After the military parade and the swearing-in ceremony, Toyotomi Hideyoshi returned to his temporary palace and sent someone to summon Tokugawa Ieyasu, saying that he wanted to inquire about the details of Kanto Ikaku.
Tokugawa Ieyasu was discussing the details of dispatching troops with the daimyo at that time. After receiving the summons, his face was quite ugly, and he said goodbye to the daimyo with a grimace. He looked like the wind was blowing and the water was cold, and he looked like a warrior who was gone and never returned. Although many of the daimyo were not the same as Tokugawa Ieyasu, they were all daimyo after all. Seeing his expression, they couldn't help but feel the same and comforted him.
Tokugawa Ieyasu seemed to be very moved. After thanking them one by one, he waved goodbye to them, looking a little reluctant to leave, which made many people sigh.
However, what all the daimyo did not expect was that when Tokugawa Ieyasu arrived at Toyotomi Hideyoshi's temporary palace, his expression immediately changed, and his whole person became solemn and clear, with only a calm and resolute expression on his chubby face.
As soon as he entered the palace, Toyotomi Hideyoshi changed his arrogant appearance before others. Not only did he immediately stand up and respond, asking Ieyasu to sit down, he also said with a smile: "I have really wronged Duke Tokugawa just now. Hideyoshi feels very uneasy."
Tokugawa Ieyasu's face remained as usual, and he bowed slightly and said: "In life, we often have no control over our own actions. Everyone has three sharp swords of fate, fate and destiny above their heads. Now that the three fates have been determined, Taige is for the world, and Ieyasu is loyal to everyone. That’s all.”
Toyotomi Hideyoshi seemed not to have expected Tokugawa Ieyasu to give such a serious answer. He was slightly startled, and then asked: "Can Lord Tokugawa forget the regret of Komaki Nagasute?"
Tokugawa Ieyasu said without hesitation: "Time is the best medicine. As time goes by, new experiences will cover up old traces, so there is no need to deliberately forget them."
"Hahahaha!" Toyotomi Hideyoshi looked up to the sky and laughed, and then said: "Dong Tokugawa is indeed the wisest man in the world. Hideyoshi always likes to interact with wise men... Then, the affairs of the Tang Dynasty's Kanto Fleet and Misaki and Yusheng Cities have their merits. Kawa-nii." He first called Ieyasu Tokugawa-san, and later became Tokugawa-nii. It was obviously not a slip of the tongue, and Ieyasu must have heard it.
However, Ieyasu replied: "Please rest assured, my lord, although this matter is difficult, Ieyasu will do his best."
Toyotomi Hideyoshi was very satisfied with Ieyasu's attitude and helped him up personally. He nodded and said: "During the Battle of Odawara, the Tang people had a brief encounter with our army. That time, the Tang army won a great victory despite being outnumbered. Although this was strange, Xiu Sheng underestimated the enemy's aggressive advance, but it can also be seen that the Tang army was capable...
Brother Tokugawa has been in the military for half his life, so he is naturally far from being comparable to a young man like Hidekatsu, but since he is going to attack the Kanto Fleet and the Misaki Castle Tang Army this time, he must be careful not to make any mistakes. "
Tokugawa Ieyasu said solemnly: "Ieyasu understands."
Toyotomi Hideyoshi originally thought that Tokugawa Ieyasu would at least briefly talk about how he would deal with it, but unexpectedly, Tokugawa Ieyasu cherished words like gold and did not mention it at all. This matter was of great importance, and such an answer obviously did not satisfy Hideyoshi, so he pondered and asked: "What strategy does Brother Tokugawa want to take to pacify Miura?"
Miura refers to the Miura Peninsula, where Misaki Castle and Tamawa Castle are located. Tokugawa Ieyasu said: "Tamano Castle is the permanent residence of the Narita clan. Although the clan leader is related by marriage to the lord of Kyoka, he is still our minister of Japan. Ieyasu should punish him with great justice and induce him with great benefits, so that even if he cannot Even if he is willing to surrender, he will not be able to come out and will not be able to help Misaki.
