Hojo family privately, preparing to make a surprise attack on the Satake family, making it an established fact. Masamune felt that even if Hideyoshi really came to settle accounts in the future, he could openly say that he was not denying Mr. Guan Bai face, but those were the results that had already been established before Mr. Guan Bai came, and the raw rice had long been cooked. , I’m really sorry and will never do it again in the future.
Unexpectedly, the reaction of the Hojo family greatly disappointed Date Masamune, and they actually chose to completely encircle the city. Cage City means holding on to the city, and generally speaking this move means placing hope on reinforcements.
Where are the reinforcements? In Date Masamune's view, he was the only reinforcement the Hojo family hoped for.
But is Date Masamune willing to be this reinforcement? Not willing. Because Date Masamune was not sure of a battle at Okehazama, and amid his hesitation, the Hojo family was left with only Odawara Castle and Ninja Castle in just three months.
At this time, Date Masamune was ready to surrender. Unexpectedly, an accident happened. As soon as he reached the border, he heard that the Sea Trade Alliance sent troops to defeat Toyotomi Hidekatsu who was sent to Ishida Mitsunari as reinforcements. Master Guan Bai's adopted son lost all his belongings and almost only escaped with his life.
Date Masamune quickly stopped again and continued to observe the situation.
According to his thinking, if the Maritime Trade Alliance sides with the Hojo family, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's hometown of Osaka Castle on the eastern coast of the Seto Inland Sea will immediately become extremely unsafe. With the powerful maritime power of the Maritime Trade Alliance, as long as an attack on Osaka Castle is launched, Toyotomi Hideyoshi may have to withdraw his troops to stabilize his capabilities, and the crisis in Kanto will naturally be resolved.
However, Date Masamune was disappointed again. What he was waiting for was Ishida Mitsunari and others leading their headquarters to transfer to Odawara Castle. This shows that Toyotomi Hideyoshi believes that the problem of Ninja Castle has been basically solved, and he is going to launch the final attack on Odawara Castle.
If we don't go to express surrender at this time, I'm afraid there will really be only a dead end when Odawara Castle falls. Date Masamune, whose heart was as high as the sky but who was born twenty years late, let out a long sigh and rushed to Shihan Mountain City overnight.
When they arrived at Shihan Mountain City, Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered to summon him. When he saw it, he was stunned on the spot: Date Masamune came dressed in white.
The white clothes on his body are not traditional Chinese filial piety, but are worn by high-status Japanese people before committing seppuku. The meaning of Date Masamune is simple: I am here to receive death.
But Toyotomi Hideyoshi did not let him die. He just criticized him, raised his killing stick high and put it down gently: he ordered him to receive the reward from Guan Bai to Ou together with the Kamao clan. Among them, Date Masamune officially received the Guan Bai award. The territory of 620,000 koku recognized by Shiro was sealed and he became one of the few great names in Japan.
Date Masamune's surrender had a huge impact on Odawara Castle. The Hojo family waited for thousands of times, but they did not wait for Tokugawa Ieyasu to defect before the battle, nor did they wait for Date Masamune to send troops to fight to the death because of his death. The transfer of Ishida Mitsunari and others from Ninja Castle to Odawara also shows that Ninja Castle's ability to contain the Toyotomi army has been greatly reduced.
No matter why Ninja Castle experienced such changes, the Hojo family believed that they could not sit still and wait for death. They first ordered the Narita clan leader to write a personal letter, ordering Ninja Castle to take the initiative to attack, and they must continue to attract the Toyotomi army to gather in Ninja Castle and reduce the Pressure on Odawara Castle.
Then they urgently contacted the Misaki Castle Sea Trade Alliance to inquire about the situation of Ninja Castle (Gao Yunping was still in Ninja Castle), and requested another extension of the lease term of Misaki Castle - this time the Hojo family expressed their hope that the Sea Trade Alliance would pay with large tubes and iron cannons.
Unfortunately, Luo Yuan decisively refused, on the grounds that "I have not obtained the authorization from the master and cannot sell firearms."
The Hojo family realized that the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable, and began to express a vague threat: "If my family is not safe, the Misaki rent case will be like a piece of paper."
If our Hojo family is finished, the lease contract you signed with our family will be a piece of waste paper!
But Luo Yuan quickly gave them a reply. In the reply, he did not answer this vague threat at all. Instead, he proposed: If your nobles want to avoid Guan Bai Feng, the Sea Trade Alliance is willing to be hired to send them to the Celestial Empire.
At the same time, he spoke with righteousness and compassion, saying: "We, the Sea Trade Alliance, uphold the benevolence of heaven and want to protect the Hojo family's chance of reviving, but I hope you will think twice and act with caution."
This reply was sent to Odawara Castle, and the Hojo family was immediately shaken. Originally, they had really planned to kill the Narita clan's long festival flag and prepare to defend Odawara Castle to show Toyotomi Hideyoshi the tenacity of the Kanto warriors. But now that they had a way out, their mentality immediately changed.
On the third day of August, father and son Hojo Umasa, Uji Nao, and Narita clan chief quietly boarded the warship sent by the Maritime Trade Alliance and set sail. The next day, the Hojo clan opened the city gate according to the order and led the crowd to surrender.
Odawara Castle, the most fortified city in Japan that was said to never fall, fell. Toyotomi Hideyoshi sent people to search for his father and son, but could not find him. He knew that he would be picked up by the Maritime Trade Alliance, but he knew that now was not the time to fall out, so he simply showed tolerance and did not kill anyone, but only ordered them to be confiscated. Hojo family territory.
The next day, Toyotomi Hideyoshi announced that: Tokugawa Jiro Saburomoto, the court official Ieyasu, was transferred to Kanto, and the original Hojo clan was granted the entire territory except Misaki Castle and Tamana Castle, and he was still the minister; Nabo Castle was assigned to the Toyotomi clan and the force. The original leader of Ninja Castle was renamed to the Tokugawa clan, and the clan leader was changed to Sagami Mamoru. The contract signed by the Beiyang Maritime Trade Alliance and the Hojo clan was recognized as legal and valid. After the expiration of the former contract, it shall be with The Toyotomi family will discuss contract renewal again...
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Thanks to book friend "Cao Mianzi" for your reward and support, thank you!
Thanks to book friends "milan123", "Cao Mianzi", "So What's Fate", "Xiaoshu Weishu", "KIKI Kai", "The Old West of Altay", and "Chi Yujing Fengchen" for their monthly support, thank you!
PS: I brewed two bags of coffee in advance today and finally fell asleep without typing...