As for the remote peninsula of Misaki Castle, Ieyasu should take it by surprise. The Tang people were unprepared and might be able to capture it. If the Tang people were prepared, there was nothing to fear. They could just encircle and trap the peninsula. "
Toyotomi Hideyoshi frowned and said: "The Kanto fleet of the Tang Dynasty is very powerful, and Misaki Castle is on the seaside. How can Brother Tokugawa encircle it?"
This question was very to the point, but Tokugawa Ieyasu said calmly: "Although the Tang Dynasty fleet is strong, it will have to travel across the ocean to come to Kanto, and the cost of the journey will be more than tens of thousands? Suppose I surround you with 30,000 elite troops and don't attack, when As autumn is about to begin, this army can eat locally, but the food of the Tang army needs to be supplied by sea. Who can last long is anyone’s guess."
Toyotomi Hideyoshi thought for a while and seemed to think it was reasonable, but he asked again: "But the Tang army fleet is strong, even if it is outnumbered, it can retreat calmly. If so, what should we do?"
"Just retreat." Tokugawa Ieyasu said calmly: "Since he has come from afar, once he loses his stronghold, where will he stay to disturb me?"
At this time, Toyotomi Hideyoshi was obviously dissatisfied. He waved his sleeves and said, "What if we retreat to Qingshui Castle of the Shimadzu family?"
Tokugawa Ieyasu laughed: "Congratulations to His Highness Taikaku - Nagoya is in Kyushu. If the Shimazu family dares to accommodate the enemy, how can his 600,000 stones not be transferred to Taikou?"
Nagoya is at the northern end of Kyushu Island, the closest to North Korea. It is the starting point for the army to conquer the Ming Dynasty. Once the Shimazu clan in the south "accommodates the enemy", they can naturally mobilize the army to go south to quell the rebellion. This is what Tokugawa Ieyasu said.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi finally smiled and brushed his beard proudly: "Yes, our army is in the north, and the Shimazu family has a sword hanging over their heads. How dare you act like this? Brother Tokugawa can see clearly."
"Everything is under the control of Taikaku, but it is just said through the mouth of the minister." Tokugawa Ieyasu's words were extremely humble, and he bowed and said: "I am just serving my orders."
This was the second time he asked for service today. Toyotomi Hideyoshi was extremely satisfied and decided to give a sweet date - but he could only give half of it first. He said: "If this is done, Brother Tokugawa will be able to conquer the dynasty. Hontaiko Since I became the emperor, I asked Brother Tokugawa to be the Zuofu, so that it will be remembered in the annals of history."
Tokugawa Ieyasu actually did not refuse, but bowed his head and said: "Thank you, Your Highness."
The important matter was settled, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi felt relieved. Thinking that he had brought many beauties with him, he couldn't help but feel itchy in his heart. He coughed lightly and said: "Well, I will leave all this to Brother Tokugawa. "
When Tokugawa Ieyasu saw that there was no follow-up to his words, he knew that he meant to see off the guests, so he immediately stood up and left. Toyotomi Hideyoshi pretended to hold back a few words, so he left.
At the same moment, there was a different scene in the North Korean palace. The Joseon Palace was originally built after the Forbidden City of the Ming Dynasty, but the specifications and scale of the various palaces in it were only comparable to the palaces of the Ming Dynasty vassals. However, because Korea is the vassal state that has the closest relationship with the Ming Dynasty, it is the most sinicized among the major vassal states of the Ming Dynasty and is the most respectful to the Ming court. Therefore, Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty issued a special edict and approved that the king of Korea was allowed to have a royal chair decorated with a five-clawed golden dragon in his Jinluan Palace, but the size was much smaller than the dragon chair in the Forbidden City of the Ming Dynasty.
The kings of all dynasties of Korea were extremely grateful for Chengzu's grace. They usually don't dare to sit on the dragon chair, but only during grand gatherings and ceremonies, they will board the dragon chair in the Jinluan Hall, summon officials, and announce edicts and orders to show the majesty of their country as "Little China."
But on this day, the Jinluan Hall of the Joseon Palace was no longer as quiet and solemn as it used to be. Instead, there were singers in the clouds, wine and banquets were laid out, and it was a lively and festive atmosphere.
It turns out that today is the 40th birthday of the North Korean king Li Ho. He had always liked the bustle and bustle, so of course he was very interested. He had already decided to hold a grand palace banquet in the Jinluan Palace to have fun with all the civil and military officials. Some old ministers who abided by etiquette thought his move was unseemly, and they complained to him one after another but could not persuade him to stop, so they had to let him go.
During the banquet, the North Korean leader Liu Chenglong respectfully raised the jade cup in his hand and led the civil and military officials to congratulate: "I respectfully wish that your Majesty will live as long as heaven and enjoy eternal happiness!"
"Okay! Okay! Okay! No need to be polite, gentlemen." Li Huo sat on the pure gold dragon chair, with a smile on his fat, round face. He didn't get up either. He raised the golden cup and was about to express his gratitude happily. Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind. He recalled that the words "Yongle" were included in the congratulations given by the officials. He quickly put down the golden cup, stepped off the throne, leaned over and bowed to the west. ——It turns out that Liu Chenglong inadvertently mentioned the reign of Ming Chengzu, the overlord of Korea, which was disrespectful to the overlord of Ming Dynasty. And Li Huan hurriedly bowed to the direction of Beijing in the Ming Dynasty, using his own pious respect to make up for the rudeness of the officials.
Seeing the king's behavior, Liu Chenglong was shocked and immediately woke up. He hurriedly led his officials to leave the banquet and bow to the west. He said tremblingly: "The foreign ministers and others are ignorant and have offended the reign of the late Ming Dynasty emperor. It’s really a crime worthy of death! A crime worthy of death!”
After Li He and his ministers and others walked westward and bowed three times and kowtowed nine times, they all calmed down with lingering fear. Li He raised his eyes and looked at Liu Chenglong, and said in shock: "Liu Aiqing, you must pay more attention to your speech and wording from now on! If the superior country heard about today's disrespectful things, and issued an imperial edict to reprimand him, So what should we do? I heard that His Majesty the Ming Emperor is in his prime of life, he is upright and decisive, and he is very strict in his control. Some time ago, he sent troops to wipe out the remnants of Mongolia - God is so majestic! If he sends troops out of anger. The envoy came to ask, even if I am afraid that I will not be able to protect you Liu Aiqing..."
"Yes! Yes! Yes! Your Majesty reprimanded me! I will never dare to make a mistake again!" Liu Chenglong reached out and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, got up and hurriedly returned to the seat and knelt down with the civil and military ministers.
Li Huo stood in front of the throne for a moment and calmed down, coughed slightly, then walked back to the king's banquet and sat down.
"You also come to the table!" He ordered the ministers who were kneeling beside the table, then he picked up the silver chopsticks and started to eat. At this time, I suddenly heard the eunuch outside the palace raising his voice and saying: "Huang Yunji, the chief envoy to the Japanese, and Jin Chengyi, the deputy envoy to the Japanese, have returned to the ship. They are waiting outside the palace to ask for an urgent visit from the king."
"Huang Aiqing and Jin Aiqing are back?" After Li Huo heard this, the silver chopsticks he was reaching for on the plate stopped in the air, pondered for a moment, and said, "Summon them to the palace to see them quickly."
Huang Yunji and Jin Chengyi were specially sent to Japan by Li Huo as envoys from neighboring countries a few days ago, pretending to congratulate Toyotomi Hideyoshi for "purging the four directions and unifying Fuso". Of course, this was done openly, as Kim Yun-gil and Kim Seong-il went to congratulate him. Secretly, Li Hao asked them to find out Japan's Toyotomi Hideyoshi's attitude towards North Korea. Toyotomi Hideyoshi's letter to him was rejected by him flatly. Although he felt that it was just nonsense, he still had to see the truth after all.
Outside the palace gate, Huang Yunji and Jin Chengyi were seen with pale faces, sweating profusely, and panting. They ran to Wang Yan and fell to their knees with a plop. They seemed to be exhausted, shaking their heads and vomiting. I can't even speak words.
"Take a break...let's talk after a break!" Seeing the two of them looking like this, Li Huo had the nerve to press him further. He had no choice but to wave and ask the two palace maids to each bring a cup of warm tea to Huang and Jin.
Huang and Jin kowtowed in thanks, stood up, and drank all the tea in their cups without caring about etiquette. Then they rested for a moment, then calmed down, knelt down and straightened their postures, ready to Start making trouble.
Just as Huang Yunji coughed, his tone still couldn't hide the intense panic and anger, and he said hastily: "Your Majesty, the Japanese country Guanbai Toyotomi Hideyoshi is so ambitious that he actually wants to embezzle the three thousand miles of Korea!"
As soon as these words came out, there was a sudden silence in the main hall. Even the Korean singers who were dancing gracefully and not caring about state affairs immediately stopped their movements and stood still. The musicians on both sides of the hall also put down their instruments and looked at Li Hao with dumbfounded eyes, not daring to play any more.
After suddenly hearing about such a disaster at the birthday banquet, Li Hao no longer wanted to entertain himself. He threw away the silver chopsticks in his hand and waved outwards with a sullen face. The singers and musicians hurriedly retreated knowingly.
The air in Jinluan Palace suddenly became dull as if it had solidified. After a long time, Li He's feeble voice was heard to break the dullness: "Huang Aiqing! Is he trying to intimidate you with false words? Does he think the gift given to him is too little? I will give it to you this time. What he has are eighteen coral trees, six buckets of luminous pearls and two white tiger skins - each of them is a rare treasure, and its value is even equal to the tribute we sent to the Celestial Empire... Isn't he still not satisfied?"
After hearing what Li Huo said, Huang Yunji and Jin Chengyi were both dumbfounded. They opened their mouths to say something, but when they saw Li Huo muttering to himself on the throne, they did not dare to interrupt him. , had to endure and listen silently.
"Forget it! Forget it! I think the Japanese country is just a barbarian country, and I won't care about them anymore... Liu Aiqing, you go down later and prepare a generous gift, and send someone who is articulate and whose official position is above the second rank. Minister, hurry to the Japanese country to make peace with them someday, and don't stir up trouble!"
Li Huo was still immersed in his own imagination and ordered Liu Chenglong: "Huang Yunji and Jin Chengyi are not doing their job well and cannot mediate relations with foreigners for me. They should retreat and wait for the consequences..."
"What an injustice! What an injustice!" Upon hearing this, Huang Yunji and Jin Cheng were so shocked that they knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, shouting in unison, "The Japanese are really ambitious and will not give up until they devour my country... No matter how great the king is, No matter how many treasures and gifts you give, that thief Toyotomi Hideyoshi will cross the strait and rush towards you!..."
There was a deep silence above the hall, leaving only their hoarse and shrill shouts echoing over the hall for a long time.
"What evidence do you have that can truly prove that the Japanese will definitely come to invade Korea?" After a long time, Liu Chenglong finally spoke to break the silence in the hall. After all, he has rich experience and is much more reliable than that king. At least he knows how to ask for evidence.
At this time, he waved his hand to stop Huang and Jin from shouting, and said slowly: "The two countries are at war. This is a serious matter, and we cannot tolerate you two making false noises here!"
"Liu... Prime Minister Liu, how dare you, the lower officials, to make false noises and disturb the emperor's heart? Your Majesty... Your Majesty, Toyotomi Hideyoshi read your reply and almost beheaded the two ministers on the spot. Later, after the persuasion of his subordinates, he Then he reluctantly asked me to wait until I came back to deliver the message..."
Huang Yunji ignored the bloody beads on his forehead, held up a yellow silk letter with both hands, and presented it to him on his knees, "As long as your Majesty reads this letter, everything will be understood..."
Liu Chenglong stood up from the chief left seat of Wang Yan, took Toyotomi Hideyoshi's yellow silk letter, and hurriedly handed it to Li Huan.
Li Hao's heart was beating loudly. He held the yellow silk letter in his hand as if he were holding a piece of hot red coal. He opened it tremblingly, took out the letter and glanced at it a few times. His face turned pale and he suddenly shouted loudly: "It's too much to bully people, it's really too much to bully people! Japanese thieves have a heart that can be punished!"
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Thanks to book friends "The Boy Next Door 1" and "Cao Mianzi" for their monthly support, thank you!
